The American Spectator

Reader Mail

NO JOY IN QUITSVILLE
Re: Braggadocio Jones's The Joys of Quitting:

Sarah Palin quit before she was dumped, and did so to save face, not because she yearned for a life of her own. She, more than anyone else, knew the extent of her capabilities and that she was just a ship passing in the night, a fancy created by John McCain to entice and steal the female vote from Hillary Clinton, but it only expedited his demise.

I don't think we have heard the last of her, but hopefully less of her. Her devoted and loving admirers, who nauseatingly praise and glorify the emptiness of her political babble, will be distraught. However, they are preparing the elephant itself to ride upon. It makes no difference to them so long as it carries the GOP symbol.

There is no truth, justice, or even logic in the game of ugly, dirty, skullduggery, infamous politics that pushes a button simply for political advantage.

Look what we have in Washington today: an SNL comedian, a foul-mouthed NPR talk show host, a clown, a radical liberal huckster -- Senator Al Franken from Minnesota. We also have a bought and paid for Senator Burris from Chicago, i.e. the Blagojevich scandal. We have Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the obnoxious Barney Frank all holding hands and dancing around the teleprompter, hugging the crowned messiah who rose from the streets of Chicago who is qualified through his oratorical skills, but lacks credulity and experience. Barack Obama, dancing to the tune of "We've Got You Babe," is bent on destroying our glorious Republic.

It is enough to make us cringe in fear, and weep. Heaven help us.
-- Helen Goodman

THE EROSION OF PRINCIPLES
Re: George Neumayr's Jacked Up:

My dear late wife was the purest Christian that I have ever known and even though we compromised by becoming Presbyterians after our marriage, I was a Baptist and she was confirmed and baptized as a Roman Catholic, she helped me get over much of my prejudices against the Catholic Church since she remained faithful to the teachings of the Church of Rome and we both saw that perhaps the reason Catholics and Baptists were often seemingly at odds was because they so much alike: dogmatic in principle and sure they were the only ones who were 100% correct. Also, over the years I have admired the way the church has often led the fight against the killing of the unborn and newly-born. Unfortunately, the Church of Rome seems lately to have lost its way. Specifically, the soft response of the American Church to the most dedicated advocate of the killing of the unborn, the almost born and the newly born: Obama. Now the last straw is the agreement by the Pope to meet with Obama. Where does it end? A bailout of the Catholic Church by the U.S. government?
-- Jack Wheatley
Royal Oak, Michigan

No sir, not all of America was prepared to "let [Michael] Jackson's behavior slide" or has been immersed in recent "feverish adulation" of him.

And, no sir, not all of America would've dismissed Jackson's being "accused of molesting twenty children…"

That part of America likely is embarrassed to see how truly mindless much of the rest of America appears to be.

That part of America likely also sees even more clearly how the MSM will find and/or do anything to ignore or deflect major news stories that truly impact our lives and country.

To wit: On June 26, the day of Jackson's death, the House of Representatives passed a massive intrusive-everywhere-into-our-lives tax bill once called the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade legislation, but recently marketed by Democrats and the White House as a "clean energy" or "jobs" bill.

But on that day, USAToday carried nothing on its home webpage about the bill. And essentially no other so-called "mainstream" print or broadcast media -- that is, those in-the-tank-for-Obama media -- made much mention, if any, about the bill.
-- C. Kenna Amos Jr.
Princeton, West Virginia

HAIRY SITUATION
Re: Quin Hillyer's Accentuate the Positive:

I will accentuate the positive by pointing out that hairy nose wombats are actually very common -- here in Australia, at any rate. So I think the politicians with the principles that Quin is referring to are perhaps more common than he realises, as well. They are probably in the same category as votes for the Democrat in a close election -- the trick is to keep counting until you find the number that you need. It is simply a matter of looking hard enough.

I think the fundamental problem with conservatives is they simply do not look hard enough: they give up and concede the game instead of hanging on and going for the jugular. If you are going to go down for the count, at least make sure the other guy has to really sweat for his moment in the sun. Defeat is one thing, but cowardice and dishonour are other matters entirely. Hunger to win, combined with solid ideas and worthwhile convictions and the guts to defend them and to put up with adversity have always been the key ingredients for success with any undertaking. That is the American way -- be proud of it!

This also applies to the great task of bringing conservative ideas out of the meaningless swamp they landed themselves in during the Bush era and back into the mainstream of social thought and government action -- where they belong. To do this, conservatives have to first take the advice their fathers often gave them when they wore short pants -- stop sniveling, stand up straight and be a man.
-- Christopher Holland
Canberra, Australia

SCHOOL OF SOFT KNOX
Re: Fred Lucas's Hard Knox:

Criticism of this or that decision by Catholic leaders (including His Holiness the Pope) does not make one "anti-Catholic." Your writers should not pander to the poorly educated part of your readership with such cheap and nasty slurs. This article on Harry Knox reads more like a diatribe written by a Muslim against someone with a criticism of Islam.

America is a constitutional republic, not a religious order. Criticism of religious actions and decisions is part of life in any constitutional republic in the West. Your publication should aim to support this principle.
-- Michael Davis
Sydney, Australia

ELECTRIC SHOCK
Re: Peter Ferrara's Cap and Trade Dementia:

Nothing spells insanity like C-o-n-g-r-e-s-s or S-e-n-a-t-e. It is the most frustrating item in my life to write a letter or call Sherrod Brown as he is on the band wagon of global warming nuts and cannot be deterred from his appointed insanity. If Cap and Trade is passed we can kiss any type of recovery good bye. The environmentalists have already doubled my electric and heating bills over the last ten years and now they want to triple it over night. I must say; there should be a bounty on environmentalists.
-- Kenneth J. Roberts
Lebanon, Ohio

RAEDEKER GUIDE
I strongly suggest that you require full names for those making "comments" after articles (like the WSJ). Having one's name exposed would prevent many of the reckless and inane comments. Otherwise, I love your site.
-- Carl Raedeker