An open letter to the Austin City Council

In regard to the city council's planned "boycott Arizona" resolution, approved unanimously today, I submit the following:

• Phoenix has been called the "number two kidnapping capital of the world", with a lot of kidnappings (many of which are said in the linked article to go unreported) related to the illegal drug trade.  Per the same article, "[s]ome officials have commented that all the Phoenix kidnappings are connected to illegal immigration".
• A Pinal County sheriff's deputy was shot in the abdomen when he came upon a group of suspected human traffickers, who opened fire on him.  A manhunt for those responsible resulted in the arrest of 17 suspected illegal immigrants. 
• Multiple areas in Arizona are littered with literally thousands of discarded backpacks left by undocumented immigrants entering the state.
• Arizona residents, by a wide margin, support SB 1070, the controversial immigration law opposed by the Austin City Council.

Oh, and one other thing:  the Statesman article states that Austin "planned to send five employees to Arizona for three events this month".  This does not appear to add up to much money being taken away from the state of Arizona.

So, with all that said, one question remains:

Do you think the people of Arizona care one whit about what the City of Austin thinks of them?

An open letter to Chris Matthews: Give it up already!

Dear Chris Matthews:

You are obviously getting desperate for something, be it attention, validation, I don't know.  When you aren't experiencing leg tingles, pining after President Obama, or openly musing about the death of a political opponent (in your mind, as he probably couldn't care less), you apparently have some sort of fixation regarding Sarah Palin.  I truly don't understand why seeing her gets you so wee-wee'd up.

But seeing her certainly does have that effect on you, to the point that you are grasping for straws in an attempt (usually futile) to make her look bad.  But, really, critiquing her signature?  Get a grip, sir.  I know you have a remarkable propensity for insulting or generally looking down on conservatives--see, for example, this video in which you badmouth Bobby Jindal before he has even spoken a word:



So maybe I shouldn't be surprised that you are saying things about Sarah Palin such as "She doesn’t write the book, and then she scribbles some indecipherable sign on the book as a signature."  Again, read the story at this link.   While it goes into much more detail, I invite you and anyone else to compare the following two signatures and tell me your thoughts:

 

Maybe it's just me, but one of those signatures does indeed look like an indecipherable sign.  It isn't Sarah Palin's.

Mr. Matthews, have you considered that perhaps looking for any excuse, no matter how flimsy, to go after conservatives has made you appear to be, well, incredibly petty?  Or are you so bitter that this is the only enjoyment you still get out of life?  Either way, I pray that you find peace this holiday season, along with some good old human kindness.

(Via @ChiBarb per this tweet)

An Open Letter to Dale Dudley

Dear Dale Dudley:

During one of my rare forays across the radio dial to your morning show (to which I'm not giving a link), I, yet again, heard you slamming Alaska's soon-to-be-ex-Governor Sarah Palin. That, I'm used to hearing from you, just as I expect certain CBS late-night hosts to be one-sided and bitter. (Actually, you seem to be on a similar track, but I digress.) You, of course, are entitled to dislike Governor Palin, just as I am entitled to dislike your show.

Your entitlement, however, does not give you carte blanche to make totally unfounded comments about Governor Palin, as you blatantly did during your show of Friday morning, July 10. If I remember correctly (as you might expect, I was not recording the show), and I believe I do, you called Sarah Palin a liar for stating that her family had amassed personal debt related to the filing of, to date, 19 ethics violations, most of which have already been dismissed as frivolous (and I have no doubt that the remaining ones will be dismissed as well).

While I am sure that some of your listeners will be quick to believe that an Austin radio personality knows more about Alaska state law than the governor of said state (who happens to be on the other side of the political spectrum from said radio personality), I can show that you are factually incorrect about the situation. The answer to your assertion may be found in this Weekly Standard article by Matthew Continetti. While the whole article is very informative, the specific phrase that refutes your assertion is the following:

Furthermore, because state ethics law requires the accused to pay for her own defense, the Palins' personal legal bills add up to around $500,000.

That's right, she does, in fact, have to pay her own legal bills for her defense. She wasn't lying when she said that. And you, Mr. Dudley, in your ongoing quest to crucify the woman, slandered her on air.

Who's the liar now?

p.s. I regret that I will not be listening to your show to hear the apology you ought to be delivering to Governor Palin, as I can only take a little bit of your show every couple of weeks, and only when every other station is at a commercial. (Yes, that happens in Austin radio...they all seem to break right around :45 after, except for your station.) But I don't expect you to apologize anyway; I expect you to continue to be your charming self. Stay classy.

An Open Letter to Anderson Cooper, Janeane Garofalo, Mike Dahmus, and way too many others to mention

Dear people who think that the use of the word "teabagging" (in talking about the over 300,000 people nationwide who attended the various Tea Parties on April 15) is the funniest thing since President Obama insulted the Special Olympics:

It's not: 1) funny; 2) original; 3) worth responding to. Mr. Dahmus, at least, had a point to go with his slam. (Said point was, however, totally irrelevant, and if Mr. Dahmus believes that taxes really are going to be decreased for 95% of the American people, he seriously needs to research how much cap-and-trade policies will cost the average household.) As for the rest of you, feel free to continue to destroy whatever credibility you guys still have. I'll probably not be watching you, because I'll most likely have to cancel my cable to help pay for our portion of the cap-and-trade tax.

An Open Letter to Senator McCain

Dear Senator McCain:

Thank you for your service to this country, both in its military and in Congress. I have a great deal of respect for you, even if I don't agree with all your policy positions. I was happy to support your ticket last fall.

This is why I am so concerned about the treatment that your campaign staff, and even you and your family, have given to your former running mate, Sarah Palin. Your selection of Governor Palin inspired me to support your presidential campaign because of her stand on the issues that concern me most. Governor Palin's selection seemed to invigorate your supporters, drawing tens of thousands to your campaign rallies. And yet since Election Day, statements have been made by "unnamed McCain staffers" denigrating Governor Palin. You yourself have seemingly refused to make any definitive statements regarding any future support of Governor Palin, as has your daughter Meghan. In your April 13 Tonight Show appearance, your omission of Governor Palin from a list of potential GOP leaders appeared to be deliberate. Jay Leno's failure even to ask about her after you gave your list left the impression that your handlers had spoken to Jay's staffers, requesting that he not mention her.

Obviously, not everything that happened behind the scenes in your campaign last year are not publicly known. However, your seeming disloyalty to Governor Palin is very troubling. As Republicans oppose the wasteful spending of the current Congress and the current Administration, we do not need to be turning on each other; rather, we should unite and pursue our common goals. I believe you can help in this manner by refuting the most outrageous statements that have been made about Sarah Palin, and also by giving Governor Palin the credit she deserves for her role in your campaign, and in this party.

Thank you again for all the work you have done for our country. I know that you and Governor Palin, along with a Republican Party presenting a united front, can work together toward a more prosperous America.

Sincerely,

Snowed.

Dear Crockett HS Parents...

I think the family members of most Crockett High School students are pretty good drivers. However, with that said, there are definitely exceptions, and to those people, I offer this free advice:

Manchaca Road is a really bad place to stop to let off your kid. This is especially true when the school zone is not in operation. You may have noticed that there are convenient parking lots located directly off Manchaca into which you may turn. Please avail yourself of the opportunity to do so.

Your fellow drivers would appreciate it.