I, for one, was delighted to see the Ayelet Waldman article at the top of the page on Salon this morning as I knew (even before reading the article) that this was a guarantee of REAMS of angry letters. I hope the Waldman boycott doesn't succeed, as half the fun of the site these days is sitting back and marveling at the maelstrom of negativity that she generates with each and every article. I can understand some of it. The article earlier this week about her son/lover made my skin crawl. But this one? Lighten up people!

What's with all the people bitching about Salon not publishing the Danish cartoons? There has been a link to the cartoons in EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE written about them on this site. Is it that you only want to have to click once instead of twice?

That would be the University of Maryland Terrapins. The have a cool fear-the-turtle web site: http://www.feartheturtle.umd.edu/ wherein you can make the turtle roar...

Despite repeated efforts, I have not been able to play this segment. Can those of us unable (or unwilling) to download software please get a text transcript?

Great interview. But I'm still frustrated that I had to rely on another reader to get a working link up!

Fuck you. My father died yesterday morning on that flight. I don't want any money. I want my father back.

...fix the picture!

Also, great article.

I beg you to get over yourself. And the hair? Really? You brought up the hair?!? Way to go, Ms Feminist.

And by the way, Edwards came in AHEAD of Clinton in the Iowa caucases.

And for those wishing to maintain the option of anonymity for the "Since You Asked" column, I can sort of see your point, but I surely can't be the only one who's noticed that that's where the most mean-spirited letters show up...can I?

Are you kidding me? A size 6 is NOT "plus-size"

Gender politics aside, pregnancy is a biological phenomenon. Uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vaginal canal...those are female reproductive organs. Socially and politically, Thomas Beattie is a man. And more power to him. But biologically speaking, there is no such thing as a pregnant man.

Why is "With Biden, Obama picks experience over hope" the headline for a largely positive article on the VP choice? I mean really--WTF?

"...feminism -- a word that is being used all over the country with regard to Palin's potential power -- means voting for someone who would limit reproductive control, access to healthcare and funding for places like Covenant House Alaska, an organization that helps unwed teen mothers..."

I can see why you're confused. Since when did "feminism" come to mean "being obligated to vote for someone just because she has a vagina"? Apparently it took someone as extreme as Palin to make you see that women politicians should be judged on their RECORDS, not their reproductive organs?

Seriously, who cares? What does this have to do with the current Republican nominee for president?

I work at the University of Kentucky, and I am ashamed and outraged that this happened in my hometown. While I am horrified by the event, the response from university and city leaders was immediate and to the point: this is not acceptable.

Seriously. Why?

Recovering Catholic here: I don't buy the priest anecdote either. Catholics believe that suicide is literally the only unforgivable sin (presumably because you can't repent and confess if you're dead). Priests can, and have, done many despicable things but I don't believe for one minute that a priest would counsel one of his parishioners to kill her/himself.

You've got the vague, semi-defined guilt thing, the defensiveness, the obligatory shout-out to the creepy church authorities. I think you fit right in.

I wholeheartedly, and without irony, applaud your approach

"...All that said, I have a hard time agreeing with the argument that adult father-daughter incest is always, without exception, rape..."

Are you fucking kidding me? Really?!?!? Is it a matter of nomenclature? What would you like to call it? I'm not being a smartass, I really and truly would like to know. Please enlighten me. What should we call it?

Thank you for responding more rationally and eloquently than I was able to in the face of such a mind-blowingly horrifying rationalization.

I'm glad it works for you, but you seem realy defensive about it.

A petty point, I know. But it bothers me that "day care" has morphed into "school." These kids are 5. Being able to sing the ABC song and count to 10 should be enough at this point.

Cary, my sincere best wishes for a full and speedy recovery!