SCHOOL’S OUT
Re: George Neumayr’s A Reality Check:
Well, at least the liberals are consistent — I remember their
angry demands that George Bush send his own daughters to fight in
Iraq, as a means of putting his money where his mouth
was. No wonder this party supports abortion so staunchly:
other peoples’ children simply do not enjoy the dignity of human
beings in their eyes.
— Anne T. Stinneford
Chicago, Illinois
Barack Obama, from what little we know about him, was reared in
liberal white culture, and is the beneficiary of private
education.
Michelle Obama, from what little I might presume about her, was
reared in socially conservative black culture. If she is the
product of public education, the system served her well, though
her parents were probably the larger influence.
It might even be argued that it was her private, Ivy League
experience, where she was ill-served, in that her race made
her an outsider, and the insiders wielded race against her.
The Clinton’s easy choice for Chelsea (their daughter not being a
social experiment) was Sidwell Friends, but the Obamas face a
dilemma. Chelsea Clinton did not add to the diversity of Sidwell
Friends — Sasha and Malia would.
But I wonder if Michelle has any concern that Georgetown Day, or
Sidwell Friends, would be her Princeton experience redux?
Michelle Obama lived it first-hand, so she knows, but probably
would never dare say, that the purpose of diversity is to enhance
the educational experience of the privileged white
students. Would she see her daughters in that role?
On the other hand, it is obvious that the vast majority of
students are ill-served by the D.C. public system. The Obamas
could make a political statement by sending their children to a
public school, but at what cost? Furthermore, the public
schools are overburdened as is. By sending the girls to
public school, the Obamas would be adding distractions and
complications that hinder that system’s mission.
An interesting compromise, and I hope the Obamas consider it,
would be to send the girls to Catholic school. Inner city
Catholic schools are racially homogenous, fairly rigorous
academically, and attended, primarily, by non-Catholics.
In any event, when the Obamas choose a school, their only
consideration should be the best outcome for Sasha and Malia.
That should go without saying, but when asked, I hope they are
not shy in stating it.
— Dan Martin
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
PUNT LIKE A LIBERAL
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell,
Jr.’s Vitality
in the Wilderness:
Pain is a most powerful teacher, but he charges a high price for
every lesson. The American public is about to undergo a series of
lesson from the Loony Left and their policies. Sadly, these are
lessons that have been taught and paid for before. Anyone with
eyes to see and intelligence to reason can count the
cost paid in moral, ethical, economic and human capital. FDR’s
New Deal, Johnson’s Great Society and every liberal and
quasi-liberal program (e.g., Nixon and his economic policies)
have taught and rewarded dependence on the government. No
discernible reason can be found to believe that an
Obama/Reid/Pelosi axis (Triumvirate?) will offer anything
but high taxation on the able body and innovative and
payments to the lazy, unprincipled and greedy. Further, history
teaches us that we can expect a battle to keep our freedoms:
whenever a left of center administration either is voted in or
takes power via other methods, rights are infringed and denied.
The American people have called down the thunder and now we must
face the storm. In the words of Dylan (Bob, not Thomas), “A hard
rain is gonna fall.” But after a rain, God gives us rainbows.
Yes, the next four years will be difficult, but small government
types, economic conservative and Libertarians, can use this time
to plan and build. Many a Jeremiah has lamented the
destruction of the party, but if true believers in small
government hold their faith and principles, we can lead our Big
Government brethren and Reagan Democrats out of their foolish
desires for the flesh pots of government handouts (or bail outs)
and to the promise land of true freedom: a balance of
rights and responsibilities.
— Ira M. Kessel
Rochester, New York
In the next two years when Republicans are sure to lose a vote
and it isn’t wise politically to vote No they should stand up and
state, “In the audacious footsteps of President Obama, I vote
Present.”
— Michael Tomlinson
Camp Habbaniyah, Iraq
LONELY TIMES FOR SOCIAL
CONSERVATIVES
Re:
Christopher Orlet’s Refighting
the Culture War:
Mr. Orlet makes excellent points — full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing. I would suggest that the 12 to 20 million
illegal aliens that will be both citizens and registered voters
by the 2012 election will render all his arguments moot.
This country is in for several decades of darkness before there
is any light.
— Keith Kunzler
This is a good article but I would like to point out the author’s
use of the term “conservative” instead of the term “Republican.”
Republicans are not conservative; nor are they agents of
“change.” They are the Eastern, inside the beltway establishment
and are personified in the likes of Bush, Dole and McLame.
I recently read an article about a gentleman who wants to start a
true conservative national radio station to inform listeners
about the alternatives to the two major parties which are mirror
images of each other. I personally will never again vote for a
Republican in a national election. That the Republicans offered
up a political hack like
John McLame as its presidential candidate is a disgrace.
The one point I disagree with the author on is his premise that
no Republican could have won in this year’s election climate. If
Republicans had nominated a decent candidate they would have had
a shot. Instead they nominated Amnesty John in an effort to
please their corporate masters with predictable results. I and
most of my family voted for third party candidates in this
election and will continue to do so at the national level from
this point forward.
— Paul Martell
RINOS HAVE A PURPOSE
Re: Quin Hillyer’s
More
Sessions Needed:
After reviewing the home team, I am greatly encouraged. We
have some great people on our side. I would love to dump
some of the RINOs; but one must remember that aggravating as they
might be they are usually from 50/50 districts and that is the
best we can do. A more conservative representative cannot be
elected there and if the RINO is toppled a Democrat may take
the seat.
It is a hard lesson to learn, but there it is. We should
support and love those truly Conservative representatives and the
districts that elect them.
— Judy Beumler
Louisville, Kentucky
GREEN LIGHT
Re: Hal G.P.
Colebatch’s
A Little Light in the South Pacific:
Your correspondent Hal Golebatch is under the misapprehension
that, “Not only Labour but the smaller left-wing parties
including Labour’s ally, the eco-nut/Marxist Greens, were savaged
at the polling booths.” Besides the inaccuracy of the
description, the assertion is false. The Greens substantially
increased their proportion of the vote and increased their number
of MPs. The Greens gained nearly double the party vote of the Act
party and are the third largest party in Parliament. Savaged?
Bring it on.
— Neil Miller
Orewa Auckland
HELL AND BACK
Re: George Neumayr’s Over Before It
Began:
Ponder for a moment living in a hell so horrible you may not be
able to contemplate such realities: The Hanoi Hilton and its
sadistic guards. Place yourself in John McCain’s slippers.
Torture is that wind which rides on the backs of the horses of
death, so near, so close, and so evident. There is no normal
afterward, just a life without those smiling faces bringing you
your daily dose of real, live, terrible pain! Death becomes
something you would embrace as if a long lost friend had arrived!
Fast forward to this campaign. McCain likes being thought of
as a “maverick” for what reasons?
Go back, look at him on the floor, see him surviving. As he
is able to leave his cell and walk among his fellow prisoners see
how they try to comfort each other. He knows what strength can
come from such behaviors, the will to live and fight on.
Ever wonder how he really sees the Senate? Why he reaches
“across” the aisle? What truths has he learned that such
people as Dodd, Frank, Kennedy, Clinton, Pelosi, Reid, Obama et
al. will never ever confront? You say he has a
temper…wonder why?
PTSD slides into one’s life by way of experiences. It is not
supposed to leave, only to be managed as well as the carrier can
do with the skills he or she has available.
Perhaps we’ve painted the wrong picture of McCain, we’ve added
too much of what we expected, wanted, and dreamed he should
possess.
He is a team player. He knows how far the individual can go
in some circumstances.
He will never, never leave his boys from the Hilton to walk
alone…he will fight so all can walk away from that hell!
— Robert Philips, Veteran of Vietnam
Corrales, New Mexico
GREEDY RACISTS
Re: Paul M’s letter (under “As Sure as Day Follows Night”) in
Reader Mail’s Left Coast
Lefties:
Look. If the Republican Party collapsed as a Conservative
Party reached critical mass to burst into reality, I’d be right
there. But let’s have no illusions. Once in full birth it
will take the mass media three seconds to call us “The New
Republican Party” and “formerly known as the GOP.” It would
take no time for some self-styled “conservative” we never heard
of to become the media darling (“Mr. Conservative”) who will
write and speak in grave tones about how the Conservative Party
would need to reach out to the middle and become “big-tent
Conservatives.”
Of course, the Conservative Party will be discovered to be laden
with scandal. A homosexual Conservative official, whom everyone
within fifty miles knows makes no secret or his/her orientation,
will be outed as a closeted gay by an “undisclosed Party
official” to the Washington Post. (Imagine editorials across
the nation analyzing the hypocrisy deep within the Conservative
Party) How about a “prominent” nationally known
Conservative revealed to have married his Russian bride in the
1980’s without paying for her? Think of the secret rightwing
“dirty tricks” squads fooling Afro-Americans and Hispanics to
vote for Conservative.
Last but not least, no how precisely and forcefully a
Conservative Party puts forth its principles, “everyone knows the
real motivations for conservative policies are greed and racism.”
There are more than a few Republican turkeys I’d like to ditch
too. Just don’t fool yourself we’d start off fresh.
— Mike Dooley
PUT THE PUN DOWN
Re: Eric Peters’s The Sweet
Stench of Failure:
Can we put them all together and call it American Leyland?
— William L. Roughton, Jr.
Washington,
District of Columbia
