Thanks (((Cindy))) for the interest and yes, I'll do that :)


I hope all is well for you & yours and that your holidays are wonderful.

I personally feel that both religion and politics are impolite topics of conversation and though I'm sometimes drawn into to them, I always regret it afterward and rarely feel anything positive was accomplished.

I don't learn much from people who feel different from me, as I'm sure it's practically useless to attempt converting them to my way of thinking.

If others feel compelled to speak out against my beliefs, I'm mature enough to ignore them. All of my answers to life's important questions are answered from within and I don't need a billboard or an internet board to confirm or deny my beliefs.

As long as they aren't plotting or in the process of actual physical threats against me, mine, or other innocents, let them rant all they like is my feeling.

It shows them to be crass, rude and low class but there's no law against that...

I've had this idea clanking around in my head for awhile now. It's to use colored glass, mp3 technology, and woodwork to create artsy type furniture such as coffee & end tables or the like.

The notion is to build in accent lighting and a docking/amplification/speaker system. The art glass would be inlaid and backlit and maybe even use some gold and silver leafing... Use some semi exotic wood grains maybe...

I've done a few polished & stained concrete countertops with some back/under lighting built in to create accent points and they've been pretty well received.

I'm gathering up materials and components now...

I figure I'll use a weekend after the holidays are over to see what I can come up with...

Agreed... It just isn't going to happen.

"When we do good, nobody remembers. When we do bad, no one forgets"


What does religion have to do with anything?

And let me tell you a secret, we're ALL guilty of something.

What we are "doing" is attempting to root out the source of a serious threat and neutralize that threat with any means necessary.

How about we talk about the soldiers (and their families) who've sacrificed so very much to not only protect all Americans in general, but also the Afghans themselves.

To make assertions that America as a whole is rotten to the core because a few criminals decided to go Rambo is asinine.

imo

So because of this purely isolated incident we are all "war criminals"?



Gimme a break already....

I have to agree... It would ruin moral across the board and as far as "professionalism and duty" goes, well... Anyone who's ever been in combat knows that when the **** hits the fan and it all comes down to a gory, all out fight to the death, the overriding reason one doesn't run and hide is simply and purely because the fear of letting down your comrades is worse than the fear of dying. It takes a healthy moral for that to exist.

Yes but that still doesn't address the potential for disaster which accompanies the allowing of couples to serve together, homosexual or not.

Is it not true that in essence, practically any service member can be called on to enter into harm's way?

I can imagine plenty of situations where it could hinder, if not outright be catastrophic to not only moral in general but actual combat tactical scenarios as I pointed out earlier.

Don't get me wrong, what someone does in their own bedroom is their business imo, but couples serving together can't be prevented if open homosexuality is allowed. In my mind, I'd think it wouldn't only concern them either but anyone and everyone who could stand to suffer loss on account of it.

Imagine you and your husband, boyfriend, sweetheart or whatever is serving in any war area of operations. You're both captured. It's known to the enemy that an intimate relationship exist between you. Could it not be possible and even likely that because of that reality or suspicion thereof that enemy would have extremely more leverage than otherwise?

Imagine again, if you will, that you as a combat leader have to decide which of your charges (those under your command) to send into a dangerous situation. Agreed that it's an ugly scenario in any case but how much can you trust that he didn't send soldier X because he has deeper feelings for that particular individual than he does for soldiers Y,Z,W etc, etc...?

It's not just the service member's privacy at stake here. It's potentially the lives of anyone else they serve with, not to mention the familys back home.

To me it's a moot point whether or not gays have a right to serve openly. The tactical ramifications way outweigh any and all other concerns in the matter.

I've said this before but no one responded to it. Concerning "gays" in the military, how's it going to work in any number of cases where the situation calls for a combat leader to make a decision to put his men in harm's way if he happens to be emotionally involved with either of them? It's a given that he (or she?) would be predisposed to not allow the object of his affections to become overtly endangered. Is this fair or right?

Another situation might be one where soldiers are captured and threatened with torture. I know for me at least, if my significant other was about to be tortured if I didn't spill the beans, I'd be very upset to say the least and might well do or say anything to prevent it (sorry to all the rest of you out there who'll suffer and die for my lover's sake).

I see it as a practical decision to not want couples serving together, heterosexual or not.

All I know is that an American who's traveled abroad extensively, I'm always happy to get back on my own soil...

I'm proud to be an American and I'm thankful for all the blessings, rights and privileges bestowed on that distinction.

Seriously ?

You've only been a member for 5 days but you have 5212 posts?

There's no way that I'd ever do that black Friday thing. I'm much more comfortable spending my time working to afford gifts than I ever would be while waiting and waiting to jostle with crowds to possibly save on limited gifts in a cattle herd type situation...

I just prefer to shop online. In fact, I'm much more into the holidays without all that hassle of waiting in any lines at all...

I have mixed feelings about Florida. I've lived ten years or so there, on & off. Currently off...

What I love about it is:

Water sports heaven.

fantastic scenery.

babes in bikinis.

a good mixed bag of folks from all over...

plenty of things to do.

mild winters.

picking my own oranges in my aunt's back yard.

There's more but those are the main things...

I'll skip what I don't like since no place is perfect and that's not the question...

by showing up hungry at my daughter's house to feast and spend quality time playing on the floor with my 17 mo. old happy camper grandson, of which I am so so thankful!

It's tough for single moms. A mother's love is unconditional for a reason. It says "I love you no matter what". "You can be on death row and I'll still love you". This type of unconditional love gives a sense of security, which in the early stages of life is critical because children don't yet understand the world enough to gain a secure sense of "I'm alright because I know how to avoid danger". A mother's love is unconditional and is given in spite of everything else. It can not be earned, thus it requires no consideration beyond simple existence.

Fatherly love is different. In a sense, it IS conditional because it says " I love you because you accept my guidance". This type of love IS earned in so much that it requires compliance to the father's authority. Because it's earned it gives a sense of self esteem through the gradual realization that dad's approval is within the child's own control and by winning approval from dad they have control and in the process I win self esteem along with dad's esteem.

It's not impossible, but it is very difficult to provide both types of love as a mom. It comes natural to give unconditional love as a mother. Giving the very critical guiding love is much less natural but can be achieved by making sure that there are practical unchanging rules (appropriate for the age development range) in place without ambiguity.

It's a child's nature to explore the brand new world around them so they shouldn't be punished for doing what's in their nature but it's a parent's job to set clear boundaries that are based on principles set to help them understand the pitfalls as well as the rewards of their behavior.

It's certainly true that a mom's job is the hardest job in the world, so take lots of deep breaths, don't beat yourself up, seek support (as you are doing now), and always try hard to remember that children are happiest when they have consistent but always loving discipline.

Wishing you all the wonderful joys and rewards of parenthood. It's a daunting and sometimes completely frustrating experience but believe me, when you get to watch your children passing down those golden principles to their own kids, you forget all about how completely crazy it made you at times.

For me it's a matter of perspective. If you've ever been to a third world country, and had the opportunity to experience the locals who get by and manage to be content, despite the fact that by our western standards are very very poor, it forces us to gain a healthy appreciation for our own life.

There's always someone who's worse off than us...

If you have your health, you have everything. imo

Just a friendly suggestion but volunteer work (of almost any type) does wonders for the soul and spirit that way.

As for jealousy, it's a normal human (and animal) reaction but it can be overcome with a change in perspective.

Remember the story about the dog with the bone? He didn't want his reflection to have a bone too so he barked to complain and lost his own bone in the process...

Hoping it's a very happy birthday for ya !

Hello Jennifer and welcome to the site. Since you like to chat, I'd encourage you to join in on the forums and get to know folks in here. You'll increase your views (people that view your profile page) and possibly make some dear new friends, as I have...

If you don't find topics that interest you, try starting your own threads. The more you participate, the more you'll get out of it.

Good luck and all my best...

Amen to all that!

Is this the "I don't want to belong to any club" club?