Dick Morris

Dick Morris ... a political pundit? Try ‘entertainer’ (and a funny one)

Was Dick Morris sober when the Asheville Daily Planet quoted him saying, “The issues people are concerned about are associated with the Democratic Party ... The Republican issues have dwindled because of our success with them”?

I knew there were hard feelings when the Clintons fired Morris, but they were never made public. Now we know why. Morris is either delusional or smoking some very strong weed.

After reading the Daily Planet’s article on Morris (headlined “Pundit slams Clinton, Obama as twin threats to U.S. stability” in the April 30 edition), I was surprised that President Bush didn’t bring Morris into his inner circle. Morris is the prototype neo-con politician, which is at the foundation of the Bush administration.

Morris will continue giving outrageous opinions as long as the media covers him and the networks will employ him.

Personally, I consider Morris more of an entertainer than a political pundit, but give him credit — his monologue can be very funny.

BERT BASS
Weaverville

Ringling Bros. Circus lambasted
for animal cruelty; protest planned

After Ringling’s last visit to Asheville, the Daily Planet’s front-page coverage (June 7, 2006) of our protest elicited a letter to the editor suggesting those speaking out against circus cruelty should, instead, worry about other things.

I can’t speak for the other demonstrators, but let me assure the writer that I advocate for a wide variety of social justice issues.  

 In a commentary (in the Marin [Calif.] Independent Journal, April 28, 1998) titled “The Circus: It’s Modern Slavery,” civil rights activist Dick Gregory concluded, “Animals and humans suffer and die alike. Violence causes the same pain, the same spilling of blood, the same stench of death, the same arrogant, cruel and brutal taking of life. We don’t have to be a part of it.”

You can read his entire commentary at http://www.circuses.com/gregory.asp. While you are there, take a look at the “Ringling Factsheet” detailing their abysmal treatment of animals.

 I invite those who oppose animal cruelty to join us at the Asheville Civic Center in protest from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. May 28, when Ringling Bros. returns to Asheville.

Why speak out against the circus?  Dr. (Martin Luther) King (Jr.) said it best: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

STEWART DAVID
President, Carolina Animal Action
Asheville

‘It is what it is’ column triggers
quest for origin of Rush’s cliché

 EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letter to the editor was written in response to John North’s Feb. 27 column in the Daily Planet headlined “‘It is what it is?’ More mush from Rush?”
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Al Gore did not invent the phrase, “It is what it is.” He did popularize it, perhaps (see William Safire’s On Language column headlined “It is what it is” from the March 5, 2006 edition of The New York Times Magazine.)

Safire found its first printed usage in 1949 as referenced in the article source above.

My opinion from reading the “History of the English Language” is that many expressions can be used for a long time before entering the world of parchment. This is particularly true if the expression is inane.

CLARENCE YOUNG
Asheville