An angry Premium subscriber, after reading a story in this week’s issue, wrote to proclaim “That is not only false, crude, and offensive, it is an obvious, kneejerk response that would occur to many people looking for a cheap shot.”
Reader Feedback
Civic Pride
There were several cranky responses to a story in last week’s issue. Let’s start with the story, from the edition dated 5 July 2009:
Changes to the Honorary Unsubscribe
Now and then, Premium subscribers — the paying customers which, I have said time and again, make True possible — get a little miffed that they get the Honorary Unsubscribe after it’s published in the free edition. Frankly, shouldn’t they get it either exclusively, or at the very least first?
Lifetime Subscriptions?
My mail isn’t all whining like last week’s post — far from it. I publish more of the whines because they’re so …well… entertaining! But Paul in Texas really liked last week’s issue. He wrote:
Laugh, or the World Laughs At You
It’s so sad to see how people just can’t take an obvious joke. (Say, like on a site called Jumbo Joke!) There was a political item today, and it resulted in a lot of whining — and protest unsubscribes.
Justifiable(?) Homicide
There was a horrendous story in last week’s issue about a guy who stabbed an intruder to death. Several readers took me to task for my tagline on the story, so I’m putting it here as a place for discussion.
Nice Work If You Can Get It
I got a fascinating letter from a reader about a story that really adds to it. First, the story from the 28 September 2008 issue:
The Right to Be Offended
I continue to be astounded at the number of people who choose to be offended by things that don’t exist. I refer this time to a story in the 31 August 2008 issue about the Republican vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin:
PETA: Pretend Ethics Totally Abused
I challenged the several PETA defenders who complained about my story and/or editorial (which is on the main PETA story page) to try to justify PETA’s actions. Which fact(s) did they dispute? What is their source for “more correct” data? And how can anyone justify throwing dead animals in the garbage? I noted that no one replied with answers to those questions.
A Family of Readers
Felix in California sent me an error report Monday (I left a confusing extraneous word after recasting a sentence when I was writing). He posted the error just 11 minutes and 44 seconds after the Premium edition was sent out, and his report enabled me to fix the error for the free edition.
What Can I Do About ZT?
Ben in Victoria, Australia, sent me a note this week with the subject, “ZT — I’m just stunned.” He writes:
Fornigate, Lindbergh and Hawaii
Ten years ago this week I wrote two full columns: the regular one, and one on the breaking scandal with President Bill “I Did Not Have Sex With That Woman” Clinton. I (and many others) dubbed it Fornigate, and it led to his impeachment.
Hook a Man Up!
I was a bit taken aback by a letter I got this week. The subject line was “Can I be a charity case?” and it was from Bill in Pennsylvania. He wrote:
Mystery Solved
I ran three letters in tonight’s issue that finally solves something that has perplexed me for years. (The meat is in the third one, but the first two lay the groundwork.)
A Wise Man
I got a thoughtful letter on Thanksgiving Day that I thought I would share:
Could Be Idiots
Remember the story from last week about the high schoolers that created an anti-drunk-driving T-shirt after their classmates were killed in an accident? Well, I got a lot of comments on it. Let’s start first with the story:
The Tyke’s Fault?
Several readers wanted to know what happened to the kid in the last story last week (copied below) — is he still wandering the airport or what?
Blonde Racism?
A story last week led a reader to accuse me of being racist. I first rolled my eyes over the accusation and deleted the message, but I decided to pull it out of the trash and run it here. I still haven’t replied to the message; rather, I’d like you to, by posting a response below.
99-Cent Divorce?
A story (or, rather, my tagline), led to an amazing letter from a priest. Let’s start with the story:
Lawyers: Burning in Hell?
A story from this week’s issue implied (OK… stated categorically) that there are no lawyers in heaven. First the story, and then the reaction from a lawyer reader: