This article, beyond illuminating the popular culture roots of Ann Coulter's recent distasteful comment, is an interesting discussion of name-calling pejoratives and how they slide -- or don't slide -- from nastiness in the broader culture to terms of comaraderie in a subculture.

Even summary of Washington's outburst and the origins of th 'f' word.

"Awful words, like murder fantasies, tend to lurk in dark regions of our subconsciousness," says the author. Then some of us -- Eminem, Ann Coulter, Isaiah Washington -- bring them into the public consciousness. The inadvertent effect sometimes is that important conversations then happen, and, the author concludes, "perversely or not, we should almost thank" the bigots for their hate speech. “What gives us hope is that sexual harassment was completely pervasive 50 years ago—now that’s changed,” says one observer. I'm not ure I agree with that assessment -- but the conclusion is one we should all agree on: "And whether or not “faggot" shifts its meaning or is reclaimed, the cultural force behind it needs to go away first."

Adding creedence to speculation that Conservative Republican Spokesperson Ann Coulter used the word "faggot" knowing the timing would make it an explosive issue - she thrives on negative energy. Even the whole, "I understand if you use the word "faggot" you have to go to rehab" obviously comes directly from this story. This issue of the Advocate, a monthly magazine, has been on newstands for a couple of weeks, and the story was written before Conservative Republican Spokesperson Ann Coulter's appearance at CPAC.