Woman to Woman

By Gandalf, the White!

January 23, 2009 9:48 AM | Link to this

OMG, for the first time ever, I concur with ANDI! God help us!

By Gandalf, the White!

January 23, 2009 9:50 AM | Link to this

Cat’s the go outdoors kill song birds. They suck donkey balls. Oh, I think you all need to know, I HATE CATS!

By RealityKing

January 23, 2009 9:56 AM | Link to this

Pets are not restricted enough. For every east cobb fifi lavishly blessing your family, 9 die in west cobb, mostly long and painfully deaths lying along the roadway. Especially cats. Which in their own devious way.., also wreak habitat on what’s left of our natural environment. Now believe it or not, I am an animal lover. Had a many growing up on that small farm south of here. Which is why I say, ban them in the general public, for all but medical or hunting purposes. They were not designed for urban life.

By RealityKing

January 23, 2009 10:07 AM | Link to this

Meanwhile…,

Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand appointed NY Senator!? She has less experience than Sarah!! What’s up with that two-faced standard??

By cch

January 23, 2009 10:45 AM | Link to this

Animal rescue groups have a responsibility to the animals that are in their care. Every question asked of and restriction placed on a prospective adopter serves the purpose of protecting the animal. Personally, although I had outdoor cats growing up and enjoyed playing with them in the yard, I would never have one now. Having a neighbor’s cat get killed by a pack of stray dogs was enough to convince me of that. I have friends whose indoor/outdoor cats have gotten run over. In safe, quiet neighborhoods. There’s not much that will break a child’s heart more than losing a beloved family pet to an untimely death or disappearance.

By rosekelly

January 23, 2009 10:47 AM | Link to this

Cats can live perfectly normal lives inside. They don’t have to be pooping in the neighbor’s garden, killing birds, and being a general neighborhood nuisance. I like cats, but in my neighborhood it’s “Shoot, Shovel and Shut-up”

By Lyrazel

January 23, 2009 11:04 AM | Link to this

I have had 4 cats that have lived (in their time) to 17-19 years and have a 10 year old who used to go outside daily. I also did not have a litter box so naturally they associated outside with dump…as a pet owner they were/are spayed/neutered with yearly shots and one thing I do with cats is make sure they are home inside at night with 9pm curfews. I have had about 3 dogs, none ran loose unless it could not be helped and then only for as long as it took me & neighbors to herd them back home where they then would lay around and fart after raiding garbage cans as this exercise of freedom involved. They all lived long lives and I miss them more than some of my deceased relatives. I spent more on vet care some years than for myself. All of my pets have come to me—meaning they were lost, abandoned by owners, rescued—none were paid for—even my 10 year old cat was given because the family had to move. I do have a cat Phoebe With Issues who I got as a rescue who has been diagnosed with having heartworm. Not all rescues are good—good intended but seldom financed the way they should be and many rescues pass infected animals off as healthy because they have too many animals.

Up north here with 12 inches of snow already on the ground we use a box in the basement for both cats. They do not WANT to go outside until after I have shoveled the porches. The rescue shelter here takes SOUTHERN DOGS and places them in homes as there are fewer dogs/cats here because more people spay/neuter and winter is cruel. A lot of dogs being sent north are coming from Atlanta shelters. So far they have placed 200 dogs.

I think shelters need to discriminate to find responsible owners but agree with Shaunti that they are their own worst enemy when finding placement. I wonder where she went that has so large a budget it can turn pet seekers down on trendy notions cats should never go outside.

By mcdonoughmom

January 23, 2009 11:04 AM | Link to this

While I love Rescue Groups and our wonderful family lab was saved from an abusive home and a shelter death by such a group, they are fairly restrictive. I find it humorous that they don’t want cats outside. Animals were endowed by their Creator with the instinct and design for living outside! While my Labrador sleeps happily on the foot of my bed, she would be fine outside. While there is a place for responsible pet ownership, we live in a wild world. Animals are happiest when their life matches their instinct. Cats need to hunt and play, chase birds and roll in the grass.

By JustaJew

January 23, 2009 11:11 AM | Link to this

Cat’s the go outdoors kill song birds. They suck donkey balls.

Why does it bother you when a song bird dies by cat (as is the natural order of things) but it doesn’t bother you when a cat dies by lethal injection (as is most certainly NOT the natural order)?

By JustaJew

January 23, 2009 11:12 AM | Link to this

Oh, and this topic sucks donkey balls….anyone want to weigh in on the little natural gas spat between Russia and Ukraine?

By The Other Jack

January 23, 2009 11:21 AM | Link to this

Lyrazel

I thought you lived in Atlanta. A foot of snow? Are you crazy?

My 13 month old cat is now bigger than my Cairn Terrier and is showing no signs of slowing down. I have a dog door into a fenced in back yard so there has never been any hope of keeping the cat inside. He is fixed but I have never clipped his claws. In this neighborhood of stray pit bulls and rotts, I would give him a machine gun if I thought he could use it.

When the city rebuilt the sewer, this neighborhood became rat infested. Big sewer rats were everywhere. Most of those were killed, but the smaller rats, (not mice, real rats) have taken over. So far, since August, i have found 8 pretty good sized rats that he has killed.

I know that it is politically incorrect to allow a person’s cat to go outside, but I’ve got a mouser (ratter) and he hunts at night.

By Gale

January 23, 2009 11:24 AM | Link to this

I’m with the RealityKing on restrictions. My cat stays inside. I’ve had outdoor cats and only one ever lived more than a few years. The only way he gets out is when the dog’s magneticly locked dog dor malfunctions. I find many people who insist that cats are really happier outside simply don’t want to clean the litter box. The other problem with animals that are outdoors to “play”, but come in at night is the many problems they might bring back with them. (fleas, diseases) Does anyone really want to know where the cat/dog was that they allow to sleep on the bed with them?

My dog is never allowed to roam. However, some of my neighbors think it is fine to allow their dogs to roam. And why not, then they do not have to clean poop out of their lawn?

All pet owners should be required to spay/neuter pets. ONLY licensed breeders should be allowed to have non-spayed/non-neutered animals. Far too many animals are allowed to roam.

By The Other Jack

January 23, 2009 11:32 AM | Link to this

USinUK

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriella Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill made the decision a day before Tuesday’s inauguration to use a previously recorded audio tape for the broadcast of the ceremonies.

Damn. It really sounded good. I can’t blame them. They probably didn’t even use their favorite instruments if they were concerned about the cold. I’ve played trumpet in very cold weather and that was certainly no fun. I can’t imagine what it would do to the thin skin of a violin.

JustaJew

You may notice that in the new format for the AJC, there is no opinion category. I get the feeling that the girls are calling it in at this point.

By Sunshine

January 23, 2009 11:55 AM | Link to this

While these two ladies talk about dogs and cats so many other great things are going on!

THE GLOBAL GAG RULE WAS LIFTED TODAY!!!!

Wow, image, we are allowed to help woman with family planning by TALKING about the options available!! What a progressive step!

YEAH FOR THE NEW ADMINISTRATION!! YEAH FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA!!!

By The Other Jack

January 23, 2009 11:58 AM | Link to this

Somebody just posted this on another site and I thought it had some really good points and some stats that i had never heard. Sorry it is so long:

Many of us have likely seen this before but it’s one of those things that is important to review and keep in mind. In our day-to-day lives, safety is often pushed to the backs of our minds. While some of the below may not apply to all rapists, it is certainly worth taking pre-cautions.

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.

3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered

4) Men are most likely to attack and rape in the early morning, between 5:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. The number two place: office parking lots/garages. The number three: public restrooms.

6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.

7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be too time-consuming.

9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands. Keys are NOT a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it.

10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are:

If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it? Or make general small talk: ‘I can’t believe it is so cold out here!’ or ‘We’re in for a bad winter.’ Now you’ve seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.

11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP! or STAY BACK! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target. (Edited by TOJ: This sounds like a scene out of a Romantic Comedy that Diane Keaton would play)

12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes), yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

13) If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the Arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD.

One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it - it hurts.

14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy’s parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble and he’s out of there.

15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, do not dismiss it. Go with your instincts!!! You may feel a little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

a) If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it.

b) As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

a) Be aware: look around you: look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the backseat.

b) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

c) Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, ‘We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do: DO NOT open the door.’ He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby’s cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby’s cries outside their doors when they’re home alone at night.

Please pass this on! This should be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America ‘s Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana .

I want to add one more safety tip. When you are at the grocery, Wal-mart, any place where you have to put the cart into the place where it goes, ALWAYS lock your car doors before you return the cart; someone can easily sneak in your car in the few seconds it takes you to park your cart.

A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

By The Other Jack

January 23, 2009 12:22 PM | Link to this

*THE GLOBAL GAG RULE WAS LIFTED TODAY!!!! *

I guess this is part of Obama’s plans to get along with our Muslim neighbors. After all, as we all know, Islam is really very pro-abortion.

But seriously, does anyone find it ironic that some here will fight for the rights of the enemies of our country to be free from anyone making them uncomfortable in order to obtain life saving information, but are now rejoicing the US funding of the practice of forcing a dull stainless steel tube into the living head of an unborn baby in order to kill that baby by sucking out it’s living brains? So now we are paying for that bit of American barbarity to be forced on much more conservative cultures around the world.

I’m sure to many world wide religious leaders, the Great Satan just walked into the living room.

By Sunshine

January 23, 2009 12:40 PM | Link to this

TOJ—We are applauding the ablity to SPEAK about the options available to woman. End. of. sentence. The ability to SPEAK of the MEDICAL options available. That is all. Can you understand that?

By Lyrazel

January 23, 2009 12:46 PM | Link to this

I have lived up here for about 3 years now. Retired & loving it! Was living in Atlanta about 40 years—20 in Savannah… married a yankee. God love it but nobody does biscuits up here and aint no bbq worth having. Great seafood….lotsa snow and ice…and forests! Looks like GA while I was growing up…lots of acres of nothing but trees!

Cats are really not good hunters. People who do professional rescue say cats picked up are typically starving on a diet of bugs…

By The Other Jack

January 23, 2009 1:08 PM | Link to this

Sunshine

TOJ—We are applauding the ablity to SPEAK about the options available to woman.

That would imply that up to now, women in foreign countries could not speak about abortions. It would also imply that you believe that Obama can pass laws that effect the freedom of speech rights of people who are citizens of other countries.

Obama is President of the United states, not President of the Earth.

From the AP:

WASHINGTON – In a long-expected move, President Barack Obama plans to sign an executive order ending the ban on federal funds for international groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option, officials told The Associated Press on Friday.

So yes, as they are killing their babies, they are talking to the women.

Personally if I were going to try and heal relations with Islam, instead of paying to kill their unborn children and committing one of the great sins in the eyes of Allah, I would start by forcing less offensive aspects of western culture onto them. A Starbuck’s in the mosque and a Victoria’s Secret next door. Maybe give all their women the latest fashions worn by the women on Sex and the City. Instead of all that prayer nonsense over the loud speakers, maybe some hip hop or just good old American Rock and Roll. BORN IN THE USA, every day. Work up to the killing of their unborn children. Start with Starbucks, end with abortions, not the other way around.

Paying for the killing of their unborn children just seems a bit extreme to me. I would probably ease into that.

By The Other Jack

January 23, 2009 1:19 PM | Link to this

Lyrazel

My kid just moved to Minnesota last year. He loves it. I like warm oceans and palm trees.

Cats are really not good hunters. People who do professional rescue say cats picked up are typically starving on a diet of bugs…

Granted. if my big boy had to live on what he killed, he would have died in early September. He doesn’t even eat what he kills.

He will play with a chipmonk and sometimes even let them go, but there is no playing with the rats. He catches them and drives those long fangs into their skull. Instant death.

He seems to like to leave them where I will find them. All but one have been found outside.

He spends most of his life in a cardboard box that I hung on the top part of my window in my office. it has a hole cut it it facing outside. he has to climb over a computer desk and up a shelf to get there, but ever since I put it there, that is his crib. He loves to look outside.

By Frustrated

January 23, 2009 1:20 PM | Link to this

AMEN TOJ!!!!!!!!! Yay for your 12:22 post!!!!!!!!! I seriously wanted to hug the computer!

By Sunshine

January 23, 2009 1:25 PM | Link to this

TOJ—Yet again you are so unaware of the hypocracy of you point it is almost laughable. From your own quote:

ending the ban on federal funds for international groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option In places like Africa and other war torn areas of the world if an organization got ANY federal funding they could not SPEAK OF or explain to RAPE VICTIMS the POSSIBLE option of an Abortion. That is in fact why it is called the “Global GAG Rule”. Get educated before you make silly red-herring points.

By Gandalf, the White!

January 23, 2009 1:46 PM | Link to this

Since when do we have money to give a nickle to AFRIKA or any other part of the world? Barry is such a DUM BASS and you are so inside his rectum that you can’t see how horrible EVERYTHING he is doing is. WE will reap what you sow, we shall have dead babies everywhere. This is an OBAMANATION!

By Gandalf, the White!

January 23, 2009 1:48 PM | Link to this

GOVERMENT HAS NO BUSINESS BEING INVOLVED IN CHARITY.

By The Other Jack

January 23, 2009 1:53 PM | Link to this

Sunshine

The gag Rule (Mexico City Rule) is nonsense. Whoever thought to twist that into denying the rights of free speech must have been a fan of Joseph Goebbels.

The US efforts in Africa under Bush have done more to stop the spread of HIV than any other nation under ANY other president. Many abortion shops wanted the money that the US was offering to fight the spread of HIV and use that money to perform abortions. Because of that fact, the US had to instate policies that would prevent this anti-HIV money from being hijacked by the abortionists. This satisfied two groups, the Bush administration and the leaders of the population centers that were going to allow the opening of these HIV clinics.

So no, the clinics that received this money were not allowed to perform or advise women on abortions.

So now, they will have the funding for providing free abortions. You seem to continue to ignore that the US is now paying for the killing of children on foreign soil, often going against the local laws of that country.

This may come as a big supprise to you, but most of the world is violently against abortions. So what happened to respecting the cultures of other countries?

By The Other Jack

January 23, 2009 1:56 PM | Link to this

Gandalf

The US government has no right to be involved in the womb of citizens of foreign countries. The arrogance of the pro-abortion movement is staggering.

By The Other Jack

January 23, 2009 1:59 PM | Link to this

Ted Nugent, rock star and avid bow hunter from Michigan , was being interviewed by a French journalist and animal rights activist. The discussion came around to deer hunting.

The journalist asked, “What do you think is the last thought in the head of a deer before you shoot him? Is it, ‘Are you my friend?’ or is it ‘Are you the one who killed my brother?’ “

Nugent replied, “Deer aren’t capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, ‘What am I going to eat next, who am I going to screw next, and can I run fast enough to get away. They are very much like the French.”

The interview ended at that point.

By Gale

January 23, 2009 2:00 PM | Link to this

I guess most of the world favors 12 year old mothers, since they don’t want abortions and the men are seeking ever-younger sex partners to avoid the possibility of contracting AIDS. Wear a condom? No, it isn’t manly. (sarcasm very intended)

By The Other Jack

January 23, 2009 2:09 PM | Link to this

Gale

Believe it or not, it is not your place or your newly installed president’s place to decide the policies and laws of other countries concerning their culture and their religion. I’m sure they are just as disgusted with many parts of our culture.

By Lyrazel

January 23, 2009 2:15 PM | Link to this

Pets unlike wild animals do not hunt—they find things to play with and if the bird/chipmunk dies pets continue playing with it until getting bored. Animals have tiny brains and people always want pets having morals and not lick their butt after meals. Dogs frequently go out and bring home something to share…its pack behavior, cats bring home toys.

How can anyone in GA say that letting cats outside kills more songbirds than their state paving out habitat at 50 miles/day?

By Gale

January 23, 2009 2:21 PM | Link to this

Believe it or not, TOJ my newly installed president is also your newly installed president, whether we like it or not. Likewise our previous president decided policies and laws that effected other countries, their culture and religion. Dubya did the very same thing. You didn’t notice because you agreed with him. I sympathize because I have spent the last eight years disagreeing with presidential policies and decisions. I may not agree with everything Obama plans, but I do agree with this one. I find it completely wrong to not provide the option of abortion in countries where the people are starving. I might prefer they refrain from pregnancy until their countries are stable. But they don’t. And dispite the shock value you aim for, most abortions happen in the first trimester. They do not require sucking baby brains.

By Tim

January 23, 2009 2:26 PM | Link to this

You are not a responsible pet owner if you choose to let your cat outdoors. Think past the cat…..what about all of the wildlife that your cat will kill? What about the parasites and diseases your cat can transmit to your family and other animals? Cats are domestic companion animals that have no place outdoors. I would not adopt to you either unless you agreed to control your cat and confine it to your property. Euthanasia is a better choice than to adopt an animal out to an irresponsible person and you fit that description to a tee. Get a stuffed animal or a pet rock.

By Sunshine

January 23, 2009 2:35 PM | Link to this

Yes, yes TOJ you know the HEART and MIND of the WORLD… I forgot. You are so far off on your fact’s. It is not so that “they will have the funding for providing free abortions” it is so a licensed Medical doctor is allowed TO SPEAK about and provide INFORMATION of a medical option. But yeah you are right, we need to NOT educate woman about the choices they have, cause you personally TOJ, think they are TOO STUPID to make the one right for them and their families. You know they say knowledge is power but, I know that couldn’t be something you agree with since you back a ban on INFORMATION! Yet again you complete lopsidedness is ridiculous.

I, nor anyone else I know is, off skipping around the world on a mission to KILL ALL THE BABIES! You are on drugs if that is what you think people that are PRO-CHOICE believe in. The option, and the ability to discuss that option with a doctor, in an area that has the highest RAPES per capita of any where in the WORLD, should be a standard operating procedure.

By Lyrazel

January 23, 2009 2:36 PM | Link to this

Gale, one of the signs of imperialism is dictating morality & laws for others…by what right do we go into other countries dictating whether they should or should not allow abortions? Its not our place. THIS country is our place to decide these laws & morals for US citizens.

By Sunshine

January 23, 2009 2:48 PM | Link to this

Gale, great post at 2:21!

By Lyrazel

January 23, 2009 2:48 PM | Link to this

Tim on every given day you see more traffic than wildlife—my outdoor cats—did not cause that reality! Paving, housing, malls and interstates have killed more birdies and wildlife than every pet run amuck ever could do in a lifetime. Cars have killed more wildlife than my cat.

By Gale

January 23, 2009 2:55 PM | Link to this

Lyrazel, as Sunshine points out, the gag law kept them from talking about abortion. We don’t tell them whether they can perform an abortion or not.

However, I don’t know why we bother to talk about abortion since the two sides are completely opposed and no compromise is possible.

By Sunshine

January 23, 2009 2:56 PM | Link to this

Ok, sorry I am off my soap box now, I am starting to sound like Whiley! Jeeez, I am off to see the baby boy on an ultrasound! Have a good one folks, it is good to be an American in a free country, with the freedom of speech! Thank you to all the brave men and women who defend those rights and the wise judges/politicians/and others that protect those rights! I am glad our country is realigning itself with the views of decency held by the majority of the world! Let us not repeat past mistakes of torture and atrocities! God (or who ever you worship) bless our leaders and our Country!

By American Woman

January 23, 2009 2:56 PM | Link to this

Wow, some people are so judgmental! I adopted a cat my friend’s new wife could not tolerate. His sneeze/burning eye factor is extremely high, affecting even me, a life-long cat owner, and his personality leaves a lot to be desired. He likes to crap on the floor, even when there is a freshly-scrubbed, newly filled litter box available. He used to live inside exclusively, but no matter what I tried, I could not correct his defacation habits. Did I dump him off on a shelter? No. I made him comfortable on the sun porch where he gets food and water daily, preventative and curative veterinary treatment, a space heater when it’s cold, access to the deck and yard during the day, the safety of shelter at night, and love and affection every time I take the dog outside or work in my yard. He stays close to the house or under the deck, and he and the dog are great friends. We have a much better relationship now, since I no longer get the daily urge to kill him. Well into his teens, he has settled into a routine that’s comfortable, and his vet says he is in EXCELLENT health. One day I will reclaim the stinky room that is now his exclusively, but I’m willing to let him have it for the remainder of his days. So I’m sorry, Tim, but I don’t think euthanasia is a better option for him. Like people, not all animals are alike. I’ve had exclusively indoor cats before, but this one is different, and lucky to have a keeper that’s willing to be flexible. Get over your dogmatic self, already.

By Gale

January 23, 2009 3:00 PM | Link to this

Sunshine, Don’t waste your energy on the abortion discussion. It is a black and white issue for some. I am leaving town for a week. Hold the fort. Good luck if the ray of sunshine decides it’s time to shine.

By Gandalf, the White!

January 23, 2009 3:02 PM | Link to this

TOJ! CATCH SCRATCH FEVER! Frenchies! Can’t join them, can’t beat them cuz they are running too fast.

Lyrazel, I know that cats kill more song birds on the Gandalf Estate than DEFORESTATION. They are much too small to kill the Geese though, I love to watch them dive bomb a stupid cat. I like cats, dead ones! Antifreeze is a nice catnip. They aren’t native to Georgia and they are vermin, imho. Keep you cat off Estate Gandalf and his chances of living are greater.

By Gandalf, the White!

January 23, 2009 3:15 PM | Link to this

American Woman, please let that cat off at Gandalf Estates. I need to get some target pratice in for my sons. They have a new paint ball gun and I refuse to let them shoot at the dogs and no cat within 12 blocks will dare venture onto my land. Thanks!

Sunshine, the biggest mistake we have made as a country is electing Barry Hussien…let’s not repeat that!

Gale, your feeling frisky! 12 year old mothers are a pain in the butt. Condoms are for preventing the spread of disease. Momma don’t let your babies grow up to be liberals…

By CommunistAJC

January 23, 2009 3:28 PM | Link to this

Animal rescue groups are difficult to deal with. I live in Chicago and my wife and I went to a pet adoption center a few months ago. First, in order to even see a dog we had to give them our background information. Second, we had to fill out two pages worth of garbage. These dogs and cats were treated like royalty and I wondered why anyone would want to adopt these animals because the cages, I mean rooms, were more immaculate than some of the condos I’d been in. One worker asked me if I’d ever owned a dog before because I looked inexperienced with animals. I laughed and mockingly told her that I’d had dogs all of my life. I informed her that I know more about dogs than she or anyone else at that center. Needless to say the prices on most of the half-dead dogs were way overpriced and I told her that I’d go back down south to buy a dog. Never again will I set foot in an overpriced animal shelter.

By Gandalf, the White!

January 23, 2009 3:41 PM | Link to this

WISDOM, JUSTICE, MODERATION, words to live by!

By The Other Jack

January 25, 2009 9:38 AM | Link to this

Tim

My cat is happy, healthy, lives a perfect cat life having the warmth of my home when he needs it and having this great old neighborhood as his stomping grounds. I have neighbors stop by or email me about how much they love my cat. At 13 months old, he is by far, the biggest cat I havev ever owned.

But you, being a snotty, judgmental little twit would have rather killed him than allowed him to have a happy life.

Anyone want to bet on which political leaning this guy belongs to?

By The Other Jack

January 25, 2009 10:11 AM | Link to this

Gale

However, I don’t know why we bother to talk about abortion since the two sides are completely opposed and no compromise is possible.

Every time another innocent child loses it’s life to this barbaric practice, a huge number of Americans are forced to completely compromise their morals, their faith, their better judgment, their need to protect children and their need for common decency. Over one million times a year most Americans make that compromise in order for this completely inhuman and barbaric practice to exist. Half of America compromises one million times a year. And yet you say that there is no compromise because our jack booted thugs force abortion on us and we dare to complain about it.

And liberals wonder why conservatives are so concerned about how little liberals respect the rights of other people.

And dispite the shock value you aim for, most abortions happen in the first trimester.

The logic of the liberals on this board is troubling to say the least. Many of the prisoners at Gitmo are harmless so let’s let them all go. i read this weekend that one of Al Quida’s new leaders was released from gitmo last year. He joins the ranks of 62 ex-gitmo prisoners that are once again wanted for acts of terrorism.

All babies that are aborted don’t have their brains sucked out of their living heads so we should be very proud of that fact, huh? There are some that aren’t tortured TO DEATH in ways that would make Al Quida’s beheadings seem like a birthday party, so horaaaah! We are acting almost human… sometimes.

It is a black and white issue for some.

Someone who is claiming that the entire world should be forced to allow the killing of unborn babies should be careful about calling others “black and white”.

This conflict is the perfect example of our battle between conservatives and liberals. One party wants to spread democracy around the world. The other party wants to spread abortions around the world.

By The Other Jack

January 25, 2009 10:32 AM | Link to this

Sunshine

But yeah you are right, we need to NOT educate woman about the choices they have,

Has your dumb country a^s ever been out of the state of Georgia? I know you have never been out of the country or you wouldn’t say such ignorant things.

In most foreign countries abortions are not only considered barbaric, in-human and against the morals and religions beliefs of the citizens, it is also ILLEGAL. Pregnant women are not grouped differently from other people in their rights TO KILL OTHER HUMAN BEINGS. Thank God, they do not consider it a right for a mother to kill their unborn baby. But you and your ilk want to force that barbarity onto them.

How do you think Bush was able to convince the leaders of these very conservative, Islamic countries to allow medical clinics into their countries in a very successful effort to control HIV? How many of those clinics have already been closed because they are now also TALKING to women about abortions. is there any way that you can possibly think beyond what they are told by the main stream media? This policy will lead to the closure of successful HIV clinics all over the world And Gale is worried about condoms. LOL!!

It’s just too bad that you and your twisted, sick, media driven, indoctrinated political party could not be as dedicated to spreading the idea of democracy as they are to spreading the idea of killing unborn babies.

By Rescuer

January 25, 2009 10:48 AM | Link to this

Perhaps this will explain to some of you why rescuers are so annoying and nosy when you are trying to adopt an animal.

I am writing you this letter in hopes to get a few answers to questions that have burned my mind, my heart. The questions that bring raw tears to the eyes of every rescuer. Dear Liars, please be honest, or at least as honest as you can be.

When you walked into that pet store, pet adoption agency and/or pet rescue, what were you thinking? When that loving animal looked longingly into your eyes, begging for you to take them home and love them with all your heart, was that your intention? Did you really plan to love the creature that needed you or did you purchase/adopt them on a whim? Was there a well thought out plan or were you planning to only take one day at a time?

You see Dear Liars, when you planned your move, you forgot about the promise of love and loyalty to your beloved pet. If you have children, would you look for housing in an adult only community and toss your children aside? If your son or daughter developed a disease that required a little extra love and attention would you dump them off on someone else? When you found out that you had another child coming, would you send your first born away? I am sure that for most of you the answer is no. Why should it be any different for a pet that you promised to love and take care of? Since when did loving another, be it human or animal become such a burden? Dear Liars, you are responsible for the broken hearts of many.

Another thing I would like to bring up, Dear Liars, is the economy. The economy is hard on everyone. I understand that you need to make some changes Dear Liars. Some things are just going to have to go. Are you going to give up your children, Dear Liars, in order to afford that McDonalds meal? That pack of cigarettes or keg of beer? Instead of breaking your promise to the helpless animal, why couldn’t you give up those instead? Do you realize, Dear Liars, that rescue people have to give up a lot of luxuries to care for your “burden”? Do you realize that rescue people give up their lives, their savings and pieces of their hearts to care for the animal that you lied to?

Dear Liars, I hope you sleep well at night while your animal suffers the loss and confusion brought on by the decisions that you made, the promises that you have broken and the broken hearts that you have created. And just remember, one day you will need the love and extra care that you promised to give but failed to deliver. May God be with you.

*A former rescue

By The Other Jack

January 25, 2009 11:01 AM | Link to this

Rescuer

Stick it up your sanctimonious a^s. My pets eat when I don’t. I chose this 140 year old pile of lumber because of the fenced in back yard. For 2/3rd the price, I could have had a much nicer house with no back yard.

Who is giving up animals on this blog? Take it somewhere where your self righteous hysterics is applicable.

Watch who you call a liar, you stupid half-witted twit.

By The Other Jack

January 25, 2009 11:09 AM | Link to this

Rescuer

Perhaps this will explain to some of you why rescuers are so annoying and nosy when you are trying to adopt an animal.

no, what it explains is why so many animals need to be killed every year because no one will go through your bullsh^t in order to adopt them.

People like you are responsible for the deaths of more animals than anyone on this blog.

But just for fun, here’s a question:

On the Oglala Siuox reservation at Pine Ridge, S.D., every month, toward the end of the month when money is tight and kids are hungry, a lot of dogs are adopted from local shelters. Those dogs are eaten.

So is that wrong? Should the kids just go hungry? How do you feel about your fellow recue workers who allow native Americans to adopt dogs that they know will be killed and eaten?

By JokesOn

January 25, 2009 11:13 AM | Link to this

“In most foreign countries abortions are not only considered barbaric, in-human and against the morals and religions beliefs of the citizens, it is also ILLEGAL. Pregnant women are not grouped differently from other people in their rights TO KILL OTHER HUMAN BEINGS. Thank God, they do not consider it a right for a mother to kill their unborn baby. But you and your ilk want to force that barbarity onto them.”

These countries = Countries that do not punish a man for marrying a 10-13yo, having sex with them causing massive damage, laws that do not allow the girl to consider abortion, has the baby causing more damage to her undeveloped body, is divorced because she cannot have children and has a constant drip of urine going down her legs and ends up in prostitution - if she is lucky. The populations have a name for them, meaning “urine smell,” and are all over these moral countries.

This is only a bit of what you are ignorant to TOJ. And you want to talk morality… lol

By The Other Jack

January 25, 2009 11:24 AM | Link to this

Stupid Joke

Are you actually once again attempting to match wits, oh eldest of 8th graders?

Understand your limitations.

By JokesOn

January 25, 2009 11:32 AM | Link to this

(Barely touch your Little B!tch Button and you attack. Predictable.)

How many of your non-cited organizations have closed? You state that this is disrupting counties. Prove it or shut your Little B!itchy Trap.

By The Other Jack

January 25, 2009 11:41 AM | Link to this

Stupid

Show me your source. I couldn’t find a single article.

And . .

In every culture, girls get pregnant as soon as they reach puberty. Have you been to an inner city Atlanta health clinic? Visit for an hour and see how many 13 year old girls come in that are pregnant? Will they end up being prostitutes because they smell like urine? You are an idiot.

Do you ever bother to think before you come here and desperately try to sound informed?

By The Other Jack

January 25, 2009 11:46 AM | Link to this

Stupid Joke

That wasn’t an attack. I offered to show you what an attack was, but you claimed to be in Cancun, fishing in a hurricane.

Take the time to prove something to you? LOL!!

Now, show me all those articles about those girls peeing down their leg. Are you sure that was not one of your porn sites where you like to watch little girls?

By JokesOn

January 25, 2009 12:03 PM | Link to this

“Show me your source. I couldn’t find a single article.”

You could not find a single article on teen and pre-teen forced sex and marriage? That says one thing: you did not look. You have no wish to learn…no help for people like that. (I just got +500k hits while using quotes even.)

Whoa…Back up and prove your stats. You came on here screaming how all these orgs are closing because we are forcing knowledge of abortion…which is wrong anyhoo: the GAG order was removed. The FORCING of withholding info was removed. Forcing was Removed; Got it?

“In every culture, girls get pregnant as soon as they reach puberty. Have you been to an inner city Atlanta health clinic? Visit for an hour and see how many 13 year old girls come in that are pregnant? Will they end up being prostitutes because they smell like urine?”

Beautiful example! First things last: They do not have massive damage because rarely are they 13 and therefore do not have the urine issue, you ignored that 13 was the highest age in my example whereas in the US 13 is at the bottom of the scale, Atlanta HAS a clinic which provides the exact info/services that we would like to provide to them to GET HELP! None of which is freely available and barely emphasized in your “you are 10 years old and pregnant = must have the baby”

Your only goal is to shore up your beliefs without EVER testing them for validity. Do you even think before making up this crap? At least make up decent arguments if you are going to lie and evade.

By JokesOn

January 25, 2009 12:07 PM | Link to this

“Now, show me all those articles about those girls peeing down their leg. Are you sure that was not one of your porn sites where you like to watch little girls?”

Enough. You are one sick little boy that can ONLY through tantrums and run away screaming “I’ll never come Back!” Just to slink back a week later.

You are an angry little man. No wonder everyone leaves you and you have to make up a tragic story about how they were taken away. Bu!! - everyone you knew left you because you are an a$$.

By The Other Jack

January 25, 2009 12:27 PM | Link to this

Stupid Joke

Beautiful example! First things last: They do not have massive damage because rarely are they 13 and therefore do not have the urine issue, you ignored that 13 was the highest age in my example whereas in the US 13 is at the bottom of the scale, Atlanta HAS a clinic which provides the exact info/services that we would like to provide to them to GET HELP!

Do you understand that a girl cannot have a baby before she reaches puberty, you ignorant piece of trash?

Do you also understand that the same things you are whining about is happening right here because YOUR ILK can’t keep thier zipper pulled up? It wasn’t me that claimed that the porn industry does not exploit underage girls when they film them having sex with old men. That was you, you sick f^ck.

You are trash. You go to your child porn sites and then come here to preach at others. Go cry to somebody who doesn’t know what a twisted little coward you are.

By JokesOn

January 25, 2009 2:27 PM | Link to this

“Do you understand that a girl cannot have a baby before she reaches puberty, you ignorant piece of trash?”

And did you not know that once one hits puberty they are still not fully developed? They keep growing. Did you know that these girls are repeatedly raped? You keep proving your ignorance.

“Do you also understand that the same things you are whining about is happening right here because YOUR ILK can’t keep thier zipper pulled up?”

(sidestepping the insult. You should take note!) Do you understand that it is illegal here and there are places these girls can go for fully informed options? Unlike how you want to commit them to a substandard life of rape and prostitution.

“It wasn’t me that claimed that the porn industry does not exploit underage girls when they film them having sex with old men.” That is it! When you have no arguement lie about the premise. It is the only way you can come close to having a valid point.

You know that is where terrorism is generated, no? When one side has no way of fighting a fair battle, and they resort to taking cheap shots. That is why we never see you state and back up a point; and instead, you only resort to insults, gross generalizations and lies.

Still have yet to see one valid point little b!tchy boy.

By chuck

January 25, 2009 3:54 PM | Link to this

If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zigzag pattern!

SERPENTINE!

SERPENTINE!

By chuck

January 25, 2009 4:01 PM | Link to this

Sunshine, here’s a BETTER QUESTION:

Why are we FUNDING ANY KIND OF ORGANIZATION IN ANY FOREIGN COUNTRIES THAT HAVE NO BEARING ON OUR NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS!?!?!

We have children in the US that have no health care and we are spending money to fund planned parenthood in OTHER FREAKIN’ COUNTRIES!?!?

Ever wonder why we have a freakin’ Trillion dollar deficit?

By The Other Jack

January 25, 2009 4:15 PM | Link to this

Stupid Joke

LOL!! Whine on, little boy. Don’t like the way I repeat what you have said back to you? Then stop saying sick twisted crap in order to get a response, half-wit.

Try to tear yourself away from the kiddy porn THAT YOU HAVE PROMOTED AS NOT EXPLOITING YOUNG WOMAN AND GIRLS and you will see things a lot clearer.

So you are saying that the thugs that rape and molest the 10,11,12 year olds in east point are different from the ones that do it in Somalia. Is that what you are saying? So the young girls in Somalia will be allowed to go get that abortion, huh? So girls in Somolia will no longer be raped because of Barrak Obama. LOL!!!

You are so far beyond an idiot that you are indeed a stupid joke.

By The Other Jack

January 25, 2009 4:19 PM | Link to this

Chuck

Isn’t it funny how they screamed, whined, threw fits and basically was able to win this last election on the premise that interfering in other countries has cost America it’s good reputation? And that was for wanting people to be free to vote for their leaders.

And now they are insisting that the entire world adopt the barbaric practice of killing their unborn babies. Sounds like the plot of a horror movie.

By USinUK

January 26, 2009 8:12 AM | Link to this

TOJ - (in no particular order)

GREAT Ted Nugent quote (it’s great to have the French go back to being the most-hated)

Also good safety tips (especially the idea of throwing your wallet away from you rather than handing it over)

An add-on to that list - the garment that convicted rapists said was easiest to remove were overalls, all they had to do was cut the straps.

I heard about the inaugural quartet “pulling a Britney” … can’t say as I blame them - can’t imagine the technical requirements for them to be heard well in that kind of setting. All I know is that I felt sorry for the pianist - I can’t imagine how she was able to keep her hands warm and nimble enough to play!

Cats - always lived near a busy street, so mine were always indoors lest people mistake my sweet, fat orange tabby for a speed bump (it was possible - he was a big’un). As for rescue groups being overly prohibitive, I think they CAN go too far, but I can also see their point - they want to get people to see beyond the cuteness to the care required.

Lastly, it wasn’t “interfering” with another country that cost America its reputation, it’s INVADING another country that did it.

By USinUK

January 26, 2009 8:17 AM | Link to this

Sunshine -

how did the sonogram go??? is the little man ready for take-off, yet??

By lovelyliz

January 26, 2009 8:48 AM | Link to this

Rescue groups do what they can to protect animals that have in large parts already tbeen through so much. They also want to protect themelves from having to take back these animals when it doesn’t work out.

By HearThis

January 26, 2009 9:29 AM | Link to this

everyone you knew left you because you are an a$$.

By Sunshine

January 26, 2009 10:06 AM | Link to this

Hi Chuck—“Why are we FUNDING ANY KIND OF ORGANIZATION IN ANY FOREIGN COUNTRIES THAT HAVE NO BEARING ON OUR NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS!?!?!”

I agree, ask Mr GW Bush, this was one of his “legacy” inititives, in Africa.

By USinUK

January 26, 2009 10:12 AM | Link to this

Sunshine and Chuck -

because humanitarian aid DOES have a bearing on our national security.

By Sunshine

January 26, 2009 10:14 AM | Link to this

Yet again, I find it interesting that the lib’s on this board have been called “nasty” “mean” and “unable to see anyone else’s point” the level of harshness and personal attacks was off the charts this weekend!

By Sunshine

January 26, 2009 10:25 AM | Link to this

Hi USin!!

How was your weekend? “Sunshine -how did the sonogram go??? is the little man ready for take-off, yet??”— No news is good news I guess! :-/ He is not in any mood to make an appearance apparently! He seems to be VERY happy where he is, the Doc said “expect him to be late” :-( So, it’s a waiting game. The good news is he is not too big yet, measured around 7.5 lbs, in the 59%, so we are not too worried if he “cooks” a little longer!

By Sunshine

January 26, 2009 10:34 AM | Link to this

Usin—“because humanitarian aid DOES have a bearing on our national security” you are right, it was a little “Tongue-in-cheek” since it was such a pet project of Mr. GW!

By USinUK

January 26, 2009 10:39 AM | Link to this

Sunshine -

Saturday was great - the hub and I went out for some killer Indian food - Sunday was grotty, rainy and cold - I would up putting in about 9 hours for work (on top of the 60-ish hours I worked during the week).

ooo… there’s a question … if my employment compensation is for roughly 40-ish hours of my life per week, does that mean that the company is “stealing” my time when I need to work extra???

By Sunshine

January 26, 2009 10:50 AM | Link to this

USin-“does that mean that the company is “stealing” my time when I need to work extra???” I don’t know if it is considered “steeling” But I know that hubby complains all the time that it does change the whole pay structure everytime you work those kind of hours. B/c if you are paid say $1000 for the week and at 40 hours you make $25.00 per hour, for that same $1000 that you work 60 hours you are only making $16.66 per hour! Big difference!

By USinUK

January 26, 2009 10:54 AM | Link to this

Sunshine -

btw - sorry about the tardiness of your soon-to-be-firstborn. he’s a guy. get used to it ;-)

seriously, get as much rest as you can - enjoy the uninterrupted hours of 1 am-7 am (unless you need a pee) …

By chuck

January 26, 2009 10:59 AM | Link to this

how did the sonogram go??? is the little man ready for take-off, yet??

Hi usuk, dont’t you mean “is the LITTLE CLUMP OF PARASITIC CELLS READY FOR TAKEOFF?”

A new president and new era mean it is time for a refreshing new approach on the shortsighted gag rule, the provision banning federal funds for international groups that promote or perform abortion.

Since when is ABORTION considered HUMANITARIAN?!?!? SICK, SICK, SICK.

By USinUK

January 26, 2009 11:02 AM | Link to this

Sunshine -

“B/c if you are paid say $1000 for the week and at 40 hours you make $25.00 per hour, for that same $1000 that you work 60 hours you are only making $16.66 per hour! Big difference!”

cereal.

I had a friend who blogged a fantastic article about it about 6 or 7 years ago (back in the dawn of blogs) … the way he put it, you basically have a contract with the company that you’re selling them your life for a certain amount of money.

generally, I don’t mind putting in a few extra hours, but last week kicked my patoot up and down the street.

By USinUK

January 26, 2009 11:06 AM | Link to this

chuck -

it’s humanitarian to the millions of women who are victims of rape and incest.

it’s humanitarian to the women who would otherwise die from a self-induced/inflicted abortion.

it’s humanitarian to the women who would otherwise die from health problems associated with carrying the fetus to term.

oh, that’s right - the woman doesn’t count. only the blastula does.

By Gandalf, the White!

January 26, 2009 11:23 AM | Link to this

All cats should be eliminated from North America unless they are native! ALL CATS except, PUMAs, JAGUARs, and Lynx, they aren’t native and they suck.

By American Woman

January 26, 2009 11:30 AM | Link to this

Sunshine: I never believed the story about how “nesting behavior” indicates you’re about to pop. But sure ‘nuff…. I found myself scrubbing the floor in the middle of the night — not a usual habit — and the thermometer popped up two hours later. Heh. (Remember: SCREAM at those sadistic effers ‘till they bring you the good stuff.) You’ll do GREAT!

Chuck: Have YOU ever actively gestated a “clump of cells” into a person? It’s harder than it looks, Sparky. But what do you care? It’s not your job to sacrifice your body for another. Only women & Jesus do that, right? Oh, but Jesus did it of his own free will, when all he had to do was invoke his power to stop it. God forbid WOMEN should have the option to decide their own fates, Praise the Lord.

USinUK: Chuck doesn’t believe rape is a problem (we had that discussion years ago), so you’re wasting your time. Some people matter, some people (women) don’t. Case closed.

By USinUK

January 26, 2009 11:40 AM | Link to this

AW -

“USinUK: Chuck doesn’t believe rape is a problem (we had that discussion years ago), so you’re wasting your time. Some people matter, some people (women) don’t. Case closed”

I know, I know … it’s as useless as trying to analyze Milton with the tide. but I’ll be damned if I’ll let him have the last word - especially when it’s such an asinine one.

By chuck

January 26, 2009 11:42 AM | Link to this

I agree, ask Mr GW Bush, this was one of his “legacy” inititives, in Africa.

Actually, that’s not true. Funding for these “agencies” began under the Carter administration. The so-called “gag rule” has been in effect under every Republican President starting with Reagan in 84 and has been removed under each democrat president starting with Clinton.

By USinUK

January 26, 2009 12:02 PM | Link to this

from a 2001 BBC story: http:// news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/ world/africa/1703595.stm

Rape statistics from South Africa are so shocking as to be almost unbelievable - women’s rights activists say one South African is raped every 26 seconds.

It is the young who are particularly vulnerable, with the police saying that more teenagers are raped than any other age group.

… snip …

It is also trying to dispel a widespread rumour - that having sex with a virgin cures Aids.

Traditional healers, or witchdoctors, are blamed for spreading this idea, and encouraging child rape.

… of course, that doesn’t include the systematic rape that has been happening for years in Darfur and Zimbabwe and Somalia …

but, nah … it’s not humanitarian to offer ALL KINDS health services - including but not limited to abortion - to these women …

By rd

January 26, 2009 12:05 PM | Link to this

First, on outside cats: There are an estimated 200 million or so feral cats in the U.S., and they kill over a billion songbirds every year. All stray cat/shelter/homelss cats should be euthanized.

On dogs: I don’t have a fence and don’t have someone to stay home all day with a dog, so the rescue groups refuse to let me adopt a dog. So I bought a puppy from a breeder who did not have similar requirements. That dog is now grown, housebroken, and is a loving family pet. It is too bad that another dog probably had to go to the furnace because of my lack of fence. In fact, there are more than enough of my neighbors that DO have fences and just put their dogs in the backyard 24/7 to bark day in and day out, in the heat the cold and the rain. I never understood getting a dog to put it in a cage in the back yard and leave it. The rescue groups would consider them to be ideal. Go figure.

By USinUK

January 26, 2009 12:07 PM | Link to this

good grief … talk about starting the week with some crappy news:

43,000 Jobs Are Eliminated in Latest Wave of Layoffs

It was a bleak start to the workweek for thousands of American workers.

Several corporations said Monday morning that they would cut a total of 43,000 jobs in an attempt to slash costs to survive a recession that has taken a toll on new orders, profits and companies’ outlooks for growth.

The cuts announced Monday included 20,000 jobs at the heavy-equipment manufacturer Caterpillar; 8,000 at the wireless provider Sprint Nextel, and 7,000 at Home Depot and 8,000 from the expected merger of the pharmaceutical makers Pfizer and Wyeth. Some smaller layoffs were also announced.

http://www. nytimes.com/ 2009/01/27/business/ economy/27jobcuts.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=print

By rd

January 26, 2009 1:15 PM | Link to this

Whoops, I mispoke in previous note. According to the Humane society, there are an estimated 70 million feral cats (not 200 million) and they kill over 100 million songbirds (not a billion). Nonetheless, that speaks for itself when determining whether to save homeless cats. So many ferals indicates that all homeless/strays/etc should be euthanized.

By Mara

January 26, 2009 1:33 PM | Link to this

USinUK and American Woman - that doesn’t include the systematic rape that has been happening for years in Darfur and Zimbabwe and Somalia - and - Have YOU ever actively gestated a “clump of cells” into a person? It’s harder than it looks, Sparky.

one word: Fistuala. Look it up.

though the Mexico City gag rule is touted as an ‘anti-abortion’ tool, the real impact is far more insidious -

• In Nepal, the government threw a 13-year-old rape victim in jail for having an illegal abortion. The Family Planning Association of Nepal used her case and others to advocate for the release of women in jail for having abortions. For this, they were deemed thought criminals in violation of the global gag rule and funding was terminated.

• In Kenya, funding is lean and mean, so having entirely separate facilities for abortion is pretty much impossible. Under the global gag rule, though, you can’t even have abortions under your roof, even if not a U.S. dollar goes for them. This rule has meant that the Family Planning Association of Kenya has cut its staff in half and closed down 3 clinics, one that had a huge well baby program and post-partum care.

• Planned Parenthood of Zambia was deprived of enough funding under this that they shut down 3 of 9 rural clinics, depriving all the people in that area of one of their few, in any, sources for affordable condoms.

• The Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia can’t refer women to abortion services or perform abortions, since abortion is illegal in Ethiopia. Still, they have lost half a million dollars that went strictly to providing condoms and contraceptives, because they have participated in educating the government in how illegal abortions contribute significantly to their high maternal mortality rate.

• Ordinarily USAID funds the buildings, vehicles, and usually conventional contraceptives, but nothing related to abortions themselves. In most nations the abortions were not even carried out in the US-funded clinics themselves, but instead were done on a referral basis with third party clinics.

• because the NGOs are international in scope a family planning group which hands out referrals for abortions in one country (where abortion is legal) will not receive US funding in any country, regardless of that country’s abortion policies. Thus when the global gag rule was reinstated it brought an immediate end to US funding for contraceptives and prenatal care. This has resulted in family planning NGOs being unable to distribute something as simple as a condom, which of course has had the side effect of contributing to the explosion of AIDS in Africa in the past decade. Because there are no condoms a greater number of young teenage women are becoming pregnant. During childbirth their bodies are frequently unable to deal with the trauma and because of this contractions can drag on for days with the child wedged to her pelvic bone. Within a few hours the child is dead and over the course of the next day or two the flesh between the now-stillborn child and her pelvis dies and opens up a fistula. This condition is easily treated by a nurse in a basic clinic of the variety the US funded prior to 2001 with an excellent chance the child and mother will survive and remain healthy. But if left untreated, as the global gag rule dictates (because the prevention of a childbirth-induced fistula might be considered dangerously close to an abortion) it will result in a dead child and a mother permanently scarred by fecal matter freely exiting her lower instestine.

I figure you both already knew all this, but maybe some lurker (or some regular for that matter) wasn’t aware of the damage that the Global Gag Rule has had on the health services available for women and children in third world countries. Many women in the third world don’t HAVE the luxery of ‘choosing’ to have sex or not, to use contraception or not, to even get married or not. They need all the help they can get, even if some of us in our safe, American homes, find some of those procedures repugnant.

By American Woman

January 26, 2009 1:55 PM | Link to this

Geez, Mara! ACK! From the wiki entry: obstetric fistula:

History Obstetric fistula was very common throughout the entire world but virtually disappeared within Europe and North America due to improvements in obstetrical care. To this day, the prevalence of obstetrical fistula is much lower in places that discourage early marriage, encourage and provide education of women and their bodies, and grant women access to family planning and skilled medical teams to assist during childbirth. This condition is still very prevalent in the developing world, especially in parts of Africa and much of South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nepal).

Causes The fistula usually develops when a prolonged labor presses the unborn child so tightly in the birth canal that blood flow is cut off to the surrounding tissues, which necrotise and eventually rot away. More rarely, the injury can be caused by female genital cutting, poorly performed abortions, or pelvic fractures.

Other potential direct causes for the development of obstetric fistula are sexual abuse and rape, especially within conflict/post-conflict areas, other surgical trauma, gynecological cancers or other related radiotherapy treatment and, perhaps the most important, limited or no access to obstetrical care or emergency services.

Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman, and it ain’t just about lovin’ yer man. Now let’s listen to the crickets chirp as the anti-choice crowd silently ponders the horrors of fistula and then convinces themselves that such things are not pertinent.

By USinUK

January 26, 2009 2:15 PM | Link to this

AW -

“Now let’s listen to the crickets chirp as the anti-choice crowd silently ponders the horrors of fistula and then convinces themselves that such things are not pertinent”

of COURSE they’re not relevent - the only thing that matters - the ONLY thing - is the fetus. the woman??? meh. her life isn’t quite as sacred.

By Gandalf, the White!

January 26, 2009 2:25 PM | Link to this

EXPAT do you even have babies? The babies ARE more sacred than the mother you dummy!

By Sunshine

January 26, 2009 2:42 PM | Link to this

MARA GETs THE TIARA!! Great post, just so the boys don’t miss the point:

Vesicovaginal fistula = is an abnormal fistulous tract extending between the bladder and the vagina that allows the continuous involuntary discharge of urine into the vaginal vault.

It is often caused by childbirth (in which case it is known as an obstetric fistula), when a prolonged labor presses the unborn child tightly against the pelvis, cutting off blood flow to the vesicovaginal wall. The affected tissue may necrotize, leaving a hole.

Vaginal fistulas can also result from violent rape. This injury has become common in some war zones, where rape is used as a weapon against civilian populations.

So all your ranting TOJ, is BS, as usual. Get educated before you run your mouth about something you could not even imagine. You can’t carry a baby, you’re not the father, you (most likely) will not ever be the victim of Rape, and you don’t have a politician dictating to you which medical procedure you should or should not be INFORMORMED about!! Why you belive you are in a position to even have an OPINION about other women, their bodies, their babies, and their conversations with their doctors is beyond me!

By chuck

January 26, 2009 3:01 PM | Link to this

So Mara, Sunshine, Kimberly and USUK, What are YOU doing to stop the rapes in those countries? What are YOU doing to relieve ANY of the suffering that is going on over there? Talk about crickets chirping.

KILLING THEIR BABIES IS NOT GOING TO HELP. In fact abortion has led to INCREASED KILLING IN THOSE AREAS BECAUSE WE HAVE SO DEGRADED THE VALUE WE PLACE ON LIFE IN THE PAST 50 YEARS OR SO, THAT TO SOME PEOPLE IT MEANS NOTHING TO GO OUT THERE AND KILL, RAPE AND TORTURE.

Those are the values that come from YOUR SIDE OF THE AISLE darlings.

By Sunshine

January 26, 2009 3:04 PM | Link to this

See ladies, just like you said…………………………..

Crickets……….

By Sunshine

January 26, 2009 3:16 PM | Link to this

So Chuck, just a simple calm question for you—

Am I to understand that you believe that a very young girl, 12-13 who has been brutally raped by a gang of soldiers, should not even be informed about the possible option of an abortion? Especially when this means she will be ‘marked’ for the rest of her life as ‘unclean’ by having the baby, so that she will never have a husband and might possibly be thrown out of her society? Is this really what you think Jesus would do?

(I am quite serious, and do not mean any sarcasm, I know that your beliefs are based on your faith, and you hold strong to that)

By OpinionPiece

January 26, 2009 3:20 PM | Link to this

all we need is even more resource-grubbing humans.

somehow the rule-books of the ugly desert dwellers did not plan for the future.

Guess that is why they like wars so much, cut down on the demand for resources.

By USinUK

January 26, 2009 3:40 PM | Link to this

women have always had abortions - even Aristotle wrote of it. women always will have abortions. as long as women can get pregnant, they will look for ways to PREVENT pregnancy and ways to terminate when prevention doesn’t work. including in those countries and cultures where religion outlaws abortion.

oh, and as for what I’m doing, I give to the best organization that I know of on the ground helping - medecins sans frontier. thanks for asking.

By chuck

January 26, 2009 3:41 PM | Link to this

and you don’t have a politician dictating to you which medical procedure you should or should not be INFORMORMED about!!

So sunshine, I guess this means that you are in favor of bills aimed at making sure women get to see an ultrasound before getting an abortion. You wouldn’t want to have some kind of “gag rule” that keeps that from happening would you? Funny how all the planned parenthood types are AGAINST that.

On the topic. I got this in an e-mail and thought GtG would like it.

How to wash a toilet

This was simply too much of a time saver not to share it with you
1. Put both lids of the toilet up
And add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.

By chuck

January 26, 2009 3:58 PM | Link to this

In answer to your question about what Jesus would do in the horrible situation that you described:

Jesus NEVER promised us that life would be easy or without pain. In fact, he prepared his followers for exactly the opposite. In the Sermon on the Mount He said:

Mt. 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

I KNOW WHAT HE WOULD NOT DO: If taking an innocent life is a SIN, and it is, Jesus would NOT tell that girl to sin to AVOID those consequences, but he would give her strength to get through them if she trusted Him. AND He would give her peace.

By chuck

January 26, 2009 4:00 PM | Link to this

Hey guys and gals, I’ve got to run. See you later.

By Promises, promises

January 26, 2009 4:28 PM | Link to this

Yeah, Chuck. Sure. Tell us another fairy tale. “It’s okay, sweetie. You DID resist, right? I mean, you’re not a s!ut… you fought, right? And you didn’t enjoy it even one little bit while your pelvis was being torn asunder? Okay then, never mind what condition your body or your life is in. You’ll have peace. I read it in a book somewhere, so it must be true.”

By Frustrated

January 26, 2009 4:33 PM | Link to this

women have always had abortions - even Aristotle wrote of it. women always will have abortions. as long as women can get pregnant, they will look for ways to PREVENT pregnancy and ways to terminate when prevention doesn’t work.

People kill each other every day on the street. They always have and always will, but that doesn’t mean we should arm every civilian with a gun to protect themselves against “unknown attackers”… So that we can shoot someone who “we thought” looked like they were after us.

Maybe it is more important that we have harsher punishments for those who kill, rape, sell drugs, look at child p0rn… To where people will think a little more before they commit crimes. You kill, you get killed…an eye for an eye.

I found some interesting statistics on wiki:

Reasons for abortions (In the US) In 2000, cases of rape or incest accounted for 1% of abortions.[11] Another study, in 1998, revealed that in 1987-1988 women reported the following reasons for choosing an abortion:[12]

25.5% Want to postpone childbearing 21.3% Cannot afford a baby 14.1% Has relationship problem or partner does not want pregnancy 12.2% Too young; parent(s) or other(s) object to pregnancy 10.8% Having a child will disrupt education or job 7.9% Want no (more) children 3.3% Risk to fetal health 2.8% Risk to maternal health 2.1% Other

Granted, third world countries will have different statistics, but in the US, we are talking about less than 1% being rape/incest victims…..Seriously???? All the pro-coicers are ok with killing the babies for the top 6 reasons??? Which is over 72% of the total?

By FYI

January 26, 2009 5:08 PM | Link to this

“All the pro-coicers are ok with killing the babies for the top 6 reasons???”

The Chinese government is also anti-choice. The Chinese government gives reasons too. What difference do those reasons make to the woman who has no control over her own body or her own destiny? Without freedom, she is still a slave. I hope you never have to know what that feels like.

By Sunshine

January 26, 2009 5:16 PM | Link to this

Chuck, I appreciate you answering my question so nicely especially knowing how strongly you feel about the subject!

I haven’t thought about the verses you quoted in a while, and on an unrelated subject, it really made me stop and think today, and made me let go of some anger, so thanks!

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 8:40 AM | Link to this

Morning all!

Hi Frustrated -

A couple of things - first of all, we were discussing the president’s decision to lift the global gag rule, and so have been discussing the issue as it relates to third world countries, not the US and other western nations.

Having said that, may I refer you to the Guttmacher Institute, the leading organization that studies reproductive issues including abortion.

http://www. guttmacher.org/ pubs/fb_IAW.html

it’s an interesting read, specifically: “Legal restrictions on abortion do not affect its incidence. For example, the abortion rate is 29 in Africa, where abortion is illegal in many circumstances in most countries, and it is 28 in Europe, where abortion is generally permitted on broad grounds. The lowest rates in the world are in Western and Northern Europe, where abortion is accessible with few restrictions.”

in other words, the only thing that outlawing abortion does is cause more women to die or become sterlized because the act is more dangerous. and, let’s be honest, in many of these countries, they are a lot harsher in their punishment of sex crimes than Western nations, so I don’t think that is really a preventative measure.

As for the US, here is some more up-to-date data for you (rather than 20-year old info): http://www. guttmacher.org/ pubs/psrh/full/3711005.pdf

the top reasons are still the top reasons, with some interesting shifts (a decrease in the number of people who think their life would be dramatically changed - possibly reflecting improved services - a decrease in the number of people citing relationship issues, an increase in the number of people who say they can’t afford a baby and a 10 percentage point increase in the number of people who say they’re done with childbearing)

now, you’re not going to like my answer, but yes, I do think that the top 6 reasons you listed are perfectly valid. If someone feels like they are too young (still in school or just finishing college), if they don’t have the money, if they’re done with having children, you want to FORCE them to carry on with the pregnancy??? that’s barbaric

By Nikita

January 27, 2009 9:17 AM | Link to this

On this week’s actual topic…

In general, no, I don’t think rescue groups are “shooting themselves in the foot” by having standards. I did rescue work myself at one point — I spent a lot of money, time, and effort on animals who would otherwise have met a worse fate. I asked questions, and insisted on getting an understanding of whether or not people had realistic expectation of adopting an animal so that said animals wouldn’t end up euthanized or back in my care later. I think any good rescue would do that — our local animal control even does that. And I have seen the results of that not being done. I won’t go into it, but it’s heartbreaking.

As to the particular standards…different rescue groups have different rules. If you don’t like the rules, don’t adopt from that group.

By But

January 27, 2009 9:22 AM | Link to this

But every sperm is sacred.

By Frustrated

January 27, 2009 9:39 AM | Link to this

Good morning US!

No, I don’t like your answer, but you knew that…

Here is what I don’t understand…. When someone doesn’t have enough money to buy food and they go out to steal it from the grocery store, they are punished for their actions..

If you make the decision to speed on the highway and crash into another car, killing the passengers, you are punished for your decision to speed.

If you spread your legs and make the decision to engage in sex and get pregnant, why should you be allowed to look the other way while getting rid of “the consequence of your action”

As far as rape/incest victims, sure, it is completely different, they did not chose to open their legs. But at the same time, it still is not the child’s fault….so why should he/she have to suffer too? Why do they have to die?

I don’t see how everyone can be so up in arms about putting “unwanted” pets to sleep, but have no problem flushing out innocent babies.

Would it make everyone happy to make it mandatory to have every girl of age have an IUD placed in them until they are “ready” to have children? That way, they would be allowed to do as they please without bearing the “consequence” of pregnancy?

Afterall, it isn’t the rapists everyone is screaming at…it is educating the women about options they have if they become pregnant after the crime has taken place.

I say no to abortion and yes to harsher punishment on the rapists.

By American Woman

January 27, 2009 9:54 AM | Link to this

Frustrated, your points are valid, and I respect your opinions. It will never happen that we ALL agree on the rightness/wrongness of this subject, but let’s re-frame the arguments in a way that are pertinent to reality, okay? Only then, I believe, will any true progress be achieved in terms of reducing the numbers of what many, if not most people find abhorrent on some level. Are you with me so far?

REALITY: Women have always had abortions, and always will. What we might affect: The rate at which this occurs. Discussion points: What is the most effective way to do that? What is the Government’s role in interfering with the medical decisions of others, how will the government’s role be equitably enforced, what are the logistics of that, what will it cost, and who will pay for it? Evidence shows that simply making it illegal, and even doling out stiff punishments, is not a deterrent, so people who REALLY care will embrace other ideas, dont’ you think?

Instead of looking at it (like so many issues with NO resolution) as an “Us vs. Them” or “Good vs. Evil” thing, why not address the underlying, complex issues and reach attainable goals instead? The availability of comprehensive education and medical services DO make a difference, so how could one argue against them? Just think about it, okay?

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 9:57 AM | Link to this

Frustrated -

“If you spread your legs and make the decision to engage in sex and get pregnant, why should you be allowed to look the other way while getting rid of “the consequence of your action”

um. “child as punishment” …??? do you REALLY want that???

secondly, contraception fails. all the time (personally, I know 4 women who got pregnant while on the pill - 2 cases of too-low a dosage and 2 cases of interference from other medication). you want to punish people who are acting responsibly?

thirdly, please stop assuming it’s just irresponsible, foot-loose-and-fancy-free singletons and/or teenagers who are going through this - the 4 women mentioned above … all married. Intelligent, responsible women have unintended pregnancies all the time.

look, I know I’m not going to change your mind on this issue - and, frankly, you’re not going to change mine. I respect your right to believe and behave as you want - all I wish is that you would respect that of others, as well. It’s trite to say, “if you don’t believe in an abortion, then don’t have one” - trite, but true. That’s why it’s a matter of CHOICE - no one is forcing these women to have an abortion; likewise, they shouldn’t be forced to carry to term, either.

I just wish everyone from both sides of the issue would take their passion and turn it to making contraception and comprehensive sex education available to young men and women. One day, these kids will have sex (whether they wait until marriage or not) - the better informed they are and the better access they have to safe, effective birth control, the less of a need there will be for abortion.

By Nikita

January 27, 2009 10:10 AM | Link to this

But at the same time, it still is not the child’s fault….so why should he/she have to suffer too? Why do they have to die?

Well, for starters they’re not children, and we have no idea if those groupings of cells would ultimately become children. Any perspective that considers a baby equal to a clump of cells is a flawed one.

I don’t see how everyone can be so up in arms about putting “unwanted” pets to sleep, but have no problem flushing out innocent babies.

Um, what? First, I dislike euthanasia for many reasons, but I recognize it as necessary. Second, it’s unfortunate in both cases that a better solution wasn’t pursued — but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong or should be outlawed.

Also, I have been pro-choice since I was very young, as are all of my republican family members, simply because abortion laws are a huge restriction on individual rights, including the rights to privacy, to medical care, and to self-determination.

By Cat Lover

January 27, 2009 10:19 AM | Link to this

We have three cats, 19, 15 & 13. All are indoor/outdoor cats and all have all their claws. They do just fine, thankyouverymuch. I don’t know that we would adopt more cats if they were required to stay inside.

By yancy b

January 27, 2009 10:19 AM | Link to this

I tried to adopt from a Rescue group and I too believe they are all a bunch about of self righteous,overzealous nuts. I have had dogs all of my life and they were all well cared for.

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 10:20 AM | Link to this

Oh, and one more thing about providing access to contraception and abortion services in developing nations - the risk of death in childbirth.

I know it seems like something that just doesn’t happen anymore, but according to Unicef, women in countries like Niger have a 1 in 7 chance of dying in childbirth. Contrast that with developed nations like Ireland (which as the safest childbirth mortality rate) at 1 in 47,600.

1 in 7. do you have 7 women friends??? 7 female relatives? 7 women colleagues?? that’s 3 out of the 21 who would die in childbirth.

By American Woman

January 27, 2009 10:41 AM | Link to this

USinUK, that’s horrifying! I know that being pregnant is scary. I can’t imagine how much scarier it was before modern medicine, and even now in developing countries, knowing how great the odds are of not surviving it. It seems to me that if all the people who CLAIMED to care about women and babies and oh yeah, “Life…” really did, there would be more resources available to those who need it. Sadly, it seems the argument still seems to be about controlling women more than anything else.

By Gandalf, the White!

January 27, 2009 10:42 AM | Link to this

Chuck, great cat use story! I love it!

Nikita, you ignorant slut!

I wrote stuff here, but deleted it, she is beyond talking too!

Good Bye Nikita, you ignorant slut! PLEASE STFU!

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 10:51 AM | Link to this

AW -

“It seems to me that if all the people who CLAIMED to care about women and babies and oh yeah, “Life…” really did, there would be more resources available to those who need it. Sadly, it seems the argument still seems to be about controlling women more than anything else.”

hrm. I think it’s more about punishment for having sex (which, evidently, only the women need to be punished for … the more things change … blahblahblah)

as far as childbirth deaths … that’s one of the reasons infant mortality is so high in those countries - when the mother dies, the child usually does, too.

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 10:56 AM | Link to this

http://www. boston.com/news/ nation/articles/2007/08/25/uschildbirthmortalityrateincreases/

and, in case you’re interested - here’s an article on US childbirth mortality rates:

The US maternal mortality rate rose to 13 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2004, according to statistics released this week by the National Center for Health Statistics.

The rate was 12 per 100,000 live births in 2003, the first time the maternal death rate rose above 10 since 1977.

Death in childbirth remains fairly rare in the United States. The death of infants is much more common — the nation’s infant mortality rate was 679 per 100,000 live births in 2004.

Maternal deaths were a much more common tragedy long ago. Nearly 1 in every 100 live births resulted in a mother’s death as recently as 90 years ago.

But the fact that maternal deaths are rising at all these days is shocking, said Tim Davis, a Virginia man whose wife, Elizabeth, died after childbirth in 2000.

“The hardest thing to understand is how in this day and age, in a modern hospital with doctors and nurses, that somebody can just die like that,” he said.

Some health statisticians said the total number of maternal deaths — still fewer than 600 each year — is small. It is so small that 50 to 100 additional deaths could raise the rate, said Donna Hoyert, a scientist with the National Center for Health Statistics. The rate is the number of deaths per 100,000 live births.

In 2003, there was a change in death certificate questions in the nation’s most populous state, California, as well as Montana and Idaho. That may have resulted in more deaths being linked to childbirth, enough to push up the 2003 rate, Hoyert said.

Some researchers point to the rising C-section rate, now 29 percent of all births, which is far higher than what public health specialists say is appropriate. Like other surgeries, caesareans come with risks related to anesthesia, infections, and blood clots.

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 11:18 AM | Link to this

(btw - I’m really sorry about all this, Sunshine - I’m sure it’s not what you want to discuss right about now)

By American Woman

January 27, 2009 11:51 AM | Link to this

Sunshine is going to be GREAT!!!!!! No worries!

By Betty Sims

January 27, 2009 11:57 AM | Link to this

Why would any woman who lives in a country where more children die before they are 5 seek abortion? More often than not women in countries where there is a high infant mortality rate never seek abortions—even after rape. They want these children!! Life is precious! How can anyone ACTUALLY believe fully equipped medical abortion facilities exist in refugee camps? The idea that someone would come to remote refugee camps for the sole reason of providing or counseling for abortions—is silly because its more impractical than reality. Save your breath and save your money! People in the USA do not understand that most third-world countries hospitals only have band-aids and aspirins if they are well stocked.

By JustaJew

January 27, 2009 12:02 PM | Link to this

Hello all, been lurking but haven’t had time to post lately. I don’t think I’ve ever weighed in on the abortion issue. Quite frankly, since I’m a man, I don’t have the necessary perspective to make a decision on the issue. What I can say is that the level of hypocrisy on this by conservatives is staggering. I mean really, where’s that compulsion that government should stay out of our lives and let us get on with it? Government is much too incompetent to interfere in the auto industry but, when it comes to the human body and its workings, the government knows everything? No need to regulate business but you MUST regulate a woman’s body for the very survival of the country? Absurd.

By Nikita

January 27, 2009 12:06 PM | Link to this

I wrote stuff here, but deleted it, she is beyond talking too!

People who can’t manage a sentence are beyond talking to.

Sorry I made you angry by making a cogent argument.

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 12:13 PM | Link to this

USin—I appreciate your concern but, as always, I love a good debate, and you ladies are doing an excellent job making points I would have felt compelled to make, so thanks! (Kudos to your 10:51, I second this! And AW’s 10:41!) I believe passionately about the right to woman’s choice, as I know other’s believe passionately about their beliefs. And my CHOSEN pregnancy does not make that belief any less strong. The thing it does, which I will probably be CRUCIFIED on here after I make this statement (but boys try and hear me out) is make me feel even stronger that it is really a woman’s issue exclusively, except in the case of the dad of the specific pregnancy. This is what I mean, I have a WONDERFUL hubby, who has done all he can to make me comfortable and happy and healthy for the pregnancy. He has done all he could to make it to appointments and make sure I have my vitamins, have good things to eat, don’t strain myself, ect, ect, ect. But I am the one who is carrying this baby. I have the strechmarks and the swollen feet, the back ache, the morning sickness, the UTI’s, the sleepless nights, the waddle. I wouldn’t change these for anything right now cause I love and want this baby, but I don’t know how I could go through it all every day if I was carrying my rapist’s baby. I don’t know how I could get through it because it was my “consequences for spreading my legs”. AND I haven’t been through labor YET!!! I know the guys want a say, I know I couldn’t have had this baby with out the help of a man, BUT they do not do the incubation, they do not carry this growing fetus, they do not have to watch every single thing that goes into their body for 10 months, they don’t know what contractions and labor are. I am sorry and maybe it makes me a bit sexist but, I see it very differently after going through it, I don’t see why a man gets to make this decision for a woman.

By Lyrazel

January 27, 2009 12:14 PM | Link to this

Why I do not donate to PETA charities: How can a group like PETA be taken seriously when they want Ben & Jerrys (who actually do not own Ben & Jerrys anymore & someone at PETA should update their files) to stop using cow milk and utilize breast milk in ice cream. OK, PETA, like how do we get gallons of breast milk to make a pint of Chunky Monkey (my favorite)? After it is homogenized and pasteurized would it still be as healthful as it is from the breast? If Americans will not breast feed their own children is Ben & Jerrys supposed to start sweat shops of lactating women from third-world countries? Do they march and hook up to a giant milking machine? Would it really taste better and be better for you than say goat milk?

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 12:17 PM | Link to this

JustaJew—LOL!! FABULOUS POINT Thanks!

“Government is much too incompetent to interfere in the auto industry but, when it comes to the human body and its workings, the government knows everything? No need to regulate business but you MUST regulate a woman’s body for the very survival of the country? Absurd.”

Here, Here!

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 12:17 PM | Link to this

JustaJew—LOL!! FABULOUS POINT Thanks!

“Government is much too incompetent to interfere in the auto industry but, when it comes to the human body and its workings, the government knows everything? No need to regulate business but you MUST regulate a woman’s body for the very survival of the country? Absurd.”

Here, Here!

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 12:21 PM | Link to this

Betty Sims - “They want these children!! Life is precious!”

I’m going to choose to believe that you don’t really read or watch the news and what you said was out of ignorance rather than idiocy. do you have ANY idea what the women in Darfur are dealing with???

here … here’s an example …

Halima Bashir is a survivor. She was tortured and gang- raped for days as a punishment for speaking out about an attack on primary school children in Darfur.

Her crime was to tell people that a group of Janjaweed militia and government soldiers had attacked the primary school for girls, raping pupils as young as eight. She paid a terrible personal price.

“They were aged between 8 and 13,” she said. “They were in shock, bleeding, screaming and crying. It was horrific. Because I told people what happened, the authorities arrested me. They said, ‘We will show you what rape is’. They beat me severely. At night, three men raped me.

“The following day the same thing, different men. Torture and rape, every day, torture and rape.”

The gang-rape of girls as young as eight has prompted fresh calls for intervention in the western Sudanese region, where tens of thousands of women and girls have been subjected to rape and other extreme sexual violence since the crisis erupted in 2003. The Islamist government in Khartoum has given the Janjaweed militia a free hand in putting down a rebellion by African tribes in the region, and there has not been a single conviction in Darfur for rape against displaced women and girls .

According to a report published today by a charity, the Alliance for Direct Action against Rape in Conflict and Crises, there has been a rise in sexual violence in the region. In the past five weeks alone, more than 200 women in Darfur’s largest displacement camp, Kalma, have been sexually assaulted. Unicef and other charities working on the ground have expressed concern about the gang rape of minors by up to 14 men. In one case, schoolgirls and their teachers were targeted by a gang in the Tawila area of Northern Darfur. In an incident in the town of Kailek, Janjaweed militiamen separated women and men. More than 80 rapes were reported - but many more were kept quiet.

… snip …

Many women who have been raped in Sudan have been thrown out of their communities, while children conceived in rape have been abandoned. In addition to this, victims face the added fear of contracting HIV.

“Rape is feared all the more in Darfur for two reasons. Most important, a woman who has been raped is ruined; deeply traumatised, in some cases she is thrown out of home by her family and forced to survive on her own,” the report, entitled Sexual Violence in Darfur, says. “Raped women, not the perpetrators, are blamed. The woman is shamed for life and so is her entire family. Witnesses to large-scale attacks typically record repeated and systematically conducted incidents of widespread rape and other forms of sexual violence committed by armed groups. The mass rapes in Darfur have been among the most effective means to terrorise tribal populations, break their will and drive them away.”

http://www. independent.co.uk/ news/world/ africa/the-rape-of-darfur-a-crime-that-is-shaming-the-world-427840.html

please - PLEASE - try reading about what’s going on in the world.

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 12:31 PM | Link to this

Sunshine -

hey girly-girl! thanks for the props - and I’ve always agreed with your point re: men’s involvement in the anti-choice movement.

sending you LOADS of positive mad-mama-mojo vibes!!! :-)

which reminds me - you have GOT to tell Mr. Sunshine to post here and let us know when the SunSprog makes its debut!!! I don’t care how tired the new papa will be … it’s all about us. (heehee)

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 12:38 PM | Link to this

and here’s a sample of what’s going on in the Congo:

Every day, 10 new women and girls who have been raped show up at his hospital. Many have been so sadistically attacked from the inside out, butchered by bayonets and assaulted with chunks of wood, that their reproductive and digestive systems are beyond repair.

“We don’t know why these rapes are happening, but one thing is clear,” said Dr. Mukwege, who works in South Kivu Province, the epicenter of Congo’s rape epidemic. “They are done to destroy women.”

… snip …

Honorata Barinjibanwa, an 18-year-old woman with high cheekbones and downcast eyes, said she was kidnapped from a village that the Rastas raided in April and kept as a sex slave until August. Most of that time she was tied to a tree, and she still has rope marks ringing her delicate neck. The men would untie her for a few hours each day to gang-rape her, she said.

“I’m weak, I’m angry, and I don’t know how to restart my life,” she said from Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where she was taken after her captors freed her.

She is also pregnant.

While rape has always been a weapon of war, researchers say they fear that Congo’s problem has metastasized into a wider social phenomenon.

http://www. nytimes.com/2007/10/07/ world/africa/07congo.html

By American Woman

January 27, 2009 12:53 PM | Link to this

Sunshine, I feel the same way! I went through a surprise unwed pregnancy by choice, and let me tell you, it wasn’t easy! In addition to all the physical challenges, I had to endure the attitudes, platitudes, and judgement of all sorts of people who couldn’t seem to mind their own flipping business! “You know how that happens, don’t you?” I found out who my friends were and were not. I was fired. My father was sure I’d end up on welfare. (I did not.) I literally could not believe the stuff that was coming out of people’s mouths. Murphy Brown’s infamous “lifestyle choice” as described by Dan Quayle mirrored much of what I’d been through.

The point: I went through many levels of heck because I loved and WANTED my baby. From my own commitment came the strength to endure. Having been there and done that, I could NEVER force it on an unwilling person. Never.

Nakita: It’s a troll and that’s what it does. Don’t take it personally, and don’t feed it.

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 1:02 PM | Link to this

AW -

““You know how that happens, don’t you?””

oh, my. the fun I would have with that kind of a*******hattery …

By JokesOn

January 27, 2009 1:06 PM | Link to this

Sunshine,

“I am sorry and maybe it makes me a bit sexist but, I see it very differently after going through it, I don’t see why a man gets to make this decision for a woman.”

Like most everything there are layers. You are speaking about the personal aspect, which I agree. When speaking of the legal aspect, it is weighed in by ALL citizens. We regulate trades and companies that we have no intimate knowledge about all the time.

Once again, on a personal level I agree totally. First hand experience ALWAYS trumps the most well intentioned “putting in others shoes.” My only point is that it does not effect the fact that all citizens do still weigh in on the legal matter.

Just a thought for anyone: If you were the fetus in question, and could weigh in, what would be your thoughts? Remember how selfish people are when imagining…

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 1:21 PM | Link to this

Thank for the “mad-mama-mojo vibes!!!” I can use them! 10 days till the due date, but I am sure I will have longer than that! It is really interesting, I found out, by accident, that by Boss has no intention of letting me come back after my maternity leave. It is (SOMEHOW) legal to do this because he is a “small business” and I have NO legal recourse, even though I have NEVER been written up, reprimanded, have no history of anything other than positive reviews and have been PATIENTLY training, what I now know is my permeate replacement (GOD help her!). I have felt the entire pregnancy he has been angry about me getting pregnant AT ALL and this seems the proof. But as they say when one door closes another….now that I know this, the stress of this job has really been lifted and now that I can “see the door” I can’t imagine coming back to work for this A**hat (love that USin!!) And my part time second job, offered to hire me full time after the baby! So it works out, BUT it is still a reminder of the “gender divide”. How many men have been fired or “let go” because they had a baby?

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 1:41 PM | Link to this

Usin-“which reminds me - you have GOT to tell Mr. Sunshine to post here and let us know when the SunSprog makes its debut!!! I don’t care how tired the new papa will be … it’s all about us. (heehee)”

Mr. Sunshine is very aware of my blogging habits and I will tell him to post! I don’t know if you will get more than “Baby boy, 10am on Feb_, 7+lbs” but I will tell him HE MUST DO THAT! :-)

JokesOn,

I agree there are layers, and I agree that the dad of the specific pregnancy DOES and should have a say. I know that it would be incredibly hard on the woman, but in my PERSONAL opinion, if the dad wants custody and he is willing to raise the baby, he should have that right. It should not only be about the woman if he is wanting and willing to take responsibility for that child.

As far as society as a whole getting to weigh in on a specific, personal medical procedure, ehhh, I don’t really think that is necessary. I know that people THINK they should have that right, but I personally disagree. I don’t think if you want to die with dignity it is anyone else’s right to tell you you can or can’t. If I want to donate the stem cells my body produced to possibly cure leukemia, I should be able to. I don’t think it is for my neighbor to weigh in on OR the government. It is a matter of my opinion, my body, and my doctor. Just my 2 cents!

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 1:41 PM | Link to this

Usin-“which reminds me - you have GOT to tell Mr. Sunshine to post here and let us know when the SunSprog makes its debut!!! I don’t care how tired the new papa will be … it’s all about us. (heehee)”

Mr. Sunshine is very aware of my blogging habits and I will tell him to post! I don’t know if you will get more than “Baby boy, 10am on Feb_, 7+lbs” but I will tell him HE MUST DO THAT! :-)

JokesOn,

I agree there are layers, and I agree that the dad of the specific pregnancy DOES and should have a say. I know that it would be incredibly hard on the woman, but in my PERSONAL opinion, if the dad wants custody and he is willing to raise the baby, he should have that right. It should not only be about the woman if he is wanting and willing to take responsibility for that child.

As far as society as a whole getting to weigh in on a specific, personal medical procedure, ehhh, I don’t really think that is necessary. I know that people THINK they should have that right, but I personally disagree. I don’t think if you want to die with dignity it is anyone else’s right to tell you you can or can’t. If I want to donate the stem cells my body produced to possibly cure leukemia, I should be able to. I don’t think it is for my neighbor to weigh in on OR the government. It is a matter of my opinion, my body, and my doctor. Just my 2 cents!

By Betty Sims

January 27, 2009 1:48 PM | Link to this

Go ahead and make your false arguments UK but you cannot convince me these horrible camps have adequate facilities (meaning clean, supplied) to provide on-demand abortions to women. 2/3s of all women in Africa have never seen a doctor and rely on another woman in the family because midwifes cost money! So in reality you are actually advocating abortion-on-demand-by-untrained persons! Do you actually believe that the women using such services (if they were available) would be in less danger from men and religious leaders for having abortions rather than carrying the child to term? When women can be stoned for looking at a man—what Islamic-based court would look favorably on a woman having an abortion? Yes, you glibly are willing to pit women up against the religious beliefs of her nation, her family, but you expect no repercussions by this act? That is an insane pompous attitude and abortion is illegal in most countries in Africa so even the fact of doing them in mercy would put doctors, nurses and anyone involved including the woman in jeopardy. You stick your head in the sand and pretend most women like Honorata want an abortion or have beliefs that abortion is okay! You also hide from the reality that people helping in camps like the one described will want to give abortions despite their personal religious beliefs (that are strong in support of life because they are in the actual camps trying to help not just jawing a topic). The fact Honorata is pregnant proves MY point not yours.

By JokesOn

January 27, 2009 2:01 PM | Link to this

“personal medical procedure”

But that is not what the actual law is defining - it is a procedure allowed by the definition of a right. Rights are decided by all citizens no matter how the issue plays out over demographics. The laws against abortion were considered unconstitutional.

Like I said, there are many valid aspects to the topic; but the one weighed out in courts is one all people have an obligation to have a voice in.

If, for instance, the courts decided that each state was to determine if abortion was legal because it is not a right; then I would agree only the women in those states should get to weigh in on the law.

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 2:06 PM | Link to this

I have no idea why I have the Gandolf disease of double posting today! Sorry!

By American Woman

January 27, 2009 2:07 PM | Link to this

My two responses: “I have no idea. Can you enlighten me?” and “Gee, I don’t know. He pulled out all six times that night!”

Sunshine, forget the a—hat. You have what matters, and who wants to work for a jerk like that, anyway? My employer couldn’t say he fired me for being (single and) pregnant, so he just made up some s—t. Ugly s—t, totally and verifiably not true. Good church-going fellow too. I guess Jesus told him it was okay to bear false witness to save face or try to save a few bucks on an unemployment claim.

Betty: Oh no you di-int! Did you just twist USinUK’s words into something she did not actually say? Oooooooo….. Better take off your earrings while you can.

By JokesOn

January 27, 2009 2:19 PM | Link to this

Simms,

“That is an insane pompous attitude and abortion is illegal in most countries in Africa so even the fact of doing them in mercy would put doctors, nurses and anyone involved including the woman in jeopardy.”

Removing a gag order does not mandate talking about abortion. I am sure that in areas where it is illegal, it would also be illegal to provide such service. That is not the topic or point. The point is that the GAG order was removed - freeing the hands of workers where abortion and other topics legal can be discussed.

“So in reality you are actually advocating abortion-on-demand-by-untrained persons!” A little common sense here please. First, that was not proposed. Second, the people who happened to be there are not going to all of a sudden start performing them. That is like saying if they got the ok to talk about transplants, orderlies are going to start doing them?!?!

Given your scenario, in a country where abortion is illegal, but performed (look and USinUKs links), there is a clinic that now can talk about abortion. A 11 year old is brought in because she was raped. She later informs a person at the clinic that she is planning on getting an abortion by some person without a license. She can be informed of the risks and that she should not. This scenario is far more likely than your “i was gang raped at 11 and really want to keep this baby.”

However one wants to look at it: It is removing a GAG order that does not take in any consideration to the local laws and practices.

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 2:26 PM | Link to this

JokesOn-“Rights are decided by all citizens no matter how the issue plays out over demographics.”

I have to politely disagree, Rights are defined by Judges and the courts, at least on the highest level (supreme) they are appointed, for life, so they are impervious to the “will of the people” so they don’t have to worry about being re-elected. So that the majority does not get to define the rights of the minority. Now over all outlook on different issues sway with time and the bench, but the point is that the people DON’T get to weigh in on RIGHTS.

I know that I want the most fair and educated people deciding the fate of our rights, not the majority!

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 2:28 PM | Link to this

AW—LOL at “Betty: Oh no you di-int! Did you just twist USinUK’s words into something she did not actually say? Oooooooo….. Better take off your earrings while you can.”

Oh, no, she DIDN’T! Haha!

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 2:47 PM | Link to this

AW-Unfortunately the two worst and most Unfair bosses I have EVER had were “Good church-going fellows” (including this one!) And its not that they had a faith that they followed, if that was all so be it, to each their own, it was the fact that they LOUDLY proclaimed their LOVE OF JESUS, only to be totally and completely awful people who disrespect and verbally abuse their employees!

By JokesOn

January 27, 2009 3:02 PM | Link to this

“but the point is that the people DON’T get to weigh in on RIGHTS.”

Still, if applied to the supreme court, only the female judges would weigh in. My point is still it has to do with rights, and that is something everyone has a right to weigh in on - counted or not. The determining factor should be one of rights and not personal/religious beliefs.

My biggest concern when dividing up who it effects and the reasoning that goes into a legal decision is this: If you open Pandora’s box by validating stepping outside of the law and using personal beliefs; you do it for those who have other personal beliefs as well.

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 3:04 PM | Link to this

Sunshine -

as long as the wanker pays you for your maternity leave, take his a-hatteriness with a grain of salt. he’s the lesser person for it, not you. you’ve found a better place to work (and better people to work for) - if he’s like this when you have a bun in the oven, what’s he gonna be like when the cupcake is well and truly out??? god knows, he’d get his panties in a twist if you had to leave early to pick the kid up because he was sick.

yes, tell that man of yours that we want to know you’re okay, the sprog has 10&10 (and weight) … I take it you saw the news today about the woman who delivered a full litter … criminey … EIGHT … AND she plans to breast-feed!!! my ta-tas hurt at the thought!

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 3:20 PM | Link to this

Gosh, am I the only one on today? Really interesting article that is specifically talking about a point raised here today. It is talking about the course of action for the “pro-life” movement under the new administration.

Here is a quote that I found particullary interesting:

“Let’s look at results. How do you really reduce abortion? You support women’s health care, you promote involved fatherhood. I think those programs are significant if you’re saving unborn lives.” Recent research has shown strong correlations between poverty and abortion, so these activists are betting on anti-poverty, social-welfare initiatives to bring down the abortion rate, like better support for mothers in high school or college, providing support for adoption as an alternative to abortion and increasing food stamp and Medicaid benefits for mothers.” says Jim Wallis, who directs Sojourners, a progressive evangelical group. “Even if Roe is repealed, it just goes back to the states.” Wallis, who is pro-life, and other progressive leaders are trying out this new strategy…..”

“…Proponents of this path, hope that in this new political climate, pro-choice and pro-life leaders will be motivated to get behind abortion reduction tactics. The approach is popular with the public: 72 percent of Americans support the public policy goal of ‘reducing the number of abortions in America by preventing unintended pregnancies and supporting women who wish to carry their pregnancies to term,’ according to a 2008 Survey by Third Way, a non-profit think tank that promotes bipartisan cooperation. And it’s had a successful year politically: the Democrats added an abortion-reduction clause to their party platform for the first time in 2008.”

(Source: www. newsweek.com/id/181786)

By Betty Sims

January 27, 2009 3:26 PM | Link to this

I cannot appreciate the benefits in genocide of the unborn as readily as you, UK.

If I lived in a place where death was always close, where war was constant as soldiers and starvation, I would cling to any life within me. I would be offended by foreigners who prattle about abortion options in a place where abortion technology is a ice-pick, a bucket & herbs.

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 3:27 PM | Link to this

Betty Sims -

first of all, since reading is evidently NOT fundamental for you, let me refer you to the guttmacher survey I quoted to Frustrated earlier today: “Legal restrictions on abortion do not affect its incidence. For example, the abortion rate is 29 in Africa, where abortion is illegal in many circumstances in most countries, and it is 28 in Europe, where abortion is generally permitted on broad grounds. The lowest rates in the world are in Western and Northern Europe, where abortion is accessible with few restrictions.”

women of all walks and religions in Africa already ARE having abortions - I am not “glibly” pitting them against anything or any one - I’m stating a fact.

“You stick your head in the sand and pretend most women like Honorata want an abortion or have beliefs that abortion is okay! You also hide from the reality that people helping in camps like the one described will want to give abortions despite their personal religious beliefs (that are strong in support of life because they are in the actual camps trying to help not just jawing a topic). The fact Honorata is pregnant proves MY point not yours.”

first of all, they said she was pregnant - they didn’t say what she was going to do about it.

secondly, did you skip over the part where they said that most of these children are abandoned?? Many women who have been raped in Sudan have been thrown out of their communities, while children conceived in rape have been abandoned. so, they’re so “pro-life”, they won’t have an a abortion, but they’ll abandon their child to die…??? that’s not “pro-life”, that’s NO ACCESS

my point (since it seems to have eluded you) is that your little “choose life! be positive! children are a happy little rainbow that will make you forget what’s happened” attitude is beyond absurd in this situation. (“They want these children!! Life is precious!”) OMFG. These women have been through a hell that I not only can’t imagine, I can’t believe that a human being could do these things to any other living creature. The women who have been through this and who ARE getting medical attention thanks to orgs like the Red Cross/Red Crescent and MSF deserve all the help that is available to them, not some edited “can’t offend the fine folks in Topeka” BS.

By Gandalf, the White!

January 27, 2009 3:32 PM | Link to this

Nikita, STFU! Thanks!

On a brighter note, Timothy Geithner is a thiefing tax fraud. Looks like Barry’s change is simply a move to Chicago style politics. Is the light coming on yet? DUFUS is going to take us all down the path of socialism and enlightenment, by way of Chicago style mobbery.

Of course we could alway send in the US Military and destroy the child rapist in the third world countries were it occurs, but that would involve a lot of money and since all citizens of the world have US rights now that BARRY is Prez (I have shortened it here to be cool like Barry!), that would get sticky, can’t just bomb them out, now we have to bring them to trial and let me see the evidence thier accusers bring forward, But of course they will be too terrified to testify. SO Barry is pro-abortion and pro-rape? Is that possible? Bizarro land is Chicago.

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 3:33 PM | Link to this

JokesOn—“Still, if applied to the supreme court, only the female judges would weigh in.” good point, I see what you are saying :-)

USin—I get NO paid maternity leave, NONE! I acquire 3.33 hours of leave per month, no roll over from last year so at the end of January I get 3.33 hours paid, that is all. So yeah, the 6 weeks off with no pay was going to be hard already, and the $300 deposit I put down on the daycare a block away from here will also not really be needed! Like I said, it worked out, but the way it was done is dirty! We have consistently talked and he assured me it was only a temp I was training, I would be welcomed back in 6 weeks, and that all was fine. Now I know that is all BS. DIRTY!

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 3:33 PM | Link to this

JokesOn—“Still, if applied to the supreme court, only the female judges would weigh in.” good point, I see what you are saying :-)

USin—I get NO paid maternity leave, NONE! I acquire 3.33 hours of leave per month, no roll over from last year so at the end of January I get 3.33 hours paid, that is all. So yeah, the 6 weeks off with no pay was going to be hard already, and the $300 deposit I put down on the daycare a block away from here will also not really be needed! Like I said, it worked out, but the way it was done is dirty! We have consistently talked and he assured me it was only a temp I was training, I would be welcomed back in 6 weeks, and that all was fine. Now I know that is all BS. DIRTY!

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 3:43 PM | Link to this

Betty—“If I lived in a place where death was always close, where war was constant as soldiers and starvation, I would cling to any life within me.” That is YOUR point of view, I doubt very seriously that you have lived through the attrocities these women have. Either way, as JokesOn and others have pointed out, we are talking about SPEAKING to women about their medical options. Giving them EDUCATION. Why would you be against that?

By Sunshine

January 27, 2009 3:55 PM | Link to this

Gandolf—“but that would involve a lot of money and since all citizens of the world have US rights now that BARRY is Prez”—(Sorry to everyone, I know I should not feed it!) Wasn’t this the WHOLE argument for the WAR we are in? Something about “spreading democracy to the middle east”? Wasn’t that supposed to make us all safer? So when a Repub says it, it is a GRAND idea, but when a Dem wants to remove a block to humanitarian Aid we THEN need to be fiscally conservative? Wasn’t Mr. GW’s goal to overturn their gov’n (AS HE DID) and install an AMERICAN STYLE democracy? Didn’t that call for LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of money oh yeah, and lets not forget THOUSANDS of civilian casualties and THOUSANDS of dead American soldiers? But you know “Berry” has been in office for 7 days so it’s all his fault, RIGHT!

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 3:59 PM | Link to this

Sunshine -

aw, man. that so sucks … I’m sorry to hear that you get no paid leave on top of all that. WHAT an emmin’effin-wanker. get your resume together and e-mail it while you’re on your leave (although, I’m telling you now, you’re gonna be in a haze for 6 weeks) circulate your resume to everyone you know - then tell that guy he can kiss your sweet patoot.

By USinUK

January 27, 2009 4:01 PM | Link to this

Betty Sims -

“If I lived in a place where death was always close, where war was constant as soldiers and starvation, I would cling to any life within me. I would be offended by foreigners who prattle about abortion options in a place where abortion technology is a ice-pick, a bucket & herbs.”

yep. them’s some mighty fancy words you’re throwing around from your nice, safe, comfy home in the US, where you have food, clean water, heat, electricity and sanitation.

mighty fancy words, indeed.

By Mara

January 28, 2009 9:58 AM | Link to this

Sigh. abortion STILL? Face it. There is no chance of compromise as long as the anti-choicers believe that there’s nothing wrong with the government refusing to fund contraceptive education and forcing women to sacrifice their needs and health for the benefit of a zygote, embryo, or fetus.

Hows about a new topic? Anybody preview the new Super Bowl ads yet? My faves from the past? The Budweiser commercial “Respect” and “Herding Cats” LOL! The former STILL makes me tear up and the latter is just fun-neeeee!

By They call the wind Mariah

January 28, 2009 10:33 AM | Link to this

* tumbleweed *

By USinUK

January 28, 2009 10:37 AM | Link to this

Mara -

I LOVED the “herding cats” one - that was perfect!! I also liked the Bud Light commercial with the half-back who worked in the office (he tackles some guy who puts color paper in the white paper recycling) … anyone else remember that one?

the BBC is playing the Superbowl live here Sunday night - but who wants to watch it if there are no ads???!!!

By Gandalf, the White!

January 28, 2009 11:12 AM | Link to this

Sunshine! You missed my point! I love war! It’s beautiful! I miss it, in fact.

By They call the wind Mariah

January 28, 2009 11:23 AM | Link to this

USinUK - yeah, in the past few years the ads have been better than the game itself. Maybe this year…:^)

lemme toss this grenade your way — who’s tougher, football players or rugby players? LOL! Toss that one out in your English pub and see what happens!

By Nikita

January 28, 2009 11:24 AM | Link to this

“If you were the fetus in question, and could weigh in, what would be your thoughts?”

Fetii don’t have the capacity to weigh in — up to a relatively late point, they lack thoughts. And besides which, a fully dependent being is entirely the responsibility of the person caring for it.

But yes, there’s no point in discussing abortion until the purportedly pro-life faction stops seeing blastocysts as equal to independent adults and insisting that simply stripping women of their rights will magically reduce abortion. It isn’t an it won’t.

By USinUK

January 28, 2009 11:43 AM | Link to this

TctwMariah -

“lemme toss this grenade your way — who’s tougher, football players or rugby players? LOL! Toss that one out in your English pub and see what happens!”

mmmmm … yummy-yummy rugby players …

(in the UK, they say: “Rugby is a thugs’ game played by gentlemen, football [soccer] is a gentlemen’s game played by thugs.”)

By Mara

January 28, 2009 11:43 AM | Link to this

oops. I was the wind…

By Mara

January 28, 2009 11:51 AM | Link to this

on topic - no, I think that as long as there are people like Bill Frist out there adopting animals for the sole purpose of doing private medical experimentation on, the rescue groups have and OBLIGATION to their animals to ensure the people who adopt them are going to do their best to keep them safe and healthy. If that includes making sure the cats are “indoor only” and the dogs have fenced yard…well, so be it.

Our cats have a kitty door out to the screen porch and a large planter of cat grass and ‘nip, so they have the best of both worlds.

By Mara

January 28, 2009 12:00 PM | Link to this

USinUK - “…football [soccer] is a gentlemen’s game played by thugs.”

LOL! I love tweaking the nose of rabid soccer fans by telling them that in America, we send our wee little babies out to play soccer instead of a ‘real’ sport. LOL!!! Boy do they get MAD!

By Gandalf, the White!

January 28, 2009 12:34 PM | Link to this

The Giants/Patriots game last year was the best game ever. Comercials or not the BRITS get a treat to watch real football! Not silly sissy soccer, not old school rugby, but real kick butt american football!

Nikita! STFU. Really! You sound like a 13 year old. PLEASE! STFU!

Barry is wanting to ban weapons in space! What a Dum Bass! His energy sec is not lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling and 335 million for sex education? Barry and his 1 trillion econmic stimulus boondoggle will ruin this country, as he goes on Arabic TV before he goes on US TV, anyone else see anything wrong here?

By American Woman

January 28, 2009 12:38 PM | Link to this

Oh! Oh oh! A GOOD topic! I love rugby and rugby players! (a flood of delicious memories….) But as an American woman, I’m incurably addicted to our own brand of football. Now, according to their bumper stickers, rugby players have leather balls and do it in the dirt. True… They fancy themselves much tougher than our football players who wear those sissy pads and helmets. They have a point: one must be truly tough to play a brutal sport without protective gear. On the other hand, it would not be possible for them to hit each other as hard as American players hit each other — the force of which, at times, is only survivable due to the pads and helmets. So I’ll keep my addiction to our unique brand of football, but still respect the inherent beauty of rugby and unpadded players. (The only things I know about soccer are that I wasn’t very good at it, and beyond that, zzz… ZZZ… zzz….)

By USinUK

January 28, 2009 1:07 PM | Link to this

Well, we’re not too sports-mad in our house, so I don’t watch a lot of rugby, but what I’ve seen, I really like - the big advantage of both soccer and rugby over American football - not as much waiting around!! criminey, throw the ball, hang out and regroup. run the ball, hang out and regroup. move the chain. blahblahblah. no wonder we all watch for the ads.

By Lyrazel

January 28, 2009 1:28 PM | Link to this

I had a dog named Mariah, sweetest gentle thing she was. She was found walking the streets with ticks clinging to her eye ducts. I would sing her that song while we cuddled on the sofa—o she was put down many years ago—and the song just makes me cry.

Has anyone here ever figured out the rules of Australian Rules Football? Gandalf? Watched a show of it—man (in shorts and jersey) comes down the field and kicks the goalie (also in shorts & jersey) in the nuts and scored a point while the guy is on the ground clutching—-amazing game—I was fascinated they kept their knee socks up.

By Mara

January 28, 2009 1:50 PM | Link to this

Lyrazel - ” — man (in shorts and jersey) comes down the field and kicks the goalie (also in shorts & jersey) in the nuts and scored a point while the guy is on the ground clutching—-amazing game—I was fascinated they kept their knee socks up.”

you made me LOL! Thanks! (still giggling…)

By The Other Jack

January 28, 2009 2:17 PM | Link to this

USinUK

GREAT Ted Nugent quote (it’s great to have the French go back to being the most-hated)

I thought it was good. But to be honest, I have always been treated really great every time I have gone to France. But of course, since I live in East Atlanta, anywhere you go that people do not want to rob and kill you is a good place.

Also good safety tips (especially the idea of throwing your wallet away from you rather than handing it over)

That one stuck out to me, too. You know if you could just think ahead to have two wallets and maybe put an exploding die pack in one of them like banks use. But of course you would need to be careful to get the right wallet at the checkout in Kroger.

An add-on to that list - the garment that convicted rapists said was easiest to remove were overalls, all they had to do was cut the straps.

I am so glad that my little girl has been taking marshal arts since she was 6. it was always fun to go to the meets and watch that delicate little skinny girl just beat the crap out of bigger guys. Her Mom said that a boyfriend had gotten a little rough with her and she just about killed the guy. You go girl.

I heard about the inaugural quartet “pulling a Britney” … can’t say as I blame them - can’t imagine the technical requirements for them to be heard well in that kind of setting. All I know is that I felt sorry for the pianist - I can’t imagine how she was able to keep her hands warm and nimble enough to play!

We used to use heated hunter’s glloves riight up to the last minute before we played. Of course when it was that cold, it didn’t take long before things started freezing up. I don’t blame them at all.

Cats - always lived near a busy street, so mine were always indoors lest people mistake my sweet, fat orange tabby for a speed bump (it was possible - he was a big’un). As for rescue groups being overly prohibitive, I think they CAN go too far, but I can also see their point - they want to get people to see beyond the cuteness to the care required.

My big boy has been spending way too much time near the street. It is cold and rainy today so he is laying on the couch beside me, sound asleep. His cardboard box at the window had to be taken down. I finally finished upgrading my entire system to full blown HD which required a much larger system. There is no room for anything now.

Lastly, it wasn’t “interfering” with another country that cost America its reputation, it’s INVADING another country that did it.

I’m trying to follow the advice of a great client that simply said “Why are you worried about that? There is not a damn thing you can do about it so stop wasting your time worrying about it. When you are setting in a guy’s brand new $200,000 Mercedes and you just left his 5 Million dollar home up on Mt. Parin Road and he gives you personal advice, it’s a good idea to listen. You guys know how I feel about just about everything, that is if you have actually been paying attention, and if I keep letting the things that the Congress and Obama do in the next four years bother me, my head is going to explode and that does make such a mess.

I’m sure i’ll be back to talk about politics, but I just started an internet business with a partner and between that and my new HD stuff, I just can’t take the time.

casa del Fuego in la Taco

By Lyrazel

January 28, 2009 2:58 PM | Link to this

setting in a guy’s brand new $200,000 Mercedes and you just left his 5 Million dollar home up on Mt. Parin Road and he gives you personal advice, it’s a good idea to listen

ieouiouo8788723nnyiy

TOJ, yeah, lots of people felt that way about Madoffs (et.al) too. Is that 5 mil home + fancy ride paid for or is he just tied to payments like the rest of his neighbors>I prefer the steady plod of the BRK-A to any flashy spenders who waste money on flash (oops bling—Im sooooooo dated). I wish you the BEST! GET A NEW BOX or the cat will make home on your keyboard…. nothing like a cat’s ow60masiuhodeu6w823up… comment to suddenly flaw a blog entry or cat hair clog the warm laser printer that has become the substitute. Good luck!!!

By The Other Jack

January 28, 2009 3:19 PM | Link to this

Lyrazel

TOJ, yeah, lots of people felt that way about Madoffs (et.al) too.

Yes, but I know what this guy does and his background. He is one of those clients that will send back a proposal and say: you can’t do it for that much money. Add more money.

I also understand the Mercedes thing. I’m a car nut and it ain’t about bling. I want a Ferrari and if I live long enough, I will have one. Unfortunately, the way I keep spending money on new equipment, I will need to live to be 165 years old before I get my Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the company said that one of his great regrets is that people who are young enough to enjoy his cars can never afford his cars.

GET A NEW BOX or the cat will make home on your keyboard

What is that about cats and keyboards? I just bought a new MAC Pro and I set it all up in the middle of the floor before I installed in in my editing console. My office floor must look like a footbal field to a cat and he walked in and walked directly over to the keyboard that was laying in the floor and plopped down. I need to slide the keyboard back under the desk when ever I get up from editing or I know that the cat will find a way to walk across the keyboards. Do you think that they are smart enough to know how much that can mess me up? He always just looks at me like: What? I’m the cat. It’s what I am supposed to do.

By American Woman

January 28, 2009 3:27 PM | Link to this

Good points, Lyrazel. The guy could be a crook, living off the misplaced trust of unfortunates, or outright lies. Personally, I wouldn’t want what is now a $5 mil home. Geez, the relatives would never leave, and the unemployed handymen always putting flyers on the door. The relentless charity pleas… No peace! Ditto the $200K car. Can you imagine the stress of parking that thing at Publix? (Kroger’s a union shop, TOJ. I’m surprised you’d shop there.) “OMG, a DING!” Always wondering if someone is going to steal it or smash the window to take what’s inside…. Happy people (so I’m told) are not the ones who have the most, but those who need the least. If my car gets me from A to B with AC and a good stereo (okay, so yes, I like V-6 power), then I don’t need to sparkle & bling down the road. But admittedly, I might feel differently if I had a tiny little you-know-what.

By Gandalf, the White!

January 28, 2009 3:53 PM | Link to this

Did you know that soccer cause more leg injuries to children under 17 than football? Sick game where you can’t use your hands. Silly sissy man sport.

By Gandalf, the White!

January 28, 2009 3:53 PM | Link to this

Did you know that soccer cause more leg injuries to children under 17 than football? Sick game where you can’t use your hands. Silly sissy man sport.

By The Other Jack

January 28, 2009 4:22 PM | Link to this

American Woman

It’s a car nut thing. If you are not a car nut, you wouldn’t understand. There are few things more thrilling than putting a nice car into a controlled drift through a corner on a curvy road and it doesn’t mater how much you paid for the car. it’s just that the best cars to do that with always cost the most.

Kroger is crap. The one near here is one of the nastiest stores I have ever been in, and their insistence in your using the Kroger Plus, (Big Brother Tracking Everything You Buy Card)” is crap. We’ll give you the same price as Publix if you will give us your personal information so we can track your purchases is not a good deal in my book.

Unfortunately, it is often much quicker than driving to the Publix at East Lake.

If Unions want to claim that they produce better employees, they should keep people from knowing that store is a union shop.

Off subject and this isn’t directed at you, but I heard something that that was one of those things that makes you get a little shiver.

“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. …”

By The Other Jack

January 28, 2009 4:28 PM | Link to this

Gandolf

I hate Soccer. They always brag that they don’t wear pads.

I say: If pads will stop you from crying like a little girl every time you get a boo-boo on your knee, then put on the friggin’ pads.

By USinUK

January 29, 2009 8:21 AM | Link to this

TOJ -

My big boy has been spending way too much time near the street. It is cold and rainy today so he is laying on the couch beside me, sound asleep.

aw, man. you nearly made me cry with that, I miss my big, fat orange cat so much. he’d cuddle up next to me when I read before I went to sleep - that was our time - he’d curl up in the crook of my left arm so that I could rub his belly. he hated when I needed to turn a page - he’d reach out a paw as if to say “no! don’t go!”

(GtG - you’d have loved my guy - he didn’t have a mean bone in his body - lots of scared bones, but no mean ones - he would never have eaten any of your songbirds)

His cardboard box at the window had to be taken down.

you took away his Kitty Teevee???? BAD TOJ!!! BAD!! NO!!

My guy never really got into my computer, but he la-la-LOVED the newspaper and magazines and made a game of lying right at the edge of the page, then sloooooooly creeping over each time I turned the page, until he was lying in the middle. “you can’t read it now so you might as well pet me”

You know if you could just think ahead to have two wallets and maybe put an exploding die pack in one of them like banks use

hahaha … okay, Mr. Bond!! ;-)

By Gandalf, the White!

January 29, 2009 9:19 AM | Link to this

So we are going to buy are way out of this economic mess? Just like Roosevelt did? That’s how WWII started as I recall. The FDR BS never did anything to help the economy. Saying that FDR got us out of the depression is like saying the Civil war was about slavery. In the both are bold faced lies. Recession is when your neighbor get’s laid off, depression is when you do!

By Mara

January 29, 2009 9:37 AM | Link to this

“…lying right at the edge of the page, then sloooooooly creeping over each time I turned the page, until he was lying in the middle. “you can’t read it now so you might as well pet me.”

my oldest does that all the time! LOL! The other two are content to lay down in whatever manner will cause me the most inconvenience as I’m reading. The youngest prefers to get up on my lap and extend his body up my chest and snuggle his head under my chin and then just sit there purring. VERY sweet, but a great bloody inconvenience.

‘nother topic - the new Geico commercial. Am I the only one who finds issue in the premise that taking money off your bosses desk is acceptable?

By Gandalf, the White!

January 29, 2009 10:40 AM | Link to this

Mara, he’s a lizard!

By Gandalf, the White!

January 29, 2009 10:40 AM | Link to this

Mara, he’s a lizard!

By Gandalf, the White!

January 29, 2009 10:51 AM | Link to this

Barry is a DUFUS! OMG! can’t even find the door in the oval office! HEHEE

By Gandalf, the White!

January 29, 2009 10:51 AM | Link to this

Barry is a DUFUS! OMG! can’t even find the door in the oval office! HEHEE

By Mara

January 29, 2009 11:09 AM | Link to this

ooooooh. New Gallup Study out on 2008 demographics…and it isn’t pretty for the GOP - “All told, 29 states and the District of Columbia had Democratic party affiliation advantages of 10 points or greater last year. This includes all of the states in the Northeast, and all but Indiana in the Great Lakes region. There are even several Southern states in this grouping, including Arkansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky.

An additional six states had Democratic advantages ranging between 5 and 9 points.

In contrast, only five states had solid or leaning Republican orientations in 2008, with Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Alaska in the former group, and Nebraska in the latter.

The most balanced political states in 2008 were Texas (+2 Democratic), South Dakota (+1), Mississippi (+1), North Dakota (+1), South Carolina (even), Arizona (even), Alabama (+1 Republican), and Kansas (+2 Republican).

Nate Silver summarizes - “…just five states, * collectively containing about 2 percent of the American population *, have statistically significant pluralities of adults identifying themselves as Republicans. These are the “Mormon Belt” states of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, plus Nebraska, plus Alaska. By contrast, 35 states are plurality Democratic, and 10 states are too close to call.”

links -

gallup.com/poll/114016/State-States-Political-Party-Affiliation.aspx

and -

fivethirtyeight.com/2009/01/just-five-red-states-left.html

By The Other Jack

January 29, 2009 11:44 AM | Link to this

USinUk

My cat is only 13 months old and doesn’t appear to be slowing down on the growing process. He is already quite a bit bigger than the dog (A pretty large Cairn Terrier)

He is pure testosterone when he is outside and if he didn’t have his bell on, he would gladly kill every songbird in Gandalf’s yard. A woman down the street has feeders in her back yard and she loves for him to come down and “play” with her birds. You can hear him jingling three houses away so her birds basically screw with him Being so young, he does all these acrobatics and she has video tape of him leaping much higher into the air than i have ever seen any cat. So far, she says that he hasn’t even come close to catching a bird and the mocking birds and him have a minor war going on. They intimidate her songbirds so she is wanting him to actually catch the mocking birds, but so far, they have had the upper hand.

He killed a very pretty red-bird and was sentenced to become “jingle-cat” for the rest of his life.

Male cats are usually very affectionate and so is he, but he doesn’t want to show his softer side when he is outside. it’s like he is saying: PUT ME DOWN. THE SQUIRRELS CAN SEE ME!!!

We always had big “working cats” growing up. They were there to keep the “varmints” down, as my Dad would say. I always loved dogs and liked the cats, but I’m pretty attached to this big guy. He’s also pretty popular with my neighbors, especially since I put on the bell to keep him from killing their birds. He looks like a Russian Blue, but he’s just a big old ally cat.

Mara

the new Geico commercial. Am I the only one who finds issue in the premise that taking money off your bosses desk is acceptable?

Damn overgrown salamander. I don’t want to sound like a bigot here, but every talking Geco that I have ever worked with has stolen from me.

it’s still a great animated icon. I just really appreciate their continued efforts to come up with new ideas. The newer “It’s your money talking to you” spots are just stupid.

By Mara

January 29, 2009 11:52 AM | Link to this

ToJ - “I don’t want to sound like a bigot here, but every talking Geco that I have ever worked with has stolen from me.”

ROTFL!! Too funny!

By Gandalf, the White!

January 29, 2009 12:05 PM | Link to this

The Cavemen are thiefs too! So easy even a cave man could do her? That’s easy boys!

By USinUK

January 29, 2009 12:12 PM | Link to this

TOJ -

” I always loved dogs and liked the cats, but I’m pretty attached to this big guy.”

stop!!! I’m getting all misty … I wish the Mister and I didn’t work such crap hours - we’re just not home enough for it to be fair to any fur children.

if you want to see a great ad, search on YouTube for the T-Mobile ad filmed up the street at Liverpool Street Station - it’s a take-off on the idea of flash-mobs and it is FANTASTIC!

By "Anti-Choicer"

January 29, 2009 12:20 PM | Link to this

Sigh. abortion STILL? Face it. There is no chance of compromise as long as the anti-choicers believe that there’s nothing wrong with the government refusing to fund contraceptive education and forcing women to sacrifice their needs and health for the benefit of a zygote, embryo, or fetus.

There is no chance of compromise when the anti-lifers believe that life begins at conception and that killing is wrong, before birth AND after.

But thanks for playing!

By The Other Jack

January 29, 2009 12:58 PM | Link to this

USinUK

if you want to see a great ad, search on YouTube for the T-Mobile ad filmed up the street at Liverpool Street Station - it’s a take-off on the idea of flash-mobs and it is FANTASTIC!

That is absolutely fantastic. It is one of the most original ideas that I have ever seen. I don’t know how, i don’t know when, but I am stealing that idea. The best part is toward the end when everyone in the station was just rockin’. And then the music stopped and everybody left.

Of course here in Atlanta, some dumb thug would start shooting people. Girl, it is becoming horrible here. They caught a burglary suspect here that was a nine time felon and the judge let him off with probation. It is nuts and the city is too incompetent to do anything about it. They combined two zones so now we have half the cops after the crime rate in this area doubling in the last year.

And the incompetent half-wit that had screwed up New Orleans (Chief Pennington) has now screwed up Atlanta. But the dumb SOB was honored at the Trumpet awards here. The day after they did that, there was a pretty big protest against him in Little Five.

I know for a fact that the first African American to sail around the world solo was turned down for that honor while they honored Pennington. I’m getting p** just thinking about it. I am beginning to hate living in this mismanaged friggin’ town.

By USinUK

January 29, 2009 1:12 PM | Link to this

TOJ -

“That is absolutely fantastic. It is one of the most original ideas that I have ever seen. I don’t know how, i don’t know when, but I am stealing that idea. The best part is toward the end when everyone in the station was just rockin’. And then the music stopped and everybody left.”

I love the part in the middle with the waltzing, too - then everyone breaks into the early 1960s stuff … c-LASSIC!!! I’m glad you liked it :-)

We get a lot of flash-mobs here - hundreds (I’m talking LOADS) of people will show up and have a silent disco with everyone listening to their iPod at a train station, or everyone will show up at St. Paul’s for a hug-athon, or at Hyde Park for a waterfight - (and, yes, there was some thuggishness going on there).

If it makes you feel any better, there was a story in this morning’s paper about an 11-year old thug that the judge refused to name and shame because the judge said that the kid would only revel in the notoriety (which is probably true). I’m wondering why the heck the kid isn’t in a juvenile facility in the first place.

In Liverpool, there are 2 gangs of kids whose “turf” is about a mile apart - they’ve had a killing spree going on for about the last 18-months, culminating in an 11-year old dying in the cross-fire. Are the gangs fighting over drugs/prostitution/some other criminal activity??? oh, nooooo … they’re fighting and killing because they hate each other. I say lock them all in a big room and let them shoot it out. cripes, mindless thuggery p’s me off more than actual crime does - I mean, I can understand when “it’s all about the Benjamins” and people are committing crime for £££ - but when it’s for no other reason than “street cred”, I get so angry my eyes hurt.

By Mara

January 29, 2009 1:17 PM | Link to this

Anti-choicer…tah-MAY-toh - tah-MAAAH-toh.

at least we on the pro-choice side have been willing to consider VOLUNTARILY cedeing our personal autonomy in the late stages of pregnancy out of consideration to YOUR sensibilities. What have you all offered to do?

but enough of that. I ain’t a-gonna play today.

anyone want to comment on Blackwater being chucked out of Iraq? And did you all know that “blackwater” refers to the disgusting liquid effluence found in raw sewage? It also defined as any number of human and animal deseases that are characterized by dark colored urine (one of which, ironically enough, is Texas Fever)

By The Other Jack

January 29, 2009 2:32 PM | Link to this

USinUK

It isn’t the thugs that scare us, it’s the Zombies

http:// www.wsbtv .com/video/ 18595068/index.html?source =CNN

By Gandalf, the White!

January 29, 2009 2:40 PM | Link to this

Mara why does this life become sacred once it comes out of your girly parts? Why not abort after birth? Like up to school age? That makes as much sense as your arguments, DUM BASS! Anti-Choice is an idiot so I won’t address it.

By Anti-Choicer

January 29, 2009 3:21 PM | Link to this

Mara—-

“at least we on the pro-choice side have been willing to consider VOLUNTARILY cedeing our personal autonomy in the late stages of pregnancy out of consideration to YOUR sensibilities. What have you all offered to do?”

WE ARE TRYING TO SAVE INNOCENT LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is what we are doing. But your head is so far up you b#$%^ that all you see is that everyone is impeding on YOUR “right”, Forget that of the child that had no say.

If your mother came to you today and told you that she considered aborting you when she was pregnant because she feared she was too young, what would you say? I wish you would have sucked out my brains? Or would you thank her for the chance to live?

By USinUK

January 29, 2009 4:22 PM | Link to this

TOJ -

DAMN! our connection is slllllooooooowwwwww tonight - will have to check out the zombies tomorrow.

pasta del fuego!!

(thank doG tomorrow is Friday - what a week it’s been!!)

By USinUK

January 29, 2009 4:24 PM | Link to this

hey anti-choicer -

“If your mother came to you today and told you that she considered aborting you when she was pregnant because she feared she was too young, what would you say?”

speaking as a pre-Roe ADOPTED child, I’d say to the woman who gave birth to me “I’m sorry you didn’t have a choice and felt forced to carry me then give me up.”

By USinUK

January 30, 2009 8:11 AM | Link to this

HAPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Friday, everyone!!!

And, hey - Sunshine - if you’re out there and haven’t popped, yet, let us know you’re okay (I hate radio silence).

Hey TOJ - the zombie news story made it onto the BBC as well … (must be because of the fall of London in the “28 Days” movies)

And, hey, we’re nearly done with January!! now, we’re that much closer to spring!! wooohooooooooo!!!

(can you tell I had a kick-butt annual review today??!! “They like me - they really like me!!”)

By Anti-Choicer

January 30, 2009 8:56 AM | Link to this

USinUK-But in the back of your mind, I am sure you are glad she was forced to carry you. I hate that she gave you up for adoption, but atleast you have the chance to live your life. I am sure it has had it’s share of bumps and bruises, but who hasn’t?

By Lyrazel

January 30, 2009 8:58 AM | Link to this

TOJ: I know executives from my old builder client who had 5 million plus homes that they now cannot pay for because the builders went from being America’s Builders to an almost bankrupt corporation. Most are stuck with $11000/month interest-only loans. Some of their spreads were in Florida, some were in GA, NV and many in MI. I got to visit their palatial estates and sample their wines. Good wine but what the ** did they need 11 bathrooms for? Now from what I hear all of these execs are spending more time and money trying to sell their homes than company—business (if they are not already fired). I would not doubt you could probably pick up a Ferrari for cheap by checking realtors, home builder executives or hedge fund managers… Didn’t the man who crashed his plane in Alabama have 2 in his ten-car garage?

There are so many shiny teflon people who give seminars on HOW TO BE A MILLIONAIRE ON EBAY … (choke a laugh: like why would anyone pay money to learn how to be a millionaire? Millionaires are the ones giving the show) BUY REAL ESTATE & BE A MILLIONAIRE…. LEND ME MONEY & MAKE MILLIONS… So many seniors are duped and the flashier they are the faster the suckers sign up. Is there something about churches that makes them targets? Neon signs outside that say: OUR CONGREGATIONS HAVE CASH TO INVEST WITHOUT SCRUTINY?

Sorry for the caps…I need my italics….

Has anyone read the little article about the $80,000 feed for GA’s trough feeding legislators? I wonder how many peanut dishes were served? They should be force fed for allowing this lack of oversight UNDER THEIR WATCH to potentially harm. Irving should be jailed—his watch is OVERSIGHT of agriculture testing—tisk tisk.

By USinUK

January 30, 2009 11:46 AM | Link to this

Anti-Choicer -

“USinUK-But in the back of your mind, I am sure you are glad she was forced to carry you. I hate that she gave you up for adoption, but atleast you have the chance to live your life. I am sure it has had it’s share of bumps and bruises, but who hasn’t?”

please don’t. I mean, seriously - don’t.

you don’t know what the circumstances were (heck, I don’t even know) - you don’t know that the pregnancy was the product of a rape. you don’t know what her family / social reaction was. you don’t know the kind of emotional scar this left on her.

so, seriously, stoppit.

am I glad I’m here? sure. I dig my life. but, if the I that I am was never here in the first place, I would never miss me, now would I??

By Anti-Choicer

January 30, 2009 1:19 PM | Link to this

I don’t think the circumstances matter. She carried you, she birthed you and she gave you the oppotunity to live your life.

I can’t understand how you can sit there and say “I wish she had the option to kill me” No, you wouldn’t miss your life if you never made it out alive, but you should be thanking your lucky (insert belief here)that she CHOSE to give you life. Afterall, she COULD have dug you out with a clothes hanger if she wanted to.