thank you for your reporting on this subject. i was also someone who believed this myth. i should have known better but i must have been softened with age.

;)

alot of these letters pretty much sum up what i have been feeling about this country lately:

so many fucking haters.

you dont know whats going to happen. if he wants to do this - then more power to him. im sorry... but "omar bin fucking" is funny. not because its racist, just because its so stupid. oh and im sorry but speaking of south park, dave chappelle etc etc - pussy jokes DO fly. maybe not on npr but on the comedy channel.

ps - everyone is right - its not the 70s anymore - that means there are these things called "podcasts" now. they can't be triangulated and its very possible to remain anonymous while making and uploading them.

haters! haters! haters! ahahahah

I am just writing to mention that this essay was one of the most powerful things I have ever read, period.

I feel stupid at how sad it made me feel because its like I'm stealing emotions from another persons pain. And I feel doubly stupid that all I can do is say I'm so sorry for your loss.

YES! its extremely disturbing!

i do realize that question was rhetorical (i had to point that out after readin my last post and thinking - what a dumb ass)...

also:

i would like to also second the need for a list of dems who vote for the torture bill. where could that be found?

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

is how the mainstream media outlets are reporting only that his joke is causing an uproar and that he is "ducking for cover" and cancelling campaign appearances. They make it seem like a few words are such a big deal compared to Bush & Co's complete disregard for troops at all.

Its absolutely mind bending that they report this and leave out all his comments from his press conference.

Well - at least he is fighting back - unfortunately you wouldnt get that sense from reading cnn.com or msnbc.com.

ugh

this whole thing is a bad joke. i cant believe that this is breaking news in america today.

bush is fucking up our entire country and this is what the news (like cnn etc) cares about.

it gets scarier here every day.

Personally, I wish we weren't in Iraq but I also feel like we caused a mess there. It would be nice if we could pull out and everything would be fine but I honestly don't have any idea what would happen there. I don't feel like the administration really has any idea either and why would I trust their assessment now after everything else that has happened leading up to this fiasco.

However, I must say that in my heart I feel like the best thing to do would be - talk to all the neighbors of Iraq and try to work something out while sending a substantial number of new troops (the amount shinseki (sp?) originally requested). I know this would be a big burden but it feels like we really have to try to fix this. Now, thats just in my heart and I feel like I could obviously be totally wrong. Any other thoughts on what we should do that would both help us and help them?

i have almost become numb to the absurd corruption of this man... maybe that is their plan.

Go back to watching "Everybody Loves Raymond" and shut the fuck up.

We Salon "haters" hate her because she blows up the American Lie.

She will never need to pull herself up by her bootstraps and she shows us that the idea of an American meritocracy is a complete fallacy.

We used to at least be able to pacify ourselves with this bit of our National character even if it isn't necessarily true. Now there are those emboldened enough to throw it back in our faces.

Thank god the Republicans repealed the estate tax!

Debra Dickerson writes essays exploring multiple and complex sides of some mundane topics. I don't see why this makes people so upset. I think she is simply being honest with herself... I can't say if her writing style is perfect or not but I consistently find her articles very interesting. Sometimes I find things that make me cringe, but that is only because of the brute honesty I believe she is conveying.

I try not to think about whether or not I would personally like her, I do, however, appreciate her essays from a unique perspective.

This is just my suggestion as someone who is often bored with very long term projects.

Look into consulting. Go to school for social work or something people need in 3rd world like agriculture, sanitation, etc. Then look into consulting jobs for 4 or 5 months at a pop (when kids are older).

just a little suggestion.

:)

but who cares if he called someone shithead or fucking asshole? who of us doesnt call people we work with that now and again? also - i agree with poster before - joke about chelsea is funny.

anyway - none of this article really made me hate him. it made me feel like he was a person. not sticking up for him - more like - sticking "down" for the article.

anyway - whatever.

its really interesting to read alot of these letters. they confirm something i believe you only learn with experience. which is - if you give money to friends, plan on the good chance that you might never get it back.

this in turn sometimes prevents one from giving more money than one can reasonably part with to a friend.

thanks,

matt

ps - or not - i mean this is just what i have decided works for me. i have had situations in the past where a friend couldnt pay me back but has helped in myriad other ways. social karma! :)