Letters to the Editor
New Deal Democrat
Published Letters: 203 Editor's Choice: 43
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A similar experience in Minnesota
[Read the article: Dianne Feinstein, symbol of the worthless Beltway Democrat]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Glenn, thank you for continuing to point out Democratic politicians' betrayal of their constituencies. I'm convinced that there's no more important political story as we go into next year's elections.
Your exchange with the senatorial aide - and his/her quite palpable condescension toward average citizens - echoes my experience here in Minnesota with our freshman Democratic senator, Amy Klobuchar, who is turning out to be cut in the mold of Dianne Feinstein - at least when it comes to issues like warrantless wiretapping and condemning free speech (the moveon.org ad).
When I wrote Senator Klobuchar to express my displeasure at her vote to gut the old FISA law, I received a reply in which she stated that she voted for the revisions because of "gaps" in our national intelligence gathering. Of course, she didn't specify what those "gaps" were, at which point I wrote back asking how, exactly, the old FISA law was inadequate in that regard. I never received a reply to my second email.
I'm now starting to understand why people voted for Nader in 2000. Much as it pains me to say it, I'm willing to risk giving more elections to Republicans by voting third party in the case of faithless "liberals" like Klobuchar. Why should any of us vote for these quislings? What good does it ultimately do? They obviously hold us in contempt, and even the most fundamental constitutional principles mean absolutely nothing to these vacuous, power-hungry blowhards.
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The terms "Israel" and "United States" have become one
[Read the article: Turning Ahmadinejad into public enemy No. 1]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think Cole goes a bit too easy on Ahmadinejad. The man really is a raving anti-Semite and all-around nutjob. Of course, that would make him no different from many American politicians of the early to mid-20th century - before anti-Semitism became unfashionable.
However, despite his anti-Israel remarks, I'm not aware of the Iranian president's ever making a similar comment against the U.S. As many have pointed out, Iran was in no way allied with Al-Qaida, and had nothing to do with 9/11. So why would he be forbidden from visiting Ground Zero?
Only the logic which says that Israel and the U.S. are essentially one and the same would make it imperative to deny Ahmadinejad his visit to lower Manhattan. This is certainly the viewpoint of American right-wingers, Joe Lieberman, et. al., and a sentiment which is, ironically, shared by genuine Muslim terrorists.
My only question is: where does that leave the rest of us?
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Are the wheels coming off?
[Read the article: Fox News' attack on the honor and integrity of our war generals]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]For me, the most interesting part of the excerpt Glenn posted was the disparaging reference to Rumsfeld and the statement that generals should be put on trial for following him.
I don't frequent right-wing websites, as I clearly don't have Glenn's intestinal fortitude. So my question is: is Rumsfeld now fair game on the right? If so, that's news to me. It also seems pretty dangerous for their movement, since he's one of the best examples of the neocon mindset (read: incompetence).
I realize that the neocons are the Stalinists of our age (just airbrush Trotsky/Rumsfeld out of that photo and the problem goes away), but this still seems like a significant development. After all, Bush picked Rumsfeld despite, or because of, the latter's antagonistic relationship with Bush I. This is all getting awfully close to home, it seems.
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Things I'm grateful for
[Read the article: Sex, drugs and my 15-year-old]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]1. That my pre-Boomer parents were square, knew it, and didn't care enough about my opinion of their musical tastes (think Elvis and Merle Haggard) to try and convince me of how cool they used to be.
2. That they allowed me to be a teenager (back in the '80s) with only the occasional roll of the eyeballs and none of the cloying attempts to be my peer that Kamiya, despite his protests to the contrary, appears desperate to be.
3. That I knew what the limits were (no drugs and only very discreet partaking of alcohol) and that any transgressions would be punished. My dad taught me how to fish and catch pop-ups in baseball, not how to toke.
No, life wasn't perfect in Mayberry, but somehow it wasn't nearly as pathetic as Kamiya's alleged enlightenment and sophistication. His earnest liberal shtick is just a facade for his raging narcissism. There are some things best left unsaid and unwitnessed between parents and children. If he actually had a conscience, he would have apologized to his son for acting like such a jackass.
If this article is any indication, I'm glad we missed the baby boom generation entirely in my family. (My parents were born during the Depression, and I'm a Gen Xer.) I feel genuinely sorry for his son.
Finally - Steely Dan? Seriously?
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Just made my first donation to the 2008 campaign
[Read the article: Dodd's emphasis on constitutional and rule of law issues]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Be as generous as you can to Sen. Dodd, everyone. The guy is going up against big bucks in the form of telecom companies and all the politician-toadies who do their bidding.
We can only hope that the timid likes of Clinton and Obama will join the Dodd bandwagon, but we need to impress on them that there's a constituency - and money - in the pro-Constitution vote.
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Where does Neal stand on constitutional issues?
[Read the article: Pam Spaulding for Glenn Greenwald: Out gay man challenges Elizabeth Dole]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm talking about the telecom bill, habeas corpus, warrantless wiretapping, etc.
I've tried to get answers to these questions from other Democratic candidates and officeholders, with varying responses. It appears that being gay these days is less controversial in some ways than wholehearted support of the Bill of Rights.