this has been a long time coming. I hope they fire her ass and get an honest, somewhat thoughtful conservative.

Note that it ran as a clarification, not a correction. In the ego-filled world of journalism (if you consider Kersten a journalist, which is a long shot), clarifications are seen as less indicting than corrections. Though it appears that it should have been a cut-and-dried correction -- Kersten supplied cleary incorrect information -- I bet she and her editor did some behind-the-scenes massaging of the reader rep's back to get this to run as a clarification. Even when Kersten admits she's wrong, she can't admit she's wrong. Woeful. But I'm not surprised.

Kersten lives on my street. They can't even take their garbage can back into the garage on pick-up day - Friday. It is noramlly out until Monday or Tuesday. Last winter her Christmas lights were up until April and blocking their ability to use their front door. If she can't do those simple things right, I wonder why the Trib would think she could do research on a column.

They will not fire her, too many people are talking about her and that is just what they want.

I am from Katherine's hometown of Fort Dodge, Iowa. I love when she writes about this place like it's a Norman Rockwell painting come to life. When I was growing up I used to hear it referred to as "Little Chicago" because of the out of control crime and cronyism.

The place nearly went belly-up in the late 70s/early 80s when Hormel and IBP pulled out, and dodged a bullet when Purina reversed their decision to leave in the 90s. And in the future, when all of the gypsum deposits have been strip-mined away, it will surely die an agonizing death. It's a very blue collar town and you would have to have an awful lot of money shielding you from that to talk about it the way she does. (And from what I understand of her family, they had that kind of money.)

Point is, she's never lived on the same planet as the rest of us. She doesn't make sense half the time--and moreover, she doesn't have to because she already has privilege and wealth to support her regardless.