Betsyjane

No inhumanity in the name of religion is a good start. Convicting Saddam is a good start..... Voting on Tuesday is a good follow up.....

Bravo, Moody!

Hi Folks. Just got here. Wow! there's alot to read! I am not guilty of treason, but I do think we'll lose the war in Iraq....because although Iraq was westernized to some extent before Hussein, it has not had a reputation for stability. It's been a country of arguments and squabbles and internal hostility, and of serious dividing predjudices. The only reason Hussien was able to bring some "stability" to the country was through internal terror. We removed Saddam, and we removed the stability. So now everybody's fighting again...which is their historical status quo. How is it that we can "win" and create a stable goverment in a country that has no reference point for it, and no inclination to stop hating it's own people? The 3 main factions can't even split the place up and have a central organizing government because Syria and Turkey will get mad if the factions that they don't like get any of their own land or autonomy and will go in and beat everybody up. The bottom line is that we went in there in order to surround Iran with USA presences in Afghanistan and Iraq, and whoever figured that would be a slam dunk didn't study the region's history first. It was a world class bonehead move.

Sorry. That was AUSTRALIA

There's a Golden Retriever in Autralia who performs marriages. Maybe he'll join them. Got his credentials by applying online to the Universal Life Church to be a pastor.

THAT's what I want to hear!!!!! Keep up the good work. I'm following in your footsteps.

They can't all be right!!!!!! We need to get to the bottom of this......

I believe God whispers and I believe God winks...and I believe we have free will. I agree with Carol that I'd rather have a government of leaders who have God in their hearts that a gov't run by the Bible. For me, having humans run the government according to the Bible just gives humans one more way to mess it up...and Royally, with delusions of greater power than their offices already have. Better a pure heart than rhetoric..... Well, actually, better a pure gay heart than a straight right winger.....

The way I understand it, if we do it TOO wrong after the band, we'll be sorry....... That should help us.

Hi SSMANZO! I'm having myself Spivaked a week from Monday! I'm rootin' for ya! Lisa99---Thants a great idea with the straw. Why don't you add that the the pre-post Op board in the list of things to buy before banding! I'm off to find a straw....

Hmmmm. What if someday the US govt decided that men and women could only marry virgins? No fornicators allowed. Would it be OK to have that much religion in our laws? Or...decided that church gift shops were moneychangers in the temples, and ransacked any churches with gift shops? How far are you comfortable going without separation of church and state? We've seen what happens in the extreme with religious theocracies....How much is too much? I would rather be a country built on religious freedom than on religion.

My Dr didn't tell me I needed to do a pre-op diet or to try to eat that way before the surgery. He says it's different when you get the band and not to develop a failure set about it in advance. I have been mentally rehearsing, though, and have just started trying it for real. Nowhere near perfect, but then when I screw up, I don't hurt or start retching, either. My husband is trying it with me, and by the time we've chewed a small bite 30 times, we're pretty much laughing and choking on it.

My Dr says to start mushy foods after 48 hours! They sure are different, aren't they?????

We're talking about rights, religions, beliefs, laws.....We're a pretty brainy lot, I'd say.

TOM=Tired Old Man

What is that wonderful line in The Great Gatsby?.... Life is much simpler when seen through a single window.

(TOM: I got your Bush reference. And I laughed at your Ham n cheese. It was all a delightful post.) I am Christian and I have a deep personal relationship with God. I am Christian and I do not believe God hates homosexuality. I am Christian. I love the Bible. And I don't take it literaly. I am Christian and I believe in evolution. And creation. I am Christian and I believe in the right to choose. And alot of other rights. I am Christian and I don't support the religious right or agree with the President. I think I am a good Christian.

Remember that line in American President? How can you support someone who loves America but hates Americans? Freedom and diversity are what we are supposed to allow and revel in. Most of the rest of the world is becoming more open and we are now closing in and getting so narrow minded. That's really too bad. I still want to be a superpower...along with India, China, Russia, and southeast Asia, all of whom are starting to open up.

I don't believe God should be assigned to certain areas. My relationship with God is so profound that it can bring me to tears. I am an advocate for gay marriage.

I love the Bible. I don't take the Bible literally. I believe I share my beliefs with the silent majority of Christians in this country.

I have a personal relationship with God. It is the most important thing in my life. I was a good person who wouldn't rob you or rape you before I got religion. I'm still a good person who wouldn't rob or rape you. My morals came from my parents. I advocate gay marriage and gay adoption. I believe in love. God is love.

What's a normal meal like for you, letha? Just trying to get my bearings.

Now that's scary. That's the advice I've had forever...eat right! I've never been able to do it, even though I know how. Is it easier with the lap band? If not, why am I doing this???? I have never been able to pull myself up by my own bootstraps!

night night, all.

Holy Cow! I never thought I'd see Beowulf again in my life! And that would have been fine! :-) When I was in college, I took a course about how the word of the Bible has changes as it has been rewritten...what chapters have been deleted and what maintained, and which changes were for political reasons. I thought it was fascinating. Literal Biblical Christians will believe the wirters were divinely inspired in their translations. Others will see the changes as motivated by man and not God. Religion is always a no-win discussion, no matter what. Unfortunately, we flawed people sometimes go to war over those differences. What I want to say is how much I appreciate everybody engaging in this discussion, and I appreciate the respect shown, even with a hot topic. It's an interesting thread.