But that Texas GOP platform is just insane:

"The Republican Party of Texas affirms that the United States of America is a Christian nation."

"Our Party pledges to exert its influence to restore the original intent of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and dispel the myth of the separation of Church and State."

“We oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.”

"We oppose conservation easements on our natural resources administered by organizations unaccountable to tax payers and voters."

"The Party urges Congress to repeal government-sponsored programs that deal with early childhood development, and phase them out as soon as possible."

and it just goes on and on

Government employees vote too. Cops and firefighters and librarians and teachers and soldiers and park rangers are (mostly) government employees.

But you see, a lot of politicians don't think of that.

But that Texas GOP platform is just insane:

*brightly* Oh, no, they'd never try to do any of that. Don't be silly! Honestly, you liberals and your fearmongering.

“We oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.”

What if you just think gay is passé? Are you subject to penalties then?

Jeb said that at his second inaguration and he can only serve 2 terms, so he's in a similiar position that Pres Bush is in now --- he can cause as much havoc as he wants and it doesn't matter!!!!! Whee!!!

Well, if he wanted to run for President it might matter but, FL Republicans are a slimy bunch. Some how Mel Martinez managed to get elected after the horrible smear campagin he did against his opponent. He went crazy with the "my opponent likes GAYZ!! omigod!! my opponent is going to let them adopt!! and marry and such!!" eleventy one and all that. All the while one of Martinez's top guys in his campaign -- gay.

JZ -- I'm still planning on getting to SF. My plan is to stick out my current job for awhile, maybe give myself a full year here and then look for something else. I'm a temp and don't get bennies and I don't see that changing so a year is about all I can give this place. Then I'll really try for a job as a legal secretary. Plus I'm making a smarter move back to school in the fall.

This Sunday my family had a picnic and my uncle who currently lives in Foster City was there with his financee (who currently lives in GA) and he was going on and on about how horrible it is to live in CA. Especially the Bay Area. Horrible, dreadful, expensive, expensive, etc.

The Bay area was wonderful. I loved every second I was in SF. Even when my feet and legs were aching and I still had more uphill walking to do.

I'm also a fan of, like, the National Cancer Institute, Yellowstone National Park, interstate highways, and the FBI.

I'll have you know that research concerning the sexual habits of tree frogs is vital to our country's interstate highways. Not to mention the FBI.

No question, the Bay Area is horrifically expensive.

It is horrifically expensive because people want to live there. See also: NYC. If it's what you want, you want it badly enough to be poor.

Hey, Aurelia, I was just thinking about you Friday! My 11-year-old is fascinated by stage lighting now. I was telling him about footlights and then I wondered -whatever happened to footlights, and when did they go out? When I was doing amateur theater as a teenager, we still used them.

I would love to do that, but I think it would push me from "eats a lot of bologna" poor to "crazy crippled chick in a box" poor. I'm not so sure I can stay here though for life. Could I move my box close to y'all?

Except for the urban Northeast -- Boston area, suburbs (but not city) of New York, Baltimore area, okay maybe Philadelphia area although I have spent exactly no time there -- the Bay Area is the only place in the US I can really imagine myself living. Like, Arizona is pretty, but it's a different galaxy from anything I know.

(I don't think I could handle New York. Once, I drove from DC to Brooklyn -- across Manhattan -- and then on to Boston in one long moving day, and the only thing that freaked me out about that day was driving and driving and driving out of Brooklyn, and never getting out.)

(Okay, we did get out eventually, but the tightly-spaced, no-trees, mashed-together-falling-apart 3-story buildings made it feel like I was going in circles.)

Of course, it helps that I was introduced to the Bay Area by a Massachusetts expatriate, and 90% of the people I know who live there are immigrants to there. They want to live there, you know? And don't just live there because they haven't thought about living someplace else.