The American Spectator

Reader Mail

FINDING NICE THINGS TO SAY
Re: Jim Antle III.'s The Face of Liberalism:

Despite the somewhat labored efforts by Mr. Antle to find good things to say about Ted Kennedy (a monster in my estimation) I suppose it is proper when someone dies to document the good and minimize the bad in the immediate aftermath of the demise. In that spirit I will list all the good things about the senator in my view. After reflection of his long and sordid history (the shenanigans about cheating in college, his problems passing the state bar exam, his God-awful behavior in the Clarence Thomas and Judge Bork hearings, not to mention the avoidable death of Mary Jane K., his treatment of women including his first wife, Joan, the list goes on and on) there just are none to list.
-- Jack Wheatley
Royal Oak Michigan

Whatever Kennedy has done for the people of Massachusetts, he can't do anything for them now. And who his successor will be seems to be an open question at this moment -- I see nobody lining up for the seat at the moment. Once the tears dry, it might be a good opportunity to regain lost ground.
-- Robert Nowall
Cape Coral, Florida

You got it backward. "Failure Rewarded" should have been the title of the Kennedy article. The article said, "Ted Kennedy always kept his word." That was the problem.
-- Michael Skaggs,
Murray, Kentucky

SPIN DOCTORING
Re: Barry Goldwater Jr.'s Health Care? The Government Can't Even Run a Railroad:

Mr. Goldwater got it right. In the last few weeks we've seen the capabilities of this country's government vividly demonstrated in managing just a tiny fraction of a SINGLE business transaction. It's called the Cash for Clunkers Program. According to printed estimates, some 625,000 cars were sold under the auspices of this program. In the same few short weeks, dealers across America were bailing out of the program because the Government could not disburse the funds. In this case, Past Performance IS an Indicator of Future Performance. They get an F.

Imagine if you will, some very, very large multiple of that number of claims being processed DAILY. Waiting for an appointment with a Doctor would be minimal beside the delay in getting a claim processed. But while you wait, the spin doctors will make you feel really good all the way to the grave.
Kind regards,
-- Greg Mercurio
Vacaville, California

Barry Goldwater Jr. is right about Obama and health care, but when is he going to condemn the Earmark King -- Ron Paul? If we're ever going to get our fiscal house in order then porkers like Paul have got to quit spending the taxpayers money for the marketing of wild shrimp....It would be nice if Paul would be more like fellow Texan Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin who asked for 0 earmarks in Obama's porkulous spending bill.
-- Michael Tomlinson
Jacksonville, North Carolina

STICKING IT TO THE MAN
Re: Mattew Vadum's ACORN in Retreat:

ACORN has failed to learn a very real but paradoxical lesson: one can survive almost anything but success.

While ACORN has done great damage for many years, it was not able to deliver important and central victories. As long as they were coming up short, they could cry oppression and blame "The Man," which was a particularly strong selling point when collecting donations. Now they are (or own) The Man, and they are finding that when standing in the white, hot spotlight, all flaws become visible. ACORN was able to survive because they were generally perceived as insignificant, if they were perceived at all. Right now they are wishing they were invisible again.

Please excuse my smirk as ACORN goes down the drain, but the Schadenfreude is irresistible.
-- I.M.Kessel

I think they are being temporarily slowed down but not in retreat.

1. Obama is still POTUS
2. ACORN is still scheduled to be a big part of the 2010 census under Obama's direction.
-- Mike Zeldis

STICK TO THE FACTS
Re: Jeffrey Lord's Honey, Jim Wallis Shrunk the Church:

If the healthcare proposal is bad, which it is, let's dismantle it on the facts. Take it apart line by line with undisputable facts that leave no room for partisan bickering. Let's avoid articles like this one that attack individuals and use peoples' pasts as a way to dismantle their credibility. In poking Wallis repeatedly as being angry and condescending, even chauvinistic, the author falls into Wallis's own frustrating trap. One can tell that the author is angry at Wallis because he is not fitting the wealthy, conservative right, whiteboy, family man image of the conservative churches. This betrayal by Wallis of the "proper" response of the church is evident. Couldn't this whole article be put into quotes and used in a subtext of a liberal author's similar rebuke of the right? Let's stick to the facts. I find my interest peaked in the congressman from Oklahoma who is actively fighting against this horrible bill with true knowledge and understanding of the issues. While not a fan of Wallis or his politics, this article was equally disturbing.

Warmest personal regards.
-- Robert C. McGarvey, OD

POTTER PATTER
Re: Patrick O'Hannigan's Harry Potter, Crypto-Conservative:

It is absurd to compare Rowling with Tolkien in that Tolkien never wrote his books for children, whereas Rowling did.

And equally absurd is Smith's assertion that the Potter books are "based on nothing." They are based upon decidedly libertarian themes of freedom, courage, and the right to self-defense.

Your Founding Fathers would find little to grizzle about.
-- Susan Ryder
New Zealand