Carlene

I understand, but I believe that most pro-choice voters feel much the same way. No one is pro-abortion.

She didn't drink from the wrong hole. She was trying to take the lid off - while holding the cup between her legs - so she could add cream and sugar.

BB.... Doesn't that make you pro-choice? Sounds like pro-choice to me.

You feel sorry for Paladin? Gee....you really ARE a Liberal, aren't you?

Yeah....lots of ladies use their curling irons for dildoes, don't ya know. Especially HOT curling irons. I bought one of those umbrella strollers when my first grandchild was born. It had a label that said "Caution. Remove child before folding stroller". Good thing, because I know a lot of people who might attempt to fold their kid up inside the stroller, then stow both in the trunk. However.....unless the child is under a foot tall, you really can't fold him/her up with the stroller. Must be a warning for people with micro-midget children. Is that a new fashion statement craze? Pocket/purse children? I'll have to check out Paris Hilton's web site to see if she's sporting one.

Oh, I absolutely agree with your research. I had read the same thing myself many times before. But since I regularly purchase coffee at 180 degrees, I was wondering how it could be in violation of any ordnance to sell scalding hot coffee. Could be a jurisdictional thing, I suppose, but Starbucks is an international chain and they advertise that they will "customize" your drink - including making it hotter/colder.

I wonder how many people were killed or seriously injured by consumer goods pre-product litigation? I don't remember hearing of many when I was younger.....say, 30 years ago. I have read about the electric saws that dismembered people.....AFTER they removed the safety guard. The law requiring children's sleepwear to be fire retardant is virtually worthless, by the way. It doubled the price of pajamas, so low-income people (who are the ones most likely to be using open flames in their homes in the first place) just stopped buying them. Their kids sleep in sweat pants and tee shirts. And after a number of times thru the washer/dryer, the retardant is no longer effective.

Fined by whom? I was aware of the case history, evidence, etc but could find nothing about fines. McDonald's had previously paid out approximately $500,000 in hot coffee claims. I am unaware of any statute that regulates the temperture of coffee. I have Starbucks heat my grande, non-fat, light foam, latte to 180 degrees. But I don't hold the cup between my legs.

See.....it's CRAZY!!! The entire US judicial system, with regard to personal responsibility, is totally screwed up! And it makes being a professional anything almost impossible. You have to CYA with all kinds of insurance, which drives up the price of goods and services, and then we bitch about the cost of living. My DH receives a periodical from his old union and this week's featured a member whose wife gave birth to identical triplets. This was a natural conception - no fertility drugs or treatment involved. I quote from the story... Their first major roadblock was getting a doctor to actually take the case. They went to at least 10 highly recommended obstetricians, all of whom refused to take the case because of the risks associated with identical triplets. "All the doctors urged us to either end the pregnancy or reduce it from triplets to twins, because of the statistical problems associated with this type of multiple birth," said Alex. I'm about 99% certain those 10 doctors were thinking "lawsuit" if they took this woman on as a patient and the outcome was not good - resulting in the death of one or more babies, or perhaps handicapped children. So for financial reasons, they suggested she KILL one or all of her unborn children??? How bad is that?

Everyone wants someone else to shoulder the blame! Drives me CRAZY!!!! Remember the woman who sued McDonald's (and won) because she tried to drive with a cup of hot coffee between her legs and it spilled and scalded her hoo-hoo? Maybe restaurants should give everyone an IQ test before they serve them, since common sense seems to be such a rare commodity! And bars should be equipped to administer sobriety tests, just so they don't make a human error in judgment and over-serve some idiot. Next, we can take on pharmacies. If my druggist sells me sleeping pills and I kill myself, should he have known, maybe by my history of anti-depressant meds, that I was suicidal? Even better....he refuses to sell me the sleeping pills and I fall asleep at the wheel (because I didn't sleep last night), wiping out an entire family on their way to Disneyworld. Is the pharmacist responsible? Always go for those deep pockets....Most big corporations will settle out of court just to avoid bad publicity, and every sleazy lawyer in the country knows that. Never mind who's right or wrong, just SHOW ME THE MONEY....that's the American way!

I don't, and I can't possibly be unique in that respect.

Everyone tries to "put their beliefs into law". I believe gay people should be allowed to marry, so I would vote to make same gender marriage legal. I believe automatic weapons and handguns serve no useful purpose, except to kill people and hold up convenience stores. I would vote to restrict their sales. I believe that people should take responsibility for their actions, so I would support legislation that does not hold bartenders liable for over-serving patrons. None of these have anything to do with my religious convictions.

Just because people find something objectionable doesn't mean they are members of any religion. I don't understand why some hot button topics, like abortion or gay marriage, are labeled religious issues, but others (gun legislation, for example) are not.

Maybe it just means that when wives leave the house, guys watch a LOT of porn. Come to think of it.....your wife has been gone for several days now, hasn't she?:speechles

TOM.... I am, believe it or not, aware of how the legislative branch works. Like you, I was just illustrating a point - that point being: IF (never mind how unlikely the scenario) the majority of Americans decided tomorrow that pornography was "bad", then outlawing porn would be a perfectly reasonable outcome. And not all of the anti-porn people would be Christians. My guess is that most Christians and MANY females do not like porn.

Mrs. P passed away about 7:45 last night. Mr. P, her husband of 40 years, was at home, with his live-in girlfriend. The nursing home phoned with the news and didn't even speak with Mr. P. They told the GF and asked her to relay the message. Sometimes people just suck.

I don't disagree, but for the sake of argument, "the government" is still "we, the people of the United States". If "we the people" vote to outlaw pornography, not for religious reasons, but because the majority of us feels it victimizes and exploits women, contributes to crime, and has no redeeming social value, why should the minority (losers at the polls) get to call "foul"? Not all issues of conscience or conviction have religious undertones. There are undoubtedly Atheists and Agnostics who abhor homosexuality and as voters, side with the Christian group on the issue of gay marriage. Christians do not have a monopoly on values, you know.

My husband would like to leave my dog in the garage for two years - inside a plastic bag. But I won't let him. :biggrin1:

Everyone is different, and your list of "go/no-go" food will change as your restriction changes. Personally, I can't eat bread, pasta, rice, and sometimes meat. Or eggs. I can eat about 1/2 order of nachos (not the huge, meal-size order). If I ever have to be unfilled again, I dream of one big, wonderful Italian dinner. But in reality, I probably wouldn't do it. I had to be unfilled once (aspiration pneumonia, from being too tight) and I was too paranoid to eat anything from my pre-band life (fried chicken with the skin on, hot bread, fettuccine Alfredo, etc.) I thought, pre-op, that I would be able to eat anything, just in very small quantities. That may be true for some people; it's not true for me. And, like Wheetsin said, some things just aren't worth the pain/trouble they sometimes cause.

Good job! I'm old, too - banded two years and doing well. Post some photos! When I first started out, I sought out every before/after set I could find and I loved the success stories.

Again....I have never voted in accordance with my church's doctrine - never. My church is anti-gay marriage and pro-life. I am pro-gay marriage and while I am not completely pro-choice (I despise the so-called "partial birth" and other late-term abortions and think they should be illegal), I pretty much think that other people's reproductive systems are beyond the realm of what qualifies as my business - legally, politically, or morally. In a very broad sense, what I learned in church throughout my life may influence which candidates I support, but most of what I learned to oppose in religion class was enacted long ago: thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness. Just because the church/Bible teaches something, by the way, does not mean it isn't a good thing, in terms of legislation. Finally, I'd like to point out that this country has survived and prospered under a democratic system. And if the majority of voting Americans are Christians, then the lion's share of the laws we adopt can pretty much be guaranteed to reflect Christian values. That's how a democracy works....one man, one vote. And the majority rules.

You missed a great opportunity, BJ. You should have traded them the kids!

Canada's too dang cold, but I might consider Mexico. Here's an e mail I received today from the son of someone who retired South of the border. Hello to All, Well since it appears I was the first family or friend visitor to Dad’s place I thought I would give my perspective. I drove and took the kids since they don’t have their passports. (you can still go to Mexico without a passport as long as it’s driving) You can only drive until January 23rd of 2008. Then you will need a password to even do that. We left Fort Worth at 6:05 am on Saturday the 10th and arrived in Laredo at 1:30 pm with three short stops for gas, food or potty breaks. That leg of the trip was 450 miles. We got our dollars exchanged at one of the “Casa de Cambio” locations which are all over Laredo and the border and headed over to the “Aduana” (customs) to get our vehicle sticker and visas. The Visas were no problem and only took about 30 minutes with the lines. Then I hit a snag. Well, it was more like a concrete wall. I read several articles about crossing the border and what to bring or take and got instructions from Dad but everyone failed to mention one little tiny fact. You MUST have proof of vehicle ownership or they will not issue the “import permit”. I tried to convince them that I could fax it but they wanted either the original registration or title. I thought about having it overnighted but it was Saturday and there is no overnight service on Sunday. A U.S. Custom’s agent suggested that I go to the local county court house and have them give me a copy from my VIN number but they did not open until 8 am on Monday. I figured I wouldn’t be able to get my copy and get back to the Aduana before 9 am so I did not want to do that. The reason why was because every article I read said DON’T drive in Mexico at night and it was a 12 hour drive from Laredo. So………… at 5pm on Saturday I began my drive BACK to Fort Worth. I got as far as Temple at Midnight and got a hotel. We got up at 7 on Sunday and arrived back in Ft. Worth at 11 am. We got a quick Sandwich, the title to the car and registration and headed back to Laredo. We arrived in Laredo at 7pm, went across the border, got our sticker in 15 minutes, drove back over to Laredo, got a hotel and was in bed by 10pm. So what if it was a NINE HUNDRED mile detour. My odometer was now at 1350 miles for the trip. Monday morning- We got up at 5am, went through customs with my shiny new sticker and were headed south by 6:00 am. It was a long, long drive and I could definitely understand why everyone says don’t drive at night. (bad drivers and lots and lots of roadside grazing by mules, horses and goats) We arrived in Ajijic at 6:30 p.m. and another 700 miles under our belt. (new total was 2050 miles) Dad had a nice dinner ready for us. We got a tour of the casa and played with Angelina and the dog and then hit the sack around 9:30 am. The house has no heat or A/C but it always seemed to be within 5 degrees of 70 any time of the day or night inside. Tuesday morning- Angelina’s alarm when off at 6:30 am, (she still has school) playing at no less than volume level 10 blaring out musica Mexicana. It sounded like a Mariachi band was playing in the next room. Of course she had to bring the dog it to wake everyone up so, so much for sleeping in on vacation. We drove her to school and got a nice tour of downtown Ajijic. It’s really cool and looks like a classic small Mexican village except more than half of the signage is in English. After we dropped her off we had Breakfast at one of Dad’s favorite spots called Salvador’s. We ate outside on the patio and had a full breakfast with fresh OJ, coffee, eggs, every kind of breakfast meat and pancakes. Total bill for 4 was about $15 U.S. (this was at the expensive place) We had lunch at another café and sat outside on the patio again. All the waiters during the trip were bilingual. We asked them to speak Spanish to Dad, Jared and me and English to Alexandra since she has not yet taken Spanish. After lunch I took the kids Horseback riding by the lake. I was robbed for $7.50 a person for an hour each. Plus they threw in a guide. When dinner rolled around Dad took us to a BBQ/Fish and chips place owned by a guy from England. He was quite entertaining and informative about the culture since he had been in Mexico for over 12 years. He asked what I thought about the weather and I said, “don’t you get bored with the same great weather everyday?” I added, you don’t get to ask someone, “how about this weather?”. His reply was, “it gives you more time to talk about other things.” Wednesday – We had breakfast at the “cheap place” and again we ate outdoors. Breakfast was $14. I took my car to a local body shop. I had a bumper cover that was hit back in the states and there was a small hole and large dent. I left it there and they started right away. I continued my training for a half marathon I’m running next month and ran 5 miles. It was tough because I just ate breakfast and the altitude was a killer. It’s 5,000 foot elevation there so it’s basically like being in Denver next to the equator. You also tan quicker because you’re a MILE closer to the sun. Dad took us to the local Wednesday street market where you can buy everything from extension cords to fruits, vegetables and meat, bootleg DVDs, clothes and house wares. Dad was proud of his $3 Ironing board and Jared bought a Rolex for $30, Alex bought some basic souvenirs, I bought Elizabeth some lingerie and for myself a copy of Jackass # DOS (which was in English) and Forest Gump which was in Spanish. This is a great way to learn Spanish if you’ve seen the movie as many times as we have and know all the lines, you can learn how it’s said in Spanish. Run, Forest, Run is Corre, Forest, Corre and Stupid is as Stupid does is Estúpido es como estúpido hace. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get, translates to La vida está como una caja de bombones, usted nunca sabe lo que usted obtendrá. I was a little disappointed that Bubba’s name was pronounced “booba” but Lieutenant Dan was the same except with an accent. We picked up Angelina after school and took her to her tutoring lesson in Chapala. Here I dropped off a couple of belts I wanted resized at the neighborhood shoe repair shop and they took me down for $2.00 a piece. In the states I got an estimate for one at $8. Jared had a couple of links taken out of his “Rolex” and they hammered him for $1.20 while we waited. (how does Dad afford living down here?) We ate dinner at a “Tex-Mex” place. We were inside this time but the front doors were wide open and there was a slight breeze coming off the lake so it was almost like being outside. Again I had to remind our waiter that we wanted to communicate in Spanish. After being here for two days, I came to an interesting observation. It’s a lot like being in the states except the weather is perfect everyday. The restaurants are packed with American’s or Canadians and it’s all Mexican’s waiting on them. All you hear is English conversations. It’s like it’s a retirement community except the old farts have free reign over the whole town. The only reason I didn’t stand out is because I have a lot of gray hair. It was interesting to note that Dad constantly referred to everyone else as “these old F%*#ers.” Thursday- A friend of mine’s Dad lives in Ajijic as well and I delivered a bunch of mail to him and picked up some Tequila to take back home while we had breakfast on the patio again. Picked up my car from the body shop and it was beautiful. It was an excellent repair job in 24 hours and all for the low, low price of $115. In the states I’m sure it would have been $500-600 and the wait would have easily been a week. They also washed the previous 2,000 miles off the car so it was sparkling clean. We went to a liquor store and I bought some high end Tequila which in the US cost about $50 per bottle. Down there it was $35 AND they had a special that week at two for one! Because Ajijic is in the state of Jalisco where they make most of the Tequila there is an abundance of brands. The liquor store had one long isle with Tequila from top to bottom on both sides. I took the kids for another horseback ride and then it was time to get Angelina. We picked her up at 2:30 and went to Dad’s Tennis and Racket club. It’s a beautiful resort on the side of a mountain in an exclusive community with a view of the 55 mile long Lake Chapala. They beat him up for $60 a year to belong. That gives him access to the dozen or so Tennis courts (which were completely empty) the warm mineral Water filled pool, (there were only 5 or 6 people there) exercise room, volleyball, basketball, playground, pool table and snack bar. We stayed for about an hour and a half and then headed to Chapala to pick up my belts which were ready and correctly sized. We then had tacos de bistek from a street vendor. This may have been the kid’s favorite meal. This was the Mexican equivalent of a hot dog vendor’s cart. He made them in front of you and they were delicious. We just sat on a park bench because it was getting upwards of 83 degrees but a nice shade tree cut that back to about 75. Nice. We ate 15 of them for about $7 which included 3 cokes. I spoke all Spanish to him and all his replies were in English. It was kind of funny. He told me in English, “you speak good Spanish.” We got home and did our final packing for the drive back home. (I wanted to squeeze in a round of golf at the Chula Vista country club since it was only TWELVE dollars but just could not make the time due to the extra day’s drive to get my vehicle ownership. Friday- got up at 5 am and was out the door at 5:45. We hit Guadalajara at dawn and it was home free from there. Near San Luis Potosi there was construction and no signs on how to get back on the road you were on so I followed what signs I could until I realized I had taken a 30 mile detour. So we drove 30 miles back the other way and continued our journey. (now I know you’re thinking, hey dumbass, didn’t you have a clue that the sun was on the other side of you? No, it was about noon so it looked the same) In spite of this 45 minute delay we still made it to the border in 12 and a half hours so we made good time. Gas and tolls cost you about $180 each way. Tolls really add up but I do not recommend taking the free roads. They just are not as well built or maintained. I was feeling pretty good after reaching Laredo in 12.5 hours and decided to make the following day’s drive a little easier. We gassed up, got a Whataburger and continued on to San Antonio and got a hotel on the south side. We pulled in about 10 pm. Got up on Saturday morning around 9am and got home at 3pm. Total mileage including the 900 mile detour……3250. Just for grins I checked mapquest and it turns out I could have driven from Fort Worth to New York City and back. But hey, it beats working. Dad/Dan was an excellent host/taxi/guide. Go see him. I’m flying next time…….. I’ll send a few photos when I can. Dave

Some of us not only don't HEAR ourselves being influenced to vote a particular way, but we wouldn't pay any attention if we did. I'm a Democrat. Democrats are, typically, pro-choice. The Catholic Church (my church) is anti-abortion. The Republicans are not going to get my vote just because of the abortion issue, which is, by the way, a non-issue to me, since I am not going to have one.

Like many other Liberals, I don't hate the Ten Commandments. I am every bit as Christian as you. Please stop painting with such a broad brush.