You said it

This past year saw a historic election and an epic economic collapse, not to mention the now customary local sports title (and one that got away), teen pregnancy, political scandal, and a guy who went by the name of Clark Rockefeller. Here's a look back at our readers' take on 2008.

Many of the following letters have been abridged from their original length. Original publication dates are given in parentheses.

IT'S LAUGHABLE up here in New Hampshire that the pollsters are shaking their heads and wondering how they got it so wrong [Hillary Clinton and John McCain, who had trailed in the polls, won their respective parties' contests in the state primary]. Ask any of us who have been haunted day and night by phone calls from locations such as "Iowa" and "Nevada." Of course, we've been wondering about the polls, too. We've been wondering, "Who the heck is picking up the phone and talking to these people?" (Jan. 12)

KIM FUSARIS

MAYBE the Patriots have more to learn before they win another Super Bowl. The die-hard fans who supported the Patriots through thick and thin aren't going away. The players will lick their wounds and reflect. Although this loss will sting, they'll live. That's one thing losing teaches you: It's a bitter pill, but it doesn't kill you. There are people in Iraq and Afghanistan who are losing more than a football game. That's another thing losing teaches you: perspective. (Feb. 6)

ROBERT FOLEY

SO MANY letters, so many solutions to the problem of the impaired elderly behind the wheel, but not one mention of how to get that driver off the road now. My late husband, not then a senior citizen, was unwavering in his belief that he could manage his car despite the ravages of Parkinson's disease. He left me no choice: I contacted the Registry of Motor Vehicles. They tested him. He lost his license. He never forgave me. Nothing easy about that solution, but it worked. (Feb. 24)

MAUREEN RICHARDS

WITH THE Obama camp reacting sternly to the recent circulation of a picture of Barack Obama in traditional Somali dress, Muslims are beginning to suspect there is no fate worse than being labeled Muslim. When John McCain expresses his discomfort at the prospect of a Muslim president, and the Obama team stridently distances its candidate from the Islamic faith of Obama's father, it illustrates a growing sentiment in this country that religious fear-mongering is acceptable, even encouraged. There is hope that this election will mark the beginning of color-blind and gender-blind politics in America. Let's hope religion-blind politics will be next. (Feb. 29)

AZIZ EL MADI

IT TROUBLES me to hear so much of the discussion surrounding Eliot Spitzer's indiscretions refer to women as the helpless victims of a troubled man. You mention that Spitzer "made his wife endure a humiliating show of televised support." The truth is that Silda Wall Spitzer made the choice to appear beside her husband. It is not fair to assume that this choice was forced upon her. In fact, a decision like hers is deeply personal, and I trust her to have made the right decisions in order to achieve what is best for her and her family. (March 16)

SARAH STEINFELD

ZIPPERS, ZIPPERS, gentlemen. What is it with all of you? This is erectile dysfunction if I've ever seen it! (March 12)

VICKI GABRINER

THREE CHEERS for Salvatore DiMasi's tireless efforts to defeat the seductive political expediency of casino gambling in our Commonwealth. Anyone who thinks that so-called destination casinos are the right thing for Massachusetts needs to set out on a Greyhound bus trip to Atlantic City. Read the signs in the shops that say "Cash for gold"" and "Wedding bands 80% off list price." Engage a few of the legions of homeless people and prostitutes standing on street corners, and ask them about the tremendous benefits that casinos provide. (March 23)

NEIL X. KRUEGER

THE PROTESTS against the Olympic torch have been an embarrassment to our country. They are further proof that the general public has no real idea of their place in the world. I also find it amazing that I have not seen the media point out that these yahoos calling for everything from Tibetan uprising to US military intervention and boycotts are the same yahoos who rail against US military intervention in Iraq. It's safe to assume that if we actually went after China to free Tibet or Taiwan or any other nonsense they can think of, then they would end up protesting that, too, because hey, what's life without a good protest? (April 16)

MATTHEW GREGORIO

KUDOS TO Jeff Jacoby for having the chutzpah to raise the red flag on this whole "transgender" notion. Those of us who deal in the reality that God created us male and female, period, scratch our heads at the hoopla surrounding people like Tracy LaGondino. Of course the idea that a man could have a baby is preposterous. Of course you cannot fool Mother Nature. While headlines about "her" will pass, the grave concern I have, as a parent, is that this type of dysfunction will be presented to kindergartners in Lexington (and beyond) as just another form of "diversity" to be "celebrated" in the coming years. (April 20)

PAMELA W. CLARE

YOUR ATTEMPT to fool us into giving up our SUVs in the face of high gas prices didn't convince me. I'll give up my Chevy Tahoe Z-71 gas guzzler when they pry my cold dead fingers off the steering wheel. (May 11)

BRUCE SMITH

SENATOR Kennedy's health crisis has had a "pre-obituary" tone. And it is true that not everyone who hears the words, "You have a brain tumor," is receiving a death sentence. However, I see a greater harm in some of the coverage about Kennedy being able to "fight" his illness, or featuring people who have "beaten" brain cancer. The senator has been diagnosed with a malignant glioma. This is certainly a death sentence, whether he manages to survive for months or even a few years. The senator's team has been honest to the public about his diagnosis. Let's be honest ourselves and not confuse "hope" with false hope. (May 29)

ALICE F. STERN

THE DEMOCRATIC race is over. By now Hillary Clinton will have endorsed Barack Obama as the presidential nominee. John McCain, who has three daughters, said he owed Hillary Clinton "a debt for inspiring millions of women to believe there is no opportunity . . . beyond their reach." Obama, with two daughters, praised Senator Clinton who had "made history" for doing "what no woman has done before." At the age of almost 95, I have given up hope of seeing a woman president in the United States. Will McCain's and/or Obama's daughters be able to walk through the glass door that has been closed to women for too long? (June 8)

JULIET R. BERNSTEIN

TO KOBE Bryant and company - and to the Lakers' most visible fan, Jack Nicholson: You can't handle "the Truth!" - a.k.a. Paul Pierce, NBA finals MVP. (June 19)

JOE HOGAN

THE SITUATION of the girls from Gloucester brought me to tears. My husband and I, unable to have children of our own, have been waiting to adopt a baby for about two years. I would like to ask these girls if they really thought about the consequences of getting pregnant. At 15 or 16 years old, you should be enjoying the freedom of being on summer vacation, playing sports, or baby-sitting someone else's children, not your own. I'm making a plea to these girls to please consider putting their babies up for adoption. I'm willing to bet that it would be the best thing for them and their babies. (June 28)

C. BAKER

JUST THOUGHT I'd update a famous speech from the movie "A Few Good Men" (with apologies to Aaron Sorkin): We live in a world that has walls, big green walls that need to be guarded by men with gloves. Who's gonna do it? You, Jacoby Ellsbury? You, Jason Bay? Manny Ram??rez has a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Tito Francona and curse Red Sox Nation; you have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what the players in the clubhouse know: that Manny's antics, while tragic, probably saved jobs, and that Manny's existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, wins games. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want Manny in front of that wall, you need Manny batting cleanup. (Aug. 2)

SCOTT DAVIDSON

YOU FORGOT the primary reason that Clark Rockefeller was trusted with important, high-profile jobs in the financial industry despite next to no education or expertise: He's a white male. An excellently educated woman or black person would not have been deemed as smart or experienced, and would probably never have been able to get invited to those country club soirees where Rockefeller made his contacts. So forget the chin, forget the brows. Skin color and genitalia trump education and hard work here in the United States, and Rockefeller's success proves it. (Aug. 24)

ABBY HAFER

WHATEVER ONE'S political preferences may be, the selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as running mate was a brilliant choice by Senator John McCain. He simultaneously stole Barack Obama's post-convention thunder, narrowed the gender gap, reassured conservatives, reassured the Christian right, and maintained his reputation as a maverick. Whatever the public reaction of the Democrats to Palin, I believe they have seen their worst dream come true a day after their convention. (Sept. 2)

MARK BEATTY

I AM extremely offended by Senator John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate. It seems clear that he picked the Alaska governor because she is a woman. It's unfortunate that she is completely unqualified to be vice president or president. She is inexperienced and her ascent to VP pick is unearned and undeserving. Anyone who supported Hillary Clinton should be shocked at McCain's pick. It's a slap in the face to all women. (Sept. 2)

SARAH JANE VAUGHAN

WHILE IT is heartbreaking to realize that Tom Brady's season is over, we, his fans, have a critical job to do. When Drew Bledsoe fell in the line of duty in 2001, we were asked to embrace a young, untested, unknown quarterback. We did, and the rest is headline-grabbing history. Matt Cassel might be unknown to us, but he is not unknown to the New England Patriots. Let's rally around an untested quarterback once again. It worked out pretty well last time. (Sept. 10)

MOLLY K. JOHNSON

WHEN WE need to invade another country, or clean up a financial mess made by greedy would-be geniuses, we can somehow find hundreds of billions of dollars, with little question about where the money can be found. But when we need to supply healthcare to all or education, or protect our natural heritage . . . there's no money. (Sept. 25)

ROBERT EVANS

ALL "Joe the plumber" did was ask Senator Barack Obama a question. Since when do we need to "vet" an average citizen who questions a politician? Obama's answer, "spread the wealth around," is what's causing the uproar. Senator John McCain calling Joe a "buddy" might be silly, but if we must vet candidates' "buddies," let's start with Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and some of the ACORN folks. (Oct. 24)

TOM DRAHEIM

I'M OUTRAGED by many of the comments following the tragic death of Christopher Bizilj: "It was just one of those things" (a member of the Westfield Sportsman's Club); "A tragedy can happen anywhere at any time" (an attendee of the firearms expo); "a rare and freaky incident" (a state senator). This was not just one of those things, it was not just anywhere, and a "freak incident" is when a rock falls off a cliff or a car jumps the curb. In this case, someone knowingly put a killing machine in the hands of an 8-year-old. This must be the definition of insanity. (Oct. 29)

BRUCE DEVEAU

DIANNE WILKERSON obviously has not been paying attention. When approached by the "cooperating witnesses," she should have directed them to a trusted friend - her accountant, for example. They could have paid the trusted friend (by check even) for "strategic" advice. Since the trusted friend is acting as a "strategist" and not a "lobbyist," there would be no bothersome reporting requirements. Once the favors were delivered, the strategist could have then given Senator Wilkerson a mortgage for $23,500 on her home. If anything ever came to light, she could just pay back the mortgage and go on with more important matters. That's the Massachusetts way. (Oct. 30)

STEVEN P. STROJNY

MY 5-YEAR-OLD son will grow up taking it for granted that a black man can be president of the United States. For me, today, it doesn't get any better than that. (Nov. 6)

Carol Cullen

THE REAL behind-the-scenes hero of Barack Obama's successful presidential bid was the campaign itself. Many of us are seasoned veterans of such efforts, having cut our political teeth in the 1960s. Yet we have never seen anything that comes close to the Obama campaign for ability to reach people. Sarah Palin and Rudolph Giuliani tickled their audience at last summer's Republican National Convention when they queried Obama's credentials, belittling his experience as a community organizer. Their barbs were intended to raise the question: What is a "community organizer" and what does one even do? Maybe now they know. (Nov. 6)

DAVID M. CLIVE

WITH THE tough economic situation that is sweeping our nation, money and the cost of college are definitely variables as one considers what colleges to attend. I am the oldest of four children raised by a single mother, and I feel guilty when I think of attending an expensive school. I do not want my choice to be a factor when my younger sisters begin to look at schools. However, I disagree with the idea that students have to pare down their dreams because of money issues. I might not be able to attend a so-called elite school, but that does not mean my dreams are crushed. (Dec. 7)

Kaitlyn Murray

I REALIZE that you must have thousands of images that cross your desks every day, so I would just like to thank whoever chose the picture of George W. Bush ducking the shoe that was on the cover of the Dec. 15 paper. It is hanging in my cubicle as we speak, and will no doubt remain there at least until Jan. 20, 2009. (Dec. 18)

Mary Ellen Rowe