I am on my last nerve. I am not engaging the child tonight, no I am not. Instead, I am listing things for sale and packing boxes.

ION, anyone here read Alice Munro? I am taking my second try at a book of her stories and not loving it. I have another of her books that I haven't opened and I am wondering if I should keep at it.

AZ law: not a great idea, but somebody's gotta do something and the feds aren't doing it.

Why does something need to be done? What is the problem that this law is solving?

The immigration debate began when the GOP latched onto it as a wedge issue in the late 90s. All the secondary arguments like “illegals commit more crime” come up because otherwise the conversation goes:
“We need to crack down on illegal immigration!”
“Do we? Why?”
“...I’ll get back to you on that.”

Seriously, any country has to be able to define its borders and its citizens. If you can't do that, you're going to lose your country in one way or another (militarily, economically, culturally, whatever - and culture does not necessarily equal white here, I mean this in general terms).

I don't think that a country defines its citizens; the power goes the other way. I'm not sure what you mean by losing your country in any non-military sense. I can't "lose" my culture in any way that matters to me. And even if I could... evolution is always a better choice than stagnation.

I remember reading very similar arguments about how immigrants will destroy American culture in the Elsie Dinsmore books written in the 1870s and 1880s.

Totally random question, because I can't remember and google isn't helping me: There was a Christian group that started in the Alps in the middle ages. They weren't Catholic. Some Protestants claim that this group is actually much older than that, and that they were upholding the true teachings of Jesus while the Catholic church was going astray, but pretty much all the historical evidence says they began in the middle ages. What were they called? I think it begins with a W. I might have some details wrong.

Cathars or Waldensians, Hil: [link]

Timelies all!

I am covered with cat hair, as usual.

I came very close to shrieking "oh dear god you are asking me that same question, AGAIN? SERIOUSLY?" at one of the associates a little bit ago.

I had more coffee instead.

I thought that might be better.

Cathars or Waldensians, Hil: [link]

Thank you! That was driving me nuts.

I'm sorry about your evening, msbelle. List away! List like the wind!

I thought that might be better.

Probably less satisfying, though.

No pro -- I got to use my medieval lit MA today! Go team medieval!