A monument
I wish we would stop pretending the collection of flags at the Veteran’s Memorial in King has anything to do with veterans and recognize it for what it is: a monument to the egos of a few religious zealots.
I believe Matthew 6:5-6 applies in a situation such as this.
The answer here is not to remove the Christian flag, rather to remove the military flags, shielding our heroes from further embarrassment from the people of King.
DAVID DENNIS
Winston-Salem
Job creators
There are misleading claims in our country that the rich create jobs, and consequently, deserve special tax breaks. It's time to distinguish between those who create jobs and those who do not create jobs, and give the tax breaks only to those who create U.S. jobs, and keep stock in those companies.
Rich people who do not create jobs should never expect to get the same tax breaks as those who do. We need to limit the jobs to U.S. jobs only, and pay realistic salaries to non-management workers also; Wall Street should be separate. U.S. citizens must always come first, if companies want U.S. tax breaks. If companies can have holdings here and elsewhere, more power to them!
Exported jobs and imported goods are destroying our country. The American Dream has become a nightmare.
HAROLD PARKER
Clemmons
Conservative intellectuals
Democrats won the popular vote for the fifth time out of the last six presidential elections. They gained seats in the Senate and had more votes for House races than Republicans. Nowhere voted red that couldn't serve as a film location for a remake of “Deliverance,” and those only survived with gerrymandering.
Despite unprecedented voter suppression and millions of dollars in negative ads, conservatives lost against a weak president and a Congress reeling from 2010. It's time conservatives wake up and realize people aren't buying what they're selling. It's not the mainstream media’s fault, it's not the fact-checkers; it's their fault.
No one with an IQ above luke-warm believes that President Obama is a Kenyan-born Muslim. No FEMA re-education camps. No socialist cabal plotting to take away guns and religion. Half the country isn't indigents wanting “free stuff.” Jeep's not going to China and that black helicopter is WXII covering the fire. Time to pack up the crazies, wipe up the spittle and stop lying.
America needs new ideas and liberals don't have them all. Conservative ideas have been a failure, so instead of denying that, why not let some conservative intellectuals out of the closet? Surely someone can think of some ideas for smaller and more efficient government instead of how to bomb everywhere with a sand dune and cut taxes.
Time to think, not whine. Ideology alone won't keep conservatives from irrelevancy. They're not out of the game, but they certainly just got handed their hat.
KEITH STONE
Winston-Salem
Romney’s retirement
Things for Mitt Romney to do in his retirement from running for president:
First, he should try to find all his money in all the foreign lands where he has hidden it.
To stay busy, he could build dog cages on the top of all of his cars so the cages would fit in his elevated garages.
Then it would be nice if he could talk to his five sons, to see if one of them would serve some time in the military as thanks for being a U.S. citizen.
Should he be interested in running again, he should spend some time finding his past few years of tax reports.
Happy retirement.
CLARK SHERRILL
Winston-Salem
Suffering
How very fortunate America would have been to have Mitt Romney as our leader. He is so experienced, so competent and so honest. Instead, we have returned to the hopelessness, ineptness and deceit of the last four years.
My fellow Americans, it will not be all right. We will suffer; our children will suffer; our grandchildren will suffer. And, yea, the Journal will suffer. But, thank God, Sandra Fluke will get free contraceptives.
JANICE DOOLEY
Hays
Best congresswoman
Virginia Foxx has the courage and the integrity to be the best congresswoman from North Carolina. I think you should be recognized for the help you gave her in the recent election. Every time a flurry of anti-Foxx letters was published in your paper, pro-Foxx sentiments increased. Keep up the good work!
J.L. MILLER JR.
West Jefferson
Good Manners
Thank you very much for reinstating the Miss Manners column. Tuesdays were not the same without a weekly reminder of the importance of good manners and common sense.
MARGARET SUPPLEE SMITH
Winston-Salem
"Nowhere voted red that couldn't serve as a film location for a remake of “Deliverance,” and those only survived with gerrymandering."
ReplyDeleteKeith Stone
__________
I guess you don't think much of North Carolina then, because it voted red.
Maybe you, Mr. Stone, should look for another place to live. So you can be 'among' your wonderfully smart and cultured people.
Hee Hee...liberals...they're always making idiots of themselves.
Job creators. A lot of circular nonsense there. To accomplish this LTEs goals would take a dictator. The American Dream has boiled down to finding a full time job. The American challenge is to keep from falling behind.
ReplyDeleteConservative intellectuals. We have tried to do parts of two ideologies at the same time for two generations. No "new" ideas needed as we already have the basics set down in our Founding. The least intellectual entity of all is our government and it will defend and maintain itself no matter what. Government is force. Highly educated "intellectuals" have driven the developed world to the brink. It will take years to repair the damage and it will be done by intelligent people, not over educated "intellectuals". We have the means, not the will.
ReplyDeleteRomney's retirement. He lost. He is no longer the issue. The winner is the only issue.
ReplyDeleteIs 'Elmo' gay?
ReplyDeleteWell, according to this article the answer is probably yes.
Although the politically correct press works overtime generally to keep a lid on these horrendous tales of illegal and inappropriate homosexual relationships. Many of them come out.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/elmo-voice-kevin-clash-denies-sex-underage-boy/story?id=17698407
Best Congresswoman. She is not my rep but I couldn't help but notice the hate sent her way in some of the LTEs that I saw. If you are trying to sell something, don't alienate potential buyers. What do you think you are-- a newspaper?
ReplyDeleteLiberals decry 'hate' and 'bigotry', yet they seem to be experts at both when it comes to politics.
DeleteGood manners. Somebody showed me a column of hers years ago where a writer whined about the shortage of "gentlemen". Another writer pointed out that the shortage was due to a corresponding shortage of "ladies".
ReplyDeleteI was at a cocktail party once where a woman who was known for changing boyfriends as often as she changed the sheets on her bed was heard to say that all men are dogs.
DeleteAnother woman turned to her and said "So what does that make you, dear?"
Good AM, folks! Josh is going home this AM, and Andy the cat is already home, along with insulin and hypos for 2x/day shots. Fortunately, he's a good patient.
ReplyDeleteMr. Stone's reference to the popular vote overlooks the fact that the margin was not that great, certainly not a tsunami or landslide. The slurring reference to "Deliverance" is hypocritcally bigoted. Mr. Stone is the southern end of a northbound horse.
Good news to be thankful for!
DeleteLooks like a lot to be thankful for tomorrow.
DeleteI've had to give heartworm medication to a german shepard who weighed as much as I did and didn't care for the pills, various medications to my parrot with mixed reactions as well as my cockatiel who didn't like to be messed with. Having a receptive pet does it make very helpful.
Miss Manners, men are dogs, etc.: perhaps that statement made her a veterinarian.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of vets, years ago, I greeted a subordinate one AM, and asked how he was doing. "What the hell do you care?" he growled. "Are you a damn doctor?"
I replied, "No, and I'm not a veterinarian, but I know a horse's ass when I see one." He smiled sort of ruefully at having his joke turned around on him.
Yes, WW, I am thankful on both counts. Josh's long term looks good. Andy is not so promising. He is 13 and to develop diabetes at that age and not be a fat cat (he is old cat scrawny) suggests an underlying problem. He also has high blood pressure and a thyroid deficiency, for which I medicate him also. Facts are, both cats and people die at some point, as we painfully know.
ReplyDeleteA friend last night commented that the shots and medicines were really more trouble than the cat is worth. Nope, family members, either 2- or 4-footed, are not a matter of convenience. If one wants loyalty, one must show loyalty.
That above musing is similar to a post-election comment by LA Governor Jindal, who observed that if you want people to like you, you must like them. And the 47% comment was not liking. He is spot on. Interesting, though, that a similar comment 4 1/2 years ago, about clinging to guns and Bibles, didn't have the same not-liking effect, even though it was equally mean-spirited.
All depends on who is uttering about whom. Makes all the difference.
DeleteI spent thousands on my parrot trying to save her life after her diagnosis and was willing to spend even more to take her to UTenn vet school, but it became apparent that it was time to let her go. It's been 3 years and I still miss her terribly.
DeleteGood afternoon folks and happy early Thanksgiving since I will be away from the computer about all day tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteLTE 1: "...recognize it for what it is: a monument to the egos of a few religious zealots." - it's a shame that is what it has become. Honoring our fallen soldiers should be uniting not divisive.
LTE 2: It's past time for people to learn basic economics to see how jobs are created and, more importantly sustained. Capital of various amounts is needed to create a business which may also result in jobs in addition to the business's founder. In order to sustain those initial jobs including the job of the founder, that business must eventually have an ongoing demand for its products/services. In order to expand and add even more jobs requires an overabundance of demand to justify the expansion. The failure rate of new businesses shows that putting up a sign and hiring a handful of new employees is no guarantee of success or sustained employment. Btw Apple Computer which employs nearly 73k people was begun by a guy making $5 / hr and his best friend who was bouncing his rent checks..not exactly the picture of wealth. Also, the global economy is here to stay.
LTE 3: The "Deliverance" remark is over the top, but Mr. Stone makes some valid points. I recently read an article by Brent Bozell that revealed the right wing once again pining for Ronald Reagan to rise from the grave and run once again for POTUS. They are still stuck in '80's mentality without recognizing that 30 years have past and the world is a much different place with a much different set of problems to deal with.
LTE 4: Not sure of the point of this LTE outside of gloating. Romney certainly has enough money to pursue whatever he wants. He has already stated this was his last presidential run.
LTE 5: "...so experienced, so competent and so honest." - he was successful with Bain, but he only lasted a single term as governor which matches Obama's single term as Senator. Romney's ads revealed him to be as honest as your stereotypical used car salesman. Ms. Dooley must have bought into D'Souza's "2016" hysterical nonsense. Btw, a recent study about the results of giving away contraceptives showed it to be very effective at reducing abortions (~80%) which most people would consider a positive instead of something to be derided.
LTE 6: Only thing I've ever seen Foxx do is vote Y on every R proposal and N on every D proposal. I could have trained my late parrot to do that.
LTE 7: Another polite thank you for Miss Manners.
Speaking of animals and politics, my in-laws are here for Thanksgiving and they brought the Raleigh paper and this LTE was in it. A little something for almost everyone in the forum. Happy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDelete"O, happy day"
I’ve been in the doldrums lately, listening to people who actually think taking more money from citizens is the path to prosperity, while others are convinced they have free health care the rest of their life; many of my buddies are stocking up on guns and ammo; Israel is preparing to go to war; Iran is still working on the bomb; generals’ sex lives are in the news and our president is trying to convince us a video caused an attack on our embassy.
I feel better today. PETA was able to convince a judge that lowering a possum to assist in celebrating a new year before you feed and release him is cruel, but it’s OK to shoot him and lower his carcass.
We’re on our way back.
Charlie Little
Happy Thanksgiving, Wordly!
ReplyDeleteRedneck New Year: lower a possum. Sounds like the reactionary R's, about whom we hear so much in this forum, actually won and now have placed us back in about 1820.
What idiot would come up with idea of lowering a possum. I guess it beats shooting into the air, but the two activities may be complementary in those circles. Oh, what a world, what a world!, as my heroine the Wicked Witch exclaimed.
From colonial times well into the 19th century, shooting in the air was a standard way of celebrating both Christmas and New Years. Still practiced in a few remote mountain communities and on Ocracoke. Not a good idea in more populated areas.
DeleteIn Viet Nam we had shortages of nearly everything, especially people (or as Word Watch would have it, boots on the ground). We had plenty of boots, just a shortage of feet to put in them. The one thing we had an excess of was ammo, so at midnight at New Years we lit up the sky with every auto weapon we had. I'm sure the VC thought that we were launching the final offensive.
A stray round from another compound came down through the roof of the officer's club and hit a lieutenant junior grade in the head. Fortunately, he was the new guy in town, so was still wearing his helmet, probably the only person on the base so attired. Still gave him a pretty good headache.
In the nonfiction book "The Corner," about life in a tough West Baltimore neighborhood, author David Simon starts with New Year's Eve. He reports that police cars pull under overpasses to avoid downfalling bullets fired by partiers.
DeleteA bullet fired more of less straight up, so that it comes erratically tumbling down, probably will inflict a headache adn most definitely a bruise (I saw this tested) but would be nonlethal. If the angle were shallower, where the bullet could remain stable in its trajectory, it would be another matter.
LTE1: I suggest eliminating all flags except US, and using the extra space for beer kiosk.
ReplyDeleteDid somebody say beer? I vote YES!
DeleteSee how easy politics is...just have to know your who votes and what motivates them.
Beer: a unifying factor.
DeleteBeer: it's not just for breakfast
Jackson, 47, who has been treated for what he described last month as "several serious health issues," is the subject of several investigations.
ReplyDeleteVoters in his South Side Chicago district re-elected him for a 10th two-year term this month, despite his legal and health troubles.
____________
A perfect example of how Democrats will elect a 'rabbit' so long as it's a Democrat.
Nice of him to hem, haw, and stall, thus depriving his constituents of an election choice, and conferring the lowest seniority possible on his successor. Just a chip off the ol' block, he is.
DeleteThey'll just call a special election. The seniority benefits as a member of the minority party would have been negligible.
DeleteTrue enough, but if the R's continue as they did in 2010, the minority may become the majority. And true enough, the senority issue is minor, but he should have not run and saved people the special election.
DeleteSometimes, a return to an earlier time (without possum lowering as discussed above) might not be all bad. Note this news item about a liar who claimed to be a decorated war veteran and to have suffered all kinds of injuries. He got medical treatment from the VA after serving in the Army for all of 3 months, never went near Iraq or Afghanistan; and he talked the charity Vacations for Veterans out of a trip to Hawaii. He has been found guilty of fraud. Makes one wish that tarring and feathering was still in vogue, followed by a ride out of town on a rail.
ReplyDeleteThe article: http://www.stripes.com/news/us/phony-war-hero-danny-crane-admits-he-was-lying-1.197957
DeleteOne of my all time favorite movie moments:
DeleteChristie Brinklie: I thought you were going to say you worked for the CIA.
Chevey Chase: That old bit? No, I don't work for the CIA...I used to...I don't like to talk about it.
Years ago, in my Mercedes service managing days, I observed several of our mechanics chatting with one of our customers, a 100% kook named George Robichaux, at his opened trunk. I walked by to see what the topic was. He was displaying a German antitank rifle from WW2 and a bullpup shotgun. I showed off and observed that the German weapon was called a panzerbuchse and the shotgun was a High Standard model designed for cops. Robichaux beamed, had found a kindred soul, he thought.
DeleteHe latched on to me, and whenever he would bring his car in for service, he would descend on me and wear me out with stories of his Marine derring-do (he had been a chaplain for a few years, according to reliable sources). But, to hear him tell it, he had been in Carlson's Raiders (he was too young for WW2), and intimated that he had handled various clandestine kills for unnamed government entities.
I finally shed myself of this nutter, but over time I encountered other head cases who claimed to have been secret agents. They were all pretty much the same, loners who lived with mom, and had gun fetishes. Then, came the Lynch-Newsome murders, and it later turned out that the principle perp was cut from the same cloth as these other bozos.
Having been a part of the same "shooting community" as these lunatics, I let my firearms dealer license expire, quit going to gun shows, and shook the dust from my feet whenever I encountered a liar who claimed to have been involved in secret agent/undercover bullcrap. There must be some medical name for that kind of fixation.
New Year's Eve and bullets from above: I was invited to a good ol' redneck New Year's party about 25 years ago. In the same breath, I was asked what gun I would bring. I developed a prior commitment (to staying at home), and declined with thanks.
ReplyDeleteI grew out of New Year's Eve parties years ago, anyway, preferring to let nitwits drink, be annoying, and then be cited for DWI. December 31 is Susan's birthday, so these days we go out to eat with her children, then repair to the living room to watch the NYC Symphony on PBS. That's about as festive as we want for the evening.
Bevo Francis is no longer the answer to the best sports trivia question
ReplyDeleteAs Pat Robertson might say, those Baptist boys just didn't pray hard enough:
138 points in 36 minutes