CONVENTIONAL DEMOCRATS
Re: The Washington Prowler’s Curse of the
Menino (scroll down):
As one of the 37 conservatives here in Boston, I found the
Prowler’s summation of the Menino/DNC relationship and subsequent
problems to be spot on. The DNC convention here in July is shaping
up to be the “perfect storm” of liberal hypocrisy. Menino had to
promise more to both the DNC and to local businesses than he could
ever hope to deliver as a way to crown his achievements here as
mayor. Now, as the convention planners find a dearth of local
talent to produce this show, Menino is in big-time scramble mode.
Just wait until the DNC goes through the extortion of having to pay
the local teamsters for their services. The “sucky convention” is
going to cost the DNC more than they ever could have imagined. Dare
they hire non-union labor? Finally put in the position of consuming
above-market priced labor like the very same companies hizzonor is
hitting up for sponsorship (not to mention the public agencies that
annually operate in the red) you’d think they would see the light.
It would appear that buying union votes is almost as expensive as
buying union labor.
— William H. Stewart
Boston, Massachusetts
HOWIE DOODY
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.’s Knowing
Howie As I Do:
Robert Emmett Tyrrell, Junior, you quit this tease right now. We
wish to know all.
— Geraldine K. Smith
San Jacinto, California
(Subscriber for at least a hundred years.)
Hey, Mr. T: just spill the beans, for crying out loud! Inquiring
minds want to know. And so do serious students of the political
process as well as just plain gasbag gossips! But I do predict you
will reveal Mr. Dean’s political callowness with delight. After
all, you guys exposed — excuse the word — President William
Jefferson Horndog’s predilection for troopers as procurers of fair
damsels to be put in distress. And I cheered you on! BTW, I’m a
long-time subscriber to the AS which sets off skirmishes
at my house over who gets first read. Keep on powerin’ through.
— Anisa Angarola
I have finished reading your column “Knowing Howie As I Do.” Just
tell the truth about Dr. Dean to the press. That should do it.
— Dave Goforth
I usually enjoy you articles but I am a little perplexed by this
one. You are evidently speaking as an outsider, one who has had
discourse with Dean, but didn’t really see him in action. I
remember those shows you speak of but never bothered to watch them
because they were in essence phony. The Dean face on there was far
different than the Dean face in office in Vermont. Howard Dean was
one of the sneakiest SOB’s ever to hold the governor’s office. Ruth
Dwyer ran two campaigns against him for Governor and found out just
how vicious he is. The Civil Union battle showed us just how
underhanded he can be and more than a few business people, along
with some municipalities, found out how vindictive he is. You may
think you knew Dean from his “political virginity” but we were
legislative freshmen from Burlington together back in 1983, when he
first was elected to office. We went head to head then. He was the
Planned Parenthood advocate, along with every other liberal
Democrat cause of the time, including the defunct Nuclear Freeze
movement. The biggest issue was ERA, which was defeated at public
referendum and which he had a big hand in getting it pushed through
the legislature( I was in opposition). Political Virgin? Give me a
break. It’s about time you came down to earth concerning this
person and really looked at what he is. Only those of us who fought
him in this state and who bear the burden of his decisions really
understand what he is all about.
— Pete Chagnon
DIDN’T REGISTER
Re: David Hogberg’s Paranoia at
the Des Moines Register:
Many of the articles I read in the conservative press correctly
point out the excesses of loony left journalism. But this is not
news anymore. The information that might be interesting is:
Who or what is the Des Moines Register? Who owns it? Is
it public? Can I buy stock? When is the next shareholders meeting?
Are directors’ meetings ever public? Who is the editor and what is
his background? Who insures the paper? Can the insurer be lobbied
to pull coverage on the grounds that sooner or later this person,
and probably others, is going to slide over into actionable
defamation? What is their street address? Email addresses for
complaint? Names and addresses of senior officers and management?
Is the board a conservative board? How do they let people like this
publish? Do they even know?
The only thing I have ever admired in the left is their energy.
We conservatives are sometimes too lazy in waging the cultural war.
There are lots of things we can do but we need your help in getting
information.
— Fred Z
Perhaps the author would have benefited from seeing the c-span
forum the other night about the Iraq “quagmire,” some pretty bright
folks up there speaking and I’ll tell, no bleeding heart liberals
or '60s protesters. As a summation of all the points of view,
basically, the best we can expect is quite a bit less than we’d
like. To a man, they agreed that the administration misled, had no
plan for the aftermath, and face an extremely difficult task in
trying to forge one “democratic” government out of three very
disparate and fairly hostile ethnic groups. I think you
oversimplify what is a very complex issue and actually do a
disservice by implying that the issue is one of “patriotism”
Thank you
— Ron Doherty
RIGHT OVER
Re: Joel Miller’s Right
Kick:
Thanks for the Joel Miller column regarding the Republican drive
for continuous re-election. He confirms my thoughts. Kinda wish he
didn’t, because I thought I was just cynical.
Sometimes it’s not nice to know one is right.
— L. A. Stich
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Joel Miller hit the nail on the head. The GOP is no longer the
party of limited government, so they might as well stop pretending
that they are.
This is one voter who’ll not make the mistake of voting
Republican again … ever.
— Brett Carter
Tennessee
SOULS ON TRIAL
Re: George Neumayr’s Vatican
Shuffler and Reader Mail’s Popping
Off:
George Neumayr has a way with words. Direct and incisive, his
verbal assault on Renato Cardinal Martino’s astonishing criticism
of the U.S. military’s handling of Saddam Hussein, or the senseless
invitation to a Hip-hop artist, Lauryn Hill, to a Vatican Christmas
festival, describes the continuing saga of the disastrous decline
of the Vatican’s credibility in foreign, as well as religious,
affairs. One truly wonders if the pontiff knows what is happening
around him.
I was assigned to the US Embassy to The Holy See during Gulf War
I, and our ambassador was successful in convincing Pope John Paul
II that it was a just war. With his leadership, the Curia, with few
dissenters, went along. The pontiff no longer seems to direct what
transpires within the Vatican, and, as a result, actions
unimaginable in the past now occur with alarming frequency.
The Vatican Christmas party is intended, among other things, for
children, and a suitable music program is presented. But the
Vatican organizers must have known the potential problem Hill
presented, and yet, those doubts, were trumped. Why? I suspect
being politically correct played some role in extending the
invitation. Both the Martino and Hill incidents are, sadly,
characteristic of too much of what happens in the Vatican
today.
Those close to the situation believe that the pope will not
survive another year. They have been proven wrong before, but, I
suspect, not this time. Meanwhile, the daily disarray within the
Church becomes more evident and the likelihood of more of these
episodes grows. To quote the wrong man, perhaps, “These are the
times that try men’s souls.”
— Vincent Chiarello
Reston, Virginia
I wish I were in the States now to congratulate you on this
nothing-less-than-brilliant piece of journalism called Vatican
Shuffler. Unfortunately, the disgraces among the clergy you comment
on is so very true — hypocrisy coming from the highest-ranking
officials in Holy Church. Do we seem to be in the advanced, more
putrefying stages of a corporate apostasy within the Church or am I
just seeing things? The process of autodemolition signaled at by
Pope Paul Vi seems to be well alive and kicking, thank you. Let’s
just see where it will lead the Church, the West — and the whole
of mankind.
With my very best wishes for 2004.
— Laureano Pelegrin
São Paulo, Brazil
Mr. Neumayr writes an article worthy of reprinting and posting on
every bulletin board at every Catholic Church throughout the
country and the world. He captures the lunacy of the current crop
of leftist liberal wackos who inhabit our wonderful church and are
leading the faithful to perdition. It makes me feel great that my
thinking is reinforced by a man with the abilities of George
Neumayr. Thank you, Mr. Neumayr.
— Gene Brennan
Chatham, Massachusetts
George Neumayr’s article on Cardinal Martino skipped over the most
likely reason for his latest anti-American fusillade: he’s
obviously trying to move up a few slots on Fr. Richard McBrien’s
short list for Pope!
— Patrick Korten
Great Falls, Virginia
