I don't mind receiving mail from those who disagree with me, but it would be nice if they had the strength of character to sign their letters. The most recent started, "Like a babbling brook you make a continuous noise, saying the same thing over and over but not making sense." The writer then brings up the usual tired accusation: blaming Clinton for everything corrupt Repubs got caught doing. These accusations are offered whenever the Repubs get caught with their turpitudes hanging out and dragging them down from their self-described "moral high ground."

The writer ends with this, "Abraham Lincoln said, 'I never met a man I didn't like.' I say I never met a Democrat who wouldn't lie." Yes, and Will Rogers said, "Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal . . . and that a government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." What a great idea!

I have an image of people like that letter writer, gathering with friends each Saturday night. They all bring copies of our Constitution. As one of them reads, "The Detainee Bill Bush signed into law which suspends Habeas corpus . . . ," they laugh and tear their copies of the Bill of Rights into small pieces. This is known as Repubs protecting America and spreading democracy to the rest of the world.

(Repubs are what I will continue to call them so long as they continue to call my party the Democrat Party.)

It took Repubs some years, but they succeeded in defining Liberal as a pejorative. They have now been instructed, probably by Karl Rove, to subvert the election and to use denigrating words to describe us Democrats and Liberals. In recent letters to the editor in a daily paper, some used such terms as, "uneducated morons," "intellectual midgets," "uninformed idiots" and "perverted Clintonites." (Gee, it wasn't that long ago we were "effete intellectual snobs.") Someone even wrote that Chelsea was the "tainted spawn" of Clinton blood.

But return to the messages I receive. I got one years ago that accused me of treason because I end my weekly column with, "Question authority. It's the American way." Another was from a Vietnam vet who had survived horrors and felt he had lost his way. He tried different ways to retrieve his humanity. But it was when he was alone by the Colorado River in Arizona, after fasting, praying and reading the New Testament, that he found peace. He wrote that he turned his life to God. I responded that this was wonderful. Anything that brings peace. Both of these writers signed their names.

I appreciate that no one has yet called and threatened to kill me since last February. Events like that tend to make you want to lock and load.

Lock and load reminds me of a funny incident that took place here recently. The FBI has finally cleared up a burglary that occurred earlier this year. An agent left his Crown Victoria at the airport for a week. A "burglar" broke into the car and stole a Remington shotgun, two bullet resistant vests and an assortment of other firearms and equipment. The bureau spends millions to update their computers (which still don't work), they get blamed for bungling intelligence, and an agent leaves his weapons unsecured for a week and they are stolen. At least they sure are good at catching corrupt Repubs. Bless their little pea pickin' hearts.

Yes, sir, they and their Repub bosses sure are good at keeping us safe.

An editorial in the ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE, on 10ct. 21, described Ramsey Clark, a defense attorney for Saddam Hussein, as "tyranny's mouthpiece." I believe Clark is trying to defend the accused. This was a basic principle of democracy, until Bush signed bills that discarded habeas corpus and the right to a trial. Clark predicts some terrible events if Saddam is convicted and hanged and is trying to prevent such catastrophic violence. Sounds good to me. I can't believe the Democrat-Gazette would accuse Mr. Clark of being "reduced to a mouthpiece for Iraq's former gauleiter" and actually gloat over it.

Repubs conflate everything. For example, they take every opportunity to disparage gay marriage. Yet, it's reported that there is a proliferation of Repub gays in high places in the Bush administration. Rice appointed one in the State Department. His male partner (wife/husband?) held the Bible for the swearing in. What hypocrisy.