The book that Sarah Palin tried to get banned from the local library was “Pastor, I Am Gay” by Rev. Howard Bess, an evangelical minister. He tells the story in the book how he came to the conclusion while counseling an individual that there is nothing wrong with being gay — nothing to cure, nothing to pray about because he thinks that gays have a special mission from God. Here is a link to an article about it: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/15/bess/

Damned fine breakdown of the differences in the candidates. I will be passing that along via email. You only left out Joe Biden being sworn into office at the hospital bedsides of his two sons after the loss of their mother and sister in a horrific accident. Joe has always put his family first.

I don’t believe it is considered mudslinging if it is the truth!

Joe Biden is the smartest person running. I think he and Obama are going to make a GREAT team. McCain is wrong on so many levels. I cannot believe I heard him say on TV today that the economy is in fine shape! I guess if I had access to the millions he does, I would think it was in great shape, too. It is time to forget about Palin, and focus on the real problems at hand—the war and the economy. Besides, Joe Biden will destroy Sarah Palin in the debates. I get a grin on my face just thinking about it.

Gee, I hope getting her bones picked didn’t make Cindy pick up a bottle of pills … again! Why isn’t there a lot of discussion of her addiction and John’s lack of response to it? And how did she get out of jail time for having her doctor write prescriptions in her employee’s names for narcotics?

I think if you are going to call someone else uneducated, Gina Gina, you might want to learn the difference between “your” and “you’re.” And your comments about class show how little you have of it. People with class do not call others the names you call the women on the The View, or anyone else for that matter, in your comments. And FYI, McCain showed his racism in his commercial saying that Obama was disrespectful to Palin when he used the expression “pig in lipstick” which McCain uses all the time. I am not sure of your age Gina Gina, but once upon a time, black men who were disrespectful to white women were whipped or lynched. I am white and I find McCain extremely racist and I am ashamed of his behavior, Barbara Walters was right to question him as she did and he evaded her questions like the master Republican politician that he is.

Their kids weren’t twins. I have read a lot about this case and was fascinated by an HBO documentary by one of the Rosenberg’s granddaughters. She interviewed numerous people and determined that, yes, Julius did spy, but that Ethel’s brother lied about her involvement in an attempt to get a lighter sentence—which he did. The prosecutor thought he could use Ethel as leverage against Julius; he didn’t realize that Julius would take Ethel with him to his death. If I remember correctly, they executed Julius first in the hopes that Ethel would say something against Julius and they would have converted her death sentence to life imprisonment. She would not speak against Julius even though she could have saved herself and watched her children grow up. I still do not understand it.

I am so offended by McCain’s ad saying that Obama called Palin a pig (which is an insult to the pig when you think about it) and that it was disrespectful. My first thought was: Did McCain MEAN to refer to the old Jim Crow days when a black male could be lynched for being disrespectful to a white woman? If McCain is that ignorant, then he has no business being President. It is evident that the McCain Administration would be the same pack of lying liars that we have in there now.

I loved Johnny Cash and June Carter. They made magic on the stage, and apparently off, too. His later music just rips into my soul—his voice so weak but his spirit still strong.

If I go a week without getting at least seven hours of sleep a night, I turn into a big blubbering mess. Lack of sleep gives me a major crying jag. On top of that, the new nasal antihistamine I am using at night has been giving me the most wild and crazy dreams. These are dreams like the prophets used to write about—full of bold colors and bizarro details. And the mention earlier of orgasmic bliss for good sleep … all I can add to that is Amen!

Good for her!

Since most of my reading this summer has been “forced fun” reading while I get my lecture notes together to teach in the fall that when I read something for pleasure, it is truly just a pleasure book. Last night I finished Don Felder’s memoir “Heaven and Hell” about his life with The Eagles. I also re-read Pat Frank’s “Alas, Babylon” and turned on several much younger co-workers to it.

What a great article, Liz. Thanks so much for sharing it with us before it comes out in print. I have always admired Marilyn and thought she was a good actress who wasn’t taken seriously enough because of her looks. She is a prime example of how life can go horrible wrong when you are beautiful and people don’t or won’t take you seriously in whatever job or profession you have.

I love those 60s girl singers. I listen to an “oldies” radio station and I still know all the words and can sing along. They were hip chicks!!

Such great poems quoted by all. I guess my favorites would be: Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for death,” Robert Frost’s “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” William Woodsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us,” and anything by Dorothy Parker. Poetry goes right to your soul and I have found that I usually love them or hate them.