What I don't understand is why, when a woman gets famous, she takes her clothes off. Look at this year's Indy 500, for example. And women of my acquaintance think that this is okay. I thought our goal was to be vetted for our accomplishments- not to use our accomplishments as a way to make money for nude modeling. As long as this is the role model, why do we expect anything different than what is happening?

Let's look at the third world countries where rape, murder, and mayhem are the normal way of life. Those women, who are being supported in their efforts, are using their opportunities to make new lives for their families and villages. They don't become well known and then strip. Why do we so-called civilized people feel the need to do so?

Respect for women will continue to erode as long as famous = nude.

Maybe not.

To @Anandrasubramanian, you said

"that military conquest confers moral and perhaps legal rights of ownership and/or control over the conquered nation, its peoples, territory and resources;"

like it's something dirty. How do think this world was run before these modern days? Europe was really good at it there for a while. And no matter how enlightened we think we are, at heart we are still beasts. If we weren't there would be no wars, genocides, ...

McCain's record, public and private, has consistently shown his contempt for women. Why are we surprised that he picked a woman that manifests everything he believes?

To all of you that are bashing Rebecca, doesn't it feel nice to have the freedom to choose to do so. What I thought Rebecca was lamenting was that Sarah Palin threatens to take away a lot more than just the options between life and abortion. Do women really want to have to play the 'pretty little thing' to get ahead? Do we really want to have to ASK for everything? Personally, I have never been married and am half way through my 40's. I couldn't begin to imagine having to ASK someone for permission.

So if you feel that women have gotten too uppity, you know who to vote for. Liberals, however, feel that adults should be able to govern their own lives. That is the freedom to choose.

I live in an area that is populated with white people who proudly proclaim their red-necked, conservative status. I am, in fact, related to one. She told me recently that she doesn't like to admit that other people are smarter than her. She actually finds smart people threatening. If you look around, you may find some of that at the root of Obama's problem. Republican candidates dumb themselves down so that the average voter can see themselves in their reflection. Everyone wants to feel like they could be president, and admitting that you need a really smart person for the job means admitting that you might not be able to do it.

You don't even need dirt. There are hydroponics; you can buy kits. You don't need huge acreage, and really, one grape tomato plant will have you wondering what you're going to do with all the little darlin's. Cucumbers will vine on a railing, which saves floor space.

Thanks for the chuckle on the weeds- oh, so true. And I don't like to weed. It's taken time, but my little plots are pretty weed free now.

It totally explains the Sarah Palin pick.

http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/92546/mcsexist%3A_mccain%27s_war_on_women/?page=entire

A must-read from last July

http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/92546/mcsexist%3A_mccain%27s_war_on_women/?page=entire

These posts and this article do my heart good. I live in a rural, northwestern Indiana county and I have seen exactly one presidential campaign sign posted in my town. Of course, it's for the other guy, but usually we are buried in GOP signs by this time. I'm taking it as a sign that people in my county are going to vote for Obama, they are just afraid of what the neighbors are going to think.

I did a search for fruit fly and down's syndrome- this was the first response- http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/05/030505084219.htm and there were 129,000 other hits. Without the lowly fruit fly, individuals with down's syndrome would still be hidden from society. They used to be housed in mental institutions and their many assets to society were wasted.

Perhaps Governor Palin should start thanking the lowly fruit fly and its chromosomes for Trig's chance at a wonderful life.

No disrespect to Mr. Keillor, but I am a huge fan of Whoopee Goldberg. Given that she is the only Whoopee that most of us know and I think I heard her say that she does not appreciate the Ice Queen's politics, Could your headline be

Angry Old Man of the Desert and Ice Queen of the Artic.

I don't want my thoughts of Whoopee to be tainted.

Otherwise I totally agree with your article and am keeping everything crossed that can be.

I think that Todd may be a "stay at home dad" who is very involved in his wife's business. There were many reports that he used her governor's office for personal business and he was copied on official, government e-mails. If I am wrong, then I will say okay and retract this, but I haven't seen any contrary hear-say yet. I thought stay at home dads stayed home and did the carpool-organize-the-kid's-schedule thing that stay at home mom's do. While there may be a governor's wife out there somewhere who is trying to do her husband's job, we haven't heard of her yet.

So, sexy? Not really. Personality gets in the way.