I just read your article about homework. I completely agree with you. I am not convinced that homework is very useful for younger elementary students, and I am a public school educator with 18 years teaching experience! I have two children, in 4th and 2nd grade. Our district seems pretty reasonable with the homework, so I am not complaining about our situation on a personal level. I do hear horror stories from friends and family in other districts where the work assigned is beyond belief. I have a girlfriend who has children with learning disabilities who have spent, literally, hours at the kitchen table, exhausted and in tears, because they cannot finish their homework. Those kids don't get to play outside, read for fun (for fun! as it should be!!) or just pet their cat and relax.

At my job, I don't assign homework. I teach at a middle school and my subject is Music Appreciation, so I realize that I am not typical since I don't teach a major subject. Waldman's point about school being kids' work is a great one. When I come home from work, I leave work behind--I make it a point of pride to separate my work life from my family life. Why can't our kids do the same?

I am a little ashamed to admit it, but every day on my commute home I tune in to the beginning of Hannity's radio show. I usually last for 5 minutes or less, but it is very instructive and often hilarious to hear his ridiculously slanted, phony-baloney take on the news.

So, after Abramoff pled guilty I was SURE he would say....I don't know, SOMETHING about this huge scandal.

NOT ONE WORD. My goodness, can you imagine the blather and fuss we'd be subjected to if this was a scandal involving the democrats????

There are some things I admire about Hillary Clinton. She is a very smart woman who held herself up well during her husband's indiscretions (can you blame her if she really did throw a lamp at him??) Plus why don't the wingnuts give her credit for forgiving her man and staying married as good Christians should?

However, I desperately hope my party does not nominate her in 2008. She will be vilified, attacked, and will certainly lose and we'll have to put up with at least 4 more years of unmitigated horror. I'm 42 years old and I have always followed politics. I've never seen anything as bad as the mess we have on Capital Hill and the WH.

Can't we find, somewhere in this great country, some people to run for President whose surnames are neither Bush or Clinton?

Anyone? Anyone?

Pray for us, the American people, that we may be rescued from the harm this man has done for us. WE need the prayers not the President!

I was glad to see another post already mention suing Coulter. That was my first thought after i watched the video of her and Matt Lauer yesterday. She said awful things which sound like legal slander to me.

Please, please sue her. Let a jury hear her say that she thinks the 9/11 widows enjoy their "celebrity". Take every penny she earns from her awfulness.

Does a US Senator have to curry favor by insulting a college student? Watch the clip--it seems clear to me that the Senator is annoyed at being taped and his comment about "Welcome to America" sounds like a threat to me. He's trying to incite the good 'ol boys against the "foreigner".

Oh, and isn't it ironic that the young man is a native Virginian and Allen was born on the left coast--in California?

YES, THIS IS NEWS! It's news and it deserves to be in Salon. The REASON it is news is that a United States Senator bullied and racially insulted a powerless person who was doing nothing wrong, immoral or illegal. This is AMERICA, and Mr. Sidarth was within his rights to attend a public event, on public land, and somebody powerful decided that he didn't belong and so insulted and bullied him.

Sen. Allen probably violated Mr. Sidarth's constitutional rights.

I have read national media touting Allen as a probable Presidential candidate in 2008. Dear God, do our parties have no better candidates?

For many years I genuinely dreamed of being a contestant on Jeopardy. I was the girl who never--EVER--lost a game of Trivial Pursuit. I remembered everything I read and loved to read trivia books--"Best, Worst, Most Unusual", Guinness Book of Records, the entire Uncle John's Bathroom Series.

Like most dreams, my Jeopardy dream died hard. I was on in 1994, when you could still only win 5 games. The "Five Time Champion" was the utter pinnacle. I sat in the waiting area, watching the tapings. Some guy was doing very well and none of us wanted to play against him. He was about to begin his fifth game as I sat silently praying "Don't pick me! Let me start fresh with two other players!" and the producer called my name. Damn!

I'm barely 5'2" so I'll tell you a secret--I had to compete standing on a box. Also, this may sound like sour grapes but I thought Alex Trebek was a jerk. At one point, he misread an answer and the taping stopped so he could start over. When I stumbled verbally once, well you know it was on the air! Plus the little humanizing "interview" he did with me was cut to a tiny exchange. Oh well, that's showbiz!

I came in second but I am very proud that I got Final Jeopardy correct:

Novels--"The author of the WWII epic THE WINDS OF WAR"

answer: Herman Wouk!!!

I have never watched an episode of Jeopardy since.