Idiotic Letter-to-the-Editor of the Year

I don't know why I do it, but I read (or at least skim) the letters to the editor in both local papers on an almost-daily basis. Most of what people write is drivel, but it's drivel that they care about, and that's worth taking a look at, I guess. It's also a regular reminder to me that my job as an English teacher will never be quite done (or even remotely close!).

I am very forgiving when it comes to these letters, because again, I wanna know what's on people's minds and in their hearts. Still, about once a week, one of the papers will run a whopper--a letter so mindblowingly stupid, I wonder if I'm missing the joke somewhere.

The Star-Bulletin ran this one today:

Screaming sirens offer rude awakening

Here in Waikiki, no matter what time of the night or day, we are assaulted by the screaming sirens of ambulances and fire trucks as they race down the streets. Both residents and tourists living and staying in the buildings along the Ala Wai Canal are rudely and abruptly awakened almost every night.

Perhaps the city should be a good neighbor and think of the impression it makes on our visitors when they are awakened out of a peaceful Hawaiian sleep.

Mark A. Linett
Waikiki

Really. Words fail me.

Comments

Well, at least there weren't any spelling errors in his letter!

Oh my goodness. I spent a lot of time in a condo across the street from Centinela Hospital on Olympic Blvd. in West Los Angeles. I can imagine how Mr. Linett would have enjoyed that.

I am equally at a loss for words on this one. People never cease to amaze me. I live across the street from the fire station on the corner of Beretania and Bishop, let this guy try one of my nights out, see what he thinks.

Aw, c'mon, I think it's a bit early to be crowning a champ, don't you think?

There was letter from Paul Guncheon of Kaneohe railing against the presence of bicycles on our roads only a week ago. (It's actually part of a long series of letters that's been running for weeks relating to buses versus cars, cars versus bikes, slow drivers in the right lane against common sense, and everyone else versus everyone else.)

Before that, a whiny note from someone complaining that a neighbor walking her dog had the nerve to pick up the dog's droppings and put it in "her" trash receptacle on the curb. Someone else quickly pointed out that (1.) she was lucky the poop was scooped at all, and (2.) the receptacle is city property.

Mark here is a little naive, to be sure. Ambulance operators in Hawaii are as considerate as they can be, most of the time - moving silently through neighborhoods whenever they can, and "chirping" their sirens only to cross intersections. I live between a hospital and a fire station and appreciate the fact that emergency vehicles whish past flashing quietly four times out of five.

But you're just not going to get that in Waikiki, though, since the roads and crosswalks are almost always busy.

Well, at least there weren't any spelling errors in his letter!

Oh, and by the way, also interesting is seeing the letters that never make it to print. Star-Bulletin staffer Burl Burlingame recently posted a letter from someone clearly a little overconfident in his thesaurus-using skills (see the June 20 entry).

Okay, those other examples are pretty stupid, but blaming the city for the inconvenience one suffers when OTHERS ARE HAVING HEART ATTACKS AND SEIZURES--come on! I dare you to find something (making it to print) that stupid sometime this year!

I disagree with the person who said "she should be thankful that the poop was scooped up after all" and that the trash receptacle is city property...you're supposed to pick up after your dog, and even though the receptacle is city property, does that mean we can put our excess trash in others' receptacles?

I live in Colorado Springs. Yup, landlocked! Regardless, sirens are a fact of life. I think some guys get off on the power of the siren, blaring it out as loud and for as long as possible. Others, as noted above in another post, are "chirpers".

Regardless of the driver's personality, there's a message behind that siren and everyone knows what it is.

I get the feeling that Mr. Linett is much more worried about the interruptions in his own sleep rather than that of the tourists. -Rod-

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