Huh. I never really thought of the "Dancing with the Stars" competitors as losers. Sure, they're has-beens, but who cares? It may seems simplistic, but I don't think the cherring audience are cheering out of some sort of perverse need to see people fail. I think people might actually enjoy ballroom dacing, and seeing novices give it a go - novices that we are familiar with, but who aren't threatening enough for us to loathe.

No wonder you came out of the interview not entirely sure of what went down! Even with editing, I can't seem to pull much in the way of coherent thought out of O'Beirne's statements. Perhaps if I was listening to her speak, I might unravel what she's saying.

Just goes to show that the right-wing method of repeating a point really loudly, no matter how absurd it might be, will eventually convince some people. It's kind of like a female Dr. Phil.

As someone who has lived and worked in China, I can tell you that those girls are, in fact, indigenous Chinese and not Chinese Americans.

As to whether or not they are lesbians, I'm not the ultimate authority, but they might just be doing it on a lark.

There ARE lesbians in China (and gay clubs - I've been), yes, but it's not unusual for girls in Asia to have physical relationships with some of their friends, which may include kissing and fondling. Much of it is the kind of exploring that goes on anywhere else in the world, but of course, it usually doesn't happen in public.

And anyhow, since when has a picture of women kissing heralded the arrival of gay rights, anywhere? Shit, women make out all the time in bars and clubs across America. I don't see any domestic partner benefits springing up as a result.

I know this is a little different than any other case the ACLU has had to try to pursue, but it sounds so strange to me that they had to search high and wide for plaintiffs.

I can't imagine joining a lawsuit at the behest of a friend of family member if I had no proof that I'd been wronged. If the Bush administration broke the law (yeah, they did), shouldn't the law offer us another way to punish them, rather than asking a bunch of liberals to try to prove that they've been mentally scarred by something that may not have been applied to them at all?

I'm just wondering exactly how much of "Islamic Law" is going to be enforced in the sorority. And which school of Islamic thought will be followed. I wish them luck.

I'm in a similar situation. I'm a very light sleeper, and I find it very hard to share a bed with anyone. Also, my man always wanted me to sleep facing him, but the feeling of someone else's breath on my face drives me crazy!

He eventually had to learn to deal with the fact, though. I sometimes just have to get and and sleep somewhere else, or I'll be a raging maniac the next day. Your girl should understand. Good luck!

Great advice, Tennis.

Every member of Congress should have to take a short, random, computerized quiz on whatever bill they are about to vote on, just so we know that they actually have some idea of what they are voting for or against (since they apparently rarely do). Anyone who fails the quiz has to go back over the bill and at least absorb its main points and objectives.

Are you kidding me? If I were the type to have servants, and one of mine stole $1000 from a guest, you can sure as hell bet that I would reimburse them. I wouldn't care if my guests were rich - allowing your help to steal from your guests is simply out of the question.

Cary, seriously, get a new job and let someone who knows what the hell they are talking about fill the position you currently hold.

And let this be a lesson to everyone - when in Africa, for fuck's sake, get some goddamn American Express traveler's checks.

As usual, I disagree with what Cary Tennis has to say. I know how fond he is of AA, but this person's dad has been clean and sober for 25 years. So, uh... maybe AA will help, but addiction is not the crucial issue. And those meetings can be really depressing; a bunch of people, huddled in a church basement, perhaps healing, perhaps just bemoaning their fate.

I'm from a different cultural background, and my family is tightknit, so maybe this doesn't apply as well, but I'd not only talk to my dad about how I'd forgiven him, I'd give him a chance to stay with me for a few weeks at a time. I know Americans don't like to care for aging parents, especially in small apartments, but honestly, even if it's just to give him some respite from the rest of the gang, it might provide what he needs to stand up for himself.

Free coffee at AA meetings really doesn't seem like much of a life preserver when you are flolundering in waves that high.

As a woman of Canadian and American citizenship, I was going to sit down and punch out a letter that disputed, if only anecdotally, some of the points made in this article. Most Canadians I know are fairly conservative, you can't assume that just because you don't really LOVE your new neocons that they aren't going to fuck you over royally, etc.

Then I remembered: this is Canada. Who cares? I mean, I really love Canada, but since when have they really counted for anything?