Yippee--my first fan mail!

From Janis Gore of Vidalia, Lousiana:

"Dear Mr. Oglesby:

How admirable you are. I think I would have just exploded after reading the Engel piece, been reduced to spluttering epithets.

After a moment I might realize that this piece was aimed after all at that ignert uppity nigra, Condoleeza Rice, who coming from your state lacks the background to make decisions of import. What sort of national security advisor can arise from a place where the local paper doesn’t even carry international news?

He seems to forget that all of us watch CNN, about half of us have access to the New York Times and every other international newspaper through the internet and at local newsstands, and that local papers long since decided that it was in their financial interests to concentrate on local content and leave the international reporting to wealthier and more capable sources.

He also picks a family chain restaurant, where we go to find something suitable for 5-year-old Mary, who’d really rather have fish sticks, and Uncle Joe, who’s been a little queasy since his ulcer surgery a year ago, to criticize our cuisine. (An Englishman criticizing our cuisine? I’ve been to England, hon.)

[Edited out some gushy stuff about her total undying devotion to all Possumy things--someone might think I pay bribes]

All good to you and your family.

Thank you, Janis!

My response back to her (and I hope she doesn't mind me posting it publicly--if so, I'll snatch it down) was that I don't know if you can really call 'being so totally inured to stupidity that you no longer care enough to debate with crazy ignoramuses' admirable, but as I said, being from Alabama means I've grown so accustomed to dealing with such crap from fellow Americans that the odd Pommie git dishing it out just doesn't merit a lot of anger. As for Engel's seeming lack of knowledge about how we get our news, it would do no good to even try to point it out--none of our papers are nowhere NEAR as good as The Guardian, our TV is nowhere NEAR as good as BBC, our "elite classes" are nowhere NEAR as good as the Eurosorts (since we don't live there, we have to fly there)...it goes on and on.

In the end, the real gripe is that it wouldn't matter how smart Condoleeza Rice, or Dick Cheney, or George Bush are, they are conservatives. Their politics is just all wrong.

As for his choice of food, like Janis I've been to England, too, and spent the first week with a stomach-ache the size of a double-decker bus. Maybe Mr. Engel has a secret access to something palatable available only to the European elite.

Thanks to Janis for the incredibly kind words about the Possumblog (which, as I mentioned, I edited out because they were too nice and I have an inferiority complex.) It's fun to do and I'm glad a few folks like it enough to check in. Today has been very slow because I have actual work to do (darn it all). Maybe tomorrow will allow more opportunities for shirking my paying duties.

All the best to Janis and to everyone down in Vidalia.

For Mr. Engel's benefit, Lousiana is one of those places that lies beyond the borders of the mythical land of Mississippi, which is west of all that Alabamaness which surrounds Birmingham. They have Olive Gardens there, too.
posted by Terry at 4:25:00 PM