blzrul

I don't know if any of you go to Seawhawks games, just to get a fix of live football (if you could call it that) but if you DO... My husband, a/k/a BoomBoom, auditioned for and was accepted into The Blue Thunder (the Seahawks drumline). So that means I'll be there a lot - early - tailgate anyone?

DeLay even lied about his plastic surgery. The man is a sociopath.

Let's talk about the Boy Scouts shall we...that's nondenominational.....

I thought y'all were talking about Tom DeLay for a minute there. A better poll would be "should all officials who are either totally inept, clueless or corrupt resign?". Think big.

I do not believe abortion is birth control and whoever says it is has no conscience. It is a last resort. That said, I do not believe an abortion is murder. It is traumatic, it is sad, it is heartrending, all of those things. But most of all it's a last resort and a personal choice. It's one of those things we can't know - when does life begin? Your guess is as good as mine. I believe that when a life is viable, that is when the child could survive outside the womb, then killing it is taking a life. But something the size of my thumbnail, without a formed brain and awareness? I don't think so. So here's the deal: the above is my opinion, and I think that others are entitled to theirs. I don't try to convince people to think my way. But I will say that my dad delivered babies for 50 years and at first was against abortion...however when he considered the number of women he'd had to patch up after botched back-alley jobs, and what he saw first-hand in examining first-trimester "babies", he changed his mind. Nobody knows when life begins, or for that matter ends. God gave us free will and a brain to reason for ourselves, make our CHOICES and accept the consequences. I worry much more about the 6 million children who were born alive, and died last decade from hunger, than I do for the relatively small (and still decreasing) number of abortions in America. My opinion.

Speaking of heaven (and football?): Sitting behind a couple of nuns at a football game, three men decided to badger the nuns in effort to get them to move. In a very loud voice, the first guy said, "I think I'm going to move to Utah there are only 100 Catholics living there." The second guy spoke up and said,"I want to go to Montana, there are only 50 Catholics living there." The third guy spoke up and said,"I want to go to Idaho, there are only 25 Catholics living there." One of the nuns turned around and looked at the men and calmly said,"Why don't you go to hell, there aren't any Catholics there."

My mother's generation advocated abstinence too (she was raised a strict Roman Catholic). It was so effective she had 5 kids in 8 years. However, she was at least married. Of course it's true you can't get pregnant if you abstain completely, but the issue these days with teenagers is just what you expect: they'll do everything else BUT ... and end up with STD or AIDS. This society apparently reveres those who push the envelope so what do you expect kids to do? They know hypocrisy when they see it. They can't spell it, perhaps, but they can recognize it.

I'm not trying to manufacture an argument at all. I would have expected to come here and find people as disgusted as me that Muffy and Bif the talking heads were doing a play-by-play report last night on his dying. Or something - like may a mention and acknowledgement that it was happening. That's all. Something.

Well, there are plenty of discussions on this board that have little or nothing to do with politics. I thought this being a historic event that affects people worldwide that it might be of interest. There was an article this morning about possible successors. The only thing they seem to agree on is that it will be a cold day in hell when an American becomes Pontiff. At least most of the potential successors seem to be youngish so that they will potentially have a long tenure like John Paul's. I imagine that the electors will probably look for someone "like" him - he was extremely popular worldwide and seems to have been a man of common sense. I'm not so sure we'll see this unfold for awhile yet. I have a feeling he may just pull through this one. He nixed going to the hospital, accepting that it's his time, but that doesn't mean it'll happen...we shall see.

(on this board) and nothing about the Pope? Some of of more cynical commentators will no doubt weigh in...I wonder how Michael Jackson IS doing, hmmm I have not turned on the television and do not plan to, until basketball comes on, but I was sickened last evening at the media "death watch". Somehow a false alarm was raised here and one cathedral even starting tolling the bells and unfurled the funereal flags. Ugh. I'm not slamming the people who are there to pray - I'm talking about the play-by-play talking head crap as if this was a spectator sport. I'm a Roman Catholic, and for all I think that many times the Church is out of touch, I have been impressed by this Pope and believe that only when he's gone will the world realize that there was actually ONE truly good person in a leadership role ... albeit with little political power. In any event I pray that he's not suffering ... and that if he goes soon he goes with peace.

Well then, in THAT regard GW has made good on his promise to run gubmint like a bidness. Because anyone here who's been in business, and is honest, knows that it's not unusual that the kudos and promotions go to empty suits who talk the talk, say what the boss wants to hear and toe the party line. I used to work with a guy who was a blow-dried, pinstriped suit with not much under his hat, who ran our business into the ground. Yet when he left he subsequently became president of, in order, a major consulting firm and a big software company and is now the CEO of the American branch of a well-known software company. I snicker every time I think of pretty boy and his empty platitudes. Such is life. Medals, trash and trinkets to all. And wreaths for the graves.

I heard a report this morning that less than 1 in 10 people belong to a union these days. First off, I'm not sure how to construe that, but if the figure is right then why fuss over them? They certainly don't wield the power they used to.

I did see yesterday that Dick's son-in-law has been nominated to head up the lawyer brigade at DHS. 1,500 lawyers. That's one thousand, five hundred. What the HELL does DHS need with 1500 lawyers? Loopholes for ways to hold people without due process? Defense against torture? Preparing petitions for wiretaps? Good lord. I feel safer knowing that somewhere there are 1500 lawyers working for Homeland Security.

Or perhaps they just all forgot. Christmas, 1994. Islamic wingnuts take over an Air France airbus as it prepares to depart Algiers bound for Paris. They demand to be flown to Paris to "hold a press conference". They manage to get to Marseille, but no further, in spite of repeated requests to refuel the plane to the gills for a relatively short flight to Paris for their press conference. Except of course, that wasn't really the plan. "There were reasons Flight 8969 could under no circumstances be allowed to fly to Paris or indeed leave Marseilles. Intelligence officers at the French Embassy in Algiers had received an urgent call from a paid informant in the Islamic underground, saying that the AIG planned to blow up the airbus over Paris, crashing it into the middle of the city. The information appeared to have some corroboration from some of the sixty-three passengers who had been released in Algiers. Several said that they had heard the four gunmen, who seemed highly fanatical, talk repeatedly about flying to the eternal paradise and make many references to "Allah's perpetual white light"--the Islamic vision of holy death. The possibility of a Lockerbie-type terrorist air disaster over the French capital was being taken very seriously." (source: Special Operations.com. Or if that's too far out for you, Time Magazine. Or, do your own search - you'll find it all over...reference to using a commercial airliner as a bomb. Old news now...but a big surprise in 2001.) Fast forward to April 8, 2004: "I do not remember any reports to us, a kind of strategic warning, that planes might be used as weapons." (National Security Advisor testimony) There were standing orders to the military as to how to respond to hijackings over United States territory. They were to be scrambled immediately upon notification from the FAA. The June 1, 2001 document changed those policies: "b. Support. When notified that military assistance is needed in conjunction with an aircraft piracy (hijacking) emergency, the DDO, NMCC, will: (1) Determine whether or not the assistance needed is reasonably available from police or commercial sources. If not, the DDO, NMCC, will notify the appropriate unified command or NORAD to determine if suitable assets are available and will forward the request to the Secretary of Defense for approval in accordance with DODD 3025.15, paragraph D.7 (reference d)." But when AA77 hit the Pentagon, the Secretary of Defense claimed to be as surprised as everyone else, thinking it was a bomb. Didn't anyone tell the man that a plane or two may have been hijacked so that he could so his duty? Is CNN so "left" that it's banned at the Pentagon, and no-one knew about the WTC? I accept the fact that 9/11 happened and that humans all err and that perhaps it was inevitable - but to continue to plead ignorance that this could happen means only one of two things: either our governmental representatives are REALLY stupid...or the French are REALLY smart. Maybe the latter, because the death toll in that case was less than 5... But enough of that - I wonder what's going on in the Michael Jackson case.

If pain is felt - is she cognizant of it? It's like the tree in the forest - there are stimuli that she may react to, like reflexes. But if part of "pain" is recognizing it so steps can be taken to stop or avoid it. It's really not different I suppose from the argument that insects don't feel pain or that animals aren't hurt by certain methods of handline. It's an imperfect science. Best guess "wins".

You all may want to read "What's the Matter with Kansas?" if you haven't. It is on point to the topic. Regarding DeLay, of course he's a hypcrite. He purports to be a proponent of "erring on the side of life" unless we're talking about death penalty cases, children who are homeless or starving or without medical care on the streets of American cities. Etc. He knows the religious right can boot his butt out of Congress. THAT is really all you need to know about DeLay and his motivation.

I wonder how many people know that Tom "this isn't over" DeLay's own dad was in a permanent vegetative state after a horrific accident...and guess what? The plug was pulled. His statement - "it was different". I offer that in agreement with your statement about hypocrisy. Plugs get pulled every day, in private. These selfish parents have done their daughter a terrible disservice and the politicians on both sides of the aisle who got sucked in are either plain stupid or evil opportunitists. Maybe both.

Interestingly, about a month or so ago a feeding tube was pulled from an infant in Houston, by the hospital, against the wishes of the parents. Where was the circus then?

I did see that some nut job broke into a gun store with the idea of grabbing all those guns to "save Terri". The irony of it all. He was probably willing to kill people to "save a life". More proof that the apocalypse is upon us.

Even if the husband was going to collect $1m in life insurance - for which rumor I have not been able to find validation - does anyone think her healthcare for 15 years has been free? For crying out loud, they were a young married couple trying to have a baby - not Bill and Melinda Gates. The malpractice suit netted $750,000. According to what I've seen and heard the husband spent some 5 years shuttling his wife from doctor to doctor, looking for some cure or even hope. When it became apparent that the only way his wife's condition was going to "improve" was through death, he threw in the towel. This is political pandering aided by a media circus and brought about by people - the parents - who are no doubt well-intentioned but very, very selfish. With a feeding tube chances are their daughter could very well outlive them - then what? And wouldn't we be hearing the screams from the taxpayers at having to fork over the bucks to keep this poor soul - or what's left of her - "alive". I'm not so sure her health care isn't subsidized, but I pretty much can guarantee that the 750k won't go anywhere NEAR paying her bills forever. It would be the easiest thing in the world for the husband to throw up his hands and say "fine, screw you, you take care of her." He could file for divorce and walk away. You have to wonder why he doesn't do that.

Terry Schiavo's parents ought to thank God that she isn't in Texas, because in 1999 Gov. GWB signed a law giving specific primary rights to pull the plug to the spouse. He seems to have changed his mind ... I wonder why. It would have been an interesting court fight, as TX courts are pretty ferocious about states rights, in general. I have a feeling that in 1999 when that law was signed Terry would have been able to have been released in peace, had she been in Texas.

We're too damned lazy.

Is there anywhere in this thread or elsewhere a statement of what it's cost to keep this poor soul "alive"? I know that there was a malpractice settlement but after 15 years I'd suspect it's almost depleted. Or did the settlement include keeping her alive ad infinitem?

The question really becomes why this woman's life is apparently worth so much more than others? I don't know anything about her and have no reason to believe that she wasn't a lovely person. And I surely don't know why she was struck down in her youth - but we all know it happens. However it is a little ironic that politicians are rushing to save this one person, whilst there are no doubt others in the same predicament whose families haven't been able to garner the publicity. To say nothing of the fact that many of these same people, who talk about the sacredness of life, see no issue with executions. I can't say for sure, but I don't think it's up to human beings to decide that one life is more sacred than others. This is a lose-lose situation, It's so sad for everyone. I have a sister-in-law (my bud, I love her to pieces) in an institution who's not much more than a vegetable, and it's very sad. However she lives without feeding tubes and machines, and when she cannot survive without being on feeding tubes and machines, that's God's will and her family will do the brave and unselfish thing and let her go in peace.

1 - The hearings are distracting. They should give so much press to children who go to bed hungry. 2 - It won't stop as long as sports is a "business" for profit or otherwise. I used to live near Colleyville, TX, a mostly well-to-do area. I think Canseco lived there when he was with the Rangers. Anyway, one year a bunch of cheerleaders got suspended for drinking. But more recently when a bunch of football players got blown in for taking steroids, nothing happened to them. But the whistleblower had to move to a new town to avoid being killed. It's all about priorities...which goes to back to where I started.