But if some asshole tried to put his foot in the door of my car to keep me from shutting it, he would soon be sporting a cast on that foot.

I actually did that to a Mormon freak who stuck his foot in my home's door to keep me from shutting it once. It was one of the most satisfying moments of my life to watch him hobble off my porch. They never came back.

These right wing morons make a BIG mistake if they think every leftist hippy is a committed pacifist. I spent a lot of my younger days in the mills and woods and I know how to throw a punch as well as any pampered fool like O'Rielly. You throw one good punch at any of these fools and they'd be reduced to whimpering pants pissers. Hell.. glarin' at 'em is usually enough to send 'em scurryin'.

didn't buy the McMansions, work on Wall Street as investment bankers, run major corporations, start foreign wars, run the government debt up "off budget", or sell bonds to China to finance the national debt.

I don't know what you're smoking, but it must be closer to crack than the herb most "hippies" are fond of.

Re: Radio as a bastion of authoritarianism... Three letters: NPR

Yes, I know... and before the howling mob descends on me, I will acknowledge as much frustration as any long time listener (and 3 station subscriber) to the pussy footing attempts that NPR makes to appear to be even handed, but I sincerely value what I get out of the richly varied programming offered up by the non commercial radio stations in this country. Not just the national affiliates, but also, and particularly the quirky independents that are loosely affiliated with one or another of the national public radio services.

I've been a avid listener to All things ... and Morning edition since they started. While I howl at the right wing stooges they allow to come on, I think even that serves a purpose. They're not perfect, but overall I think the quality of the programming and reporting is excellent. I can always go check on things and cross reference on the internet later (or even simultaneously, should I choose).

And then there's the long form like This American Life. They ran by far the best analysis of the current economic condition that I've heard, seen, or read anywhere.

So.. no... in my estimation... radio is the lifeline to my newsworld. I'm not prepared to surrender it to the Limbaughs of the world.

But I, for one, am a guy who likes a normal bush on a woman. Even when engaging in one of my favorite activities: carpet munching (how's that for a euphemism)... or "canyon yodelling" (another fave). I think obsessively shaved females are a sign of a fetish, not the opposite. After all... pubic hair is the natural condition.

Just my two cents as a guy.

What about the recently departed Vice President making the rounds of every forum that will have him, spreading the certainty that Obama is responsible for making us more certain to be the victim of another terrorist attack?

This subject gets batted back and forth and in the end NOBODY changes their opinion. It's just like abortion in that regard. Both sides WANT the controversy in order to stir up "their side".

I've lived out in rural Oregon all my life. ! grew up with the then pervasive hunting and fishing culture, although my father didn't do either anymore. I had plenty of friends who did, though. Still do. I've never personally known a real "gun nut", since most folks that I run into in deep blue western Oregon are fairly liberal democrats. Most of whom own guns. Sometimes quite a few. I have NO fear of any of these good, honest, rural folks EVER going ballistic and shooting cops or me. I do sort of get upset when they want to kill cougars and bears, but that's another topic.

As far as gun control goes, I really think it's a totally ginned up, and counter productive fight for the left, or progressives, or whatever you want to call my "side" to stir up. I think this mainly because I don't believe that ANY of even the more draconian ideas would work AT ALL. This country is awash in guns. And while the bumper sticker paranoia of "when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns" is predictably cartoonish, there's a distinct kernel of truth in there.

Think of the parallel of illegal drugs. In spite of being COMPLETELY illegal, and in spite of the BILLIONS of dollars spent trying to suppress the use of drugs, there are MORE illegal drugs readily available in this country than ever before. Is there any reason to think that guns would be any different? No. In fact, it would be FAR worse, if gun ownership were to be driven further underground than it already is. The harder you make it for people who are, remember, basically law abiding to own the firearms they want, the more "criminals" you're going to create and the worse the black market is going to get. That is a GIVEN to me.

I think that the gun control lobby should just surrender to the inevitable. Take this issue OFF the table for the right wing idiots. I KNOW... I know, I know, I know... the NRA will NEVER let go of the cash cow of scaring a certain portion of fools in order to shake money out of them for Frenchie LaPierre's luxurious life style. But at least the issue would be blunted for the vast majority of the gun owning public like my friends and neighbors.