DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCY DEPARTMENT, VERSION 3.0
Why do people label announcements "An Open Letter to...."?
You see it in all kinds of advertisements. Never once seen one of them labeled "A Closed Letter to...."
In fact, if the letter were closed, the public couldn't read it. Thus, the word "Open" is surplusage.
Why not just call it "A Letter to..." Or...better yet...you could just call it what it is, an advertisement.
posted by UMRBlog @ 16:05
18 comments
18 Comments:
Riveting commentary!
You're wandering into Andy Rooney territory here, UMR. :-D
1632,
I decided not to write about "English as a Second Language" students writing ad copy.
You can always cancel your subscription and we'll refund your fee.
TYFCB
Or, in the case in which you have trouble mentioning by name, you could just call it what it is, effective.
We'll only know that in the rear view mirror.
TYFCB
We'll only know that in the rear view mirror.
That's pretty much true across the board. Unless of course you're John Spring, who has predicted that Hydro in Quincy IS the future.
8:12,
How effective can an endorsement be from 2 guys who did not even have the compassion or sense of duty to finish the terms their respective voters elected them too? What fine public servants, bail on your voters to make more money for yourself. Of course they did it after negotiating nice tax breaks for both of their companies. Way to go guys!! I will stick with Scholz and Sullivan!
1005,
What an interesting point. Meyer got elected then resigned to "spend more time with his family".
What I find interesting about that is that he had the same family when he decided to run for Alderman. It isn't like he went all Brangelina and adopted half of Central Africa.
Maybe he just forgot he had a family and then somebody reminded him after he got elected. Who knew?
Sparrow's kind of a horse of a different color. He paid enough dues to earn his resignation. He's also a smart guy. That's why I was really surprised he would sign a tortured, self-indulgent letter like that, containing no reasoning at all. The Junior I know would never refer to himself as an "Aldermanic Leader" (too humble) and would never refer to himself as "conscious" (I guess as opposed to "unconscious"). He let someone who doesn't even write English use his name. He must have a had a strong motive. If the Junior I know wanted to write a letter to the editor, would write his own freaking letter to the editor. He wouldn't let some feeb with a brown crayon, a Big Chief pad and no language skills write something in his name.
Give him a pass on the resignation, just not on the judgment.
TYFCB
Mah hypocrisy only goes so far...on the othuh hand, the hypocrisy shown here is palpable.
Why, just a few short years ago, Quincy Democrats were toutin' young Sparrah as mayoral timbuh.
Now when that young man has shown some gumption, he is cast aside like the whore once she has completed her transaction.
You'uh no daisy, suh...you'uh no daisy at all.
I can't take responsibility for what "Democrats" say.
There's nothing in preceding post that is either hypocritical or that I wish to retract.
Mr. Meyer bailed on his responsibilities.
Mr. Sparrow is an admirable young man who must have had some deeply felt reason to allow himself to sign such a piece of crap letter. NOTE to slow uptake types: that is a different concept from endorsing a candidate. Try to grasp that.
Doc, get into a 12 step program.
TYFCB
Maybe Ted realized he had bigger responsibilities that he was failing to fulfill. Maybe he was yanked by the short hairs to remind him of those, and then realized if he gave those what they deserved, he would not be adequately serving those who elected him and so stepped aside.
Resigning is not necesssarily a "bad thing".
I'm a little surprised at your attitude, UMR.
1928,
That's very warm and fuzzy but it's also rubbish. He knew the duties before he petitioned to be elected and he also knew he had a family. Where's the surprise in any of that?
TYFCB
Here's an idea. Ask them why they did what they did. I'll bet you won't like the answer any more than you like the ad.
cutesy 2006,
Meyer made a public statement about his reasons. Are you saying he lied?
Lame then, lame now.
Sparrow earned his spurs. No beef there. Good man. Just dropped his guard and signed something drafted by the profoundly unskilled.
In neither case is there any reason to ask for a retrofitted explanation.
TYFCB, sort of.
Not the reasons why they left the council smartass. Pay attention. It makes things more interesting for the reader. Ask Meyer and Sparrow why they wrote and signed and took their picture with the candidate and allowed it to be printed. Get it?
'tis you who don't get it.
The predicate for Meyer is that he cares so very passionately about his City......the one he bailed on.
Garbage in, Garbage out.
The advertiser had three quarters of a page to state their reasons. Nearly as I can tell it's cuz they're "conscious".
If ya can't say it in three quarters of a Newspaper page, you're not going to fix it here.
TYFCB
In the now immortal words of Paul Harvey, "stand by, for the rest of the story".
Okay, I'm sure that adds something to the discussion.
In the words of the immortal Sonny Crockett "Are you coming to a point here or are we just runnin' laps?"
TYFCB
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