and won't forget it, when old Byrd cried for his friend. It was touching and real, therefore un-DC.

Clearly, there's an abuse going on. Too many people on meds. Big pharma bad. I agree, and thanks for writing about it.

But you've got some problems.

1st off, MJ's doctor is currently suspected of killing MJ. Extremely irresponsible writing on you part!

2nd, you patronize "troubled souls" while it's fairly clear from your article that you are one of them.

3rd, the article is pretty rambling and disorganized for someone who has "written widely".

When you sy, "Testosterone seems to have a stronger influence on women" you're making a baseless causal inference. Correlation is mot causation -- something you even note later in the article! Shoddy science to begin with but also sloppy reporting.

Hoyer is in the pocket of the insurance industry.

This has little to do with constituents. It's about campaign contributions and political wheeling and dealing. It's about DC being a slave to K Street and Wall St.

Fine, if their constituents were crowding the streets chanting for health care reform, that could play a role. But the few Dems in their states are not going to vote for them second time around if they cave on this.

Pretty much about keeping the K Street Wall St. gravy train comin, esp. for next round of campaigns.

"In every society, consumers of goods and services outnumber producers. But the vast constituency of consumers tends to be disorganized and inattentive, while producers, although numerically far fewer, are focused and mobilized. Because politicians respond to intensity and money and not just electoral numbers, the doctors, drug companies and insurance companies may not have the laws in their favor, but thanks to their successful lobbying they have many lawmakers in their favor."

Excellent advice Cary from start to finish.

This guy is a weenie.

What I like about your article is that you respect the power of the cliche to control people's thinking. There are even quite a few cliches in this article that you make about men (welders? bartenders? emailing star trek? wah??). But you make enough good points here for me to let these go. Thanks for humanizing men a bit. We're not all walking cliches, and I'm very surprised by the cliched ways very smart women with lots of life experience with men (i.e. my own aunt, sister and mother, women in my graduate school program) see men in very one-dimensional terms.

One of my very best friends is a woman. I'm not attracted to her. I'm not sure if she's attracted to me or not. It's not in the equation. We go grocery shopping together, we'll help each other, watch a movie or two here and there. We laugh a lot together, we really get each other. Sometimes it makes me kind of sad there isn't more going on attraction wise. But I also really enjoy it for what it is. In a sex-saturated culture, this must sound Disney, but whatever, it's the real deal.

Although something else that does bother me about your article: it seems to be all about "what men can do for me". What about the other way around? Or is that something you like about your male friendships: that these guys seem to be all about YOU, and you're into that? Are you sure they don't want anything more from you? What is your age?

Good looking guys get rejected constantly (and women can be extremely cruel). Women are usually just as shallow about about things, and are often HYPER critical -- looks, income, height, etc. Men culturally not "allowed" to express their pain. Women always play the helpless victim.

Need be more balance -- guys should be able to express their pain more openly, girls need to stop thinking ;like they're the only ones who suffer. I understand why these girls might be sad, but please.

And girls aren't the only ones who want love in their 20s, that's ABSURD. Lots of v. immature teenage girl opinions on guys in here, Heather!!

Both sexes are attracted to looks. Bravo to guy who lost weight for spelling it out. But looks aren't everything, for guys or girls.

Tired of the woe is me male bashing. Everyone just needs to give each other a little slack, while taking responsibility for their own romantic lives.

He has plenty of imagination! As does his staff.

It has more to do with a failure of intestinal fortitude, or as well put earlier, "chicken shit don't rock the boat-ism".

And don't forget "play the game so I can get a 2nd term-ism".

A revolution needs to happen. Obama can either lead it or get devoured by it. His choice.

Honestly, if I were Brian and reading this, I would run run run run ruuuuuuuun away from this TOTAL narcissistic bitch. Poor Gary. No wonder I haven't married yet.

His quote was a great way to end the article -- then you threw in some snark to distance yourself and all of us from the harshness but reality and healthfulness of what he was saying. In fact you demonstrated his exact point -- we live in a culture that just can't bear to be serious and thoughtful at the right time. Maybe it's an Anglo-Saxon thing -- British phlegm -- or just the good ol bread and circuses.

please tell me you're joking.