"Politically correct is what some people call you if they don't like it when you ask them to have some respect for other people."

I think SOMETIMES politically correct is what some people call you when they have compassion fatigue. It's not so much that they're racist. It's "oh my GOD, is this another thing I have to worry about? Why can't I just enjoy a freakin' baseball game?"

And I do think, in a way, it's about Cleveland not seeming to get much credit for their post-season play--they really do seem to be getting all the little things right, as some previous poster said--and when you write a big article on the Indians, it's about their racist mascot? You know? When Cleveland fans are just really jazzed about how well their team is doing. And then it gets all tangled up in Midwesterners' irritation about how east and west coasters seem to think about "flyover country" (notwithstanding the fact that a lot of those east and west coasters are former Midwestern high-school geeks with big chips on their shoulders and something to prove). Mmmm... I just love to be patronized in print by everyone who *knows* what's best for me... a former high-school geek myself who somehow managed to resist the siren song of the coasts, and has managed to live in various parts of the Midwest all my life without either developing that chip or voting Republican--well, maybe I'm a freak.

I, personally, can see why some would find the Chief Wahoo caricature racist. OTOH, I don't find it personally offensive, and my outrage meter has been topped so many times lately that I can't quite make it rise beyond "eh" at the moment.

For now, I'm going to enjoy the baseball and hope the whole thing is sorted out by people who CAN sort it out. Unlike myself, just another cracker in Flyoverland.

Everyone is telling the Red Sox to do that on the Fox broadcast right now. Does that mean "do what the cowboys did to the indians?"

Just wondering.

Just wondering if that's going to merit a column about the racism of Fox and Red Sox fans?

It just wouldn't have occurred to me to mention it until I read your column today (and all the letters--and I did read all the letters).

I think I might change my alias to "Cracker in Flyoverland"--I kind of enjoy that.

I've volunteered at shelters, and I've adopted from rescues, and I know the drill. And I'll tell you this:

If shelters want to reduce the number of pet animals purchased from pet stores and backyard breeders, they need to take a good, hard look at their policies. Yes, there are plenty of unscrupulous people, or people you "just don't like the look of"--but there are also plenty of people who, when you explain something to them, say "gee, I never thought about it that way before". And then you end up with a better pet home than you thought when the person walked in. Send 'em away, though, and they'll just go somewhere else--that somewhere being the pet store, most probably.

No rescue and most shelters wouldn't let me adopt or foster right now because I have two unaltered males at home--one still intact because I hope to breed him eventually (he's an excellent Agility dog) once all relevant testing is finished and if I can find the right female, and one because I'm waiting for him to fully mature (chest dropping, develop a little more muscle) before neutering. My dogs are well-trained, well-controlled and not allowed near a female in heat--but as far as most rescues/shelters are concerned I am irresponsible.

BTW, Heather, I've used pinch collars, and there's nothing inherently wrong with them as long as they are fitted correctly--but pulling rank by saying "I asked Cesar Milan about this" would get my back up as well.

I was shocked also when I saw how much you paid for your dog. $500? Is that standard in L.A.? My purebreds-from-a-reputable-breeder didn't cost that much! And my rescue boy was $150 (in Illinois, and this was some years ago, but still!)

Is why a 7-year old is wearing a bra? I was nowhere near wearing a bra at 7. The early developers in my class (mid 70's) started wearing bras at 10 or 11, and yeah, they kind of were freaks in school (sorry, it's true). Does she really NEED the bra (which seems like a problem) or is it a matter of fashion (also a problem, but less so)?

Also "urinate" and "bowel movement". Why can't we do this? We're all adults here. And children can learn these words too.

I read the post twice. Then I read the letters. I don't understand what all the outrage is about. It sounds like politics. Obama's campaign says "hey, we're gonna start attacking Hillary" (kind of a wussy thing to say--maybe they should just attack?) Then Hillary's campaign says "hey, isn't this inconsistent with the 'politics of hope'?" Yeah, whatever. It seems like mild sniping on both sides. Why is it worth getting all up in arms about?