BJean

Do you remember how the terrorists got into this country? Mostly student visas. Most of them weren't even attending a school, but our government never seems to follow up on that sort of thing. We just tell them what the rules are and expect them to go by those rules. Some of them had been in this country way beyond the expiration date of their visas. Heck, I even have a friend from England whose husband came to the US for a legitimate consulting job. Their cards ran out years ago and yet they are quietly living in Aspen, Colorado. With our selective enforcment of the laws, it isn't too surprising that we have a crisis with regard to illegal aliens. Especially when so many American business owners have come to rely on the cheap labor that illegals provide.

Gee I was just wondering what happened to the last Idol. I can't believe I can't even remember his name now. And I liked him. I think it would be cool if Blake won just because I think he has some cool natural ability that could be developed into something special. But I'd bet money that Jordin takes it. I'm pretty much over it too. Sort of anti-climatic really. :phanvan

You mean there's a difference between abortion and a vasectomy? Really? No duh. Of course men can't carry babies internally. Of course men can't go into labor and deliver a baby. They can choose with whom they have sex. I doubt if there are very many cases documented where a woman forced a man, by gunpoint or otherwise, to have sex with her. Which is another fine reason why men have no business making decisions for women who can carry babies and who can be compelled to have sex against their will. Both questions, compulsory vasectomies and compulsory childbirth are not decisions that should be controlled by the government. Period. End of story. Think up all the horrid, heinous bloody visions of dead babies you want. It is a woman's right to make decisions about her own body just as it is a man's right to make decisions about his own body. You can't get around the fact that although sperm is the potential for life, it is not a life in and of itself. Nor is a fertilized egg. But even if it were, it still would not be your place to decide for me if I must develop a baby in my womb just because one of my eggs was, against my will, fertilized.

I just wonder Carlene, how men would react to our government or courts deciding that they get to intervene in a man's choice to have a vasectomy. What if the government decided that all men had to have a vasectomy? It could be from overpopulation or disease or some other reason...they had to submit to a vasectomy and forego having children even though they would be a wonderful, loving and caring father and it was something they felt they were designed by God to do.

FunnyDuddy: I was not angry when I made my post. I just have very strong convictions. Just as you do. As you said, we can agree to disagee. However that's absolutely not the end of the debate. As long as there are people who wish to impose their will on women with respect to the right for her to make her own decisions having to do with her reproductive organs, I will continue to argue my case. No matter where I choose to do it, I believe it is a worthwhile effort on my part. Green said it very well. She and Mark and laurend and a few others give me faith in humankind. It's what helps keep me sane when this debate rears its' ugly head.

Mark, FunnyDuddy's constant use of the word "inconvenience" when she refers to impregnated women in this discussion speaks volumes about how much she either chooses not to understand or does not understand the issue. That's why we must fight to the bitter end of this debate. They want us to join in their celebration of a ban on partial birth abortions, but we know what the true final objective is. We must never let it happen, and laurend, make no mistake about it, they want the rights of women to make these personal medical decisions taken away, across the board. No exceptions. This is the point where I could list all of the heinous scenarios where women have suffered horribly in the past, but I will continue not to do that. The people who use those tactics are hopefully affirming most people's determination to keep a woman's right to make medical decisions about her body her own decisions, not the decisions of the President, the Congress, or the Supreme Court.

What Mark said was truthful and correct. You're working with a set of conditions that not everyone agrees is a viable, preferable or right plan of action. Sorry, just because you think adoption is always the answer to a woman's (or a child's) problems just doesn't make it so. It may be a decent thing to do in theory, but it is just not always the answer.

karey: I've had that happen to me too. I think that sometimes we just need a change of some sort to get us off high center. I am definitely overdue for a nutritionist meeting. Hope to get in a visit with her sometime later this week!

Perfectly well said, Mark. Thank you.

karey and Mimni: You all look FANTASTIC!!! You are definitely inspirations! Wow. Congrats karey on having such a beautiful little girl in your life! I am up a pound. Dang. Going in the wrong direction. I'm not giving up hope nor am I hopeless. Just a blip (or is it blimp ) in the road.

How can anyone defend or condone the practice of taking some sissors to the brain of an unborn baby? My point is that it is not for me to say when or if that practice should be done in an extreme circumstance. Or in any circumstance. It is quite simply a decision that should be made by the people involved with the help of educated medical professionals. It is not something that should be decided by or even judged by people who only have an interest in imposing their will upon others. The reason my comments seemed to address abortion in general is because my belief is that partial birth abortion is just the same as any abortion... not the business of the public in general, and not the business of our government. It is a personal medical problem and any course of treatment should be decided by the people affected personally. Everyone else, BUTT OUT. Thanks for understanding Mark. Emotionally charged buzz words can really spin everyone up. If only there were more vocal proponents of a woman's right to choose what happens to her body here too - they could use some extremely graphic scenarios to make their point as well. They just don't choose to play that game. If Roe v. Wade is overturned we have a whole lot more to worry about than a ban on partial birth abortions. I refuse to go into graphic detail, but I feel just as strongly about this as those of you who believe that bringing a scrambled brain, severely disabled chid into the world is the proper course of action. (No, having a paralyzed arm shouldn't be considered severely disabled as far as this argument is concerned - although I am very saddened to hear of FunnyD's daughter's arm. It sounds as if FunnyDuddy provides a great support system for her, thank God.)

I think it is great and wonderful that some of you are advocates for people who choose not to perform abortions and who find abortion to be an abomination. However I would sincerely like to see someone be an advocate for women who have experienced the ultimate trauma of being impregnanted and who are experiencing extreme anguish because of it. You seem to be making it sound as if women do not experience the kind of trauma that could cause their death or their loss of sanity if they were to be compelled to continue such pregnancies. Or at the very least you make it sound as if just going ahead and having the baby and giving it up for adoption is a simple and far superior solution to women's unwanted pregnancy problems. That may be true in some cases and for some women. But it is absolutely not true for every woman who is in the position of experiencing a pregnancy that she cannot deal with. Judgement calls like this, by extremely rabid anti-abortionists is why Roe v. Wade should stay the law of the land. There are so many cruel and visually abhorrent tools that anti-abortionists use to add insult and injury to many already physically and emotionally troubled women, that it is very repugnant to someone like me who is wholeheartedly pro-choice. It is NOT for any of us to say who should or should not have an abortion unless we are making that decision simply for OURSELVES. I have no problem with you extending love and support and education to a woman who wants and needs your help. I do have a problem with your political/religious views being imposed on EVERYONE by virtue of laws forbidding women to make their own decisions with regard to their physical/emotional and medical health.

lifelongband: You've done so well. You sound and look great. And yes, getting away was very nice because there has been so much going on here at home. I hated the idea of being gone and not being able to get stuff done, but it helped me realize that everything will get done in time. No need to insist on having it all done immediately. Life is short, right? April that helped a lot. I have had the pain at my breastbone, as you said you did. But no intense pain in my side or anywhere else. After my last fill, I definitely could only eat a bite or two before I got that very uncomfortable feeling and if I went ahead and ate another bite or two, I would definitely go ahead and PB. After that I didn't want to eat, but in a pretty short period of time I would get ravenous. That happened several times. After a week or two it seemed to relax a bit and allow me to eat more. Now I get that feeling after a couple of bites, but I just slow way down, wait a few minutes and when it eases up I take very small bites and go very slow and then I can eat more of a normal size meal. (although not nearly as much as I used to) I'm not PBing anymore and I don't feel hungry all the time like I did. I'm thinking the last fill was a teench too much. I would think that I would still be having lots of trouble if the band had slipped. That pain I was having may have just been from trying to eat too much. When I was going through the worst of that (over a week ago) the bad part was the fact that I was so hungry that I started eating things like chocolate and some ice cream about an hour after my meals. No problem with getting sweet stuff down. So now I think I've decided that being overfilled is worse than not having enough. I loved it when I could only eat a bite or two and no more because it felt good to eat so much less. But the hunger thing took over and actually has caused me to not lose and maybe even gain! I am still trying to become friends with this whole process. I know there's a sweet spot somewhere that will keep the hunger at bay and help me lose more weight but not trigger PBs. I loved reading where Tami (I think it was) said that she rubs her port affectionately and gets on with the job of exercising and eating right. I hope I'm right and haven't had my band slip. If I get the breastbone area pain again I will do as you suggested and talk to the doc. I sure appreciate you taking the time to tell me about your symptoms. Thanks!

Keep watching Idol Green. There's a good chance they'll replay some of Sanjaya's performances. They haven't managed to eke out all the mileage they can from his antics. After watching the entire season, I'm pretty sure he was pegged from the beginning to be the one who rallies the pity vote. He's gone along with the whole thing too good naturedly.

green: I'm with you. Especially wish I had kept the post surgery drugs that I didn't take. I would gladly replace my current chocolate cravings for a little pain reliever fix now and again. You might have to make a serious trek to Houston without me. I'd rather not sweat like a pig under the chestnut tree, as would happen in the ultra humid Houston area. However, if you would meet me in the mountains in New Mexico or Colorado we could find a nice spot by a trout stream to count our blessings. Later we can we can figure out how to use some fly fishing gear and snag us some lunch. Not QUITE as tasty as honest to goodness Texas barbeque, but much healthier! Will you bring the chocolate or should I?

Hi ya'll. I've been out of town all last week. I haven't had a chance to even weigh yet. I will weigh on Monday and post that for last week and this one. We have done so much eating out in nice restaurants as well as some snacking in our room so I have probably not lost anything. I just hope I haven't gained. I am due (past due) for a fill. I need to lose some lbs before the middle of June. I have to get some serious resolve going again! You're all sounding great. And that picture of Mim knocked my hosery off. Wow! Way to go girl!!! April, glad you're back. I've forgotten what your symptoms were. I have had some pain in the area of the band and wondered if I've just eaten too much or what. Do you mind telling us again what your symptoms were? thanks.

Blake definitely = jazz to me too. As far as the Idol musicis concerned, old Simon will do whatever appeals to the mainstream American public. Pop is what the doctor ordered for making the big $$$. It really does have less to do with who has the best pipes than who can pull in the most votes. I still find it entertaining and fun. Especially compared to some of the other dim-witted TV offerings.

Actually I was only speaking tongue in cheek about being in the dark about my taxes. I agree that if we had to pony up a check every April for our federal taxes, we'd all want to balk. If we had a genuine caring desire to help the less fortunate in our country, we might not have to have taxes automatically taken out of our paychecks. But then that's about like saying if all fathers took care of their children they wouldn't have to pay child support through the courts. Too bad we all aren't as responsible as we would like to think we are. Betsyjane: Your life in the Houston area sounds like a bite out of history. We've always boasted about our "industrial revolution" and bragged about the marvelous things that our technology has brought into our lives. Your experience may make us wonder about how much of all that "stuff" is really needed for a happy life. What's life all about anyway? I can conjur up a mental image of a beautiful pastoral setting with grazing cows, birds chirpping, bees buzzing and the quiet enjoyment of home grown food beneath a spreading chestnut tree. Quite a contrast to the city life: jumping into our luxury gas guzzling auto merging onto our major highway beating a path to our favorite fast food place and bolting our unhealthy fat and sugar laden meals while driving and talking on our cell phones on the way to some loud, competitive sporting event. That's living, huh?

People like Ted Bundy choose to handle their own defense in court. That should tell us a lot about what kind of person would fire their attorney and try to defend themselves in court. I watch "Grey's Anatomy" and recently "House" but I don't have any illusions that's what really goes on in hospitals. Boston Legal makes some really good arguments sometimes for different legal questions and political problems, but unfortunately things don't usually work out that way in real life. Justice doesn't always prevail. If the gloves don't fit, you must acquit.

I'm for Blake next week. But I'll bet Jordin takes it. She seems to have some serious clout. I hope we haven't heard the last of Melinda. I think that with some additional facets to her performances and something interesting added to her appearance, she can be a serious "contenda" in the pop/rock world. I sense that her favorite genre is jazz or soul, but the money is in rock and pop. Who doesn't want that? Oh yeah, all those artists who just want to be heard. Yeah, right. :rolleyes

sandra: The Smithsonian! My favorite is the American History Museum. Also the Air and Space Museum is great. Any of the Smithsonian museums. All of the monuments or at least the Washington and Lincoln monuments. Drive by the White House. If you have time Old Town Alexandria is fun. Georgetown provides upscale dining and shopping with beautiful historic homes. The Washington Zoo is great. There is a wonderful Marine museum. You could spend a week and not see everything. If you've never been, just driving around town and seeing our beautiful Capitol is fantastic. It will make you feel very patriotic. Have a great trip!

Ah Lucy, your post makes me miss all those extended fingers I saw in the usual maniacal traffic mess in Florida. Everyone is a transplant there and so they have nothing to worry about when they flip some jackass the bird. Here in Texas, they know each other or their brother or their mother's best friend and so they just can't give someone the finger without hearing about it later. Plus we ARE in the Bible Belt. They might be offending the neighborhood preacher. I used to love (NOT) the traffic in Orlando. Invariably you could count on some tourist from gawd knows where, cruising along in the right hand lane and realize that they need to turn left NOW! They just cut across the other 2 or 3 lanes of traffic, while we all throw on our brakes, and they go ahead and make that left turn, without benefit of turn signal or any other indication of what they are doing. Then you got your old farts dottering along at 30 MPH in a 45 MPH zone. And the very aggessive business executive who is fixing to have a fatal heart attack because he is so stressed from the above mentioned drivers. They don't honk or signal or anything, they just drive like a bat out of hell and brute force their way everywhere. Then mix in the mother of 3 who's carpooling with 3 other kids in the car too and she's screaming bloody murder at all of them and steering all across the road - usually while drinking her coffee and putting on her makeup. Don't get me started on the teenagers. They're all driving Mercedes convertibles, or Beemers and blocking 2 lanes of traffice while hanging out the windows and exchanging cell phones or lipstick or dope. Cool. Yep sure makes you have a knotted up gut with the finger ready to fly.

missyg: Obviously there's already a tax break in effect if they're asking you - uness of course it's another "big brother" step they've taken to monitor our behavior. I don't do our taxes - haven't for years so I'm pretty much in the dark. Which is how I like it.

Furthermore, I'd take my risks with the knife of a good plastic surgeon over that of a murderous skank in a foreign country.

airwayman: should you ever decide to make house calls, please let me know. BJ Green: There's adventure and then there's Wild and Crazy Risky Adventure. Just know what you're getting into. Life is too short as it is.