In the last two years my three step- kids, ages 14, 12, and 10, have become fans of Top 40 music and, like the adults in this family of ours, are passionate about their tastes in performers. Over the course of this time, my husband and I have immersed ourselves in this music to be sure we have a fairly comprehensive understanding of what our kids are listening to. There has been the appalling, i.e. "Barbie Girl" and "Don't Trust Me," the latter of which has the brain decaying lyrics "Shush girl, Shut your lips, Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips," or even more life affirming, "Don't trust a ho, never trust a ho, Won't trust a ho 'cause the ho won't trust me."

Then came Taylor Swift. I thought "You Belong With Me" was catchy, I liked the sound of her voice, and there was nothing in her persona that I thought would be offensive to my very insecure, impressionable 12 year old stepdaughter. In fact, I said, "Please, become a fan of Taylor Swift, and stay away from the Disney mind-controlled bubble gum pop machines who end up coked out and under conservatorship." (I get a lot of eye rolls on our custodial weekends).

I respectfully disagree with Doyle's premise, and as a parent, I thank my lucky stars for Ms. Swift. I remember being a teen, and although I'm facing down 39 and have been what would be considered a feminist for 25 years now, I've listened to her music away from the kids because her songs recall for me how it felt to want the guy with the cheerleader while I was the dork in the bleachers. The first time I heard "Fifteen" I told my stepdaughter to listen to the words, because, as the chorus states, when you're fifteen you'll believe any boy who tells you he loves you. It's not a song about the virtues of being sexless, and surprisingly, it struck a chord amongst my girlfriends and I, all members of the ironic generation who once in a while forget that we're too cool to like someone like Taylor Swift. As Ms. Swift sings, "But in your life you'll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team, But I didn't know it at fifteen."

And is the point of feminism really to destroy all traces of young girls dreaming about the prince who may come someday?

The Daily Show is doing the work that Obama/Biden should be doing. Go to www.thedailyshow.com, then videos, then Sarah Palin - Vet This, from 09/04/08. This is exactly the responsible type of counter-attack the Democrats should be thrusting upon the country with an immediate sense of urgency. Stewart plays it for laughs, to a point - with a few exceptions, I've rarely seen anyone else in the media lately so effectively dismantle such blatant hypocrisy.

This article said these girls were trying to marry the men they loved; it said nothing about them carrying babies outside of wedlock, it said nothing about them committing adultery, and it said nothing about them engaging in any kind of sexual activity whatsoever. Rebelling by wanting to get married? One would think relics such as dhulqarnayn would applaud the girls' efforts to sanctify their love instead of promoting these tribal customs as a legitimate effort in the fight against "decadence." I'm also tired of hearing the excuse that the women of these cultures support and uphold these traditions so why should we in the West offer any opinion or engage in efforts to see that these crimes are stopped. Fine, book the women as accessories. Right now the focus is on honor killings of women; however, don't be fooled into thinking that this doesn't happen to men as well. Most focus has been placed on women due to the fact that the majority are gender specific.

A lot of the activist groups dedicated to stopping honor killings actually start quietly in their native and/or adopted countries, and use those such as myself to spread their message in the West and obtain donations so their brave and tireless work can continue. As far as honor killings being a valuable tool in the fight against "decadence," can you please explain to me what about Pakistan right now supports that these barbaric rituals have given rise to a society that epitomizes moral, cultural, political or economic superiority in the world?

I'm still confused by the offense taken by the PUMAs over the usage of the word "sweetie" while their candidate remains married to one of the greatest philanderers in American political history. I was a huge fan of Bill Clinton's presidency and early on I tentatively supported Hillary Clinton; even so, I knew that not everything written about their efforts to suppress Bill's other women was purely the result of a vast, right wing conspiracy. I still question how it was this woman that made it this far, and how anyone finds her a model for feminism; even so, had she been the candidate I would not even question my decision to vote for her. McSnoozy makes me panic for my children, the first of whom will turn 18 during the next presidency. There are a lot of female politicians now serving our country who may yet be elected one day to hold the office of the presidency, and who will have done so without the jumpstart of instant name recognition. I will wait for that day while supporting Senator Obama.