OK, we can all agree, the casual demeaning of women has spun out of control. But, casual demeaning is not all equal except for scolds like Kathleen Parker who is allegedly a conservative voice at The Washington Post. In her column, The silence of the lions, she offers the usual laments about coarse language employed in public commentary. But, Rush Limbaugh who called Sandra Fluke a “slut,” abused a rhetorical device in response her plain lies before a Congressional committee in which she asked that others pay for her recreational sex security and grossly exaggerated birth control costs to intentionally mislead the public. Mr. Limbaugh apologized for his excesses. But, Mr. Limbaugh’s excesses are not equal to David Letterman’s or Bill Maher’s, or Louis C.K.’s jokes aimed not at Sarah Palin, but at her children.

Ms. Palin is a public figure with a megaphone and able to defend herself. Ms Fluke too is a public personality – by choice – and also has a megaphone at her disposal – President Obama. In contrast, Ms. Palin’s children have no megaphone, nor do they have a desire play in prime time. Just as the mainstream media declares the Obama girls off-limits from crude attacks or even casual scrutiny, all of the children of public personalities should be exempt. But, they aren’t because of intellectual bankruptcy in the mainstream, and timidity among supposed conservative voices who reside there and fear being uninvited from all the best events.  Pathetic.