Carlene

No, I haven't missed the point. Same sex marriage harms no one. Allowing a child age 10 or 12 to marry would not be in the best interest of the child and society needs laws in place to protect children. As for a brother and sister, a woman and a dolphin, or two men and one woman....I couldn't care less. In fact, allow me to make a huge "confession" here and now. I was married to a man for 25 years who had, at one time, been my stepbrother (his mother was married to my father). Our wedding was performed in the state of Louisiana because in the state of Texas, our marriage was considered incest. How stupid is that? And homosexuality WAS illegal in a large part of the USA until very recently. It took the US Supreme Court to hit these people over the head and force them to let go of antiquated, discriminatory laws. Sounds a lot like the story of segregation, doesn't it? According to the Associated Press, sodomy laws remained on the books in 13 states as of the middle of 2003. "Sodomy" was illegal for everyone -- gay and straight -- in Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia. In addition, four contiguous states, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, criminalized certain forms of private, consensual sexual behavior between persons of the same gender, but permitted them if performed by a man and woman. During the first half of 2003, the U.S. Supreme court studied the constitutionality of sodomy legislation. In the Lawrence v. Texas case, they reviewed a Texas law. It criminalized certain sexual behavior by same-sex couples even though the same activities are quite legal if done by opposite-sex couples. In a ground-breaking decision, the Court decided on 2003-JUN-26 that adults are free to engage in private consensual sex without government oppression. They placed limits on the ability by governments to legislate sexual morality. The sodomy laws in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, were declared unconstitutional. Legal experts believe that the sodomy laws in the nine other states are now also null and void. Laws in a few states which criminalize fornication (sexual intercourse by unmarried persons) adultery, and other behaviors may also be overturned by this ruling.

And we'll give you back your cojones when you can wrestle us to the ground and pull them out of our purse. Or after a sufficiently humiliating period spent begging on bended knee. Whichever you prefer.

Perhaps this explains why people need a college education so much more today than they did a century ago. This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 from Salina, Kansas. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smoky Valley Genealogical Society and library in Salina, Kansas and reprinted by the Salina Journal. 8th Grade Final Examination Grammar (Time, I hour) Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no modifications. Define VerseStanzaParagraph. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give Principal Parts of dolielayrun. Define Case. Illustrate each Case. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation. through 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar. Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours) Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic. A wagon box is 2 ft deep, 10 ft long, and 3 ft wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold? If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 pounds, what is it worth at 50¢ per bu, deducting 1,050 pounds for tare? District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school 7 months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals? Find cost of 6,720 pounds of coal at $6.00 per ton. Find the interest on $512.60 for 8 months 18 days at 7%. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 feet long at 20¢ per inch? Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10%. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance around which is 640 rods? Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt. US History (Time, 45 minutes) Give the epochs into which US History is divided. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War. Show the territorial growth of the United States. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion. Who were the following: MorseWhitneyFultonBellLincolnPennHowe? Name events connected with the following dates: 16071620180018491865? Orthography (Time, one hour) What is meant by the following: alphabetphonetic orthographyetymologysyllabication? What are elementary sounds? How classified? What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraphsubvocalsdiphthongcognate letterslinguals? Give four substitutes for caret 'u'. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e'. Name two exceptions under each rule. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bidismispresemipostnonintermonosuper. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: cardballmercysiroddcellrisebloodfarelast. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sightfane, fain, feignvane, vain, veinraze, raise, rays. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication. Geography (Time, one hour) What is climate? Upon what does climate depend? How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas? Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean? Describe the mountains of North America. Name and describe the following: MonroviaOdessaDenverManitobaHeclaYukonSt HelenaJuan FernandezAspinwallOrinoco. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the US. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude? Describe the process by which the Water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers. Describe the movements of the earth. Give inclination of the earth. Source: Anderson Valley Advertiser 3 May 2000

Very true.....has everyone who has posted on this thread voted? I have!!!!!!!!!!!

Exactly....if the reason homosexuals may not marry is because it's "against God's law", or "contrary to the Bible" then we MUST give the same weight to ALL religious beliefs. The Jewish prohibition against shellfish, the Muslim requirement that women veil themselves in public, the Catholic dogma that divorce/remarriage constitutes adultery. To do otherwise is blatant religious discrimination. Same sex marriage is a victimless "crime". It does not harm anyone, in any way. It may offend you, but that doesn't mean we should legislate it. I am offended by so many things: Howard Stern; gangsta rap lyrics; hate groups; spam e-mails; hypocritical politicians and ministers; Rush Limbaugh (oops...is that redundant?); the young woman with a cigarette in her mouth and a baby on her hip...the list goes on and on. But none of those things are illegal...and they probably shouldn't be (much to my dismay). So it is with same sex marriage. Maybe you don't think it's a fair equation, but if I can live in a world with Howard Stern, surely you can stand to catch a glimpse every once in a while of two (married) gay men in the supermarket.

Carol...you are certainly good at dodging questions. Maybe you should run for office.

I'm the soup queen. I have some great recipes. PM me if you'd like to have copies (in Word format). I make baked potato soup, chicken tortilla soup, chicken/seafood gumbo, broccoli cheese soup and homemade cream of chicken soup.

This is what YOUR Bible says...the King James Version, in Matthew: The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. I'd still like for you to answer my question....Should it be illegal for a man to divorce his wife and remarry?

That's a very sweet story, and I'm sure it's true. It doesn't make Bush an especially "real" or caring person, however. How do you feel about Willie Nelson? Want to hear a warm fuzzy (true) Willie story? My husband had Cancer. He had only a matter of months to live. He was a huge Willie fan. Willie was coming to a small town fairly close to us (actually the culmination of a long effort on his part to raise funds and rebuild the courthouse in this little TX town that had burned). The concert was sold out. My daughter called everyone she could think of.....radio stations, TV stations, etc. Finally she found a link on a web site. It said "e-mail Willie on the road". She did. She poured out her heart and she got an answer, dictated by Willie to his daughter (also named Carlene, by the way). It said "My dad said to bring your dad to Hillsboro. Find a security guard named Steve and give him this e-mail. After the show he will take you backstage." We got the VIP, red carpet treatment. Willie came out after the show and there must have been two dozen people backstage. Some of them were from TV and radio stations, newspapers and magazines. He made them all cool their heels while he visited with this man in a wheelchair who had always wanted to see him in person. He acted like he had all night and there was nothing in the world he would rather be doing. He wanted to give Jim a tour of his bus, but he was just too ill. That was in April and he died the following June. I realize that Willie Nelson's responsibilities pale in comparison to the president's, but my point is that even an old dope smokin' hippie like Willie has a heart for sick folks.

As the daughter of someone who died from complications of Parkinson's Disease, I am FURIOUS with the latest sleaze ball attack of Rush Limbaugh (aka Ann Coulter with a penis). In case you missed it, here is part of the MSNBC story. Possibly worse than making fun of someone's disability is saying that it's imaginary. That is not to mock someone's body, but to challenge a person's guts, integrity, sanity. To Rush Limbaugh on Monday, Michael J. Fox looked like a faker. The actor, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, has done a series of political ads supporting candidates who favor stem cell research, including Maryland Democrat Ben Cardin, who is running against Republican Michael Steele for the Senate seat being vacated by Paul Sarbanes. "He is exaggerating the effects of the disease," Limbaugh told listeners. "He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act. . . . I watched the video clip of Limbaugh's broadcast and it was more than dirty politics; it was despicable. Fox has testified in front of Congress and very honestly said he was doing so without benefit of his meds so that everyone could see a true picture of PD and what it does to its victims. That took GUTS...something that Limbaugh is sadly lacking. My mother was so embarrassed by her symptoms in the later stages of PD, when meds no longer control the head-bobbing and arm waving, the shaking and torso weaving, she would not leave the house. Michael J Fox showed America the ugly face of Parkinson's Disease, up close and personal. And yes, it DOES look like that...he was not "faking it"; he was not "exaggerating". If there is any justice in this world, Rush Limbaugh will one day see the debilitating and progressive effects of this devastating disease from a different perspective - that of a patient suffering from PD. Congratulations, Rush....even for you, this is a new low.

You still haven't answered my question... I'm not asking if you think everyone should have the same religious beliefs. I'm asking if you think everyone's religious beliefs should carry equal weight, by law. Should my church (beliefs) get to declare divorce and remarriage illegal just because they believe it is sinful (and because the New Testament says it is a sin)? It's a "yes" or "no" question. Very simple.

So do you think it's okay for gay people to live together, in a sexual relationship, as a committed couple? (Committed emotionally and physically to one another, to be more specific.)

Yep...I'm for a lame duck congress. Since we can't trust any of them guys, the next best thing is to let them babysit each other.

Oh, yeah....Fox News. They wouldn't know "fair and balanced" if it came up behind them and bit them on the backside.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand this statement AT ALL. Are you saying that we, the people of the United States, and/or our elected officials have no control over what is written in the Constitution or the First Amendment? Is it your belief that God inspired, or controlled the writing of the Declaration of Independence? Wouldn't that make the Constitution as infallible as the Bible?

Carol...I completely understand your point of view and I would take up arms and fight anyone who tried to force homosexuality on you. What I don't understand is why you feel that your beliefs should be translated into law. Not everyone's beliefs, obviously....just yours - and the people who agree with you. The single largest Christian denomination in the USA believes that divorce and remarriage is a sin. The New Testament says it's a sin, as well. Should we make it illegal? Why not? Jews believe that it is a sin to eat pork. Shall we outlaw bacon and ham? They live in America, too. And they hold their beliefs to be as true as you do. Do you see my point? Either ALL religious views should carry the force of law, or NONE should. I vote none.

No one put words in your mouth. I said that according to your logic, gay people would be denied the pleasure of an intimate relationship. Then I made the statement that homosexuality is not contagious. I did not attribute either, or any, statement to you. Nor did I accuse you of anything.

You left out a couple of things... Fact...In 2003 Rick Perry pushed through a 6% cut in the Medicaid budget. How is that a "good" thing for poor children, elderly and disabled? Fact...The 2003 state legislature enacted the governor's budget to eliminate CHIP coverage for prostheses, physical therapy and private duty nursing; count income for CHIP more strictly; impose a 90 day waiting period for newly-eligible CHIP patients; reduce Medicaid home health coverage for the aged and disabled; end the Medicaid medically needy spend down for families and children; reduce the pregnant women’s Medicaid income level enough to drop 8,300 women monthly; and terminate Medicaid coverage of eyeglasses, hearing aids, chiropractic services, podiatry and some mental health care for adults. Another "good" thing? Tell that to poor children who have to share eyeglasses with their classmates. Fact...All this caused over 100,000 children to lose health coverage. Not because their parents earned more, but because the state yanked the health care rug out from under them. Fact...In 2004 the Medicaid agency proposed additional cuts, including limits of $5,000 for liquid assets and $15,000 for a car's value (with 2nd cars worth up to about $4600 allowed) for CHIP. If people were doing so well and drooping off chips voluntarily, why were more cuts needed? PS...my sourse is not professionally aligned with the Democratic party. As I said, he is an activist for AIDS/HIV victims and worked for the Feds in administering Medicaid programs. He is far less biased than Peggy Venable.

It's still a LOT easier to choose something you are naturally inclined toward over something that disgusts you. Your logic would deny gay people the pleasure of an intimate relationship, since it is virtually impossible for them to sexually desire a member of the opposite sex. Their natural, God-given desire to physically love a person of their own gender is not something to be "overcome". It's not dirty. It's their gift, just as hetrosexuality is yours (and mine). And they aren't harming straight people. That's what I don't understand. Homosexuality isn't contagious. Why do people act like it's an epidemic that needs to be contained, or eliminated.

What a great post!!! I so agree with you, and not just because you are a fellow Democrat. I think both parties have splintered and no longer represent "old time" Republican OR Democratic ideals. I think there is untold graft, greed, corruption and hypocrisy going on in DC every single day - by members of both parties. So many of them line their own pockets, and those of their big contributors, at our expense. I never vote for an incumbent unless he/she has shown some real evidence of a job well done...I don't care what platform they are running on. You're right about Texans, too. When I was in college, my Texas Government instructor asked us why Texans only allow their legislature to meet every two years. His answer was that we don't like government in the first place; we are suspicious of politicians in general, and we just plain resent being told what to do. I have many Republican friends who are fine people. None of them embrace the entire Republican platform, any more than I am in favor of everything officially sanctioned by the Democratic political machine. If you are a free-thinking person, I just don't think it's possible. I am in favor of same sex marriage and opposed to abortion on demand. I am delighted that welfare, as we once knew it, no longer exists. I am opposed to elimination of the estate tax, but in favor of raising the exclusion to 3 million dollars. I am opposed to the privatization of Social Security and I am in favor of stem cell research, as long as embryos are not produced for the purpose of being sacrificed. I am against the continued occupation of Iraq by US military forces. We tried. It isn't working. Bring them home. I am in favor of term limits, capital punishment, and no fault divorce. I am opposed to state income tax, casino gambling (in my state....I love going to Vegas), and common law marriage. I support an increase in the minimum wage and enforcement of existing laws regarding illegal aliens. Putting up an actual fence on the border, however, is just crazy - and outrageously expensive. I am totally against the whole "press one for English" thing. I'm sorry, but I live in the USA, an English speaking country since the days of colonization. I have nothing against immigrants. My family immigrated here, too. We adapted, we conformed, and we adopted the customs (and language) of America. In other words, we became Americans....we didn't expect America to become us. GOD BLESS AMERICA....:usa2:

Of course I realize that Clinton ordered air strikes and economic sanctions against Iraq. I also recall that Republicans rose up in arms at Clinton's directive, calling it a smoke screen to divert attention from Monicagate and protesting Clinton's right to act. He was called a "mad man" and accused of trying to "wag the dog". But be that as it may... Comparing Clinton's limited role in the Iraqi mess to Bush's is apples to oranges. Would Bill Clinton have sent tens of thousands of troops into Iraq and kept them there for years? Who knows. The point is....he didn't. Bill Clinton is responsible for a lot of things, including not keeping his pants zipped, but he isn't responsible for a single drop of blood spilled in Iraq. Your relatives serving in Iraq are to be commended for their service to their country. My youngest son has been there, too - twice. I still maintain that this war is unwinnable and the US needs to rethink it's position. I am not the only one, either. Oct. 24, 2006, 3:36AM Republicans rejecting Iraq policy With the election just 2 weeks away, party pressure has Bush altering plans By TOM RAUM Associated Press WASHINGTION - Republicans worried about losing Congress are challenging President Bush on Iraq, eroding his base of support for the unpopular war just two weeks before midterm elections. Increasing calls from restive Republicans for new ideas to extricate the U.S. come as the White House itself seems to struggle for a better course, or at least a better way to describe the current course. Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, seemed to open the floodgates to GOP criticism this month when he warned after a trip to Iraq that the war was "drifting sideways" and a course correction might soon be warranted. Other Republicans who have recently criticized the United States' course in Iraq include Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, of Texas; Sen. George Allen, of Virginia; Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina; and Sen. Conrad Burns, of Montana. Edited because I forgot to answer your question about Hitler... I don't think TOM was comparing George Bush to Hitler. If anything, I think he was saying that both were/are guilty of arrogance.

I understand that you choose not to have sex with another female, but that's an easy choice when it isn't something you'd LIKE to do in the first place. That's like saying you chose to turn off the garbage disposal before you stuck your hand in it.

I'm sorry....I thought you meant the assignment of sexual persuasion. I did read Betsy's post, but there were posts between hers and your response. And I'm easily confused this time of night.

We absolutely do not, Leatha. At least I don't believe we do. Common sense tells me that no one would CHOOSE to be a member of a persecuted minority. Edited to add... Think about this....if you are hetrosexual, did you choose to be so? Or were you born that way? Why is it people think gay individuals have a choice, but straight people don't?