(February 14, 2011)
[Please include your first and last names, and your city and state of residence. Thank you.] Corn to Ethanol To the Editor: The US policy of burning food as ethanol is well considered. The goal is to truncate the bottom 2 billion wanton procreators from the food chain. This would include Buddhists, Catholics, and Muslims whose peculiar superstitions bid them to populate beyond the carrying capacity of the land. The two billion on the low end live on $1.25/day. The wholesale price of wheat is $0.20/lb and rice is $0.15/lb. Prices must double from here to achieve the objective. Sincerely, Keith Beatty San Diego, California, USA - January 31, 2011 ********** Slurring President Obama: Jan Baughman's Rhymes With Pints: Reince Priebus to the Rescue To the Editor: I have been a regular reader of Swans Commentary for a number of years. I donated some money last year to help out with your expenses. I have passed on information to my friends from what I considered to be well-written and fair analysis of current affairs. However, in the January 31 edition, I read a statement referring to President Obama that concerns me, namely: "...whose name and story rivals that of our Muslim, non-American, Socialist president." I have no problems personally with Muslims. I am a non-American, and though I have no political party association, I have no problem with Socialist ideas. I have read this comment a number of times to make sure I was not misunderstanding the writer's intentions. But to me it looks like a slur against the president of the USA, voted into office by the people of the USA. This comment seems so out of sync with what I expect from your publication that I would like an explanation of it from the editor. Sincerely, Alex Munro Calgary, Alberta, Canada - January 31, 2011 [ed. Dear Alex, Yes, I remember your $100 donation last October 22. I mailed you a thank-you card in appreciation for your generosity, and I reiterate my sincere thanks. We need help to cover our expenses, and we will need it again this year. Now, to the point of your message and your concern that Jan Baughman, Swans co-editor, wrote a slur against Mr. Obama. I am afraid that you totally misunderstood Jan's take and sense of humor. Look at the cartoon first carefully. Her comments are there to accompany the cartoon. She poked fun at the new chairman of the RNC and his supporters. It's they who accuse President Obama of being "a Muslim, non-American Socialist with a Kenyan father and a forged birth certificate..." -- not Jan. We may be critical of Obama for his policies -- see my piece on his State of the Union address -- but not his character, religion, nationality, or color of his skin. Also, Jan and I have no problems with Muslims and Socialists -- on the contrary... Again, Jan used her subtle sense of humor to make her point against the new chairman of the RNC and his right-wing cohorts. I'll ask Jan to append a short response to your letter. As always, kind regards and solidarity.] Jan Baughman responds: Dear Mr. Munro, Apologies for the scare -- I can assure you that Rupert Murdoch is not a Swans underwriter. A sentence that in my mind was dripping with irony apparently did not read as such. I blame my mother for labeling me "deadpan" as a child, but not leaving me enough money to afford therapy to undo her self-fulfilling prophecy... Thank you for following and supporting Swans. ********** We appreciate and welcome your comments. Please, enter in the subject line of your e-mail "letter to the editor," and specify the article or the subject you are commenting on at the beginning of your e-mail. Also, ***PLEASE,*** sign your e-mail with your name ***AND*** add your city, state, country, address, and phone number. If we publish your opinion we will only include your name, city, state, and country. Send your comments to the Editor. (Letters may be shortened and edited.) |