THE DAILY STANDARD welcomes letters to the editor. Letters will be edited for length and clarity and must include the writer’s name, city, and state.
*1*
In response to Terry Eastland’s The Forgotten Option, my 16-year-old daughter has Down’s Syndrome and she is the joy of our lives. I love my 15 and 18-year-old sons of course, but they are ten times harder than having Callie as a part of our family.
Eastland’s story reminded me of two things: When I had Callie, she had a lot of health problems and they told me that if she died it would be okay because she had Downs anyway and I was young enough to have plenty of other children. But I wanted her, even though it was a shock. Then, when I became pregnant two months after having Callie, my doctor insisted that I have an amniocentesis–in case the new baby also had Down’s, the doctor said, I may want to abort it. I refused to have the test and just trusted that whatever happened, it was the baby God wanted our family to have. He turned out to be “normal.”
–Laurel James
*2*
Thank you to Larry Miller for bringing to light an issue that I have quietly grumbled about for the past several years: the shoving-aside of marching bands as halftime entertainment (XXXVII). When I was in the University of Michigan Marching Band in the late 90s and early 00s, we would often be reminded that the MMB played the halftime show at the Super Bowl in 1982 (XVI), and I would think, “Wow, that must’ve been really great, and it’ll never happen again.”
I’m sad to say that depressing trend has even made its way into big-time college bowl games. I’ll never forget being rushed off the field after an abbreviated halftime show during the 1999 Citrus Bowl (or “Capitol One Citrus Bowl”) to make way for the Charlie Daniels Band and a thousand dancing cheerleaders. (The same thing happened in 2001, except the act was Take Five, an execrable boy band.) And we were pre-empted entirely at the 2000 FedEx Orange Bowl for an overblown tribute to disco, I think, or something equally football-related.
I shudder to think what’s next.
–Avram Derrow
*3*
Tori Amos has a long history of eschewing thoughtful and well-reasoned opinions (David Skinner, Stardumb: Tori Amos). In fact, she even derides them on her “Little Earthquakes” album.
In her song, “Silent all these years”, she angrily demands: “So you found a girl who thinks really Deep Thoughts / What’s so amazing about really Deep Thoughts?”
Clearly Ms. Amos’s hostility towards honest intellectual inquiry and nuanced policy decisions is deep-seated.
–Deirdre Mundy
*4*
I have to admit that I considered skipping the Tori Amos Stardumb. She is probably my favorite musical artist, and I didn’t want to see her image destroyed. God knows I can no longer watch Gwyneth Paltrow or Kevin Spacey without thinking “What a freaking willful idiot,” which is unfortunate, since both are talented actors. I’ve avoided all Matt Damon commentary for the same reason. Luckily, Tori performed pretty much to expectations. She is a woman of questions, not answers. She speaks in webs and questions when you ask her what she had for breakfast. She’s a brilliant freak.
Her new album may well be the most musically beautiful she’s produced, in particular the smooth, sometimes haunting vocals. Of course I have no idea what the lyrics are–or what their meaning is–but just listening, it’s truly beautiful.
–Damien Del Russo
*5*
Terry Eastland’s wonderful article deserves wide distribution. My daughter, who is adamantly pro-choice, had a Down’s syndrome child three years ago, and he is a joy to her and her husband and both sets of grandparents.
There is no denying the difficulty for both parent and child, but the child is loving and deserving of love.
–Paul Nord
*6*
I too, have a few lyrics I want share with America (J. Bottum, Harold Pinter’s “God Bless America”). This is a political protest ditty–Tony Bennett, comes to mind:
Stepping out with my mother.
Stepping out underneath the stars.
Stepping out with my mother.
I’m stepping out with mother earth.
Oil and gas isn’t the answer.
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Knowledge is power.
That’s the answer.
Come on America, get it right.
–Patricia Thiele
*7*
I appreciate Larry Miller’s article arguing that we should return to something more wholesome, traditional, and American for halftime entertainment–the marching band. I too am a veteran of high school and college bands and I too am a percussionist. Although I am now a high school history teacher, I help instruct my school’s drum line on the side.
Miller believes that these days fans want more flashy entertainment and that traditional marching bands don’t suit this desire. Although he’s probably right, we should consider the notion of having a professional drum corps perform at halftime shows (check out www.dci.org). These highly-trained ensembles are composed of 135 musicians and dancers between the ages of 14 and 21. Drum corps perform technical, intense, and powerful field shows that may be better suited to capture the attention of today’s audience.
–Ryan Welborn
*8*
“Uncertainties” over the avoidable Iraqi invasion maybe replaced by catastrophic results (Irwin M. Stelzer, The Price of War). Instead of the planned 43 days picnic, we might cause what our leaders say we are invading to prevent. Iraq had an advanced biological weapons program that is every bit as lethal as a nuclear weapons program. The brass at the Pentagon seem to think that when Saddam is cornered and about to be toppled, he will use every weapon at his disposal. Let’s roll (the dice)!
–Brad Arnold
*9*
I’m thankful that Hugh Hewitt has brought Rick Warren, a pastor’s pastor, to the forefront (The Force Multiplier). I applaud Pastor Warren and the great things he is doing for Christ’s sake. And I would like to take a moment to recognize another pastor’s pastor, John MacArther of Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California.
I’m not sure that over the last 20 years there has been anyone who has had more impact on the Gospel from a regular pulpit than Pastor MacArther. I was under his teaching for over twenty years before my family moved to another community. His study Bible, with over 20,000 notes is the very best expository Bible that I have had the opportunity to study from.
–Wayne Foglesong
*10*
I echo the comments of Larry Miller regarding the “entertainment” at present-day pro football games. I’ve said it for years: What does that kind of entertainment have to do with football? Half-time shows are meant for marching bands, just as it is done at the high school and college levels.
When I was a kid in the 60s, the Philadelphia “Iggles” picked the best high school bands in the area to perform at half time. I did not play in a band but I could only imagine how great it must have felt to perform before 60,000 people.
John Phillip Souza is rolling over in his grave!
–Fran Henry
