I had no idea Garrison was a bigot. Well, now I know.

When we were kids ... what a joke! Yes, we had one mommy and one daddy who (not in my case, but in MANY others) hated each other and had no way out of their prison marriages, so they drank and beat their children -- and got away with it because the cops were all daddies and believed the best way to keep mommies in line was with a good right hook ... at least until valium came along.

In this ridiculously overcrowded world, "it's about procreation??" Yes, more babies. Lots and lots of babies. And straight people need to get cracking with more mogonomous sex to make them, because we all know those libidinous homos are just out for their next trick. They're too concerned with polka-dots and sashes. They can't raise a child -- selfish animals!

Oh, GK. If I could send you back, I would. In lieu of, I'll toss that boring movie of yours in the trash with the rest of yesterday's garbage. By the way, you know Lily Tomlin is "one of them," don't you?

I thought when I saw the shitstorm that hit GK over this piece that he must have had a brain-snap, or at least turned the gig over to his evil twin.

Nothing of the sort. The rage and bile of the attacks over it are simply the routine crap of those precious and po-faced (gay or straight) types who can dish it out to the "breeders" any time they feel like, but can't take even a gentle dig in the ribs. Get real.

This piece is tongue-in-cheek, a parody of the prevalent middle-American yearning for mythical good old days. Listen to Prairie Home Companion. He has nothing to apologize for.

If someone hasn't figured out that you are a liberal, tolerant person yet, then they never will. I understood your article in the context it was written. Frankly, there are people who will cross the street to be offended: there are also others who will use your fame to amplify their cause.

Please don't think you have to apologize to me: no offense was taken.

A thinly disguised homophobic rant - just because you may have a liberal point of view on most other issues doesn't mean you can say something like this and not expect to be called on it.

Gay people face real problems in their daily lives that I wouldn't expect you to know or care about - it must be so easy to sit back and be so opinionated about something that doesn't affect you. This article brings absolutely nothing to the table - it's just plain offensive and indistinguishable from the hatred spewed by anti gay groups on a daily basis. Maybe Mr. Keillor would find a more receptive audience there. I for one, know that I don't have Mr. Keillor's acceptance, nor do I want it.

What is it with old white men and their compulsion to tell everybody how they should be dressing and acting? This is tolerance? All this lecturing on how people should parent, from a guy who broke up his family to run off with his Danish teacher. I'd like to hear Garrison yodel a few lines about that.

OH, ha,ha,ha! Mr. Keillor's article made my side split, and he reminded me of so many times my (just happen to be-it's not an issue for THEM now) gay sons came to terms with their sexuality. The alcohol, the drugs, the self-loathing, the suicide attempts, ah, yes, the good times. Oh, and let's not forget the words, the words-behind their backs, to their faces, in school, out of school. Wheeee! Just too much fun for a parent to discuss at length here. But I will speak to their courage, dignity, rigorous honesty and ultimate personal triumph despite it all. Would that all of us heterosexuals could live that way. They are my heroes and being their mother is MY honor.

How does ignoring the emotional well-being of older people lead to raising healthy children? Sounds like a promotion of the cycle of ignorance and abuse. Having grown up in a "traditional" but very abusive Catholic family, I know first hand how the directive to have children for those who don't really want them, and cannot afford them, can lead to emotional problems in later life.

Using stereotypes to force others to fit into one's paradigm of how the world should be just ignores the diversity of life.

I remember an essay from one of his books, talking about how there used to be this raging river standing between you and having sex, and getting married was a ferry across the river to what you'd built up in your mind as some grand paradise on the other side, but now the river has dwindled to a trickle and you can pretty much wade across whenever you want.

It seems to me that if people had chosen to ignore the fact that he was a humorist trying to amuse people, they could have probably railed against this for a multitude of reasons: How dare he imply that the church is the only way to a legitimate relationship, or How dare he imply that the repression of the old days was better, or How dare he talk about marriage this way when he's had failed marriages. Or we could read it and be amused or not, and maybe read more of his stuff or not, and maybe consider him funny or not.

We could probably select most anything created by Will Rogers, Jon Stewart, or Johnny Carson and find something to get cheesed off about too, but that's taking it a little too seriously.

... so please forgive me if this has already been pointed out:

Nature doesn't care about the continuation of the species, either. Nature would do just fine without homo sapiens. Just sayin'.

Very glad that my child and I are alive,

Gordon

I've long contended that Keillor is a homophobe. In a recent "Old Scout" column of 2/13/07 he says about Rudy Giuliani:

"Say what you will about the Current Occupant, there is no video out there of him waltzing around in a long lavender gown and a brassiere, and blond wig, while an aging tycoon nuzzles his chest. He may have sunk low back in his drinking days, but he managed to keep his adventures private. I doubt that former Governor Romney or Senator McCain ever donned women's apparel for the cameras."

Given the storm over this current column, I'm surprised that he has not been taken to task for this one as well. Say what you will about Giuliani, Keillor's obsession with his dressing in drag, and equating it with the worst behavior of W., is just more of Keillor's homophobic venom dressed up in drag as political commentary. No wonder no gay people live in Lake Woebegone.