The idea behind the term "choice" is not that heterosexual couples are somehow forced into marriage and childbearing, but that many women who bear children out of wedlock do so no by accident ("Whoops! Guess I'll have a kid"), but rather by deliberately making a choice to do so. The term "choice", actually, really only serves to remind people that they can't equate these middle and upper class single women with their lower-class, welfare-check-cashin' counterparts.

The issue here isn't that women are having children out of wedlock, but that women with money are having children out of wedlock. And that's acceptable, because they can support the children on their own. It's not what society expects (or secretly, wants) for women who aren't married.

They paraded some Johns around, too. Like, 5 days ago.

http://www.shanghaiist.com/archives/2006/12/08/shenzhens_prost.php

How sad my own family Christmas letter would seem by comparison. I can only imagine sending out a well-crafted, more detailed Christmas letter to everyone, only to receive the Keillor "Less is More" Family Christmas Letter. "Shit!", I would think to myself, "That guy outdid me by underdoing me! So spare! So midwestern! And to think that I talked about my children's hobbies, our family vacation, rather than wittily undermining their importance to us by recounting their merely adequate pageant performance.

"Damn you, Keillor!"

...then you're not paying attention. This guy is GOOD (listen to his guest appearance in that NPR game show, and see if you don't realize what a gift he's got). He is smart, he is funny, and at least until very recently, he has been more open and honest than his political brethren. It's hard not to be taken with someone who is so much MORE than we've come to expect from our leaders. But it's not JUST that President Monkeyboy has lowered the bar so much - I think the Clinton and Gore were both very intelligent men, but I cringed when I heard them giving "political" answers to honest questions. Wtih Barack, even scripted answers SEEM to come from the heart.

I don't like politicians, by and large, and I wouldn't have thought that I could fall for a junior Senator from the midwest, but Obama gets me EVERY TIME. I'm completely and utterly charmed by him.

That said, I sincerely hope that Obama maintains his suspicion of the press and his rising popularity. The media LOVES to build up Democratic candidates before it smacks them down. From Clark to Dean, you'll see it almost every election cycle, and I'd hate to see it happen to someone so bright and promising.

Also, I sincerely hope that Obama doesn't become TOO crafted and polished. He's already showing a propensity for staging himself and his actions, and I find it troubling. I'd hate to have a more liberal McCain on our hands.

Oh, and I hope his wife is ready for the smear that will be headed her way. Good lord, the fundies have already started in on her.

On a side note, I don't think the African American thing will hurt him particularly. First, as others have mentioned, the black American vote would be mobilized, and that would be a huge boon to him. Secondly, although Obama is capable of using the black vernacular, he doesn't sound black most of time (see Chris Rock's spiel about Colin Powell) so he doesn't offend squeamish white sensibilities as much as, say, Jesse Jackson does.

If this story ends up being a hoax. Bless them both if it isn't, but something about the grainy pictures and the vague coverage strikes me as odd.

But I found hilarity. Thanks! This has been a really, really good week at Salon. I'm actually forwarding articles all over the place.

Isn't exactly the mark of the humorless. It really wasn't a funny article. But I don't think that it was jarringly offensive, as hard as he tried.

"As every father knows, the placenta is made up of brain cells, which migrate southward during pregnancy and take the sense of humor along with them."

Yawn. That's like a Cathy cartoon gone wrong.

When was the last time a plane was hijacked by an Irishman? I mean, really (seriously, though, if an Irishman did hijack a place within the last 50 years, please do let me know).

Hell, I lived, breathed, studied, and swore allegiance to conservative (not fanatical) Islam for YEARS, and I would still be nervous if I got on a plane with a bunch of Muslims who were making a big deal about praying in/on/around a plane.

You CAN pray while on a plane, but Islamic law gives you reprieve from praying while traveling - you can either do it while sitting in your seat or save it until later. Muslims know this, and anyone who makes a big show of praying in an airport or an aircraft is probably looking to make a political point. Well, they made it. Bravo. No sympathy here.

But Goldberg doesn't actually say the N-word. He says something closer to "neegh". I've listened to it several times from different sources, but he doesn't say it.

Did someone select Ann Coulter's... excuse me... Pandora's letter as an editor's pick? Did Bill O'Reilly join the editorial team at Salon without me finding out? Good lord.