Heinz Kerry has the spice nation needs

[JI7]

<Everyone liked Melanie Wilkes in "Gone with the Wind." But not once have I met an admirer who aspired to be her. The female character who caught our imaginations and won our hearts was the strong, independent Scarlett O'Hara.

The woman in the White House now is much like Melanie: sweet, loyal and, well, boring. Color Laura Bush pastel. 1950. Plain vanilla. I'm hungry for spice. For more complexity.

Even though she was born in Mozambique, at heart Heinz Kerry may well be a traditional Southern belle. In an interview with Newsweek, she bemoans the "lost art of flirtation" and the overt sexuality of our culture.

"We should start emphasizing mystery, save it for another day. It would be interesting to show young people that sexuality and sensuality are very different, and that being sensuous is more charming, more sustainable, more beautiful," she said.

It speaks well of John Kerry that he fell in love with and married a woman who is intelligent, "saucy" and fearless.

"She's a lot of woman," he says proudly.>

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/0804/25kerry.html?UrAuth=`NYNUOaNYUbTTUWUXUUUZTZU\UWU_U`UZU\U]UcTYWYWZV

[napi21]

1. I agree. Teresa is the kind of woman all should aspire to be.

However, in our local paper (Gainesville, Ga.) yesterday, there was a LTTE saying Teresa doesn't deserve to be the First Lady because she obviously can't control her temper and would be an embarrassment to the USA!

I am still trying to formulate a rebuttal LTTE to this! Since this is the South, I have to be careful not to offend the "Southern Belles" and still convince them that an assertive, intelligen woman who won't let anyone take advantage of her is a good thing!

[NightOwwl]

2. It never ceases to amaze me

how incredibly stupid people can be.

[napi21]

3. You need to try being a Yankee working in the South!

I don't know where you live, but I moved from Pa. to SC in 1987. Talk about culture shock! I was used to being in management where I was the only woman. They guys referred to me as just one of the guys. In SC, they thought I was weird because I wore a suit to work. I was very careful not to let the "ladies" hear any arguments I had with "the guys" so they wouldn't blush or faint realizing a female could be like that!

It's 17years later, and those "southern belles" haven't changed a bit! If any see the real me, they still view me as a Hard A** Yankee with no class. I still view them as wimpy women who still walk 2 steps behind their husbands, and won't dare to have an opinion of their own!