This really is A Tale of Two Websites. There is the boring, endless and self-indulgent hijacking of two threads over the weekend. And then, just when I think I am going to leave Girlstown forever, Leslie Stahl shows up with an interview that makes me unpack my luggage. She is always a class act. http://www.wowowow.com/conversation/unhappy-first-ladies-lesley-stahl-ga…

Carol. Here is the Random House Dictionary definition of the word as it is most commonly (and currently) used. Perhaps this will explain why it can be inflammatory and anti-gay. les•bo Pronunciation: (lez’bō), [key] —n., —pl. -bos. Slang (disparaging and offensive). a lesbian. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplea

Fannie, I am reposting this because I finally found your post. Csanders Mugsy, Those of us who are not gay do not know that the word in question is now acceptable, even empowering in the Lesbian community. My response was a visceral one as I thought you were using it in the traditional way as a disparaging slang term for Lesbian. We are not the only ones having difficulty with this usage. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/77907-Scrabble-Attacked-for-Le… I tried to respond to other posters in your home regarding this but frankly couldn’t find it as the thread is very long and on to different subjects.

Mugsy, Those of us who are not gay do not know that the word in question is now acceptable, even empowering in the Lesbian community. My response was a visceral one as I thought you were using it in the traditional way as a disparaging slang term for Lesbian. We are not the only ones having difficulty with this usage. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/77907-Scrabble-Attacked-for-Le… I tried to respond to other posters in your home regarding this but frankly couldn’t find it as the thread is very long and on to different subjects.

What is this—Mean Girls, Geriatric Style? Your limerick is both tasteless and troubling.

Mugsy, Who is “we”? In a previous post you talked about “dicks falling off”. I don’t have a problem with what you said or Frank talking about Kama Sutra on a thread about gray hair. We all passed our 21st birthday a long, long time ago and some even use the F word on occasion in our speech. Children aren’t reading these boards. I think we can argue, discuss and yes, even vent, in a realsitic way. This community is too vast, public and diverse for us to mandate how people speak. Lively debate is interesting to read. It’s not always pretty but it is a dialogue. None of us are at our best when when we post in anger.

Mugsy, What is unacceptable on this site? I haven’t been following this thread so could you please enlighten me re: which post you are referencing? We all don’t have to like each other or agree with what others say or how they say it, but the 1st ammendment gives all of us the right to say it. As on all message boards, only obscene, racist, harrassing or threatening posts are unacceptable and should be deleted. Ladies, the internet is a wild and wooly place. That’s the good news and the bad news. That having been said, I am no fan of Ann Coulter. Carry on.

NY Times editorial on Obama: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/04/opinion/04fri1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogi…

This is fabulous. Thank you. An interesting summer read for Raymond Chandler fans: http://www.amazon.com/Long-Embrace-Raymond-Chandler-Woman/dp/0375423516/…

Dutchess, You might want to think about developing a more adult attitude about dealing with your job. This site has very uneven content—some of it is wonderful and some of it is terribly amateurish and sloppy. With all the brain power on the masthead, readers expect a certain level of sophistication and intelligence. Your response is bratty and unprofessional.

I agree, Peggy Sue. What a fresh way to describe love of country. Some fireworks for the Fourth: To Catch a Thief http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjk4aWVJ27I

A truly different kind of feminism: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/07/02/20080702FLDSDress.html I hope they do well. This could almost be a Hollywood ending to a nightmare.

“And how somehow, suddenly, women are showing up in boardrooms and on red carpets with the most unexpectedly fierce fashion accessory of all: the Power-Gray head of hair” Anyone know the names of these companies that love to have grey-haired women in their boardrooms? Please post a list. Could be empowering at a time when older folks are not exactly being recruited by corporate America. Why O Why do I feel this piece could have been written by my 17 year old grandson—trying hard to be relevant to Ol’ Granny and thinking that everyone older with light hair is gray.

More history: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQnzb0Jj074 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYZoeMKkxkg&feature=related

Daughters of the American Revolution? A history lesson for the writer: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/eleanor.html