Having a Darth Cheney public statement of support is essentially the Kiss of Death for any GOP politico. Behind the scenes, Hastert's probably already been offered a cushy parachute into Halliburton...too bad it won't be in Iraq.

...trying to figure out why it's important to list whether one had an abortion. Is it a form of outing? So that readers can say, "Well, if so-and-so had one, I guess it's OK." or "If so-and-so had one, well, geez, I wouldn't want her punished"?

While I can see (but do not agree with) the logic of that mindset, I don't see any other upside.

I respect a woman's right to a safe and legal abortion but just don't get this tactic.

the highway from the airport is still too dangerous for travel.

So, after nearly 3,000 of our soldiers are dead, countless others are wounded and maimed for life, thousands of Iraqs are in similarly sad conditions, and we're mired in this mess for the long haul, Ms. Prada can't travel the main road to Baghdad because of safety reasons...but there's no civil war and Rummy's still doin' a "Brownie" of a job?

Can we drop-kick her and the whole lying bunch of crooks into the unsafe zone and let them play in traffic for a while? Pretty please?!

It is indeed time to open the doors of hypocrisy and to out legislators who vote against gay-rights legislation. There are few circumstances in which I (an out lesbian) favor outing but this is one of them. It's called full disclosure, and the voting public--gay and otherwise--has a right to know.

I applaude the Victory Fund, which declined to give Foley campaign money because he was not willing to come out.

And, yes, the mainstream media needs to stop holding its nose when covering (when it does at all) gay rights issues. But there's so much wrong with the MSM right now that, hell, I'll settle for small steps--such as it actually reporting on the mess its made in Iraq.

...as long as they vote with Focus on the Family X% of the time, don't ya know.

What's next, Fred Phelps defending Mark Foley?

Kudos...I agree with everything you said. And as a lesbian living in Pennsylvania, I'll happily cast my ballot against Santorum next month. Too f*ckin' bad if his gay staffer's out of a job come January. You work for a gay-basher, you go down with him, too.

...'cause if I could wear a t-shirt and jeans (or shorts) every day, I'd be happy. But I'm a damned good accessorizer--must be my uterus talking. ;-)

Here's a tip from a liberal who didn't know you could look more stupid than you already do: Don't answer the door unless the guy's wearing a Domino's uniform.

So that's what man-boy love looks like...eeewww!

are not true patriots. For if they do indeed truly feel as DeFrank writes they do, then they should have put the flag and its people ahead of political gain and steered the party and then the country away from Duh-b-ya. Instead, they kept their mouths shut and continued to make their big bucks on various boards, making $$$ speeches, etc. and watched this country sink into its current abyss.

To me, Jack Murtha is one of the ultimate patriots--he has had the courage (and patriotism) to criticize the Marines, a group that he clearly holds deep in his heart and soul, for the atrocities some may have committed. For the betterment of the whole institution. I may disagree with other views he holds, but I truly respect him for that stance.

The 41s can go back to their gated communities, board rooms and golf outings with 41 himself. Still they hide behind a reporter. They don't deserve our respect.

...the vote of every Lord of the Rings fan in PA...assuming any are Republicans to begin with.

That chick's all plastic, too, and in the right demographic range. They'd probably have gotten her cheaper, too.

Give me a Helen Mirren, Emma Thompson, Julianne Moore or Jamie Leigh Curtis any day. They're real women who are beautiful as they are. Somebody tell Demi (and Helene Rubenstein's misguided execs) that laugh lines can be sexy. Hell, I laugh every time I see one of those clowns who's paid a ton of money for lipo-this and lift-that and often give space aliens a run for their money.

P.S. And I agree, the Dove campaign is great. Real women rock! Plastic ones...well, they'll last as long as Tupperware but...

...to covering your own (Salon's) columns? Now I feel like a john (and an unsatisfied one at that) for plunking down good money for my premium membership. The column was boring to begin with...

The "Slut-o-ween" concept can be pretty freakin' funny, particularly if it's turned on its head. If a hairy guy dons one of these costumes...or a butch lesbian. I've tried for a while to get my 5'11" fairly butch partner to dress up in a French maid's outfit for Halloween. "That's not funny," she says. Oh, but it is!

Halloween, for the greater non-pagan community is meant to be a let-your-hair-down, fun, festive occasion, whether for kids or adults. (For many pagans, of course, it has spiritual significance as well.)

Why the Times and now Salon has to analyze the slutty custome issue to death is beyond me. If you want a political angle, how about how some Christian groups see it as a devil-worshipping opportunity and try to ban it?

Josh, thanks for a beautifully written, insightful article. I'll forever think of maraschinos as "the neon bouys" in Shirley Temples. Who knew these little gems of Americana could capture our lives--childhoods and adulthoods--so well?

My big childhood memory of the maraschino is kind of campy/kind of sinister: My mother would pluck hers from her sundae and ask my brother and me, "Who wants the poison cherry?" Sick little buggers, we both would say "Me!"