Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Swipes directed at simple common sense
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Swipes directed at simple common sense
Isn't it interesting how the little people, we common folk, the great unwashed masses, flock to see one of our own who speaks our language and enjoys the life we enjoy, while the arrogant, elitist and supercilious talking (or writing) heads denigrate Sarah Palin at every turn.
Our own Dan Casey (aka Dan Radmacher-Lite) chose to smirk his way through "Take a look at Palin's rule book," (Nov. 20 column), stretching wildly to make his snide, Lettermanish comments as though anyone outside the liberal establishment might actually find them even mildly amusing.
But, of course, someone less agenda-driven (aka a reasonable person) would look at the Barnes & Noble guidelines (as correctly entitled in the article below Casey's hit job) and find a store attempting to get as many of Palin's fans as possible through the book-signing line in the time allotted, with as many questions pre-answered as possible to forestall mix-ups and delays.
Isn't it interesting (and sad) how common sense so easily gets turned into the tired, old refrain of conservative-bashing in liberal la-la land.
The Times helped make Palin richer
Congratulations. You've just made that gun-packing, Tea Party-goer, pro-lifer, profiteering conservative Sarah Palin a rich woman. Almost a full page of coverage in the liberal Roanoke Times on Nov. 20 (page 10).
As a member of the angry, right-wing mob, it doesn't get any better than this.
'Rule book' article was out of line
I was taken aback by Dan Casey's opinion column, "Take a look at Palin's rule book," in the paper on Friday. He made it clear that he does not like Sarah Palin or her politics; I don't like her either. But his attempt at humor came across as mostly just sarcastic and impudent.
So he doesn't like Palin, and he thinks the rules put forth by her staff and Barnes & Noble are silly. I happen to think the rules actually addressed some time and safety issues very well. Plus, B&N is paying for her book-signing. There are many better ways of constructively using Casey's journalistic skills to express his thoughts.
While I don't agree with Palin fans, I respect their right to think what they want, and I respect B&N's right to organize the event as it sees fit. Casey was out of line.
Teach respect for live animals
I am amazed how much space The Roanoke Times gave Chuck White for an article on the benefits of hunting, "Hunting teaches a reverence for life" (Nov. 14 commentary) that he could have said in one paragraph. All those experiences with nature are easily enjoyed without killing a deer.
Reverence and respect for life when taking one? White said, "That may sound contradictory," which it is. How can someone talk about respect for life and cold-bloodedly aim to kill?
I hope White read the front page story Nov. 19 about the young woman killed by a hunter mistaking her for a deer ("Student lived and died for the outdoors"). Rita Ross was right in stating some hunters will shoot at anything that moves ("Hunting does more harm than good," Nov. 5 letter). Hundreds of such accidents have happened in Virginia alone.
A good way to show respect for wildlife is to volunteer at a wildlife rescue. Nursing an injured or orphaned animal would instill respect and show young people how precious each life is. To release a recovered animal back into the wild must be a much more rewarding experience than to kneel over a dead one.
Don't be fooled again on reform
Much of the propaganda against health care reform claims that our costs will go up. This misses the point. Our present system of health care delivery creates bad incentives and waste. Our costs are out of control, and we need to do something about it.
There are plenty of examples here in the United States where certain clinics and cities have shown us how to curtail costs and at the same time improve coverage and quality of health care. Other countries offer many other examples of ways to reduce costs. The economists working on the present legislation have included many ways to improve incentives, and more should be included in the future.
Our past failure to pass health care reform is inexcusable, and we have paid dearly both in rising costs and shrinking coverage. In 1994, the Republican strategy was to undercut reform and blame the failure on the Democrats. It resulted in a landslide victory for Newt Gingrich and other far-right Republicans. This same strategy of fear and misinformation may work again. Can common sense withstand this onslaught?
Despite hypocrisy, filibuster ended
The Nov. 20 editorial "Filibuster follies" subheading aptly denounces how "Republicans use a tactic to block judicial nominees that they decried as unconstitutional a few years ago."
Sens. Mike Crapo, RIdaho, Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and others previously stressed their belief that the "Constitution requires" the Senate to hold up-or-down votes on all nominees. Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., declared, "A 60-vote standard is contrary to the Constitution."
In the ultimate hypocrisy, 29 senators who claimed not to trust a judicial nominee to interpret the Constitution tried to block him by violating what they insisted the Constitution requires.
However, 10 Republican senators from across the country and the political spectrum joined a successful vote to end the filibuster of President Obama's first appellate court nominee, David Hamilton.
Staff Attorney Judging the Environment
Carilion wrong to grab private land
Carilion has a plan for Roanoke. It wants to take over the section it's in now, like a complex similar to the University of Virginia. Not a bad concept. Nothing wrong with that, but when you start taking land that is not for sale, you have surely gone over the line.
The owners of this property have said time and time again it's not for sale. Maybe Carilion needs to see an ear, nose and throat doctor about its hearing problem. It's just not right to take it anyway.
Carilion stated it didn't want the Victory Stadium land, but it sure did want the lush lawns to surround it. Stop and think. Yes, Carilion got it after all, just not on paper, and Roanoke once again bowed to it.
Carilion is not the good guy here. I'm on the side of the land owner, and I hope she fights all the way to the highest court.
