Discussion of creation myths would be much less tiring if people would stop acting as though the authors of biblical creation myths, or for that matter for myths in general, wrote them as if they were the honest-to-God truth.

Biblical authors, at least in the Hebrew Bible, never intended for their stories to be interpreted as being literally true, in the same way that Jesus' parables about individual characters were never meant to be seen as factual biographical statements about a certain Samaritan who happened to see someone who needed help.

As a Christian who believes in both a creator as well as the power of creation to manifest itself through the system of evolution and other scientifically-verifiable phenomena, I am embarrassed that people on both sides of this false fence refuse to acknowledge the Bible for what it actually is.

Obama refuses to be trapped in the past by invoking such modern concepts as the appeal of Reaganism, the deft use of Martin Luther King marches as campaign events, and the anointment of His Majesty, the Heir to the Throne of Camelot Ted Kennedy.

How forward-thinking of him.

Don't ask Tim Grieve to report or acknowledge any tiniest degree of success Hillary might have. He might choke and die on that Obama Kool-aid he is sucking down if you interrupt him.

Oh goodie. Maybe he will try to bomb Pakistan right away in honor of JFK's apt handling of the Bay of Pigs.

That is my sentiment exactly. Though Hillary is my candidate, I don't have any huge qualms with Obama, per se. My annoyance with him stems largely from his campaign and the people who support him, and the disingenuous behavior they engage in. Maybe Obama really is as much of a standup guy as they want us to believe, but their shrill unwillingness to acknowledge that anyone who doesn't think Obama is the Messiah might also be a reasonable, liberal, non-racist Democrat is really alarming, and as far as I'm concerned, the fact that Obama hasn't cracked down on such attitudes within his own followers completely invalidates his "unity" and "change" spiel.

Maybe Obama really is a great guy, though I haven't seen any evidence that he is significantly different from the other candidates. But his supporters are mean, divisive, and willing to find "racism" and "Rovian tactics" in every reasonable criticism of their candidate. Obama supporters here should take note that they are doing more to hurt their candidate's reputation than to help him when they scream at those of us who have chosen Hillary or Edwards instead.

If you find the selection of editor's choice letters objectionable but make no comment on the fact that Grieve unashamedly fawns over Obama at every opportunity while completely ignoring Hillary's victories, then you have completely lost perspective.

But maybe I'm just a kvetch.

The fact that you are willing to even consider that possibility, in print, is proof to me that you are probably one of the few personalities in the media who is not.

I wish I could say the same for some of the other writers here at Salon, though by the looks of things, at least part of that problem has gotten a new job elswhere.

The important thing here is to remember the distinction between real clinical depression and just feeling bummed out. I have lived with depression for the past year or so, and it is far, far worse than just feeling down or having low self-image or whatnot.

People must remember that popping pills is going to poison your body, and it is a last resort, not a convenient quick-fix for when you feel down in the dumps. I've managed to cope with my depression through therapy and, silly though it may sound, regulating my diet, exercising regularly, and getting plenty of sleep. Life still sucks a lot of the time. I still think about death a lot of the time. But I am salient enough to recognize when I am being really, truly adversely affected by my depression and smart enough to seek help when that happens.

I have avoided psychiatry and drug prescriptions, and I will continue to do so until I feel I have no other alternative. I would encourage everyone else, and especially people who have not been legitimately diagnosed with clinical depression or some other condition, to do the same.

I come from Montana. No one ever, ever campaigned there. But Montana, despite its population deficiencies, still has things like cable TV and the internet.

People who attribute Clinton's win in Florida to lack of name recognition forget that most voters never see a candidate or their campaigners face-to-face. That doesn't mean we don't know that certain candidates exist.

I think, in at least some cases, the inability to stop yourself from stealing may be indicative of some deeper issue you're having. I was a kleptomaniac for exactly one year, in kindergarten. I stole all kinds of things from all kinds of people.. not big things, of course, just little ones.

That also happens to be the year when I had the teacher who punished me for being able to read, who yelled at me for speaking Spanish to the ESL girl, who basically treated me like dirt just because I was a little more advanced than the other children. I was also a compulsive liar that year, especially around her.

That might be a very basic child metaphor for a problem that, for you, is probably far more complicated. In addition to finding a way to stop your petty theft and repay what you've taken, I would suggest examining the rest of your life closely and seeing if there is something else that may be causing this behavior.