* One problem with reading only the editors choice letters is that I might miss a response to a letter of my own that I want to read because neither one is selected. There have actually been some occasions like that. I could have missed out on a link to a really great recipe for braised short ribs, too!

* That misogynistic screed about Broadsheet pretty much demonstrates why some readers/letter writers are being turned off by the letters feature, not just at this column, but where ever there is a letters forum in Salon.

* Speaking of "Salon," I'd like to see Salon post a definition of what a salon is, or at least their mission or vision of what they want their salon to be. I, too, used to come to Salon for every fragment of political news I could, too, because it was such a desert back then, but even then Salon had other kinds of stories, essays, reviews, and even gossip.

Regardless, I knew then what I still think of now when I see "Salon" in any kind of literary context. I think of Gertrude Stein, who was as iconoclastic as they come, and the gatherings she and Alice B. Toklas would host. Edith Wharton entertained literary and artistic guests, as well, along with her other guests, while she ran her household with a great attention to detail. Without Stein's patronage, many artists would not have sold enough work to make their names, or had enough to eat until they did. Sometimes the invitation might be by another guest, but it could not be assumed to be an open invitation to return any time you like. Good behavior was expected, and bad behavior might be forgiven but only at the host's discretion. Conversation was not only about politics, but also about art and culture, with probably some gossip thrown in, as well. Willa Cather comes to mind, too, though I don't think she hosted any salons, but spent quite a bit of time as an editor, before she gave herself over to writing fiction.

Interestingly, none of these women had children, and only Wharton was married. Nor did any of them want to be part of a ghetto of women writers; they avoided that sentence like the plague. Being childless probably made that possible. Today, however, women may both write and have children, perhaps because they can have fewer than in the past. (Perhaps they also write fewer books than childless women, e.g., Marilynne Robinson.) And fathers also take more interest in their children than they did in the past, not only because women expect it, but also because they find it rewarding. Parenthood and discussions of how to negotiate its sometimes treacherous waters are not going away anytime soon, at least not as long as we still have some forms of contraception available. We shouldn't take contraception for granted, though. Yet, our culture at large still has a problem when it comes to reconciling working and parenting-- Vargas, anyone?-- and how this sea change affects gender roles. This is to our great detriment. Does anyone really wonder that there is a need for Broadsheet and not regret that it is, in fact, needed?

* I know from experience that Salon's editors will indeed select letters that seriously disagree with them. I don't know for sure, but suspect that since they are editors, they probably love language for its own sake, and care even more about syntax and grammar and punctuation than perhaps a civil tone, and certainly more than whether you agree with them or not. As for civility, if it were up to me, I would take a more peremptory approach and simply delete those comments that I did not believe would advance or elevate the conversation. For me free speech means that we can say what we want to those more powerful than we are without being put into jail. It is not a license for insults or, as mentioned above, misogynistic screeds, or to prey upon others, especially when they are vulnerable. If Salon were called, say, Jungle, then I might expect something different.

so much for civility.

since it was too long, and not as well-written as it should have been. I don't get "red stars" that often, but I can tell when a letter is good enough to get one. That one wasn't.

However, I was trying to verify that it had posted, because it was not showing up-- Server?-- as well as to see if there were any more letters.

I was surprised that an insult could follow so quickly. Fast reader!