anonemouse

You're the best, Mark.:heh:

The point I was making is that it won't be best for EVERYONE (which is what I believe you posted earlier).

You're probably right. I personally think that no politician is a "great guy." There's too much wheeling and dealing that they've had to do to get to the point they're at. The vast majority don't really care about the average person, they just care about what gets them funding to get reelected. Cynical, but probably true.

That's the whole point I am trying to make. You see offense. I don't. Changing the way the entire board works, just to make a few people happy doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

People can read it if they want to or not. That's the whole point. And the shoe HAS been on the other foot, or are you forgetting the "Homosexual Liberal Atheists" thread? The fact is, no one is ever forced to start a thread or to read or respond to a thread. That's what makes the internet a great place. That would be perfectly fine with me. I just don't think that those threads should be segregated from the rest of the threads for everyone, just because a few people don't like them.

I'm kind of thinking as I type, so I'll try to say this in a semi-legible manner (and hopefully not offend anyone). I think that as long as someone helps vote a certain party in, they are partially responsible for whatever bill or law or "party line" that is passed by that group. So like it or not, you get painted with the same brush as the rest of the members of your party. If, for example, Democrats manage to get a bill passed and signed into law (yeah, right) that states a woman can have an abortion up until the time she goes into labor, most Democrats are going to be painted as "baby killers" by most Republicans. It's just how things work. So, like it or not, if you vote for a certain party, you take partial responsibility for whatever they do, even if it isn't something that you personally agree with. Once it's done, there isn't any "conservative" or "moderate" or "liberal." There is just "is" ir "isn't."

I just don't see any harm with the way it is right now. Again, no one is forced to read any of the threads. There are several threads that I just skip past whenever I see them. It doesn't offend me that they're there, but I have no interest in reading them, so I don't. If someone doesn't want to read an abortion thread, they don't have to. If someone doesn't want to read a Christian Bandsters thread, they don't have to. The only person making the choice of whether or not to click on those threads is the reader.

The thing is, though, someone can only be Republican, Democrat, or Independent (for voting purposes). Someone may be a "liberal Republican" or a "conservative Democrat", but as long as they vote Republican or vote Democrat, that's what they are. Democrats think most Republicans are ultra-conservative and Republicans think Democrats are ultra-liberal. It just depends on the party line. Most people are going to vote their party.

The thing is, not EVERYONE thinks it would be an improvement. I think that all Lisah25 was saying is that if you really like a place, you take the bad with the good. You weigh the pros and cons of what you like or dislike. If the pros are stronger, stay. If the cons are stronger, leave.

There are definitely moderates here. In fact, I would say that the vast majority of the board is comprised of moderates. There are actually very few "true blue" liberals here. I happen to be one of them.

Make sure you have someone good do it. They can look really wacky if you don't. And if you have sensitive skin, make sure that the wax isn't too hot. I got burned pretty badly once when I got my eyebrows waxed and wound up with some extremely painful blisters. I actually like the no-heat gels like Nad's that you can get at a drugstore. I definitely wouldn't try it on your own at first, though. I would maybe get a good wax once and then maintain it with the no-heat stuff afterwards.

The thing is, though, no one is forcing anyone to read or respond to threads. If there is a certain thread that someone doesn't want to read, they don't have to read it. It would be different, IMO, if everyone was forced to read a certain thread every time it was updated. I wouldn't object if, as part of the new posts thing, the forum that a thread is in was identified. I don't think it is necessary to censor the new posts page, though. People are adults, and they can choose to read or not read a thread on their own.

My ex-roommate and her boyfriend (later husband, later still ex-husband) used to have discussions while I was trying to watch TV. That pissed me off so much. I would just keep turning up the volume until they got the hint. My mom makes snarky comments during TV shows. I don't want to KNOW whether something is realistic or not, I just want to be entertained, damn it!

I think that the fathers should have a vote, but I think the final say should rightly lie with the mother. I don't want anyone forcing me to give birth to a child that I don't want. If there was a way to transfer a fetus to the father or another woman or an artificial womb, I'd be all for it, but as long as the mother is required to carry the child until it is born, she should have the final word on whether or not to have an abortion. I also think that if the father wants the baby and the mother doesn't, he should be required to offer her a surrogacy contract, so that he would be legally tied to the child and so that the mother would be fairly compensated for her time, effort, and pain.

I tried to stay away from folks like that, but the smell fills the room. Smoke-smell doesn't bother me that much, as long as it is light. If someone has just finished a cigarette, I don't like how they smell, but I can tolerate it. I just can't tolerate the really heavy stale smoke smell that chain smokers have.

Whoops! Sorry!

Personally, I believe that having an abortion (for most women) is taking responsibility and accountability for your actions. I know that if I was sexually active right now and got pregnant, I would most likely have an abortion. My point is that someone having an abortion doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't taking full responsibilty for their actions. Every sane woman knows that pregnancy is a likely outcome of sex. By having an abortion, IMO, many women are taking responsibility for their actions and acknowledging that they can't take care of a child, for whatever reason. It is much more irresponsible, IMO, to bring a child into this world that you can't take care of.

They know, I just don't think they care.

Musicalmomma, I definitely respect your position, mainly because you respect ours. So many pro-life folks are so militant that you can't have a civil discussion about abortion. We may not agree, but at least we can remain civil.

Look at it this way, Wheetsin, your professor or advisor or whatever was bragging on you. I'd take it as a compliment. I doubt they would do that for an average or mediocre student. You must be talented if you have several professors pressuring you to have your stuff published.

To be honest, I think a "sin tax" on foods that have no redeeming value to them wouldn't be a bad thing. Make the bad foods more expensive than the good foods, and maybe low income folks would be able to feed their kids something other than white bread, chicken nuggets, french fries, and Little Debbie. I know that I personally tend to think twice about getting something expensive, especially if I have a choice between something expensive and something cheaper. To me, it would just be enforcement of proper behavior.

Don't forget the yuppie soccer moms who want to impress all the other soccer moms.

I have to agree with that. Who the hell needs a hummer, anyway? Go buy a freakin' minivan if you want something massive and ugly!

Here you go, Bubble: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/09/execution.pizza/index.html I don't know. Personally, I think the death penalty is wrong. I don't think anyone, not even the state, has the right to sentence another person to death. Or at least, the state should be forced to review all new evidence.

Oh, yeah. This has been an incredible ordeal. I feel like I take one step forward and two steps back. It seems like no one knows what they're doing. Faxes weren't being sent to the correct number for my insurance company; surgeon's offices weren't getting the right crap from my other doctors; when they DID get the right crap, it got lost; the 1st surgeon's office (I had to switch surgeons) never found out that they weren't covered by my insurance until AFTER everything had been submitted to them; had to have MORE medical tests done before I could be approved; my current surgeon went on maternity leave this summer; I'm having to change insurance policies in August (which means Ill have to have everything resubmitted to insurance if they schedule my date after then), etc., etc., etc. You name it, it's probably delayed my surgery. Believe me, it's not just the military that doesn't know what they're doing.