EXCITING TIMES
Re: George Neumayr’s A
Christmas Carroll:
All right, are you trying to tell me that there is more to this
liberal bias thing than “it is in the eye of the beholder”? Well,
by cracky, you may be right, but then it has only been one very
brave, honest (or clever) man who has stepped up to the plate and,
perhaps inadvertently admitted they are biased “sometimes” in their
remarks.
Well, with the new comments I have read lately, as with John
Fund’s great
article on the Clintons and the destruction they heap on the
dems, and said clearly that he felt they were trying to place a
soft candidate for ‘04, so Missy Hillary can sneak in to the White
House in 08, life just gets delicious! (This has nothing to do with
the subject, I just had to mention it!)
Still, the fact Mr. Carroll has spoken out still leaves the
Los Angeles Times in the starting gate, for people will be
watching, closely now for liberal bias or will want “sources” made
public, which should be done.
Watching what is happening in America leaves me with the feeling
that all the “dishonest messes” left by the liberals are slowly,
but surely being changed to more honest business dealings, a
superior military and a country that appreciates them, a delivery
on its promises by the Republicans, the facing of the terrorists
and now more honesty in the media?…
Kudos to Mr. Carroll. You may have started something. It often
only takes one to start.
— Carole Graham
“A Christmas Carroll” was remarkable. Scientific data is fact —
neither conservative nor liberal. Reporters by and large have no
science background, have never worked in the field of bioscience,
but they know enough not to go to herbalists and alternative
medicine sources about medical issues (I think). However they do
consider “activists” — and people with strong “opinions warped
with speculation” (based on a quote printed someplace and then
referred to by someone else) — as the “experts to seek out when
reporting on a science based issue.
It is these people who are always sought and quoted on
environmental issues mainly because they have the money to sue to
further their social agenda and the simple fact that they are suing
equates them to science-based experts. Reporters don’t have to do
much looking for them.
The right people with correct information, complicated as it is,
are available with truth.
Amazing!
— Judy Nuzum
Do you suppose we owe Jayson Blair a thank you for shining a light
on the problem of liberal newspapers reporting something other than
news?
It is nicely ironic that, by tarnishing the image of the
NYT he might have motivated the LAT to clean up
its act.
— Richard Renken
Chesterfield, MO
MAILERING IT IN
Re: John R. Dunlap’s Writer’s
Cramp:
I witnessed this maybe ten years ago on a quiet midweek
afternoon in the lodge at the bunny slope at Killington Ski
Area:
A man was loudly berating the girl attendant at the ski rental
desk. His boots were wrong, his skis were wrong, everything was
wrong, and it was all her fault. The man was abusive and nasty. He
didn’t see me, but I saw him: Norman Mailer.
So this is how the great Mailer treats the little people, I
thought. The young lady was very accommodating, but it struck me
that she probably knew as much about suitable rental equipment for
skiing the bunny slope at Killington as Mr. Mailer knew about the
naked and the dead.
— Mark Candon
Rutland, VT
I don’t know, Mr. Dunlap. I liked the sentence about the sky
attaining the color of the tea set stored in the attic since
Grandma died 20 years ago. It successfully conjured up a visual
image for me.
— Jenny Woodward
Bloomington, IN
I rather like, “The dugout exploded like a piñata.”
— J. Hannay
Dallas, TX
MUSEUM PIECE
Re: Herbert London’s Picasso-Matisse
vs. Manet-Velasquez:
Mr. London’s article is delightful; I couldn’t agree more. I
also liked his quoting Robertson Davies, one of my favorite
authors. When I saw Velasquez’s “Rokeby Venus” in London, I thought
it was the most beautiful rendering of the female body I had ever
seen; even more than Botticelli’s “Venus.” I recently strolled
through the Hirshhorn Museum (modern art) in DC and most of what I
saw was pretentious ugliness. To me, art must be beautiful, no
matter what it is depicting. In his wonderful sendup of modern art,
The Painted Word, Tom Wolfe cites Tom Stoppard’s
definition, “Contemporary art is imagination without skill.”
Perhaps, but why does so much of it have to be ugly and even
vicious?
— Mike Novak
The correct title of the Robertson Davies novel mentioned in the
article is What’s Bred in the Bone. It is the second novel
of his outstanding Cornish Trilogy. Davies is well worth
the time if you haven’t made his acquaintance already.
Thank you for a wonderful magazine and website.
— Peter Dietz
Wilmington DE
Paeans to Mr. London for such a great essay!
-Dennis J. Flanagan
Levittown, PA
DOUBLE STEAL
Re: David Hogberg’s The
Deficit Game:
Your latest article on conservatives always losing the deficit
game is bizarre. I have read, sorry I can’t quote the original
source, 80% of Americans want increased taxes and greater
entitlements. Your elitist views only contradict the majority of
patriotic Americans. GWB and Bushonomics are stealing from the
people. Undoubtedly and unfortunately for your readers, you live in
a bubble. I guess your magazine does provide you a living, how
pathetic. Haven’t you been harping at the same sad audience for
years?
I think your online mag is very poorly written. [God] is
merciful, there’s room for improvement.
— Warren Engelberg
CHUCKLE THE CLOWNS
Re: Enemy Central’s Hope
Springs Eternal:
Hey, really great article. Enjoyed it immensely. Still
chuckling.
— Gene Simmons
Battle Creek, MI
How do I comment on this perceptive piece? I caught the reference
to Meanstreet. (Was this Sidney actually in Maltese
Falcon? Nah, couldn’t be. The other Sid was an actor, not a
liar.) Willie may well be a 100 year president as I see his regime
as a “benchmark” administration. Totally corrupt co-presidents
surrounded by totally corrupt appointees. Reminds me of another
benchmark presidency, Carter’s, which set “standards” for
incompetence. Never in the history of the republic have we had a
more corrupt presidency preceded (by several years) by the most
incompetent. (Dare I “pray” we never exceed these benchmarks?)
Idiot Carter gave us dizzyingly high interest rates, a gutted
military which couldn’t afford the fuel to send ships to sea for
training and the Mullahs in Iran. But, his piece de resistance was
the giveaway of the Panama Canal, now controlled by communist China
with a naval base at either end and authorization to train canal
pilots. I have the uneasy feeling we are looking down the muzzles
of medium range nukes and haven’t noticed yet. Well, who needs
Chicago anyway.
— Dick Lambert
Eagle Rock, VA
One hundred years of Slick Willy? God forbid. I sincerely believe,
regardless of the rhetoric, Bill Clinton says a prayer every night
thanking God for term limits. There is no way Slick could have
handled the world situation President Bush inherited.
— Ken Hughes
A MESSAGE FOR JOHN COMBELLICK
Re: John Combellick’s letter in Reader Mail’s Feminist
Gentlepersons, Mark Hessey’s letter in Reader Mail’s Second-Hand
or First Rate?, and John Combellick’s letter in Reader Mail’s
Chapel
Bells:
Dear John,
I have been following your debate with another reader regarding
the recent revelations of Mr. Bennett’s gambling problems and what
to make of them. I include your latest submission to the Editor on
your own behalf.
Sir, you have seriously misjudged your protagonist, the seeming
vast majority of the American citizenry, and, indeed, most of the
“free world.” You assume the ability to recognize a humorous turn
of phrase.
Sir, most of the populace today has no sense of humor about
itself, and therefore cannot recognize it in others. I can only
assume that you are an old fa*t like myself, since you are so out
of touch with your fellow citizens. The prevailing attitude today
is that you must be constantly on the alert for the slightest
effrontery. It is absolutely necessary that NO perceived slight go
unpunished. After all, we are victims. We have been confronted by
“hate” speech. Besides, you failed to append the Internet universal
“LOL” to the phrase.
You, sir, were obviously taught (as was I) that “Sticks and
stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” How out
of touch, sir. A million little egos were probably damaged by your
unthinkably abusive insensitivity. Tsk! Tsk! Please, sir, get
counseling immediately and get a grip.
— Ken Shreve
New Hampshire
John Combellick responds to my response, “…given the
sophistication of the average American Prowler website
correspondent, there was little risk that it would be used to
criticize me. But events proved otherwise.”
Well, by relying on those same sophisticated parameters, I would
have thought that John could readily see that there was no
criticism in my reply, just an alternative scenario on the subject
at hand.
:-)
— Mark Hessey
Belmar, NJ
NO FAULT
Re: “Bennett’s Gambling” letters in Reader Mail’s Chapel
Bells:
Mea culpa!
— C.D. Lueders
Boca Raton, FL
