Like a couple of other letter writers, I didn't get the show at first. It was only after I dropped all expectations of rationality that I was able to let go and enjoy it. Even my sister, who has steadfastly ignored ATHF, finally gave in to it and finds it wildly hilarious. The show is purely for fun, with no redeeming purpose or point (thank God!).

As for Zacharek's review, anyone who called Pooty Tang an "urban da-da masterpiece" without a hint of irony or snark has no business looking down on Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I mean, Pooty Tang?!? Yeesh.

As soon as I heard that the shooter was "Asian," I knew that whichever nationality/ethnicity he came from would become the subject of a racist bombardment. Sure enough, the assault began within hours of the massacre. Racism is perhaps the most predictable aspect of this society; we in the Black community know well how this process works. Whenever one member of a minority group commits a crime or otherwise transgresses societal norms, all member of that group are called to acount for the individual's actions. So we can expect not only blatantly racist blog posts, but network and cable news stories devoted to the same skewed questions. The targeted "aliens" will doubtless expand to include other, more traditionally hated groups as well. Muslims have already been targeted; immigrants will soon be singled out. It would be positively unamerican for our home-grown bigots to miss an opportunity to exploit a tragedy to advance their psychotic viewpoint.

Of course, when the criminal is white, all whites are not held accountable for that person's crimes. The vast majority of mass murderers and serial killers in this country have been white males, but we will never see any attempt to saddle all white men with the guilt for their crimes. Timothy McVeigh, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy and BTK all came and went, taking many times more victims with them, yet there has never been an anti-white male outcry about them. The crimes of whites don't fit into any racist narrative, so they aren't used to fuel collective guilt in the way those committed by minorities are.

And, quite possibly, a twit.

This, coming from the editor of a "magazine" that over the years has published so many sexually explicit pieces that I have lost count, is utterly ridiculous. You have had authors who wrote graphically of screwing their boyfriends with strap-on dildoes, fisting, performing in porn movies, their exploits as hookers, etc. (Not to mention Aylet Waldman's forays into verbal child abuse.) Yet here you are, complaining that Jane Fonda crossed the line by merely sitting in Stephen Colbert's lap and kissing him. The hypocrisy you display here is simply amazing.

Perhaps you feel more comfortable just reading about graphic sex acts, rather than watching a hilarious appearance by an actress on a talk show. That may be why you have no qualms about publishing articles such as the one detailing a porn actress's attempt to set a record for the most consecutive sex acts in a single day. (I'm sure you remember that one.) Before you write another piece like this one, however, I hope you go through Salon's vast erotica archives and reacquaint yourself with some of the things you have published. Then we can have an honest discussion about the appropriateness of sexuality in any other venue.

Walsh's screed reminds me of the reaction of the Washington press corps and pundits to Stephen Colbert's appearance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. So many wrote to assert that it wasn't funny, that it was bullying (Richard Cohen) and impolite. Many of the attendees (and targets) found Colbert's performance to be an affront because he went against traditions of the format and broke out of his prescribed role.

That sounds remarkably similar to Walsh's post and many of the comments on this thread.

As was Colbert's bit leading into her appearance. If it was uncomfortable at all, it was in precisely the same way Colbert's typical interactions with his guests are squirm-inducing. She turned the audience's (and perhaps Colbert's) expectations upside down and went outside of the role set for her. It was Colbert's reaction that made it work, however. While I have no idea whether or not he was in on it, seeing him try not to squirm with Fonda on his lap and struggle to get through the interview was hilarious.