SERIOUS, NOT STUPID

When I read Matt Labash's article, "The Other, Stupider Convention"
(Aug.14), I was so overwhelmed by his misrepresentation of the facts, his
obvious bias against anything not apple-pie mainstream, and his childish
characterization of participants in the Shadow Convention that I began to
think I could find a more accurate depiction of the event from a South Park
episode than from his article. It seems that before Labash entered the
doors of the Annenberg Center, his mind was so laden with prejudice against
the event that, no matter what he saw, he was bound to report on it with a
cynical, snide slant.

I resent that Labash refers to people who advocate change because they are
dissatisfied with the current political climate as "flared-nostril
revolutionar[ies] and bleeding-ulcer moderate[s]." This is exactly the kind
of black-or-white extremism in the American media and politics that makes
reasoned, carefully thought out dialogue impossible. In its place we have
public officials who do not dare question the status quo for fear they will
be branded bleeding-heart liberals or soft on crime. The result is two
national conventions, Republican and Democrat, which Labash himself admits
"aren't addressing any issues."

The Shadow Conventions are exactly what we need to help get people involved
in political issues that affect their lives and to overcome public apathy
toward American Politics. The public is becoming increasingly disenchanted
with the political process as they see the major parties failing to address
issues such as campaign finance reform, the failing war on drugs, and the
increasing disparity in the distribution of wealth. Arianna Huffington and
the participants in the Shadow Convention should be applauded for putting
together an event that addresses issues that matter.

JAIME YASSIF
Swarthmore, PA

Isn't Matt Labash an entertaining fellow? His piece on the Shadow
Convention was a puerile and lazy attempt at humor mocking those who
decided to get involved. I am one of those "bleeding-ulcer moderate[s]"
and proud of it.

Labash's reputation does not precede him so I can't rejoin with witticisms
about his physical traits, style of dress, intestinal status, age, hearing,
race or any of the other attributes he uses to describe the committed
citizens who took the time to attend. But I will let Labash's own
unabashed name-dropping suffice as my lone jab at the man. Quite pitiful.

Not all of us have left our ideals behind and many others have begun to
reflect on what was gained in the intervening decades without the rudder
provided by those ideals.

DAVE MICHON
Spooner, WI

I read with moderate amusement Matt Labash's snarky sendup of the Shadow
Convention. Alas, it would appear that Labash is a poster child for the
self-involved boomer movement. He ends his piece with the lines: "A seed
was planted, a dialogue started. Never mind if it's a dialogue many of us
gave up on long ago - when we left our dorm rooms, bad weed, and jug wine
behind."

Maybe that wasn't such a good thing, considering the way things have turned
out since Labash "grew up." We have more of our citizens in jail than most
other countries in the world. Our crime rate is multiples of the rates in
other industrialized countries. We spend vast amounts of taxpayer money on
incarcerating users of politically incorrect drugs. Worst of all, the
Constitution is in an advanced state of decay, eaten away by the
necessities of the drug war.

If I had to guess, I'd say the reason Labash didn't see more significance
in the Shadow Convention was that he was too busy agonizing over the
terrible injustice of Al Franken's fame and Matt Labash's obscurity.

RAY ALDRIDGE
Ft. Walton Beach, FL

Matt Labash's incisive piece on the Shadow Convention was just about what
one would expect from a jerk who left "bad weed and jug wine" behind in his
college dorm. All those angry people upset because Vanilla Gore and
Vanilla-Lite Bush don't seem to want to discuss anything but "Why Johnny
Can Read in Dallas" and the most compassionate way of putting retarded folk
down in the Lone Star State. Guess I see the point: Why should anyone as
supercilious as Labash want the two major political parties to discuss
anything of substance? He might have to familiarize himself with actual
issues instead of strolling around making derisive yet delightfully wry
comments.

ROBERT LEWIS
Kansas City, MO