1 You like Sarah Palin, Mr. Owens. I think she's an embarrassment to the Republican Party for a multitude of reasons, to include the fact that she is clearly out of her depth now that she's hit the national stage, and can barely speak in coherent sentences. Anyway..... why fight? We'll never agree. But, I'd appreciate your take on the supposed membership of Sarah Palin's husband in some kind of separatist Alaskan party, and her sympathy (as expressed in speeches, etc.) for the party's position (even if she had the political savvy not to join such a fringe group herself). A media lie? True, but not an issue that bothers you at a gut level? True, and an issue you'd rather not talk about? In addition, is it true that she opposes abortion even in the case of rape and incest? Finally, in your heart of hearts, would you really be on the Palin bandwagon, if she were a D instead of an R. I suspect you'd be incredulous that Obama had picked someone so unread, incurious, religiously extreme, inarticulate, sarcastic, and something of a fabulist when describing her role in the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. Anyway, I'm convinced William F. Buckley does another spin in his grave every time Sarah Palin opens her mouth and lets the verbiage fly. Thanks, Keith P.S. If Capitalist Infidel reappears to call me a liar again in regard to my past affection for the GOP, I'd be happy to lay out my bonafides for him. It's weird to be called a liar by a stranger hiding behind a pseudonym. At least you sign your posts when calling me an irrational hater!

2 What does Palin have to do with Obama and his teleprompter? Anyway, great video. My friends and I often discuss Obama and his teleprompter crutch. We especially got a kick out of teleprompter being set up in a bull ring in New Mexico. Also we are Imac lovers. We agree with teleprompter that they are sexy.

3 "What does Palin have to do with Obama and his teleprompter?" Nothing -- but the Obamanauts will do ANYTHING to distract from his issues.

4 "As for her being "disqualified" she meets every constitutional requirement" HAHAHAHA ROFLOL You would rather look stupid enough to not understand what people mean by "qualified" than admit that Pailn isn't. That's pretty pathetic. Dude, find any homeless person over the age of 45 who was born in this country and doesn't live in New Mexico, and they also "meet every constitutional requirement". Of course, Dick Cheney had to change his residence from Texas to meet the requirements himself... so at the time he was picked, he wasn't "qualified" either.

5 Mark, you just called me a "party shill"? On what grounds? I'm hardly an enthusiastic Democrat, just a former Republican absolutely ground down by the personality and politics of George W. Bush. This makes me a shill? And, according to Mr. Owens, a hater. (This from a gentleman who keeps comparing Obama to the Nazis!) By the way, I have no idea if those adjectives I'm willing to slap on Sarah Palin (incurious, inarticulate, sarcastic, religious extremist, etc.) have anything to do with you.... but, yes, I do think the viewpoint you share with Sarah Palin regarding forcing a woman to give birth to a rapist's baby is pretty damn monstrous. If your sister or daughter were raped by some thug--and most rapists don't exactly possess the IQ and DNA that you'd really want to make part of your family tree--you'd actually force her to invest her health and emotions in bringing to term the result of this repellent crime? You'd actually expect her to reshape her entire life to either a.) raise the rapist's baby; or b.) worry forever about what happened to the child she put up for adoption that was half her? You'd actually enforce this by law? Talk about government intrusion in the most personal, painful aspects of private life. Anyway, what is it about Sarah Palin that floats your guys' boats? You're sympathetic to someone whose husband wanted to separate Alaska from the USA? You really believe the earth is only a few thousand years old? You really think being able to see the evil Russians from Alaska means a bloody thing? Etc.? Etc.? Etc.? Best, Keith Nolan

6 Instruction? Gift? Reading comprehension? Understand, Grasshopper? You're a hoot, professor. Thanks for the down-your-nose writing lessons. (I'll refrain from the boring rejoinders I could make.) Anyway, I guess we're gonna have to agree to disagree about whether a woman's life, once violated by a rapist, should be violated forever more by the unwanted child you would force upon the victim. Might I ask if said woman should qualify for government assistance to raise this unwanted child, and send this unwanted child to college. Or are she and the child on their own once the rapist (if even apprehended) is carted off to do his half-dozen years in prison? Maybe we should tie the rapist to the woman forever with parental visits and child-support payments and such? Oh, and is there an age limit to your monstrous imposition on other people's lives? Say, a fourteen year old is raped and made pregnant; this semi-child keeps the baby, too? I find it hard to believe that you -- and Sarah Palin -- have really thought through what you are asking of these rape victims. KWN

7 Oh, regarding the debate, she did much better than I had anticipated.

8 For what it's worth, I actually sent you a longer note about the debate.... but Mr. Owens censored it for reasons that remain murky to me.

9 Again, Keith, our perspectives are focused on different targets. Mine is first on the baby and then the mother. Yours is only on the mother. I highly doubt either of us will change our minds on the subject and your passionate 'support the impregnated' stance is laudable. I haven't put forth any of my thoughts for after the birth and you have. I think most rape/incest victims have been violated in the most heinous manner and the perpetrator deserves a heck of a lot more than a 'half-dozen years'. I support up to and including the death penalty for these criminals. I'm sure you will have an issue with me on that and will say something like 'gee, you won't kill a baby but you'll kill a grown man'. Let me remind you before you try that gamut, the baby has done nothing deserving of a death sentence. Now, on to the baby. I think most of those who became mothers via incest/rape should decide what they want to do with the child after (hopefully before) it is born. Some will not be able to make a rational decision thanks to the damage done to their psyche. I would hope most of those mothers would choose to give the child up for adoption. I also feel adoption processes need to be cleaned up, streamlined, and made much less costly. My perspective is human life begins at conception. That means there are two human lives to be factored into the eventual answer, not only one.

10 She did well. As I said in my comment in the post debate thread, her job was to dispel several misconceptions and she did. Biden's job was to keep both feet out of his mouth and he did. I think she won the perception side of the debate by destroying many of those misconceptions.

11 Mark, one of the reasons I used to be a Republican is that I fully support the death penalty. Not sure how I feel about the death penalty for rapists (I mean, most murderers don't even qualify for capital punishment), but, in general, I'm not sympathetic to those thugs who lurk amongst us in society.... so, no, I don't see any disharmony between your two positions. Still, as you say, we are not going to agree on the central issue. My sympathy is only with the psyche of the young woman who has been violated, not the little blob of rapist DNA that she would want out of her as quickly as possible. Societies make hard choices all the time about life and death. This is one of those times, and in this case, I believe what the victim wants, the victim should get.... and most rape victims do not want to carry to term the result of their violation. Anyway, that Sarah Palin is so extreme on the abortion question -- your stepfather rapes your fourteen-year-old self, and, bam, the law requires that you become a mother -- chills me to the marrow. Best, KWN