How remarkable, Denise: your mom spoke with you about her experience. My mom didn't - ever. Us kids knew she lost the last baby she and dad conceived. But the reason went with them to their graves. Which left us assuming it was heart-rending because mom was normally very open with us.

As for what's ahead if extreme right-wingers get in a position to do more than confirm judges, my fellow church-ladies and I discussed it last Saturday night at my house. We played a drinking game - a round-robin in which each of us proposed something that might come to pass. We drank a shot glass of burgundy if it might come to pass, and nothing it the idea was too absurd. By the time we called it a night, no one was in any shape to go home.