Sexism or just an expression?

Re “Debate goes from pork to pigs,” Sept. 10

I entered the business world in 1969, and I know all there is to know about sexism.

Sexism is asking for a raise and being told, “You’re making good money for a

woman.” Sexism is quitting a job and finding out that a man was hired to replace you at twice the salary. Sexism is being asked if you will be able to handle an executive job if you have children. The expression “You can put lipstick on a pig and it will

still be a pig” is an old cliche, one that my grandmother used. In fact, John McCain

used this same expression during the primaries in referring to Hillary Clinton’s healthcare plan. It’s OK for him to use the cliche, but it is sexist if Barack Obama uses

it?

Calling this expression sexist diminishes the real sexism women have suffered over the years and still suffer. McCain, shame on you.

Marsha Hymanson

La Canada Flintridge

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For Obama to claim that he was not referring to Sarah Palin when he made his “lipstick on a pig” remark is an insult to the intelligence of the American people. My two

teenagers even recognized the reference.

And even if we were to grant Obama a pass and attribute his comment to an innocent remark, it remains an indictment of his political acumen and intelligence. If he could not foresee that his comment would be construed as a reference to Palin, he has no business being president and dealing with dangerous world leaders.

Jill Stein

Upland

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Since Palin has referred to herself as both a dog (a pit bull) and a fish (a barracuda), and the cretins in the GOP apparently don’t understand anything contextually, maybe they could give us a list of animals that are acceptable so we can continue to talk about issues in terms they accept and understand.

Doug Hard

Upland

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Palin is not a princess protected from the perils of presidential politics. Given

her propensity for pressuring political pals to provide porkbarrel projects that profit her city and state, it should not puzzle people that the Republican Party gets in a pother over any pronouncement pertaining to porcine products.

Personally, I prefer to proceed to the point and proclaim that putting lipstick on pork barrel produces a pig in a barrel with lipstick.

But it is still a pig.

Keith Price

Los Angeles