meara, aren't you 12?

So you basically just peel off the first layer of celery?

Yup.

I am a Left-Winging raised in a family full of mostly Republicans. Granted, they're not all the way to the Right but my hometown certainly is. I loves me some Republicans. Even when I bash right-wing conservatism.

When I rant, I try to not paint everyone with the same wide brush, but I'm afraid people I care about will sometimes get some Jackson Pollacky drops and dribbles on them.

This board definitely has a liberal slant. It is also not always an easy place for Evangelical Christians.

I stand by my complete and utter hatred for Cheney. There will be no changing that. But I want to understand where some conservative philosophy comes from. I want to respect a conservative's right to be conservative. I just bristle when they expect me to live conservatively. And will always do this.

I also like salad shooters.

I want to respect a conservative's right to be conservative. I just bristle when they expect me to live conservatively.

Oh, WORD. Well said.

Alton has also gone the way of the freak.

Sadly, this is true. Nevertheless, salad shooters are a unitasker I simply cannot approve of.

ION, I just got 8 inches taken off my hair and I desperately need to dye it (visible roots GALORE), but I'd really rather take a nap. Can someone please come over and dye my hair while I sleep?

::secretly plots to dye Jess's hair BLUE!!!!::

oh, wait.

Wow.

Y'all salad shooter lovers are FUH-REAKS!!!

I will keep quite about politics for right now, because no good would come of me posting about it.

ION, I have a treadmill stress test scheduled for tomorrow. I'll be glad to get it over with. (Part of me is wondering if I should pack an overnight bag like my Dad does, since he always just assumes that any ER visit/stress test will result in a hospital admission.)

For those situations, I employ the use of Sod's Law: if you don't pack one, you'll need it. If you do pack one, you won't.

The Christmas bomber was treated exactly the way every "terrorist" arrested on American soil has been, through Republican and Democratic administrations. He was arrested and processed by the judicial system. Attempting to blow up an aircraft is a crime whether you do it because you wish to undermine the U.S. government, you were dumped by a flight attendant or you want to impress Jodie Foster. An artificial "war on terror" doesn't change that. Terror is a tactic, not a country or a particular ideology. As far as I'm concerned, the Oklahoma City bombing, attacks on abortion clinics and the guy flying his plane into the building the other day were all terrorism. They were violence in pursuit of political ends. I don't know how we legitimately sort out who goes into what system. I'll note that the terrorists who went through the court system, including Richard Reid, were all convicted and are all in jail.

That being said, I'd love to hear more from you, Shari. I was once a Republican myself, until the Republicans sold out to the religious right and political expediency. If the Republicans were still the party of fiscal conservatism and small government, I'd be with them on that, but over the last 15 years, they've been the party of cutting taxes and then spending like drunken sailors.