Sometimes, some people respond to posts with the same sort of argument, the same manner of thinking as the right winged conservatives, who are trying to snuff us out. I'm not sure which is more frightening - that within, or those on the outside. For integrity, for ethical reasons having to do with justice, don't look for me on one of those cruises. Just saying my personal opinion ....

i get what you're saying T. Sometimes i have to take a step back and remind myself that just because we all share some commonalities, we are all still individuals with our own thoughts, opinions and beliefs.

Sometimes it's hard for me to look past the differences to appreciate the person...but i try to remind myself that i have certain qualities, opinions & beliefs that others don't agree with, and they still value me as a person, as rhonda, ya know?

i also have to remind myself, "To each their own". Just because it wouldn't work for me doesn't mean it's wrong for others.

Now on to more important topics.....

got any chocolate??

:byebye:

That the mother of my three year old niece deceived my whole family by not telling my brother that she was moving to south Florida with his three year old daughter and watching my mom cry over this and how it broke my bro's heart to lose his only child.

How dismissive and shallow. Yes, let's eat chocolate while our ftm brothers are denied access? Let's eat chocolate when ALL glbt people aren't permitted access to places of their choosing? Let's eat chocolate while Roe v Wade is overturned. Yeah, eat some chocolates on Matthew Shepherd's grave. Or during a revision of the lynching laws. Ugh. No thanks.

i'm very sorry, i honestly didn't mean to offend you.

...how sore I am from playing golf last night. You would think I have never picked up a club before.

I hope I dont rupture something holding it in. :canadian:

Ok. You, I believe.:) But you still don't get any of my Toblerone stash. Heh

i copied this passage (with permission from the poster...thank you!!) from another thread:

>We seem to talk a lot about respecting others but have no problem giving out verbal lashings when people dont think like we do, respond in the way we expect, have the same issues with something as we do, or express outrage in the form we expect. Is that respectful? Is that honoring diversity?<

i have often been dumbfounded about this myself. i've seen such amazing support and encouragement from this community and it makes me feel great when i see it happening.

But i've also seen the same posters attack and belittle someone for expressing personal opinions & thoughts that they don't agree with.

i understand feeling strongly about issues that are important to you....i have no problem standing up for myself or my issues and think it's always a good thing to be able to do. What i don't understand is why some of us are so incredibly rude and mean when we let someone know we don't agree with them.

i'm not suggesting i would rather see everyone play kiss-ass or asking people to ignore it when someone says something they don't agree with. i just don't understand why it has to turn viscious and ugly.

What's wrong with saying, "i think you are wrong, and here's why..." instead of calling someone awful names and/or talking down to them? Why do we ask for respect and common courtesies when we don't give the same?

We love it when we see someone honor our diversity and individuality, but we wont hesitate to jump all over someone for disagreeing or stating their own opinions & thoughts if they happen to not be what we think they should be. Honestly, i would love it if everyone thought the same as i did about issues that are close to my heart, and ones that i think should be important to us all. But i know that it doesn't work that way.

Even if someone has an opinion/thought/ideology that i think is ignorant/crazy/hateful ....for example, let's say someone hates chocolate. Now i happen to know that loving chocolate is the one true *right* way to live, and not only should everyone love chocolate and partake daily, but they should also stand up against the haters. But i'm not going to belittle the dissenters because they'll just shut down and get angry, hurt and/or be rude back at me. It's much more productive to extend courtesy and calmness while i'm telling them just how wrong they are. If they continue to be a hater, then i have to understand that they don't have the same priorities as i do, and let it go.

When someone makes a comment i don't agree with, i would much rather engage them in civil conversation than go on the attack. For me, when i feel attacked, i'm not gonna be open to hearing why someone thinks i am wrong...i am gonna shut down and end the conversation or get into an arguement that leads to nothing. And i've never bought into the argument that they were mean to me so i'm gonna be even meaner to them. Well, i used to be that way, but then i grew up.

i know i'm sensitive. i always have been, i always will be. i also understand not everyone has the same communication "skills". But i do know that we are all adults here and that we are all capable of being civil.

Having a heated debate can be done while maintaining maturity and dignity.

Peace!

On my mind is that pastor's fucking nuts plan to burn the Koran.

It's so frightening to me, on so many levels.

If someone were to call on others to burn holy Jewish texts, or any other religion's texts, I would consider that a hate crime. For me, it goes beyond freedom of speech to inciting hatred and violence. And, if there are in fact any deaths that result from this stupidity, I think the pastor should be charged with homicide.

How soon we forget that the Nazis were able to burn holy books in their town squares with hardly any protest before they burned the Jews (and the queers, and...).

I wish people all the best, those I know and those I do not.

I think I need to wash a pan, cook some eggs, make some toast, and give up for the night. Meh.

Tired, starving, and willing to kill for nicotine

Last episode of this series made me sad :/
Heavy heart kinda sad.
Meh.

Therapist: "I think for this to work you two need to be a little less honest with each other. For a marriage to work, you have to conspire with your partner to not say everything. You know things aren't perfect, but you don't hammer away at it. Marriage is a silent conspiracy between two people to not confess everything, to let sleeping dogs lie."

Husband: "I like that!"

Wife: "I bet you do."

Husband: "So that's working for your marriage?"

Therapist: "I-I think so! We've been married ten years!"

Wife: "So does that mean she does or doesn't know you're gay?"

Therapist: *stammering* "Uh uh.. I think she might."