I didn't have a problem with the first article, even though I don't agree.

The difference between Hillary and Obama seems to be that she tries very hard and he doesn't. Oh, I'm sure that his act is a well-honed, very prepared 'casual' style, but it comes across as easy-going, which I don't think of as a purely "feminine" characteristic.

In my eyes, Hillary is as bad as Bush in terms of swagger and bluster. What makes Obama so appealing is that he APPEARS to be doing it all without effort, pretense, or self-conscious concern. He doesn't SEEM studied, even though I'm sure he is.

I'm ambivalent about the gay issues in this film. I trust what Stephanie is saying here about how the issues are handled.

While I don't really want to give Rob Schneider any attention at all, his bizarre portrayal of what I *think* is supposed to pass for an Asian rabbi us enough to put me off of this movie. The odd, slanty-eyed get up and stupid accent are so offensive to me that I can't imagine seeing this anytime soon.

They're faith enforcing. Their application for employments includes a section in which the applicant must describe their personal relationship with Jesus.

I know that they are allowed to do this, being exempt from discrimination laws and all. World Vision does a lot of good, but I'm always going to be highly suspicious of them.

My nana loved the Bakkers. She sent them all kinds of money, even the (considerable) amounts of money that my parents gave her to live on. She lived like a pauper so that Tammy Faye could live like a queen.

Now, I'd love to blame my nana, but my nana was mentally ill. She was a Holocaust survivor and born again Christian who was constantly having personal conversations with Jesus.

If I had ever met Tammy Faye, I would have given her a piece of my mind. She was a tacky, shameless woman.

It's awesome that you grew up in a hipster household and are so open and loving of everyone's bad taste, from Mexicans and their Jesus statues to the tacky decor of gun-collectin' parents of lesbians. But NONE OF THAT has anything to do with how freakish these children look in the photos.

I defy you to look at these pictures and explain why someone would want to remember their offspring's babyhood with these kinds of photos.

Here's one I can kind of understand - it's a bit heavyhanded, but the final picture looks like the same person as the original:

http://www.naturalbeautiescontest.homestead.com/retouch1aaa.html

This one, on the other hand, will probably keep me awake at night:

http://www.naturalbeautiescontest.homestead.com/retouch5.html

Mr. Keillor,

I am SO glad you didn't make the same mistake that my generation has made: namely, stiving for a creative and fulfilling career. Thank GOODNESS you didn't dream of being a writer, or an entertainer, and stuck to doing the good ol' work like your dad, the Mexican pool cleaner. Or Christian Minnesotan immigrants something-or-other.

I think that I'm going to shelve my dreams of being a writer and voiceover actor now. If someone like Garrison Keillor can be happy with a lifetime of menial labor, then I can, too.

Thanks, Mr. Keillor!

Rampart are paid by the letter?

Is this devolving into a LOLCommentors thread?

I have to admit, I find nothing remotely strange about this. As someone who vacillates between vegetarian and vegan, I can obviously see why it would be easier to date someone who has the same values as you. As someone who has always dated omnivores, I can say that it's a little tough to make things mesh when one person dislikes meat and the other sees it as a mealtime necessity.

Overall, this thread is kind of cool - I'm happy to see so many people who understand that being choosy about who you sleep with isn't purely a vegan trait.

Or maybe we are? If Keillor's writing is SO layered (he's writing about an ironic version of himself shaking his head in amusement at a non-ironic version of himself or whatever), then maybe this should have been published on Mensa's web site.

If your average Salon.com reader (trolls aside, most people here are pretty smart, judging by the thoughtful letters) can't see the irony in this essay, then maybe it's not there to be seen? Since Keillor is so average, so normal, so folksy, maybe those of you who are sure that he's being ironic are reading too much into the essay?

I could be wrong. It's happened once before.