anonemouse

Oh, I'm not, believe me, I'm not. I am only angry at one specific person in this thread (not you, lol!), and that is just because of tone of her posts came across as very patronizing to me. To me, she wasn't trying to help me out of my anger, she was just criticizing me for showing that I was angry. Apparently it was supposed to be shameful to vent.

In most states, only if the fetus was viable. And my point stands. A viable fetus can sustain its heartbeat and breathe on its own. Therefore, it is a life and can be murdered.

All of that and more is part of being alive. Of course, the determining factor of all of that is whether or not you are breathing and have a heartbeat. So that is the most important factor. But a LIFE is comprised of everything else, also. Some lives are more complete than others. At the point of infancy, though, the sustained heartbeat and breathing are basically it.

But in their normal state, they can sustain their breathing and heartbeat. That is not the case for a fetus, if removed from the womb. They can sustain their heartbeat in the womb only because of the mother. Kill the mother, and the fetus dies.

I can't be the only person on the board that would be willing to donate money to the board to see that it remains ad-free (other than the Google ads). To keep this board from turning into another OH, I would be willing to pay. I am not suggesting that we require people to pay to be members, but I do think that we should see if the members would be willing to donate enough money to keep the board running without having to resort to ad sales.

Yeah, they are. They can sustain their own lives. They don't need someone around to breath for them or to make their heart beat. They may not be able to feed themselves, but they can sustain life.

Did I say it was? My point is that her post was not exactly constructive, in the first place. My anger is not against those who have posted and sincerely seem to want to help, my anger is focused at one person who who didn't post anything more than a criticism of me for being angry. Huh???

I think we agree there. OH has jumped the shark. They are about making money now, not supporting their members. All the more reason that this is a bad idea.

Come on, we've discussed this enough that you know very well what I'm talking about. I know I've talked to you about it before on one of the other threads. "Living" and "alive" are two very different concepts. Joe Blow attached to a respirator and on life support is "living," but he has no semblance of a "life" that makes him "alive." Does someone have thoughts? Does someone able to have a favorite color or movie? Is someone able to sustain their own life? Does someone make moral judgements? THOSE are parts of being "alive."

Well, hell, why don't we compromise? Like I suggested earlier, restrict access to RnR to those people who have registered. Once they've registered, it's their own responsibility to learn how to navigate the site and adjust their options. They are adults, for Pete's sake. They'll figure it out. And to be very honest, there are lots of lap-band support sites out there. If they find one they prefer more, they can go to it. Not every site has to appeal to every person. And before you ask, no, I'm not suggesting they leave if they don't like it. I am just saying that if they do decide to leave, they won't be left out in the cold.

In my opinion, the best way to appeal to all is to give all of them the option of changing whatever setting they choose.

But it can't be sustained. Therefore, IMO, that heart is not part of a live being. Living, yes. Alive, no.

The "top 5" is way at the bottom of the site. A newbie would have to blindly bypass ALL the forums to get to it, and bypass all the other stuff on top of it. Unless you know it's there, people don't look for it. Once it got removed, I never even knew it was back, but at the bottom, until someone mentioned it to me. B, to be honest. If it is an old, historical statue that's been there since the building was built, I don't give a rat's ass if it stays or goes. I DO, however object to NEW statues of the 10 commandments being brought in. The first is part of a historical building. The second is someone trying to push their religion on everyone else.

Actually, a virus is not a living organism. It doesn't metabolize, and that is one of the basic requirements of "life." That's why it's usually not a good idea to take antibiotics when you have a virus. They are designed to kill living organisms, which viruses are not.

Actually, you are wrong. Atheist literally means that someone lacks belief in a creator or a god or gods, not that they don't believe in anything.

Me, me! Well, probably, since my consult is in late June, and they told me that they'd have me done before I change policies on August 2nd.

1. I've failed students, which is a wonderful stress relief. 2. I emailed Bellsouth and got put on their DNC list (even though it will take a while to take effect). 3. I told my parents to keep their mouths shut about my surgery. Just because I have made a post or two about it at one time doesn't mean that I'm not doing something about it. I make posts to vent. Once I'm through venting, I take care of it. Venting is my method of releasing anger. That's what venting means, a release. Where was the method of dealing with it? All I saw was, "you're so angry!!!" and "life's too short." Ooh, that's a wonderful method, kind of like the "just lose weight" method of motivating someone in weight loss.

Honestly, I think people SHOULD be required to register before they can view. Even if they never post, I think it would be a good idea. I am all for restricting access to certain areas, though, for the non-registered. Just have the RnR forum locked to non-members, and only let the registered members in the forum.

So, instead, you are telling Alex, "Everyone on the board should be inconvenienced because a select few either refuse to learn about the options available, or they're too lazy to change them"? And the "bunch of stuff" isn't a bunch of stuff. It would be a screen with a short description of the site and forums, and a short description of the options available to the new member, and probably would include a disclaimer about the medical advice contained on the site. There would be a little box where they could click "Yes, I've read the disclaimer/description/whatever." And honestly, it's something that probably needs to be done anyway, to prevent litigation from people who think that the medical advice given on LBT is more valid than the advice given by their doctors. After all, people sue like crazy these days.

Because the last time I checked, I could breathe on my own and I have a self-sustaining heartbeat.

No, sweetie, It angers me more when people patronize me. And seriously, I'd like you to answer my question. Why exactly should I be all sunshine and flowers over crappy students, telemarketers (that I've gotten 5 more calls from today, BTW), and nosy relatives that won't do anything but harass me about having WLS? Please, I really am interested in your answer. Would you be thrilled?

Then all the more reason to require that newbies read and acknowledge that they've read a description of the site, the forums, and the options available to them. Heck, that's what many sites do today. I think even OH has you click a box acknowledging that you know the terms of service.

I swear, it feels like I am slamming my head into a brick wall. Once again, the off-topic forums don't have to be prominently displayed. Instead, it's left up to the individual members to decide. If they decide they don't want to see it prominently displayed, they don't have to. If they decide that they do want to see it prominently displayed, they can. It's a perk of the site. Lots of options make the site very desirable. You can change all sorts of things. Don't want the chick at the top? Change the option. Want the ads to the right of the page instead of the left? Change the option. Don't want to see RnR or Talk Lounge in your new posts or on the top 5? Change the option.

I'm sorry, but everything seems to be piling on at the moment. Forgive me if I want to vent in an area that is made for venting. Can you tell me what's positive about having students that don't study, telemarketers calling at all hours, nosy relatives, etc.? Please, tell me the positives, there. Last time I checked, I was allowed to vent. I spend 95% of my time being very positive. I'm allowed to talk about the things that make me angry. It's what makes someone a healthy person. Holding it in until you explode isn't very healthy. Or positive.

That's exactly the point, I agree. They aren't being subjected to it. Since there is the option of removing those off-topic threads from their sight, they CHOOSE to see the debate. If they don't want to see it, they have that option.