In the wake of Sandy Hook remember the shooting was done by a person who was crazy, like the author of this article.

If we really want to do something to make mass shootings stop, aside from increasing the number of concealed carry permits and doing away with 'gun free zones' so the crazies know where to go to get the highest body count, perhaps we could do something about the mentally ill walking around and voting for Democrats.

ahh hah.

ahahahah.

hahahahahaha.

With our future sons looking forward to their right of passage.

And by right of passage, I mean the raping and removal of a nojaw.

At the nojaw zoo.

This is what you wanted, right?

Hi, I speak for hundreds of thousands.

You ain't but 16?

16?

Wanna bet Palin's ghost writer, if she had one, was not a domestic terrorist named William Ayers bedwetters? Merry Christmas cowards..

@50 - as a fellow Jew, I agree with you 100%. In fact, I just say "Merry Christmas." It's easy, and most people I know feel as you do, so most don't take offense, even when they don't celebrate Christmas themselves. (Of course, to family and friends I know to be Jewish, I say "Happy Chanukah" at the appropriate time, but we all know Chanukah is actually a trivial holiday, right?)

Pajama boys and girls, unite! Bitter, bitter people with nothing better to do.

Pajama boys and girls unite! So many bitter, bitter people.

Confession: I didn't read the entire Dan Savage piece. But I read enough to recognize the hatefulness, arrogance, and self-satisfaction that characterize the majority of liberals today (as evidenced by most of the left-wing commentators here.)

Dan - your wish .....
"Haec omnia ad me; mihi quoque non in bonum." (or somesuch)
You're welcome.
Dingo

The fact that you even read this book throws your intelligence into question.

Dan - your wish .....
"Haec omnia ad me; mihi quoque non in bonum." (or somesuch)
You're welcome.
Dingo
(Happy Holidays from one of the denizens of Dispatches From the Culture Wars).

For those who obviously arrived here from Glenn Reynolds's link, take a look at the rest of the Stranger website. You'll get a good overview of what passes for thought, culture, and entertainment in Seattle.

Randomly, after reading this yesterday, the "Game Change" DVD showed up from Netflix. Sweetie and I watched it last night, and it was pretty good. And randomly, when coming back to the computer this morning, this page was still open. It's been a regular Palin weekend!!!

You know, I gotta say that... despite the fact that I despise everything she has ever said and done and everything she stands for... I feel a little sorry for Mrs. Palin. She was a cute fish in a little pond before Mr. McCain tapped her for the VP slot. But it turned out she was so totally in over her head that she was bound to make a complete fool of herself. After she found herself the laughing-stock of the nation, if not the planet, what was she supposed to do? She couldn't "govern" any more, the world found out all her secrets. Well, it turns out demagoguery actually pays pretty well, if you're willing to sell your soul to the FoxLimbaugh money-grubbers, because they pay well for pretty, petty distractions. And the rubes. The poor, silly, sad rubes. I feel bad for the rubes.

And here's the thing - Dan, I've been reading you since the Village Voice about 20 years ago, and for the most part, I agree with everything you've ever said. You're one of the very few people in Pundit-World who I think is actually human to the core. However, THIS ARTICLE is what keeps the Palin-Bot functioning. It's the attention that WE ON THE OTHER SIDE pay her that keeps her relevant. 21st century America has become fueled by outrage. Outrage Society. It's getting really boring. We can't solve our problems because we're mired in outrage. Like the latest manufactured Duck People Outrage, created just in time to distract most of America from the fact that nobody has any money to spend for the holidays.

No, I'm done with outrage. My New Year's resolution is to stop falling into the outrage trap. It's anti-productive, and it's not entertaining any more. We've got problems to solve. The blatherings of the not-too-bright are not a problem. The rip-off of all the money by their paymasters is the problem, and we need to solve it. Dan, you've got plenty of productive ideas to contribute. Stop paying attention to these non-issues, even if they do increase your click count and ad rates. Don't be part of the problem by paying attention to these non-issues. You're so much better than that.

And now, I leave you with my standard holiday season greeting...

Happy ChristmaHannuRamaKwanzaFestiNaliaMas!!!

I think it's simply wonderful how Dan's articles drive registrations and comments on Slog. I'd be curious to know how many new registrations have happened since this article was published. You simply cannot buy that kind of exposure, and it's nothing but good news for The Stranger's ad revenues.

And I love how the Conservatives are always so angry/sad.

I am going to say Merry Christmas, Christmas cookie, Christmas whatever until the day I croak. I consider Jesus a great philosopher, but do not go along with Trinitarians. Too bad that most Christians don't live by his philosophy. So, Merry Christmas, everyone.

I have my very own favourite act of civil disobedience. Every time I find a Sarah Palin book in my library (and it does happen, unfortunately; someone wants to 'read' this tripe), I re-shelve it. Spine side in, in the most obscure corner of the Dewey Decimals.

"No Jew—or Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist or atheist—ever performed a kind, loving, or selfless act."

Uh....Jesus was a Jew.

Can I have your cookie recipe?

"No Jew—or Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist or atheist—ever performed a kind, loving, or selfless act."

Uh....Jesus was a Jew.

Can I have your cookie recipe?

"All this for me—and I wasn't even that good. Translate that into Latin and it could be on the Palin family's coat of arms".
Best laugh I've had all day!
Dan Savage you are my hero.

I just say, "HO-HO-HO', because truly deep down inside in America we are all NOTHING BUT HO's.

Dan, would it piss you off to know that you could have just gotten the intro to her book for free off of amazon.com??

Mr. Savage--I've read two of your works and have to say that I've never seen such vile, vulgar, hateful smut. Your parents must be so proud. And while I'm sorry for the wasted life that must have led to this bitter futility, I would appeal to what little humanity you might still possess to ask that you rejoin civilization and try to behave as a mature adult the next time you decide to take to the keyboard. Otherwise, I'd be inclined to agree that your ilk are undeserving of any kind of "tolerance" because you represent the very worst of mankind.

It's always fun when some right-wing blog breathlessly links to an article here, and we get about a hundred pieces of proof of exactly how creepy, miserable, and illiterate your average right-winger is.

And what's with that guy who keeps writing creepy incoherent poems? 220: you need help.

I don't think I could have read one word of her toxic tome. That creature drives me right up the wall. She is a fake, a fraud, a narcissist, a moron. The list goes on and on. BTW, she can brag about her boobs, but they are as fake as she is. They come and go, depending on her audience. Just look at all the photographic evidence of that and other hoaxes. Congratulations for even reading the introduction!

please read the book and keep the page by page reviews coming. perhaps publish it as a book, it would be WAY better than the original. I'd buy a copy. In fact, save me one of the first ones.

@261 -

You haven't spent the past decade in Seattle, have you?

Trust me, I'm perfectly all right.

Don't worry guys, the pope is an uncircumcised heathen just like you.

By all that is holy, if you pass the minimum wage law, I will be giving Drano to the poor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xqACmJvq…

That Latin tag: "Omnia pro me sine humanitas"

Great article Dan, but I think in denying a war on Christmas you dishonor War on Christmas veterans such as myself and my many fallen comrades who died in the thousands to remove nativity scenes from public parks and drive Santa Claus out of schools. I myself suffered multiple wounds from both Christmas ornament shards and fragments of candy canes. It's been years and yet some nights I can't sleep. I just stay up all night chain-smoking and remembering the look on my best buddy's face after he took one of those mini red-and-white candy canes through the carotid artery and slowly turned pale as he bled out in my arms. "Happy Holidays," were the last words he managed to choke out as the life drained out of him. "Happy Holidays, indeed, Corporal Abdullah." That was my reply. He was barely 18. Had a beautiful girl back home that he was going to marry. Now he died in this fucking public school because some Christian asshole principle thought it would be a brilliant idea to have a religious-themed Christmas play. I shut his eyes. I choked back my tears. Then I fucking lost it.

The world went red. Time seemed to slow down and I see this every night in slow motion. I threw down my rifle and picked up what was left of the candy cane which had taken out Abdullah. The remnant was still sharp. I knew that when this was over that cane was going to be solid red. I went over the top, assaulting those little fuckers in the Christmas play. The look on those little snotballs dressed like wisemen was priceless. I could see the fear in their eyes and it drove me on. I swear to Karl Marx himself that I must have been foaming at the mouth at this point. I drove the sharp candy cane into the neck of the bastard I was sure had killed Abdullah. I looked into his eyes. I know it's wrong but I fucking LOVED it. Enemy candy canes kept flying but I was shielded by his body. Have you ever heard the sound of a candy cane piercing the meat? If you have it's a sound you'll never forget. I never did. But the cane eventually broke off, which is when I grabbed this plastic baby Jesus out of the fake manger and started swinging it wildly. "Joseph" caught it in the head and I heard his skull crack. That's when everything went fuzzy. I blacked out.

When I came to I was covered in blood and the corpses of my enemy. I was discovered by a recon patrol from the 2nd Lesbian Light Infantry Battalion(they were attached to our Humanist Regimental Combat Team). At first I was so disoriented I took them for the enemy and tried to attack them, but then they calmed me down and gave me some water. I told them what happened and they were really sympathetic. They all wished me "happy holidays" and I did the same.

Now it's been five years and that scene still plays in my head over and over again. I never got the victory parade. The war goes on, and yet I hear liberals saying that our war didn't even exist. That's like saying that Abdullah and thousands of others never died, as though they were never cut down in their prime by anti-Secular religious fundamentalists. But now that I have told you my story I know you will understand, because you are tolerant and compassionate, and I know you truly believe in our cause.

Damn, look at me rambling on here. I've never even told my wife what happened. Maybe I should tell her tonight.

Great article Dan, but I think in denying a war on Christmas you dishonor War on Christmas veterans such as myself and my many fallen comrades who died in the thousands to remove nativity scenes from public parks and drive Santa Claus out of schools. I myself suffered multiple wounds from both Christmas ornament shards and fragments of candy canes. It's been years and yet some nights I can't sleep. I just stay up all night chain-smoking and remembering the look on my best buddy's face after he took one of those mini red-and-white candy canes through the carotid artery and slowly turned pale as he bled out in my arms. "Happy Holidays," were the last words he managed to choke out as the life drained out of him. "Happy Holidays, indeed, Corporal Abdullah." That was my reply. He was barely 18. Had a beautiful girl back home that he was going to marry. Now he died in this fucking public school because some Christian asshole principle thought it would be a brilliant idea to have a religious-themed Christmas play. I shut his eyes. I choked back my tears. Then I fucking lost it.

The world went red. Time seemed to slow down and I see this every night in slow motion. I threw down my rifle and picked up what was left of the candy cane which had taken out Abdullah. The remnant was still sharp. I knew that when this was over that cane was going to be solid red. I went over the top, assaulting those little fuckers in the Christmas play. The look on those little snotballs dressed like wisemen was priceless. I could see the fear in their eyes and it drove me on. I swear to Karl Marx himself that I must have been foaming at the mouth at this point. I drove the sharp candy cane into the neck of the bastard I was sure had killed Abdullah. I looked into his eyes. I know it's wrong but I fucking LOVED it. Enemy candy canes kept flying but I was shielded by his body. Have you ever heard the sound of a candy cane piercing the meat? If you have it's a sound you'll never forget. I never did. But the cane eventually broke off, which is when I grabbed this plastic baby Jesus out of the fake manger and started swinging it wildly. "Joseph" caught it in the head and I heard his skull crack. That's when everything went fuzzy. I blacked out.

When I came to I was covered in blood and the corpses of my enemy. I was discovered by a recon patrol from the 2nd Lesbian Light Infantry Battalion(they were attached to our Humanist Regimental Combat Team). At first I was so disoriented I took them for the enemy and tried to attack them, but then they calmed me down and gave me some water. I told them what happened and they were really sympathetic. They all wished me "happy holidays" and I did the same.

Now it's been five years and that scene still plays in my head over and over again. I never got the victory parade. The war goes on, and yet I hear liberals saying that our war didn't even exist. That's like saying that Abdullah and thousands of others never died, as though they were never cut down in their prime by anti-Secular religious fundamentalists. But now that I have told you my story I know you will understand, because you are tolerant and compassionate, and I know you truly believe in our cause.

Damn, look at me rambling on here. I've never even told my wife what happened. Maybe I should tell her tonight.

#54, I like the cut of your jib.

@Dan, you've grown considerably. I remember when you were just a stringer at Stranger pushing the same tired pride parade crap and I once dated a guy who'd said you roomed with him for a while so we're only one degree of separation.

This is a very good column. The comparison to patriotism and "love it or leave it," which I remember, is perfect.

And kudos on "Santorum."

#54, I like the cut of your jib.

@Dan, you've grown considerably. I remember when you were just a stringer at Stranger pushing the same tired pride parade crap and I once dated a guy who'd said you roomed with him for a while so we're only one degree of separation.

This is a very good column. The comparison to patriotism and "love it or leave it," which I remember, is perfect.

And kudos on "Santorum."

Uhm, #71? Fascism is totalitarianism of the right. Leftist Fascist is like anhydrous water. It's a direct contradiction.

Moron.

Just an observation for which I'll be lampooned: The individual who posted a generally contrary response to the rest of the posts was the only individual who didn't lace every sentence with an insult or expletive. Rather, it seems as though all who opposed the post, specifically three with the remainder using most of their lines to wish death, injury, or some other tantalizing and personally pleasure filled tirades upon Palin (minus the few peaceful gestures of course) were the ones filed with vitriol and hatred for an individual. As a leftist, I have to ask, if Bill Maher or Rachel Maddow used the term "civil disobedience" in a tongue-in-cheek manner that implied disagreeing with a media frenzy of opposing voices (not literal civil disobedience as it's obviously said in jest), would I then lambaste either of my favored media minds as stupid, "fucking morons", whores, or the like on this account? I doubt it. Phoney outrage is a plague. How can we teach others about tolerance and dialogue if we spew venom and hatred towards them without a trail of legitimate content. I would challenge each of you who supposedly filled to the brim with anger to ask yourself, "If the author's name was Ann Coulter would I have considered this hateful?" If we want to stay in power, it would seem wise to refrain from using words like "Dumbfuckistan" when debating opposition lest we be relegated to a quick vacation there ourselves. Peace and good tidings, regardless of your political philosophy.

As a side note, when I referred to the author I was referring to Dan Savage's name being replaced with a righty, not a commenter or follow-up. Thanks.

And one more thing: refer to your historical texts. Statism, fascism (the extreme nationalisation of the state and community before the individual), and communism are facets of the extreme left. Totalitarianism in the form of monarchy and oligarchy are forms of the extreme right. Inform yourself before calling someone a moron or be cast aside as one yourself my friend.

While all you obnoxious, rude Liberals are still so concerned about Palin (which is actually quite funny, think about it) you seem to not want to talk about the fact Obama ends his fifth year of his Presidency in worse shape than Nixon Presidency after 5 years. All you geniuses worried about saying Merry Christmas because you might offend someone, need to have your heads examined.

She's Anita Bryant.

You should use "Happy Christmas"...you get to wish someone a nice Christmas, but you sound British and therefore not involved in the war for/against Christmas.

Please tell me you got a review copy of the book and you didn't pay for it. BTW, I so enjoyed your "review!" I'd post it on Facebook but I can't because I made a vow not to give that woman and her ilk the time of day.

I'm an avid reader. I have hundreds of books in my house, in one room they line all the walls and I have mini-libraries throughout.
I never was a "real" Christian because I no longer accept the religion as "real". But here's the thing---I picked up Sarah's first book---it felt a little warm, just assumed it was because it was being picked up so often. I decided to do the thing that Christians often do to get a personal message from "god" (the bible)...open it up and randomly read a passage. Never got that far, "god" told me to put the book down and get the hell away from the store selling it. I did and I have never regretted my actions!

This was a poignant, entertaining, and funny review, but you ruined it with the title. "Great tits"??? WTF, man? That's the worst kind of sexist ad-hominem ridicule, and it's extremely offensive. It completely guts any credibility you have as a critic of any aspect of our society. It puts you on a par with arch-conservatives and their relentless sexist insults of Hillary Clinton. I mean, I hate Sarah Palin, but this articles title is just not cool.

There's no holiday on Eid either, Dan. You have Muslim readers too you know.
Please don't let them take away 'Merry Christmas'. Merry Christmas!

I like the part about the tits. That's the only reason I stopped at this article.
Klortho, you with your "correctness" know nothing about setting the title for an article!
Go tits, go! Water-bra or silicon, the same! :D

I don't know about anyone else but just the thought of reading a Sarah Palin book makes me want to lose my cookies, pun intended.

Also, that bitch doesn't make her cinnamon rolls from scratch; you just know it.

Unless "by scratch" you mean "prepared from a can that explodes open, making you jump out of your skin".

To everyone who took the comment about Sarah choking on a cinnamon bun as a wish for her death, haven't you ever choked on anything? Most humans have & live to tell....and do it again & again.

That said, the review was great, Dan.

______________ (fill in your desired seasonal closing with good wishes.)

@188 - He is an interpreter in the US, using American Sign Language (ASL). On a particular trip to Australia, he studied Australian Sign Language (I believe usually abbreviated as AUSLAN) to interpret for that audience. Sorry to have confused you.

Dear Dan:

Just learned of you reading about the Tyler Clamenti tragedy and your comments about it. You have great talent and insight. Your voice can really bridge the gap of understanding for people seriously seeking to do so. You made some excellent points.

You are a mass of contradictions like most of us. So you're human. But you are gifted (tortured?) in a way that should make you appreciate and engage with nuances that your stylized writing in this piece does not communicate. It was pretty funny, but it told more about you than about Sarah Palin. Maybe that was your objective.

So It's interesting that "Hey Faggot!" was the initial salutation for letters to your advice column for reasons that you wished to reclaim that way of being addressed, and wanted to own it again. That was very clear and in-your-face to people who thought they could make it mean something negative. I get it. Smart of you. But isn't that being an asshole? You don't strike me as being afraid of being thought of as an asshole, as long as it's the right kind (left kind?) of an asshole.

When people prefer to say, "Merry Christmas'" as many do, and as I do, it doesn't make them
a right-wing ideologue, wanting to offend. I don't want anyone appropriating Christmas. It's for everyone. Still, I don't get upset or offended if people wish me happy holidays. And if wanted to offend, I wouldn't be wishing you or anyone a Merry Christmas, that's for sure! You used to like to say it, but stopped, because of Silly Sarah Palin and the Foxic News crowd? Why not reclaim it from "them". Just like "Hey faggot"? "They" don't get to own that statement and what it means. Rather than run from it, and them, why not engage and embrace your Merry Christmas and let it mean what it truly means to you? That's what I do. If that makes me an asshole, then okay, sign me up.

.
The public forum for debate is becoming less and less respectful, less engaging, more combative and more demeaning. With your, "It Gets Better" outreach you gave a platform to many voices, not just to those who share one ideology. This is more of what we all need. We can learn from each other and see what we value in common, and build each other up with our shared values and commitments.

There are so few intellects who can grasp or voices who can express that it's not all-or-nothing or us vs. them. You can. You can reach across the spectrum and educate people who really want to learn and understand your point of view as I wish to do.

God bless you, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Sarah Palin can actually write?? Am I missing something?
Don't nitpick yourself into a tray of burnt Snowball cookies, Dan!
Jeez Louise---Sarah is so much the epitome of shitbrain ridiculous, she wrote a book about it.

Thank you and bless you, Dan, for offering the bravery to actually READ Sarah Palin's pathetic shitstain of a book and forewarning the rest of us with common sense like you of her bimbotic poison.

Holy fucking SHIT, Batman, I am so glad that a) I do NOT have cable TV, and b) that I am officially on a gluten-and-sugar-free diet. Leave it to Sarah Palin: I may never crave cinnamon rolls again.

Sarah Palin can actually write?? Am I missing something?
Don't nitpick yourself into a tray of burnt Snowball cookies, Dan!
Jeez Louise---Sarah is so much the epitome of shitbrain ridiculous, she wrote a book about it.

Thank you and bless you, Dan, for being brave enough for so many of us to actually READ Palin's latest published atrocity and forewarning the rest of us with common sense like you of her bimbotic poison (although I'm surprised there are real words contained inside, instead of a blank book). And you didn't barf up any of your otherwise yummy, homemade Christmas cookies afterward?

Holy fucking SHIT, Batman, I am so glad that a) I do NOT have cable TV, and b) that I am officially on a gluten-and-sugar-free diet. Leave it to Sarah Palin: I may never crave cinnamon rolls again.

Awww geez, sorry for the double post!

After suffering a severe Palin attack, Griz needs some red wine now.

@226, the hell Hanukkah is a minor festival. It's the only Jewish festival with presents. That's not minor.

This was so far back I'll repeat it, with affirmation: "I support our troops in the War on Christmas."

Love this review. Request your recipe

@310 Chanukah is a minor holiday only known due to its place in the year. I guess you were being facetious.... There are really no presents involved...At least not historically.

Did you know that our ancestors were forbidden from reading the bible, so they made up a game (the Dreidle Game)? They would memorize bible verses and when the soldiers saw them it looked like kids were playing an innocent game. There is no correlation between one religion celebrating the birth of the person they think is their Lord, and the Jews fighting and winning another war/ skirmish. I know it's important for our kids to be included, but it's really not a religious or important holiday.

It always interests me when I see people laud hateful commentators of any perceived philosophy. It's amusing the way they trust themselves into pretzels defining the opposing author as having written a "shitstain" of a book, "bimbotic", brainless, hateful, bigoted, etc. while simultaneously laughing and supporting hateful, angry, vile, and putrid words spewed from their and the reviewer's mouths. What a contortion that must require. To be so angry, filling line after flailing furious line with expletives, whilst calling someone angry and hateful, exposing anger clearly to combat something you've perceived as angry by judging between the lines. Bravo, you look like total basketcases. Interesting that Palin, who's never once called someone a bitch, a whore, a bimbo, a slut, is called a bitch, whore, bimbo, slut and has her family called equally vile names. If I were on the fence about my ideology, the only crazed angry, intolerant assholes ins see would be the multitude in the comments section and the author himself. Quality representatives of your cult of thought..

"She's the ultimate right-wing troll. And that's why Palin will never have to do an honest day's work again in her life" sums it up brilliantly.

Tell me what Obama and Biden did after the school shooting? They took children and lined them up all around themselves and preached to take away are guns. What about that? That was a sad sad move by Liberals. Thats like blameing the car instead of the drunk driver. Dis any of you lisen to some of thw parents of the deceased? One man acreamed at Biden for attemting this faulse hood. He said it was the fault of a sick, demented person and to stop blaming guns. Guns dont go off aline. Idiots. Next time a drunk driver kills a family, throw the car in jail. See how well that works for ya. If we did not have guns, those crazy people would use bombs. Or what ever to get the job done. Its the people, not the equipment. Also 17 million gun owners yesterday shot no one. Crazy hu?

and the tits are...?

I didnt actually read this review either. (just kidding I looked through it for boobs)