Sorry if this has been asked and answered--I can't always keep up with the letters.

Also, I hope that Glenn goes into depth in his book on the issues he discussed in today's blog. What is fascinating to me, aside from the bizarre constructions of masculinity we see in play, is the way that these angry letter writers never, never ever, are able to look at Glenn's writing (or rational arguments in general) holistically. That is, they seem unable to grasp the main points of the text--they seem to skim through the piece as fast as they can, without comprehending, to simply search for some tidbit that will satisfactorally produce in them the knee-jerk reaction that is their raison d'être.

That seems to me yet another manifestation of their fears, i.e., their inability to engage with anything that challenges their blinkered worldview.

In case anyone is interested in taking action, the ACLU has a campaign going to contact congress and "make them fix, not expand, the FISA law." Time is getting short, but you can go to

http://www.aclu.org/

now and click on the FISA link in the upper left corner to contact your reps and Reid and Pelosi.

I know this win guy. He's the English undergrad who has too much free time and spends it reading a small selection of theorists. He's the student who goes to class and sneers at the "reductionist" arguments of his peers. He knows more than everyone, including his professors. He knows that binaries are stupid! Because he is such a genius. He loves to trip those names off of his tongue--Zizek! Lacan! Marcuse! He doesn't realize how limited his vocabulary is; he uses the word "trope" over and over, even though he doesn't seem to know what it means. He loves to add the word "structural" to as many sentences as he can, and doesn't worry that it adds no meaning at all. He's the student that writes long, pointless papers in which he misapplies all the lingo of the theory and cultural studies fields. And then he becomes enraged when no one is impressed.

Maybe he will learn some humility when he grows up, at which point he will know that spending hours online arguing with almost everyone on this thread, and making no headway at all, is, to say the least, not the best use of his time.

How about an autographed picture of Randolph Mantooth?

Diane wrote: "Imagine my surprise when I read an AP article yesterday that the Prime Minister of Britain is reducing their troops by 2008 because his Iraq plan follows the success of the US troop increase this summer...'"

Diane, I believe Brown has been lurking here. Brown knows very well that the surge did not work. He knows that Bush and his gang have been lying, lying, lying. But, like Glenn, Brown is showing this administration that there are consequences for their deceptions. He is using their words against them.

Brilliant.

I think she should keep her job. Do we want someone representing this corrupt administration who is adept at lying? NO! She is helping to expose them. She is also pretty hilarious. Who can forget her comments about protesters in Burma! Good times, good times:

Q: And the protests, themselves, seem to have been stilled. What do you make of that?

MS. PERINO: Well, unfortunately, intimidation and force can chill peaceful demonstrations. And reports about very innocent people being thrown into detention, where they could be held for years without any representation or charges, is distressing; and we understand that some of the monasteries have been sealed. Now, obviously, this has, again, a chilling effect on protestors, but we would ask that everyone show restraint and allow those who want to express themselves to be able to do so in Burma.