One cannot help but notice the change in Keillor's tone and content lately. Public fornication, semi-public urination, and other juvenile swabs into scatology abound in his recent offerings. Too bad, because a little of this smears a long way. Also, veering into poo-poo and pee-pee really detracts from a pretty funny commentary on the generally oblivious state our "Current Occupant". If our columnist were drawing a comparison to former President Carter's brother Billy, I could more easily understand wandering the side-road to whizville.

Doesn't Keillor remember his own wonderful celebration of America being cool again after Obama's election? Are we now suddenly uncool again, and so soon?

Perhaps this may seem a shocking suggestion, but I put it to those assembled that Keillor either needs to be gently edited, or he needs to step away from his column for a period of time before hitting the send button, then editing himself upon reflection.

Thanks for clearing up the mystery about what haiku writers are doing with their other hand. I was wondering.

There is so much good writing out there in the world that is not considered "literature." Garden writing, done by some one opinionated and fearless, is great fun, and it's still okay to make fun of weeds. There is as much challenge and art to science writing as to anything else, and when I finished The Beak of the Finch, I was as sad for it to end as when I read To Kill a Mockingbird.

We never know when or where the right combination of words will capture us. Perhaps if we get our national literacy rate back over 90%, we'll find more poets. This gets us back to the whole hope thing. Hope. Hang on to it, Mr. Keillor.

It would seem that those responding with a negative knee-jerk to the freeze in administrative aide salaries over $100,000 were not listening to the President's inaugural speech. Clearly you have all missed the memo about serving because it is the right thing to do, not because a "cushy gov'mint job" pays big bucks.

Or all of you responders lurking POTUS aides pissed-off and venting in the relative anonymity of Salon?

I'd be delighted right about now to have a job that paid over $100,000 (it'd be a first for me).

Here's a few other salaries to freeze at $100,000:

*any primary or secondary school official anywhere who is not a classroom teacher.

*any hospital administrator who is not directly involved in patient care.

*anyone working at any level in the auto industry.

*anyone working for a drug company who is not directly involved in research.

*any CEO or CFO of any bank, investment firm, or other financial institution.

*any lobbyist

* all professional athletes

* all "entertainers"

Basically, if you aren't preparing our children for their future, caring for and saving lives, or protecting the public safety (fire, rescue, police, military), how do you justify making over $100,000? How many SUVs and hand-held electronic devices do you and your spoiled children need? How many designer clothes can you wear at once, anyway? How big a house do you need? Freeze their salaries until all boats are rising again. What do we value? What should we value?

Please feel free to add to this list of scallywags.

And do read the President's speech again. It's all there in simple declarative sentences.

Too bad he can't dance.

...too f'ing funny. The wingnuts have reduced us to this. Oh, well, maybe the missus will wear a prettier dress than last night's. Note to Michelle: trains are a bummer when you're dancin'.

and, sorry, but the parents who named Greg Craig should be bitch-slapped. Really.

Same with the parents of the new Portland, Oregon porn star Beau Breedlove, but that's another story.

Would Republican senators filibuster about something as important as the stimulus package? Would they be that publicly stupid? By such actions, would they further announce their catastrophic lack of statesmanship and callous disregard for the well-being of the American people just to have a temper tantrum?

We are s'posed to be putting away childish things. Or are they so broke they can't pay attention?

Are the Republicans still willing to take the fall for the plummeting economy?

By meeting with them so conspicuously, the President keeps the losing team right in the public eye where we can all watch them fiddle around while Rome burns. They have learned nothing from the election losses of their former colleagues and the over-all diminished status of their party. If the Republicans continue to obstruct a recovery, the wealthy business elite who fund them will sink with the rest of us.

It is wise of our new President to hold these misguided boobs in plain view, until it is clear to all that they are not statesmen, and have no regard for the greater good if acting for the public betterment diminishes their perception of their own power. The Republicans' only remaining power, in fact, lies with the well-meaning President's attempts to include them in the process. Once the President realizes these guys don't want to play ball, he'll acknowledge their irrelevance, and get things done without them.

That, and he infuses some backbone into the Democrats. Hearts in the right place, but spine oddly lacking.

Okay, willing to admit that math is not my long suit, but doesn't Mooselini (love this, plan to steal it—wait...I already have!) have to run for Govenor again between now and 2012?

Gosh, if she doesn't win re-election, or runs for the Senate and doesn't win, I'll bet that would just about sink her hopes for a national office. Let's hope the rest of Alaska wakes the hell up.