Why is the news media devoting such absurd attention to these pointless stories regarding writers' self-aggrandizing deceptions? After all, such fakery is at least as old as the Bible--supposedly the word of God, which we all know not to be true.

Allow me to proffer one theory: writers and members of the media generally regard themselves as the most savvy and sophisticated of humans; therefore, anyone who succeeds in deceiving them must be a master of the trade.

Tommyrot. Our entheomaniacal president, possessing an intelligence no greater than that of the average hyena, led the country into war via fabricated pretext, and our esteemed, intrepid, and embedded reporters happily led the way, mostly oblivious to the sham being perpetuated by the entheomaniac's diabolical myrmidons.

Spare me any further handwringing regarding Mr. Leroy or Mr. Frey. Back to important matters, if you please.

Do these widows have the makings for a slander case? It would be great if all the profits of Coulter's book were forced to go to 9/11 victims' families.

Don't these widows have a case for slander here? Not only did she say they were enjoying their husbands' deaths, but that there husbands were planning to divorce them. Would be nice if the proceeds of her book all went to victims' families.

It's not hard to think up a 30-second spot against George Allen:

(goofy picture of Allen)

VOICE-OVER: Is this man a real leader?

(focus on his cowboy boots)

VOICE-OVER: Heck, he's not even a real cowboy! George Allen grew up in Los Angeles!

Cue humorous yodelling cowboy music.

VOICE-OVER: It's one thing to play at being a leader, and quite another to be one. Jim Webb for Senate.

Allen would be out of those boots in a week.

MarijoCook,

I find it fascinating that you are so willing to let (other) families go through such things--and apparently all because conservatives won't allow us to "raise taxes and give them reduced, manageable case loads"??? As a liberal, I am appalled at such a mindset. It should not be the liberal creed that an innocent 70 percent must endure ridiculous investigations and bureaucracy in order to catch some guilty parties.

While I shouldn't wish it on anyone, I frankly wish investigators would call all of your friends, relatives, and associates to investigate you for child pornography--then we could have a conversation about how "nothing bad" happened to this family. Never fear--your true friends will not be swayed in their affections. And I'm sure that your employer and your children's teachers will regard this as nothing out of the ordinary.

"I bet if the wives had gone along on this camping trip there would have been a bit more modesty and decorum exhibited by all concerned."

I agree: it's high time that the rules of modesty and decorum be extended to private family camping trips in the woods.

Perhaps once we're through with the war on terror, we can turn our satellites and other spying technology on our forests to make sure that no one's skinny dipping.

Suppose a friend of yours was falsely accused of murder. She is not charged, but the good and well-meaning investigators put her through hell for months, running up costly legal bills, putting her in awkward situations with her family and friends.

She has no control over the situation whatsoever, but her record is spotless, and she knows she did not commit the murder. Nevertheless, the stress of the situation makes her depressed and at times incredibly angry.

Do you call her "insane"?

If so, you need to take a step back. People can experience tremendous stress whether they have control over situations or not. Most people, in fact, do not go through life in some kind of happy and carefree state just because they know they have no control over a situation, confident that faceless bureaucrats have their best interests at heart. They are not "insane," though their conditions may require medical or therapetic treatment.

Some may choose to write for therapy.

Perhaps you will choose to write about how you have achieved such inner peace. But in doing so, please be sure to berate all of those who have not. That seems to be your strength.

As for police investigations, yes, innocent people must sometimes endure hardships. But one need not throw one's hands in the air, say "well, those are good folks, salt of the earth, and they're just doing their best, that's the way it goes." You communicate with others about your situation in the hope that you might find ways to improve the system.

P.S. And please do not make assumptions about whether I work in the public or private sector. Perhaps I am more familiar with government bureaucracy than you think.

"5) Yes, the system needs improvement and no, throwing money at it is not the only answer, but, I do think that the social services where I live are dreadfully underfunded, and that Bush's 'faith-based initiatives' aren't really helping much. Paying people more could be defended pretty easily, I think, although passing such a law would be difficult. Sometimes, however, you do get what you pay for."

You won't get any argument from me there. I certainly didn't intend to come across as an apologist for the current administration, nor as one who stereotypes government workers, who often try to do the best they can in thankless jobs.