Many of you get dozens and hundreds of responses to your essays as a matter of course. Until now, I have not. Until I get used to this (yeah, right, like I'm going to have the opportunity!), it's very special to get the respect implied by a strong response to my ramblings. So I want to say thanks.

A lot of intelligent, well-informed, and very funny people have responded in a spirited way to the foolishness I foisted on you this week. I want to thank all of you. I also want to thank hrebendorf and rabbitsmorgasbord.

Billy Glad advised me to put my stuff out there, then simply sit back and let the commenters carry the show (and just reply with insults every now and then, he suggests sardonically), but arguing and showing off my intellect (again: yeah, right!) is what turns my crank, so taking his advice would obviate my raison du faire. (Did I get the French right on that?)

Too many "thank you's" create the risk of coming off as though I'm accepting some award -- and the Great Bwahooha knows that would be inappropriate -- but I also want to thank the Obama campaign for its lack of clarity and subsequent clarification of the senator's position on Faith-Based. That's what set me off in the first place.

You may think I'm pandering here, just trying to butter you up so you'll keep talking to me when I put my outrageous drivel out there. Well, du-uh! No shit! You didn't think me capable of sincerity, did you?

I hope we can do this again, real soon. In fact, as soon as I can find another topic that will piss off enough people. Fortunately, this is no problem at all for me in my actual life, so I look forward to a very successful year of blogging.