Carlene

Cloe (and all)...can I share my latest teenage angst with ya'll? My granddaughter is 14. She lives with me, by the way. Sees her mom maybe twice a month (briefly) and her dad much more infrequently). Her mom came over Halloween (no phone call prior to)because she wanted Cheyenne to take her little brother trick or treating and she got kind of testy because Cheyenne had about half a dozen kids over and she didn't want to leave them. Anyway....Cheyenne has an idiot - I mean boyfriend - too. I didn't worry too much last year because he's a year ahead of her in school and he had to move up this year to high school (9th grade). But he has a (girl) cousin who is in Cheyenne's grade/school and lives about 2 blocks from him. So of course, Cousin L is now Cheyenne's new best friend. I let her spend the night with Cousin L one time and guess what happened? The two girls and about 6 other kids got detained by the cops for breaking curfew. They were "hanging out" down the street from Cousin L's house and the idiot boyfriend was one of them, of course. Earned herself 2 weeks of restriction - including no cell phone. I have been careful not to bad-mouth Cousin L's mom/stepfather. Even though they are so trashy, it gives me goosebumps. The night of the curfew violation, I took Cheyenne back to Cousin L's to pick up her clothes, etc. The stepfather told her to, "Get your ass in the f___ing house and don't even think about coming out for at least a month." Really nice people. I have refused to let Cheyenne spend the night with Cousin L since the sneak out incident. I just told her that I didn't think Cousin L's mom was willing to provide the degree of supervision that I'm comfortable with. Lots of pouting and slamming doors later, I'm hanging tough on that one. But Cousin L spent last night with us. It was fine, although I'd just as soon not be seen out in public with this kid. She is 13 and at some point bleached her hair yellow blonde. Now she has about 6 inches of dark roots showing. She wants to dye it dark auburn but said they "don't have money for hair dye." She also has her tongue pierced - something her mom went with her to have done. (She told us that her mom refused permission, however, to have her eyebrow pierced because she thinks it looks "gaudy". Go figure.) Now I feel like I'm not just up against Idiot BF, but Cousin L, too. I am tired sooooooooo tired of hearing, "You hate all my friends!", especially since it isn't so. And truth be told, I don't hate any of them. I'm just not on the same page of the hymnal as their parents, when it comes to appropritate behavior, appearance, etc. I hate to sound like a snob, but geez....if you are known by the company you keep, my kid is going to be known as a big-time loser!

You're such a tease, Hunny. I tried this (DH is more than a foot taller than me).....it doesn't work. Oh, wait.....was that your point???

If it wasn't so cold, I might consider immigrating. Unfortunately, I am a frail, demure little southern flower.

Grande non-fat latte from Starbucks. 160 calories, 16 grams protein. Hey, you asked for "favorites", didn't you?

I make my cream soups with half skim milk and half fat-free half and half. I have also started substituting some of the cheese for low-fat Velveeta in my potato cheese and broccoli cheese soups. The only canned soup I like is tomato. Other than that, I make my own. My gumbo and chicken tortilla are broth-based. I love soup!

I am not giving up coffee and tea. Sorry....it just isn't going to happen. I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs. My addiction is Starbucks and I'm not even trying to quit. I do only have non-fat lattes - no whipped cream, no syrup, etc. Less than 200 calories per grande size, and you get the protein from all that milk!

Yep....and if we aren't careful, next thing you know, there will be black men marrying white women. Oh, wait....time warp! That was pre-1967.

Tired Old Man lives in Florida. Why don't you send him a PM?

"Let them eat cake", huh Mouse?

As much as I like to trade Bible verses, this issue really has nothing to do with what the Bible says about anything. The United States Supreme Court has proven that, time and time again. I believe that to be proof positive that separation of church and state IS something our judicial system has long sought to uphold. From long before I was born until I was an adult, interracial marriage was against the law in mine and many other states. There were Bibles thumped and verses quoted to support this ridiculous law. It was not until 1967 that Texas and about 15 other states were forced by a case brought before the US Supreme Court to allow marriage between people of any color. The Supreme Court found it to be unconstitutional to forbid persons otherwise free to marry from doing so, based on race. I know plenty of pro-choice people who oppose same sex marriage. What kind of logic is that? If I'm not supposed to force my beliefs against killing unborn children on you, why is it okay for you to force your beliefs regarding same sex marriage on gay people? I have accepted the fact that abortion is legal in the USA. Now you people need to accept the fact that gay people have rights too. The right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".

Absolutely. "We the people" means me, too. I'm a voter and every time this issue comes up, I will vote for same sex marriage. If a governor or president vetoes the popular decision, I will vote to remove him/her from office. It may be "blah blah blah" to you, but to the people whose lives it actually impacts (as opposed to you and I, who have no personal stake in this at all), it is a serious, life-changing matter. It would be gracious of you not to denigrate it.

While I am on your side regarding same sex marriage, I have serious doubts about this statement. Is there some source you could post, for reference?

Surely school children aren't being forced to get married, are they??? Or did you mean that they should not be taught that same sex marriage is permissible? I don't see why it should ever come up for discussion. Public school teachers, at least in Texas, are no longer permitted to teach values. That means that my third grade teacher, who held up a self-portrait done by the only Hispanic child in the class and said, "See how he colored his skin brown? That's because he's Mexican." would be in deep doo-doo today. I was about 9 years old at the time and even I had sense enough to be outraged.

Actually, although it is often referred to as the King James Version, the only active part King James took in the translation was lifting the criminal (death) penalty attached to its translation and setting very reasonable guidelines for the translation process (such as prohibiting partisan scholarship and footnotes.)

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=24861 It's not a poll, though

Carol....please explain how you know these are the Bibles "instructed by God". Does it say so on the Bible itself? Did God give you a list? Are you saying that MY Bible is not God-approved?

But it's your place to prohibit them from entering into a CIVIL (not religious) union for the sole purpose of protecting each of them in terms of inheritance, workers/survivors benefits, community property, etc?

So you're in agreement with the scriptures? That remarriage, except for the man who divorces an unfaithful woman, is a sin?

Notice that's if the WIFE is a fornicator. It doesn't say anything about putting away (divorcing) a philandering husband. But divorce isn't the problem. It's the re-marrying that the verse prohibits. So if you're divorced, you can just choose not to have sex - ever. That way, you will be keeping the Lord's word. Sorry...I have to go. It's my turn to Lector tonight at Mass. Fortunately the reading is from Deuteronomy.

Matthew 19:9 (King James Version) 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.

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.

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.