I admit, I want Heather Havrilesky to lose her job, and for that job to go to someone far more worthy. It'd be nice if she were to realize the error of her ways and self-image when she hits the street, and perhaps reform her life and her attitudes, but that's a vain hope of mine.

Still, what you two have written about her is stupid, insulting and going too far. The vapid O.J. Simpson/knife/cargo container line clearly came from someone watching Vic Mackey's unique solution to a gang war on "The Shield." Ebonius, you're claiming the same "TV stinks and so do you" attitude that Havrilesky has, but deep down inside you're not that snooty and intellectual, are you? Watching "The Shield" for your ideas? Really.

As for "Good Luck and Good Night," why are you bringing the "bad mother" business in? That's sexist. About the only thing I said along the lines of THAT kind of personal attack was that I wish someone would keep her pregnant and away from the typewriter, and I intended that remark to make ME sound amusingly silly. (The joke being that I was suggesting that having sex with her would be a chore and not pleasurable, since being that close to her would be a fate worse than death.)

But accusing her of being a "bad mother" or a "child abuser" is unsupported by any evidence and a contemptible smear. It's a despearte attemt to find some way to attack her, when her writing is all you need.

Bobcat Goldthwait, when he still had a comedy career that he was not consciously self-sabotaging, delivered a bit of wisdom in the middle of one of his comedy acts. When someone in the audience yelled that he hated someone (Bush, if memory serves) Goldthwait said, "Okay, but why? I can get behind you hating him, but why? Learn to hate correctly."

Gentlemen...and please don't do that rapid-looking-around "Where? Where?" thing from the Three Stooges...you should learn to hate correctly.

I suspect it's Heather Havrilesky, and that you don't have the personal courage to address the concerns I've raised about your column. But even if your name is Melvin Junko, it doesn't matter.

The fact is, you should be pleased. I was defending Havrilesky for you this week. For once, she didn't spew out contempt for her readers and even approached some reasonable conclusions about trends in TV programming. She didn't think it through far enough (IF she wrote this week's column, which again I doubt) but it was better than anything from the last two months.

I also defended her against lunatic attacks. There are real reasons for hating what she does (hate the sin, not the sinner, ever hear of that?) but barfight language and insulting her gender don't qualify.

And frankly, what is this "not hate at all" yuppie crap? Hatred is an important part of life. It is a defining characteristic, something that seperates an individual from being a mere herd animal or Momma's boy. If you defend somebody without offering real justification, Mr. Foxworthy, you jes' might be a cow.

And finally, I mentioned sci-fi conventions as a place to debate because, since I am a working person with a demanding low-paying career, I lack money and time to fly off to Cannes or wherever you rich oppressors of the working man go to debate. What's important is the face to face. It's easy to type anything you want in an electronic forum. But defending your beliefs in public, within breathing distance of your accuser, requires a courage no e-bully has. And curiously enough, every time I've offered such a debate at a place I can afford, they offer your "I hate you f'ing geeks" excuse.

You want to name a place and date, say sometime in October 2007, and a neutral ground for this debate - a public place in the continental US with an audience? Go ahead and I'll see if I can get the time off and afford the air fare. I'll admit swinging the trip is unlikely, but make your offer.