I read with mild amusement Brian Gerard Smith's vituperative "deconstructing" of Kathleen Parker's use of the metaphor "big dawg" in one of her recent columns (Oct. 11 Opinion page).

It's true that Southern women writers have a way with words. That is why there are so many of them. Their descriptions may be humorous, piquant or even grotesque. (Has Smith ever read Flannery O'Connor?) "Insult-ing" and "low-brow," however, are simply not their forte. Words Smith uses like "gutless," "arrogant" and "obnoxious" to describe former President George W. Bush fall more into that category.

Parker's reputation does not rely on one column in which some readers are squeamish about her use of the metaphor "big dawg." It took Smith eight paragraphs to expunge his repugnance for Parker's metaphor, and in every paragraph, save one, to incite disdain for former President George W. Bush. Parker may have her own opinions in saying what she does, but at least she does so with humor and grace. She has been quoted as saying, "One can only stand watching from the sidelines for so long without finally having to say, 'Um, excuse me, but you people are nuts.'"

Parker's columns are published in 350 newspapers. She is a consulting faculty member of the Buckley School of Public Speaking and has written for numerous magazines. She also serves on USA Today's Board of Contributors and writes for the newspaper's op-ed page.

In 1993, she was awarded the H. L Mencken Writing Award when judges praised her for "attacking ignorance and stupidity with vividness and originality." This Week Magazine named her one of five top columnists in 2004 and 2005 for her follow-up columns after Sept. 11, 2001, as she contributed writings "in support of American troops, first responders and other front-line participants in the war on terror." In 2008, Random House published her first book titled, "Save the Males: Why Men Matter, Why Women Should Care."

From which endeavor, as an "abject failure," one might ask, should she be fired?