This week’s letter comes from Dean Warner who reminds us of an old adage about people in glass houses. Regardless of what you think about leash laws, it’s a pretty solid take. Thanks, Dean. You can pick up your winners spoils, a pound of Strictly Organic Coffee at our office, 704 NW Georgia.
It was with amazement and admiration that I read PD’s April 2nd letter to the editor entitled, The Lazy Non-Leashers. It wasn’t so much the content of his/her piece that impressed me as much as the logical inference we must draw from it; namely, that PD has him/herself never violated a single posted law, rule, ordinance or regulation.
Wow, kudos to you! Well done, Sir/Madame. Well done. But I have to ask, how do you do it? Particularly, strictly obeying all posted speed limits. I know I couldn’t manage that for a single day, let alone a lifetime. To have never exceeded a posted speed limit is not only impressive, it fortifies you against all claims of hypocrisy and clearly gives you the moral authority to pass judgment on the rest of us who transgress from time to time. And thank goodness, for without that moral authority I’m afraid you’d be just another sanctimonious buffoon ranting about folks who disregard regulations that you happen to care about.
But seeing as your house has no glass, by all means, let the stones fly, PD. Let the stones fly!
Dean Warner, (lazy non-leasher), Bend
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2009.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
You are probably one of those idiots that think stop signs and all other laws are for everyone else!!
I see nothing self-righteous about PD’s original letter. It’s simply a call for others to obey the rules and more importantly, show some thought to fellow trail users and others in our community. The logic of Mr. Warner uses it pretty weak. If you’ve never done anything wrong in your life, you can’t ask anything of anyone else? or, I can break the rules as long as other people are breaking rules? Instead of attacking PD, take PD’s original letter for what it’s worth…a simple request for people to show some courtesy.
To the writer: Your position is that no one except those who are perfect can suggest respectful behavior? And where in PD’s letter does he/she claim perfection? I’m not perfect, but isn’t it completely reasonable for me or you or anyone else to suggest — even to demand — adherence to laws that protect others?
To the editors: What’s solid about this take? If the take was an actual opinion, it might be solid, but it merely attacks PD for being imperfect.
He makes an excellent point, but why does it say “Dean Storer” at the top but Dean Warner at the bottom? Typo???
Dean Warner? Isn’t that the guy from Animal House?
yes..he makes a point, but a lousy one at that. If I choose to park on the wrong side of the road, facing the wrong way…and constantly risk hitting another car or cyclist head-on every day…because I’m lazy and I don’t care, nobody has the right to criticize me, right? because nobody else is perfect…nobody has the right to criticize! right? nothing more than a cheap excuse to justify jerky behavior. We have become a nation of selfish jackasses who constantly justify our bad behavior, rather than understanding why we are being selfish jerks.
It’s nice to see I’m not the only one left scratching my head over the logic of Dean’s letter. Between this and the tirade on westsiders in TWE, I’m feeling a bit confused with The Source this week. I believe people should keep their pets leashed in public areas & I also happen to live on the westside. So, according to The Source, I’m a naive, Spandex-clad asshole that lives in a glass Craftsman. That’s the real WTF this week.