It’s Tuesday, the day I answer my mail. Sadly, I haven’t gotten as much of it as I’d like lately (what, do you all have Spring fever or have I been tedious?). Between that and being rather bizzy I’ll keep it short.

You said you’d lay off politics for a while. You sure came back to it with a vengeance. I have to say that story about Rush handing Hillary Texas was pretty interesting and I have not seen it anywhere else.

Hey, I didn’t say I’d lay off of it forever! Besides, politics is made up of many things; among these are mythology, policy, and media. I wrote the piece I did because it was clear that the media is, as often happens, being spoon-fed one story while missing the other.

I don’t consider that about politics, per se. Wait! I know what you’re thinking – that I’ve gone over to the Dark Side of spin where the meaning of language isn’t what anyone thinks. That’s not my point at all. The press, in general, is a story in and of itself. They get a bit over-heated during political season because they know just were the big stories are gonna go down and how they can get good quotes to fill space easily. That shouldn’t be taken as a free pass to just give everyone the stink and noise from the big events, however.

In order to divine the real truth from afar, as I try, I’d have to read a tremendous number of newspapers online and figure out what makes sense between them. There have to be verifiable facts (such as those Texas exit polls) that I can use to back up what I read. It’s a ton of work, and I don’t expect very many people can possibly do it. The Bloviosphere, er, Blogosphere can fill the gaps and be a good place for press criticism, but that’s an imperfect alternative at best.

I think of the press the same way I do literature, at least when it comes to theory and criticism; it’s all about the relationship between the writer and the reader. Sometimes, reporting simply begs for cynicism or at least caution in that relationship. You shouldn’t just allow a disheveled reporter into your head unless you know them pretty well. Or, as Bill Clinton said, “Everyone should just chill out.” It’s still Bill’s world, you know.

That’s sure the trend in my (writing) classes–everybody’s writing YA. I only like a couple of books in this genre, so I don’t think I’ll jump on the bandwagon.

For the record, I don’t think that just any writer can do Teen / Young Adult justice. What would you say to a kid in their formative years that might stick with them for the rest of their life and serve them well? I think Asimov did a damned fine job, and most of the women I know tell me Judy Blume was pretty good, too. I like the idea that we’re not all wrapped up in this boy/girl stuff, but I still wonder what people will say to the kids.

I wanted to teach the basics of Taoism to my own kids in a way I thought they could handle. The intention was to have something that could, indeed, serve them the rest of their lives. Is that too much to ask? (Don’t answer that �)

Thanks for all your letters. I’ll try to be more poignant this week and stay away from (overt) politics if you’ll send me more letters. Deal? I don’t care if you think I’m a blowhard or a prophet, I just like to know how I’m doin’ here. Send your comments to wabbitoid47 at yahoo.com if for no other reason than to let me know you’re out there! Thanks!