Like many people, I have had conflicting feelings about guns and gun control. I have never personally owned a gun, but as a single woman, I've thought about it. I would, I think, consider having one if I lived out in the middle of nowhere or in a neighborhood in...

1. Separate from the Tea Party
The worst (and best) thing that would happen is that these extremists would form their own party. It would be a fringe party, attracting the type of controversial figures that have damaged the Republican brand (Akin, Bachmann, Mourdock, etc.), and that...

Until the next campaign, Republican pundits will be mulling over Romney's loss. Last night, at least a couple of them were trying to blame the natural disaster of Sandy and Governor Christie -- who apparently committed the sin of acknowledging Obama's competent assistance, even while he was tub-thumping for Romney....

Guiliani says he's never seen a guy change his mind on so many things. Brit Hume thinks Romney has exhausted his quota for flip-flops. Santorum believes he has no core. Gingrich thinks Romney's a liar, while Huckabee says he just makes things up.

That was then. Today, of course, all of these men are singing Romney's praises. There's apparently no such thing as a thorny past when it comes to the alternate universe of Republicans, where Bush has ceased to exist, there's no such thing as congressional obstructionism, the deficit is all Obama's doing and -- Halliburton who? Weapons of mass what?

I once knew a woman who kept a pet skunk. She had an affinity for skunks, she said, simply because no one else liked them. She felt they were misunderstood. In political circles, Romney seems to have turned into that skunk. Sure, he's rich, willing to be molded by the party, and has the ability to dodge the truth and warp the facts as well as any Fox news anchor, but he has no real friends, only those who support him as a matter of right-wing unity. To de-scent Romney is a task that, as his wife would say, is hard. So very, very hard. When Romney goes off script, he tends to leave a trail of lingering, cringe-worthy comments that -- depending on which side is talking -- either show his true character, or just need a little spin-translation to be understood.

After Romney's debate performance, Santorum enthusiastically tweeted, "Romney rocked it!" Santorum, like Gingrich, Guiliani, and Hume took to the airwaves in support. The once-soulless, gamey, lying flip-flopper was morphed, if only by party loyalty, into a man of peerless integrity. With this group of peers though, I don't think that's exactly a...

Over the years, I've gotten a pretty good handle on mountains. That is to say, I can tell which ones I can excavate, climb or go around. I recognize, too, the ones that have proven to be impervious to everything in my human arsenal. Those are the mountains that stay...

To hear Mitt Romney (and many others) tell it, emergency rooms are the physical embodiment of Mother Theresa, treating indigents like Jesus treated the lepers. The great seas of health care are suddenly parted for the poor and ill, and outstanding bills just miraculously become absorbed into the ether of...

 "All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an...

A 9-year-old girl with a face so swollen by fat that her features are indistinguishable comes home from school crying. She gets teased, other children call her names. Her mother's response is to tell her that she's beautiful, no matter what anyone else says.

A 23-year-old woman with a mouthful...

I haven't always been a straight-ticket voter. Although I've always registered as a Democrat, there was a time when I voted for people, not parties. In the past, I've voted for a few Republicans. The last time was in 1994, when I voted for Arne Carlson (R) as governor of...

At a restaurant today, I overheard one woman tell another that she didn't care about politics, and didn't think it mattered who won the 2012 presidential election. While I'm normally an even-keeled person, that got to me, because I know that she's not alone. There are many apathetic people in...

1. I believe that "freedom of religion" doesn't mean "freedom from religion." I believe the entire country should be yoked to the religious ideologies of politicians.

2. As a woman, I'd like my reproductive system to be at the mercy of the religious right, and those politicians who cater to...

David Vinjamuri recently wrote this article on Forbes.com, discussing the broken state of traditional publishing and the growth of independent authors. He included a quote from popular mystery author, Sue Grafton.

"To me, it seems disrespectful... that a 'wannabe' assumes it's all so easy s/he can put out a...

This graph is going to be making the rounds. Those on the right wing will quote and re-quote the figure. They'll talk about welfare bums, single mothers, and the homeless with renewed disgust, and with the hope that their chosen politicians will slash social welfare programs and stop...

The other day, one of those Internet memes was making the rounds, this one lamenting the focus on Chick-Fil-A when there are just so many other, more pressing problems, such as the price of gas, the lack of jobs, the ongoing cost of wars abroad, and the federal deficit.

I...

Free speech. Freedom of religion. I understand it and I support both, which is why when the Chick-fil-A publicity over Dan Cathy's anti-gay remarks came out, I didn't shoot off a post or add my voice to the uproar. Cathy's entitled to express his views, I said, and I don't...

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post, "Walmart Greeter Buys 6-Pack of Beer & Is Condemned," that touched (pinched) a few nerves. It is becoming, it seems, more and more acceptable to flog the poor for their perceived failings and abuses, while at the same time the...

I recently came across this article about Jim Deitz and his neighbor's complaints about painting his two-story rental complex with colorful polka dots. It's not that unusual of a story. A homeowner gets creative, vengeful, or even desperate and an uproar ensues. Such homes are generally thought...

When news about Jaycee Dugard's memoir, A Stolen Life, hit the internet recently, several commenters expressed their opinion that the kidnap victim had ample opportunities to run away. She was after all, a grown woman when she was found, and she was both bright and healthy. She wasn't shackled or...

"Got to pay your dues if you wanna play the blues, and you know it don't come easy." - George Harrison

"Meanwhile, back on my suicide farm, I'm reading about Snooki's book deal." - Suzy Soro, Comedian

This dispatch comes to you from a Starbucks parking lot, where I'm...

Fourteen year-old Katie Gohres started writing even before she started grade school. Inspired by the books her mother May read to her, Katie started off penning poems, but eventually her thoughts grew into stories. As she morphed into her teen years, she felt compelled to express her opinions on news...