MELISSA BLOCK, host:
Now to your comments about Wednesdays program.
ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
And most of them came in response to my interview with farmer Joel Salatin. He helped us out on our mission to take some recent political rhetoric to its literal conclusion. As we talked, he attempted to put lipstick on one of his pigs.
Mr. JOEL SALATIN (Farmer): Weve got some ruby red here in my pocket, and Ive got about 50 pigs here that are coming up around me. Heres a black and white one. Come here, pig. Come here, pig.
SIEGEL: Well, many of you thanked us for bringing some levity to the political debate.
BLOCK: That includes Judy Valecki(ph) of Belgrade, Maine. She writes, Robert Siegels hilarious interview raised your telephone interview genre to new heights. Not only did you suck the air out of the scandal that dominated the political news coverage, but you and pigs provided some much-needed comic relief from this increasingly nasty, vacuous, money-driven excuse for a presidential campaign.
SIEGEL: Marsha Carpenter from Red Rock, Pennsylvania, was one of several listeners who wrote in to suggest one other approach to analyze the political usage of this barnyard metaphor.
BLOCK: Loved your story and also the attempt by Joel Salatin to apply lipstick to a pig in order to give credence to the assumption that a pig is a pig is a pig. Carpenter continues, however, I was somewhat amazed that you didnt contact the only longtime lipstick-wearing pig that I can think of, Miss Piggy herself. She would probably have much porcine wisdom to impart on the subject.
SIEGEL: And Teresa Pasco(ph) of Birkenfeld, Oregon, wrote in with an anecdote: Your pig farmer was not the first. Last year, she writes, my husband and I were overheard commenting about putting lipstick on a pig by our recently adopted eight year old. And a few days later, she trailed into the house with our dog, Pete, at her side. Unusual red markings adorned the dog, who is not a pit bull, and Misty, our daughter. Further investigation revealed that she and faithful Pete had been down at the barn trying out the lipstick on pig idea on four weaner pigs. Our conclusion, they were still pigs.
BLOCK: On the downside, we did receive a few letters like this one from Caroline Stevens(ph) of Portland, Maine. She writes, Im sure Im not the only one contacting you to suggest that in this critical election season, there must be some other story on which to focus than attempting to put actual lipstick on an actual pig. What a waste of time for the farmers, the reporters, and your listeners. We expect more of NPR.
SIEGEL: Me, too. We welcome your criticism and your praise. Send them both to us at our Web site, npr.org. Click on Contact Us at the top of the page. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.