...who allegedly spat on the Viet Nam vets and the vets who fielded that spit. The author couldn't find them and concluded that the stories, however ubiquitous, are apocryphal. Although spurious, they serve an essential function in squelching dissent. Like other Salon readers, I squirm when I see the yellow ribbon on an SUV. I urge all vets' organizations to target such beribboned vehicles. Stop them and procure donations. Stop them again and again and procure more and more money. After all, if such people truly support the troops, they will give and give.

Sadly, I can assure all that if vets' organizations started stopping beribboned SUVs, their owners would remove the stickers. They support the troops in much the same way as the proselytizing alleged Christian who steps over the homeless man supports the tenets of the Christ: with syllables.

However, the American military must be careful in questioning manhood.

They can't say, "What are you? Queer?"

For regardless of the soldier's sexuality, such a query points a finger to the exit.

One paints oneself into such corners when one loves war and hates homosexual citizens.

I'm a writer too and sometimes I feel like an anti-writer, for I write in opposition to the suffocating writers who are forever reminding their readers of their wit. Art critics, film critics, and food critics are often among the worst, so your clean prose is charming. It let me focus more on the film than you.

I didn't read gcassels' letter before posting mine. Alas, you can't please everyone.

Gcassel, if you ever acquire a kingdom, you should call it Ad Hom.

And so civil.

Thank you for the civility.

Truly.

Now I blush a bit for my bit of ad homming.

You are right. Mr. O'Hehir needs to feel a little less superior. Maybe a lot less superior. The monstrously refined critic is a hoary shtick, isn't it?

But I stand by my praise of his uncluttered prose.

I once had a prof state that most people can't begin to comprehend how much courage it takes to admit to a mistake. I think that's so.

If I thought you could see them, I'd launch some fireworks for the two of you right now.

What differentiates these cousins is their fuckability quotient. Sexy sleeps with privileged men. Skanky sleeps with men, women, and puppies. Even small appliances can reach first base with Skanky. Sexy suggests. Skanky reveals. But they're bound by blood and other bodily fluids. They're both variants of women-as-the-sexy-gender. *

* For 20 years and then they're thrown on the hag heap.

"A smoking hot young woman is smoking hot in anything she wears."

The operative word in Mr. Pace's declaration is "young." For too many, youth is beauty and beauty is youth. Doubt this? Then visit a plastic surgeon. Ask him how many of his clients want to look older.

I once read an article about the "Girls Gone Wild" guy. He said that girls between 18 and 25 have that certain je ne sais quoi. I pity the ass who can't see sexy as something other than a high, tight ass. I'm not suggesting that Mr. Pace is such a person and I do applaud him for not corralling women by clothing.

I saw a woman in a line a couple days back. She had these lovely lines in her face. Alas, not all wrinkles are equal, but for that older lass, they punctuated her beauty.

Their cries of "ABSTAIN!" are in vain.

"I just turned 24, I'm not turned on by wrinkles. I'm sure that will change as I get older."

I reckon, but why wait? I'm 50 and sleep with folks your age. They like it, although, to be frank, it embarrasses me a bit. Wrinkled dames are tricksey, not in a Gollum sort of way, but in the very best ways.

Our collective diets might be the primary reason our healthcare system is dying.

...piggyback on this one by Anonymous:

"viruses, bacteria, parasitic worms...did they all just get along in Eden? Only after the Fall did they start their destructive life cycles?

Did Noah carry them onto the Ark?

What about HIV? Just hanging out with nothing to do for all those years?

Oh, I forgot. HIV was designed, built, and sent by God RECENTLY. To kill the homosexuals."

But God created nothing to kill lesbians? So, God likes lesbians? Typical guy.

Contemplate the crotches of Ken and Barbie.

I also agree with those posters who assert that building this "museum" is unchristian. You can feed a lotta poor folks for $27 million. Heck, just turn the "museum" into a shelter for poor folks. They can then sleep snugly beneath the T-Rexes since they're vegans.

We're his crack.

That's all I have to say about that.

Pacman is a bad man. The NFL could help bad boys to become good men by kicking Pacman over the goal posts, outta the stadium, and outta the NFL.

...for smashing a stripper's head (while black). Again, he's a bad man and it would be a good lesson for up and coming athletes to see Pacman tossed from the NFL regardless of his talent.