1) I know you're going to jump all over this, but there is the issue of children learning self control and some measure of discipline, which is - or should - happen while in school---even just by the fact that a teacher needs to maintain some degree of control. As a grandmother-aged feminist (will get back to that on the the next point) I am very, very concerned that children today lack discipline. Many of you seem to assert that they pretty much decide what they want to learn and when to participate. If they don't want to learn geometry (I don't blame them, but...) and prefer art projects, that's OK according to some homeschooler parents.

2) As a feminist, I am offended to read so many comments about Mom being the teacher. It also is clear from the author of the article that Mom has the responsibility for homeschooling. What's the matter with Dad? Since homeschooling doesn't have to be structured (as so many of you profess) it should be suited to either parent's work schedule, don't you think? Why does Mom have to give up her career? Why can't DAD?

3) I worry about women burning out physically and psychologically when they undertake such a big task, never get a break, and simply don't have the stamina to be a first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh (you get the point) teacher---sometimes simultaneously if more children than one are being homeschooled.

4) And, finally, since so many defenders of homeschooling have been on this blog for two days now, it makes me wonder just who is handling the homeschooling tasks. Could it be that this provides a kind of relief from the strain of homeschooling??????

Three cheers for Congressman Alan Grayson. And he didn't cave in and apologize. He deserves a medal for both actions.

I didn't think the first article was mean. In fact, it could have been a lot meaner, but it still made the point. This one was even better. I love the Even people who are crazed stark raving berserk by the thought of a president with three vowels in his last name deserve to be treated with kindness and dignity, and shot with tranquilizer darts by game wardens and wrapped in quilts and taken to refuge.

Please don't let the beauty of fall -- even if Minnesota gets a bit of Indian Summer along with the red/gold/green/brown -- mellow you too much.

Now, in addition to continuing to write columns chastizing the crazed fools spouting nonsense about health care reform and acting against their own best interests, how about organizing a group of right....er...I mean that in terms of "correct"....minded people to gather up several semis full of fallen leaves to dump on Michelle Bachmann's lawn? She doesn't live far from you. (Oh, and throw a little -- or a LOT -- of dog poop into the mix, please.)

It's sad, but not surprising, that some of the Schlafly children are just as conservative/right wing as she is. What's interesting in that, as I recall, Phyllis is/was Catholic and, thus, her children were raised Catholic, and Catholics don't use the King James version of the bible. There's also mention of Alan Keyes whom, I believe, is also Catholic.

You don't see a Catholic walking around with a bible, spouting biblical quotes nor does the church encourage reading of the bible on a regular basis. So it's kind of like the Schlaflys want to "fix" the bible for others...not for themselves.

FYI, the Schlaflys were an Illinois-based family (although Phyllis moved several years ago to the ultra-elite St. Louis suburb of LaDue). But there is a branch of the Schlafly family based in the St. Louis area that produces Schlafly beer. I love the idea of super-upright-conservative Phyllis (fought her and her minions for many years when I lived in Illinois) has to look at neon signs advertising Schlafly Beer in the airport when she goes to catch a plane to her various right-wing conferences!

I, too, was going to suggest that Nobel Prize Winner President Barack Obama give a portion of the peace prize winnings to ACORN. But my intentions were sincere, given that ACORN has been cut off at the knees by a successful rightwing mean-spirited campaign not against it, but against the president (and then-candidate). As Senator Richard Durbin said recently, this organization has done so much good over it's several decades of existence in helping provide decent, affordable housing and other important services needed for survival by the poor that it doesn't deserve to be crushed to death because of a mistake made by a handful of misguided staffers.

So, when the Nobel Prize committee hands over that check to President Obama for his peace-making efforts, he ought to, in turn, help make up for the damage caused to ACORN so it can continue its good works in helping folks lift themselves out of poverty.

And, finally, to the writers of the snarky remarks, tell us the truth: Have you ever heard of ACORN prior to the campaign last year? Do you know what it does? How many people it's helped? How long it's been doing good works? What happened to those staffers who gave out the crappy advice (they were fired, by the way)?

Does anyone have a complete list of the 30? I'd like to be able to know if my current and former Senators are on the list.