I am OH SO SICK of bible and pot-smoking blogs...smoke your pot, read your bible, and move on!!!!

Meantime, that Beneful plate looks Yummmmmmmmmmmmmy! (of course I haven't eaten YET......)

(well, I already know I will get beaten down for this, but hey.......it's all ok!)

I set out to my local department store just the other day to buy a new bra.  Mine had reached their expiration date.  You know, only one hook left, straps stretched to the max, fraying around the edges.

I can tell you there is no other feeling of comfort like a good bra.  It might compare to finding a good pair of shoes. Not sure what else a man might compare it to unless jock straps are an issue.

I walk into the store and am totally blinded by the hundreds if not thousands of bras hanging on the racks.  The problem I have is  - how long am I going to have to be here just trying to find that right one?  With all the breast implants nowadays one would think there would be a bra with less padding and more support and comfort.  I have NOT had breast implants - let's just say that the good lord was kind to me and I never had to go under the knife. So, back to the real problem - what will suffice for my girls?  It seems when I find a bra that works and go back to buy more they no longer make that model.  What's with that? I don't want a bra that has "stuffing" in it that will make me appear like I've placed the blades of a B-52 bomber or a Black and Decker drill under my blouse.  I don't want spagetti straps that will pop and land my girls on my knees either.  And lace that itches and scratches the hair out from under my arms is not a pleasant thing.  Oh, and don't forget the underwires that seem to make their way up to my chin while engaged in serious conversation.

So, here I am hoping that the large safety pin I threw into my purse will not have to be retrieved for an emergency repair. 

Has anyone else faced this dilema?

There's one problem often faced by those of us well versed in the facts of the drug war. We know the history and the science. We're able to clearly distinguish the difference between negative consequences of drugs and negative consequences of prohibition. Our factual knowledge base is, quite frankly, overwhelming, and all of it points clearly, unmistakably, and inexorably to reform.

We're even open to carefully considering opposing arguments (which fail the test of reason time after time), thus strengthening our confidence in the comprehensive nature of our information.

This didn't happen overnight in most cases. It was the result of a lot of research, observation, and critical thinking.

So when we come across someone who opposes reform, we assume one of two things:

They are profiting from the drug war (politically, financially, or sadomoralistically) and thus are uninterested in the truth.

They simply don't have the facts yet.

Once we're relatively sure that the person is not category 1, then all we have to do is educate them. Right?

And yet, sometimes we find ourselves baffled by the reaction.

There are individuals for whom you could prove conclusively that:

Legalization would result in less crime

Legalization would result in reduced use of drugs by children

Legalization would result in reduced drug abuse

Legalization would result in enormous financial savings

Legalization would result in dismantling of dangerous criminal organizations

... and they would still look at you like you were a crazy person bent on destruction of civilization as we know it for even suggesting consideration of legalization, even in controlled, regulated and limited situations.

These people are suffering from a form of cognitive distortion. [The term is most often used in relation to cognitive therapy to deal with things like depression, but I think it's also appropriate to this situation.]

The cause? An authority figure need combined with a lifetime of propaganda. This combination sets the information down in pathways that cannot be disrupted by mere facts. (The conflict between factual information and established pathways can even cause unpleasant cognitive dissonance, resulting in lashing out against the person with the facts.)

Now I'm probably generalizing way too much in this post, but I'm guessing that a weak and/or fearful mind is much more susceptible to this kind of thing.

On the other hand... if, as a child, you found yourself on occasion saying to yourself "Hey, my teacher got that one wrong," -- and it was because of your own knowledge and not blind adherence to some other authority figure (church/parents) -- then I'm guessing you're probably less susceptible to propaganda and this form of cognitive distortion.

How do you deal with those with cognitive distortion? (Other than years of therapy.) It's not easy. Those with only mildly set propaganda pathways may be dislodged through gentle yet persistent repetition of facts. It also helps, of course, to eliminate the propaganda reinforcement (we've got to do something about the ONDCP).

Maybe, once we've legalized drugs, we can use some of those hundreds of thousands of empty prison cells and convert them to mental health facilities to help the cognitively disabled. We wouldn't want them to suffer.

Hillary Clinton today announced she would not be Vice, President. She said she could not and would not allow anyone to call her sweetie.

More than one-out-of-every four Texans has no health insurance.  It's the worst record in the country.  The cost of health insurance for families climbed nearly 40 percent between 2001 and 2005. That's the 3rd worst record in the country. Without doubt, when it comes to health care, a lot of Texans are living dangerously.   

In 2003, led by the Governor, Texans were sold on the idea that tort reform might help with health care by bringing in more doctors. Has it?? Well, that's certainly open to debate. While supporters claim the reform is bringing doctors to the state in record numbers, a UT researcher found that the growth rate for doctors is worse now than before tort reform. As a state, we certainly have more uninsured people and health care costs have continued to skyrocket.

Love it or hate it, though, the impact of tort reform on Texans has been profound. Insurance companies are making huge profits. Fewer people can sue.

What happened in 2003 can happen again. The system can change to bring more or less tort reform in the future or perhaps, as a state, we should focus on health care itself rather than lawsuits as an answer to our health care crisis. Whatever happens, it'll begin with a discussion.  What do you think?? Was tort reform an answer for health care problems or is there a better solution for Texas? 

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award in Girl Scouting.  As a new Board Member of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas I had a treat. I attended the Girl Scout Gold Award Ceremony at the convention center in Mesquite.

The families of the Girl Scouts were so proud and rightfully so.  It takes dedication and focus. To win this award girls must display leadership resulting in 65 hours or more for a service project that leaves a lasting impact on the community. It also provides the girls with personal and spiritual growth, positive values and leadership skills. 

This year 74 Girl Scout Seniors of Northeast Texas earned this honor.  The families are a big part of the Gold Award because the Moms and Dads make the committment to support their daughters in Girl Scouts.     

6.3% of Senior Girl Scouts from Northeast Texas earned the Girl Scout Gold Award and that's 1% above the national average. Yaaaaaaaaaay!

I'm happy to tell you that I started my Girl Scout career as a Brownie and loved my Girl Scout years.  In 1996 I was named a "Lifetime Girl Scout"; an award of which I'm very proud.

I'm also extremely proud of today's Girl Scout Gold Award winners because they're Tomorrow's Leaders.

A federal grand jury in L.A. accuses Missouri resident Lori Drew of using the social networking website to torment the girl into thinking she was being dumped by a boy.

By Scott Glover, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 12:34 PM PDT, May 15, 2008

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles today indicted a woman of fraudulently using a MySpace.com account to "cyber-bully" a Missouri teenager who later hanged herself because she believed she was being rejected by a 16-year-old boy she met on the social networking website. Lori Drew, 49, of O'Fallon, Mo., faces three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress on the girl and one count of conspiracy. The case set off a national furor when it was revealed that 13-year-old Megan Meier was the victim of a hoax perpetrated by Drew, who was the mother of one of the girl's former friends. Authorities in Missouri investigated Meier's October 2006 death but declined to file charges against Drew, saying they were unable to find a statute under which to pursue a criminal case. Earlier this year, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles launched a grand jury investigation aimed at determining whether Drew or others defrauded Beverly Hills-based MySpace by providing false information to the website. As word leaked out that an indictment was pending today, Megan's father, Ron Meier, said he welcomed any attempt to hold someone accountable. "I don't know who is actually is going to end up paying for what happened to our daughter. I just want some justice after all this time," Meier said. "For the first time in as long as I can remember, I actually have hope." Drew's attorney, H. Dean Steward, said he plans to wage a vigorous defense, suggesting that prosecutors in Los Angeles were overstepping their jurisdiction. "There are a lot of issues we are going to need to raise, including why it's happening in Los Angeles," Steward said. "It seems like a Missouri case no matter how you cut it." scott.glover@latimes.com Times staff writer P.J. Huffstutter contributed to this report.

By making it illegal to discriminate against same-sex couples and allow them to join their lives legally California has taken a big step forward, joining states like Massachusetts, Vermont, and Hawaii.

Religious arguements aside (and please if you are against it for RELIGIOUS reasons don't bother to comment, that arguement is played and can easily be rebutted with logic and common sense), there really is no reason why our homosexual brothers and sisters cannot enjoy their lives and join them legally if that is what they wish. It is good to actually see some progress in the way we treat other people, especially people that are not like us and do not believe like we do.

Eventually, even here in Texas, all Americans regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation etc. will enjoy the same rights and priveledges. That day may be a long-time coming, but it WILL get here. There is no longer any way for anyone to justify this kind of blatant bigotry and discrimination. No arguement that holds water. We have come a long way with women's rights, and the rights of minorities, but we still have a long way to go before we are all-inclusive. This step for California is a step in the right direction, and I hope to see other states shirking off the old and tired excuse for discriminatory practices, and embracing what is right for all of us, all Americans.

Thank goodness our government saved the polar bears !

After all, those sweet little darlings don’t do nothing, except rid the planet of those mean, cruel and vicious seals ! Darn seals are always causing me troubles anyhow.

Putting them on the “Threatened” list, instead of the “Endangered” list, doesn’t mean that we can’t drill for oil in their habitat. It means that if the government finally wakes up and lets us drill there, the drill personnel can’t fight back if a polar bear attacks you !

Plus, the bears will maintain the mineral rights on all the ice cubes ! Those bears will be riding all over the place on their snowmobiles and four wheelers, before you know it - and, they’ll have the right of way !

Best part is, when all the ice melts up there and they have to “Go South Young Bears”, we’ll all be lying here dead from the Global Warming Freezes, and they can clean up our corpses and save the planet !

Thanks U.S. Government, you’ve solved another of the world’s problems : Cleanup of Human Garbage !

Did you see the video clip of the little robot ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility), that conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday night ?

Critics said he lacked the emotions and movements of a live conductor, but I thought he did as good of job as our president did.

Perhaps he should take a shot at being president. He couldn’t be much worse than the dummies we have running !

WHAT KIND OF CRACK WAS THIS MAN ON. HE USE A DAM GUN TO SCRACH HIS BACK. HE DESERVED TO GET SHOT ONLY A DUMB PERSON USEING A LOADED GUN TO SCRACH HIS BACK. MY OPINION USE YOU HEAD FOR MORE THAN A HEAD RACK. QUIT BEING CHEAP AND GO BUY A BACK SCRACHER.

Good Morning,

As I sit here rummaging through the plethora of bible posts, I feel I need to interject with this.

A Dallas man who has AIDS was being arrested for public intox. Yes, he resisted a little and assaulted the arresting officer.

That in itself would bring about 2-5 years. But, this man spit on the officer. And, because he has AIDS, he got 35 years.

Now, I dont want to spat on by anyone, especially with AIDS, but does anyone else feel the sentence is a bit extreme?

Quote from the officer from DMN.Com:

 "I know it sounds cliché, but this is why you lock someone up, so our streets are safer," Officer Waller said. "Without him out there, our streets are a safer place."

Please...Gimmie a break!!!

-POV

LONDON (UPI) -- A British woman said her missing Jack Russell terrier was excited to return home after a psychic used supernatural methods to pinpoint his location.

Nikki Newcombe, 35, was relieved to have her dog, Marmite, return home after he spent a week stranded in a hole, the Mirror reported.

Newcombe went to Pea Horsley, a London woman who says she has psychic abilities, for help after having no luck finding the lost pooch on her own.

Horsley used her abilities to tell Newcombe about landmarks the dog traveled past before falling into the hole, the Mirror said.

Sure enough, Newcombe took Horsley's advice and found Marmite barking from a hole in the ground.

"It's one of the quickest I've found," Horsley said.