BJean

Cheney didn't talk much during his term in office, but when he did it was always assinine. And the gaffes Bush made were doozies. I'll never forget him talking to the British Prime Minister to the side and using the term "shit." Supposedly didn't know the mike was on but I think he just really didn't care whether it was or not. Such class. And they're talking a Jeb Bush run. I can't believe that he can live down his tenure as governor in Florida, much less run for the presidency. But if big money wants him, they'll make it happen.

Yup, shoulda recorded it but I forgot that it was scheduled. I am glad that he made us proud. He's a real person, very intelligent, but down to earth. What we needed so badly in the White House after people like Bush and Cheney talking down to us.

Inflation? What rock have you been living under? The Republican party is the party of hate. And although I do note that Cleo's mentioned the word hate in her post, patty, you're the one person who uses that word consistently. You always claim that people hate when they disagree or challenge Republicans. We aren't filled with hatred like the Republicans. We aren't the ones who, like the Republican tea party folks, carry hate filled slogans on placards. We aren't the ones who and loudly rant and rave hateful words on the Fox networks about the opposition party. We aren't the ones who, like Rush Limbaugh on the radio, is spewing hate about this president and about the Democratic agenda in congress. The Republicans are experts at using hateful antics to incite Americans into a frenzy. And interestingly enough, the slogans and the rantings are usually incorrect. But that doesn't stop or even slow them down - even when they are called out on it. Hate is a very strong word. You use it indiscriminately and often to describe anyone who is stating an opinion or putting forth information that they've found that they want to share that you don't agree with. The word hate drives a wedge between reasonable people who might disagree on a subject. Debate can be healthy and a learning process. But it isn't when hate is felt by either side. Why don't we stop using that term here? It scares off most people who might have something they'd like to add to the discussion. I'd like to read something that other people on the forum have to post. Nobody likes to post something and then be told that they HATE everyone who doesn't agree with them.

Well said Jane and Judy!

Dansha not long before your surgery now. Good luck. Hope everything goes as well for you as it did for me. I'm extremely happy since getting the sleeve.

I concentrate on the goodness because extremist fundamental religious people set themselves up as judge and jury for all of God's children. If someone does not believe as they do, if they do not proclaim to be born again or to have accepted Jesus Christ as their own personal savior, then the extremists pass judgement on them and declare them to be doomed to hell if they don't repent and embrace the Bible - THEIR interpretation of the Bible ONLY. You've written many, many times that certain specific people are going to hell when they disagree with your beliefs. I'm not saying that you wrote it in an ugly way, but you did write it and I have no doubt that you believe it. There's nothing good about that. It is narrow-minded, it allows no room for error and there is a very important fact that extremists fail to admit or even recognize as truth: the Bible was written (each and every page) by human beings. Human beings are fallible and sinners and mostly motivated by selfish needs. There is a higher power that is at work and a beautiful spirituality that is achievable which will never be experienced as long as one buries ones self in scripture and claims that their ideology is the only truth. That faulty ideology is seen everyday which is easily and often admitted to by fundamentalist Christians about other religions, like the Muslim religion, Catholicism, the Jewish religion, etc. Such extremist beliefs, in some cases, have fostered the seed that has wound up committing horrible atrocities against human beings throughout history. And that is the kind of blind faith you espouse. The fact that you have not committed an atrocity like death of another human being is commendable of course, but the fact that you are okay with capital punishment is in some ways the same thing. These are my beliefs. Just as your beliefs are yours. We all have to answer for our own actions and beliefs. I believe that there are many routes to heaven. You believe there is only one. And because you believe that, it allows you to sin and still feel confident that you will be welcome into heaven to sit at the feet of God. I disagree. I believe that you will have to answer for the fact that you accept war as a necessary evil if it suits your personal agenda, capital punishment if you've decided that another human deserves to die and turning someone away from being fed if they are wearing boots that are better than yours.

For pete's sake! My doctor is so conservative and careful I can't believe he didn't mention this in any of our conversations or the literature he puts out.

I agree that 4 to 6 weeks is a reasonable length of time to give yourself to be more sedentary than usual. Listen to your body. Don't push yourself. You have plenty of time to tone up and work out when your body is ready. Plus you really have to get to the point where you can ingest 60+ grams of protein a day to support your heart and other muscles if you're going to work out. You want to get strong, not tear yourself down further after major surgery. The surgery is not that difficult and I think we expect too much of ourselves because we don't feel worse, like we would have if we had a mid-line abdominal incision. Hang in there, it'll happen and before you know it you're going to feel better than you have in years!

So if you just keep saying it constantly, you figure eventually you'll have to be right, eh? What is lost on you is that if you're living right... if you actually behave in a righteous way - not just talk the talk you see, but actually walk the walk - you don't have to worry about the second coming. You don't have to go around making judgements about and lecturing those "non believers" about how they're going to be left behind and you don't have to be "afraid" for others who haven't been "born again" who haven't "accepted Jesus Christ as their own personal savior" because you will be setting an example based on love and goodness instead of ranting and raving on your right wing platform about how they're going to hell and you aren't. But then you enjoy the superiority of your position. That's why you do it. That's why you say the self-righteous things that you say. It makes you feel good and it is reinforcement that you are one of the chosen ones and those who don't believe as you do are the poor unfortunates. What a sad little world you live in. And the saddest part is that you have no idea what real life and love and goodness are all about. Because if you did, you could never speak the way you do about others. You could never turn anyone away from a food line. You could never begrudge a helping hand to someone who needs it whether you think they deserve it or not. And you could never judge a woman who would rather die than carry a baby to term. And you could never pull the switch on a condemned murderer. But you could do all of those things and you find pleasure in them. And you justify your beliefs by pounding out scriptures ad nauseum on this little forum and who knows elsewhere. And like Mel Gibson, you think you are better than those who don't share your beliefs and your behavior. It's just very very sad because you may well be the one who is left behind because you have used your beliefs like a sledge hammer. And with a stinging sense of superiority. There is absolutely no love or goodness in that. And that is what God wants from us for our existence here on earth - peace, love and goodness toward all mankind.

Interesting term: pouch reset. Several of you had surgery about the same time I did (4/28/10) and you've all lost more than I have. But I feel I'm doing really well and I'm happy. My only concern is that lately (just past couple of days) I seem to be able to eat more at each meal than I have been. I seem to be hungry too - like actual hunger instead of just that feeling empty feeling when you know you need to eat something. Anyone else experience these things? I'm trying not to be scared. I'm trying to stay confident.

Btw, I often wondered why Whoopie was often so solicitous of Hasselbeck and her comments. Then I heard recently that she stood up for Mel Gibson, who has been in Whoopie's house and everything (whoo hoo for heaven's sake) and that he's really a "good guy." Looks like Whoopie is actually a Hollywood sell out, not the rebel she pretends to be. How she could defend that bigoted piece of slime is beyond belief. He'd do anything for fame and fortune - his "The Passion of the Christ" is a shining example of that. What a misguided piece of work he is. No wonder he has to drink to live with himself.

I wanted to watch but was too busy. I knew little miss snotty nose would have something up her sleeve to try to zing him with. And I also knew that he would make her look like the idiot she is.

I saw the Globe, loserbob. It's typical of those rags. And of course the folks who buy that type of "newspaper" are just dumb enough to believe the sensationalistic tripe they print. And you can put the tea bagging dumb bells at the top of that list. The ones who carry the signs at the tea bagging rallies that boast being "birthers."

I've never heard a thing about the dangers of chewing gum. I didn't chew gum right after surgery but only because I didn't think of it. No one told me there were any dangers relating to chewing gum. Is this a joke?

You put your own slant on what I post. That's your problem, dear. You think that YOUR way is the only way to the truth and the light. YOU are quite incorrect. So you choose to believe that I "scoff" because I do not agree with you. Fact is that I did actually agree with those who believed the second coming was imminent in the 60's. Fact is that He did not return. Are you scoffing at that fact? Or just oblivious? People have been claiming that His return will be very soon, for all the years that they've been reading the Bible. I don't doubt that He will return - what I doubt (and I think the term "scoff" is inappropriate when referring to me) is that YOU know when He's coming and that your profession to know such a thing is absurd. If you really knew what you were talking about you'd know that it is not wise to make such a prouncement. But I do admit that I think being wise is not what you seek.

patty: "Your mocking those from the 60's who said that he was coming soon leads me to believe you don't agree with them." Oh no, I do agree with them. He came and everyone was busy and they missed it. Maybe it'll happen again, eh?

Saw all of that Cleo's and it's the truth. But I believe it might be a too sophisticated approach for the masses. They tend to respond to scare tactics blown up in sound bytes. Needing to actually understand things seems to be troublesome for many Americans. They'd rather not have to think too much or read or understand the laws. They're content to take what the media says at face value. Explains a whole lot about those constantly scared to death right wingers.

And that kind of dense is much better than being lame-brained and thick-headed! Too bad there's no LapBand for the thick-headed. :cursing:

I beg your pardon. You insufferable twit. I have never denied the existence of God. And the Bible foretells that no one will know the actual time of the second coming. About the time you think you know everything, you'll learn that you were wrong. Oh wait. One can only learn if one is open to learning - and you can't be accused of being open to or of expanding your thought processes. You are only receptive to your very narrow interpretations and your extremely biased thoughts. And oh brilliant one, the person who has all the mysteries of the Bible figured out (she says sarcastically), it is about you whom the passages you quote are speaking to.

Oh, I see. I never thought of that. Thanks for clearning that up for us. The sky is falling faster today than it was in the 60's when the fundamentalists said we only had a little bit of time before the second coming. Thank goodness we have such Enlightened folks to map it all out for us. I'd hate to be left down here on earth while you're floating up to the heavens.

lrya: Philosophical debate is what we do here. It's fun. You should try it. You'd be surprised how much you can learn by not only reading things from people with whom you agree, but also reading posts by those you disagree with.

When Pat Robertson said that God's wrath was raining down on New Orleans via the hurricane I'm sure he probably said that the oil spill was more of God's wrath. Except wait a minute, Robertson's favored folks - the wealthy - have been hit in their pocketbooks by the oil spill. How has he been explaining that? What an absurd idea that God plays a role in blessing people with wealth and making sure that others never achieve wealth or his blessings because they're ignorant of what patty and others are claiming that faith in God is all about. Rich people and poor people believe in God and have been born again. It isn't about wealth or health or happiness. Pat Robertson is a self-serving person who is bad to the bone. And folks keep sending their hard-earned money to him, thinking that in some way God will favor them for doing it. If God works that way we are very unfortunate to have a creator who is that hateful. It's like someone who adopts a dog and whips their dog when it doesn't instantly obey a command. But in truth, the pet is just an animal with totally different thought processes and needs than their owners. If God worked that way he'd make sure that the born again Baptist church team wins all the baseball games and the poor ignorant sand lot team loses every time. It's as backward as thinking that Zeus will strike you down with his lightning and Eros will bless you with a loving companion.

Don't worry, if she did she'd be able to justify it.

I chew gum with no side effects whatsoever. Even when I am spinning with my mouthpiece in whilst doing my ariel acrobatic act. Sigh. I think all that negative crapoleum about the Jeruselum clinic has me not wanting to take anything seriously. Sorry. I'll do better.

Thanks for clearing that up. I'd wondered about that too. And I just noticed that somehow I managed to post the same (similar) thing twice above. Undoubtedly computer error. Heh!