BJean

That sophisticated, huh? I'm a Stoli and tonic girl myself. Subsequently sometimes accused of not being able to handle "firewater."

Somebody want to look up the stats for the number of people killed in a household with guns in the residence and the number of people killed in a household with no guns in the residence? If owning a gun really does prevent anyone in your home from being killed, then owning them is a no-brainer. If owning a gun makes it more probable (statistically) that you or someone in your home is killed or injured by a gun, then your argument for owning them for protection from the bad guys is not too justifiable, now is it? One of the profs I had in college said that there is a Scandinavian country where it is a requirement that at age 18, all boy citizens must attend a course on gun safety and shooting and then they are issued a gun. It insures that every household has at least one gun in residence. He said that their stats for crimes committed with guns is very low. I never researched it to find out if this prof was BS-ing us, but my guess is he was a card carrying member of the NRA.

One of my best buddies, Liz, always used to tell my daughter when she was complaining about boys... Liz would say, "Don't worry, honey. We have ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of what men want. If you understand that, you'll have nothing to worry about." She had a Air Force General father with four brothers and no sisters. Believe me, Liz understood men. (airway man, I'll bet you're lots of fun at a party. You are funny!)

Courtney Love is a seriously messed up woman. She was messed up before she met Cobain and lots of his friends think she was responsible for his death. There was a documentary about it. Whatever. Together they were a train wreck. It is a serious shame that their daughter has to cope with parents like them, especially if addiction is genetically passed on. I agree with whoever suggested she had the fat sucked out. She looks like she's had some very, very serious liposuction. Not that there's anything wrong with that.....:rolleyes

Are these open containers we're talking about? Just kidding. We're telling Muslims they can live in this country and then we're telling them to compromise their beliefs because ours are different? Clearly they should find another vocation, but they shouldn't be legally banned from being cabbies if they want to. However, if they are going to discriminate against people who carry alcoholic beverages (not medicinal alcohol, right?), they should disclose it in some way to the general cab riding public. Live and let live. Sensible respect of everyone's rights - not just Muslims and not just non-Muslims.

Poor Green!! If you were throwing up, I'd think that the physical force of that would cause additional pain in the area. Makes me want to curl up just thinking about it. Sounds like Green doesn't do anesthetic well. I too used to have very painful menstrual cramps and often wound up tossing my cookies on the first day and then lying in bed for hours, curled up with a heating pad and cup of hot tea that me mum would provide. I sure miss that precious woman.

Green, I defer to you on the pain part. I have no idea what kind of procedure was used in France for you. I have had a D&C, which when I asked, was told that it is much like the abortion procedure. Some anesthetic was used and I did not feel the procedure. Afterwards there was cramping, somewhat heavier than during my menstural cycle. Uncomfortable, but not unbearable. They gave me a mild over the counter pain killer which took the edge off. Perhaps I have been under an incorrect impression all these years about how painful an abortion procedure is. I only know personally of this experience and of those of friends of mine who have had abortions and who said the pain was not extreme. BTW, none of the women I know who have had the procedure regret it. They all are thankful that they had the choice between a relatively simple procedure and a lifetime of regret.

Alexandra: Nicely said. I doubt that there have been any legitimate studies conducted because it would be nearly impossible to document illegal abortions, but it only makes sense that if a woman were to be rendered sterile from abortion (which must only happen in a tiny fraction of cases) the likelihood of that would be far greater with "backstreet" abortions than with medically supervised abortions. The horror stories that are often used to scare women into thinking that abortions are unsafe, painful and possibly that they will cause sterility are simply scare tactics used by people who wish to impose their will upon others. Most abortions do not case sterility. Most abortions are uncomplicated. Most abortions do not cause extreme pain. My guess would also be that the large majority of women who are under enough duress to choose to abort a pregnancy, are not women who will regret their decision. They are women who are thankful that their lives are not forever changed by an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy. Of course there can be complications to any medical procedure. Of course there are women who regret their choice, but that can be true whether a pregnant women chooses to give birth to a baby or one who chooses to terminate a pregnancy. There are so many variables, so many reasons, so many personalities, so many situations that cause women to consider abortion. It is just not compassionate or sane for someone else to make that decision for a woman. It is illegal for people to make that decision for a woman and that is as it should be. What if the government decided that the country is over populated and that women MUST abort pregnancies? It has happened in at least one country. It could, one day, happen here. How would those people who are against abortions feel about being compelled to have one? Outraged? Personally assaulted? Helpless? Well, women who believe they absolutely NEED an abortion, for whatever reason, feel similarly about being told that they may not have one. I repeat my earlier stance on this. Anti-choice people are going to keep on until they cause Americans to rise up against them at the voting booths.

Wheet: Size 10 doesn't seem small to me. My DH is 5'11" and wears a size 7. That might sound small, but did you notice the EEEE part? *wink, wink* BTW, congratulations on your Viking catch!

airwayman: You are SO right on!!

Bush's appointees have to be incompetent idiots. Who else would go along with all the stuff they've done and set themselves up as the fall guys?

Yep MSDad, that's what they always say!! As for the hand thing, shoe sizes and glove sizes are often the same. An old girlfriend of mine (much older than me :heh: ) says she's just thankful that her husband has such a big schnoze... thinking of the time when the viagra no longer works. Oh my goodness, I can't believe I told you that. Hope it isn't too risque for you peeps. I thought it was darned funny. :nervous But maybe it didn't bear repeating.

P.S. Thank you, Eddie. And thanks to Marjon9 and laurend for their caring and thoughtful posts in support of yours.

Eddie you are my hero for taking the time to post your story. There is no question who is the more credible source of information here... you are! I really hate that we have been witness to so much discrimination against gay people during my lifetime. I am like laurend and hope that one day we will all look back at this and be astonished that we were so friggin' stupid and hurtful. Thank God that you have found someone you love and who loves you and that you are able to live together today. When I was young, you probably wouldn't have been able to walk down the street together without suffering some injustice. Today you can go to at least some states and be married. It gives me some hope that things are going to keep improving. We must keep up the fight against discrimination and wacko religious extremists!

DIL is hoping and thinking that it is possibly Disco Night. Ahem. I think the contest is a good idea because the last song that the last American Idol sang and had to adopt as his own first record, sucked eggs.

Whatever the reason for citing some random off the wall book that claims that feminists encouraged women to get pregnant so they could experience abortion, it is repugnant and way over the top. If someone assumes that because people believe that it is a woman's right to make medical or other decisions about her body without government interference, that they endorse abortion at any stage of pregnancy or even just "for the experience" then they are not someone with whom I should be discussing the topic. Because that is someone who is not playing fair and who may as well be shreiking from a rooftop waving a gun and threatening to kill any woman who has an abortion as far as I am concerned. The whole scenario is wacky and extreme and disgusting. For the young (I assume) lady who made the statement that abortion is not going to be made illegal, she is not necessarily correct. It was illegal for many years and there are people who continue to believe it should be illegal. The President's people believe it should be illegal. The two appointees to the Supreme Court that Bush seated believe it should be illegal. Those are the people who have the power to reach that goal. Don't assume that just because women have had to go to extreme lengths to obtain abortions in the past, doesn't mean that we can't revert to that same situation, if the Republicans get their way.

Congratulations DynamoMini!!! Way to go. Sounds like you're well on your way to a more healthy lifestyle. Hope you're feeling fine and you get great results!

You don't own me. You can't get your hands on a baby that I am carrying. The baby can't survive without me as long as I'm carrying it. I'm with Green. It's none of your business. Just because you've decided that it is your job to raise my child doesn't mean that it is the right thing for any of us involved. I could cite examples but I don't believe that it is necessary. We all know the score. Just because you think that you should be able to control my body doesn't make it right. I know how strongly you feel, but there are lots and lots of people who disagree with you. You're wanting your beliefs, that will control my body, to be legislated. I think that is a very bad thing. There have always been abortions and there will always be abortions. I would rather have them performed in a medically safe environment and I do not believe that it is good for our society to tell women that they are going to hell because they choose to have an abortion. Obviously you disagree. Many people do. It all goes back to the importance of voting for people who share your values. It is perfectly okay with me for you to do all the campaigning you want in order to take away womens right to choose, except when it threatens the safety and well being of others. As strongly as you work against a woman's right to choose, I'll be working just as strongly to make sure that they have that right. As for your earlier comments about women getting pregnant so they can experience an abortion, that is right wing nutty. Please post the source or stop saying such a horrible thing. I just don't believe that people are that stupid.

Mark, you stud you. I've met Shaquelle O'neal in person. I am about the height of where his belt buckle is. He wears size 26 and I've often wondered..... My DH wears size 7 EEEE. I can vouch.

Well this IS the rants and raves section, isn't it? Just doing my part.

I am completely and utterly disgusted by some of the posts here. It is absolutely not anyone's business what me and my doctor decide is the right and healthy choice for my body. To legislate interference in my medical care (or anyone's) is intrusive and should be illegal and there should be no law passed that requires my doctor or me to do or not do anything with my body!!!!!!!!! One fine example of why this is so extremely frightening is the very thought of someone like gadgetlady making any decision in my life based on her beliefs. Make no mistake about it you all, the anti-choice people are deliriously happy about this turn of events in the Supreme Court. It is the first step in reinstating a legal ban against abortions of any kind. Just exactly what the "decider" had in mind when he appointed those two clowns. What's next? Because I guarantee you it will be another personal right of mine that they will attack and force their parameters for living on me. They may say that you should "turn it over to God" but they don't mean it. They really want us all to turn it over to them. They've appointed themselves as the belief police in this country and watch out folks, they're the only ones who know what's best for everyone. We who have differing beliefs are "evil doers" and need to be saved from ourselves. Wonder if any of these anti-choice people own guns? I know, I know, they're just for target practice. Poppycock. They are instruments of death. I would dearly love to see their faces if and when we leftists manage to ban all their assault rifles and armour piercing bullets and automatic weapons because of the outrage over the events in Blacksburg. Leave my rights alone! Take care of yourself. Don't tell me whether I can smoke or drink (I don't) or chase men (I don't) or decide to have 5 DNR directives (in case one gets misplaced.) Don't tell me that I can't have an abortion when my doctor and I decide that it is the correct medical choice for me. Don't tell me that I HAVE to be put on a respirator, have dialysis, be fed through a tube and kept alive only to prolong my miserable painful life. (Like my father.) Get your own life. Leave mine alone. Move to a country where you are told how to live and be happy and content with it. I'll never be happy with some of you right wingers taking away my personal, medical and other freedoms. Keep it up. You're going to ensure that a Democrat is elected in 2008.

Anybody know from personal experience if a guy's shoe size is relative to his penis size?

Carlene's right. They all march to the tune of the drummer in their little heads. I learned that the more insistent I was and the bigger deal I made out of it, the more one of my kids used it to exert some control over ME. My advice to you is to have lots of patience. I know it is hard and a very dirty job and no one appreciates what you're doing, especially the kid. But once he gets it in his head that going in the toilet is better, he will surprise you one day.

Am I making this up? I heard something about them singing their own compositions. Naaah, that can't be right. Maybe it is "open" night. I'll ask DIL, she's usually up on everything.

L8BloomR: I think we've reached a similar stand off before. I don't believe either of us has a mean bone in our bodies, but we both have strong feelings about politics in this country. I've been told that my emails sound harsh and I do not mean to be harsh. That's a very unattractive quality as far as I'm concerned. But as far as the Republican party is concerned, again I was not talking about all of the people in the Republican party. I was talking about the Republican party's platform and what it stands for. I am totally willing to give it a rest and my body too. I hope you have a good night! :confused: