Calendars, Campaigning And Calumny

We at the Opinion Page of CBSNews.com like to give readers a choice. At the end of each of my columns, you may post your own comments, or if you prefer, you may e-mail me with your comments and I will almost always write back. Or you may do both. Or neither. It's a veritable smorgasbord of readers' choices.

Many of you opt for the e-mail choice. It's been a while since I've shared some of those e-mails with you, so enjoy:

In response to my column about Miami Dolphins' coach Nick Saban saying he was too busy to have dinner with the president, "Turning Down The President," readers wrote:

Barry: "Is this news or more hate and divide from our 'free left wing press?'"

Jerry: "Sabin is a social buffoon! He was disrespectful to the president without a really good reason."

Carolyn: "Yes, in these times it is very hard to have dinner with the president, as this one is out to lunch!"

Xritism: "I would have declined the invitation, too — even if on the same evening, I was seen sharing a hotdog with my neighbor's dog."

In response to my column about the wall to be built along our southern border which I called, "Bad Fences Make Bad Neighbors," readers wrote:

Richard: "Under the current administration, the country I have loved for so long is changing rapidly and there is not a pretty picture resulting from these changes."

Diamond: "True patriotic Americans ... want defense for the entire border, and ... we would be willing to build it ourselves if the government can't get the job done."

Ed: "The worst shame of the proposed Mexican border fence is that Bush and Congress came up with the fence in place of a meaningful guest worker policy and program, which might actually have stood a chance of making a dent in the illegal immigration. I hate to imagine what sort of barrier Bush plans to protect us from those horrible Canadians, not to mention its price tag."

Caroline: "If I believed you possessed a logical, reasoned and practical mind, I would tell you how the illegal aliens have affected my neighborhood and community. I won't waste my time."

Ross: "... the Berlin Wall was there to keep people in a country against their will. Our fence is to stop people from illegally entering our country. There's a big difference, you liberal *******."

Myrna: "To reason things out is not a human quality nowadays here in the U.S.; people are just too mad, and too racist to understand the implications of closed borders. What a shame. Even my ninth grade daughter understands that walls between countries are conducive to hostility."

In response to my column about adopting other uses for the "vanity sizing" now used for women's clothing, "A Guaranteed Way To Lose Pounds And Inches," one reader wrote:

Kathleen: "I wore a size 4, 20 years ago. Now I wear a size 0."

In response to my column about campaigning called, "Are You Tired Of This Campaign, Too?"

Muchado: "Actually, I am tired of being constantly lied to by these folks. Could we not, as voters, demand the resignation of candidates who failed to fulfill their campaign promises?"

Tom: "(I can't stand) the little signs over the highways. ... Sometimes I say to myself, 'If I see that guy's name one more time, even though I like him, I am voting for someone else who did not litter the highway.'"

ED: "At least we are treated to ads from competing sides in an arena where all sides are free to put their tongues into the debate, however ill-advised they may be in so doing. It may be boring and sometimes downright offensive, but there are nations where only one party is even allowed to advertise."

In response to my column about getting out the vote called, "How To Get More People To Vote," one reader wrote:

Glenda: "Why not have a $10,000 lottery in every state, with the funds coming from a required percentage donation from the campaign funds of all office seekers? At least we would get something out of our elected officials, and $10,000 is not a bad incentive just for driving down to vote. Having a computer select the winner from the voter registration numbers would assure nobody gets paid directly to vote. I'm only half joking."

In response to my column about the recent midterm election, "The Republicans Really Won," readers wrote:

Harry: "Is it true that W. told Cheney to take Rummy hunting with him?"

Tom: "When I arrived at work the day after the election, I took a beating from all my Democratic coworkers. ... Seriously, I hope the Democrats have some new ideas and we get our troops home ASAP."

Don: "That's about the stupidest thing I've ever seen on a decisive election that rejected right wing extremists running the Republican Party. And it's typical of the corporate/Republican media that they would even carry your half-baked opinions."

Carmen: "An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out. Outstanding!!!"

In "Sexy Calendars: A Grave Business?" I talked about the proliferation of revealing calendars culminating in a recent morticians' calendar. More than one reader wrote what her response would be if CBS ever decided to issue a sexy calendar of opinion-givers/columnists:

Mary: "Yahoo! Andy Rooney! That would be something! Luv it!"

Demonstrating their wisdom, not one reader expressed a desire to ever see me in one of those calendars.

Have a nice Thanksgiving.

— Lloyd

By Lloyd Garver