If we can tolerate the prescribed reading of a Bible in which God allows Satan to murder Job's children, just to make a point*, or to have a couple of bears eat 42 children, again, just to show who's side He's on, we can surely tolerate -- in context -- the offense to our eyes from a term which was certainly the one that would have been uttered by the characters at the time. Or we can ditch realism, and authenticity, and Bowlderize a text which help produce and propagate that very liberalism of spirit which we, of the enlightened 21st century, are all so concerned to signal to each other, lest we be mistaken for bigots. Sheesh. DDD *It's OK. He gave him new children later. To make up for it. [re: The Bible] It is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies. - MT, Letters from the Earth