Regarding "Who will live to tell your story?" (Monday Gray Matters), the Chron saw fit to recycle an article by Kyrie O'Connor that was classless and cynical the first time it was run in 2015. The disclaimer on the article read "If you want to be remembered, don’t die on Dec. 31." O'Connor then goes on to render judgment on those who did, only a worthy few who struck her "as someone whose death received the proper attention at the time and the rest", whereas "the actor Edward Herrmann, whoever — just drifted off, their bad luck to die when no one was looking."
How very cynical of her. Edward Hermann was a fine actor, albeit not one who managed to rotate into O'Connor's field of vision, and thus the backhanded dismissal. The year's end is a time for celebration, optimism and reflection, all sadly lacking from this piece. My great hope for 2017 is that my next year-end Chronicle will capture more of that, and less of O'Connor.
Pete Smith
Cypress, TX
Monday, December 26, 2016
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Of Course The Russian's Prioritized Democrats
Regarding "CIA: Russian hacks ‘prioritized’ Democrats" (Tuesday From the cover, A11), it seems obvious to me why both the Republican and Democrat parties were targeted by Russia, "but that Democratic institutions and operatives came under a more sustained and determined online assault."
Only the Democrats were conducting government business on a private server in Hillary Clinton's basement, transmitting a treasure trove of official government correspondence as well as classified government documents. It also linked to hundreds of other Democrat operatives and organizations. Meanwhile, over on the Republican side, evidence seems to show that all you had was Republicans, talking about politics.
For Hackers, Clinton's server is what we in Texas like to call "A Bird's Nest On The Ground:" Chock full of goodies, with minimal protection.
If you were Russia, which would you "prioritize"?
Pete Smith
Cypress, TX
Only the Democrats were conducting government business on a private server in Hillary Clinton's basement, transmitting a treasure trove of official government correspondence as well as classified government documents. It also linked to hundreds of other Democrat operatives and organizations. Meanwhile, over on the Republican side, evidence seems to show that all you had was Republicans, talking about politics.
For Hackers, Clinton's server is what we in Texas like to call "A Bird's Nest On The Ground:" Chock full of goodies, with minimal protection.
If you were Russia, which would you "prioritize"?
Pete Smith
Cypress, TX
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Suspend Disbelief
Regarding "CIA: Russia backed Trump" (Saturday Front Page), the article boldly proclaims that Russia was the sole source for the Wikileaks E-Mails so damaging to Hillary Clinton, and that Russia "intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency." This is the conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton peddled before and after the election, and that President Obama decided to dig up literally the day before yesterday.
Reasonable people might be skeptical of this theory, considering that the CIA and the other 16 intelligence agencies that Clinton and Obama are so fond of citing apparently didn't know a thing about the hacks until they read about them in the newspaper.
If I'm going to believe anybody about the involvement of the Russians - much less their motives - it's not likely to be the clueless operatives of the CIA, but the trained professionals at Wikileaks.
Pete Smith
Cypress, TX
Reasonable people might be skeptical of this theory, considering that the CIA and the other 16 intelligence agencies that Clinton and Obama are so fond of citing apparently didn't know a thing about the hacks until they read about them in the newspaper.
If I'm going to believe anybody about the involvement of the Russians - much less their motives - it's not likely to be the clueless operatives of the CIA, but the trained professionals at Wikileaks.
Pete Smith
Cypress, TX
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Saving Face
Regarding "Tough talk amplified by Chinese, Trump" (Tuesday Nation | World), emboldened by President Elect Trump's many stateside critics, Chinese officials warned Trump that "he was risking a confrontation" with China over his decision to accept a congratulatory call from Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen. They then moved on to overt threats, and finished up by grandly declaring that unless we capitulated on Taiwan, American could never be great again.
This is standard Chinese rhetoric since the original Capitulator-In-Chief Jimmy Carter created America's "One China" policy in the 70s, essentially delegitimizing the democratically run island that China considers part of their nation in favor of a bunch of communist goons on the mainland.
Since then, American policy has been to placate China at the expense of Taiwan, and to capitulate time and again on matters of trade and monetary policy. The ironic result of the "One China" policy is that we have handed the Chinese the economic leverage they now use to force concessions and influence our policies.
After almost 40 years of groveling before China, Donald Trump's blunt words and actions have been a breath of fresh air, and the ranting and raving of China and their sycophants within the American Establishment is proof enough to me that he is on the right path.
Pete Smith
Cypress, TX
This is standard Chinese rhetoric since the original Capitulator-In-Chief Jimmy Carter created America's "One China" policy in the 70s, essentially delegitimizing the democratically run island that China considers part of their nation in favor of a bunch of communist goons on the mainland.
Since then, American policy has been to placate China at the expense of Taiwan, and to capitulate time and again on matters of trade and monetary policy. The ironic result of the "One China" policy is that we have handed the Chinese the economic leverage they now use to force concessions and influence our policies.
After almost 40 years of groveling before China, Donald Trump's blunt words and actions have been a breath of fresh air, and the ranting and raving of China and their sycophants within the American Establishment is proof enough to me that he is on the right path.
Pete Smith
Cypress, TX
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Point Made
Regarding "Website targets ‘leftist’ profs" (Thursday Front Page), the article tells the story of Santiago Pinon, a religion professor at Texas Christian University, who "dashed off an email to several students on a fall afternoon in 2013" to get together for a study group. It ended with “I don’t mind if this would turn out to be a study session for my STUDENTS OF COLOR ONLY.”
The e-mail was subsequently posted to a conservative website as an example of liberal bias on campus.
Sounds fair to me. Pinion himself admits the email is accurate, and then faults himself only because "he sent the email without rereading or editing" it. And his claim that what he really meant to do was to encourage students of color to participate rings false. His forthright words were to exclude white students, not include anybody else.
Sound like this and similar websites serve a useful purpose.
Pete Smith
Cypress, TX
The e-mail was subsequently posted to a conservative website as an example of liberal bias on campus.
Sounds fair to me. Pinion himself admits the email is accurate, and then faults himself only because "he sent the email without rereading or editing" it. And his claim that what he really meant to do was to encourage students of color to participate rings false. His forthright words were to exclude white students, not include anybody else.
Sound like this and similar websites serve a useful purpose.
Pete Smith
Cypress, TX
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