The Flyer is Right-wing?
Just finished John Ryder’s Viewpoint titled “Fiscal Notes” in the December 13th issue. Some thoughts:
Really? A Republican bankruptcy attorney lecturing me about fairness and morality? Hilarious. And by the way, that’s a sweet gig, Mr. Ryder — personally profiting from all the bankruptcies your party’s politics create. Sort of like a perpetual motion machine.
“A flatter tax is a fairer tax” is classic Republican illogic. As in, “If they take away our guns, how will we ever protect our schoolkids?”
And a word to the editorial staff of the Flyer which gave this shyster a forum: Recently, you’ve run a number of Republican editorials and innumerable wingnut letters to the editor, as if you’re trying to be as fair and balanced as Farce News. Cease and desist.
I will remind you that you would not exist if you were to stop promoting (exploiting?) Memphis musicians, artists, writers, and miscellaneous performers. Unfortunately, that’s a left-wing crowd that Republicans don’t associate with and can’t even understand. If you want to stay in business, you would be well-advised to dance with them that brung ya, because in a connected world, we don’t actually need your newspaper to find out where our favorite bands are playing.
I’ve been an avid reader and a big fan of the Flyer from the beginning, but I’m just about done, because every day, the actual value of the Flyer gets closer to what I pay for it.
Jim Adams
Memphis
Guns Again
Well, another week, another mass shooting. This time, schoolchildren were the victims. The question now is, when will the NRA, Ron Ramsey, and Fox News say if only the kids had had guns, this tragedy could have been avoided?
One has to wonder how they will try to explain how a Memphis policewoman, a mother of four, was killed the same day. After all, she was a trained police officer and was armed. This brave woman was killed in the line of duty.
Guns are not the answer to these horrific events. Taking guns away from law-abiding Americans is not the answer. We must have more enforceable background checks — checks that include profiles of those who purchase guns and ammo. We know that it doesn’t matter if you have an IQ of 70 or are mentally ill; you can buy a gun, as long as you don’t have an arrest record.
Recently in the Memphis area, a mother handed her son a loaded weapon and let him mess around with it. He shot his sister. The mother paid a fine.
A father shot his 2-year-old son in his car after leaving a gun store.
This sort of thing goes on, day after day, month after month, and year after year. Still the NRA and the politicians they own are silent. I am a gun owner and my son has a carry permit. My rifle and his pistol are locked up. We keep ammo and clips separate from our guns. Should it be the law that all gun owners have to have gun safes in their homes and cars? Should they have to have a mental profile done along with a gun-safety course? I guess they will have to ask their NRA master, Wayne LaPierre.
Jack Bishop
Memphis
CellPhone Tracking
The device in your jacket, jeans, or purse that you think is a cellphone is actually a tracking device that happens to be able to make and receive calls. Thanks to the explosion of GPS technology and smartphone apps, these devices are also taking note of what we buy, where and when we buy it, how much money we have in the bank, whom we text and email, and more.
Cellular systems constantly check and record the location of all phones in their networks. If someone knows exactly where you are, they probably can guess what you are doing.
We love these devices, but it would make sense to call them what they are, so we can fully understand what they do and what their impact is on our society and our right to privacy.
Ron Lowe
Nevada City, California
Dagmar
God fearin’ and gun lovin’ is the reality in this country. God lovin’ and gun fearin’ is a dream for this country.
Dagmar Bergan
Helena, Arkansas
