Letters to the Editor
calgodot
Published Letters: 259 Editor's Choice: 6
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Defining Novel
[Read the article: Comics fans, grow up!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Comic books" are indeed "graphic novels." Both Watchmen and The Dark Night Returns were published as serialized comic books before being compiled into the one-volume edition most know today.
The argument regarding the length of a comic book is invalid. A novel can be short. A comic book is a short graphic novel. A graphic novella, as it were.
The argument regarding the serialized form of the comic book is invalid. A novel can be serialized. Dickens' novels were serialized. The comic book is a serialized graphic novel.
The difference between the traditional novel and the graphic novel is superficial. Considering the evolution of the novel itself throughout history, particularly in postmodern history, it was inevitable that the graphic novel form become popular and "mainstream."
"A novel is a long piece of synthetic prose based on play with invented characters. These are the only limits. By the term synthetic I have in mind the novelist’s desire to grasp his subject from all sides and in the fullest possible completeness. Ironic essay, novelistic narrative, autobiographical fragment, historic fact, flight of fantasy: the synthetic power of the novel is capable of combining everything into a unified whole like the voices of polyphonic music." --Milan Kundera, The Art of the Novel
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Garry Owen
[Read the article: Opus]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
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Democrats, Republicans, and the Constitution
[Read the article: Pelosi: It's about the war]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Pelosi's statements, along with the prevailing attitude among Democratic voters and politicians that impeachment would be 'ineffective' or 'impractical,' make one thing crystal clear: Democrats have no more respect for the law of the land than do Republicans. Democrats, like Republicans, only care about winning elections and appeasing corporate donors. The next Democratic President, like the current Republican one, will likely evince this disregard for the Constitution in a multitude of ways, not the least of which will be the continuing abuse of the law of the land. Congressional Democrats will, like their Republican colleagues, circle the wagons to protect their leader(s). Democratic leaders, like Republican leaders, believe themselves to be above the law.
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Garry Owen
[Read the article: Opus]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Year Grown
Year WrongAngry Wore
Grayer NowGray Owner
Aery WrongYawn Roger
Rage On Wry -
Falwell Stewing in Heaven
[Read the article: Opus]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Now THAT's a pretty picture!
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It's clear.
[Read the article: WayLay]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Anonymous" hates women. Why? Because they don't like him. Why don't they like him? Because he hates them. A vicious circle.
But why does "Anonymous" hate women? It's apparent: one burned him, likely by "cheating" on him.
Why do women cheat? A deceptively simple question with a complex answer. Generally, women cheat because they find the man with whom they are partnered to be inadequate in some manner - an inattentive lover, an insufficient earner, an inadequate sharer: these are but a few of the more common reasons a woman may "cheat" on a man.
So it's obvious really: "Anonymous" hates women because of his own inadequacies, brought to screaming light by a woman who banged his best friend and had the temerity to enjoy it (more than she enjoyed "Anonymous").
P.S. One other thing that's clear: Carol Lay is a brilliant cartoonist possessed of a brilliant wit and piercing observations.
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Measuring Patriarchy
[Read the article: "I'll be post-feminist in a post-patriarchy"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How To Measure Patriarchy
1. Look at a picture of Congress. How many men do you see? How many women? Establish a ratio. This will serve as a measure of patriarchy.
2. Alternatively, compile a list of CEOs and boards of directors. Count the number of men, then count the number of women. Establish a ratio. This will serve as a measure of patriarchy.
3. Alternatively, examine other institutions of power and authority (such as law enforcement or the military). Obtain the numbers of men and women in positions of authority within those institutions. Establish a ration. This will serve as a measure of patriarchy.
4. Once you have established and accepted a methodology for obtaining a measure of patriarchy, perform similar analysis at various points in history. Chart the changes in the measurement. The resulting graph will provide a somewhat accurate measure of the rise and decline of patriarchy throughout history.
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Welcome to the Gutter.
[Read the article: The return of Larry Craig?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...the liberal philosphy is that we will defend your civil rights ONLY IF YOU AGREE POLITICALLY WITH US.
More accurately, that's the AMERICAN political philosophy, shared by the majority of American citizens, liberal and otherwise.
When Bill Clinton was caught committing what, in any other work environment, would amount to sexual harassment, sympathetic Democrats decried this invasion of privacy, pretended disgust with the moral preachments of Republicans, and condemned such "gutter politics."
When George W. Bush was revealed to be a draft-dodging drunk-driver, Republican supporters decried the invasion of privacy, pretended disgust with the moral preachments of Democrats, and condemned such "gutter politics."
Now it's The Larry Craig Show. What liberals once decried as "gutter politics" has now become mass entertainment. If their own hypocrisy is pointed out, they will cry: "The Republicans started it. This is their just desserts."
I'm not suggesting that Craig is innocent or worthy of support. I'm not suggesting that Democrats/liberals ought to take some moral high road in this matter.
What I'm pointing out is that we're all in the gutter now, and rather than trying to climb out of it, we're content to simply pop the popcorn and watch the show. We won't get out of this gutter until we all agree to work together in our escape from debased politics.
But that won't happen. Both parties are able to score points from the moral foibles of the others' members. We've descended to the point where Democrats repeatedly criticize GOP Presidential candidates for their "failed marriages" or lack of "family values." This is done without sympathy for the trauma caused by divorce, and in apparent ignorance of the fact that divorce is common among Americans.
"Compassionate conservatism" leads to similarly "compassionate" democracy, it seems.