Reader Comments
Issue 128 - March 25, 2009

Editor: Your piece “A Nation of Cowards” on Eric Holder’s speech and Toni Morrison’s interview was really thoughtful, edgy, unpredictable!  I enjoyed reading it very much. You mentioned Bill Cosby and I am reminded of a piece in the Atlantic, from an article by Ta Neishi Coates: “Last summer, I watched Cosby give a moving commencement speech to a group of Connecticut inmates who’d just received their GEDs. Before the speech, at eight in the morning, Cosby quizzed correctional officials on the conditions and characteristics of their inmate population. I wished, then, that my 7-year-old son could have seen Cosby there, to take in the same basic message that I endeavor to serve him every day—that manhood means more than virility and strut, that it calls for discipline and dutiful stewardship. That the ultimate fate of black people lies in their own hands, not in the hands of their antagonists. That as an African American, he has a duty to his family, his community, and his ancestors." Wow! Ian Walters

Editor: A Nation of Cowards? YES, WE ARE! Marq

Editor: I truly enjoyed the balance in your article, “A Nation of Cowards.” Mr. Eric Holder did say some good things. But his preoccupation about race was disheartening, as you alluded that his speech was not Cosby-esh. Had he done that, his largely Black audience could take notice of what the later criticized in their behavior that does separate them from general white behavior, and thus limiting further integration socially. It is not a one-sided issue. Both sides will require attitudinal changes as the behavioral changes/culture cohere. Only one other criticism: "Slav" is a racial group, distinct from Aryan-Teutonics of Europe as you said. But it is not derived from "Slave", nor is slave derived from Slav. "Slav" comes from "slobos" meaning "those who speak: that is speak "Caucasian" from those from the Caucasus Mountains in western Russia. This distinction of "those who speak" conferred on the Slavs, and thus taking the name, come from the sophistication of their ancient language compared to their peers. I learned this from Thomas Sowell and his luminary writings. I am aghast that Blacks never speak of him, nor raise him as a role model. He came from Harlem, a high school drop-out, to graduate Magna Cum laude from Harvard, a white bastion at the time, a PhD from University of Chicago and studied under Milton Friedman. Obama should have picked this Economics Professor instead a tax-dodger for Treasury Secretary. But, alas, Sowell is not liberal. And liberals only recognize proponents for liberal blacks, not conservative blacks (eg Clarence Thomas, etc.) whom they seek to destroy. Sincerely, Wayne F. Yakes MD, Denver, Colorado

Editor: Regarding “A Nation of Cowards,” keep up the good work! Thanks, Harold Rozier

Editor: Please refrain from calling every citizen of color an African-American as was the case in “A Nation of Cowards.” This term should only be used when that person's parents are as African and an American; or refer to everyone by their immediate parental heritage. You could refer to me as an English-American or an Anglo-American (since my father was an American [family arrived here in 1625] and my mother was an English citizen), although I think of myself as an American. But overall, these hyphenated Americanisms only serve to divide us, not unite us. If someone you write about calls you and complains about it, ask them if they are an American, and if not, or if they are a legal or an illegal alien - those are their choices (without the parental conditions above). Black? OK. White? OK. Hispanic? OK. But nix on the hyphens. Please. Harding Dies, Norwalk, CT

Editor: I agree with your premise regarding the Holder speech. We certainly need real debates -- not excuses for endless, tired attacks on the "racist" White folks. CW

Editor: We truly are a nation of cowards. We can't stand up to Blacks, Mexicans or any other minority. We give in to anybody that tells use what they WANT. Yes, sports fans we are a bunch of Cowards. Klinka

Editor: Excellent job, truer words have not been spoken than in “A Nation of Cowards.” Keep up the good research and work. Joe Teahan DPA

Editor: Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! for “A Nation of Cowards,” Sigrid

Editor: “ Warren's Shrewdness” was a great article by Chuck Norris. Boyd Howell

Editor: Regarding John Berlau’s “Foreclosures Often Best,” I am a conservative and I am behind on my mortgage. This was because my husband's employer went out of business in June of '08. For months afterward different employers paid 1/2 of his former pay. His current employer is a good one but is also slow due to the current economy. What my mortgage company could agree to that would help us out the most - accept half payments. I am not asking for a bail out. I'm not asking them to reduce the liability of what we signed on to. I just want to be able to make half payments. Why can't simple solutions like that be available to those behind? Jennifer Drouillard

Editor: Regarding Alan Caruba’s “Planned Illiteracy,” welcome to the club, I have been telling that to local people ever since I was on the school board in 1991-95. At first the local papers printed my critiques, however after the teachers union complained, they no longer will. A pox on the whole damn mess, the schools, our left-wing president, Pelosi and the 400 criminals in Congress. Bah. Glen Reid

Editor: Regarding John Goodman’s “European Health Worse,” what Americans are ignorant of is that the REASON Obama wants his national health insurance is to add their dollars in to cover up the problems in all four present programs that are in failure Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans health, and the Indian Reservations health. There is no money and no services. Behind the scenes they cut the ability to provide services, which has become the norm. Keynomo

Editor: We, the majority of average citizens, agree with the “Economists Against Stimulus” and do not want the government bailing out, helping, or otherwise taking on any more debt in our name. We are the people who worked hard for 38 years, saved hard and well which looked good for our retirement until Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, and Chris Dodd came along and devastated those accounts by forcing ignorant policies on our financial institutes. We must stop it now! No more bailouts. Let those who cannot fail, fail and learn from it. I do not bail out my daughter when she makes mistakes and today I am very proud of the woman she has become. Obama and Pelosi are not correct in believing this is what the American people want for our lives forward. Let those who cannot be frugal go. They will come back on their own. We are disgusted with Congress and the Senate. Gale Wareham, Texas

Editor: Regarding “Economists Against Stimulus,” obviously the liberal mindset is just that, their minds are set in concrete but it is in an ocean of debt and devastating factors and will not hold up. Apparently it will take a 2x4 upside their heads before their thinking is straight. Carol Boeddeker-Genet

Editor: How to turn this nation to socialism? Use the fear that if the Government doesn't spend massive amounts of money the problem will get worse. So we spend it and of course as history shows us it doesn't work. So now we are even deeper in Recession and the Government must act again spending Trillions of dollars. And again it doesn't work but now the private sector owes the Government more money than they could ever pay back. And we are still in trouble. So what does the president do now? To get our money back and create jobs? We Nationalize! The Banks, the Auto industry, the Health Care sector, the insurance industry and the housing industry. Now the President can redistribute wealth and make everyone equal. The poor get a house, free medical, free Green car with insurance and a guaranteed income/job for life. And the rest of us who have always worked to better ourselves get to pay the bill? Think taxes are high now wait until we have to pay for all the new enhanced Government benefits. Costa Rica is looking good right now. William

Editor: I appreciate your "Economists Against Stimulus" article that I found in Conservative Battleline. It is good to read that real economists are standing up to be counted against the stimulus. Thanks for the information. Dan Pierce

Editor: It looks already like another promise denied by President Obama. He said he wanted no earmarks, however there were over 8,000 in his 2nd major piece of major legislation, the budget. He cannot seem to remember what he said. He said the bill was last year’s business. How are all of the earmarks last years business? I have always heard that a leopard won't change his spots. He had more earmarks with Hillary than any other pair of senators in the same timeframe. He has set a president that if the bill must be signed to keep the government running, put in all the earmarks you can. I believe that he has already forgotten he is working for the American people, not Harry Reid. Keep up the good work. Richard Minear

Editor: “Economists Against Stimulus” surely shows that despite what Americans are incessantly bombarded with by our national media, the assertions of the President do not reflect the opinions of many notable economists & other knowledgeable policy makers. Was this article &/or a letter sent to the President in this form & containing the list of economists shown in the article? The article is the first report of this I have seen. There has been almost no mention of any opposition or no mention of any of the serious questions that this article raises. There have been a few individuals interviewed here & there who raised some questions. The amount of time allotted to such interviews has seriously limited discussion & that has resulted in a show of almost no dissension. There are some financial shows where some questions are being asked, and some of those questions are even serious. However, generally speaking, the bulk of news reports to the American public show little dissension. Network news reports almost all contain discussions centered on politics and mockery of what commentators refer to as "Republican" or "conservative" opposition, thereby reducing any opposition to purely political talk. Notable economists are getting little media time or press. The public continues to be fed what now appears to be measured doses of specific levels of talk, all centering on what we are told is the need to "do something," "do something fast," "do something drastic & fast," and "get as much done as quickly as possible before the sky falls & everything is lost." In a way, this financial crisis talk reminds me of the Global Warming - Climate Change discussions. There too we are told constantly that we must act, we must act quickly, we must act drastically, and we must act before the world comes to an end, or all will be lost! The current methods of governing we see coming out of Washington appear to center on crisis management or drastic measures management. Everything is potential catastrophic, everything will require significant sacrifice, any will lose out & be hurt, and we must act with little or no discussion because there is not enough time to talk about what & how to solve our problems, we must just act and act fast! Once again, it appears to me that the American public is under assault by our national & the international media. While some organizations & some journalists do appear to try to convey complete & detailed messages to us that average people can understand, for the most part it looks to me like we are experiencing a full fledged propaganda assault. And virtually all of that assault is centered on support for Obama, Obama's plans, & why everyone must come together so he can succeed. From what I can see, any who speak of failure face attack-style journalism. Questions about those who ask questions or challenge Obama's plans, all center on how divisive such questions are, how despicable the questioner is, how ridiculous such questions are, how unpatriotic such questions are, and questions asking the respondent to give an answer that matches what the questioner wants to hear. The attacks on Rush Limbaugh have taken on a tone of angry mob responses. Limbaugh may or may not be an idiot &/or wrong, but the attacks on him look to me to be a serious attempt to deflect all attention away from the subject & center talk on how despicable Limbaugh is. Of course much of that talk also looks to be a prelude to what will surely be an all out effort by politicians to silence voices like his, so we hear little dissent in the future once regulations &/or legislation limits Limbaugh's & others ability to talk in or on any media venue. Sorry for the long email, but it really does appear we are now receiving only filtered news reports limited to talking points that promote an Obama agenda, or that attacks any who might disagree with the Obama agenda. Opposition based on reasoned philosophical differences is not discussed at all. All opposition is reduced to anger and hate, especially using what are now tired attack words like racists, conservative, Christian, etc. These words or descriptors are now spoken as though they are vulgar & derogatory words describing vulgar & despicable peoples. I hope this article or a letter containing this information has been mailed to the President, his advisors, and any news organization still interested in providing the public with all of the facts, not just those approved by those currently in power. Thanks, Steve Ralston, Southcentral PA, USA