Letters

The Gibberish King

YET again regular letter writer Jerry Hoosier has proved genius has its limitations, but stupidity is boundless. 

In his letter “Gaelic Dead and Buried” in the October 13-19 issue, he tells us that editors at his local newspaper seemed to be concerned about his use of Gaelic words. This is in a section of Orange County, California where Spanish or Vietnamese would more likely be heard than anything else.

We have seen Hoosier’s hatred of the Irish in his past letters to the editor in the Irish Voice. God only knows what he wrote about the Irish in his local paper.

Hoosier goes on to tell us about our hopelessly gargled language that sentenced several generations to an inferior education. Somehow if we don’t bury it we may bring an Iranian invasion to America and we will all be speaking Farsi. 

Hoosier also mentions a few other languages we might be speaking, Korean and Indonesian. For what reason, who knows?

Although he is all hateful of the Irish language, Hoosier takes his time to give as a lesson and kindly interprets a few Irish words for us. Then he claims it is better dead and buried. 

Of all the languages he speaks about, not once does he say anything about the language he seems to be most fluent in — gibberish.

Hoosier pleads with President Bush to keep the course as he is too old to learn another language. I don’t think age has anything to do with learning in his case.

Bill Ashe

Corona, California

Cormac Right On

I’M slightly bemused by the fact that Cormac MacConnell, from across the sea in Ireland, has had the clearest view of the presidential election campaign. 

Like in 2000, we had two atrocious options to choose from (I can’t dignify the preposterous Ralph Nader with an inclusion here). How the greatest nation on earth came up with these two is completely and utterly beyond me.

The way I see it, there were five conceivable choices among Democratic candidates (sorry Al, Dennis, and whoever the lady was who dropped out before anyone cared). John Kerry, with his ultraliberalism, wishy-washy personality and undefined stances, was the worst of the five. 

Likewise, when President Bush was last challenged in 2000 by Senator John McCain, he was completely outclassed by a smarter, more inspiring candidate who would have united the country, not bitterly divided it. 

How did we wind up with Bush-Kerry? Give me a campaign between McCain and General Wesley Clark or Senator Joe Lieberman, the charismatic John Edwards, or even the unhinged but strongly convicted Howard Dean, and now we have a substantial choice. 

Cormac, we don’t need God to save us — a pair of quality presidential candidates would do just fine. Sadly, it’s going to be 2008 before we even have a chance to see that.

Matt Lordan

Litchfield, New Hampshire

Coverage Isn’t Thrilling

AS an avid reader of the Irish Voice, I have always admired the quality of journalism within your paper. I have always thought of your paper, if nothing else, as young and cutting edge. 

I was both impressed and saddened with the news that occurred between the unfortunate suicide in Maspeth to the two-year ban on the Cavan football team. I credit the paper as being on top of the story from the get-go, from the memorial service to the fight up at Gaelic Park. This is quality journalism. 

Where the paper has lost its touch recently is the writing of Mike Farragher. I have disagreed with his columns in the past, but his article “The Thrill Is Gone” (October 20-26) about The Thrills forced me to write this letter. 

I will agree The Thrills’ latest album is not as good as the first, but to insult their career I think is taking a step too far. If anything, I would sum the album up as a sophomore jinx. But Farragher went a step too far. 

In the last two years, as was written before, this columnist has been doing nothing else but waiting for the next U2 album. I believe Farragher is somewhat old and outdated. Anything new or impressive is shot down because it doesn’t live up to the worthy causes of his favorite band. 

And it does not stop there. Within the article, Farragher not only insulted The Thrills, but has a reason to vent on Oasis, Courtney Love, REM, President Bush (?) and Paul McCartney. It seems the only notable musical act not worthy of his punishment is his holy U2.

Recently Farragher glorified U2’s new single “Vertigo” as the next best thing. I would like to remind him that U2, like The Thrills and every other musical act, has been influenced by others (see the Sex Pistols and the Velvet Underground). 

I know it’s not good journalism to have U2’s biggest fan writing for your paper to bash other bands and spread U2 propaganda. It turns a usual cutting-edge paper into a fanzine not worth anyone’s attention. 

You can go into any Irish pub and see what’s on the jukebox. There will be plenty of Oasis, REM and Beatles songs that everybody listens to.

I would advise the Irish Voice to look into its writers and realize you can like other popular musical acts, Irish or not, and still be cool. 

But Mr. Farragher likes his U2 and friends, and as long as he is writing for your paper, unfortunately, that will be all we read. I can predict now that he will love their next album, the following single and their upcoming tour. That is not good journalism.

John Brennan,

Jackson Heights, New York 

Kerry Supported War

HOPEFULLY if this letter makes the pages of the Irish Voice the election will be decided by the general population and not hanging by a chad somewhere in Florida. 

Having said that, it was disappointing but not unexpected that the Irish Voice editorial in the October 20-26 issue came out in favor of John Kerry. Disappointing in that the arguments for preferring Kerry over Bush send yet another message to the world that we have no adhesive on our tape. 

The argument that Bush went to war in Iraq without a consensus fails to mention that Kerry supported the move. I don’t think he would have had the nerve to put the bit in his teeth and make the move, but by his own admission he supported going to war. 

We can debate the advisability of invading Iraq till the cows come home, but a vote for Kerry sends the message that we will back down yet again. This is becoming a habit. 

Finding fault with Bush for not going hat in hand to the United Nations for consensus is a bad joke. Years ago Pulitzer Prize winner Allen Drury wrote the blueprint for the demise of this body in his novel A Shade of Difference. 

Currying the support of Germany or France is a sicker joke. The shortest book in the world, French War Heroes, was written by Jacques Chirac. 

France is already becoming embroiled with the Middle Eastern mindset over the scarf issue. My guess is Germany still has aspirations of taking over Western Europe and this supercedes their involvement in anything that would derail that goal. 

I get the impression the editors of the Irish Voice think that if we turn a deaf ear and cover our eyes everyone will love us. Is it worth it if we wake up someday speaking Farsi and eating kimchee while asking some mufti permission to travel from LA to San Francisco? 

Far fetched? That’s what people thought when Drury described the step by step deterioration of the United Nations. 

Jerry Hoosier 

Cypress, California