Salon | Letters to the editor

_______________MAIL ROOM DISPATCH ...

Is history dead? Not if Salon's readers have anything to say about it! More than a week after its publication, letters are still pouring in to take issue with Sean McMeekin's positive review of "The Killing of History" by Keith Windschuttle.
As usual, Salon's right-wing David Horowitz is eliciting cries of outrage. First, he ruffled feathers with his slam of the beloved book, "I, Rigoberta Menchú." This week, fans of Betty Friedan had their chance to get angry, after Horowitz dismissed her as a liar. Horowitz responds below.
You either love Anne Lamott or you hate her. Ben Walsh of San Francisco placed himself in the latter category with an angry rant against all things Anne. The debate continues today. Other hot topics in letters land this week were Christopher Shea's suggestion that some of our congressmen may be too old to govern (most agreed), and esteemed critic John Leonard's not-so-glowing review of New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Survey says: New Yorkers don't care how big a jerk Giuliani is, if the subways are clean.

_______________RIGHT ON! BETTY FRIEDAN'S SECRET COMMUNIST PAST BY DAVID HOROWITZ (01/18/99)

David Horowitz replies to his critics: As usual with my leftist critics, those who have whined about my article on Betty Friedan seem to have a difficult time with the English language. I did not criticize Friedan for being a Communist, but for being a liar. I am not now and have never been a supporter of Joseph McCarthy.

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BRILLIANT CAREERS: THE BULL IN THE BLACK-INTELLIGENTSIA CHINA SHOP BY AMY ALEXANDER (01/19/99)

Stanley Crouch's first essay collection, "Notes of a Hanging Judge," was and is marvelously readable, despite the fact that Crouch shares certain stylistic insufficiencies with his idol, Albert Murray. His subsequent collections, "The All-American Skin Game" and "Always in Pursuit," read like faded photocopies of the original. He's still a valuable and entertaining essayist, but a man who pads his collections with liner notes from Wynton Marsalis albums is in danger of becoming a black William F. Buckley Jr. -- i.e., a distinctive, engaging personality who squandered his obvious talents by avoiding the hard work of producing a unified work of criticism and argument. The world waited in vain for Buckley to produce an original, substantive book codifying and expanding the conservatism his personality had done so much to promote. Like Buckley, Crouch has real work to do, and thus far he's avoided it.
What work is that? Let's start with the long promised Charlie Parker biography. I have read damned few jazz biographies that can make a layman understand and appreciate the innovations wrought by a particular artist. Crouch might fumble and slip into a book-length version of the trancelike babblings he falls into when talking about somebody like Duke Ellington, but he obviously has the intellectual equipment to do better. So where's the freakin' book?
Similarly, his jacket flaps have for years been promising a novel, "First Snow in Kokomo." I fear it may turn out to be some unreadable, elephantine performance like Leon Forrest's "Divine Days," a book I attempted to read after being wowed by Crouch's immoderate praise. But I still want to read Crouch's first novel! So where's the freakin' book?
It's time for Crouch to stop cruising on that genius grant and those wine-and-cheese soirees at Lincoln Center! He needs to put that Daily News column on hold for the time being. Crouch has some heavy lifting to do, and while his admirers are sure he can manage it, we sometimes wonder if he shares that confidence.
-- Steven Hart
Highland Park, N.J.

_______________CLINTON'S STAR WARS BY CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS (01/19/99)

Christopher Hitchens seems to be confused as to why "liberals" are continuing to support President Clinton in the impeachment proceedings. It is his cynical worldview that prevents him from seeing the reason. Most of us who support the president in this proceeding do so not because we hope to gain something from him, or because we like him or the job he is doing. We support him because the alternative is to vindicate Ken Starr, his methods and his spurious conclusions. The alternative is to go along with the appalling show that was performed in the House and continues in the Senate. Believe me, Mr. Hitchens, we want President Clinton out of office as much as the right does, but we can't support prosecutorial malfeasance and rigged "hearings."
-- Tom Galczynski
Speaking of "deranged," when is somebody going to mention that Christopher Hitchens' writing is almost incoherent? Hitchens was never hesitant to point out that Ronald Reagan was gaga back in the old days when the former president's frequent misuse of language and abuse of truth was labeled something like "great communication," so it only seems right to return the favor. Hitchens makes no sense at all and hasn't for quite a while. He either needs a good editor or a test for Alzheimer's.
-- Leah McSorley
N E X T+P A G E+| In defense of Anne Lamott and manned missions to Mars

_______________MAIL ROOM DISPATCH ...
	Is history dead? Not if Salon's readers have anything to say about it! More than a week after its publication, letters are still pouring in to take issue with Sean McMeekin's positive review of "The Killing of History" by Keith Windschuttle. As usual, Salon's right-wing David Horowitz is eliciting cries of outrage. First, he ruffled feathers with his slam of the beloved book, "I, Rigoberta Menchú." This week, fans of Betty Friedan had their chance to get angry, after Horowitz dismissed her as a liar. Horowitz responds below. You either love Anne Lamott or you hate her. Ben Walsh of San Francisco placed himself in the latter category with an angry rant against all things Anne. The debate continues today. Other hot topics in letters land this week were Christopher Shea's suggestion that some of our congressmen may be too old to govern (most agreed), and esteemed critic John Leonard's not-so-glowing review of New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Survey says: New Yorkers don't care how big a jerk Giuliani is, if the subways are clean.
_______________RIGHT ON! BETTY FRIEDAN'S SECRET COMMUNIST PAST BY DAVID HOROWITZ (01/18/99)
	David Horowitz replies to his critics: As usual with my leftist critics, those who have whined about my article on Betty Friedan seem to have a difficult time with the English language. I did not criticize Friedan for being a Communist, but for being a liar. I am not now and have never been a supporter of Joseph McCarthy.
_______________ BRILLIANT CAREERS: THE BULL IN THE BLACK-INTELLIGENTSIA CHINA SHOP BY AMY ALEXANDER (01/19/99)
	Stanley Crouch's first essay collection, "Notes of a Hanging Judge," was and is marvelously readable, despite the fact that Crouch shares certain stylistic insufficiencies with his idol, Albert Murray. His subsequent collections, "The All-American Skin Game" and "Always in Pursuit," read like faded photocopies of the original. He's still a valuable and entertaining essayist, but a man who pads his collections with liner notes from Wynton Marsalis albums is in danger of becoming a black William F. Buckley Jr. -- i.e., a distinctive, engaging personality who squandered his obvious talents by avoiding the hard work of producing a unified work of criticism and argument. The world waited in vain for Buckley to produce an original, substantive book codifying and expanding the conservatism his personality had done so much to promote. Like Buckley, Crouch has real work to do, and thus far he's avoided it. What work is that? Let's start with the long promised Charlie Parker biography. I have read damned few jazz biographies that can make a layman understand and appreciate the innovations wrought by a particular artist. Crouch might fumble and slip into a book-length version of the trancelike babblings he falls into when talking about somebody like Duke Ellington, but he obviously has the intellectual equipment to do better. So where's the freakin' book? Similarly, his jacket flaps have for years been promising a novel, "First Snow in Kokomo." I fear it may turn out to be some unreadable, elephantine performance like Leon Forrest's "Divine Days," a book I attempted to read after being wowed by Crouch's immoderate praise. But I still want to read Crouch's first novel! So where's the freakin' book? It's time for Crouch to stop cruising on that genius grant and those wine-and-cheese soirees at Lincoln Center! He needs to put that Daily News column on hold for the time being. Crouch has some heavy lifting to do, and while his admirers are sure he can manage it, we sometimes wonder if he shares that confidence. -- Steven Hart Highland Park, N.J.
_______________CLINTON'S STAR WARS BY CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS (01/19/99)
	Christopher Hitchens seems to be confused as to why "liberals" are continuing to support President Clinton in the impeachment proceedings. It is his cynical worldview that prevents him from seeing the reason. Most of us who support the president in this proceeding do so not because we hope to gain something from him, or because we like him or the job he is doing. We support him because the alternative is to vindicate Ken Starr, his methods and his spurious conclusions. The alternative is to go along with the appalling show that was performed in the House and continues in the Senate. Believe me, Mr. Hitchens, we want President Clinton out of office as much as the right does, but we can't support prosecutorial malfeasance and rigged "hearings." -- Tom Galczynski Speaking of "deranged," when is somebody going to mention that Christopher Hitchens' writing is almost incoherent? Hitchens was never hesitant to point out that Ronald Reagan was gaga back in the old days when the former president's frequent misuse of language and abuse of truth was labeled something like "great communication," so it only seems right to return the favor. Hitchens makes no sense at all and hasn't for quite a while. He either needs a good editor or a test for Alzheimer's. -- Leah McSorley N E X T+P A G E+\| In defense of Anne Lamott and manned missions to Mars