Last Friday, July 20th, the Times-News Online set a new all-time traffic record and although we’re glad to see such a dramatic increase in one day (almost twice), we’re a bit timid about discussing the reasons why.
By the time we discovered what was happening our servers that host all of the Times-News data for the website had almost come to a standstill. Don Fenley called me abou† 2.30 that afternoon and Dan had discovered that one of our Letter To The Editors had been picked up by the national news website FARK had picked up an Letter that appeared in our newspaper.
Too bad it had to be this one…
I looked at the FARK home page and sure enough, there in the list of stories for Friday, July 13th was the link. Now FARK has a comical way to rank news stories from “Sick” to “Hero,” from “National” to “Global.” Our ranking for Times-News – “Dumbass.”
The traffic was fascinating, but in a way, I was speaking with our editors later in the day and scratched my head with the question, “why is always the embarrasing headlines that shed light on our community?” This national website didn’t link to a thoughtful, editorial comment or an other document on our website that garnered a level of intelligence. Instead, FARK picked up on an opinion from a Fundamentalist who seemed proud to critique the state of the nation and there’s probably very little hope that either a) the writer knows about his recognition, nor b) would question or reconsider his own comments.
Nevertheless, our website which normally attracts more than 14,000 unique visitors each ended the day with 35,133 unique visitors. I record that will hold for a long time unless some other Letter or crazy story from our region attracts the spotlight once again. I guess noone is interested in anything good to show, but when it comes to comedy like this letter, it’s worth its weight in gold on the right day.
Reprinted from the Kingsport Times-News Letters To The Editor for July 18, 2007.
Letters To The Editor –
Letters from July 18
Immorality is destroying America Modern day America is just about as immoral as Sodom and Gomorrah. The people of this day and age are unthankful and unashamed.
Back in my day, people shouted as they walked to church, and they shouted all the way home. Now people don’t even go to church. They took prayer and Bible study out of the schoolhouses and brought in sex education and witchcraft. You parents that let your children read these Harry Potter books are guilty of witchcraft and idolatry and you’re going straight to hell.
Instead of getting a thrashing for misbehavior, the parents, teachers and doctors today get these children heaped up on ritalin. You could give ritalin to a cocaine addict and they wouldn’t know the difference. Then, they wonder why this generation has amounted to nothing more than drug addicts, fornicators and murderers.
Back in my day we didn’t turn to a pack of pen-pushing pantywaists and labcoat Larrys to tell us how to live. We turned to the word of God.
It seems like every time I go to the store I see a teenage girl carting around three or four young ones. You used to not see that kind of thing around here.
The women in this day and age ain’t worth marrying. The Bible says a beautiful woman without virtue is comparable to a gold ring in a pig’s nose.
If I had my way, I’d have it to where these women and their children wouldn’t get food or medicine through welfare. The Republicans tried to do this in 1996, but Clinton vetoed the bill twice until Republicans finally gave in.
You people ain’t smart enough to come in out of the rain. I never thought the good Lord would let me live to see this day.
Joe Lawson
Rogersville
