Writing can be a lonely and thankless undertaking.  Even on good days it  requires dedication, sacrifice, and an unwavering ability to remain focused on your craft in the face of scant evidence that anyone reads your words.  But sometimes people do read them, and occasionally they react to them.   The internet makes it easy to sow savage scorn, and to reap it.   It also makes it abundantly clear when you’ve made an impact.  Today we’ll take a look at what people have been saying about what Wordsmokers have been saying.

In the aftermath of Sarah Palin’s surprise resignation, William Jacobson, a conservative professor from Cornell Law School, penned an essay decrying the vilification of Trig Palin, which he claimed demonstrated the moral bankruptcy of the left. “I do know why the left hates her so much. And it keeps coming back to Trig.” It probably has a lot more to do with Palin’s calculated and disingenuous use of her family as PR props when it suits her purposes, but I think we can agree that photoshopping pictures of Trig was uncalled for.  He goes on to cite numerous unkind comments in the blogosphere, concluding with VirusWithShoes’s “did Trig Palin write this speech for her?” Our intrepid editor and publisher is referred to as “the intellect in charge” around these parts, to which few of his acolytes would object.  Jacobson’s article was reprinted here and here, and may even have lead to this love letter to Virus.

Welcome back to the column that tells it like it isn’t, and spotlights the stories they don’t want you to read about. Memorial Day is when we in the States traditionally fill our bodies with unhealthy food to honor those tragically lost in America’s wars. Today, we’ll fill your heads with information of dubious quality as we honor those who have died in wars of a different kind, martyrs to shadowy forces. But first, as an added holiday bonus, I’m answering reader mail!

Wordsmoker desperado “BigLeggedWoman” writes: “I want you to investigate the fact that V8 juice is actually 35% Soylent Green.” I requested a clarification from Charles Hotton, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Campbell Soup Company, the makers of V8. Mr. Hotton replied to me in an e-mail message:

You’d be surprised how often I’m asked about that! But I’m afraid it’s just another urban legend. As an industry leader, Campbell is committed to following state-of-the-art quality control processes to ensure that none of our fine fruit or vegetable drinks leaves the factory containing any less than 50% Soylent Green by volume. With today’s hectic lifestyles, demanding consumers deserve no less.

I hope that quenches your curiosity, BLW! For those whose curiosity is not slaked, I offer the following:

In the first of a new series, Wordsmoker commenter and valued contributor “BigLeggedWoman” shares 20 things none of you probably knew about her.

1. I was adopted and did not bond with my birth mother. We were reunited when I was in my thirties. Kate is the name she had picked for me. She is profoundly beautiful and accomplished.