As a descendant of seven of those Pilgrim passengers who were on the "Mayflower", I am pleased to be one of their distant progeny. I am also embarrassed by the legacy of prudish behavior that descends from them and is alive and unwell in America today.

The sight of a woman breast-feeding, to me, simply shows a warm and loving bond between mother and child. It shows a woman who loves her child, cares for his/her development and who takes the time to nourish that child as a bottle of formula probably can't.

Those cretins who equate breast-feeding with a sexual act or indecent exposure are most likely the ones who would look at Botticelli's "Venus Rising" or Michaelangelo's "David" and see only nakedness.

After travelling through Europe and experiencing a more sophisticated populace...then returning to the States...I want to bellow at the top of my lungs to my fellow citizens here: "Grow up, people!"

I came up with this tasty little concoction one particularly warm evening on Virgin Gorda, The British Virgin Islands, at our place on the Little Dix Bay Resort. Everybody loved it! You may want to play around with the proportions, but, it tastes great however you mix it!

"Virgin's Downfall"

In a cocktail shaker, add:

2 ounces Amaretto Di Saronno liqueur

4 ounces "Lotus" brand Puerto Rican pineapple juice (or any deep-yellow and very fragrant pineapple juice.)

1 tsp. red Maraschino cherry syrup

1 cup crushed ice

Cover shaker and shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.

Add 1 ounce of ginger ale and stir gently with a swizzle stick to blend.

Pour (a) strained, in a martini-style glass, or, (b) with the rocks in a highball glass.

Garnish with a fresh pineapple spear, a Maraschino cherry and a small sprig of fresh mint.

Drink, enjoy, repeat!

Ladies and gentlemen:

With this administration being even more secretive than the Nixonian bunker crowd's sturm-und-drang persona, with a current Vice President who would make 1960's Soviet leaders envious and with more deviousness than a convention-hall full of aluminum-siding salesmen, I assume that EVERY phonecall I make, EVERY e-mail I send and EVERY piece of mail I send or receive is read, scanned or opened by SOME security czar employed by our government. I even answer the phone with "this line is not secure"...half in jest, half not!

NOthing surprises me about the Bush Reich-cum-"administration" anymore; I simply assume the worst about a loss of privacy and an abundance of snooping by them and...I'm probably STILL underestimating these ass-clowns.

(Note to Government censor logging this letter into my file: screw you, pal!)

Metsfan exposes the canard that Hillary is beatable by every Republican quite well. In fact, most of the DC insider-Republicans I speak with daily are actually quite concerned by a Hillary candidacy...especially if she chooses Obama as her Veep. That's why you see the virtual foaming-at-the-mouth by the Right viz-a-viz Hillary; they see her as we Progressives do: tough, fair, in-touch, eloquent, far-sighted and entirely electable.

So, let the "pundits"..Right and Left...clamor for ABH (Anyone But Her); those of us tired of the Machiavellian machinations and the plutocracy of the Bushites welcome her like the breath of fresh air she is.

Fred Thompson? Rudy Guilani? John McCain? Mitt Romney? >>yawn!<< All yesterday's news and today's mullet-wrapper. Now, if the Republicans decide to run someone OTHER than one who was born via Bush's aliamentary canal, I might be interested.

Until then, however, Hillary/Obama is the ticket to beat in '08...and '12! Take THAT to the bank.

The diverse group of letters above shows just how diverse we Progressives or Liberals or Democrats, or whatever you want to call us, are; we can discuss which candidate would be the best one and, actually, we are ALL right: ANY of "our" candidates are better than anything the Republicans seem poised to serve up.

If you'll allow me, I'd like to ask you to consider the combo team of Hillary for President and Barack as Vice-President. Here's why I'm working for that ticket:

Hillary has the experience, the intelligence, the gravitas, the compassion, the leadership and the ability to work with all political philosophies as a President should. Add the historical perspective of the "First Woman President" and I find her entirely above the rest.

Barack also has the intelligence, the compassion, the vision and the persona to be President...just not right now. He lacks, imho, political experience and the gravitas needed for the most important CEO job in the world. The historical perspective of the first person of color as Vice-President is powerful, too, and adds to the equation of 1st woman President+1st person of color Vice-President=dynamic duo.

Give Hillary two terms as President and Barack those two terms as Vice-President and he'll be ready for his turn as President in 2016...hands down!

First woman as President? First person of color as Vice-President? Both serving together? Forgive me if I find that combo to be powerful, potent with the electorate and entirely electable.

I'm working for that team in '08 and I invite you to consider them as a team, as well.

Poor Colin Powell. That honorable, distinguished, former warrior-in-chief for America was played by the Bushites in the run-up to the Iraq imbroglio. They took his good name and used it for Charmin. They screwed him and didn't even have the common decency to give him a reach-around.

A mea culpa by Colin at this late date, concerning that puppy-and-Palomino show he conducted before the United Nations prior to the Iraq quagmire, would be more self-serving than illustrative. As a purely prurient matter, however, it would be fun to see just how bastardized the intel was within Bush-World.

Colin should come clean completely before the American people, not only to clear his formerly good name, but also to throw a light on the rat's nest that is the Bush Maladministration.

Much like the cockroaches they are, that light will probably cause most of them to scurry back under the rock from whence they slithered..