NeuroTypical

I'm also for just picking up the whitehouse and capitol building with a big helicopter, and plopping them down in the middle of some guy's field in Iowa and making that the new capitol. Wanna build a zillion offices for all the lobbyists and lawyers and unions and illuminati cronies and whanot? Sorry - farmer Jones is relying on this harvest.

My mom tried suicide and blamed me for it in her note. Kind of a hard burden for a 13 year old kid to carry. Probably what saved my life, was her shrink yelling at her, pointing at me and saying "What the hell were you thinking? You're ripping his guts out!" That singe experience got me to understand that no matter what the real cause was, it wasn't me. Getting yelled at seemed to be what she needed too. His words seemed to reach her (maybe for the first time), that no really, she was harming someone she claimed to love. She never tried that again. Over the years, I've been willing to entertain the notion that there can be a big difference in someone who attempts suicide, and someone who actually goes through with it. My mom made a few tiny cuts on her wrists that barely bled, and screamed bloody murder. It's hard to find a more obvious call for attention than that. She wasn't trying to kill herself, she was screaming for help in the only way she knew how. It was just a particularly crappy way. Calling for help is different than taking drastic and permanent measures to permanently end pain. LM

Hey inter - good to see you again. What I would make of it, is people have the propensity to confuse correlation with causation, see patterns that aren't there, and basically have a whole host of problems processing reality in odd ways.I used to have a friend who was convinced she had the power to turn off streetlights as we drove under them. It happened almost every other time we went driving at night - we would get close to a streetlight, and it would turn off. It happened pretty frequently for years and years. We were all convinced. Eventually a couple of things dawned on me: 1- Sodium street lights get old and randomly turn off due to overheating. 2- For every streetlight that turned off as she got near it, several thousand did not. 3- Without her in the car, streetlights turned off at the same rate with her in it, but it was harder to notice, because who cares if a street light turns out when you're driving somewhere at night? It was the notion that she was somehow causing it that stuck in our brains. No, she didn't have any strange powers. God may or may not be involved with helping people find work, and it may or may not be related to that person's current state of heart. LM

I heard him say "I don't want to own a bunch of banks." Then I heard him say "I don't want to run a car company." I waited for a while, but then yes indeed, I finally heard a clip of him saying "I don't want to run a health insurance company." I dunno - how many things must a president end up doing that he doesn't want to, before we start questioning either his truthfulness, or his ability? LM

I fasted for 3 days and then showed up to my patriarchical blessing appointment with an engagement ring and a question on my mind. LM

I used to have a "Cthulu Saves" bumper sticker back in my inactive high-school days.

Let's not forget when race baiting was used in prayer during Obama's inauguration...

Yep - Ryanh's link is the best answer. Murder is a sin. Sometimes people are out of their minds and do things they are not accountable for. We mere humans don't have the correct tools to accurately acertain the state of someone's mind when they commit suicide. Therefore, we just don't know. There is hope. God is a loving father, He just doesn't write off his troubled or wayward kids. LM

I didn't date until my mid-20's. And I was married within a year of starting. I like to tell people that I was just waiting for girls around me to mature to the point where there was a point to dating. But in reality, I was just socially awkward and a late bloomer and terrified of trying to date and failing. LM (13th year of marriage, 2 kids)

I was 26 yrs old when I got married. I still miss the looks of concern and borderline fright in one or two of my relative's eyes. I swear, it was like they were half-expecting me to extend my claws and jump at their throats. (I'm probably exaggerating quite a bit - but I wish I could go back and time so I could stand next to them and go "RAAAAAAHR!" at them to see if they would jump...) LM

Fair enough. If it turns out that the abuser was himself abused as a child, does that count as a mitigating circumstance?

I didn't go on a mission, so forgive me if this is a dumb question. Are you people saying if a certain book has dropped off this list thingy, does that mean you're not allowed to read it? (I already know the answer, but the only other way I know how to ask this question is "If I were a missionary, what the heck would I care about some 'missionary training set'", and I'm trying to be less contentious...) LM

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not at all defending the abuser at all. Nor am I happy with someone molesting a 13 yr old getting a 'police caution'. (Our mortal probation and earthly systems of justice just make it impossible to nail someone for abusing a child 25 years after the fact.) I'm just saying that if we're going to be extending sympathy to people for doing bad things, merely because they have suffered pain and injustice in the past, then we'd better dang well avoid being hypocrites, and extend it to everyone who has suffered pain. LM

Well, if we're falling all over ourselves to sympathize with people who do bad things, perhaps we should look into the reasons why the guy molested the boy in the first place. Good odds, he was abused as a boy himself. Perhaps it's easier to sympathize with malicious revenge than it is to sympathize with the multigenerational symptoms of child sex abuse at first glance, but if we're going to glance, we might as well take a good long look. LM

I think it's a low down dirty shame, that you can't find your own posts and threads from your own profile home page (and other people's posts and threads from their profile home pages). Add that functionality, and I'll be blissfully content with whatever layout you give me.

I'm with Mightynancy. Put those folks on the defensive. "Actually, we were thinking about getting hitched in Vegas by Elvis. Wanna help buy the plane tickets?" "Well, actually, I'm gay and she's a lesbian. We just hang out to keep nosy people out of our business." "No, we're worried too many people will try to make up for their own tragic shortcomings by living vicariously through us." (Deliver with pointed eye contact) LM (p.s. - kudos for actually wanting to be able to support a wife before getting married.)

That makes sense - thanks for clarifying. Yes, an EMP is a way of attacking a group of people without touching the ground. There are a lot of ways to wage war without doing anything to people directly. Wars are fought by economics, in the media, by proxies, in the UN, etc.LM

Gossip stinks. You should avoid people who gossip. You should also stop gossiping about yourself.

You should solve your problems with your husband first. It doesn't matter what's best for your son, if you and son's father don't see it the same way. Odds are, your son is lying to you and taking drugs. It's not necessarily the end of the world, but he's certainly not on the right path. LM

Woo-hoo! You get bonus points for not ending your post with "Now to work for me and getting that big screen TV and new car." LM

The word "Gospel" comes from "Good News". The good news, is that there is a God, and not only is He all powerful/knowing/etc, but He is also a good guy who loves us and wants what is best for us. (Much better news than some of the harsher belief systems about angry and punishing deities, for example). The Gospel is basically - God is good, He dwells in heaven, which is a good place, and we can rid ourselves of all the sin and nonsense we accumulate that keeps us from Him and return to Him, by following the path that God's only begotten son, Jesus Christ, opened up for us. Those are the highest of the high points of the Gospel. How it all works is also the gospel. It is indeed Good News. LM

Actually, we homeschool. We can do something quite easily about forced exposure to offensive and scary and dangerous stuff - we don't. LM (Glad to have you posting again - that thread had me worried too!)

Some of you may find this very amusing: Here is a video of yours truly, volunteering for a 4-second tasing demonstration by our local police department. Don't Tase Me Bro! You may notice the room full of people giggling and laughing as I scream and beg for mercy. It's because right before the video started, I was full of as much attitude and tough-guy-ness that I could muster. I had just finished insulting the tasing officer's sister, and was boasting that I wasn't even going to flinch. My plan was to take the hit, then insult the guy again and claim he was too afraid to tase me a second time. For four seconds, the only facts in my entire existence were two blazing hot nova suns burning holes in my back. Remarkably, the instant the zap stopped, it was all gone. I was in no pain. You can see me bounce back up - I was in full posession of all my abilities, but in no way was I about to ask for a second hit. They call it "pain compliance", and that experience made me a big fan of our police officers having a taser in their arsenal. LM (Nobody will enjoy this video TOO much, I hope... )

"Wood had been resisting arrest by attempting to bite the officers and lashing out with his feet."Anyone who thinks this guy is a victim, please tell me if you have a better option. When trying to arrest someone intent on causing a policeman harm, perhaps you would prefer the police club him into a concussion-induced submission, or maybe just shoot him? Tasers are wonderful tools. They subdue someone resisting arrest without having to injure them almost all the time. Stories like this are the rarest of exceptions. Without tasers, the police have two options: 1- Apprehend using methods more likely to cause injury (either to the LEO or the arrestee or both). 2- Let the guy go. The secret to making this all work, is to have a way to expose and stop bad cops from misusing the tools at their disposal. If that's not the case, you have a problem with the legal framework, not the taser. LM

My wife has suffered from all sorts of mental issues her whole life, including depression. Few things get her mad faster than hearing stories like your husband. From her point of view, you should not take any crap from him whatsoever. He's had the counseling, he's experienced the level playing field that comes from the correct meds, it's his choice to sit on his rear end and refuse to be healthy. Important: He is not "suffering from depression", he is CHOOSING to suffer from depression. My wife recommends a zero-tolerance policy for that crappy behavior - especially from a parent of dependent children. (Now, I'm not so severe in my opinions as my wife is. But I thought her opinion should carry more weight, since she actually deals with the problems you say your husband deals with.) LM [edit - just read Misshalfway's post - sounds like there's two votes. (I don't think Misshalfway is my wife... :))]