BJean

Way to go karey and GhOst - nice losses for the week. I am (*blush*) the same this week as last.

Yay Kat! I love the point you made about any newcomer in a family possibly having problems fitting in - because we all certainly do have baggage! The other comment that I appreciated was you admitting that you notice that her skin is darker than yours. That's the kind of honesty that is going to help break down the walls of racism. So much more pure and real than hollow claims of not being a bigot. Things are improving, but we sure have a long way to go! Kudos to you for doing a good job of working through it, first hand.

I thank God for the American Civil Liberties Union! It has been horribly maligned over the years. They really do fight for civil liberties whether you agree with every single lawsuit they file or not. It is easy to read the headlines and declare that they have gone off the deep end, but if you do an impartial, in-depth study of their actions, you will find that they are seeking to correct a very real injustice. If it weren't for the ACLU, many acts of discrimination would have been committed by people who have the power and do harm to people who have no power. We need a counter balance to actions made by certain judges, district attorneys and law enforcement officials when they make decisions that are unfair and based on their own personal agenda. One of the most important persons right now that we need to keep in check is George Bush who is willing to utilize all of his power as president to employ a "faith based coalition" to ensure that his religious agenda is carried out, whether it is fair to all citizens or not.

There's so much I do not know and do not understand about racism and race issues in the world today. I would love for there to be an open discussion about it here. I know there would be a lot of widsom and truth in the postings if it is like every other topic I've kept up with. Anybody?

Green has good thought processes. I think there's a very good possibility that she has hit the proverbial nail on the head, IM.

When did we start having sex after LB surgery? Well, I remember when I woke up after surgery and they brought me back to my room, my DH was waiting for me.........just kidding. I believe it was at least 2 weeks. Maybe 3. Or could be 4, I guess. Well, now that you mention it, it was probably more like 2 months. But that's just me.

Bubble! That was one scary story!! Especially the part about the house shoes! :heh: Seriously if you hadn't called Poison Control, you might not be with us right now. Did the paramedics give you a shot of Benadryl? I can't believe you talked them out of taking you. I've had several encounters with scorpions in Florida and Texas, but I never saw one while we lived in Arizona. We were there for 5.5 yrs. I've never been stung. Once I went out to get the morning paper and walked back into the house through the garage, past the lawn mower, and I realized that something felt funny on the heel of my bare foot. I took a look and low and behold a dead, smashed scorpion was stuck to the bottom of my foot. I let out a bloody scream that was heard 'round the 'hood. Guess it came in on the wheel of the lawn mower or something. Eeeuuuu! Man, Green you have the best deal going with your hair did, er do. I can't believe you can git 'er done for 20 bucks! That's like a throw back in time! I have such lousy, fine, straight mousy brown hair, I have to really work at finding someone who can cut this mess. Count your lucky frizzy stars!

I like your attitude, Bitter! :eyebrows:

Amen again, sister Green.

Well Green, just so long as you tipped the bastards, that's all that counts on this thread!~ Bubble: That was a funny story! Was it a bark scorpion or just your regular run of the mill brown one? Anyway at least it made me feel better about the money I used to spend on Speigel catalogue stuff. I was sitting next to a man in Phoenix many years ago at a Mac Davis concert (yeah, that long ago) and he had his hand in a cup of ice. He had been stung by a scorpion in his yard right before the concert and he wasn't going to miss the show. Said it hurt like H - E - double hockey sticks!

future2bsn: I've noticed that many of my well-to-do friends who have never worked in a service job are the poorest tippers. I have never been able to understand how they can expect people to be nice to them with their attitudes. A former friend of mine (I finally got fed up too) used to embarrass me and my husband as well as her own husband every time we went out to dinner. Something was always wrong with the table we got, the food we were served, the drink, the dessert, the coffee or the after dinner drink. ALWAYS. It was like she just craved the extra attention or maybe she just liked to lord it over people. She definitely was a control freak. I always wondered if she was the type of person that the restaurant staff spit in their food. If I get good service I overtip a server. If I get poor service I try to figure out if it is from inexperience or because of a really bad attitude. I tip the minimum if it is attitude - and you have to admit there are servers with bad attitude, although they are few and far between. As for the hairdresser in Orlando who demanded a tip, I honestly was taught that the owner of a salon would be offended by the offer of a tip and that it was in bad taste to tip them. So I didn't tip him because I thought it was the accepted practice. This guy had become famous from doing several movie stars' hair when they were in town and he used to travel with one national TV news gal. He was a pompus ass, but he did my hair well and it was fun hearing all the gossip he blabbed constantly. As far as I was concerned, he could have asked me in a courteous way why I didn't tip instead of outright demanding one. Or he could have had his receptionist handle it, very delicately. Instead he chose to embarrass me and insult me in front of the other patrons and probably told the story to everyone througout the rest of the day. Frankly I don't put up with that kind of treatment when I am paying someone for a service. Know what I mean?

And Green, don't you think that because Christians do all they can to force others to "live by their moral code" people with differing beliefs are scared that if they don't make a stand for separation of church and state, those Christians will one day be able to make it happen. That makes it a very sorry state of affairs for so many of us who enjoyed the Manger scene in the town square and Christmas trees in schools and all the other things we grew up with, but that are now deemed politically incorrect.

Mark: I think you hit the nail on the head. I honestly have no problem with the use of those words on government buildings and on our money. I am rankled by the extreme right wing in this country telling everyone else how they should live their lives and even worse, that they are wanting to legislate it. :omg: Thanks for your easy to read and understand post, Mark.

Dr. Phil can be pretty abrasive sometimes, but when I watch him I always learn something. Besides I generally like his very direct approach. Makes people have to face what they're dishing out without all that pussy-footing around.

Bitter: Oh I'm still nuts all right... I've just lived out of Oklahoma for so long I've learned how to hide it like people from other states do. I used to have a very good Shrimp Creole dish that I served at luncheons because it was very mild. But to have Brennan's recipe!!! That is truly special. One of my memorable moments - my first ever PB - was after going to PF Chang's. I quickly learned that rice is not my friend. I can't eat sushi anymore and I really miss it. I'm afraid of ingesting any kind of raw food that is normally cooked because of a possible microbe infestation of my band. That would not be pretty! I'm with you on heating up those pre-cooked chickens. You never know where they've been.:sick I did manage to eat a little chicken and even a dumpling the other night. Think I need a fill? If you ever want to share that Shrimp Creole recipe, I'm all eyes! :eyebrows:

Bitter: "squeezing cream cheese out of a tube"? I guess that means all her kids are little cheesecakes! Aaaaarrrrrgh! The Shrub finally admits there's something to global warming, huh? like Jack (?) used to say... Yar, genius.

The reason I like to discuss things with you L8BloomR is because I think you are very intelligent and you make excellent points without insulting others or becoming rude. As different as we think, you sure come close to winning me over every time.

Funny! I posted before your second post too. One can certainly understand why the Israeli goverment is so strict about incorporating their religion into all of their decisions and into their way of life. All you have to do is look at their history. We, on the other hand, have a history of at least saying that we do not discriminate against different religions and that people of all denominations and beliefs are welcome here. Very different from Israel, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, etc.

I honestly did think that was what you meant. I thought you were seeing it as a reason for keeping the words in our government docs, etc. It isn't the first time that I have misunderstood your posts. You've misunderstood mine a time or two also. It happens. Big deal. I thought we had established earlier that we have a respect for each other even though we don't agree politically. I wouldn't ever put words in your mouth - there is simply no reason to. But I can't help it if I misunderstand your point. I expect you to straighten me out if I do, and I hope that you will, each and every time I take something the wrong way. Peace out.

Indiogirl: You are so right!! As for me, it came as a bit of a surprise because the first few months after surgery were so EASY! I thought it would always be like that. Heaven knows that I was told and read many, many times that the band is only a tool and that we can't rely on it to do the work for us. I am still ahead of the game at 40 lbs lighter. I'm not complaining, I am just hoping that I can get my act together and git 'er done!

Hopw2BHottie: You're just the kind of newbie I love!! Thanks for appreciating the chuckle. I mean afterall, we're STILL hearing Bill Clinton jokes every single day! (And as a card carrying, casserole-eating, born again and then reborn again Christian, anti-war semi-pacifist, they are dang funny!)

P.S. I honestly was not trying to debate or argue. I find it a facinating topic because I see both sides of the issue and agree with both sides in certain ways. I apologize for interpreting your words improperly. When you said, "Those words helped make our nation something unique and special, and the kind of place people wanted to come to", I thought you meant that those words in and of themselves motivated people to want to come here. What you said about your Israeli friend who says that her country does not allow certain Christian symbols, etc., in her country and that many Christians live there without making demands, actually makes a good point for both sides of the discussion. Btw, my cousins were missionaries in Israel for many years. They ran a Baptist sponsored Christian school there. It was against the law for them to accept Jewish children and they were only able to teach the local Arab children there. You do agree that Israelis live in very dangerous times?

Green deserves to be a bit whiney about her recent physical condition! You go right ahead and have a good boo-hoo. If I could, I'd lend you my shoulder. Feeling bad really sucks! :cry

You know what's funny about sagging girls? I remember the day, time and moment that I realized that mine fell. No kidding. A good friend of mine had been complaining about her falling boobs for some time (she's a bit older than I) and although mine weren't as perky as a 18 yr. old's, they were holding their own. That is, I wasn't embarrassed by the amount of sag they exhibited! One day after I had lost about 15 lbs, I saw myself in the mirror and realized that I now had what she was complaining about. The more I lose, the flatter they get, sans bra. Pretty disturbing, and it sure makes me want to get them back in their rightful place - right where the fellas can salute them with respect!

Ooops, sorry, my bad. I did not realize that your comments were only to be answered by Green. I will butt out.