Gary--

You're a disgusting excuse for a human being! I do NOT agree with Palin's policies, particularly her one on abortion that you cite in which she would not make allowances for rape victims. Yet I am enraged that you so graphically detail a scene of forced sexual intercourse that mimics rape in the following excerpt from your column: "You could practically feel the crowd getting a collective woody as Palin bent Obama and the Democrats over, shoved a leather gag in their mouths and flogged them as un-American wimps, appeasers and losers. "Drill, baby, drill!" the chant ecstatically repeated by the GOP faithful during Rudy Giuliani's speech, acquired a distinctly Freudian subtext after Palin spoke. The more Palin drilled the Democrats, the more hotly the base yearned to drill her." No, I could not practically feel the crowd getting a collective woody, nor do I think her "doability" will/should affect the outcome of this race. Further, your exorbitant attention to her "rack" and other parts of her body only fuel the current misogynistic attitude of our culture, further validating rape!!! You make me sick!

Why on earth would you spend the majority of your article focusing on the ONE political figure who called Obama a N-----? Jesse Jackson is no hero, and he shouldn't be glorified as such in a historical moment like this! Jesse Jackson should have gotten a lot more criticism than he did at the time for using such an offensive word. Instead, what did we get? We got Elizabeth Hasselback crying on The View over how hurtful and damaging she finds that word while Whoopi defended Jackson's use of it! I am SICK of the double standard, and your elevation of Jackson only reinforces such a standard. And how is Oprah "that most almighty American"? Give me a break!

Are you serious wondering why America is paying so much attention to her clothes and her image as First Lady and not to her professional background, skills, etc.? That's all Americans were informed of in terms of Hillary and Palin--what did they wear, do they cry, will they be too emotional in public office, what will their husbands think, is it fair to their children? On and on and on. This crap will never end until America begins to embrace women as more than just moms and baby-makers. Unfortunately, your article does not advance the conversation. It only keeps women in such static roles. Perhaps if your previous columns had championed the positive ROLES and ACTIONS of Hillary and Palin, you wouldn't have the ever-boring task of writing another piece about the mommy job!

If Sarah Palin had made that quip about women's magazines, Salon would have been all over her. Start getting tough with people like Kennedy who are only serving to undermine the REAL progress that women like Clinton and Mahoney actually make!

Thank you for sharing such a beautiful story--it literally brought tears to my eyes. What a beautiful dog and a wonderful friend! My best friend has had a pit bull for several years and she possesses many of the same characteristics that Bruno had: kind, loving, gentle, rarely barked. And I do firmly believe that pets respond positively to good owners; they are not predisposed to be "bad dogs" or "good dogs." It doesn't just magically happen. Obviously, your family devoted a lot of time, care, and attention to Bruno and he returned the same. Shame on the neighbor for suing your parents! She took advantage of an unfortunate accident, I suspect, because of Bruno's breed.

No one is asking you to take a chance with your 9-year-old. It is YOUR CHOICE not to own a pitbull. And it is your responsibility as a parent to teach your child how to behave around ANY ANIMAL, including a pitbull. I hope you are teaching your child not to taunt, tease, or "play" with an animal that they do not know. Animals possess instincts, true. But humans possess rationale thought and should exercise it accordingly. Hope your kid wasn't a biter--although there seems to be A LOT of acceptance and condonement of such behavior out there by PARENTS:

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/when-your-child-is-a-biter/?scp=3&sq=motherlode&st=cse

I've got news for you--humans cannot always be trusted either to behave around children, animals, etc. Ever heard of child abusers? Yeah, there's no "leash" for them, unfortunately, so I'm going to do my best to protect my child by raising them to identify good behavior from bad behavior in order to keep themselves SAFE. I have no clue what you are talking about with regard to "bikes" and how they function as "unpredictable stimuli." Sounds like you've got too much "unpredictable stimuli" of your own. How about this? I'll keep my pets on a short leash and you do the same with your kids! You remain accountable for your dependents, and I will gladly do the same for mine. And by the way--good luck to you if your child ever wants to own a dog one day!

It amazes me how this entire discussion is still being framed in such a way that insists the government let banks like Lehman fail. They were warned, they had ample time and resources to make different choices--like reign in huge bonuses for these fat cat executives. Now, America is insisting they don't want government intervention--that it taints the true objectives of capitalism. You can't have it both ways! Further, the title of this article seems to mimic the documentary, "When the Levees Broke"--hardly the same situation. That was a NATURAL disaster that left many people without choices and resources to get out safely and quickly. I'm tired of any source that continues to validate these CEOs as "victims." Mainstream Americans are the true victims--generations will pay for their bailouts and their bonuses, and that is simply not fair! How about a documentary about that?