tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post6419220368472858302..comments2024-03-17T08:27:53.658-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: The Camel’s NoseJim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-52800066161031081502016-03-16T17:36:09.333-05:002016-03-16T17:36:09.333-05:00I spent a year in the Houston suburbs one week. It...I spent a year in the Houston suburbs one week. It was like a high tech antebellum fever dream. It wasn't a nightmare but was very disturbing. The south will rise again. Sort of like food poisoning.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11019738306141160273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-21425228358265565862015-05-10T18:05:31.847-05:002015-05-10T18:05:31.847-05:00Good on you! If you haven't already, I suggest...Good on you! If you haven't already, I suggest introducing your daughter to Madison Kimrey, another very smart and politically engaged young woman. https://m.facebook.com/NCYouthRock?refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNCYouthRockTracynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-16293846348882225552015-03-19T17:00:03.293-05:002015-03-19T17:00:03.293-05:00Damn,
That was one righteous rant. Damn,<br />That was one righteous rant. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06126111609871963669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-73352171360819075382015-03-08T15:00:56.121-05:002015-03-08T15:00:56.121-05:00And in El Salvador, abortion law has gotten so str...And in El Salvador, abortion law has gotten so strict that women suffering a (involuntary) miscarriage has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. <br /><br />Dammit, Jim - We're sliding back into the dark ages here...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-23619996998383523662015-03-08T05:12:21.164-05:002015-03-08T05:12:21.164-05:00Suppressing speech is problematic. I would rather ...Suppressing speech is problematic. I would rather that we did a better job of helping our fellow citizens to recognize propaganda. I am particularly concerned when that propaganda sets Americans against each other in a fashion that precludes the discussion and compromise that makes democracy function. We are crippled as a nation by accepting the message that others who disagree with us are traitors and the enemy. Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-6104147487410665772015-03-03T06:25:52.449-06:002015-03-03T06:25:52.449-06:00Thank you Bill Hampton, for your post. I've l...Thank you Bill Hampton, for your post. I've long known the real meaning of "liberal" (and I've been a Liberal for 50+ years). From now on, I plan to quote, as you have, the dictionary definition of liberal, when responding to twisted usage of the word by my acquaintances. I'm already on a mission to clarify "entitlements" which are something to which people are actually entitled not the maligned way so many on the Right want everyone to believe.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03317358508550299856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-43871446972656699192015-02-24T08:03:52.947-06:002015-02-24T08:03:52.947-06:00My sister-in-law used to have a glass of port abou...My sister-in-law used to have a glass of port about 2 hours before the last feed of the day, my nephew slept through the night once my Grandmother told her about this little trick. Long Ben Averyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12382408372788942193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-18274500764566155762015-02-22T13:33:38.795-06:002015-02-22T13:33:38.795-06:00And he got the bill from the hospital for keeping ...And he got the bill from the hospital for keeping his wife's corpse on life support...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-47744251523870957252015-02-22T13:32:40.892-06:002015-02-22T13:32:40.892-06:00I lived in Texas most of my life; Georgia the past...I lived in Texas most of my life; Georgia the past almost four years. Come September I'm gone. <br /><br />I have a 15 year old daughter. We're moving to Uruguay because I'll be damned if I'll finish raising her in a country that sees her as a walking uterus. She doesn't want kids. EVER.<br /> <br />That goes for any girls my sons might accidentally impregnate (I've raised them both to respect women, to understand how sex works, but bc ain't 100% and I expect them to be healthy, normal young men who will want to have sex with a consenting young woman, or more than one, someday.)<br /><br />I'm just. So. Done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-25851737992712589522015-02-21T22:25:54.965-06:002015-02-21T22:25:54.965-06:00These are very tricky definitions, and it is very ...These are very tricky definitions, and it is very dangerous to define person-hood based on the ability to survive "independently" -- in part because then the definition of human status depends on the progress of technology. If you mean "survive outside the womb" that is one definition stretching back into the second trimester of pregnancy. If you mean -- breathe on their own, I guess that applies to most "babies," but not all. If you truly mean "able to live independently", well my kids sure aren't there yet.Pete Curtinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-24130554243996888162015-02-21T22:19:01.968-06:002015-02-21T22:19:01.968-06:00Hi Jim --
I haven't been reading you long, b...Hi Jim -- <br /><br />I haven't been reading you long, but I enjoy your wit and, generally your style. For example, while I don't dislike Sen. Tom Coburn as much as you apparently do, I had tears in my eyes laughing at your recent takedown of him. That is all a lead-in to my comment on this article, which is that I certainly understand your anger at the specific, tragic circumstances you discuss. I also understand (and to some extent share) your anger at people who attempt to take their religious beliefs and press them out into the wider world to insert themselves into the private lives of others and make those lives harder. I don't share your apparent vitriol at the topic of religion in general and your apparently negative views of people who have chosen to believe in a religion. My inarticulate and slightly drunken thought is that religion is all interpretation by people. Some people are a-holes. Many people are not very smart. Almost all people are tribal. Those are just the facts, So condemn the people, not religion in general. After all, some people work (in both their private and public lives) to feed the hungry, clothe the needy, and tend the sick due in part to their religious beliefs. There's nothing wrong with that stuff, so there is nothing inherently wrong with "religion" and believers. I speak as a person who grew up in a conservative Catholic family, fled the faith starting in my late teens because I found out that the Church was not all like the Jesuits who taught me in high school, and eventually found my way back to a Christian faith sometimes called "Catholicism Lite" (Episcopalian) -- very similar in many ways, but with a much larger role for women and more power to the laity. I have found that my faith has given me and my family opportunities to be in community and to grow and do good. So, there you have it. I also agree with about the need for "religious liberals" to speak out more and battle religious conservatives to show that "religion" is not a monolith. The problem there is (as with politics in general), moderate and sensible people tend to be less passionate and less well-organized than folks on the extremes. Not sure what to do about that. Pete Curtinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-78871613422140475752015-02-20T16:30:34.529-06:002015-02-20T16:30:34.529-06:00A baby is a fetus that survives birth to is able t...A baby is a fetus that survives birth to is able to live independently of its mother. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-45378584010053019562015-02-20T13:15:42.342-06:002015-02-20T13:15:42.342-06:00Me too!Me too!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17213113525796564769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-61705043793462167302015-02-20T13:07:32.495-06:002015-02-20T13:07:32.495-06:00Did I detect some hesitation about becoming more l...Did I detect some hesitation about becoming more liberal? Let me share this with you. Here is something that most people are probably unaware of. The meaning of liberal is being changed into a dirty word by the wealth owned media. I have a dictionary with a copyright of 1966. According to it, here is what it would take to be a liberal. “You would need to be open minded, generous, favorable to progress or reform, favorable to or in accord with the concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, in favor of representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies and be against prejudice and bigotry.” From that definition, I would say that there are many closet liberals out there, that do not even know that they are liberal. <br />If you google liberal, you will find it hard to put together that definition. Could it be that the wealth owned media is causing the definition to be changed? From that definition, here are a few things that make one a non liberal. Narrow minded, selfish, prejudiced, and a bigot. Take it as a compliment if you are called a liberal. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17213113525796564769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-50341208229946502192015-02-20T12:43:07.627-06:002015-02-20T12:43:07.627-06:00I was born and raised in Oregon and I also live in...I was born and raised in Oregon and I also live in Texas. I can sure relate.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17213113525796564769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-11826066488172595232015-02-20T05:32:50.342-06:002015-02-20T05:32:50.342-06:00Thank you. Widely shared.Thank you. Widely shared.Mr. Billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-62784134389709051702015-02-19T22:57:57.820-06:002015-02-19T22:57:57.820-06:00Maybe even crazier than Texas, just look as crazy ...Maybe even crazier than Texas, just look as crazy eyed Rick Scott. He reminds me of the crazy murderous toon in Roger Rabbit.<br /><br />whitelillyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-87984020832976927882015-02-19T22:54:35.205-06:002015-02-19T22:54:35.205-06:00I do so miss the genius that was George Carlin.
w...I do so miss the genius that was George Carlin.<br /><br />whitelillyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-23160197658818246202015-02-19T19:42:26.335-06:002015-02-19T19:42:26.335-06:00Now there is some performance pressure - a lawyer ...Now there is some performance pressure - a lawyer watching you have sex, just in case!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-26814732538518804172015-02-19T15:41:08.642-06:002015-02-19T15:41:08.642-06:00I believe that the religious liberals (open minded...I believe that the religious liberals (open minded, generous, not prejudice and not bigots) need to start speaking out against the religious non liberals (narrow minded, selfish, prejudice, bigots) before they take religion back to the dark ages."<br />BTY My definition for liberal was taken from the dictionary. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17213113525796564769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-20490669738123230612015-02-19T12:56:49.939-06:002015-02-19T12:56:49.939-06:00This kind of stuff gets traction because the idea ...This kind of stuff gets traction because the idea that life begins at conception is very simple, elegant, and non-sectarian. It doesn't require any messy medical or philosophical details. It's also very easy to make an emotional appeal to the idea that the brand-new zygote is the most vulnerable of, well, "human-ish" organisms. Mix that with a generous dollop of sex shaming and pour in some "personal responsibility" Tea and that's what gets us where we are today. I would not be surprised to see it get a lot worse before it gets better, if ever. I don't see this or any conceivable future (no pun intended) SCOTUS taking a strong stand to defend Roe v. Wade from all this state-law chipping-away.marmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01862412198096995696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-56585052037216196592015-02-19T12:51:57.091-06:002015-02-19T12:51:57.091-06:00If I had been Eric Munoz, I would have filed crimi...If I had been Eric Munoz, I would have filed criminal charges against the physicians and the hospital for battery, which legally, it was. Mrs. Munoz was unable to give consent, and her husband refused.Buckropnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-6033733448664953252015-02-19T12:34:09.864-06:002015-02-19T12:34:09.864-06:00Our public service to the rest of the nation is pr...Our public service to the rest of the nation is providing fodder to the comedians :)SparksinTexasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-48956616543769613992015-02-19T12:27:07.937-06:002015-02-19T12:27:07.937-06:00The extreme members of a group set the limits. As...The extreme members of a group set the limits. As long as your action isn't as horrible as theirs then you are safe. I personally think that the most extreme members of a group are seen as the most pure. We might despise what they are doing and yet see that they are taking a belief system to its purest form without worrying about what society thinks. example: I would never tell a grieving mother that her son deserved to die because he is gay because I don't like to hurt people but those extreme people in my group aren't afraid of public opinion. Instead, I'll just ask my congressman to restrict the freedoms of gay people because I'm not as brave as the extreme people in my group.<br /><br />I don't think people consciously admit to admiring the extremist but I think subconsciously it affects what we think is o.k. for us to do.<br /><br />From psychological research -- the most extreme members of a group pull the entire group over their direction.SparksinTexasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-54146513530080674272015-02-19T12:19:16.695-06:002015-02-19T12:19:16.695-06:00Think about personhood laws for a moment....They s...Think about personhood laws for a moment....They say that from conception there is a person. Even if the woman doesn't know she is pregnant...there is a person there.<br /><br />We don't allow babies on the factory floor, we don't allow babies to sit in the front seat of cars, we don't allow babies on the battlefield, we take babies away from parents who take the baby into dangerous situations like a soccer field or serve the baby a beer or a cigarette.<br /><br />If there is potentially a baby inside a woman at any moment then how could we legally allow her to participate in the Army, construction work, factory work, sports, driving, etc without a current (twice a month) pregnancy test? <br /><br />And, if it isn't a person then how can you legally prevent a woman from having a procedure that will prevent a the much more dangerous condition of childbirth & pregnancy --- unless you bring religion into the mix and create laws based on religious beliefs.SparksinTexasnoreply@blogger.com