"Unfortunately most common English swear words have gender-specific connotations. But there are a couple that can be deployed for Sarah Palin that will leave no doubt that she is being insulted for something other than her gender: dumbass and asshole. The first is particularly apt for the Couric interviews, and the second applies well to her vicious, fact-free attacks on Obama."

I thought about this more AFTER posting and you're right, those both work just as well and aren't/don't sound sexist.

In fact, none of these words, to me, convey what it is about her that I find quite disturbing. We who perceive this all know what that is, who cares to try sum it up in a word or phrase?

Advocating secession is treason, so she's || away from committing treason herself. She should be arrested and thrown in jail.

Sarah Palin = Seceder Pallin

I agree with an early poster, righties (rightfully) make fun of the many mistakes about guns you read by (mostly) moderate-left writers. The most common mistakes:

"Magnum" -> .357 magnum, .41 magnum, 44. magnum etc (though others are rare). Use "pistol" for semi-autos and "revolver" for, well, revolvers.

"High/large caliber rifle" -> high-powered rifle. Caliber is the diameter of the bullet (not the cartridge or shell-case), power is the velocity it's spit out at. The best example: an M16/M4 fires a .223/5.56mm (small caliber) but high-powered (ca. 3000 ft/sec) round. Even rifles in .308/30-06 etc are not high-caliber, but, believe me, they're high power, enough to kill a human at 1000 yards.

"Machine gun" -> assault rifle. A machine gun is full-auto by definition and is usually belt fed, and not something one runs around with unless you're Rambo. An assault rifle is what's almost always meant in this case; they're usually semi-auto or 3-round burst (though AK47's are usually set on full auto for spray and pray).

"Automatic rifle/pistol" see above. Anyone who thinks semi-auto is not "dangerous" enough needs to look up something like "1911 rapid fire" on youtube. Or watch the latest Rambo, six shots in 2 seconds is actually, for once, humanly possible.

So, point is, you'll do better convincing righties you're serious about abating gun violence if you know guns. As the lone prodigal liberal in a huntin' and fishin' family, suspicion of me amongst my brother's friends dissipates as soon as I show I know my way around a rifle or pistol (and I love showing them I'm a better shot than most of them :-)).

Now, if you can master the slang ("9mm pill," "push a 180 grainer to 2700," etc) you'll be much more able to convince an NRA type that he needn't fear Obama taking "Gladys" away.

I'm sure there are more....

Even though Obama/Biden are ahead. It's obvious to me McCain/Palin are trying to get within 3% so they have a chance of stealing this election too.

The illegal purging of voter lists that's recently come to light and the trashing of ACORN by FOX, the AP, and other right-wing media, should make it abundantly clear that they will do anything to hold on to power.

I found it curious, and a little chilling, that the WH is making a big deal about announcing its preparations for the transition to a new President. I've never heard that come up before, and any time BushCo makes a point about something you can assume they're lying.

This won't be over until Jan. 20th at the earliest. I encourage anyone out there who's interested in keeping this shredded democracy intact to get active and do what you can to ensure we don't have any more insane warmonger Presidents in office--at least for the next 8 years or so!

Sums her up. And her Minnesota accent wouldn't play well in Duluth because it's obviously exaggerated--that's coming from a native Minnesotan still trying to drawl out my plain vowels after 20 years away.

I'll address one of your comments: you have many guns and don't fear losing them. I wonder why it is that most gun owners are so afraid of Democrats taking their guns away. My family's been gun owners/hunters for generations and it's never come up once. Is this just another red herring?

In other words, I'm curious whether, in Texas, there are others without that fear.

I once sat next to a Texan on a flight who owned a hardware store, so I learned you can buy guns at a hardware store in Texas. I think he was surprised that someone as "Liberal looking" as me could talk firearms with him. We parted very cordially with the agreement that tradesmen like ourselves shouldn't argue over politics because most politicians are rather slimy and mendacious.

Maybe I'm being naive, or have "drunk the Kool-Aid," but Obama seems more high-minded than 99% of politicians, and that is reason enough (though there are many others) to vote for him.

Good on the Texan for thinking for himself, though it sounds like his family has a long history of that.

It seems something in you stinks and you spew anger at others to try relieve the pressure of the inner rot. I gathered that from reading some of your other letters. Not that you don't present valid views once in a while (most, like smearing Obama with half-truths or utter lies somehow equals revealing or commenting on Palin's actual views, which require no distortion to be reprehensible or just plain ignorant), but that you're so full of invective. Go get laid or high or something, it might calm you down.