"Swear It"/"Grand Old Flags"
May 22 Soap Box/May 15 Hits & Misses
I have been getting neck strain from my headshaking bewilderment caused by the absurdity of Brendan Ryan's adoration of swearing, especially "f--k" and its derivatives.
This letter could only have come from a devoted member of the un-intelligentsia who had a very limited opportunity to learn meaningful communication.
Swear words have significance only to the degree that they are severely limited in use—like how Trump's repeated use of "the greatest (whatever)" has even reversed the meaning and you know it's in no way great, whatever he's doing.
I feel sorry for anyone who is assaulted by this member of the illiterati declaring, "I'm so f--king in love with you,"—him thinking it "is stripped of its pretense, [and so] carries more truth." His sincerity is a statement more likely to be heard in a bar, resulting from too many drinks, or when it's closing time and all the better choices have left the premises. Sad that so much space would have been used so poorly.
And then we have... flags. Regarding Kathy Biele—and many others'—pleasure at Mayor Erin Mendenhall and the Salt Lake City Council finding a way to circumvent the new flag-flying restrictions, while giving the finger to its proponents. Really dumb!
A little context. I moved here a few years ago, only because the city is liberal—red politics give me a serious moral and ethical rash.
But despite my leanings, the over-the-top degree of in-your-face push by the left angers me. Why? Because it is insulting to good people who are more central, and you're not smart enough (nationwide) to realize how it has destroyed so much progress made by you/us.
Because of how furious you made the opposition, we had Trump 45 (the worst thing to ever happen to America, nothing else close!), who was able to stack the SCOTUS with enough far-right ideologues who are willing to ignore the Constitution, precedent and the will of the majority of Americans to do serious damage to our principles for the next couple decades, at least.
And now you clearly don't get that the left extremism has upset so many more that this debacle called Trump even won the popular—not just the electoral—vote this time! And look at what he's done to everything good that's existed for a century or more.
Enough said. I hope you might make the effort to give more respect to moderates who don't agree and thus regain the chance to recover lost victories. As to the flags, specifically, the government should fly only the national, state and neutral local flags.
Government is for all the citizens, even those with whom the ones in power don't agree. Or were you upset at the elimination of the Confederate flag? I'm not.
DAVID HORN
Salt Lake City
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