Replies

Replies

From: Steven Matz, Chicago

Subject: The Case for Political Rudeness, by Ken Silverstein, May 23, 2008

You make a great case for the effectiveness of rudeness, or ahem, direct language. I wholehearted agree in its effectiveness and necessity.

I work in construction. A few years ago I was chatting with another supervisor, from a concrete company, and he summed up the reality that “sometimes, I don’t know why, but you have to just get in someone’s face from time to time in order to get the project moving.” I supervise a variety of trades and while I don’t necessarily enjoy it, I too find that you have to breathe fire to get things moving occasionally.

My father ran a delicatessen in Northeast Philadelphia and I grew up working with him and watched him often unleash tirades upon hapless customers, employees and suppliers. He made a lot of money and stayed in business for 35 years. The episodes were classic theater: “Are you trying to bust my balls?” he once growled to a particularly whiny customer, who confronted him directly, in his kitchen, during the lunch rush, while holding a plate with a half eaten sandwich. The crowded dining room fell silent; waiting for the coming tirade. I think the guy might have wet his pants at one point.

Watching political discourse over the last 18 years being dominated by right wing loud mouths I cheered when I read about Jim Webb’s retort to Bush’s bullshit comment. W. is a special type of cocksucker and no one save Colbert and Webb have called him on it. He’s lucky Webb didn’t crush his larynx right there on the spot. If I were in his shoes and my boy was in Iraq, shit, I don’t think I could contain myself.

From: Fernando Colina

Subject: Why Does the Wall Street Journal Hate America?, by Scott Horton, May 20, 2008.

Scott Horton asks:

And this raises the question: Why does the Wall Street Journal so disrespect the men and women in uniform who run our military justice system?

The very simple answer is that Cheney and his cabal hold uniformed lawyers in contempt. He and his cronies have maintained the view that if JAG lawyers were any good at lawyering, they would be in private practice. The Wall Street Journal echoes this despicable view.

From: Betty

Subject: Weekly Review, by Chantal Clarke, May 20, 2008.

I thought you might be interested to learn that when one person forces another to have sex, the word to describe it is “rape.” For example, when Wolfgang Priklopi kidnaps a ten-year-old Natasha Kampusch hostage in a cellar dungeon and rapes her, it’s a “cellar rape dungeon,” not a sex dungeon. Framing like that minimizes her trauma and makes rape less horrifying in the public imagination–just for a little bit of misogynist titillation. I would have thought better of Harper’s.

Replies

From: Gary McCardell

Subject: Exclusive Video: Hillary in the Führerbunker, by Ken Silverstein, May 12, 2008

On your website, Ken Silverstein posted a link to a video political parody showing a movie portrayal of Hitler in his bunker raging insanely at his defeat with subtitles as though it were Hillary Clinton reacting to the primary results in Indiana and North Carolina.

Silverstein says it is very funny. It is a parody, it is certainly protected speech, and it seems likely that some people with whom I share political affiliation will find it funny. But the parody is profoundly ugly and repugnant. I hope that you will think again about your decision to recommend it to your readers and apologize for it.

From: Alex Kline

Subject: Obama, Hamas, and “Nuance,” by Ken Silverstein, May 13, 2008

It’s sadly true, as Luca Menato wrote in his letter to you, that America’s “leading presidential candidate can be politically blackmailed over an alleged link with a Palestinian faction whose number of armed militants is likely to be smaller than the number of known victims of the latest Chinese earthquake.”

In fact, American Presidential candidates have been toppled for much less–just ask John Kerry about the Swift Boaters. As for the Israeli-Palestinian question, the nuances of which are so far beyond the understanding of the average American voter, it is indeed far too much to hope that a viable presidential candidate could speak with candor and intelligence about this issue without touching a variety of electoral-viability-frying third rails. Sadly, the reality of American politics is that a “smart” politician is playing it safe on this issue by making statements such as Hillary’s recent pronouncement that she would ‘obliterate’ Iran if that country attacks Israel. Does the fact that I disapprove of Hillary making that statement mean I want to see Israel nuked? Of course not, but if I were Barack Obama and expressed disapproval of Hillary’s comment, I could expect a barrage of nonsense painting me as a sympathizer with Hamas/Hezbollah/Al Qaeda/what-have-you. Even the allegedly “decent” John McCain has already played this card against Obama. How any intelligent candidate with an ounce of integrity can pick his way through the landmines of such a political landscape is beyond me, but so far Obama is doing a better job than any viable Presidential candidate I have seen in my lifetime.

American presidential politics, particularly the past two elections, constantly brings to mind Mencken: “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”

From: Jerry Loftus

Subject: Inherently Subversive, by Wyatt Mason, May 13, 2008

I was pleased that you have done Dr. Morse justice. I used to work for the Morses at their home in suburban Philadelphia in the late ’60s and early ’70s, as a gardener, handyman, janitor–a perfect part-time job for a student. I eventually went to Temple University, where Dr. Morse taught. As a political science major, I never took any of his English classes. My loss.

I came from an Irish-immigrant, working-class background. Dr. and Mrs. Morse were my introduction to intellectual conversation. They knew I loved to read, and passed me the New York Times, which I devoured. Though my family bookshelves will never match their extensive collection, we are avid readers.

Years later, after I married and joined the Foreign Service, I took my very international family on a couple of occasions to see Mitchell and Frances Morse. I treasure my autographed copy of The Irrelevant English Teacher, as well as several prints of his articles. I have spent most of my adult life abroad (we’ve settled in Brussels), so the last time I went to see the Morses was on Labor Day 2005. Of course I had just missed Dr. Morse, but his wife was still as lucid as ever despite a stroke.

From: Philip Higgs

Subject: Weekly Review, by Sam Stark, May 13, 2008

I’m not sure if you guys do this sort of thing, but it might be nice–compassionate, even–to post a note that the reward for the tortured pony can be contributed to via the Mercer County Humane Society. Donations via check should have “Reward Fund” written on the check’s “memo” line.

The address:

Mercer County Humane Society

PO Box 1046

Hermitage, PA 16148

From: Alice Forbes Spear

Subject: Harpers.org

I really dislike the new website format. It’s not very user-friendly and it’s hard to read Mr. Fish cartoons.

From: Delfin Beltran, M.D.

Subject: Mr. Fish, May 9, 2008

It would appear to the casual observer that the cartoon of May 9, 2008 by Mr. Fish bears a singular political comment regarding the potential for veracity in that concern. As a physician concerned about the education of the citizenry regarding their own health I see other potential.

First, it is a physiologic fact that as soon as the sperm enters the capsule of the ovum the tail breaks off and all of the genetic material necessary to initiate the new life exists. This health information may or may not be part of the existing curriculum titled “sex education.”

I have an 1860 text used to educate students regarding their own body functions and structure. If this level of education were presented to students today, I suspect that many of the moral concerns of parents might well be altered and the nation could benefit from the understanding acquired by the future parents.

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