Good AM, folks!
From last last night . . .
Yoda-speak: Arthur, furnish examples so that your lofty criticism is more focused.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
LTE Forum TH 08/30/12 Racism
OT, I set up this blog page for my response to you in order to avoid space limitations.
I would say that Word Watch candidate "You just don't get it" should be augmented by "You don't get all of it."
I do not dispute the history you recite. It is correct, and that is to our shame. But, to respond to your question "What personal harm have Walter Marshall and Louis Farrakhan brought to you and yours?", manipulation and pandering on the part of Marshall et al bring harm to all, and Farrakhan's bile is simply poisonous, made more so by the supine response to that poison by folks of your mindset. What you and your friends who laugh at my "whining" refuse to see is that pols like him and mouths like Jackson and Sharpton encourage and thrive on the marginalization pointed out by Arthur.
Have I been personally affected by the above worthies? No, not physically, as the Klan and Aryan nation have indeed affected blacks, understood. But, what about the studied refusal to address to dysfunction? That does affect me indirectly, and you as well, but, much worse, it adversely affects the very people for whom those luminaries claim to advocate.
Let's take a look at your friend Commissioner Marshall and his complaints about the alleged inequity of application of discipline in local schools. My response to his pandering draws sneers from you, but far far worse, his remarks have drawn a substantive response from the supremely spineless (to name one of its numerous failings) school administration. There is now indeed a discipline inequity in schools, which affects the quality of instruction. One disruptive child can now impede the education of 19 other classmates.
"Case in point," to coin a phrase: last year Susan had a kid in her class who was out of control. Over time, he pushed a kid away from a urinal, kicked two girls in their crotches, killed a class pet turtle, threw pencils at classmates, consistently refused to sit down, and consistently refused to do classwork or homework. He threw away notes to his mother, not that they would have had much effect. Susan and school officials had meetings with the kid's mom, that is when she would keep the appointments. Her response was that it was just rough-housing and that the school administration and Susan just had it in for her son.
This child took to bullying a much smaller child. Susan dutifully filled out bad conduct reports, asked that the bully be moved. Nope, couldn't do it; the bully had rights. She asked that he be transferred back to the district whence he came. Nope, can't do that, either. The parents of the bullied child asked Susan what they could die. Susan replied that her hands were tied, suggested they complain to the central office. The central office decreed that the bullied kid be transferred to another school.
So, the bullied kid and his parents were inconvenienced, while the troublemaker and his complacent mother were not. What about the bullied kid's rights, or the rights of the other kids in the class, or the frustrated teacher? The bullied kid, by the way, is also black. Susan's class was half black, half Latino, nary a white kid there (the cynical segregation of our schools is indeed an issue, but not for this commentary, btw). Thank you, Commissioner Marshall, the products of this sad case of discipline will one day hit the job market. That, OT, does affect both you and me indirectly.
(This child bullied another child, also black and much smaller, who finally took matters into his own hands and attacked the bully. It took Susan and an teacher's aide both to pull the furious kid off the bully, who had received a commendably comprehensive buttkicking from his classmate).
Mind you, some discipline was applied, and the troublesome child received several suspensions, to the relief of Susan and the other pupils.
The story continues and provides a cautionary tale re this self-marginalization. As the year progressed, Susan and the school worked with the troublesome kid, drawing accusations of racism from the indignant mother. Yes, my fiancee', the grandmother of a biracial girl whom she loves, was called racist. But, she and the (black) school psychologist arranged testing, and as they suspected, the kid has ADHD. They reported this to the mom. Nope, this is racist, nothing wrong with my child; you people just don't like him (damn right they didn't, but that was irrelevant). The school psychologist commented to Susan that times had changed, so that parents notified of their children's shortcomings no longer address their kids, but excoriate the teachers.
Finally, the mom paid for her own tests. Guess what: kid ended up on medication, and his behavior changed remarkably for the better. So, all that blame and accusation was wrong and wasted, and the slackassed mom, prompted in part by institutionalized self-marginalization, wasted a full school year of her son's life. Who are the real victimizers in this sorry story?
Before you reply that this is a single anecdote, this pattern regarding discipline and parental response is endemic at least to that school, and I suspect over a much wider area.
The cautionary part of the tale is that while the r-word "racism" is bandied about, pols and mouths like Marshall ignore another r-word: "responsibility." I castigated Minister Farrakhan earlier, but for all the toxins he spews, he understands that word, and expects a standard of behavior from his flock. When I hear Marshall (whom I use as a personification of a larger whole) exhort parents to take responsibility for their kids, and his constituents to behave and to obey the law, I'll listen more closely to what he has to say.
I would really like to know what people like Obama, Powell, Rice, Holder, AmEx's chairman Chennault, and others have to say about Marshall's cultural norms.
Again, I do not dispute your history. As for the collective consciousness that years of oppression and marginalization have created, yes, I, as you say, get it. I understand some responses to that history, such as affirmative action, of which I generally approve. But, I also understand a question that both evoke: when does it end? That in turn evokes another comment: to use another Word Watch candidate, "Get over it." OK, not done at the snap of fingers, but the process must be encouraged. Panderers like Marshall on one side and their right-wing counterparts are not part of that ongoing solution; they are part of the problem.
I recall seeing a movie years ago where an African politician addresses a bigoted South African mercenary who pointed out the shortcomings of African nations. The actor lined, "We must forgive you the past; you must forgive us the present, so that we can work on the future together." If the character in the movie were a real pol, he would be a statesman, a commodity in short supply today. Interestingly, the scriptwriters turned Hardy Kruger's mercenary into a bit of one in his own right: he listened, quit calling the African "kaifa," started calling him "Man."
I would say that Word Watch candidate "You just don't get it" should be augmented by "You don't get all of it."
I do not dispute the history you recite. It is correct, and that is to our shame. But, to respond to your question "What personal harm have Walter Marshall and Louis Farrakhan brought to you and yours?", manipulation and pandering on the part of Marshall et al bring harm to all, and Farrakhan's bile is simply poisonous, made more so by the supine response to that poison by folks of your mindset. What you and your friends who laugh at my "whining" refuse to see is that pols like him and mouths like Jackson and Sharpton encourage and thrive on the marginalization pointed out by Arthur.
Have I been personally affected by the above worthies? No, not physically, as the Klan and Aryan nation have indeed affected blacks, understood. But, what about the studied refusal to address to dysfunction? That does affect me indirectly, and you as well, but, much worse, it adversely affects the very people for whom those luminaries claim to advocate.
Let's take a look at your friend Commissioner Marshall and his complaints about the alleged inequity of application of discipline in local schools. My response to his pandering draws sneers from you, but far far worse, his remarks have drawn a substantive response from the supremely spineless (to name one of its numerous failings) school administration. There is now indeed a discipline inequity in schools, which affects the quality of instruction. One disruptive child can now impede the education of 19 other classmates.
"Case in point," to coin a phrase: last year Susan had a kid in her class who was out of control. Over time, he pushed a kid away from a urinal, kicked two girls in their crotches, killed a class pet turtle, threw pencils at classmates, consistently refused to sit down, and consistently refused to do classwork or homework. He threw away notes to his mother, not that they would have had much effect. Susan and school officials had meetings with the kid's mom, that is when she would keep the appointments. Her response was that it was just rough-housing and that the school administration and Susan just had it in for her son.
This child took to bullying a much smaller child. Susan dutifully filled out bad conduct reports, asked that the bully be moved. Nope, couldn't do it; the bully had rights. She asked that he be transferred back to the district whence he came. Nope, can't do that, either. The parents of the bullied child asked Susan what they could die. Susan replied that her hands were tied, suggested they complain to the central office. The central office decreed that the bullied kid be transferred to another school.
So, the bullied kid and his parents were inconvenienced, while the troublemaker and his complacent mother were not. What about the bullied kid's rights, or the rights of the other kids in the class, or the frustrated teacher? The bullied kid, by the way, is also black. Susan's class was half black, half Latino, nary a white kid there (the cynical segregation of our schools is indeed an issue, but not for this commentary, btw). Thank you, Commissioner Marshall, the products of this sad case of discipline will one day hit the job market. That, OT, does affect both you and me indirectly.
(This child bullied another child, also black and much smaller, who finally took matters into his own hands and attacked the bully. It took Susan and an teacher's aide both to pull the furious kid off the bully, who had received a commendably comprehensive buttkicking from his classmate).
Mind you, some discipline was applied, and the troublesome child received several suspensions, to the relief of Susan and the other pupils.
The story continues and provides a cautionary tale re this self-marginalization. As the year progressed, Susan and the school worked with the troublesome kid, drawing accusations of racism from the indignant mother. Yes, my fiancee', the grandmother of a biracial girl whom she loves, was called racist. But, she and the (black) school psychologist arranged testing, and as they suspected, the kid has ADHD. They reported this to the mom. Nope, this is racist, nothing wrong with my child; you people just don't like him (damn right they didn't, but that was irrelevant). The school psychologist commented to Susan that times had changed, so that parents notified of their children's shortcomings no longer address their kids, but excoriate the teachers.
Finally, the mom paid for her own tests. Guess what: kid ended up on medication, and his behavior changed remarkably for the better. So, all that blame and accusation was wrong and wasted, and the slackassed mom, prompted in part by institutionalized self-marginalization, wasted a full school year of her son's life. Who are the real victimizers in this sorry story?
Before you reply that this is a single anecdote, this pattern regarding discipline and parental response is endemic at least to that school, and I suspect over a much wider area.
The cautionary part of the tale is that while the r-word "racism" is bandied about, pols and mouths like Marshall ignore another r-word: "responsibility." I castigated Minister Farrakhan earlier, but for all the toxins he spews, he understands that word, and expects a standard of behavior from his flock. When I hear Marshall (whom I use as a personification of a larger whole) exhort parents to take responsibility for their kids, and his constituents to behave and to obey the law, I'll listen more closely to what he has to say.
I would really like to know what people like Obama, Powell, Rice, Holder, AmEx's chairman Chennault, and others have to say about Marshall's cultural norms.
Again, I do not dispute your history. As for the collective consciousness that years of oppression and marginalization have created, yes, I, as you say, get it. I understand some responses to that history, such as affirmative action, of which I generally approve. But, I also understand a question that both evoke: when does it end? That in turn evokes another comment: to use another Word Watch candidate, "Get over it." OK, not done at the snap of fingers, but the process must be encouraged. Panderers like Marshall on one side and their right-wing counterparts are not part of that ongoing solution; they are part of the problem.
I recall seeing a movie years ago where an African politician addresses a bigoted South African mercenary who pointed out the shortcomings of African nations. The actor lined, "We must forgive you the past; you must forgive us the present, so that we can work on the future together." If the character in the movie were a real pol, he would be a statesman, a commodity in short supply today. Interestingly, the scriptwriters turned Hardy Kruger's mercenary into a bit of one in his own right: he listened, quit calling the African "kaifa," started calling him "Man."
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
LTE Forum TH 08/30/12
Good AM, folks!
A spirited conversation yesterday, but without trollery, at least at the time of this posting. Nice job, folks!
Word watch: "in point of fact." This is a pretentious oldy, was a favorite of the otherwise fine newsman Ted Koppel, but I heard someone else use it on air recently. What does it mean?
A spirited conversation yesterday, but without trollery, at least at the time of this posting. Nice job, folks!
Word watch: "in point of fact." This is a pretentious oldy, was a favorite of the otherwise fine newsman Ted Koppel, but I heard someone else use it on air recently. What does it mean?
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
LTE Forum WE 08/29/12
Good AM, folks!
Word watch: "hunker down." It is hurricane season, and newscasters once again can think of no other way to describe riding out a storm.
Word watch: "hunker down." It is hurricane season, and newscasters once again can think of no other way to describe riding out a storm.
Monday, August 27, 2012
LTE Forum TU 08/28/12
Good AM, folks!
Word watch: "go/went ballistic," overused and meaning "lose/lost one's temper," recently seen in a comment about the excitable Chris Matthews. To go ballistic is to be unguided/unsteered. This phrase was more accurately encountered in descriptions of air-to-air engagements where missiles failed to guide, flying on a ballistic trajectory instead. Once a projectile/missile/brickbat/etc. has separated from its launch vehicle, it is on a ballistic trajectory, unless it has some sort of mid-course or terminal guidance system. A pitched baseball, passed football, fired bullet, tossed snowball, all "go ballistic," subject to classical laws of physics.
Users of this weary descriptor would be closer to their intent if they say, "go nuclear," a phrase military planners used to describe NATO's response in the event attacking Soviets broke through the hopeless lateral defense of West Germany.
Left over from last week: OT responded to my comments re the mismanagement of Schlitz beer brewing by mentioning the union-staffed Schlitz plant that once produced the formerly fine liquid south of town. In my younger days, I consumed quite a bit of the union-brewed quaff. Now, I bet you think I'm heading off on an anti-union diatriabe . . . nope, this is much more fun.
Once, when I was a mere slip of a lad attending Guilford College, the Schlitz plant invited Guilford students to visit and enjoy its products. On the appointed evening, Schlitz prudently sent two buses to collect the thirsty students. I was either attending a night class or out on a date, so I eschewed this bonanza, with no doubt a salubrious effect on my life expectancy. Schlitz was bountiful and generous in its entertainment of my fellow students, who in turn displayed their appreciation for the plant's hospitality by trying to drink the place dry (I had enjoyed the plant's Brown Bottle room in the past, and the fresh beer was indeed excellent).
I was back in my room when the buses returned and parked outside my dorm. Celebrants stumbled off, plastered to the point of foaming, and cheerfully bellowing college cheers like "Get drunk, m****f*****s!" More solicitous guzzlers issued slurring calls for assistance in removing less than ambulatory partygoers from the buses.
The scene was the stuff of college legend or scripts for movies like Animal House. The bus floors were awash in regurgitated beer and worse, with effluent running down the steps. Stupified and sodden revelers slouched against windows or each other. The two bus drivers were portraits of misery, having had to endure an hour of yelling, vulgarity, belching, vomiting, and incontinence.
We dragged the besotted passengers off the buses and tossed them on the grass, laughing at them and cursing them liberally. We then helped the walking, no, staggering, wounded, to their rooms, and placed trash cans by bedsides, in the likely event of subsquent rumination.
Every so often, one of the drunks on the lawn would stir, and we would help help him to his room. A couple of human beer barrels would have spent the night on the lawn had Security not come around and had us drag or frog march them indoors. I took a shower after helping my filthy dorm mates. I don't recall Schlitz issuing a repeat invitation, more's the pity, but understandable, since the regurgitation began before their guests left the Brown Bottle.
It was very quiet the next AM. Thanks to Schlitz and its salaried and unionized workers for a laughing memory.
Word watch: "go/went ballistic," overused and meaning "lose/lost one's temper," recently seen in a comment about the excitable Chris Matthews. To go ballistic is to be unguided/unsteered. This phrase was more accurately encountered in descriptions of air-to-air engagements where missiles failed to guide, flying on a ballistic trajectory instead. Once a projectile/missile/brickbat/etc. has separated from its launch vehicle, it is on a ballistic trajectory, unless it has some sort of mid-course or terminal guidance system. A pitched baseball, passed football, fired bullet, tossed snowball, all "go ballistic," subject to classical laws of physics.
Users of this weary descriptor would be closer to their intent if they say, "go nuclear," a phrase military planners used to describe NATO's response in the event attacking Soviets broke through the hopeless lateral defense of West Germany.
Left over from last week: OT responded to my comments re the mismanagement of Schlitz beer brewing by mentioning the union-staffed Schlitz plant that once produced the formerly fine liquid south of town. In my younger days, I consumed quite a bit of the union-brewed quaff. Now, I bet you think I'm heading off on an anti-union diatriabe . . . nope, this is much more fun.
Once, when I was a mere slip of a lad attending Guilford College, the Schlitz plant invited Guilford students to visit and enjoy its products. On the appointed evening, Schlitz prudently sent two buses to collect the thirsty students. I was either attending a night class or out on a date, so I eschewed this bonanza, with no doubt a salubrious effect on my life expectancy. Schlitz was bountiful and generous in its entertainment of my fellow students, who in turn displayed their appreciation for the plant's hospitality by trying to drink the place dry (I had enjoyed the plant's Brown Bottle room in the past, and the fresh beer was indeed excellent).
I was back in my room when the buses returned and parked outside my dorm. Celebrants stumbled off, plastered to the point of foaming, and cheerfully bellowing college cheers like "Get drunk, m****f*****s!" More solicitous guzzlers issued slurring calls for assistance in removing less than ambulatory partygoers from the buses.
The scene was the stuff of college legend or scripts for movies like Animal House. The bus floors were awash in regurgitated beer and worse, with effluent running down the steps. Stupified and sodden revelers slouched against windows or each other. The two bus drivers were portraits of misery, having had to endure an hour of yelling, vulgarity, belching, vomiting, and incontinence.
We dragged the besotted passengers off the buses and tossed them on the grass, laughing at them and cursing them liberally. We then helped the walking, no, staggering, wounded, to their rooms, and placed trash cans by bedsides, in the likely event of subsquent rumination.
Every so often, one of the drunks on the lawn would stir, and we would help help him to his room. A couple of human beer barrels would have spent the night on the lawn had Security not come around and had us drag or frog march them indoors. I took a shower after helping my filthy dorm mates. I don't recall Schlitz issuing a repeat invitation, more's the pity, but understandable, since the regurgitation began before their guests left the Brown Bottle.
It was very quiet the next AM. Thanks to Schlitz and its salaried and unionized workers for a laughing memory.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
LTE Forum MO 08/27/12
Good AM, folks!
A new week begins, with a yawner in Tampa, and a blaster in the Gulf of Mexico. But, the NFL season is almost here, very welcome in the election season.
Word watch: "holy crap." What cheesy sitcom spawned the prevalence of this one? I hear it constantly.
A new week begins, with a yawner in Tampa, and a blaster in the Gulf of Mexico. But, the NFL season is almost here, very welcome in the election season.
Word watch: "holy crap." What cheesy sitcom spawned the prevalence of this one? I hear it constantly.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
LTE Forum SU 08/26/12
Good AM, folks!
I listened to a talk show today, a round table of reporters, one of whom said he liked politics but he dislikes this campaign. He said both sides uttered untruths, and when called on the lies, the two sides just shrug and continue. I don't like this campaign, either.
Word watch: "icon" and "iconic." Mildly useful, though not by me, both are tiresomely overused by the media.
I listened to a talk show today, a round table of reporters, one of whom said he liked politics but he dislikes this campaign. He said both sides uttered untruths, and when called on the lies, the two sides just shrug and continue. I don't like this campaign, either.
Word watch: "icon" and "iconic." Mildly useful, though not by me, both are tiresomely overused by the media.
Friday, August 24, 2012
LTE Forum SA 08/25/12
Good AM, folks!
Well, I found out what one of us will be doing this weekend. School starts on Monday. Susan will be readying her lessons and classroom. Why isn't she more ready, you may ask, especially since she was in the building as soon as it was open some weeks ago? Meetings. The school system remains obsessed with time-wasting meetings. I am compelled to sit thru a 1-hour meeting once a week. I don't know how teachers stand it.
Speaking of getting the classroom ready: Susan had to move to a different classroom in a different building. Bob has helped her several times with moving and setting up. Our thanks to him.
Word watch: "take-away," as in tasl or conclusion derived by the end of the meeting. This is a buzzword here at Aon. Some take-aways are "action items," another wearying business BS buzz phrase.
Well, I found out what one of us will be doing this weekend. School starts on Monday. Susan will be readying her lessons and classroom. Why isn't she more ready, you may ask, especially since she was in the building as soon as it was open some weeks ago? Meetings. The school system remains obsessed with time-wasting meetings. I am compelled to sit thru a 1-hour meeting once a week. I don't know how teachers stand it.
Speaking of getting the classroom ready: Susan had to move to a different classroom in a different building. Bob has helped her several times with moving and setting up. Our thanks to him.
Word watch: "take-away," as in tasl or conclusion derived by the end of the meeting. This is a buzzword here at Aon. Some take-aways are "action items," another wearying business BS buzz phrase.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
LTE Forum FR 08/24/12
Good AM, folks!
Well, the weekend is upon us, and for the first time in a few weeks, we have nothing planned. This is actually an unsettling feeling, since I should have something I should be doing, considering that I have a house closing and wedding impending.
Speaking of weddings, you folks are my friends, and I would like to invite those of you who wish to attend the (reasonably brief) ceremony and (reasonably sumptious) reception. I have addresses for a few of you. If you wish an invitation, please email me at staballoy@yahoo.com with your address. No gifts solicited, btw; if you're so inclined, give to a kids' toy charity, animal rescue group, or Samaritan Ministry or the like.
Or give to a wino on a median. I do. There but for the grace of God . . .
Well, the weekend is upon us, and for the first time in a few weeks, we have nothing planned. This is actually an unsettling feeling, since I should have something I should be doing, considering that I have a house closing and wedding impending.
Speaking of weddings, you folks are my friends, and I would like to invite those of you who wish to attend the (reasonably brief) ceremony and (reasonably sumptious) reception. I have addresses for a few of you. If you wish an invitation, please email me at staballoy@yahoo.com with your address. No gifts solicited, btw; if you're so inclined, give to a kids' toy charity, animal rescue group, or Samaritan Ministry or the like.
Or give to a wino on a median. I do. There but for the grace of God . . .
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
LTE Forum TH 08/23/12
Good AM, folks!
OK, I remembered before I left work this time.
I note that a federal judge has tossed out NV's None of the Above voting option for one reason or another. I am saddened for the good people of NV, with whom I talk daily. I am also saddened that the option is unavailable here.
OK, I remembered before I left work this time.
I note that a federal judge has tossed out NV's None of the Above voting option for one reason or another. I am saddened for the good people of NV, with whom I talk daily. I am also saddened that the option is unavailable here.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
LTE Forum MO 08/20/12
Good AM, folks! Busy week ahead.
New member of the family, so to speak: I have been car shopping for the better part of a year, finally made my choice when it became apparent that I needed to hand down my aging Escape to one of Susan's kids. I had vacillated over Toyota's Highlander and Prius, and Ford's new Escape. In the latter vehicle's case, I was making an exception to my preference to buy non-UAW, but at least Ford would have been non-bailout. But, as it happened, a dark horse arose.
So, landing in my driveway Friday evening was a Subaru Outback, which had the right combination of equipment for me and Susan, 2-zone climate control for the front seat, in particular, and some mandatories for me, such as all-wheel drive. Yes, it is non-union assembled, but assembled in Lafayette, IN, of 40% US content. The plant is also zero-landfill. The materials used in assembly all either become Subarus or are recycled. Coincidentally, the night after I agreed to purchase the car, I saw a segment on the Science Channel about the plant.
Word watch: "kick the can down the road," on CNN on XM radio today. The utterer was discussing the budget and the impending sequestration. I suggest retiring this weary phrase in favor of, "delay," "postpone," "defer," or to be more accurate, "dereliction of duty."
Unions: I regret I am sufficiently ignorant that I am unable to post links on my own site, but I post the following for those interested in copy/pasting. Please note that it is from the Los Angeles Times, hardly a right-wing bastion. The Times' former labor reporter, Nancy Cleland, is now the mouthpiece for the union-controlled NLRB. The article reports on the iron grip that the CA Teachers Association has on the state budget and policy in general, sometimes placing it in conflict with even leftward Dems in the state. It has no conflict with Governor Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown, however. Please note the union's fevered opposition to simplifying the years-long process to fire a serial sexual predator. I paste it without further comment, look forward to hearing why this state of affairs is really good for California.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cta-20120819,0,2515386.story
OT, I offer myself for condemnation for my HTML ignorance.
Why do R's nominate idiots?: Todd Akin, the R nominee challenging Claire McCaskill for the MO Senate seat explained his opposition to any abortions by averring that rape victims have a biological mechanism that prevents pregnancy in such instances. I believe the R's have electoral deathwishes. Romney picks Ryan, which stirs the Medicare debate, an issue on which Obama might have been vulnerable, and now this bozo shows his colors, fortunately before the election. The Senate will remain in Dem hands, and I'd say the WH will remain President Obama's residence. "What were they thinking?" is one of my word watch peeves, but sometimes the query is legitimate.
New member of the family, so to speak: I have been car shopping for the better part of a year, finally made my choice when it became apparent that I needed to hand down my aging Escape to one of Susan's kids. I had vacillated over Toyota's Highlander and Prius, and Ford's new Escape. In the latter vehicle's case, I was making an exception to my preference to buy non-UAW, but at least Ford would have been non-bailout. But, as it happened, a dark horse arose.
So, landing in my driveway Friday evening was a Subaru Outback, which had the right combination of equipment for me and Susan, 2-zone climate control for the front seat, in particular, and some mandatories for me, such as all-wheel drive. Yes, it is non-union assembled, but assembled in Lafayette, IN, of 40% US content. The plant is also zero-landfill. The materials used in assembly all either become Subarus or are recycled. Coincidentally, the night after I agreed to purchase the car, I saw a segment on the Science Channel about the plant.
Word watch: "kick the can down the road," on CNN on XM radio today. The utterer was discussing the budget and the impending sequestration. I suggest retiring this weary phrase in favor of, "delay," "postpone," "defer," or to be more accurate, "dereliction of duty."
Unions: I regret I am sufficiently ignorant that I am unable to post links on my own site, but I post the following for those interested in copy/pasting. Please note that it is from the Los Angeles Times, hardly a right-wing bastion. The Times' former labor reporter, Nancy Cleland, is now the mouthpiece for the union-controlled NLRB. The article reports on the iron grip that the CA Teachers Association has on the state budget and policy in general, sometimes placing it in conflict with even leftward Dems in the state. It has no conflict with Governor Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown, however. Please note the union's fevered opposition to simplifying the years-long process to fire a serial sexual predator. I paste it without further comment, look forward to hearing why this state of affairs is really good for California.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cta-20120819,0,2515386.story
OT, I offer myself for condemnation for my HTML ignorance.
Why do R's nominate idiots?: Todd Akin, the R nominee challenging Claire McCaskill for the MO Senate seat explained his opposition to any abortions by averring that rape victims have a biological mechanism that prevents pregnancy in such instances. I believe the R's have electoral deathwishes. Romney picks Ryan, which stirs the Medicare debate, an issue on which Obama might have been vulnerable, and now this bozo shows his colors, fortunately before the election. The Senate will remain in Dem hands, and I'd say the WH will remain President Obama's residence. "What were they thinking?" is one of my word watch peeves, but sometimes the query is legitimate.
LTE Forum. SU 08/19/12
Good AM, folks!
Sorry for the belated posting. Yesterday was busy and long. Sarah is happily settling into UNC. OT was right in that the place was a madhouse, but we navigated just fine. I had never gone anywhere but the Planetarium, enjoyed walking around the campus, and eating at a bar on Franklin St.
Arthur, thank you for the bar recommendation. We will try it. Perhaps you can meet us there. I will not discuss my pet bete noir.
Sorry for the belated posting. Yesterday was busy and long. Sarah is happily settling into UNC. OT was right in that the place was a madhouse, but we navigated just fine. I had never gone anywhere but the Planetarium, enjoyed walking around the campus, and eating at a bar on Franklin St.
Arthur, thank you for the bar recommendation. We will try it. Perhaps you can meet us there. I will not discuss my pet bete noir.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
LTE Forum SA 08/18/12
Happy weekend, folks! Off to UNC today to take items to Sarah and to soothe Sarah's empty-nest Mom.
OT mentioned Syria news, which is undiscussed here, in yesterday's forum. Feel free to expand our horizons.
OT mentioned Syria news, which is undiscussed here, in yesterday's forum. Feel free to expand our horizons.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
LTE Forum FR 08/17/12
Good AM, folks! Facebooking alert!
Empty nest day at Susan's house. Sarah goes to UNC today, so a bittersweet day for Susan. I will miss Sarah, but transplanting the frenetic teen lifestyle to Chapel Hill also appeals. Sarah's dad will actually move her, and Susan and I will go down to see her tomorrow, though I suspect Sarah will want us to keep the visit short.
I saw in the news this AM that a 13-year-old was tossed out of the National Scrabble Championships for cheating. What is this world coming to? Apparently the little git had been palming blank tiles, had been under suspicion for a while. Nothing is sacred anymore.
Word Watch: NPR correspondent used "ramped up" this AM. What is wrong with "increased," "raised," "heightened." Grammar guru and excellent writer Bill Bryson cautions against using "up" in such fashion. I agree. The word is far overused, not as much as "like," though. Totally.
Empty nest day at Susan's house. Sarah goes to UNC today, so a bittersweet day for Susan. I will miss Sarah, but transplanting the frenetic teen lifestyle to Chapel Hill also appeals. Sarah's dad will actually move her, and Susan and I will go down to see her tomorrow, though I suspect Sarah will want us to keep the visit short.
I saw in the news this AM that a 13-year-old was tossed out of the National Scrabble Championships for cheating. What is this world coming to? Apparently the little git had been palming blank tiles, had been under suspicion for a while. Nothing is sacred anymore.
Word Watch: NPR correspondent used "ramped up" this AM. What is wrong with "increased," "raised," "heightened." Grammar guru and excellent writer Bill Bryson cautions against using "up" in such fashion. I agree. The word is far overused, not as much as "like," though. Totally.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
LTE Forum TH 08/16/12
Good AM in advance, folks!
I pretty much confine my television to the Science Channel, Smithsonian Channel, H2, or a baseball or NFL game, if not a Teaching Company DVD. Those choices allow me, for the time being anyway, to avoid the mudslides of the 2012 campaign. What I see of the news online or hear on PBS in the AM is a campaign of sound bites and non-issues on both sides. Romney has made a mountain out of Obama's "You didn't build it," remark, and now loose cannon Biden has the R's placing the middle class in chains, with a predictably theatrical response from Romney.
Neither campaign is doing a damn thing to educate voters. I see an ad on one of those cable channels that promoting its line-up, where a comment is made that the campaign of 1824 was the dirtiest in history. Maybe so, but this one may well be the most ill-serving of the public. And we have close to 3 months left. Disgusting.
I pretty much confine my television to the Science Channel, Smithsonian Channel, H2, or a baseball or NFL game, if not a Teaching Company DVD. Those choices allow me, for the time being anyway, to avoid the mudslides of the 2012 campaign. What I see of the news online or hear on PBS in the AM is a campaign of sound bites and non-issues on both sides. Romney has made a mountain out of Obama's "You didn't build it," remark, and now loose cannon Biden has the R's placing the middle class in chains, with a predictably theatrical response from Romney.
Neither campaign is doing a damn thing to educate voters. I see an ad on one of those cable channels that promoting its line-up, where a comment is made that the campaign of 1824 was the dirtiest in history. Maybe so, but this one may well be the most ill-serving of the public. And we have close to 3 months left. Disgusting.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
LTE Forum for TU 08/14/12
Good AM, folks!
Thank you to OT and Bob for the cruising route packages. I will retain those for a time when I am competent enough to navigate them.
I really haven't had time to comment on current events, but Romney's picking Ryan for VP gives me a bit of pause. Romney may be shoring up the conservative R base but I do not see this as encouraging independents. I also see this as discouraging to older voters as well, and I'm not simply talking about Ryan sounding like a middle schooler running for student government office.
I want to see Obama out of office in January, but this pick encourages me not.
Thank you to OT and Bob for the cruising route packages. I will retain those for a time when I am competent enough to navigate them.
I really haven't had time to comment on current events, but Romney's picking Ryan for VP gives me a bit of pause. Romney may be shoring up the conservative R base but I do not see this as encouraging independents. I also see this as discouraging to older voters as well, and I'm not simply talking about Ryan sounding like a middle schooler running for student government office.
I want to see Obama out of office in January, but this pick encourages me not.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
LTE Forum MO 08/13/12
Good AM, folks!
Spent yesterday riding a motorcycle, and then out and about with Susan. Weekends are too short. OK, take on the letters and news of the day.
Spent yesterday riding a motorcycle, and then out and about with Susan. Weekends are too short. OK, take on the letters and news of the day.
LTE Forum SU 08/12/12
Good AM, folks! Can't post LTE's by using iPhone, but we're open for business, anyway.
Friday, August 10, 2012
LTE Forum for SA 08/11/12
Happy weekend, folks!
Thank you to Wordly for posting the LTE's.
Coming out from the post office on North Point Blvd this AM, I fell in behind a Chevrolet Cruze that sported a personalized plate that reads STINKY B. One must admire the self-confidence of the car's owner.
Thank you to Wordly for posting the LTE's.
Coming out from the post office on North Point Blvd this AM, I fell in behind a Chevrolet Cruze that sported a personalized plate that reads STINKY B. One must admire the self-confidence of the car's owner.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
LTE Forum FR 08/10/12
Good AM, folks! We can't squawk about it being Friday.
Word Watch
"At the end of the day," used unendingly by the chattering class.
Word Watch
"At the end of the day," used unendingly by the chattering class.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
LTE's for TH 08/09/12
Good next day AM, folks!
No Facebooking today . . .
Word Watch
Double down: I have heard this used on the radio and seen it in print, meaning to emphasize, or persevere, or bring up again, as in "Reid doubles down on Romney returns," or "Romney doubles down on Obama economy." No doubt some talking head came up with this silly phrase and then the rest of the unoriginal media started using it. Time to send it back to the Blackjack tables whence it originated.
No Facebooking today . . .
Word Watch
Double down: I have heard this used on the radio and seen it in print, meaning to emphasize, or persevere, or bring up again, as in "Reid doubles down on Romney returns," or "Romney doubles down on Obama economy." No doubt some talking head came up with this silly phrase and then the rest of the unoriginal media started using it. Time to send it back to the Blackjack tables whence it originated.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
LTE's WE 08/08/12
Good AM in advance folks!
Facebooking:
Offers accepted, earnest money tendered, signatures rendered. As for WW's concern re two houses for sale, I have no current house payment, will have none at our new home, either. Thus, we can deal with Susan's house at relative leisure.
Andy the cat gets his sutures out tomorrow AM, and the funnel-like collar removed. He has been a real trouper through all this, without the usual feline scratching and complaining.
Oh yes, we do LTE's here. Have at 'em, remember your manners.
Facebooking:
Offers accepted, earnest money tendered, signatures rendered. As for WW's concern re two houses for sale, I have no current house payment, will have none at our new home, either. Thus, we can deal with Susan's house at relative leisure.
Andy the cat gets his sutures out tomorrow AM, and the funnel-like collar removed. He has been a real trouper through all this, without the usual feline scratching and complaining.
Oh yes, we do LTE's here. Have at 'em, remember your manners.
Monday, August 6, 2012
LTE Forum TU 08/07/12
Good AM in advance, folks!
Facebooking:
OT, we may try to get back downtown this coming Saturday, so if you're not in Chicago perhaps you can get out to enjoy the music. We didn't stay long on SA night, and Bob had already been there awhile. Susan and I moved on to Village Tavern (Reynolda) for appetizers and wine for her, Stella for me, then called it a night. If you do go to Chicago, be watchful: the residents are trigger happy.
Susan and I have issued an offer on a house in a development called Sherwood Villas, nice neighborhood, small lots, outlook promising. We had originally planned to buy my parents' Sherwood Forest house, but it needs too much work, and I haven't been comfortable in the place since Dad died. Her house is in Town and Country, and nice, but the SV house is newer and more up to date, and we like the location (the residents do not appear to be trigger happy). Assuming all goes well, I and my cat will move in after closing, then Susan and family and our other cat will follow after we marry.
The landing on Mars is amazing.
OK, let's deal with the news, and be civil to each other. Cordial would be better, but civil will do.
Facebooking:
OT, we may try to get back downtown this coming Saturday, so if you're not in Chicago perhaps you can get out to enjoy the music. We didn't stay long on SA night, and Bob had already been there awhile. Susan and I moved on to Village Tavern (Reynolda) for appetizers and wine for her, Stella for me, then called it a night. If you do go to Chicago, be watchful: the residents are trigger happy.
Susan and I have issued an offer on a house in a development called Sherwood Villas, nice neighborhood, small lots, outlook promising. We had originally planned to buy my parents' Sherwood Forest house, but it needs too much work, and I haven't been comfortable in the place since Dad died. Her house is in Town and Country, and nice, but the SV house is newer and more up to date, and we like the location (the residents do not appear to be trigger happy). Assuming all goes well, I and my cat will move in after closing, then Susan and family and our other cat will follow after we marry.
The landing on Mars is amazing.
OK, let's deal with the news, and be civil to each other. Cordial would be better, but civil will do.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
LTE Forum SA 08/04/12
Good AM, folks! Saturday's forum is open for discussion. Please do not use it for fowl or foul purposes.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Friday Forum for LTE's, etc. 08/03/12
Good AM, folks! Thank you to Wordly for posting the LTE section in our comments area. I have reposted it below. Remember, there are lots of things going on the world aside from CfA, so don't chicken out and focus on that one subject.
Additional security
The British seem to have a problem hiring security for the Olympic Games ("Security chief issues an apology," July 15). Perhaps we could draw from our unemployment roles or China could provide additional security. Everything else seems to come from China.
WAYNE MOOSE
Lewisville
Results
Please don't misunderstand this letter.
When I was about 10 years old, I was taken to see the movie "A Tale of Two Cities." I can still remember a member of the French nobility driving too fast and killing a young child in the street. Later, when the child's father had the opportunity, he drove his knife deep into the nobleman and said, "Drive him fast to his tomb." As a result, I had nightmares for two weeks.
What is a mother doing taking a 6-year-old to a violent movie called "The Dark Knight Rises" — at midnight?
GORDON MELLISH
Clemmons
Sum It Up
The Sum It Up question from Sunday was: Do you think America needs tighter gun-control laws?
* * * * *
Since when do criminals pay attention to laws? Owning the guns is not the crime, anyway. Pulling the trigger and killing an innocent person is the crime. Guns don't kill. Criminals kill.
The more of us who carry guns so we can defend ourselves, the sooner we'll rid our world of trash like the Colorado movie murderer. True justice. An eye for an eye.
I have been held up at gunpoint twice in Winston-Salem. Both times I was helpless to defend myself. Is it time for a change in the way we look at things? I think so. All gun-control laws do is render more law-abiding, innocent people helpless to defend themselves when attacked. Duh!
WES PATTERSON
* * * * *
The question of whether we need stricter gun laws is inane and is asked each time there is a tragedy like Aurora. A typical hand-wringing exercise after a tragedy that shows people care and "want to do something." They can't.
The only gun-control program that actually works at getting guns away from criminals is New York's controversial stop-and-frisk program. It does not, however, do anything to stop the mentally unstable.
Confiscate all the guns and the nuts will make bombs.
Pray for the families of the victims, that is what you can do.
KEN HOGLUND
* * * * *
The Second Amendment guarantees "the right of the people to keep and bear arms." As understood by our Founding Fathers, that meant flintlocks and muskets, weapons that could be fired, at best, four times a minute. If Jared Lee Loughner or James Holmes had flintlocks, they could have killed maybe one person before being disarmed by the crowd. Instead, we allow people to have what are basically weapons of mass destruction under the guise of a constitutional right. Yes, we need tighter gun control.
SAM FERGUSON
* * * * *
When I answer yes, I'm not talking about shotguns for hunting, or guns collected as a hobby. I am speaking of assault weapons. It seems the NRA is more powerful than our government because of the billions the NRA spends each year lobbying. The politicians don't have the guts to stand up to them.
NAOMI J. DAVIS
* * * * *
Yes.
On an average day, 34 Americans are murdered with guns. Our youth homicide rate is more than 10 times the rate in other leading industrial countries.
CHARLES E. WILSON
* * * * *
Are the 40,000-plus gun laws and regulations not sufficient? If the Colorado shooter had not lied on his federal application to purchase those weapons, they would never have been sold to him by the dealer where he got them.
John Railey's thoughtful column ("I'm sticking to my (reasonable) guns, but ...," July 29) omitted one aspect of the gun violence: the lack of stiff, mandatory sentences for the criminal use of firearms, including possession by those not qualified to possess them.
CHARLIE WEAVER
* * * * *
Absolutely! Last year, worldwide, there were 15 Americans killed by terrorists. In the U.S., there were more than 31,500 people killed with guns. Anyone who doesn't think we need serious reform isn't looking at the facts. The framers of the Constitution definitely didn't think an individual needed assault weapons and/or 100 magazine clips to have a well regulated militia.
NANCY WRIGHT
* * * * *
"If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." That's the dumbest thing I ever heard. The police would still have guns.
It's not like there are a bunch of gun-totin' citizens out there keeping criminals at bay — nor would there be any more criminal activity if even fewer citizens had guns.
Criminal gun activity is lower than gun advocates imagine because we have an active, effective police force and because "don't do the crime if you can't do the time."
And those few criminals who do like guns get them from somewhere. Tighter gun-control laws would keep them out of criminal hands.
JANE FREEMONT GIBSON
* * * * *
Tighter gun-control laws? Why? Gun-control laws don't apply to criminals and don't stop people bent on gun violence. There were plenty of anti-gun laws in Aurora, Colo., and we see what good it did there. New laws, no. Quit selling guns and destroy the ones we have, yes. But that isn't going to happen, is it?
KAM BENFIELD
* * * * *
No. Red China, North Korea, Cuba, Russia and cities like Chicago have such "controls." Weapons in the hands of law-abiding citizens prevent crime and keep government in check. Criminals will always flout gun controls, and despots love them. Remember Tiananmen Square?
LLOYD V. EVANS II
* * * * *
As a legal gun owner, I have to dance and jump through enough hoops and several layers of paperwork between purchasing, carrying and my insurance company, which wants and demands to know everything but my shoe, ring and underwear sizes. What we have in place is sufficient. But we do need more mental-health funding, seeing how poorly many feel due to the economy. But government would rather spend/waste money than bother legal and lawful gun owners because of a few bad apples.
STEVE HENDERSON
* * * * *
Statistics show that there is a correlation between stricter control of guns and less gun violence and gun death; the United States has lenient gun-control laws and the highest number of gun deaths in the world. Common sense would dictate that the U.S. needs to tighten its gun-control laws. However, common sense is not something in abundance in the leadership of the NRA.
Until there is a change of heart or a change of leadership in the NRA, and our legislators resist and desist kowtowing to the money god of the NRA, the question of tightening gun-control laws is moot.
BOON T. LEE
The British seem to have a problem hiring security for the Olympic Games ("Security chief issues an apology," July 15). Perhaps we could draw from our unemployment roles or China could provide additional security. Everything else seems to come from China.
WAYNE MOOSE
Lewisville
Results
Please don't misunderstand this letter.
When I was about 10 years old, I was taken to see the movie "A Tale of Two Cities." I can still remember a member of the French nobility driving too fast and killing a young child in the street. Later, when the child's father had the opportunity, he drove his knife deep into the nobleman and said, "Drive him fast to his tomb." As a result, I had nightmares for two weeks.
What is a mother doing taking a 6-year-old to a violent movie called "The Dark Knight Rises" — at midnight?
GORDON MELLISH
Clemmons
Sum It Up
The Sum It Up question from Sunday was: Do you think America needs tighter gun-control laws?
Since when do criminals pay attention to laws? Owning the guns is not the crime, anyway. Pulling the trigger and killing an innocent person is the crime. Guns don't kill. Criminals kill.
The more of us who carry guns so we can defend ourselves, the sooner we'll rid our world of trash like the Colorado movie murderer. True justice. An eye for an eye.
I have been held up at gunpoint twice in Winston-Salem. Both times I was helpless to defend myself. Is it time for a change in the way we look at things? I think so. All gun-control laws do is render more law-abiding, innocent people helpless to defend themselves when attacked. Duh!
WES PATTERSON
The question of whether we need stricter gun laws is inane and is asked each time there is a tragedy like Aurora. A typical hand-wringing exercise after a tragedy that shows people care and "want to do something." They can't.
The only gun-control program that actually works at getting guns away from criminals is New York's controversial stop-and-frisk program. It does not, however, do anything to stop the mentally unstable.
Confiscate all the guns and the nuts will make bombs.
Pray for the families of the victims, that is what you can do.
KEN HOGLUND
The Second Amendment guarantees "the right of the people to keep and bear arms." As understood by our Founding Fathers, that meant flintlocks and muskets, weapons that could be fired, at best, four times a minute. If Jared Lee Loughner or James Holmes had flintlocks, they could have killed maybe one person before being disarmed by the crowd. Instead, we allow people to have what are basically weapons of mass destruction under the guise of a constitutional right. Yes, we need tighter gun control.
SAM FERGUSON
When I answer yes, I'm not talking about shotguns for hunting, or guns collected as a hobby. I am speaking of assault weapons. It seems the NRA is more powerful than our government because of the billions the NRA spends each year lobbying. The politicians don't have the guts to stand up to them.
NAOMI J. DAVIS
Yes.
On an average day, 34 Americans are murdered with guns. Our youth homicide rate is more than 10 times the rate in other leading industrial countries.
CHARLES E. WILSON
Are the 40,000-plus gun laws and regulations not sufficient? If the Colorado shooter had not lied on his federal application to purchase those weapons, they would never have been sold to him by the dealer where he got them.
John Railey's thoughtful column ("I'm sticking to my (reasonable) guns, but ...," July 29) omitted one aspect of the gun violence: the lack of stiff, mandatory sentences for the criminal use of firearms, including possession by those not qualified to possess them.
CHARLIE WEAVER
Absolutely! Last year, worldwide, there were 15 Americans killed by terrorists. In the U.S., there were more than 31,500 people killed with guns. Anyone who doesn't think we need serious reform isn't looking at the facts. The framers of the Constitution definitely didn't think an individual needed assault weapons and/or 100 magazine clips to have a well regulated militia.
NANCY WRIGHT
"If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." That's the dumbest thing I ever heard. The police would still have guns.
It's not like there are a bunch of gun-totin' citizens out there keeping criminals at bay — nor would there be any more criminal activity if even fewer citizens had guns.
Criminal gun activity is lower than gun advocates imagine because we have an active, effective police force and because "don't do the crime if you can't do the time."
And those few criminals who do like guns get them from somewhere. Tighter gun-control laws would keep them out of criminal hands.
JANE FREEMONT GIBSON
Tighter gun-control laws? Why? Gun-control laws don't apply to criminals and don't stop people bent on gun violence. There were plenty of anti-gun laws in Aurora, Colo., and we see what good it did there. New laws, no. Quit selling guns and destroy the ones we have, yes. But that isn't going to happen, is it?
KAM BENFIELD
No. Red China, North Korea, Cuba, Russia and cities like Chicago have such "controls." Weapons in the hands of law-abiding citizens prevent crime and keep government in check. Criminals will always flout gun controls, and despots love them. Remember Tiananmen Square?
LLOYD V. EVANS II
As a legal gun owner, I have to dance and jump through enough hoops and several layers of paperwork between purchasing, carrying and my insurance company, which wants and demands to know everything but my shoe, ring and underwear sizes. What we have in place is sufficient. But we do need more mental-health funding, seeing how poorly many feel due to the economy. But government would rather spend/waste money than bother legal and lawful gun owners because of a few bad apples.
STEVE HENDERSON
Statistics show that there is a correlation between stricter control of guns and less gun violence and gun death; the United States has lenient gun-control laws and the highest number of gun deaths in the world. Common sense would dictate that the U.S. needs to tighten its gun-control laws. However, common sense is not something in abundance in the leadership of the NRA.
Until there is a change of heart or a change of leadership in the NRA, and our legislators resist and desist kowtowing to the money god of the NRA, the question of tightening gun-control laws is moot.
BOON T. LEE
THURSDAY LTE's 08/02/2012
Good AM, folks! Bob is taking a sabbatical from the Forum. He is sick of the hate speech on these pages. Bucky, lest you think you have won, if the hate speech persists, you will be on permanent sabbatical. I should have done it sooner, rather than let you abuse my friend. This is the last warning.
Finish the Thought
Saturday, we asked readers to complete the sentence:
"People continue to abuse animals because ..."
* * * * *
"… even though we have Susie's Law, the horrible people who starve, abuse or neglect animals are given a slap on the wrist by judges, like Todd Burke did with Angelanetta Gladden."
KELLIENE FISHER
* * * * *
"… they are spineless cowards not brave enough to take control in their own lives, but get a feel of dominance abusing animals."
STEVE SHORE
* * * * *
"… judges and laws are not strict enough to protect animals and because those who do heartlessly disregard God's creation."
MARSHA CRUMPLER
* * * * *
"… in my opinion people acquire compassion for others and animals as a learned behavior growing up. People with a lack of compassion combined with laziness leads to animal neglect.
"Lack of knowledge could be a factor, but people generally seek out information if they want to. So I'm not sure if you can really consider that."
STEPHANIE RIDEOUT DANNER
* * * * *
"… they have not been taught compassion; because they have been abused in some way themselves; because there may be underlying sociopathic tendencies; because our society in general has increasingly ignored corporate animal abuse on factory farms; and/or because they somehow have become inured to violence in general... all and any of which call for immediate intervention, compassionate teaching and some form of therapeutic treatment."
CANDIDE JONES
* * * * *
"… they (those who do so) are basically mean, cruel and sadistic individuals. I believe many parents today are too busy with their own doings to take the time to teach their children to be kind to other people and animals.
"I do hope the child who tormented little Heaven will be severely punished. I'm glad this was on the front page of the Journal — my only complaint was that the name of the child involved was not given. I would dearly love to be the one to dish out the punishment in this case as well as the other two recent abuse cases."
WILMA B. COOK
* * * * *
"… in regard to cruelty to animals, Seneca (4 B.C.-A.D. 65) said it best: 'All cruelty springs from weakness.' "
JOAN VASATA
* * * * *
"… they are unable to appreciate the suffering that they are causing. They cannot comprehend the consequences of their actions well enough to create empathy.
"People abuse animals because they are, in a word, ignorant. Society is to blame for tolerating this behavior and, thereby, perpetuating it. If the consequences for animal abuse were more severe, these self-preserving people would learn very quickly."
DEBBIE SERANG
* * * * *
"… they don't value the worth of animals nor comprehend their physical and mental suffering. Consequently they think no more of kicking a dog than they do an empty soda can. It doesn't help that animals can't talk back, can't press assault charges and that those in our society (like judges Todd Burke and Roland Hayes) let people get away with it, year after year after year."
KEITH MURPHY
* * * * *
"… dogs are great, cats are good and some people are evil."
BRAD CRAIG
* * * * *
"… there are seldom any true consequences for their actions. Our community should stand united to support Forsyth County Animal Control and the Forsyth County District Attorney's Office for all their hard work to bring these cases to court. What a shame that our judicial system does not do its job to impose harsh sentences to people who abuse helpless animals."
LESLIE MORRIS
* * * * *
"… there is a huge misconception that animals are property like cars, sofas, used toys, hunting rifles or punching bags. Animal, especially dogs, are our oldest companions, dating back 20,000 years. Without these companions, we the human race would have failed and never have made it as far as we have.
"We owe our animal companions a debt of gratitude, a warm place to sleep, and a gentle 'thank you' when the day is done. Anything else is a shadowy reminder we are no different than our ancestors cowering in the dark 20 millennium ago."
ADAM BOWDITCH
* * * * *
"… they are not receiving the maximum penalty of the laws that we do have in place. Some of our judges and some of our animal-control officers are not enforcing the laws that we do have, although I wish the laws had much more severe penalties."
LORI SHORE-SMITH
* * * * *
"… our society is meaner than ever before.
"We are inundated with so much violence and cruelty in movies, on TV and other media that we have become hardened to it. Those children who so cruelly killed a helpless kitten need serious psychiatric help, and Social Services and the law should also take a very close look at their parents, because those kids learned cruelty from somewhere."
LINDA DIORIO
* * * * *
"… they are not taught empathy or respect for life at home. Children who abuse animals when they are young abuse people when they are adults. Parents have some responsibility for their children's actions."
JAN WADDELL
* * * * *
"… disturbed people take their anger out on helpless animals that have no voice."
DONNA MOLOFSKY
* * * * *
"… Of course the kids think it is OK to torture and kill a kitten. They are being brought up in a culture that says it is OK to kill a baby while that baby is in the process of being born.
"Kids are not stupid. They hear and see what is going on around them. They make logical conclusions. Something their elders regularly fail to do."
GEORGE B. GREDELL
* * * * *
"… they have low self-esteem and feel they can take out the frustration in their lives on defenseless creatures that cannot or won't fight back. This for the most part can be a learned behavior passed on from generation to generation. It can only be changed by awareness, education and a new respect for the lives of innocent animals."
TERI EMMI
Finish the Thought
Saturday, we asked readers to complete the sentence:
"People continue to abuse animals because ..."
"… even though we have Susie's Law, the horrible people who starve, abuse or neglect animals are given a slap on the wrist by judges, like Todd Burke did with Angelanetta Gladden."
KELLIENE FISHER
"… they are spineless cowards not brave enough to take control in their own lives, but get a feel of dominance abusing animals."
STEVE SHORE
"… judges and laws are not strict enough to protect animals and because those who do heartlessly disregard God's creation."
MARSHA CRUMPLER
"… in my opinion people acquire compassion for others and animals as a learned behavior growing up. People with a lack of compassion combined with laziness leads to animal neglect.
"Lack of knowledge could be a factor, but people generally seek out information if they want to. So I'm not sure if you can really consider that."
STEPHANIE RIDEOUT DANNER
"… they have not been taught compassion; because they have been abused in some way themselves; because there may be underlying sociopathic tendencies; because our society in general has increasingly ignored corporate animal abuse on factory farms; and/or because they somehow have become inured to violence in general... all and any of which call for immediate intervention, compassionate teaching and some form of therapeutic treatment."
CANDIDE JONES
"… they (those who do so) are basically mean, cruel and sadistic individuals. I believe many parents today are too busy with their own doings to take the time to teach their children to be kind to other people and animals.
"I do hope the child who tormented little Heaven will be severely punished. I'm glad this was on the front page of the Journal — my only complaint was that the name of the child involved was not given. I would dearly love to be the one to dish out the punishment in this case as well as the other two recent abuse cases."
WILMA B. COOK
"… in regard to cruelty to animals, Seneca (4 B.C.-A.D. 65) said it best: 'All cruelty springs from weakness.' "
JOAN VASATA
"… they are unable to appreciate the suffering that they are causing. They cannot comprehend the consequences of their actions well enough to create empathy.
"People abuse animals because they are, in a word, ignorant. Society is to blame for tolerating this behavior and, thereby, perpetuating it. If the consequences for animal abuse were more severe, these self-preserving people would learn very quickly."
DEBBIE SERANG
"… they don't value the worth of animals nor comprehend their physical and mental suffering. Consequently they think no more of kicking a dog than they do an empty soda can. It doesn't help that animals can't talk back, can't press assault charges and that those in our society (like judges Todd Burke and Roland Hayes) let people get away with it, year after year after year."
KEITH MURPHY
"… dogs are great, cats are good and some people are evil."
BRAD CRAIG
"… there are seldom any true consequences for their actions. Our community should stand united to support Forsyth County Animal Control and the Forsyth County District Attorney's Office for all their hard work to bring these cases to court. What a shame that our judicial system does not do its job to impose harsh sentences to people who abuse helpless animals."
LESLIE MORRIS
"… there is a huge misconception that animals are property like cars, sofas, used toys, hunting rifles or punching bags. Animal, especially dogs, are our oldest companions, dating back 20,000 years. Without these companions, we the human race would have failed and never have made it as far as we have.
"We owe our animal companions a debt of gratitude, a warm place to sleep, and a gentle 'thank you' when the day is done. Anything else is a shadowy reminder we are no different than our ancestors cowering in the dark 20 millennium ago."
ADAM BOWDITCH
"… they are not receiving the maximum penalty of the laws that we do have in place. Some of our judges and some of our animal-control officers are not enforcing the laws that we do have, although I wish the laws had much more severe penalties."
LORI SHORE-SMITH
"… our society is meaner than ever before.
"We are inundated with so much violence and cruelty in movies, on TV and other media that we have become hardened to it. Those children who so cruelly killed a helpless kitten need serious psychiatric help, and Social Services and the law should also take a very close look at their parents, because those kids learned cruelty from somewhere."
LINDA DIORIO
"… they are not taught empathy or respect for life at home. Children who abuse animals when they are young abuse people when they are adults. Parents have some responsibility for their children's actions."
JAN WADDELL
"… disturbed people take their anger out on helpless animals that have no voice."
DONNA MOLOFSKY
"… Of course the kids think it is OK to torture and kill a kitten. They are being brought up in a culture that says it is OK to kill a baby while that baby is in the process of being born.
"Kids are not stupid. They hear and see what is going on around them. They make logical conclusions. Something their elders regularly fail to do."
GEORGE B. GREDELL
"… they have low self-esteem and feel they can take out the frustration in their lives on defenseless creatures that cannot or won't fight back. This for the most part can be a learned behavior passed on from generation to generation. It can only be changed by awareness, education and a new respect for the lives of innocent animals."
TERI EMMI
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Winston-Salem Journal LTE WE 08/01/12
Good exclusivity
Again the Journal got it wrong. In the July 21 "Scorecard" column ("A gay ban and a cooperative effort"), you used misguided thinking to condemn the Boy Scouts of America for upholding its ban on gay membership.
The Scouts has every right to refuse to admit anyone to its ranks who doesn't meet its membership criteria. The Scouts simply doesn't agree that people of the same sex who are physically or sexually attracted to one another should be in its organization, and that alone is reason enough to omit such people from membership.
Should Salem Academy have to accept male boarding students to live and share quarters with females for the sake of "fairness and inclusiveness"? No, it is a women's boarding academy, and it should be allowed to remain so.
Total inclusiveness in and of itself is not necessarily a good thing. Some exclusivity preserves beliefs, convictions and traditions that give groups their very identity. Inclusiveness sometimes functions, particularly when forced, to dilute and negatively redefine a group's very core identity. This is never good. Conversely, when groups of their own volition, not forced through harassment and threats, choose to change their beliefs or membership criteria, then that change is acceptable.
If we are the diverse society we purport to be, we need some exclusivity. If gays are not to be admitted to the Scouts, perhaps they should organize the Gay Scouts of America, with their own identity. Meanwhile, quit whining because you didn't get picked for the team.
FRANK F. COAN
Winston-Salem
Complexity and order
I have been reading with great interest about the Higgs boson recently discovered after 50 years of searching. The boson, referred to as the God particle, gives mass and prevents the standard model from falling apart. Though scientists have recently discovered the particle, it has always existed.
The complexity and order of the universe we live in continues to amaze me. After discovering atomic particles we found sub-atomic particles. Gravity, dark matter and dark energy continue to be an enigma. And, of course, the search continues to find a unifying theory of the universe.
The thinking that all of this occurred by random chance in the crucible of time defies imagination. All we can do is discover what already exists and postulate theories of how it all began.
My question is simple: Where did the matter come from to begin with?
If mankind disappeared without any evidence it existed and aliens came to Earth and found buildings, roads and bridges, would they think it all just spontaneously came into being? There is an architect, and the Higgs boson is only one of his many marvels.
JOHN P. PRUITT
Winston-Salem
Recent events
In light of recent events, it is becoming more evident that it may be easier to control guns than to control people.
LOUIS NEWTON
Winston-Salem
Inequality overpays the few
Capitalism without democracy was and is savagery. For the civilized, the profit motive makes capitalism plausible. Without democracy's restraint, the apostle of capitalism is the mouth of greed.
Civilization begins with language and prevails with the law. Both culminate in democracy or terminate in tyranny. Equal justice under the law of, by and for the people assures liberty and justice for all. If and when it fails, we return to the misery of dictators and oligarchs.
Profit-sharing should rule big business. As we have seen, in its absence, inequality overpays the few. Without democracy, capitalism has and does fail.
Civilization has evolved to regulate the selfish instincts of the greedy human being. The strong man wins by preying on the weak. The weak person yields with praying for mercy from the strong. Democracy seeks to rule the game of life through distributing the good things of life fairly among us. The bad people use treachery to obtain more of the good things for themselves, largely through denying those things to most of us.
In the real world, money is used as currency, the medium of exchange. As the object of gain, money becomes both the lust for power and the symbol of poverty — to wit, the subject of torment.
The world has demonstrated that it can produce wealth for the few. It needs to show that it can produce well being for the many all of us.
MARCIALITO CAM
Winston-Salem
Society and culture
People are shocked by James Eagan Holmes shooting those in the movie theater in Aurora, Colo. I personally am not shocked, because we live in a society that no longer retains God in our minds. We as a society are trying to solve the outcome of our behavior, but we are not solving the problem. Our society is also contributing to the problem by taking God and his law out of our society and culture.
Mankind will use its imagination in dealing with life and problems and not retain God's truth and principles in its decision-making. Without God's truth, our imaginations dictate principles of right and wrong. No wonder our society and culture have totally gone wild and uncontrollable. If someone doesn't behave like our society and culture expects, we then call them "insane."
We as a society and culture no longer have direction in our nation. We as a people need a relationship with Jesus Christ. Read Romans 1.
LAWRENCE OVERTON
Winston-Salem
No lack of options
I read with no little surprise the July 24 letter "The right direction," lauding the U.K.'s National Health Service. In particular I was amused by "Yes, there has to be discernment about what procedures are necessary" — Why not just say rationing?
My son and his family lived in the U.K. for several years, and my 3-year-old grandson required a specialist for a hearing problem. His primary physician told the family it would be at least four months before he could be seen. They arrived in Winston-Salem the next week, and he was seen by a specialist the next day.
I don't know where your writer goes for health care, but in a city that boasts not only specialists in every discipline but a teaching and research hospital of national if not international caliber, I can't imagine any lack of options.
PAULINE G. CHAPMAN
Winston-Salem
Despicable act
The act was as despicable as can be, and James Holmes cannot be all there, but where is the attention being directed ("Gunman's motive unclear in Colo. attack," July 21)? The movie was about violence and most movies today contain similar acts of violence. No, it must be the gun, let's all hold the gun responsible.
Why is it there isn't any attention being paid to the amount of violence that young folks are exposed to today? There is a lack of ethical conduct in many areas of life. Witness what the kids did to the poor kitten ("Kitten attacked by children euthanized," July 19). As an afterthought, what of the parents? Any lack of supervision or responsibilities there? The apple does not fall very far from the tree.
RAY MARTEL
Advance
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