The LA Times published an opinion piece by the comedian, Penn Jillette, and headlined it “Politics and the bugnut Christians.”

Apparently, a few folks in the City of Angels objected to the use of “bugnut” as a modifier for the noun, “Christian.” In fact, enough readers complained for the paper to feel the need to explain themselves.

One of those offended by the headline was a self described 30-something Democrat with a doctorate who lives in Berkeley and views the LA Times and an alternative to the NY Times. Hardly a right wing evangelical poster child. Yet even that reader said, “The fact is, you know that to use such a word with regard to any other religion — Judaism, Islam or others — would never fly.”

And the newspaper’s reaction?

They should have put the word “bugnut” in quotes.

“We plucked a bit of that voice, as an adjective, for the headline,” says their reaction at the link above, “expecting it to do what adjectives do: modify a noun, in this case narrowing a general group down to a particular group.”

In other words, they didn’t mean to imply that all Christians are “bugnuts.” They only meant the term to apply to Christians who are, you know, actually bugnuts.

Feel better now?