I don't like to do too much political stuff on this blog, so I'm going to start a different blog that's more opinion about politics and religion, etc.. Check the sidebar for the link soon, but I just had to post this...
My dad has been trying to get letters published for AGES to the opinion editors at the "Strib" for years. FINALLY they printed one of his letters in today's paper! He has said for years that they are "just a bunch of communists over at that paper" and I tend to agree to a point. They have put a few conservative writers here and there (what's that saying about a stopped clock?) and they have had a few, nice articles that weren't TOTALLY biased in the last couple of years, but for the most part they could be categorized as typical MSM. Yesterday my dad called all irate about the day's letters from readers. There were more than a few about this story about some boys killing a puppy and how they didn't get a harsh enough punishment. My dad was practically crying when he dictated his letter to me so I could e-mail it. I edited it a bit to get his feelings more accurately represented as he was pretty sad/raging about the whole situation. Here is how I wrote it:
"Two American soldiers were captured, tortured, and brutalized in an unimaginable way, then beheaded. They were left in the open and used as "bait" by placing a minefield in and around their broken bodies. No reader editorials responded to this terrible incident. But, some damn dog was killed by some children in North Branch and your bleeding heart, leftist readers inundated the editorial page with their pitiful letters of outrage about this slightly disturbing but ultimately small event. Where are your priorities, people? Why is your outrage so misplaced? What happened to our society where a sob story about a dog garners more pity than a story of man's inhumanity to and torture of another man?
John (last name)
(city name, MN)"
They e-mailed back this morning and wrote that they needed a phone number and address to consider printing it, but Dad called this morning to tell me that it was published! They changed the wording slightly, though. I think it changes the feel of the letter and I don't like how they edited it, but here it is:
"Tucker and Menchaca: Outrage is misplaced
Published: June 23, 2006
June 23 letters in a batch
Netlets for Thursday, June 22
Two American soldiers were captured, tortured and brutalized in an unimaginable way, then beheaded. They were left in the open and used as "bait" by placing mines in and around their broken bodies.
Apparently fewer readers responded to this terrible incident than they did to a dog being killed by some children in North Branch. These bleeding-heart, leftist readers inundated the editorial page with pitiful letters of outrage about this slightly disturbing but ultimately small event.
Where are your priorities, people? What has happened to our society when a sob story about a dog garners more pity than a story of the torture of our soldiers?"
I thought it was amazing that they printed it, until I looked at it from their point of view and realized that they probably LOVED the fact that my dad was insulting other people (their readers) and they probably didn't "get" that he was really insulting the paper itself. I should have made that point a bit clearer as NOW it looks like the paper wants it's readers to react to Dad's letter and think bad things about him.
Oh well, at least his point was made and I think it was one worth making.
