Of course, I meant criterion (singular). I know what a stickler you are. I'd hate to create a semantic ambiguity or whatever the Hell you call it. LOL!

How do you know if I'm black or white, Crackuh?

Show some respect for your elders BOY. I'z a `ol Delta bluesman from Boogaloosa Mississippi. An' I knows what i'm talkin' `bout when it come to wimminz. I done had my share. Yooz jus's gettin' too big fo' yo' britches. You some kinda uppity white boy.

I was objecting to the numerous references to money in the letters from women. But, you can't publish an article and then try to disavow it. That's just cowardly.

Nice Groucho Marx reference. To those who don't know the first part of the joke, Groucho comes on to a woman in his usual "subtle" way and she says: "what kind of girl do you think I am?" It's very appropropriate in this discussion. Dating in this culture has always been a thinly veiled form of prostitution. And, women pretend to be shocked by it because, as you pointed out, "we've established what kind of girl you are. Now, we're just haggling about the price."

If YOU can't get Sarah off your mind, how do you expect the rest of us lowly creatures to look away? (Is there a little bi-curious thing going on with you? LOL!) But, serioulsy, one thing we have to keep in mind about Ms. Palin's "hotness" is that she stands out by sheer contrast against a backdrop of ugly old white guys. (That's obviously why she was picked.) Yes, she's attracive, but, she ain't that great. Having said that, I think this will become more and more of an issue as more women become candidates for high office. Men are simply more visually oriented and everyone (male or female) judges other people to some degree based on their physical appearance whether thay admit to it or not. I think even you would admit that Barack is a handsome man and that has some influence on women's feelings about him.

I respect your knowledge as a linguist, but, how could you possilby live in The Netherlands and know anything about Southern-Black dialect? Have you ever been to the American South and/or heard any of these people speak? There are some things you can't learn in books.

Not many people realize that the highest rated program on PBS is "The Lawrence Welk Show." It's true. That would explain alot about their poll wouldn't it, eh? Florida, where I live, is crawling with retirees from all over the country. I have never understood why so many of them who owe their lifestyles (if not their very lives) to the great Liberal-Democrat FDR are hardcore Republicans.

Nothing personal. I'm sure there are liberals of every age. I'm no Spring Chicken myself. I was just pointing to an ironic trend that I've noticed. Another oddity is that, as you've probably heard, there's some very "unconservative" behavior going on in some retirement communities: a high rate of SDS (due to the use of Viagra, etc.) and lots of prescription drug abuse. I think it's hilarious! These Bush-bots who have walled themselves in to keep out "the bad elements" are creating their own exclusive party zones.

Can you tell I'm an old hippie?

I'm sure that's exactly what the late Ian Flemming had in mind. (Her name alone tells us that.) And, Hugh Hefner was empowering women too. This is the silliest thing I've read lately.

Is it possible that there is something medically wrong with John McCain? He is either stiffly mouthing irrelevant cliches' or talking complete gibberish--like how much fish love being around oil rigs and laughing or that disturbing cartoon giggle. At one time, he was one of the few Republicans I respected because he seemed to think for himself and be able to rise above party bickering. He even had a genuine sense of humor. But, over the last couple of years there has been some kind of marked personality change as if he has had a stroke or something. Has this occured to anyone else? I am worried about the possibilty of someone suffering from some type of brain disorder potentially running this country. He is becoming more like Floyd the Barber everyday.

The question is: who is actually "developmentally disabled" here? Count your blessing and get over yourselves, you spoied Yuppies! Oh, and enjoy your artsy-fartsy writers retreat. Don't let the thought of what these people deal with everyday spoil it for you.

As I mentioned in a previous letter, I think John McCain should have a complete neurological workup by an objective physician. I would never wish anyone ill, but there is obviously something not quite right about him. Remember when a repoter asked him about his stance on reprocuctive rights? He nearly blacked out. He was literally speachless and had to ask a member of his staff what HIS position was. It is sad that we have come to this point as a country. Some of us would rather risk electing someone who is showing all the signs of having a serious illness rather that put a black man in the Whitehouse.

I have a Republican-fundamentalist-evangelical-Christian friend who is convinced that homsexuality is a CHOICE. So, I asked him: "when did you DECIDE to be heterosexual?" No answer. It would seem to work both ways. And, if it were a choice, we could all choose one or the other from moment-to-moment, right?

Just because you don't agree with something doesn't mean that it's not true. I won't use the crude term, but the initials are P.P. and it has ruled the world since men and women arrived on it. Although, I take nothing in the Bible literally and very little of it seriously, the Adam and Eve myth has powerful symoblic meaning. Who got Adam to eat the apple and doom us all? A young woman!