Comments by netloafer
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Posted on September 8 at 3:24 p.m.
Henry VII
I never took a position on the issue. I said that from the beginning. In fact I believe I said on the forum you initiated that I thought that staying in school was a great idea.
I'll say it again. Examine your own heart before you start bandying about terms like unpatriotic or racist.
The point I was making was that there are all too often enlightened folks in any town who act more like neighborhood bullies.
Create
I grant that I didn't express myself very well. I was trying to say that some on these forums have sons and daughters serving in harm's way and have the right to express themselves. But then I think you really knew that. You were probably just looking for the opportunity to pounce.
Iraq and Afghanistan and the American role are subjects for another forum. I'd be glad to discuss them there.
Posted on September 8 at 1:46 p.m.
Goodoleboy
It could well be that this is equal opportunity stupidity. This seems to me to be a two way street. What amazes me is that there are quite a few who consider themselves enlightened enough to view those beneath their level of civic responsibility, intelligence, and savvy either unpatriotic, racist, stupid, crazy, living in caves, etc. That itself doesn't seem especially enlightened to me.
If what some of these folks is doing isn't really worthy of mention why are so many enlightened folks getting in such a lather about it? I haven't got a clue on what the answer would be. And, I'm not going to assume that it's because they hate the unenlightened or have some socialist agenda.
It seems to me that these folks have the right to speak or voice their opinions. I'll bet some of them have kids serving as cannon fodder in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. It also seems to me that they have a stake in national discussions. I know you're going to say that the same right applies to you. I agree. But if what you're saying is that we shouldn't be worried about what they say, I say leave them alone. That just might show a bit of maturity. But if what you're saying is that they're racists, crazy, unpatriotic fools, then I say you might do well to look into the mirror of your own soul to see what prejudices might be lurking around. That's where the rubber will meet the road and the histrionics just might end.
Posted on September 8 at 10:35 a.m.
Henry VIII
Your leap in logic is absolutely amazing.
There must have been some reason, therefore it had to be racism. People have been sent to the gulags and re-education camps for some assumed, subjective reason. All too often it's been done by a group that assumed it was more enlightened or noble than the fools and crazy people they relegate to the camps.
Here's an interesting little snippet from the Washington Examiner:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinio......
Congressional Democrats started an investigation over George's Bush's interaction with students in 1991. The Dept of Education was investigaged, Lamar Alexander was called to testify about the matter. The conclusion - the administration hadn't done anything inappropriate.
This is what the NEA had to say:
"The National Education Association denounced the speech, saying it "cannot endorse a president who spends $26,000 of taxpayers' money on a staged media event at Alice Deal Junior High School in Washington, D.C. -- while cutting school lunch funds for our neediest youngsters."
Sometimes, in a partisan environment, it's a matter of histrionics is as histrionincs does.
Posted on September 8 at 10 a.m.
Here's an interesting little snippet from the Washington Examiner:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinio...
Congressional Democrats started an investigation over George's Bush's interaction with students in 1991. The Dept of Education was investigaged, Lamar Alexander was called to testify about the matter. The conclusion - the administration hadn't done anything inappropriate.
This is what the NEA had to say:
"The National Education Association denounced the speech, saying it "cannot endorse a president who spends $26,000 of taxpayers' money on a staged media event at Alice Deal Junior High School in Washington, D.C. -- while cutting school lunch funds for our neediest youngsters."
Sometimes, in a partisan environment, it's a matter of histrionics is as histrionincs does.
Posted on September 6 at 1:04 p.m.
Gwen
I think some of those posting here bring up some good points. I'm not referring to the forums. They are a privilege and not something guaranteed as some seem to think. The Gazette is under no obligation to print every opinion and has every right to set the rules of engagement.
But I do wish the Gazette would dig more deeply on some of these subjects. It seems to me that the investigative journalism here in Emporia is quite thin. I think it would do well for the Gazette to do some digging here. This is an important story. Madelynn's was a respected local business (I have a lot of respect for those who owned and operated it), but something went wrong somewhere and it is going to have an impact on the whole city, particularly downtown. Madelynn's was one of those local businesses that drew people from all over Kansas, like Nell Hill's does for Atchison. It was a respected business and the ripple effect of this failure could spread out to the reputation of Emporia as a city. This is a story crying out for what its root cause or causes was. Was it all a matter of people deliberately flaunting the law? Was it a matter of some in Topeka being overzealous in their jobs because they were feeeling pressure to increase state revenues during a downturn? Was the story somewhere in between?
This and other local stories are important. For example, the sales tax increase based on the promise of a lower mil levy. Is there more to this than just an oversight? How/why didn't county leadership including the county attorney know nothing about Kansas statutes regarding sales taxes?
William Randolph Hearst used to send journalists out into the streets digging for the "dirt." His newspaper ruffled feathers and did occasionally cross the line into "yellow journalism," but they also uncovered a lot of real dirt, like Tamany Hall, food safety problems, working conditions for immigrants, etc.
One of the reasons some are wondering now is the lingering thought that the Gazette may not be digging because its relationship with certain city players is too cozy. That may not be a fair assesment, but I think a good faith effort at digging into some of these problems would help allay those concerns.
Posted on September 6 at 5:16 a.m.
methusla
It will be over four weekends - Sep 18-19, Setp 25-26, Oct 2-3, Oct 9-10. Times - 8 am to 8 pm. It will start on the west side and move east each weekend. Info will be going door to door in each area starting latter part of next week. Dumpster locations will be noted on a map.
Posted on September 5 at 11:17 a.m.
Henry VIII
I cn think of some. I tend to think of myself as leaning conservative. Early in the election campaign I supported Barack Obama (I have the contributions to the campaign to prove it). I believed in his campaign theme of change. As time progressed I withdrew my support over the pro-life issue. I didn't do it lightly, but felt a moral obligation to do so when I found that the Senator's willingness to engage constructively with pro-life citizens wasn't as genuine as he'd led a lot of us pro-lifers to believe. A lot of "neocons" (Francis Fukuyama, for example) switched their support to Obama over the themes of change, etc. Conservatives like David Brooks have exceptional rapport with the administration.
As I see it your problem is that it seems to have become easier to stereotype than to engage constructively (seriouslyfolks is right) with those thinking differently. You assume that you are a "reasonable" person and those with whom you disagree must be unreasonable, unpatriotic as you put. Others have said that those disagreeing are doing so because they're closet racists. That is also assumed to be a "reasonable" position. I'm sure such a position gives one great comfort, the sense of feeling noble compared to being the unreasoning, unpatriotic brutes on the other side.
The problem with such a position is that it is easily manipulated. It's the stuff the Nurenberg laws and social utopias are founded on.
My advice, and it's only that, is that a bit of introspection might be in order. I'm old enough now to have seen that all too often those who profess some noble intent may actually be seeing the world through the corrupting lens hidden in their hearts.
Posted on September 4 at 4:57 p.m.
Create
I receommend you take your own advice and ignore it.
James Carville is right. There are a lot of stupid people in this country. If I had to hazard a guess I think I'd be safe to say there are at lease a few stupid lawyers and, God knows, a few stupid politicians and media pundits. Who knows, there may even be a dumb Democrat or two lurking about. I'd be willing to bet stupid people come from the most diverse backgrounds. I'd be willing to be there are even a few stupid people in the Department of Education (some Simon and Garfunkel comes to mind - "When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it's a wonder I can think at all") And what was it Forrest Gump said? "Stupid is as stupid does."
Posted on September 4 at 4:04 p.m.
Henry VIII
I have enough things to think about besides what some of my neighbors might be telling their kids. I suppose if they were chaining them to the walls to keep them from school or listening to the President then we should consider flogging them or finding some other appropriate punishment.
Kids staying in school is an exceedingly good thing. Prosperity is alright. as long as it's obtained by not compromising one's principles or prospering at someone else's expense. Some words come to mind in that regard - "Man does not live by bread alone." "What good does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?"
You also said that in order to support a leader's program for prosperity we should support ANYTHING (you put it in caps for emphasis). Are you saying there is nothing a leader couldn't do in order to make us prosperous? If so, you seem very ripe for some future despot to manipulate.
I'm with seriously folks on this one. I think deep inside you knew what the answer was to your question. You knew they were being unpatriotic. Create knew they were closet racists.
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Posted on September 8 at 5:56 p.m.
Create
I should have and I didn't.
Your kindness is overwhelming.
On Let students listen