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Friday, March 21, 2008
Re: “Do the wrong thing” (editorial by Kevin Naff, March 14)
Kevin Naff’s comments about Howard Dean’s professionalism are off target. Dean pioneered a national online donation model that many Democrats have used to reach out to small donors (including both Clinton and Obama).
Over the objections of leading party members he also instituted the “50 state” strategy forcing Republicans to play defense on their own terrain. Few of Dean’s critics would go back to the old “ignore-everyone-but-the-swing-states” model.
I’m also unclear why Naff believes that Dean’s DNC is somehow putting the party at risk in the fall — the party is working to solve the Michigan/Florida rules violations. Otherwise the fact that the party has not yet finalized a nominee is about the ongoing race between two super, strong presidential candidates, not Howard Dean.
Dean and the DNC aren’t perfect (and never claimed to be) and it’s silly to send shouting lawyers to the Blade’s offices. But even as it’s crazy to imply the Blade is like Fox News, it’s also absurd to cover these issues in such a way as to imply that the DNC is anti-LGBT rights.
In fact they are pro-LGBT rights as any glance at their record would show. Dean and the DNC’s job is to go out and win a presidential election. They are doing that. It’s up to LGBT people and our allies to get the presidential candidates and the Democratic platform committee to run on as strong an LGBT (and HIV/AIDS) platform as possible. The rest is just froth.
Washington
Re: “Back to the country” (music review by Joey DiGuglielmo, March 14)
I have two slight corrections to the Dolly Parton CD review, which otherwise was great.
First, the review states that none of her albums have gone Gold or Platinum since 1993. Actually, in 1994, her solo effort “Home For Christmas” went Gold as did a trio project with Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn, “Honky Tonk Angels.”
In 2001, her second collaboration with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, “Trio II,” went Gold. (On the singles side, her duet “When I Get Where I’m Going” with Brad Paisley went gold in 2006.) It’s true that none of her non-holiday, solo projects have gone Gold or Platinum since 1993, but she has had other CDs do so.
Second, the article identifies this as her 41st solo album. Actually, she has had 46 solo albums if you don’t count any of the dozens of compilations that have come out. One way I could see someone count to 41, so it’s possible this is how the reviewer counted, is if they remove her two solo live albums (“Heartsongs” and “Live and Well”), her one film soundtrack that really was a solo album (“Straight Talk”), her one Dollywood-only release (“Precious Memories”), her solo Christmas album (“Home For Christmas”), and her second Monument album (“As Long As I Love,” which some don’t count an original album because it was released after she left the label), but really all of those meet what most fans consider original solo albums.
Middletown, Ohio
Editors’ note: The writer is editor and publisher of www.dollymania.net; Parton has recorded three live albums. The first was 1970’s “A Real Live Dolly.” A copy-proofing error removed the word “studio” from the reference to Parton’s solo albums.
Re: “Spitzer’s fall could hinder New York marriage bill” (news, March 14)
As a result of the sex scandal involving former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the issue of prostitution is now once again being discussed and debated.
Referred to as the world’s oldest “profession,” prostitution is defined as the act or practice of selling oneself for sexual purposes. It is also defined as an unworthy use of a talent, quality, or the like, especially for personal gain.
What’s interesting is that the former is illegal in all states except Nevada while the latter has been morally and culturally accepted since the beginning of time. This begs the question: is there any difference between a street walker/escort and a person who uses their physical beauty to attain a lifestyle that others labor very hard to attain?
Too often in our society we see evidence of the “trophy spouse”; a reward received by those who achieve success in business or entertainment. The marriage consists of a person who sees a beautiful spouse as something to obtain and a person who deliberately shops lifestyle by any sexual means necessary.
Some would argue that prostitution should be made legal so that (just as with drugs) it can be regulated by the state and become a source of revenue enhancement.
Furthermore, sex between strangers would be safer since the government (as in Nevada) would require regular medical examinations to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
The problem facing this country is that we haven’t reconciled these two definitions thus creating the existence of a double standard. This country contradicts itself when it comes to laws.
Cleveland
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