MM's so obviously trying to score empty political points. Conservatives really do suffer from congnative dissonance, don't they? I don't see the conservative blogosphere being nearly as proactive in policing hate and bias, yet they seem to run around whining about it constantly.

I think Malkin completely missed a good opening there. She could have taken the opportunity to show some of that vaunted "compassion" she and her cohorts so richly squawk about. Of course, no such luck. I am honestly thinking that the neocon mindset is just fundamentally unable to drop out of power play mode for even one second- just one second!

MM is like a board poster who whines about trolls...then keeps on feeding them. As awful as this might sound, I think that she likes the attention on some level. All publicity is good publicity...ask her pal, Ann Coulter.

Actually, a lot's not adding up. Plus, that comment he left in that article is a bit, uh, troubling. It's incredibly, INCREDIBLY, different than the original accounting that he gives. I'm thinking that Salon may not have fact-checked this.

OK...deface? Because she decided to bond with some clippers? Get a tatt or two?

And, while we're at it, what's with the, "Oh, NOES! She did a sexy stripper act! Oh, GOD! What will happen? What a disgusting, scandalous woman!"

Salon, puh-lease!

I was in G & T in primary school, but thrown out due to shaky math skills (yeah, well, who knew that I liked more theoretical stuff, logic, and games more than the normal stuff?) My sister...not so much. In fact, she got thrown out of our exclusive, all-girls' private school at the same time I was offered a free ride. She HATES me, and has been jealous and abusive all my life.

I spent my free time watching the girls who could regurgitate well get the academic glory, while all of my teachers made a silent pact to just let me go my own way. I was the first kid on the Internet, the first one programming, the one who cut classes to sing the whole day, the kid who worked on her fantasy novel during chem...they all knew to leave me be, because their hands were tied.

My father? Well, he tried very, very hard to keep me from going to said school in the first place, and was completely unsupportive of my classical voice and ballet career aspirations. He was a professional musician himself, and he took pains to tell me that I would "never be an artist" like he was. My mother? She helped out when it would make her look good, but mysteriously lost my financial aid award info when I was accepted to Simon's Rock at 16. Her passive-aggressive actions killed any desire I had to partake in formal education. It also made me feel just wonderful to find her waving a list of college recruitment letters under people's noses in the dance school lobby.

I went to college for the sheer hell of it, dropping out in a year and a half(free ride again, this time to a Baby Ivy) after suffering horrendous boredom, anxiety, depression, and bottled-up anger (because perfect people don't show anger...that's selfish!). My college profs actually tried to keep me back because they thought me dim (!), or because they simply didn't challenge me (I was singing the coloratura runs from the "Queen of the Night" aria junior year of HS...and had my college teacher pulling out the 24 Italian Songs?!!?).

From there, yeah- I was truly a mess. I was the youngest member of the NJ State Opera chorus, with a fast track to move up the company. Nope. I left. Same with the NY Oratorio Society . Left. I didn't get the concept of having to work- not when I had always been taught that my brilliance was enough to get me through. I worked retail and other jobs, but was too alpha to actually be under someone as an employee.

I felt guilt over what I am. I still do. I just figured out- JUST- that I'd have to write a business plan for my numerous enterprises that I'm attempting to launch. I'm kicking myself for even needing that! :( I've learned to not hate myself for what I am, but I have to actually learn how to work. My life is my own, and no one else is to blame for the quality of the fruit that I was given. I have to make yummy lemonade or sangria. That's that.

Gifted programs would do well to make people realize that while they're worth something, there's still the need to stretch one's self in order to grow and get anywhere as a human being. The book "Mindset" is a definite biggie on my reading list! Schools also need to do a better job screening- I completely agree with the others who have brought this point up. Students that are able to simply puke up the textbook prettily on command shouldn't be held up as examples of acheivement when there are students in your midst who are programming fractals in BASIC.

I don't even want to think about the poor kids in the inner city who are gifted. That just makes me sad. I'm Black, and I was super, super lucky to be noticed.