Personally I did not like the comment Ms. Griffin made about Jesus. I felt badly about it, more like I had been assaulted verbally and was hurt rather than angry. But I agree that she should be entitled to her views and is entitled to express them in the marketplace of ideas. I agree that attempts to suppress such speech are inappropriate if we are to live in a free and open society.

I agree that it is wrong to deny an appointment to a tenured position on the basis of a person's views.

I agree that it is wrong to cancel a play because members of the jewish community might not agree with the views expressed.

But I have to wonder if this principled position is truly tenable now, or has ever been truly tenable in the past. Freedom of expression has always existed within broad but definite limits of societal repugnance. People are not supportive of Holocaust denial, rabid anti-semitism, or many other concepts which threaten commonly accepted ideas of ordinary decency. Always there are stated and unstated limits, although various individuals and groups may view them differently.

As to the remarks about Jesus, I am sure He has heard worse. He has broad shoulders and a desire to forgive remarks like this amongst the many other evils needing forgiveness in this world. I believe that I and his other followers should do likewise, but I do wish Ms. Griffin had not made this unfortunate remark.

In the midst of a dog and pony show like this it would be nice to have some half time entertainment between interviews. Perhaps we could see a rock star singing one of his signature songs accompanied with a sound and light show. And we might enjoy seeing a beautiful woman in hope of witnessing a titillating wardrobe malfunction.

Of course the family values types would vociferously complain to the FCC about the wardrobe malfunction, while never even noticing the larger issues in play you write about...No doubt some of them would be monitoring T.V. programming. Surely only a small minority would be toe tapping morse code messages in the public restrooms of the nation.

Jesus used to call this sort of thinking straining at gnats while swallowing camels!

I find the inability of Democratic Senators and Congressmen to confront the nonsense of the Republicans on Iraq inexplicable and inexcusable. They remind me of General Weygand in the Battle of France in 1940. When Churchill asked where his reserves were as the Germans broke through the Allied lines, he replied "Aucun", - There are none!

Weygand represented the complete failure of will, planning and competence among the governing elites of Third Republic France, the rot that caused its complete collapse before the Nazi onslaught.

Comical Ali, the Saddam Hussein press secretary in Baghdad, assuring the world of heroic Iraqi efforts in the mother of all battles against the Americans during the 2003 invasion, was another example of this incompetence and disconnect from reality.

So, too, is the dog and pony show unfolding in Congress with General Petraeus.

The Republicans are past all hope. They require a substantial period of exile from power to regroup, reevaluate, and rejuvenate the GOP.What is worse is that the Democrats appear incapable at this point of providing competent government based on reality and the long term best interests of the Republic.

Hi Glenn:

When you have your new book ready for distribution, perhaps you could go on tour with a theme song - MACHO MAN by the village people.

Any Republican scouts monitoring your appearances promoting the book could be told to stay at the YMCA if in need of overnight accomodation.

Sorry, I just could not resist!

Regards,

Tom

Hi Glenn:

When you have your new book ready for distribution, perhaps you could go on tour with a theme song - MACHO MAN by the village people.

Any Republican scouts monitoring your appearances promoting the book could be told to stay at the YMCA if in need of overnight accomodation.

Sorry, I just could not resist!

Regards,

Tom