Just when I thought Sarah Palin had made a valid point, she goes and shows just how spineless and hypocritical she is. The former Alaska governor and one-time Republican vice presidential nominee made a big deal last week about the use of the slur “fucking retarded” by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Palin, who is the mother of a child with Down syndrome, said the remark was inappropriate and that Emanuel should be fired. We agreed, although for various reasons.

For the past year, we’ve written occasionally about how many in the Tea Party movement are inspired by racism, fear and hate. When we have, we’ve gotten angry e-mails and blog comments telling us that just isn’t so. Like clockwork, Teabaggers then go and say something to prove our point. Well, they have again. And this time it’s a doozie.

On Jan. 27, President Obama gave his State of the Union Address and reminded the nation of what his administration was fighting for. Among his many promises to strengthen the economy and tighten security measures against terrorism, was an effort to work with Congress and the military over the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a law that currently bars openly gay men and women from serving in the military.

If its findings are accurate, a poll released this week should embarrass and shame Republican politicians and party leaders. It probably won’t, though, because if we’ve learned anything about the GOP in the past 20 years is that it can be pretty shameless.The poll of 2,003 self-identified Republicans found that a large portion believe in unfounded conspiracy theories about President Obama, including a majority who think he’s a socialist.

Some people believe a person’s writing style says a lot about him or her. If you dot i’s with a heart, for example, people might consider you dreamy or perhaps immature. If you regularly misuse punctuation or choose words that aren’t appropriate for the intended meaning, it might indicate a lack of education.

“Human sacrifice. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria!”— Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) in Ghostbusters, describing a looming supernatural calamity.In what’s surely a sign of the End Times, I find myself agreeing with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for the first time ever.

It’s a time for frothy beer commercials and girls dancing in bikinis. A time for bulldogs riding skateboards and wardrobe malfunctions to rock your television set in between plays of actual football. It’s time for the Super Bowl. But apparently it’s also a time to think about where you stand on the issue of abortion.

Before Scott Brown (R-Mass.) was elected to the U.S. Senate last month, he campaigned as a “change” candidate who wouldn’t abide by politics as usual and would better represent constituents’ interests than his Democratic challenger. So, of course, one of his first actions before even being seated is prompted by self-interest.

Almost every year, the Super Bowl is the most-watched television program and it's not just football fans who are responsible for the massive viewership. The annual game has become a social event replete with parties and non-football fans who tune in to see highly publicized halftime shows, inventive commercials and episodes of promising new TV shows afterward.

To celebrate its 90th anniversary, the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area is holding a fundraiser that will put the heat to some local politicians with the help of talk show host Jerry Springer. The league is hosting a political roast on Feb. 27. Targets of the evening’s entertainment will be Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Patricia Clancy and former Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell, who is planning a campaign for the county commission.