I'm sorry for your loss, @swampgirl

So sorry Swampy

Tried to find something meaningful to say but the words just aren't there.
All I can say is, I'm sorry .. I wish it didn't happen .. and I understand.
We will all always remember Sam. Wigs, glasses and all. And we all miss you Swampgirl.
Sweet dreams Samwise.

We had a Bassett Hound when I was a kid.

Barney was the coolest. Sorry swampgirl.

@swampgirl! Your wish has been granted. Coffee mugs!

Sorry! It's Sunday so a slow day here... and I only just now had the opportunity to log in for the first time here, especially because it's the start of the holiday shopping grind, I believe. Oooh, these look purrrty! @swampgirl would like this as well I think, since I recall her asking for a VS coffee mug over the years. I want one!

>> ^lucky760:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We hope you'll be able to return to the Sift. You are missed!


Ditto. Happy birthday if you read this, Swampgirl!

>> ^gwiz665:

Ansolutely approve. (I would have preferred 90s though )
Vintage will need to be retooled to 70< then, wouldn't it?

If swampgirl wants that, dont see why not. I am not in favour of just doing it because the bright shiny new channel infringes on its territory.

>> ^swampgirl:

I had one of these once. I didn't have surgery though. Instead, I had to shut my mouth for 3 months. I wasn't supposed to even whisper. I didn't last that long really... It's very hard to do.


So what happened? Did it take longer to heal?

*music *anatomy

Ah, abortion on the Sift again. I participated in the discussion last time. I'll quote myself from last time because I think it is relevant to what's going on in Kansas.

The only thing I'd like to add to that comment is that I believe that it would be possible to seriously reduce the number of abortions by doing what @Mikus_Aurelius said--making sure we have mandatory sex education classes and good access to birth control (for all ages).


In reply to this comment by SDGundamX:
Two years ago, if you had asked me my position on abortion I would have told you I was pro-choice all the way. Then I saw an actual abortion performed and had everything I believed turned upside down. Seeing the doctor wash little dismembered body-parts into a sink--arms, legs, parts of a skull--and count everything up to make sure he got it all... that pretty much convinced me I needed to re-examine my beliefs. I have tried since that time to be open to all positions on the matter and to form my own opinion based on reason and logic. The conclusion I came to is very similar to swampgirl's--abortion is morally wrong but is also a necessary evil.

I'm an atheist, so I don't oppose abortion on any religious grounds. No, like swampgirl said earlier, I just think we should stop beating around the bush. We're taking human lives here. Granted, we're doing it as mercifully as we can (i.e. before the nervous and pain response systems are fully developed) and for ostensibly good reasons. But I think too many people try to gloss over the fact that a human life is ended in the process. I think people are uncomfortable with the idea and that's why we quibble over when a human is an officially recognized "person" or when certain rights should be ascribed.

However, although I oppose abortion on moral grounds, I do not agree with making abortions illegal. That probably seems paradoxical to most people, but it stems from the fact that I am pragmatic. There are serious problems with making abortion illegal: backroom abortions and their associated risks; a suddenly skyrocketing number of babies that need adoption placement in a system that is already burgeoning under the weight of unwanted or neglected children; massive population expansion at a time when resources such as clean water are becoming scarce; and so on. In an ideal world, we could make abortions illegal and provide superior care and support for all women who must carry unwanted babies and place all of those unwanted babies with caring, loving, families. But I've seen enough of the world to know that it is anything but ideal.

And so I believe that as horrible as it is, legal abortions are necessary in the world. It kind of depresses me a little bit that I can find something immoral and yet still condone it. I think maybe it's a sign that I'm getting old that I'm willing to compromise my morals for pragmatic concerns.

Where's Swampgirl?

*quality!(And where is @swampgirl???)

I'm not allergic to you, therefore I like you and say Rappy Rirthray, Ramrise. Always good to see you stop by as well, Swampgirl.

VS is a social network? Hmm!

In reply to this comment by swampgirl:
"Swampgirl" has been shelved in favor of my real self in Facebook land. Why I can't seem to play in more than one social network at a time is beyond me. :-P

In reply to this comment by ant:
Same old. Where have you been?

In reply to this comment by swampgirl:
Thanks for always remembering me and hound pics, Ant. How ya doing?

In reply to this comment by ant:
http://ihasahotdog.com/2010/09/02/funny-puppy-pictures-earz-hang-lo/

"Swampgirl" has been shelved in favor of my real self in Facebook land. Why I can't seem to play in more than one social network at a time is beyond me. :-P

In reply to this comment by ant:
Same old. Where have you been?

In reply to this comment by swampgirl:
Thanks for always remembering me and hound pics, Ant. How ya doing?

In reply to this comment by ant:
http://ihasahotdog.com/2010/09/02/funny-puppy-pictures-earz-hang-lo/

Same old. Where have you been?

In reply to this comment by swampgirl:
Thanks for always remembering me and hound pics, Ant. How ya doing?

In reply to this comment by ant:
http://ihasahotdog.com/2010/09/02/funny-puppy-pictures-earz-hang-lo/