Those Texas cattle feeders were sure hardheaded. Their legal advisors probably said things like, "No, let's put a lien on Mother Teresa's estate, or sue Prince William and Prince Harry for unroyal behavior. We'd have a better chance than we would suing Oprah Winfrey."

But our Texas cattle feeders charged on. They drug their lawyers kicking and screaming into uncharted territory, testing the Vegetable Defamation laws and beyond.

These were stubborn men, unintimidated by the woman recently voted the second most admired woman in the U.S. ... second only to Hillary Clinton.

My impression of Oprah, never having seen her show but having read about her a number of times in the press, is that she is an ambitious, decent woman who grew up the hard way and succeeded. She is now a celebrity the magnitude of Michael Jordan, Johnny Carson, Muhammad Ali and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It is a rarefied atmosphere she shares with a select few. Power and money. And what did they do to deserve their status? Discover atomic power? Invent heart bypass surgery? Devote their lives to serving the homeless, helpless and needy? Lead our country against an evil tyrant? Or even build a better ballpoint pen? No. She is an entertainer, eminently qualified to ... entertain.

What will be her legacy? How will she be remembered? Who was she? Well, she had a popular television show.

People who entertain, including even lowly column writers like me, are often surprised that readers believe what we say. That they put stock in our opinions, when, in fact, we often know very little about the subjects we expound upon. Yet because we have some notoriety, it gives our words credibility.

I am often reminded of that ad for some kind of medicine that features an actor saying, "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV ..."

The public blurs being famous with being knowledgeable or being wise. And the celebrity, too, can fall into that trap: "I am famous, therefore my opinions have more value than the average person."

What happened to Oprah in her effort to "put on a good show" (which is her job, remember), is that she forgot some people take her opinion seriously. She hurt people. Apparently with higher ratings and no regret.

For the trial against her cattlemen adversaries, she has assumed the position of many, be they tabloid journalists, neighborhood gossips or amoral politicians, who justify the harm they do by shouting to the world, "I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE!"

No, Oprah, I guess you're not, and that puts you in some pretty sorry company.