San Angelo Standard-Times from San Angelo, Texas • 4

DIT 0R1AL comment A4 San Angelo Standard-Times Wednesday March 25 2009 gosanangebcom Not falling for Twitter mania IN OUR opinion France makes right decision on NATO In i fit of resentment the And now Sarkozy has an- prlckly leader Charlei de nounced that France will re-Gaulle pulled France out of Join NATO aa a flail partner NATO in 1968 and ejected He faced opposition from NATO and US force from the left and the right whoob-France Ject to rejoining for a variety It waa the kind of grand of reason moat of them gesture the imperious gener- Sarkozy said linked to loved and he got to thumb ile his nose at Americans and Polls show that 58 percent the Brits of the French public sup- NATOcrHdedlnl949isa ports him on the issue military alliance of nations Sarkozy argues that as an that have agreed to defend outsider France is at a dis-any member attacked by an advantage in planning the external force military operations it will There was no threat to participate in and that it has France proper on the horl- no posts of responsibility son in 1966 and if one had That will change The materialized de Gaulle was New York Times reports that confident that NATO would hundreds of French officers come to his aid will take up NATO jobs and Since then in- France will be given two Jor NATO commands based tide offaith in French poli- in the United States and Por-tics even as France increas- tugaL ingiy participated in NATO Even though the men planning and contributed ace of the Soviet Union has troops to NATO missions in passed the return of France Bosnia Kosovo and Afghan- will bring new vitality to istan a venerable military alli- Indeed French President ance celebrating its 60th Nicolas Sarkozy is planning anniversary April 4 that to up the French presence in brought a record period of Afghanistan security to Europe the day At least Twitter to be because told messages are written in a box that asks are you doing?" The mind reels at the possibilities I read an article the other day about how someone Tweeted--1 think that's the teduxHrerfc a question at a business meeting and got a response back in seconds that saved a lot of wasted time and aggravation That was supposed to prevent people like me from pooh-poohing Twitter as the newest must-have gadget that no one really needs to have It didn't work I don't doubt the tlme- nil hamlAmving wraimplA but my guess is that for every one of those there are 999 Tweets about go ing to the mall or going to see friends or going to see friends at the mail I say that with confidence because while we like to think otherwise not much of what most of us do or know is interesting or important It isn't rude or Insulting for me to think that because The good thing about being a technological dooflis in an age of gee-whiz ad- vances is that at least for a brief time nn not alone in being behind Certainly there's a vast difference between me and the other laggards They take their time learning what the latest techno-gizmo does weigh how they might ubc it investigate to see if there's some other gizmo that does the same thing better and then if it measures up they add it to their techno-arsenaL I on the other hand greet every new development with reflexive suspicion and annoyance and even haughtiness because of the dead certainty it will never suck me in and take my money At the moment Pm Ignoring Twitter with increasing intensity as it gains attention Twitter as I understand it is basically text-messaging mi steroids Iflrst heard about it ayear ago (7 longer but now it's all over television all the Twitter Twitter and soon nearly everyone except me will be Twittering up and down and all around TheTwittererswillbe telling dozens scores maybe hundreds of people what they're doing throughout LETTERS to the editor Preparation vital to surviving dog attack I include myself Usually I can go three months in between telephone conversations with my brothers and nqt have anything noteworthy to tell them when we finally do talk Here is what my Twitters would say: ready to watch the next "Watching the team lost What a bunch of What you could do better? Keep in mind that Twit-terers don't Just send they also receive them Twitterers Join lists ofpeople they want to follow (not my word but I like IQ and if they follow 15 people who send out five Tweets each thafsalot of technosludge to wade through every day And that's on top of all the surfing and MMlHiigMritaftingtnil blogging and Facebooking they da How the heck did people amuse themselves 15 years ago? Presumably I could ask my followers that ques-tian if I were a Twitterer but I would be afraid they would answer and by the time I finished reading their responses some new gizmo would have been invented I only know enough about Twitter to write even this much because Journalists and politicians are Twitter Could it be that none of this really happened and you were consumed by a nightmare brought cm by the inane stuff seen on TV or by having eaten one too many pieces of homemade apple pie? I think sa When evenings cool off enough to open a few windows and let the outside air circulate in your home you may also find that the party folks are not affected by changes in the weather The merrymaking must go on! Regardless of neighborhood windows being open or dosed or air-conditioning on or off these party-givers and their guests need to be made aware ofthe effect their rudeness has on those around them One approach might be a pots-and-pans symphony played outside their bedroom window about 8am after the party has ended That would show how much you appreciated their Great Party A simpler and less confrontational solution might be to elicita visit from the local police department while the party is in progress This could provide more concrete communication to the folks holding the Great Party that they should re-evahiate their party philosophy ing and telling dearly that indicates my interests include Journalism and politics so one might assume I would euJoy Twittering Journalists and politicians In truth rd rather be beaten Most of the politicians who aren't boring are offensive and any Journalist who can tell a story in 140 that's the maximum Tweet length writing about anything that interests me Because I scoff ignorantly most of the time I will about new technology I recognize that my nattering about Twittering doesn't carry slot of credibility Surely though Tin not alone in thinking this new gizmo is an even more useless waste of time than all the previous time-wasting gizmos that came before it Not that I think anyone Is or should be interested but Fm going to stop now and jeat a sandwich and maybe comb my hair and then watch another game With any hick my team will beat the Tweet out of the other guys Jack Conns retired editorial page editor of the StM-dard-Times To comment oe this column visit gosaiumgslexoin I do not think anyone has any objection to parties or the Am and laughter that people having a good time generates but those loud and disruptive gatherings from midnight to5am create some serious problems What all of this bolls down to is a lack of common courtesy on the part ofthe party-gi ver and the large number of partygoers all ofwhom by now probably feel there are too many old-fashioned and out-of-touch folks who do not want others to have a good time Perhaps On the other hand if you find you have a Great Party-giver nearby with gather ings during the wee hours ofthe morning and with partygoers doing a New Eve song and dance upon arrival and departure take heart Your local police department is as near as your phone Use it and get a good nightli sleep Let me suggest to all cf us including the Great Party-givers that nothing is ever lost by showing courtesy to others It costs little but it conveys a great deaL BrectMdarmisaSaa Angela resident and member of the Standard-Times editorial board Te comment on this cof Nm visit gosanangeloxom To the Editor PA ta Sill SatagrialXXMZ Invite some courtesy to your party is a way to stop this First we must make tax assessors an elective office accountable to the electorate Next a cap must be placed on property taxes Finally a cap must be placed on property tax valuations These valuations should be based on a realis-tic property value I have communicated these concerns to my state Sen Troy Fraser R-Horse shoe Bay several times He has demonstrated no interest in addressing these issues Our taxes and valuations skyrocket year after -year and he care He wont even talk to you about it We need representatives who understand the impact of our ever-increasing tax burden Donald Baker Lampasas Bloodhound lost since December Editor I can relate to Eunice Ca-ton in her March 3 letter seeks return of her dog" On Dec 10 our bloodhound Bleu disappeared He was gone about 15 minutes when we realized he was gone We looked and looked and are still looking He is 7 years old and afraid of thunderstorms guns and cameras He drools a lot but we love and miss him His friend Boogie a wiener dog has been stressed out since he left and misses him very much Bleu was wearing a collar with vet tags and a halter with a custom tag Someone must have him and our family would love to get him back Worst case Just call us at 656-8355 to learn about his disposition and his needs for allergy and heart worm medication Diana Kirking San Angelo Editor In response to Porflrio Flores' letter about unprovoked dog attacks carry ing a big stick may not be enough I was attacked by a large dog a few months ago and do not think a big stick would have been enough Luckily I carry pepper spray with me when I walk and I was able to access it and spray the dog in the eyes I feel like the pepper spray saved me from serious injury or even my life I want to encourage anyone who walks or Jogs to be cautious (regardless of the area oftown you live in) and never go out without some serious means of self defense If you are attacked you will realize how defenseless you are against an animal Connie Mauldin San Angelo Assessments are major rip-off Editor: For some time now property and home values have plummeted Therefore would you not expect property tax valuations to plummet also? Wrong Have your property tax valuations or property taxes decreased in this recession? Not hardly How is assessing property over its value solely to rip off more taxes from you different from the actions of a thief? The only difference I see between tax assessors politicians and thieves is that thieves will acknowledge what they are Tax assessors and politicians will not even though they do precisely the same thing Tax assessors get away with this thievery because our elected politicians allow them to do sa Therefore our elected officials are accomplices and enablers of this thievery There SCRIFPS Xiiwtyt end dir BECKY BRACKIN Pubfcher Have you ever been to a great party? No not one of those family gatherings where people of all ages attend bringing food and refreshments that can be ei)oyed by all an event made up of games conversation and reminiscences that usually begins in the afternoon and ends about dark talking about one of those parties that launches at about midnight The scenario commences with folks arriving in cars and pickups motors revving lights flashing and doors slamming followed by the inevitable electronic door-locking that Includes a horn beeping and more lights flashing Then the Great Party attendeess hold numerous discussions In loud voices trying to ascertain if they are at the right location This is followed by the arrival of more cars and truck electronic door-lock sounds and more people inquiring in voices that mimic train departure and arrival announcements at Grand Central Station if they too were at the right Moving inside or to the backyard the rewders now refreshment-enhanced become more Their voices conversations and various moods swing the wee morning hours until they start departing about 5 am Bruce McLaren Assuming that no one is feeling too hostile about events at the Great Party there might not be any fights in the street although a few will fall down in the street unable to find their way to the vehicle they came in To this scenario are added voices encouraging the ones who fell to get up Often these shrill voices are laced witha litany of words that would make a truck driver blush Now the symphony of opening and slamming vehicle doors engines roaring to life and lights flashing is followed lan Indy 500 departure Listen carefully as calm has returned to the neighborhood Oh there are as you might imagine numerous remembrances of the Great Party left in the street or your yard which might provide some satisfaction as you toss them into the event host's yard TIM ARCHULETA EAor TY MEIGHAN Editorial Page Editor Letters to the editor should be ao longer thaa 300 words and most include mailing address and daytime telephone Bomber Letters are subject to editing Writers should wait 30 days between letters E-maB letters to commentsOgosanangetoyConu mail them to letters to the Editor Standard-Times PA Box Sill San Angel TX 76902 erfax them to (325) 659-1173 own way 34WHamsAPO Box 5111 San Angela Texas 76902 (325) 659-3227 fc.