After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I dubbed Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson “The American Taliban”. In the four years since, not much has changed. In 2005’s 9/11 issue of True came this story:
Rant
The Truth about PETA
Does PETA protect and nurture the animals placed in its care? Find out — this story is from True’s 17 July 2005 issue.
Letters and More Commentary have been added farther down the page (jump there) — and be sure to see the several Updates (jump there).
Bats, Iron Bars, and Bricks
Several readers wrote to complain about a story in last week’s issue (26 June 2005):
Skirmishes in the War on Drugs
This is True’s 4 September 2005 issue had a line-up of several stories about druggies doing incredibly stupid things. It’s a fairly common theme in True, in fact: drug and alcohol abuse very often makes people do stupid things.
Dell Hell
A Few Reader Horror Stories
Updates: A Happy Ending?
Conclusion — and Lessons Learned
I’ve recommended Dell computers for many years. But my confidence in them was shaken when I got a new laptop in Fall 2004, and I ended up in “Dell Hell”. This is the story: ridiculous, but even somewhat funny.
Thanks to Zero Tolerance, You are Not Safe
The silly concept of “Zero Tolerance” may have started in American schools, but it certainly did not end there. It not only has spread to schools in other countries, what’s the expected result when all those schoolchildren get out of school, and into the Real World?
“An Insult to Every Black Man in America”
What happens when an academic type uses Political Correctness to excuse vile, reprehensible behavior — and then a lawyer gets hold of the idea? You get “justification” for beating a young child to death. True’s home page notes that the stories are not all meant to be humorous, and this one sure isn’t.
Proof I’m a Stinking Liberal?
Ronald Reagan died last week. I didn’t happen to mention that fact in last Friday’s free edition — which “naturally” brought a grumpy complaint from Jeffrey in Florida:
Who “Deserves” Freedom?
We’re often told not to discuss politics or religion in polite company. But sometimes your hand is forced. It all started with two stories that appeared in subsequent weeks — in the 9 May and 16 May 2004 issues:
When is Racism OK?
When some idiot in the public eye spews forth an outrageous racist remark or two, they’re always called to task! And rightly so. Well… are they really? What happens when people are afraid to call a racist a racist, because they’ll be called racist? This story was in True’s 29 February 2004 issue:
Hit Squad on Spammers?
I’ve been clamoring for action on the spam front since 1996. I’ve even dedicated a web site to a primer on what spam is, how spammers get your address, and other topics (which recently got some updates).
The Missionary’s Position
Or, Much Ado About Nothing!
I got exactly one complaint about a story in last week’s issue, and the basis of the complaint, by a Baptist Youth Pastor, is so eye-rolling in its cluelessness, you’ll begin to understand why some kids are so screwed up.
One Brave Girl
or… Welcome to the 21st Century
Editorial comments from This is True for the week of 16 February 2003:
It’s pretty rare that I get truly angry over a story.
ZT: Legislative Action
I ran more “zero tolerance” stories last week, and I’m noticing a new trend: when I run the stories, I get mail from readers asking what they can do about this trend, since it obviously is a trend and not just an isolated happening. The new trend: many ask if I would please provide the mail/email address of the schools involved so you can give the administrators a piece of your mind.
Airline Insecurity — a Symptom of a Worse Disease
Some weeks after terrorists turned several of our airliners into guided missiles, I flew — and got to experience our greatly “improved” security. My experiences were recorded here earlier.
Fundamentally Wrong
Written 21 September 2001. Also see the 2005 Update
ZT Madness is Spreading!
You might think “Zero Tolerance” is a playground issue — just a way for school administrators to deal with violent kids. If you did, you would be wrong.
Grasp Of The Obvious
Email makes it easy to complain. Too easy. I find people will literally complain about anything they see online.
Religious Freedom in the USA
It’s not a big controversy like some This is True stories have generated, but there has been considerable confusion generated by two stories from the 13 August 2000 issue.
Unclear on the Concept
One of my pet peeves is Public Relations Flacks. These are not to be confused with Public Relations Professionals — PR people who do a good job getting The Word out about their clients. They hate the word “flack,” but when they make their clients look bad — well, they’re inviting the derision.