Adieu to the BuzzFlash Mailbag!

If the Mailbag is to openneess on BuzzFlash as the hand wirtten ballot is to honest elections, will replacing the Mailbag with alternatives of interactive expression do to openness on BuzzFlash what electronic voting has done to honest elections?     

Mailbag was my second favorite place to visit on Buzzflash, right behind Barbara's Daily Minute. I am very sad to see the mailbag bid us adieu. The comments from real people gave me a sense of the mood of the country, it's policy's and our polititions from all sides of the spectrum.

I'm not tech savy enough, especially with your system, to fully understand the difficulties you had with Mailbag. I have noticed however, that over the past year, mailbag letters were fewer and fewer. There were times when there was only one or two letters posted. I have enjoyed writing to Mailbad, seeing my comment posted and quite often a response posted by other Buzzflash readers. Writing to Mailbag was much better than posting a comment regarding an article as most of the other sites do. I will miss it.

Bob Lambert

Northridge, CA

Maybe I'm just an old fogey, but I liked the Mailbag. My interest in political discourse is oriented more towards ideas and potential solutions to problems rather than disecting or attempting to refute what republicans have to say on any issue. By posting to the Mailbag you could at least put forward solution oriented concepts and sometimes people would respond - either in agreement, disagreement or with a completely different perspective. While I respect and enjoy reading BuzzFlash's editorial content, regular columnists and linked articles,  they again are too personality centric (IMHO) to provide any real fodder for thought. The right-wing is virtually immune to reason and much of what they have to say is deliberately intended to drive the left to total distraction. They have honed this to a fine art and for the most part achieve their objective. The old saying goes "he who laughs last laughs best". I'm sure Mark is correct in his assessment that newer technology has made the Mailbag somewhat archaic. Unfortunately much of this technology is based on 10-key portable devices and people on the go who have little interest in offering more than a sentence or two, little more than a thumbs up or down. I am somewhat encouraged that new strategies are being developed for accepting reader commentary. In the meantime I'd like to see more content devoted to progressive ideals and ideas and less attention to right-wing personalities - whatever outrageous things they may be saying. My dream is of leaving them in the dust of progressive achievements.

Tim Mooring