Lindy

I am speechless (which is a rarity), and have a sadness in my heart thinking of you leaving. I have gained so much strength and wisdom from you over the last year and a half, whether I have replied or not, I have learned from you and your posts. I hope you find the info you need for your book and complete the quest you are on to find your way home. Love and respect to you from me, Lindy

You know I didn't even think of that....being in Greece and all, I just thought it was going to be safe. Yay! Another gold medal in swimming! :) First gold for an American women this thus far in Greece. I love the olympics!!!!!

OK GUYS....cool it! This is a happy thread.....Congratulations Faerie! A baby boy! How fun......now you can get sprayed in the face like the rest of us did with little boys :)

I heard today that a lot of those on the Team USA are rookies, I was wondering why we didn't have a lot of seasoned players in the Olympics. I'm not much of a basketball fan, but I do watch it here and there, and as lax as I am on knowing the game, I still couldn't believe all the incomplete 3 pointers USA had...that would have really given them a shot of moving ahead if they could have made even 1/2 of what they attempted. After the 3rd quarter...I was actually cheering Puerto Rico on....cause they were at least playing the game.

If she thinks you are a jerk for not wanting to get married....then be a jerk! :) I think you would rather be a "jerk" for a couple of weeks, while she gets it out of her system, then you would be "miserable" for the rest of your life. If you see your lives together as nothing but fighting and bickering......let it go FAST! If you don't love the girl dispite her controlling personality, then don't get in so deep that you find it hard to get out. This is from a mother's and a female point of view. Nothing worse than to see your son (or daughter) pair up with someone who makes them miserable. You need to have an honest talk with your parents, don't try to spare their feelings....this is YOUR life you are talking about here. They will understand more than you think (I hope) and if they don't understand... Tough....somewhere down the line, they will understand when they see the side of her (that you told them about) as it applys to some other poor sap she ropes in. That's when you hear...."I am so glad that you knew when to get out of that relationship......I still feel sorry for the poor guy she married" Hold yourself in reserve until you find someone you are comfortable with, who you adore, and want to spend the rest of your life with.....don't settle for someone just because your parents like her. Not a good life for you. They have a problem with it? Send em to this board! :)

To those basketball fans who didn't see this game....read at your own risk! Men's Preliminaries in basketball........ Puerto Rico vs the United States WHAT HAPPENED? The better team won....really! But maybe the basketball die hards could tell me wha happn?

I doubt that he will ever leave the Battite church. and I think that is a big "Amen brother" right there! :) Franken~ it's an inside joke.....we like bat for who he is....not what we want him to be.

Oh, and as a sidenote.... I think it is great that bat realizes that prayer works. Even if it is in jest, subconsciously he knows it's true And we all know that prayer works, we are living, breathing testimonials of it....so don't let the fun and jest get your knickers in a knot. (what ever THAT means). Just smile and shake your head and repeat after me.... Bat, Bat, Bat Then laugh outloud, because #1 you will feel better #2 you know that prayer works for otherthings too. #3 you are glad that he found the piece to the project he was working on. #4 you realize that he capitalized the first letter of God......... there is hope!

I totally understand your viewpoint TR, you are right, I would classify him as an idiot too. I would have another word or two to add to the vocab list for any of them....the guy with a head injury, who just ran the red light cause he was in a hurry- who hit and killed a family of four, or the drunk driver who had cuts and abrasions who just hit a mini bus full of children, or someone with a gunshot wound, who the police had to take down after he has shot and injured a lot of people. It has to be a hard choice of what you have to do, when you don't want to do it. And yes, it is professionalism and I don't think it has anything to do with humanity. (IMHO) Lots of names I could add to idiot.

I think it was great for Jenifer to suggest a prayer.....and bat for even contemplating on saying one And I don't think you can blame the Indian guys you work with for EVERYTHING! I'm going out on a limb here bat....play along with me........

I think you have your answer Franken...you chose not to turn away from her. If you are comfortable in who you are, and what you believe...then you will be strong enough to at least be friends without the worry of her "trying to turn you away". I agree with the lighthouse..."don't give up" you may be the person that this girl needs in her life right now. Friends, better friends....best friends...that's up to you. Fact is, friends are there to help each other thru the difficult and trying times. Friends respect each other...their feelings, their family, their faith.....If things get rocky for you....and you are uncomfortable with things....I'm sure that you will know it's time to change friends.

Being a Marine, a police officer, a firefighter, EMT, or even the job as a flagger on a construction crew is taken on with the knowledge and the acceptance of assuming that risk of the possibility of injury or death. Every precaution should be taken to reduce any potential risk....but dangerous situations is what that job entails. It is what they signed up to take on. I understand that other countries do have a mandatory military obligation....I wonder how many are properly trained, have a loyalty to their duty or their country? I wonder how safe their countrymen feel if they are faced with relying on their "obligated" soldiers? I know I would want to be standing behind the soldiers who wanted to be holding their position. Reading Rays post I had a lyrics pop into my head.... "All gave some and some gave all And some stood through for the red, white and blue And some had to fall And if you ever think of me Think of all your liberties and recall Some gave all" off of a Billy Roy Cyrus album.

Me thinks you tend to watch waaaaaay to many documentary shows Thanks for the smile!

And I thought I was alone in the "life sucks" department....thank you girl for letting me know I am not alone!

I have mixed feelings about the war in Iraq, I was glad that the President sent our military over to flush out terrorists....then it was looking like it was a good reason to send an army in to find and destroy the regime of Saddam H....(not a bad thing mind you)...but a good cover store nevertheless. I am glad that there are professionally trained men and women (if weekend National Guards is considered training ) who are sent over there to end the terror of one man. But I am not happy with the things I have found out since our troops took down his tyranny of evil. It was certain things that has uncovered bitter feelings which I had submerged for decades. I too believe that more good is done with the proper training ...What faerie quoted from the congressmen "it's too expensive to train voluntary military personnel....that the money for involuntary enrollment is better spent on training current enrollment..." is so very, very true. Our military needs the training, the protection, the best. But I don't like the idea of drafting every eligible young person (involuntary enrollment) into the services just to send them overseas, give them a gun to kill or be killed. If every eligible person was needed to protect the homeland, then it is something that would have to be done. I have no problem with that. I think that in that case...the young people would have more of a concept and appreciation of what they were actually fighting for. Ray...you said "more young people would appreciate what our country does and has done for them. And if some did die, and some usually do, what better service can they give than to die protecting the rights and liberties of others? I'm willing to die for that." That is a great statement.... You may be willing to die for the rights and liberties of others...it's a very noble thing to do...but there are countless amounts of others who aren't. They would choose to live with their wifes, their children and their loved ones, they were brought up with the idea that they would have their freedom to choose what they would do and how they would live. Forcing them to kill another human being in the protection of rights and liberties of someone else? That's not freedom to me. I am sure that if you asked, those who don't want any part of someone else's fight, they will tell you point blank...that they would give their lives to protect their son or daughter, their mother, father or wife.....and that also is noble. And if push came to shove they would be there to protect their rights and liberties of that I have no doubt. Let it be known that I would gladly carry a gun and stand next to someone who needed me to protect my family, my home, my country. And if I could, I would probably take part of the hunt for the terrorists who want to destroy our nation and our way of life. But I would do it willingly....not be forced to do something I don't believe in. Too many benefits were taken from our military people, too many hardships went unrewarded for the sacrifices that they gave over the years. I am glad that the public has had a re-awakening to the real sacrifices and honor that our servicemen and women are now giving....and have been giving for years and years. It's a shame that others have had to die for what they believed in for people to wake up and take notice of all that has been given (on their part). That is the bottom line to me (I guess) To fight and die for something you believe in. Not pushed into something you don't. Sorry it was so long...day off you know....had to do something....venting seemed a good idea

Maya Angelou! I love her stuff :) Thank you Ray for letting me remember how much I really appreciate her talent. Here's one of my favorites: "I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it." Maya Angelou

and I think that we could tell other people what they should and should not do, and perhaps we could think that we should tell them what they should or should not think, and yes we could wonder if we are being told what we should or should not be, but I think that we should offer that choice of what could not, or would not or should not be as an option of what we could, would or should have to choose from in the first place.Should we?

Hey Jason....I LIKE to think...don't leave.

What? Upset about the draft? NO! Upset that it could be reinstated to help maintain control/patrol (of) someone else's country? YES! I am a true blue redblooded American who understands the need of the Selective Service. Yet I remember Vietnam and the needless deaths in someone else's country. You weren't born yet. You didn't live thru those years. You didn't have to eat your dinner as a child watching youngmen being blown up before your eyes on news at night. You are pregnant...so I'll spare you the rest. Just suffice it to say that I didn't approve of the "war".As for amending it to include women.....best idea they could have had! Some of the best minds I know are female And as for "bush bashing" or confusion.....I don't care if democrats, republicans, Naders or the Pope himself voted on introducing the bill to congress (or whatever) I will never like the idea of making it manditory for our nations young people to have to fight and die for no reason. Ok....I'm done :)

Full text here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.R.163: I thinketh it stinketh.Since our allies are dropping/have dropped like flies sprayed by Raid - I think it is a sad thing that those who are secure in their lives of authority want to send more and more people to die for someone else's game plan. If I didn't think that this whole mess was based on greed and personnal revenge, I might think differently. But I doubt it. A draft to protect our country in the wake of war....homeland security...I could understand that...but as stipulated "national defense".....whose national offense....I mean 'defense'.

You obviously never met my ex!!! Two or three glasses or wine....and the man was an idiot...you wouldn't want to be around him.... he had a very low alcohol tolerance. And depending on the alcohol content....he could only handle 1 to 1 1/2 beers. Sad really when I think back on it...wait a min..chuckle chuckle, ha ha ha ha ha....ROFL.....ohhhhh memories.....Me?....I had a very high tolerance.

aikenfan~ Horrible, unworthy? I don't think so.... I wouldn't sweat it....a cup now and then? If it keeps you from achieving a goal in your life...then you will have something to reconsider...but horrible? NO! God is not that evil to judge you on a trivial thing like a cup of coffee. But that is MY opinion if anyone wants to tear it apart The only other thing I can tell you is that when I hear others talk about the "mormons" it's that 1-They don't drink alcohol 2-They don't smoke 3-They don't drink coffee and the don't.... drugs, sex, swear, shop on Sunday....etc. things fall in behind those big three. Not to say that "mormons" DON"T do those things......... That's just what I hear when the topic comes up

DisR Well DisR. I tend to like the honesty, integrity and so forth in a police officer. But I would like to think that fairness and respect are other corny answers you weren't looking for either... I would expect an officer to take whatever force was needed to apprehend a resisting suspect. And logic sometimes has to take the place of compassion when it comes to treating suspects. I've seen the sweetest looking people turn psycho at the drop of a hat. You never know what some lunatic will do when they feel pressured or trapped. I also like the thought of reliable as another corny answer I could throw in...

That would be awesome! Do they have good beer there in Canada? Holy Cow Bat! You poor deprived rodent! I don't drink and I could tell you about Canadian Beer! LOL But then again....it's only on hearsay...so it may not be true! :)