The initial reactions to the "missing" final panels demonstrate with vigor why Berk Breathed is leaving the daily strip to focus on children's books, where he will not be a part of the pettiness and vileness that causes even ostensible fans to become abusive raving lunatics with potty-mouths who trash the artist of the work they allegedly love and desire. & they were upset over what exactly? The last panels weren't there for them to see. Temporarily. No one expects the vile right-wing neo-turds to look into their souls and discover just why they hate, hate, hate so much. But those of you who did publish your pettiness for all to see - won't you take a look inside and find out why you're such assholes? Or would you rather say goodnight to goodness like the right-wing goons who poison the air with racism and hatred as we race to the polls?

Goodnight, Opus. & peace to you, Berk - I look forward to your greatest work.

Apparently America still has a long way to go before it will elect its first openly gay President.

But at least it's good to know that most people's racism is weaker than their homophobia.

I suppose that's good news. Of a kind.

Of course, now we know the key hot-button issue of the 2012 GOP congressional races.

Some of you are truly amusing. Ayers says, The media portrayed me as a cartoon character. People respond, Ayers acted like a cartoon character.

Thereby validating Ayers' complaint: the only way you know anything about Ayers, unless you are or were one of his acquaintances, is through the recent media spotlight of his past.

Truly amusing!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I lost! Waaaaaaaaah! I'm a sore loser! Waaaaaaaaaah! (Reverend Wright Boogeyman!) Waaaah!

(Hint: Match certain grammatical patterns to determine which of our notorious trolls has changed their ID in order to get out from under all their previous assertive boasting of a McCain victory.)

A fresh copy of the US Constitution to anyone who gets it right!!!

The tendency of liberals toward sympathy and forgiveness, often expressed by Joan Walsh and other writers at Salon, is the smooth blacktop on the paved road of American fascism.

It's amazing to see. A vicious right-wing thug like Sarah Palin elicits miles of sympathy because her rampant ignorance was exposed in a phone prank. Condi Rice, someone who enabled (if not promoted and supported) the war crimes of the Bush Administration, gets a nod of forgiveness because she's excited that Obama won.

In a matter of months, liberals will inundate us with demands that the country "heal," that we "forgive and forget," "let bygones be bygones," roll up our sleeves and get on with the hard work of nation-rebuilding together.

Well. I look forward to it. I've got one fucking thing to say to heartless Joan Walsh and all the other mealy-mouthed forgive-and-forget enablers of war crimes, fascism, and other oppression:

Tell it to the millions of dead Iraqis.

When they forgive and forget, I will too.

Anybody want to give odds on the following:

I'll give it a shot, and add a couple more. Though I must note that I am not a professional odds-maker, bookie, or otherwise associated with the honorable profession of gambling.

Palin winds up as a commentator on Fox or some other three-feet-to-the-right-of-Attila-the-Hun program?

2:1

(Full disclosure: I got peeps at Fox who say this is already in discussions, but no decision will be made until January.)

Levi and Bristol never get married?

100:1

Odds they will marry and divorce within 5 years of wedding date:

2:1

Palin pops out yet another kid before she's done?

No chance. Had we seen her medical records, you'd know why.

She runs for governor of Alaska again and is reelected?

20:1

She takes over Stevens' Senate seat via special election:

5:1

She "writes" a book?

1:1 - the deal is already in the works.

NADER JUMPS THE SHARK

See ya later, Ralphie.

Rahm is a pitbull. With no lipstick.

Sick 'em, Rahm!

"My bigotry overrides both my legal reasoning and my sense of decorum."

Throw the bum out, many Democrats say. This sentiment is particularly strong among Obama supporters.

I wonder: What happened to all that rosy talk about unity?

Tell me, in this matter of exacting political vengeance for a failure to toe the party line, are Democrats any different than the Bush Republicans they have derided, often for this very type of behavior?

And have you idiots forgotten one of the great maxims of life?

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

(Party unity, my ass...)

When you are reaping the benefits of caucusing with the Democrats when they are in power in the Senate, you *don't* get to go on national TV and proclaim that it will be a disaster for the nation if the Democrats gain 60 seats.

I'll add "political naivete" and "hatred of free speech" alongside "obsessed with vengeance" to your list of attributes.

Maybe all three of those could be lumped into "intolerance of alternative ideas" to categorize you (and a bunch of other Obama supporters, it seems).

It's good to know that the ideological commitment of so many Obama supporters is tissue-paper thin. It's good to know you all place party loyalty above the good of the nation as whole. It's good to know Democrats are so committed to vendetta as a political tool. It's good to know you all practice the Christian ideal of forgiveness so well.

Let's hope Obama stands by his promises, claims and other commitments longer than his supporters have.

(By the way: I personally despise Joe Lieberman. But I despise hypocrites and fools even more.)

... for some loony to get in here and spout ridiculous gibberish about Mayans and 2012.

It's going to be a looooooooooong four years....

This kangaroo court assemblage of biased blowhards certainly effectively demonstrates that Rather was indeed railroaded. Rather will "win" this - meaning CBS will settle to keep things like this hush-hush.

Listen: hear that? It's Ed Murrow, spinning in his grave.