The American Spectator

Reader Mail

RESPONSE FROM AMA
Re: James M. Thunder's AMA: Marriage is the Cure:

Mr. Thunder is misinformed. The AMA does not have a position either supporting or opposing gay marriage, but did examine the health care disparities that exist in same-sex households.

The AMA House of Delegates, the nation's largest, most inclusive group of physicians and medical students in the nation, meets twice a year to review hundreds of issues and to form policy. A report that examined health care disparities affecting same-sex households that evaluated whether or not exclusion from civil marriage contributed to these disparities was a part of this year's agenda. As a physician organization, we are concerned with the health of all patients and work to address health disparities to improve the quality of care in the U.S. The full policy adopted on the issue of health care disparities in same-sex households can be viewed here: http://www.ama-assn.org/assets/meeting/mm/i-09-policy-health-disparities.pdf.

In regard to AMA efforts to cover the uninsured, over the last few years we have invested more than $15 million in our Voice for the Uninsured campaign to call attention to the uninsured crisis and lay the groundwork for health reform that expands coverage to all Americans. As you can see from the recently passed House health bill, efforts to expand health insurance coverage are already underway. All Americans deserve access to affordable health insurance coverage, and the AMA will continue advocating for this and other reforms that benefit patients and physicians.
-- Rebecca J. Patchin, M.D.
Board Chair, American Medical Association

NO PROTOCOL
Re: Andrew Cline's American Buffoon:

While the name on the door of the White House Chief of Protocol may read "Ambassador Capricia Penevec Marshall" it should read "Mammy Yoakum." By this time Ambassador Marshall should have drummed into Obama's head "the President of the United States does not bow to ANYONE!"

While the Obamas haven't (yet) turned Washington, DC into the "Dogpatch-on-Potomac" of the Carter era, they still have another three-and-a bit years (sigh) to get there.
-- Gretchen L. Chellson
Alexandria, Virginia

"The reason for this is simple and obvious: Obama's singular arrogance. Only arrogance can explain the way Obama has treated Gordon Brown. Only arrogance can explain the president's snubbing of Germany and repeated refusal to learn the proper protocol for greeting other world leaders."

No, there is another even more obvious reason. It is often overlooked because it is almost impossible to fathom. Obama hates America and wants to destroy it as it has until now existed. Those who have surrounded him all his life feel the same. Otherwise, why insult our friends and apologize to our enemies?

His arrogance comes from his power as President of the United States and he uses it in an in-your-face sort of way. He revels in tweaking the nose of "The Great Satan" as no one else ever could. His intention is the complete transformation of the USA from what it was founded to be into a country controlled from the top by him and his
acolytes.

Sound outrageous? Simply follow the bouncing ball of what he has done and is trying to do as you connect the dots. That leads to the obvious as I have stated above.

It is very similar to seventy plus years of the media letting the Democrats off the hook when their socialist schemes lead to their obvious destination. Had one not bought the rhetoric used to enact those socialist programs and had instead looked at them objectively the results would have been anticipated and programs probably not enacted. The media have always excused those results as "unintended consequences." Sooner or later we must determine that those consequences were not unintended at all.

We should look at the actions of this present administration as more of the same.
-- Larry Chandler
Cedar Park, Texas

A REAL CELEBRITY
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr.'s Why Is No One Laughing?:

Mr. Tyrrell writes a good column as usual. I thank him and you and everyone else at The American Spectator for holding true to the ideals of the founding...as opposed to the sometimes creepiness of National Review.

Anyway, a small bone to pick with Mr. Tyrrell's column in which he states that the media are making Sarah Palin a celebrity by following her and interviewing her and all of that.

She has made herself a celebrity by speaking the truth with no fear of the media and her people don't give a damn about the media either...they also have the courage of their convections. So the media aren't doing diddly to make her a celebrity, she is one and will stay one no matter what they do, she is a force unto herself. They are trying to tear her and her supporters down by "exposing" them as idiots and rubes while they catch ratings...the ratings are working the other part isn't.

Time for a little re-think on this point.
-- Brandon Lachner

STOP IT NOW
Re: Philip Klein's HarryCare Is a Rotten Deal:

This bill must die. The motion to bring this bill to the floor of the Senate must fail. This has nothing to do with healthcare, at this point it is simply a matter of saving face. Pelosi, Reid, and President Obama will not listen to the American people. They will not listen to common sense solutions. Stop the madness. Stop the spending. Stop it now. This Bill must die.
-- S. Jackson
Fredericksburg, Virginia

NOT FREEDOM AT ALL
Re: Christopher Orlet's No Class:

In George Gilder's mid-1970s book, Sexual Suicide, he clearly proved that men look to women to civilize them. One need not recite proofs of this theory; one only needs to casually glance at a kindergarten class to see boys behaving and playing singularly and then glance at the girls creating order, priorities and conversation. This type of separation by maturity and the long-term concept of delayed gratification for the good of the group as grasped early by girls are what distinguish mammals from lower forms of life.

What happens between that female biologically determined behavior in childhood where propriety and behavior constraints rule and then women behaving as wildly as immature boys is indicative of a society that refuses to acknowledge the value of women behaving responsibly. Freedom to behave badly is no freedom at all.

As the envelope is pushed ever farther toward social chaos by media outlets and the entertainment industries, ever in search of the outrageous to capture market share, young women are encouraged to deny their biology in favor of fifteen minutes of fame, but and up attaching a stain to their names forever.

One wonders what generation of parents have permitted their daughters to destroy themselves. In the end, a society gets what it raises, and parental neglect does not always come in the form of denying food and shelter. It is abuse of children when the rules of decorum and self-protection are not taught early and continually.
-- Laney Bormel
Parkton, Maryland

LIGHTING THE RAGE
Re: Jay D. Homnick's State Verses Khalid Sheik Muhammad:

It was very cleverly done. Attorney General Holder is the designated lightening rod to attract the very justifiable rage of those whose loved ones were murdered on 9/11, while the president is off on the other side of the world -- kowtowing to the Mikado!
-- Gretchen L. Chellson
Alexandria, Virginia

Has it occurred to President Obama that an international terror organization with the reach of Al Qaeda might be able to intimidate a jury?
-- Dan Martin
Pittsburgh

EQUAL RIGHTS AS MAN
Max Schulz's Emptying Reservoirs in the Middle of a Drought:

This is not a question of man versus environment, but rather the needs of the few and now versus the many and the future. If you agree that man needs that which mother earth provides, then is it prudent to let someone else destroy that so that we are left without it? Who gets to destroy my resources?

Animals have about as much right to life and comfort as does man, around the world, that is the reality.
-- Jeffrey Phipps
Tallahassee, Florida

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DENYING FREE SPEECH
Re: Jeffrey Lord's I Was Lou Dobbs's Last Guest: Witness To a Star Reborn:

I am exhausted as well as frustrated by your article regarding the "Borking" of Mr. Dobbs. Both of these emotions are my usual state after reading one of your "most complete" musings. But this one scares me even more than your recent ones concerning those out to deny free speech to those who disagree with them. If they can deny Mr. Dobbs a forum, then they will be emboldened to go the next step and the next step... and we will all be required by the state-owned media to worship this strange creature in the White House. Don't laugh; it has happened time and time again in the history of mankind. Some like to control and some want to be controlled. As I have said repeatedly when one ceases to believe in God they will believe in anything. That paraphrase could not be more timely or apt. But they misjudge us and also don't understand the power of Christianity which will as the Bible tells us, will prevail.
-- Jack Wheatley
Royal Oak, Michigan

Soledad O'Brien is such a phony. In April 2008, Reverend Jeremiah Wright gave a speech in Detroit to the NAACP. One of the things that he said in this speech was that black and white children learn with different parts of their brain, and then gave an "unflattering imitation of the way white pastors speak."

Peoples' comments were that he gave a racial speech. Soledad O'Brien, on CNN, was quoted as saying, in a gushing manner, that the speech was a "home run" and "really funny." When questioned about the things he said in the speech, she would say things like, "what he really meant was..." or "what he wanted to say was..."

Once again she's covering the truth and being racist. Just as with the Henry Gates incident. In an appearance on Anderson Cooper, the night or so before CNN's "The Moment of Truth" she appeared enraged that it was a racial profile against Gates. She said that she got calls from her FRIENDS saying it was all about Gates being black. She went on that show with the purpose, at all costs, to destroy the credibility of the white police officer and throw him under the bus. When Cooper was talking she wanted to make the point that Gates said "Thank You" to the police officers. By mentioning that, she was purposely misrepresenting the truth by playing down Gates' belligerence and racial remarks, which she didn't even mention. Even Gates' attorney and friend, said to the media that he used very strong language.

Colin Powell and President Obama both said he should take blame in the incident. I have seen this in many occasions with her, where she doesn't speak the truth and hides the true facts. Another time on Anderson Cooper, Cooper said to O'Brien that Senator John McCain hasn't brought race into the campaign, like he said he wouldn't. You would think her response would have been something like, "that's great because he shouldn't." Instead she strongly insinuated that he would, even in the last week of the campaign.

Also, her questioning style, in interviews is completely different with a white person than it is with a black person. Like in her interview with Henry Gates in "The Moment of Truth" she just went along with his lies. I have seen several comments on various websites about her racism. There are many other examples I could give of her racial bias, dishonesty and hypocrisy. She seems to consider herself to be black. She mentioned in an interview that her parents made it clear to her "you're black" and that's all there is to it.

She's all about being #1, she wants the world to revolve around her. She comes first, before her family. She wants to be a celebrity figure and a star. In interviews she says she works 6 days a week, mostly out of town, and on some holidays. She goes to gala events, concerts, lots of entertainment events, as a single woman, leaving her husband and kids behind.

I think Soledad O'Brien is a very poor journalist. What ever happened to the days of CNN with Bernard Shaw and Judy Woodruff? They were honorable journalists. You could believe what they said.
-- John
Las Vegas

VINDICTIVENESS IS NOT A VIRTUE
Re: Jackie Mason with Raoul Felder's Madoff Madness:

While I, like many other fair-minded people detest Bernie Madoff, and feel that he should be punished, I also think there is such a thing as cruel and unusual punishment. Let the man read. A Bible, a Torah, whatever. That won't give him his freedom back.

Jesus said turn the other cheek. If you can't do that, don't beat up on a man already in jail for the rest of his life. Vindictiveness is not a virtue.
-- Nicky Billou

WHY MUST THEY HATE?
Re: Robert Stacy McCain's Palin's Popularity vs. Media Mania

"Why do the liberals hate Sarah Palin?"

Simple: She's much smarter and better looking than they are.
-- Jerry

GO FIGURE
Re: Ben Stein's We've Figured Him Out:

Please inform us of an effective way to stand up and stop this insanity that is threatening our country.

Thank you for your excellent article.
-- Kathy Wright