The American Spectator

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br> -- Jim /p> p> HOWLERS OF THE YEAR br> Re: Christopher Orlet's Word of the Year : /p>

I must take issue with the level of snark in Christopher Orlet's "Word of the Year." While I certainly agree there were others who deserved Time's "Person of the Year" designation more than Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono in 2005, nevertheless, of all the celebrity self-appointed experts on geopolitics, surely Bono ranks near the bottom of the list of those who deserve to be mocked for their efforts. Bono has actually taken the time to educate himself on the issue of African debt by talking to people with all kinds of different ideas on how to resolve it, and he has worked seriously with American government officials in particular, regardless of politics (he gets along well with Jesse Helms and President Bush). Sean Penn, Bono is not. Mr. Orlet should lose some of the attitude (and, if I may suggest, also try out a few U2 albums post-"Joshua Tree" -- they're still outstanding).

p>And as for "The Colbert Report," lighten up! I'm as conservative as they come, and I find the show hilarious. The American Dialect Society might have picked "truthiness" as a slam against President Bush, but that's their spin. Colbert is just spoofing O'Reilly (who also likes the show, by the way), and "heartfelt" wouldn't have been nearly as funny as "truthiness" in context. Of course the word is awkward -- it's a joke. So roll your eyes at the ADS -- but then go download "Colbert" to your iPod, and enjoy. br> -- Kimberly Blackwell br> Rockville, Maryland /p>

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