hippiecritter : This does not make sense to me whatsoever: 'Emilio's mother, Catarina Gonzales, on the other hand, is fighting to keep her son on the ventilator, allowing him to die "naturally, the way God intended."'
adudeabides : yeah, that makes no sense. lol
hippiecritter : What does a ventilator have to do with dying naturally?
adudeabides: because if you die without a ventilator, you go to hell.
save for jesus, because he has magical powers.
hippiecritter : lmao Of course, I don't know why I didn't think of that!



I'm curious, what are your thoughts on the story this gem of a quote came from?

*sits staring at update window for far too long*


This weekend, I found myself caught up in a situation that was....less than morally pristine. The instant the implications of the situation dawned on me (which should have been before the situation became a "situation"...hindsight, and all that...), I brought it to a halt. Still, the whole thing has me feeling very conflicted and confused and....just kinda creepy-crawly in my own skin.

*sigh*

I think a big part of my discomfort is that the unethical aspects are not exactly my own, and that doing something to "right the wrong" is beyond my control.


Yuck.

I recently posted a poll, inquiring first, whether or not people feel it is acceptable for parents to lie to their children, and second, whether or not people feel that telling children Santa exists is lying to them.

I was fairly surprised that the answers to the first question were pretty evenly divided. 14 people voted that it is acceptable for parents to lie to their children, 16 people voted that it is not acceptable. The answers to the second questions weren't quite as close, with 17 people voting that Santa is a lie, and 12 people voting that Santa is not a lie.

I haven't responded to the comments left in the entry, but found them very interesting to read. I appreciate all of the comments left. Not surprisingly, there were a handful of people commenting to justify the lie of Santa. And several comments from parents who discussed the types of lies they feel it is acceptable to tell their children. I very much appreciate the input from people who are parents. I am not yet a parent myself, so surely there are situations that may occur that I cannot predict how I might handle.

Oh. For the record? I do not feel that it is acceptable for parents to lie to their children, and I do think that telling them that a man named Santa brings them presents is a lie.

( Read more... )

Overall, I had a pretty nice weekend. Friday night was mostly a night to myself, with a stop over to my sister's new house. Saturday, Emily and I had Nika (of the crazy farm) give us haircuts (and heavenly head massages, omg. I think I'm in love with Nika now.) After our little pampering session, we headed out to the crazy farm for a couple of hours of relaxation, after which I returned home to make dinner for me & Ed. We also watched the movie "Broken Flowers", and I want my two hours back. :p

Sunday I was all domestic and stuff until Ryan returned from his gig-filled weekend away, and then we just chilled for the rest of the evening and I got to hear all about his (rather unpleasant, with little sprinkles of goodness) weekend.

Normally, hanging out at the crazy farm is pure bliss, but this time, I saw something that disturbed me. When I walked into the house, a woman who I'd never met before was breastfeeding. And I was disturbed. Not because she was breastfeeding, because I think that nursing is a beautiful, natural thing and I support it, and do not find it offensive in the least. So...why was I disturbed? Well....here....take my poll:


Poll #882447 Speak up?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

You see a woman breastfeeding. As her child is nursing, you witness her taking sips of beer, and smoking from a pipe full of marijuana that is being passed around. What do you do?

On Tuesday, November 7th, Wisconsin will vote on whether or not to add a proposed amendment to our state's constitution.

The proposal reads as follows:

"Marriage. Shall section 13 of article XIII of the constitution be created to provide that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage in this state and that legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state?"

( Read more... )

Last night, the hubby and I got into a discussion about circumcision. (Which, as you probably know, is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin of the penis.) A note-that link may not be safe for work, as it contains photographs of both flaccid and erect circumcised and un-circumcised penises.

Now, let me start by saying that at this time, I consider myself neither anti-circumsion, nor pro-circumcision, but I lean towards "anti". Let me also say that I am aware that circumcision is a religious rite in certain religions, and that I know there are people of said religions on my friends list. I am not judging the religious practice, and mean no disrespect to those people or their religions.

The main reason I don't have a super-solid position on this is that, as a woman, I do not possess the anatomy affected by circumcision. As such, I am unclear what sort of stigma is attached to having, or not having, foreskin on one's penis, and how it might affect a young male growing up. (To the men reading, I encourage you to weigh in on this.)

( Read more... )

Remember Andrea Yates? You know, the wack job who drowned her 5 kids in her bathtub in 2001?

Well, in a second trial, she was found Not Guilty by reason of Insanity today.

I have mixed feelings on insanity pleas, especially in a case like this. I don't care if you're nuts or not, you killed 5 children, you should be punished. She'll likely spend the rest of her life in a mental institution.


What really struck me about hearing this verdict, is how much my views on certain things have changed over the past 5 years. I remember very clearly when this first happened, I was very affected by it. I remember crying about it on multiple occasions. I remember feeling that she deserved to die, and hoping that she got the death penalty.

Today, I'm 100% against the death penalty. I find it interesting how I have gone from one end of the spectrum (I don't care if she's crazy! Kill the fucking lunatic!) to the other (No human has the right to put another human to death, no matter what crime they have commited.).

In response to my last entry, several people have asked "Why"? Along with specific questions about eggs and wool.

( Here goes. )

For some time now, I've been researching and planning a transition from a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet to a Vegan lifestyle.

I intend to make it a gradual transition, just as I did with vegetariansim, and am not going to set myself a deadline, or beat myself up if I slip up now and again, or accidentally buy or eat something non-vegan.

( Here's my plan for starting the transition: )

Q: You clearly are more concerned with what you think of your choices than what the rest of the world does. This is atypical. How did you become (for want of a better term) ethically autonomous?

A: Wow, really? That’s “atypical”? Interesting. I guess I realize that, in the end, I’m the only person who absolutely has to put up with me for the rest of my life. I’ve got to live with myself for (hopefully) a very long time, so I need to like myself. With the exception of people I love who my choices directly affect, I could care less what people think of my life choices. That’s because I don’t hold myself to anyone else’s moral/ethical code. Likewise, I don’t hold anyone else to MY moral/ethical code. I know what I believe to be right and wrong, and I make a conscious effort to do what I believe is right, even when no one is watching.

Example: (I think everyone who reads this knows that I’m a vegetarian. A real one, not one who is a vegetarian “but eats chicken and fish”-no offense to people who eat chicken and fish, but if you do, you aren’t a vegetarian. /mini-rant) The other day while at work, I had a nearly overwhelming craving for a tuna salad sandwich. It was so strong, and so out of nowhere, it kind of took me by surprise. I could have easily gone to the cafeteria, bought a tuna sandwich, eaten it in private somewhere, and no one else would have ever known. But I couldn’t do that. Because I would know. And I’d be angry at myself, for doing something that goes against my personal morals.

The bottom line is, I prefer to live in a way that leaves me feeling content that I stick by what I believe in, even when what I believe in is unpopular.