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In all fairness, Miss Coulter probably interpreted the quotes she found in the Big Media as harshly as she possibly could -- perhaps too harshly now and then. She's angry about the treatment the right has received from them over the years. So am I. Even though it's grown subtler in the past couple of years, television and newspaper journalism still floats on an undercurrent of disdain for conservative and libertarian thought.

The antidote to Big Media's bias is the development of alternatives. That's happening now, on the talk radio circuit and the Internet. People who thought they were isolated in their convictions, and were therefore afraid to speak, are gradually discovering that they're a majority of ordinary persons in private life. Books like Slander don't directly contribute to the growth of that new, grass-roots right wing community, but they do assist its coalescence by reinforcing its belief that it's been unfairly treated.

As for "Miss" versus "Ms.", my Fiction Editor Pat tells me that, whereas "Mrs." is an abbrevation for a French term that means "the wife of," and "Miss" is the English contraction of "Mademoiselle," "Ms." means nothing, is an abbreviation for nothing, and should not be used. Ever. Since Pat is a highly-rated Aikido player and could probably toss me into geosynchronous orbit, I tend to take her advice.

Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit The Palace Of Reason: http://palaceofreason.com

Thank you for your reply. I always enjoy your posts and many of the articles on your website.

Sometimes one must overreact to make a point when the holder of an opposing view refuses to pay attention. Thus "too harshly" may, in fact, be just harsh enough. Likewise, your generous characterization of media bias by the left as being an undercurrent is seemingly, to me, a riptide. A riptide may result in your eventual drowning if you struggle directly against it. If you swim as close to perpendicular to the tide as possible then it is more likely that you will regain the shore alive. Ann's book puts us perpendicular to the riptide by using its force to give us all a chance to regain the shore.

I agree that ten years ago that I felt rather isolated and impotent in the face of liberal rhetoric.There were no obvious outlets to vent an opposing opinion to the mainstream media. You are also right in identifying talk radio and the internet as the counterbalance to that trend. Thank God for that.

As far as the lesson on the origins of Mrs, Miss, and Ms--- I have never been inclined to argue with an experienced editor on such matters. However, I feel compelled to point out that the origins of Ms may have no rational origins but common usage has given it a popular context equal to the historic context of the other abbreviations.