My "to duel" list

I love a well-written news story with historical illusions. Add a grammatical reference to said story, and I'm hooked. There was a brilliant article in the Washington Post this morning that did just that.

Although, the point of the article wasn't actually the comma (though any self-respecting English major would effectively argue it was the crux of the argument). The article painted an image of a modern society in which arguments are settled with dueling pistols as opposed to dueling words, calling in to question the heretofore accepted "pen is mightier than the sword" argument and not-so-subtlety commenting on yesterday's Supreme Court decision.

Consequently, the article made me question what other modern battles could be more effectively waged with violence than words. Instead of months of rhetoric leading to a general election on November 4th, perhaps Obama and McCain could arm wrestle for the presidency. Instead of arguing with my husband about whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher or take care of that clogged drain, maybe we should dust off our dueling swords. And instead of debating the second amendment, perhaps Justices Scalia and Breyer should have performed the ultimate cliché by standing back to back, marching twenty paces and turning to fire. Why not? As the author says: "Gauntlet, consider yourself thrown."