Comments on: UPDATE IV: Don’t Believe Michelle Obama (“Respec”)

By: Michael Marks

Michael Marks — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 02:02:17 +0000

I received your book in the mail yesterday.

I believe your book is important. The facts and the truth must be told. The truth will set you free but, that doesn’t mean it won’t make you angry or uncomfortable in the process. I believe I will learn some important things from reading your book. Hell Ilana I’m an engineer I already know my vocabulary is limited so the dictionary and thesaurus are my friends!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 01:37:38 +0000

Funny how we were thinking about the same lesson in writing class!

“He’s a prototype really, not a particular person”

That makes sense; I’ve seen that peculiar type of criticism before on intellectual work.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 00:19:08 +0000

I like your writing, Ilana, and while there are some words I either need to look up or read more slowly, it’s never been overwhelming; the wordage is pleasant and educational to me. I look forward to your article from what you learned in journalism class; I gained many valuable lessons in college English, particularly on how to write a debate paper without ever directly referring to myself (no “I’s” or “me’s” allowed). I liked this, as it helped me sound less arrogant when I really starting heating up.

[How did you know that I was going to start with exactly that point???]

Poor jackass, he’ll be forever remembered. In this case, not a good ting, dat. [He’s a prototype really, not a particular person.]

By: Myron Pauli

Myron Pauli — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 20:22:39 +0000

Regarding obscure lexicography, I am somewhat in the middle whereby using a few obscure but precise words to illuminate a point are valid (the ignorant user can look up the words if he cannot infer it contextually) … BUT it is possible to enter the realm of literary flatulence. The best example of the latter is my man Mencken’s essay on socialist “intellectual” Professor Thorstein Veblen:

http://tmh.floonet.net/articles/hlm_veblen.html

whereupon Mencken mops the floor with the bombastic socialist.

Regarding South Africa – I’ll purchase the book soon and hopefully can manage time to read it as well. [No book; no palling with Da Paulis] Obviously, there was a cultural conflict between the Boer, Anglo, Zulu, Xhosa, and other ethnicities and, in such a situation, it is hard to “win” without a violation of rights. The concept of unlimited government without guarantees of the minorities virtually guarantees a disaster. The “raison d’etre” for LIMITED government and rule of law is to preserve as many rights as possible for ALL people.

The Jim Crow South had a confrontation between compulsory segregationists who ran state governments with compulsory integrationists who ran the federal government. The latter won but at the cost of establishing a “Civil Rights Bureaucracy” which continues to violate liberty.

By: Robert Glisson

Robert Glisson — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:51:44 +0000

I Got de book yesterdy, I tink I might figer id out sumhew.- What I found interesting was how he had been reading your articles for ten years of accumulated frustration. Amazing; I normally throw the trash against the wall and allow it to mildew on the floor forever after the first page. Some newspaper articles don’t make it past the first paragraph. He deserves an award, I mean what did Einstein say about repeating the same action but expecting a different result? Take James advice and have a good weekend Ilana.

[See update.]

By: JP Strauss

JP Strauss — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:47:54 +0000

The situation in South Africa can be accurately summed up in the following anecdote delivered to me by a farmer in Zambia:

He spoke to a local Zambian, asking why they don’t turn all their lush earth into commercial farms. The local responded “We don’t have the knowledge to do it ourselves.” When asked whether he thinks it’s a good idea if South African farmers came and did the hard work FOR them, the man got enraged “You white’s want to steal our land!”.

An aspirant philosopher can delve a mountain of insight into the African psyche from that simple exchange.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:44:00 +0000

Will Bono ever sing a song, about his and the Humanitarians greatest mistake

I have Names to bring attention to the future of America, Detroit,Cleavland , El Paso,Phoenixox etc
you can not allow bleeding hearts and muscians to rule or Govern man!

By: R. J. Stove

R. J. Stove — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 00:05:13 +0000

I’d love to be able to say that I invented the phrase “untamed Id”, for which Ilana Mercer kindly praises me, but in fact I didn’t. I found it in an article in (Britain’s long-defunct) PUNCH magazine, published 1979 or 1980. While I can’t remember who wrote the article, it might well have been Alan Brien, a hard-drinking, mildly left-wing London columnist of the era, who despite his booze propensities and Henry-VIII-like marital history managed to reach his 83rd year (and who once wittily described Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington as “so boring you fall asleep halfway through her name”). A Google search hasn’t led me to the relevant PUNCH issue, alas.

By: Kerry

Kerry — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 23:16:05 +0000

As other avid Chess players know, we use the word “kibitzing” in reference to our discussions on past games, openings, endgames, etc. But that’s neither here nor there. For a reader to criticize a piece of writing because he or she doesn’t understand certain words is asinine, but not that shocking. Back in college I tutored English and the lack of reading comprehension among my peers was astronomical. If the words are “too big” some shy away. Grab a dictionary and a thesaurus, there comes a point when it’s time to graduate from the Sunday comics section.

By: Ruth

Ruth — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 22:18:21 +0000

In other words, you can be morally against rejecting someone based on their Jewish roots, but that doesn’t give you or the government the right to create a law forcing them to accept Jewish workers. Sounds about right.