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Thanks, Gadgetlady----you just made me snort my soy milk right out my nose!! I am still laughing....

Kat, thanks for the info on your situation. I think that any one of us here who has had a diagnosis of cancer, whether past or new, understands and shares in a unique experience. The fear and hope that permeates everything we do while undergoing that battle is something I don't believe ever really leaves us. You are offering a perspective that I am sure is very helpful to green and I am glad you shared it. It brought back memories of my battle 18 years ago and my hope is that someday green will share her battle and subsequent victory with others, as well. Good luck with your upcoming tests, and good luck to you, green!

That was a great story, Kat!! I love it when someone, especially a patient, has the courage to stand up for better treatment---and to be able to puke as punctuation was a great finish!! I think maybe there should be a "Cancer Survivor's" thread on LBT...we would all have some great stories to share and it would be uplifting reading for others who are undergoing the process. In any case, good luck to you and to green and the others who are currently doing battle with the Big C. I am keeping you in my daily prayers!

This is the best and easiest argument for being pro-life that I have ever read. Thank you, Gadgetlady. You put it into the proper and perfect perspective, IMHO.

It sounds like you are getting great care, green. I am so glad about that, and also that you are getting good support from home. None of this sounds pleasant, but you have a great attitude and I admire you so much. Please keep us informed and remember that we are praying and pulling for you!

I am so very sorry to hear this news, Green....I am praying for you also. Please know that so many of us care about you and will be hoping for a positive outcome. As a cancer survivor myself (18 years), I know that there is much that can be done and that miracles happen every day. Be good to yourself and please, if you feel like it, keep us posted!

Oh my gosh, these stories are heartbreaking but also inspiring---thank you all for caring so much! My rescued "babies" have had some tragic lives, also. One of our current rescues ( a Shepherd mix) was found running through the streets of South Central Los Angeles with her toes cut off of one foot...terrified. The local shelter took her in and threw her in a cage with other big dogs and she got beaten up. They never treated her stump which she kept folded up under her belly. On the day she was to be put down, someone called the Shepherd Rescue and they took her, but no one would adopt an essentially 3-legged dog. So, we stepped in and took her as a companion for one of our other rescues who was dealing with some physical issues. And now she is the queen of the house! We work with her and now she uses her stump about half the time. And she is the happiest and funniest little girl! Her recovery has been amazing and our home would be emply without her. The most incredible thing about dogs is their ability to love in spite of their treatment, don't you think? Our little girl is the sweetest and friendliest thing. Her only fear is big men in jackets....she is terrified whens she sees one. I wonder who the jerk in the jacket was who tortured her so badly? I know it is evil of me, but I sometimes wish that we could inflict the same treatment on these people as they inflicted on these helpless creatures. I would love to cut the toes off this guy.... :crying:

You made perfect sense, Elenation. You and Gadgetlady hit the nail on the head...we can't pretend that something isn't happening just because it hurts to think about it.

BJean, I am quite sure that if Tripod had been on the opposite side of this debate and had insulted someone from your side, you would look at this totally differently. I have seen you get heated up over similar posts and that is expected on a hot-button issue like this one. But since when does ANY one on this thread "tippy toe around"? My goodness, there is so much passionate debate here! And since I was the one who you said "corrected other's posts" (my first time, actually), I will respond to your statement by saying that I have seen that when others post similar things as Tripod's insults, the debate gets ugly and feelings get hurt. We didn't need, in my opinion, a newcomer who has not gotten to know any of us here, to jump in and start telling people what they could or couldn't say or if their views had any value. Obviously, my opinion had merit because the moderator (Wheetsin) jumped into this on her own and said the same thing to Tripod as I was trying to say. But Wheetsin said it much better and clearer! Look, I love spirited debate and argument, but I don't believe insulting and rude comments advance any thread or discussion in a good way. I am glad LBT has some guidelines and rules that make this a safe place for everyone to express themselves.

I've never reported anyone before, but it is nice to know that we can if we feel it necessary. Thanks for being there, Wheetsin...

Yup, "passionate and frustrated" sure describes many of our discussions here!! So glad we can also consider this section "fun" and "educational" as well. Thanks, Elenation...and I love all your moving smilies!! They are adorable!

Wheetsin: You said that better than I ever could! Thanks....

Great, great post Tink! I agree with you that even in Rants and Raves, there are basic rules of engagement. I believe Tripod broke them in his inflammatory remarks. BJean, you and I have respectfully done battle many, many times yet we have never told each other to "shut up" or go away or that no one wants to hear the other. The moderators on LBT have chastized others (and suspended some) for saying similiar things and I was just educating Tripod about the rules on this forum. No matter how someone feels about a subject, there is no reason to be so harsh or nasty. IMHO....

Thank you, Tink, I appreciate your back-up. Just to clarify, Tripod was speaking to Power396 and I was responding to his rude post. But no matter who he was addressing, your response was perfect and I agree wholeheartedly! Thank you again for your thoughtful post.

Tripod, I see that you are new, so I will suppress my first impulse to scold you for such a rude post. This section of LBT is called "Rants and Raves" and it means ANY subject can be discussed, no matter how far removed from lap band issues. Everyone has a right to state their opinion and should never be told to "shut up". You can disagree all you want and you can debate and discuss, but please don't make a judgment that "no one wants to hear your views" just because they don't jibe with yours. We all get to express ourselves here.

I don't have a solution to your heart-breaking situation, but I just wanted to tell you how wonderful I think you are to get involved. Those of us in animal rescue (my particular "vice" is German Shepherds and I have at least 3 at my house at any given time) are very aware of the sacrifice it takes to get involved and to stand up against the a**holes who neglect or abuse poor helpless animals. Thank you for what you did and for caring so much! You may have made a huge difference in this dog's life, either by scaring his owners into better care or by at least getting the dog's situation into the police records for review. Hang in there and keep your eyes open and maybe your chance will come again to get this dog into a better situation. And thank you for being willing to do the tough work against the jerks in this world!

My DH and I just signed this, Gadgetlady. What a scary development and I hope it can be reversed. Please keep us updated!

WOW, what a powerful trailer!! I had not heard of this movie until your post and I am looking forward to seeing it when it comes out. Do you have an actual date beyond "Spring, 2008"? Thanks for posting this!

Thanks, BJean, I really appreciate that. And I really do think we could have a fun time "discussing" our views in person---too bad we live so far apart!

OH my gosh.... Margaret Sanger lives!

:glare:

I hear you, BJean....I'm glad you feel better. I, too, am very impressed with most of the posts here. And thank you, Gadgetlady, for these latest articles. I have heard about the light bulbs and the danger they pose. How awful it would be if it turns out that trying to do good things for the planet could make things worse....

Well, I did see a couple of interviews with him on TV. He sounded thoughtful and was very candid and he did explain his reasons for change. It was last year but I remember he talked quite a bit about how he came to the conclusion that nuclear power could be a positive thing. And, after all, France has been using it for years and gets 80% of its energy from that source. It has been proven clean and safe. So I think Mr. Moore should not just be written off as an opportunist....I think he came to some conclusions that made sense and were workable for the now. It may be a good strategy to dismiss him and his ideas in order to get more extreme measures on the table, but what I got from the interviews was that he looked anew at things that had been considered taboo but thanks to new technology could now be made safe and less drastic. I don't see anything wrong with that. In any case, I am done discussing Mr. Moore; I only brought him up as an example of people who don't whole-heartedly buy into the "man-made" part of global warming. There is a lot of noise in this debate and I am trying to decipher the truth. Let me repeat, just because I am debating doesn't mean I am convinced on either side. That is why I am debating and discussing. I do appreciate all the info I get here from both sides.

Uh... who are you directing this to? Which people here hate you? Why would you take a response to your post as "hatred" ? You respond to other people's posts all the time, with strong disagreement. Can't others do the same thing without being called haters? I, for one, don't hate you at all. And if we were sitting across the table, I think we would have a very passionate and spirited conversation but also a very fun time! I know it is easy to take things personal here; believe me I have felt more than my share of attacks leveled at me, but try to remember we are here to challange and learn... and sometimes that doesn't come easy!!

Thank you, Elenation, for saying what I was trying to convey: the idea that no one on this side of the debate is saying that there is no global warming or anything like that at all....We are just debating various aspects of the issue, and there is plenty to debate and plenty of people on both sides to debate with (or against :biggrin:), without making it into a political battle. There is too much of that here already!! P.S. and thank you for the "Welcome Back"... I appreciate it so much! :biggrin: