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Chrisallalone

Recent comments by this user

We Must Pay Attention to the Rise of Gun Violence

Ms. Edelman,

Thank you for bringing up the recent case in South Carolina of the woman and her 4-year-old granddaughter. This has been troubling me for weeks, especially followed so closely by the SCOTUS decision. I've read the comments here that talk about criminals being the real problem, not guns, but of course this woman was not a criminal in any way. She had a legal permit to carry a concealed weapon. I'm sure she imagined that she -- and perhaps her granddaughter -- would be safer because she was going to produce a weapon and scare off the bad guys. Look what it got her.

We have what I fear is largely a fantasy of frontier justice, wherein ladies in their fifties and sixties, say, or sleeping homeowners, can quickly and competently fend off armed bad guys who take us by surprise because our weapons are loaded and close at hand. I don't mean to deny that there are any such cases. But in the meantime, leaving criminals out of the picture, we also have suicides (>90% successful with a firearm), domestic violence, and granddaughters who shoot themselves at Sam's Club. How many of these incidents are to be considered acceptable in the name of this idealized notion that we'll all be safe as long as we're packing heat? posted 07/01/2008 at 09:14:32

I Eat Everything I Want and I'm Thin

Hm, when my husband went from loving large bowls of ice cream to loving large plates of broccoli and lost 40+ pounds, I guess I did wonder if he had been replaced or mutated or what have you. Now that I read that food preferences are all in your genes, I'm really worried, because he's gotta be a pod person or something now. Unless there's some other explanation. posted 06/22/2008 at 16:30:16

AFSCME, MoveOn Ad Targets McCain On Iraq War

I respect the service. If a war were justified, as you say, to keep me free and my grandchildren safe, that would be one thing. How the present war does either of those things escapes me. I am not more free than I was before we engaged Iraq -- less, if you count the concerns for civil liberties and free speech -- and since our occupation has earned us enemies in the Mideast and al Qaeda has been regrouping, I'm not that confident of the safety of my progeny.

You say in another response that you would go if called, even if that call were based on false information. This is troubling. "My country -- right or wrong" seems a disturbing abdication of one's duty to participate actively in a democracy. posted 06/17/2008 at 15:25:13

What Makes Sparks Fly Between Men and Women?

As the parent of a newly minted teenage girl, I find it refreshing to read that our children attending coed public schools are "desensitized to the attraction of the opposite sex." I suspect other parents of daughters I know are more worried about the opposite.

But while I appreciate Rabbi Boteach's statement that he wants his daughters to have all the opportunities available to any man, in practice the kinds of ideals he's espousing don't seem to work out that way very often. I'm not sure humans are able to divide themselves into groups without one group quickly becoming the dominant one, and thus the division of the sexes seems reliably to lead to male dominance. And traditional views of male and female roles almost always seem to go along with large families, which women are naturally expected to devote themselves to producing and nurturing. In practice these beliefs can be very limiting, even if the intent is good.

I've read other articles about Orthodox traditions enhancing sexual attraction, and if it works for the Rabbi and other writers, who am I to argue? But there are so many other cultural consequences, some of which might even be more important than maximizing sexual interest or pairing up with a spouse who's "good enough." posted 06/18/2008 at 08:32:11

Dear Ms. Maria Bartiromo: Some Basic Economics

Of course, it works both ways; people who think $200,000/year is "rich" may not live in NY or San Francisco or even Boston. Yet I'm pretty sure people in those places get taxed at the same rate as the person in Oklahoma earning the same amount.

Not that I disagree with you, really. My family isn't making any $200K, and if we did I'm sure we could find a little more for taxes. We would have to recognize and be grateful that we were earning much more than most Americans. But living where we do, we wouldn't be rich -- relatively secure, fortunate, but not rich. You pretty much acknowledge as much when you point out that some places cost more to live in than OK, KS, or the deep South. posted 06/19/2008 at 13:33:08

Gen. Clark: McCain Is "Untested And Untried" On National Security

Glad to hear from Gen. Clark again. Despite his background, he seems to offer more depth than merely the "war hero" identity, and I was sorry that I didn't find him in the recent post on the rumored VP shortlist. I hope he's under consideration for this or another significant post. posted 06/11/2008 at 13:16:59

Maria Bartiromo Warns That Obama Will Hike Taxes, Says Someone Earning $200K/Year Is "Not Rich"

Thanks for making this point. "Rich" depends in part on where you live and how much that living costs you. We don't make that much money at my house, but I'm sure many of the two-income families around here do, and I wouldn't call them "rich." "Able to save money for their kids to go to college," maybe, but not rich. posted 06/11/2008 at 08:42:11

No Child Left Undrugged

My daughter takes omega-3s every day -- but she still has Asperger Syndrome, a relative of autism. In response to what Mr. Whitehead says, I've always cared for her myself rather than farming her out to others, and my time has been my children's time for more than a decade -- but she still has AS.

I don't really take issue with either what zaneblue says or what Whitehead says, as far as they go, and I think it's essential that our children be well nourished, well cared for, and well loved. But while I agree that pharmaceuticals aren't the answer, I'm afraid that all the love, attention, and fish oil in the world don't provide simple solutions for what is so sadly broken in so many of our children. posted 06/09/2008 at 13:26:52

Jon Stewart Mocks "Hillary Is Inevitable" Punditry

I just watched the whole segment -- yes, he was mocking the "inevitability" line, but also Clinton's comment this Tuesday that the "pundits and naysayers" said she didn't have a chance (when, of course, they had said for months that no one else did). Jon Stewart -- equal opportunity mockery. posted 06/05/2008 at 10:37:05

Parenting As Competitive Sport

Yes -- at first I thought this was going to be about the developmental guide that's issued by Toys 'R' Us (at any rate it used to be -- I assume it still is). That was the first place I saw codes like this, but that catalog was specifically targeted to kids with developmental disorders. I have to admit looking it over, as I was always looking for new ways to give my kids practice in the areas of their delays.

But it's sad if that idea has been generalized to the whole population. I agree that parents spend far too much time trying to best each other through their kids. If only they got to spend time with a child who's not developmentally typical, they might appreciate the most magical thing about typical kids -- that they grow up just fine through normal play and interaction, without the fancy tools and the be-the-best attitude imposed by their parents. posted 03/24/2008 at 09:02:59

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