I've made this comment elsewhere, but it really can't be said enough: the threat of rape is one of the favorite methods of control of any dictatorship. Look at Saddam's "rape rooms." Look at the hellholes in war-torn Africa. "Do as we say or you'll be raped." The only way this administration gets anything done is by scaring the opposition, and scaring the electorate. "Vote for us or your grandma will die, your daughter will be raped, and your nephew will die in a fire because there were no firemen to put it out." It's governance through fearmongering.

Two points, Ms. Saunders, one critical and one complimentary. 1) Raising the debt ceiling has nothing to do with "paying for the car." Your analogy is flawed. A better analogy would be that Rep. Bachmann doesn't want to take out a 2nd mortgage on her house so she can buy a new condo in the Hamptons. Going further into debt is no way to get OUT of debt. You only get out of debt by refusing to spend more than you can afford and paying off what you owe. That's clear as day to anyone who's ever had to pay a bill, or who has an ounce of common sense 2) This migraine argument is stupid. Nobody makes a peep about the fact the current President smokes like a chimney and has admitted to doing cocaine, despite their deliterious effects.

"It isn't the color of his skin -- it is the complete and total rejection of his policies." This +1000. But Mr. Elder, I think you could also have used a statement similar to the following to close out your column and still been right on target: "It isn't the color of his skin - it's the fetid content of his character."

Just for a little added spice: "Woman Whipped in Public in Sudan for Wearing Trousers" http://bigpeace.com/stzu/2010/12/14/sudan-woman-whipped-in-public-for-wearing-trousers/ Please note the trousers were UNDER her traditional Islamic clothes.

Raymond, the groups you mention here are isolate parts of larger religious groups. I'm a Christian, and I can tell you that it sickens me when I read a news story of some creepy little cult that calls itself "Christian" while simultaneously perverting the Christian faith. Likewise the filthy accounts of the likes of Warren Jeffs and other polygamists who keep their own isolated enclaves of women and young girls. It's inhumane and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. And I think that should include the death penalty. The difference between the sects and fringe groups you mention is just that: they are FRINGE. They are not mainstream. Oppression of women (oppression, not suppression, though they have similar...

Then your parents need to read Rebecca's column and internalize what she's saying. There's no room for anger and bitterness in a healthy family relationship. They can disagree with you, and you with them, but that doesn't mean that there has to be a bitter wall built between you. You can't force them to accept your opinions; they have to come to that understanding on their own. Rebecca is writing this column for people JUST LIKE your parents. She's trying to help break down emotional silos, not make them more rigid.

When you say "people like Rebecca," I assume you mean Christians who try to reinforce the positive teachings and lessons to be found in the Bible. I can assure that "people like Rebecca" wouldn't say your parents failed because you're gay. People who pound a Bible and presume to understand the word of God but never open themselves to His love, now, THEY would say your parents failed. They would say that you're an unholy abomination. And they'd be wrong. Rebecca is saying that the relationship between parent and child should always, ALWAYS be one of love and understanding, not anger. You sound like you have a very loving family, and that's what's important. Others who would impugn the love you share with your family are directly...

Obama's approach to any situation is the same as most bureaucrats: "If we keep talking about something, eventually it will go away without us actually DOING anything." There are lots of meetings in a bureaucracy; lots of discussions about which agency should handle Problem A, and which agency should act as a fallback should the first agency be unable to fulfill its obligations, and which agency should be a fallback for the fallback, and what forms need to be created to ensure that anyone who deals with Problem A is following correct procedure as dictated by Agency D, which is part of a department that has no immediate connection to the causes or effects of Problem A but which is responsible for ensuring adequacy and completeness of any...

Thank you, Mr. Sowell, for writing this piece. As always you have eloquently expressed the heart of the matter at hand. That the Gulf has been devastated by this oil spill is unquestioned. That BP is largely, if not entirely, to blame is not in doubt, and they will have criminal and civil charges to answer to in the coming months and years as a result.

The American people have to take emotion out of the equation and see what is going on in the White House for what it really is: the steady encroachment of a socialist dictatorship. Do I love the idea of BP forking over billions of dollars because of what their corner-cutting did to the Gulf? Absolutely! But THE LAW is what is used to hold individuals and corporations...

Thank you! When Congressman Barton made that apology to BP, I KNEW the rest of the Republicans would turn on him. The lot of them together only have enough spine for one and a half small vertebrates. They should APPLAUD him. Just take BP out of the equation and sell the situation for what it is: an executive power grab that undermines the checks and balances of the legislature and judiciary. At best it's a mob tactic ("Pay up or we breaks ya knees, sonny"), and at worst it's a step on the slippery slope to outright tyranny.

Barton didn't apologize to BP for the drubbing they've taken in public opinion. Barton apologized to BP for the public MUGGING they received from the White House -- in the supposedly free and lawful...