It's not a justification for abortion, but it does introduce some hard facts into a gooey emotional/religious debate and lay out a pretty stark portrait of what the lives of babies born to the typical mother who seeks an abortion (i.e. unwed, poor, young, totally unprepared to parent) are in for.

If you haven't read the book, a controversial chapter shows that the definitive cause behind the shocking and totally unexpected national drop in crime that appeared in the late 1980s and early 1990s was that Rowe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973. Therefore, an entire generation of young men who would have been reaching prime criminal age in the late 80s was not born. Believe me, this is well backed up by very solid statistical evidence. It's a stunner.

One conclusion of this data can only be that the typical child who would otherwise be aborted stands a far better chance than others of growing up to a life of neglect, abuse, drug use, crime, prison and early death. Not to mention how the life of the mother is completely fucked.

But of course, the creators of Bobo the Helium-Sucking Anime Fetus don't give a damn about this.

Because the crazies are a major issue. They comprise about 30 percent of the country and they vote. Debunking their delusional ravings and making sure they are held accountable for the spittle-flecked inanities they spew is part of what Salon is supposed to do.

By the way, the Spittle Flecked Inanities is a great name for a band.

Who The Fuck Cares? That was barely a noteworthy comment. Odds are Ann Coulter is thinking something about a trillion times worse at this very second.

Christ, you people take things seriously. Most of all yourselves. Word of advice: climb down off the high horse, or find someone to help you dismount, and recognize that sometimes a guy just has a deadline and the best he has to say is the idle musing in his head.

And for fuck's sake, is GK's amnesty opinion going to be his Chappaquiddick? You know, when he finally heads off to the great Lake Wobegon in the sky, haters will come out and crow, "But he favored amnesty for torturers, so I hope he burns in the Hell that I know doesn't exist because I am a brilliant and tiresome atheist!"

Comment threads here and elsewhere remind me of how many truly angry, miserable, self-hating and deluded people live in this world. Keep trucking, Garrison. We all hold some views that others despise. But your poetry outweighs your admittedly foolish political view.

...because the view on torture prosecution from the guy who does "A Prairie Home Companion" is really, really important. Jesus, that's like giving a shit what Ellen Degeneres thinks about torture. Who cares? How many of you bloodthirsty, self-important motherfuckers have even read what the man wrote? I quote:

The widespread waterboarding and other acts of torture carried out in secret CIA prisons are no small matter. The free play of sadism on the helpless in the name of national service is not to be ignored. What's needed is a fair and thorough congressional investigation. Subpoena witnesses and lay the whole wretched business out on the public record. Look into the heart of darkness and meditate on it. But don't round up a few symbolic suspects and let all the others go free. Which is what would happen if we launch a criminal prosecution.

Let's see, what country has a recent history of turning around a much longer sordid history by opting not for mass vengeance but truth and reconciliation commissions. Could it be, South Africa? And we're talking about millions killed by such lovely tactics as hanging automobile tires around their necks and then setting the tires on fire. Can you imagine what post-Apartheid South Africa would have looked like if they'd gone on a vengeance spree? It's hardly a perfect democracy today, but it's a hell of a lot better off than it would have been.

That's not to argue for or against GK's previous column. But he was writing to make a reasoned argument for something that is a reasonable option to most people. Personally, I favor prosecution; we have to hold our leaders accountable, or this will happen again. But GK is right that if we do engage in a massive campaign to do so, other important priorities will suffer. It's a hard choice. But nowhere in his column did I see the man defending waterboarding, so let's get a little perspective, shall we, my shrieking, hand-wringers? If you don't like GK's views, don't read his stuff. Write Salon's editors and tell them to cancel your Premium subscription until they fire him. Just spend your energy on fighting for torture prosecutions somewhere that it matters: lobbying your representatives, writing editorials, demonstrating, etc.

...people listen to this cat. I don't get it. I really, really don't get it. I have a friend, a smart woman, a businesswoman, young and educated, who lives here in Seattle and she not only thinks Beck is a brilliant patriot but went to his "Glenn Beck Day" up in Mount Vernon, WA.

The word that comes to mind is doublethink. I know several well-educated, otherwise extremely bright people who at the mention of Glenn Beck or Michelle Malkin become slavering trolls. Maybe functional MRIs are in order to see what's going on in their brains. I'm actually sort of serious. It would be interesting to see what sort of tribal aspect of the amygdala is lighting up that short circuits the reason of such folks.

Negative pushes tend to make people defensive, while something like this at least has the potential to help Reid save face. Now we just have to see if he has the wrinklies to actually do something.

My breath, I am not holding.