Vibing for you, ita.

Anyone know where a transcript of the speech she gave is?

What I felt like I heard in the 5 min I had it on was that I am not Patriotic because I'm not Republican, that REAL miltary service is a Republican thing - perhaps it wasn't said, just how I was made to feel.

msbelle, try here: [link]

From one of my desktop calendars today:

Weakest Link host Anne Robinson: What insect is commonly found hovering above lakes?
Contestant: Crocodiles.

I just don't know what this means -- and I'm not being snotty. I don't understand what's pinging you.

I know you're not, and also that I'm doing a crap job of explaining myself. As I said, I have no problem either believing or accepting that anyone in her position would have a lot of worries. But the pings are twofold -- first, that the "in your heart" phrasing isn't just for emphasis in charismatic/evangelical rhetoric. It's a binary thing. You accept him in your heart, or you don't. Second, I've heard the notion that you simply have to accept a child, whatever its problems, come out in a lot of pretty hateful conversations when the subject isn't a social-conservative hero.

If I'm right that it's a dog-whistle, then by definition it's not a perfectly clear signal to begin with; plus, it's not my native culture. But the phrase made my "oh, my god, it's just like those fundiewomen from the inlaws' church!" meter go off, much more than just the normal stresses. (And neither am I saying that she was actively planning to ditch the kid. I can't guess what she was planning -- just that, on an emotional level, it didn't read to me as "we'll love him, but it's going to come with challenges".)

Given that last night she promised to be an advocate for all families with special needs children, I can only hope it was an innocent comment.

Well, now she is. It's not unusual for politicians of any stripe to pick up pet causes after it actually affects them.

Given that last night she promised to be an advocate for all families with special needs children, I can only hope it was an innocent comment.

She slashed education funding for special needs students in Alaska by more than half, but I guess it's different for her these days. Now she just needs to give birth to a gay child, a Jewish child, a poler bear cub, a wolf cub, a librarian, and a fully formed alternative energy advocate and abortion doctor, and perhaps she'll take into consideration some other areas where her expressed attitudes have raised some concerns.

Billytea! I went to a lecture last night by a scientist who's an expert on smell. She told us all about the Australian orchid that spreads its pollen by emitting pheromones that make male wasps want to hump it.

Oh... dear. I just saw the Jerry Seinfeld/Bill Gates commercial.

Jerry is still Not Funny.

Totally not slagging on Microsoft, either. The commercial would've been bad regardless of the product. Because the product? Not really mentioned.