July 24, 2004

• 
  We “valley trash” aren’t the only ones to take exception to Ben Stevens’s attitude.

  I blogged a few days ago about an exchange of emails that turned up in
  the news after a local woman forwarded to a reporter a rude (and ungrammatical) email she
  received from a state senator.  Today’s Anchorage Daily News
  included a page of letters on that topic that they’ve received from
  readers.  Below is just one example:

  Senator’s daddy probably ashamed son didn’t explain himself better

  Maybe Ben Stevens could explain why he’s not a “whore” (receiving money
  from special interests and performing “favors” for them) instead of
  resorting to name-calling. His excuse reminds me of little kids
  fighting (Mommy, he did it first!). As an elected public official, Ben
  has a duty to represent the people. I would hope, if someone doesn’t
  understand his motives, he could explain rather than resort to childish
  behavior. Ted must be very ashamed.

   – Joseph Mead

  Anchorage

  I seriously doubt that Ted Stevens is ashamed of his son.  The
  elder Stevens’s capacity for blind prejudice and self-serving denial is
  massive, in my experience.  I think it’s entirely possible that
  the son learned that phrase, “valley trash” from his dad.

  One letter writer took a swipe at the Daily News for neglecting to put
  “(sic)” after the grammatical error in the senator’s email, suggesting
  that it was a typo, the paper’s error instead of the senator’s:

  Valley trash says, “You’re just another whore.”

  Ben Stevens replies, “Afraid to sign your name? Your (sic) just more Valley trash.”

  Perhaps the real trash is a politician who is too uneducated to reply without a secretary to edit his remarks.

  By the
  way, thanks to the Daily News for reprinting the correspondence without
  using (sic) after the error. I suppose this lack of oversight is how
  Alaska politicians manage to get away with all that they have.

  – Rob Mankoff

  Girdwood

  Today’s collection of letters also includes one Greyfox wrote, but the editors left out the best part, about how calling Stevens a whore was defamatory to whores.

  http://www.adn.com/letters/
  

  • 1:51 pm
  • 4 Comments