Timothy3, yes, Cathy123 is a blight we are trying to eradicate. All of us, not just the interns! Tomorrow will be Cathy123 free, I hope.

Yes, Uncle Fester, thank you for weighing in. I always said I'd be happy to support Obama, I just thought he should get more questioning and vetting. And I don't expect anyone to say I was right...but I was right. The fact that big name progressives in the blogosphere and elsewhere anointed him, ignored his FISA vote as well as his strange triangulating positions on health care and Social Security, is part of what led to a highly paid, well-fed "top WH advisor" being mystified by why "the left of the left" is angry about the possible abandonment of the public option.

Alexina, have you been banned? I see your letters. I haven't banned you? Why cry censorship?

Also, why not sign your real name? I admit, I'm harder on my critics who don't sign their names than people with screen names who agree with me. That's because I think it's oddly impotent and sad to chastise me as stupid, cowardly, a socialist, a misogynist, whatever -- when I'm a real person, with a real job, and a real reputation that you might besmirch -- while you're people with funny made-up names.

Except the fact is, and y'all don't realize this: being anonymous, you have no power to alter anyone's opinion of me in any lasting way. And bitter anonymous multiple-post tail-chasing daily critics who also claim to be published writers, but who are too cowardly to sign their names, are the most impotent of all. That's why they yip yip yip on every post.

But I honestly appreciate the attention, the visits to my blog and my letters, the page views, and the fact that deeply mixed-up folks spend time hating me, rather than doing anything in the national political realm to thwart the process of change. Social justice is always two steps forward and one step back. So we'll be fine, especially if I'm the decoy for haters who lets people with real power move three steps forward while silly folks are dogging me. It's all good!

Timothy3, I do get your point. And since I believe in general the business leaders of America lean slightly right, I have more sympathy for liberals with screen names than conservatives. But I have to say, I have particular contempt here, on Salon, for people who post more than once a day with reflexive cruelty and mostly stupidity, who are otherwise published writers (or so they claim) but don't sign their name here.

If you use a screen name online to say, Well, that's interesting, but what about this, or to add another point of view, or (of course!) to praise, that's one thing, and that seems fine. If you use a screen name to consistently run down a person or an institution, well, to me that's cowardice. I run down Bill O'Reilly and Fox regularly, but I use my own name, and of course I've paid the price in vilification as well as pretty creepy threats. But I admit, I'm paid for this, and that puts me, personally, in a different class from our letter writers.

But I'd still love to find incentives for letter writers to sign their names!

Hi, Lisa Rathert! I'm going to friend you on Facebook, too!

I'm watching this thread, I don't know what it takes to organize a March on Washington, and I know I'm not an organizer, but there's a geyser of frustration looking for direction.

Lucy with Diamonds, thank you, that made my day. I'm aware that I mostly address my critics and I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to let me know what you think. You're wonderful!

Oh, and dwg, I am dating myself by replying to your Family Affair remark, but now I will always hear the theme song when I see Glenn Beck - the sad amalgam of those superficially happy but of course TWISTED kids...

Da-da-da-DAH-da-da-da-da-da, Da-da-da-(dah)-da-da-da-da-da-da....Poor Glenn Beck.

Oh man, this is such a weekend thread, and I promise I am going to bed after this, but...did Harry Nilsson really do the "Best Friend" theme to "Courtship of Eddie's Father?" I did not know that!

Of course, because I'm not a lazy asshole (although I am NOW going to bed) I did Google it and see that it's true. I can't believe I didn't know that, really. I loved both that show (in my little tween wonderland) and later, Harry Nilsson.

And then we all know there's the Bill Bixby/My Favorite Martian connection...

So I know when I wake up tomorrow someone will have drawn really depressing and perhaps perverse connections between me, Bixby, Nilsson-Shmillson, Ray Walston, Barack Obama (Martian alien), dwg, Gandhi, Orly Taitz and...a priest, a minister and a rabbi. That's what makes life worth living!

dwg, we passed in the ether! Yes, I talked about My Favorite Martian -- also loved "My Mother the Car." Aliens, inanimate animate objects, strange single fathers (Family Affair and Eddie); of course in Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, two of my favorite shows, magic women! We were raised on a wild mainstream cultural diet of "What the hell?" but of course sad, low-ceiling presumptions prevail in our politics. No wonder we're unhappy!

Thanks, Scott -- to be clear, Dan used phrase "former audience," Jay turned it into "the people formerly known as the audience."

Or as Dan just told me on Twitter: dangillmor@joanwalsh I said "former audience" and Jay expanded to (much catchier) "people formerly known as the audience."

And thank you virtue001 for your nice words. Really. You should start an Open Salon blog, with or without your real name!

OK: back to packing my daughter to return to college. Blogging may be light next couple of days.