SHE WAS SO YOUNG
Re: George Neumayr’s Self-Inflicted
Tragedy:
Great writing — but you might have cited the picture of Rachel
Corrie with a facsimile of a burning American flag, “teaching” Arab
kids, with an absolutely ungodly facial expression contorted full
of absolute rage and hate. And they call her a peace activist when
she’s sponsored by the Palestinian groups?
Oh, yeah, another thing: one-third of the Evergreen College
seniors couldn’t find the Pacific Ocean on a map or globe — 50%
couldn’t find the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean. Sad commentary.
— Geoff Brandt
It is totally true about Rachel’s models. Every man of integrity
must feel a twinge of guilt that he may inspire others to like
foolishness. Luckily, soulless drones like you will always be in
the majority, beating the drum of rational self-interest, terse
American prose, and representational art to draw the rest of us
back and keep us safe. I envy the disambiguity of your
self-assuredness and the assertive, thoughtless clarity of your
vision. The Buddha also, as a child, lived in a world without
awareness of the weight of personal responsibility or the fact of
human suffering. May your ignorance bring you untroubled sleep, and
your cowardice a long life.
— James D. Newman
I respect and appreciate what you are doing for our country by
giving us clearly written wise writings during these difficult and
chaotic times. I am angered by what Corrie did, although I am more
angered by those who were guiding her, as you pointed out. What a
tragedy to lose her life at such a young age for such a silly
purpose. She obviously had courage which could have been used to
much better purposes. It truly is a tragedy. I think she was too
young to realize what she was doing. Too young and sheltered from
the hardships of life enough to realize that she really could get
hurt.
I can relate to her, in a way. In my early 20’s I went to live
in San Francisco for a quarter of school. I was surrounded by gay
people. Guess what, many of us students (approx. 1/3), came to
identify ourselves as gay as a result of the exposure to open
acceptance of homosexuality we experienced there. It was all around
us and it was talked about all the time. I ended up living that
lifestyle for approximately four years. It became a living hell. I
got into therapy and got out. I joined the Catholic Church several
years later in response to the healing I experienced in therapy.
Ironically, the Church is more liberal than any Protestant church I
ever attended here in the Pacific Northwest, but that’s another
story. In retrospect, I wish someone had told me that it was
possible to transcend homosexuality during the time that I was
struggling. Everyone just told me that it was “who I was.” I think
Corrie’s situation was similar. She was so young. It makes me very
very sad. She didn’t know what she was doing. Like me, she was
surrounded by suffocating narcissism so that she could not see it
in herself. She had not lived long enough to come to the end of
herself so that she could search for a deeper way to live. Now, she
will never have that chance. I hold those who misguided her more
responsible for her death.
— Mary Grace Miller
Tacoma, WA
LEAPFROGGERS
Re: Jackie Mason & Raoul Felder’s The
French, The French:
I always enjoy reading the Mason/Felder columns, but this one on
the French was absolutely the greatest!!!! Keep up the good
work.
— unsigned
When you think about it even France has at least one redeeming
quality. Were it not for Chirac and company a lot of people might
still think the U.N. was an organization worthy of some respect. We
should be grateful that France has done such a good job revealing
what the U. N. is all about because it might motivate us to get out
of that immoral, anti-Semitic swamp land.
— Dick Melville
Ozone Park, NY
U.N.-AMERICAN
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.’s The
Last International:
What’s next for the U.N.? The Internationalists should do a
condo conversion of the property located at the East River and 42nd
Street.
— Jack Hughes
Chicago, IL
It is about time that the irrelevance of the U.N. is plain for all
to see, and the perfect time for Bill Clinton to be named Secretary
General.
The only downside is that Boy Bill will be prowling the streets
of NYC with diplomatic immunity!
— Dan Martin
Pittsburgh, PA
OSCAR WEENIES
Re: The Washington Prowler’s Motion
Pinko Arts and Sciences:
I’m glad to see that the Hollywood pinkos are being overt in
their plans to protest the war on the Academy Awards program. I
wouldn’t have watched it anyway, but this may convince many who
would have watched it to change their mind. Thanks, Hollywood, for
the pre-warning. I wish you would be that honest and forthcoming in
stating that you are left-wing commies and always will be. I also
vow to never watch any movie that any actor or actress makes if I
can identify them as communists.
— Bobby Cackler
“On Sunday night, the Academy Awards will allow all winners to make
a political speech — if they choose to do so — of between 45
seconds and one minute in length.”
Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z
— Kitty Myers
Painted Post, NY
Those uneducated and misguided folks just do not recognize the
mindset of the American people. You know, those of us who don’t
throw tantrums in public — the “little” people. We are supposed to
listen to individuals who make their living by pretending to be
someone else, and who may have completed high school — but rarely
hold a degree from a university. They use their notoriety as a
forum and try to force us to listen to their inane media
rantings.
Susan: Can you spell R-A-G-E?
The time has come for you who do not like the manner in which
our nation defends itself to shut up or get out.
When you were all kissing up to the clintons (no mistake in
spelling) we sat and took it. We walked out of some of your movies,
but we were quiet about your behavior.
George W. Bush is now our President. (Thank God!) He is a fine
man. He has integrity, moral fiber (I know you aren’t getting
this), propriety, is responsible, and is greatly respected by the
majority of us out here in the real world.
Get over it!
We are beginning to opt to forego the cinematic appearances of
those “stars” who do not love America and use the freedoms they
enjoy to trash our President and our country, to cause division in
these United States, to undermine our military, and to offend
Americans. They also insult and vilify anyone who may disagree or
question them.
We are fed up with their posturing and spewing forth of
ineffectual, ignorant and infantile opinions which have nothing to
do with truth or fact.
Many citizens will not watch the “Awards”; many will begin, and
then turn off this disgusting “show” of disloyalty ; and in time
the industry hiring such babblers will suffer.
— Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Hawley
Corona, CA
DESERT STORMERS
Re: Jed Babbin Going
Downtown:
This ol’ former Marine — Korea 1952 — wants to thank you for
your commentary re the Marines and their action past and present in
Iraq.
Good night, Chesty Puller, wherever you are!
— Ken Wyman
Huntsville, AL
While I certainly agree with the bulk of Mr. Babbin’s sentiments in
his article today, I am flabbergasted by the gratuitous and
incorrect characterization of the role of the Army and Marine Corps
in Desert Storm. He states that the Marines left the Army in its
tracks and that is demonstrably and factually wrong. His comments
are an unnecessary slur on the courageous men and women of the Army
and did not contribute to the main thrust of his article. In Desert
Storm, the Marines had a limited capability to maneuver and were it
not for the Army’s Tiger Brigade which did, in fact, have to wait
repeatedly for the Marines, they would still be slogging through
the sand. The rest of the Army forces, where I commanded a
mechanized infantry/tank task force, fought a 300-mile battle
against the Republican Guards and enveloped Kuwait just as planned
and ordered. The services have great respect for each other and
their respective strengths. It’s a shame that Mr. Babbin allowed
his apparent personal bias to impugn the courage and pending
sacrifices of a large portion of our military force in the
Gulf.
— Col. (Ret) Stephen Smith
Jed Babbin replies: If what I said was
incorrect, I will gladly retract it and apologize. However, I have
been told what I said in that piece by both Army and Marine
sources. I cannot claim first-hand knowledge, because I was not on
the scene. I have no anti-Army bias, and am well aware of the
courageous and rapid fighting that the Army — especially the
tankers — engaged in during the Gulf War. As I recall, they had a
98% shot/kill ratio, which is probably the best any tank force has
ever had.
GENDER LOCKS
Re: Kevin McGehee’s letter (“Male Man”) in Reader Mail’s Mixed
Signals:
Kevin McGehee misses my point. In discussing whether or not
Hillary Clinton stood a chance of (a) getting the Democratic
nomination for President and (b) beating George W. Bush in the
election, I was not comparing Democrat voters and Republican
voters. Rather, I was comparing female voters and male voters. Go
back and reread my comment and see if this isn’t the case.
As for the Democrats not being able to attract male voters,
“Frankly, Scarlet, I don’t give a damn” if the Dems lose all their
male voters. There are quite a few responsible female voters out
there who would more than take up the slack. But I’d take Kev’s
conclusion with a grain of salt, since he apparently based it on
what he has learned from “Big Media.” I wouldn’t even rely on
finding out what day it is based on “Big Media.”
To restate my “thesis” for Mr. McGehee’s benefit, and all others
similarly situated, Hillary appeals to women voters in the same
manner that Dubya repelled women voters in 2000, and it’s possible,
although perhaps not likely, that enough of them will vote for her
regardless of party affiliation to slip her into the White House
(again) in January, 2005, along with Slick Willie and hopefully all
the silverware, dishware, and other “souvenirs” she swiped in
2001.
And finally, to assuage any member of the female persuasion who
might construe my remarks as chauvinist, nothing could be farther
from the truth. The problem isn’t with the ladies, God bless ‘em,
but with the “gentlemen” who just can’t seem to understand that
women are different. Well, pardon my French, but “Viva la
Difference!”
— Bob Johnson
Bedford, TX
FLY BY
Re: James Bowman’s Air
Force Academics:
Mr. Bowman states that in today’s Air Force, women are not
allowed to fly warplanes. Not so. Our unit, an F-16 wing of the Air
National Guard, has a female fighter pilot — who, incidentally,
was first in her flight training class.
— Neal B. Kirkpatrick, Lieutenant Colonel
Staff Judge Advocate
188 Fighter Wing
Arkansas Air National Guard
