sarahiki

I also asked you to extrapolate on WHO is making the bombs and I.E.D.s that are taking innocent lives in Iraq. I asked if you thought it was our own soldiers who are responsible for 100,000 innocent lives lost ? You have failed to answer EITHER question and decided to focus on a passing Idi Amin statement, because you obviuosly believe Saddam was a saint compared to Idi, and you got offended ? Ok, I'll apologize for the Idi comment, now can you please answer my questions posed to you ?

How on earth would I know that? I'm not sure how much it matters to me. I don't blame US soldiers. I blame the conflict at large, which we started. I'm not trying to evade the question, I simply don't have the specific information about how the 100,000 Iraqis died. I would assume they died in a variety of ways: shooting, bombs.... I am lucky enough never to have been in a war zone.

Why does this matter so much to you? Is it because of the "partisan violence," i.e, civil war? If that's what you're driving at, then yes, I'm sure they are to blame for a good part of the civilian death toll. But that violence has all begun since the war started, so it's still an effect of the war.

I can't believe I'm getting into this with you again.

I refuse to sit idly by and let you and others spew your side as you see it and for us to take it as gospel, and not let the lurkers of this forum see another side. They deserve that much. So, if you can't stand the heat, stay the out of the kitchen.

I don't think you're doing lurkers or anyone else a service by accusing me of being a Idi Amin supporter because I don't support the gulf wars. I can take the heat just fine, but this is no longer a productive dialogue, so what's the point.

The people who complain the loudest about 'self reliance' did probably not watch a friend file bankruptcy after defaulting on a loan to pay for chemotherapy, because they could only get the treatment by paying up front (over $30,000) because they were uninsured.

The people who rail against 'socialist' health insurance reform probably did not watch their best friend die of AIDS complications because they couldn't afford to buy the latest and most effective drug therapies, because despite the fact that they were educated and employed, their employer did not provide health benefits, and they were unable to buy private health insurance for $600 a month, because they were caring for an eldery parent at the same time as being sick themselves.

To those who are being 'robbed' by welfare mothers, I would challenge you to strike up a conversation with the next person you see at the store using a lone star card. Maybe ask the homeless man on the corner how many buddies he saw die in Vietnam. Instead of relying on lazy-welfare-mother sound bites, why not come face to face with the blood sucking entitlement demons?Tell them how you feel! Perhaps you can convince them to be more responsible! If they only understood how the free market works, they could better themselves. Talk about incentive!

Meanwhile, of the billions spent in Iraq, how much goes to KBR, who usese tax payer-funded, no-bid contract money to hire near-slave labor from India and Pakistan to 'support the troops, ' and is moving HQ to Dubai, thereby further avoiding things like taxes and accountability.

What disturbs me most is how so many young people are so venomous. They must be feeling mighty bulletproof (or have a couple of hundred grand socked away in the name of 'responsibility') because fortunes change quickly, and payback is a delicate flower. Once life teaches a lessen or two in the real economics of need, sickness, and death, one gains perspective pretty damn fast.

Love your post. Love your avatar picture even more.

TJones, please don't start with me again. Your last post to me was trashy and insulting.

You are agreeing "100%" with webdude and it is his view that we are only over in Iraq for "warprofiteering". Your previous post made it out to say that our military are the ones causing innocent little Iraqi girls to lose their families. When in reality, our troops do everything possible not to shoot any Iraqis, as the terms of engagement are clear, You do not fire unless fired upon, or if are in fear of immediate threat to your fireteam. Out of 1000s of skirmishes in the past 5 years in Iraq, there have apparently only been 1 or 2 instances where a fireteam went "rogue" and killed innocents without provacation. Sara, keep in mind that this is WAR, bad things happen in times of war.

Thanks for the newsflash, I am actually aware that this is a war. I agreed 100% with the following statement:

" (webdude @ Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 @ 12:33am)

Jeebus and also Ummm, mr not getting it,

First, don't try and lie again saying that their job is for protecting me from my enemies, that's what they sign up to do, but definitely not deployed to do.

And sure, they are creating a product, but for an artificial demand, made possible by wars, created courtesy of the government so they can have jobs. Still, welfare, just special blend.

And how sick is this. To continue the war so folks have jobs. Especially the bolded words of Jeebus."

I didn't say anything about why we are there in the first place, though I certainly have opinions about that. I don't know where you are getting your stats, but I've heard far more than 1 or 2 stories in the news about accidental deaths to civilians, and those are only the ones I've heard about. 1 or 2 accidental deaths in 5 years? Are you kidding me? Approximately 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died. Were they all pointing a gun at a soldier? I know our military aren't there to purposely kill civilians. I know this. I never suggested anything like this. But like you said, it's a war, and there are casualties. I'm just not okay with those casualties, as you seem to be.

I have been opposed to this war since before it began. I actively protested both Gulf Wars. You will never convince me that the deaths have been worth it, or are "acceptable casualties." Every Iraqi, and every American, killed is one too many.

(edited to try to correct formatting)

The contract with my listing agent expired August 31, my home in North Norhill didn't sell after 7 months on the market. There was around 30 showings, one open house, two price reductions, but the only offer was one from a potential flipper at $50K under asking price. Feedback from the showings was pretty limited, most didn't even fill out the survey, the ones that did were fairly vague on the house's shortcomings. Almost all liked the location, felt the price was in the correct range for the neighborhood, but no one bit. Anecdotatal evidence (not on the surveys) was that perhaps the porch being enclosed, the bright blue exterior paintjob, and the modernist kitchen may have been turnoffs. I'm really disappointed, no one puts their house on the market not to sell. I don't know who or what to blame. Is the house really an albatross, did my realtor not do his job?, or is the economy just in the pits right now? I've decided to do nothing for the immediate future. My options include starting again with a different realtor, digging in and continuing with some of the improvements I would like to do for my longterm happiness, and/or have someone tell me what to change to make my house more marketable. Any suggestions or observations would be welcomed.

I'm in the same boat, and can give you my thoughts, for what they are worth. I think the big problem is not your house, the pricing, or the Realtor (though I don't know much or anything about those factors, so they could be more at play than I think), but the market. We've gotten some extremely positive feedback but no offers. I think there are too many "bargains" out there due to foreclosures, so unless you're in a hot or at least strong neighborhood, it's tough to sell. I would have though North Norhill was a strong neighborhood, but maybe there's something that's making people hesitate--an unsavory business establishment nearby? a busy street?

My recommendation, and this is from a novice not a professional of course, is to hang in there a couple more months. Then if it still doens't sell, take it off the market for the winter, try a different exterior paint color, and put it back up for sale in March. You are lucky that you don't NEED to sell, so that's a good thing.

What a bummer, you have my sympathy. Personally, I'd like to give some bankers a good hard kick in the tookas for getting us into this real estate mess.

Perhaps her father and brothers shouldn't have been firing RPGs at the U.S. convoy driving by , then she wouldn't have had to have seen that sara.

The saddest part of your statement, is that you actually believe that is all our military is doing over there. Have you actually tried talking to someone in the military who has been to Iraq ?

I never said that I believe that is all our military is doing over there. I believe our service men and women are valiantly doing their jobs, trying to protect people, rebuild infrastructure, etc. I admire them extremely.

However, in the process, people are getting killed. Including innocent people. And if you truly believe that only bad men setting explosives are getting killed, you are the deluded one. I'm glad Saddam is gone, he was a terrible dictator. But I don't believe that the deaths that have ensued are worth his removal. And that hypothetical little girl would agree with me.

Jeebus and also Ummm, mr not getting it,

First, don't try and lie again saying that their job is for protecting me from my enemies, that's what they sign up to do, but definitely not deployed to do.

And sure, they are creating a product, but for an artificial demand, made possible by wars, created courtesy of the government so they can have jobs. Still, welfare, just special blend.

And how sick is this. To continue the war so folks have jobs. Especially the bolded words of Jeebus.

100% with you on that. I bet some little Iraqi kid who just watched her family get blown up would agree, too.

Ricco, there is absolutely NO WAY that she could, with a straight face, advocate abstinence. What, with 5 kiddos and a knocked-up 17 year old. What kind of message does that send ? "I can't teach my own daughter to stay away until she is married, so why should your kids listen to me ?"

Of course she can! She does, and she will. That's what's killing me about this. She opposes sex education other than abstinence, and she certainly opposes birth control. And you know that that doesn't mean she opposes it just for her family. It means she will work hard to make those the rules as far as her power allows her to.

Which is why I will not accept that her daughter's situation is a private matter. She won't allow others the privacy to make personal decisions with their bodies, so why should we respect her family's privacy?

Sorry, I am really having trouble getting off this particular soapbox today.

Well... now they can start calling her a devoted grandmother too.

Seriously though, quite the unfortunate situation for her daughter to be national news for getting pregnant (although at 5 months pregnant, the Palin and McCain people must have known... right?). Sucks for her.

It really is unfortunate. And I'd be the first to say it's none of our business, and it's the girl's choice what to do. EXCEPT, Palin wants to limit everybody's choice so that all of us, and our daughters, can only make the limited choice her daughter did. No birth control, no abortion. Choose: abstinence, or being a parent at age 17. So I'd say that what's happening in her family is very much our business. Get outta my bedroom and I'll get outta yours, Palin.

Damn, these people make me angry.

anybody see the news today that Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant? As if things weren't bad enough on that ticket...

But if the 11 year old is going to be poor, so what? Should we kill all babies who won't have a chance at middle or upper class America? And we haven't even brought up the option of adoption.

I think you have wildly missed the point. If this hypothetical 11-year-old is forced to carry a baby to term, deliver it, and grow up with the child that is a constant reminder of the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of the person meant to protect her, her quality of life would be affected by far more than poverty. Do you not understand what it would do a child to be forced to bear a child???? It is child abuse. And I'm not willing to accept government-inflicted child abuse to save the life of a fetus. There's no "good" outcome in this situation, but ethics demand that we take care of the children who are born before those unborn.

And I am done talking about this. We're not going to agree and you're only making me angry.

Exactly. How can I be empathetic if I'm not able to be inpregnated and have a child? I cannot put myself in her situation.

I can have sympathy though, and I do.

However, I'd have more sympathy towards a child who had his or her choice to live taken away from them. What about respect and sympathy for them?

Just because their mother was inpregnated by her father does not mean they don't have the right to live.

What about the other child in this question? the 11-year-old child? Are you willing to see her life completely wrecked to bring another child into the same messed up family situation?

this is my problem with typical pro-life advocates (and I am an atypical pro-lifer, since I am also pro-choice). It's all about respecting human life, until that life is born. Then nobody seems to care what happens to him or her. That's not respect.

And I so cannot believe that you don't see a problem with this scenario. It's nice that you feel good about it, but I think it is a monstrous & sick view to hold.

The Vogue cover is a really bad photo shop that's been floating around the internet for a while. The photo was created by some blogger and is nothing new, however very bogus. So it is true she was in Vogue but the photo above is a fake. You can view the actual Vogue photos HERE.

OMG, thank you for clearing that up. I was really having trouble getting past the fake Vogue cover. I'm so glad it's not real.

Here is one reason. I would find it much more important to tend to the needs of my 4 month old Down Syndrome child, over trying to help run the country.I would think that running a state would be hard enough at this point, let alone be the number two spot of America. I feel she is putting her political aspirations ahead of her family, and THAT I don't like.

I'm not going to judge her for her choices since I'm certain she knows better than me what her family needs.

However, I will say from experience that it is very tough to balance work and young children, and would be even tougher with a special needs child. So I agree with you in that sense. But if someone were to start saying that a woman SHOULDN'T have a particular job because of her family situation, that would be discrimination. We don't judge men's fitness to work based on their kids' needs, and we shouldn't for women.

At the very least, this choice should start some interesting discussions of issues like this one, and that's a good thing.

C) Tiny little back roads. And I'm not saying which ones.

D) Traverse the coast. Go toward Corpus Christi or Louisiana.

I live inside the loop in a high-and-dry location. But I'd evacuate anyway, taking advantage of days off work for some R&R. I won't be adding to congestion almost at all, though, because I move independently of the herd.

I don't see any reason to leave except the possibility of days without AC. Am I right in thinking that even at Cat 5 storm would weaken to Cat 4 at the most by the time it hit Houston, because of moving over a little bit of land? I think our home can withstand a Cat 4 storm. What I saw of the evacuation for Rita makes me think evacuating with small children would be less pleasant and more dangerous than staying.

Well, I thought Obama would give McCain a real race for the White House. I wasn't aware that McCain was gonna just GIVE IT AWAY to the Dems. WTH ??? Alaskan Gov. Palin is the GOP's pick ? Good Night Irene !!! OBAMA '08 it is I guess.

Just curious... why do you see it that way? Can you elaborate? I don't know anything about her.

In this morning's Chronicle:

The full article is here on the Chronicle website.

I'm thrilled to see ZipCar branching out into Texas, and hope they'll expand beyond this initial location on the Rice campus. The article says they're considering other locations, including the Texas Medical Center, Downtown, and UH. Services such as ZipCar are a key step in making Houston more livable for residents who choose not to own a car. I think it would also be great if ZipCar provided cars at some points adjacent to MetroRail lines or Transit Centers. They do that here in Atlanta

sarahiki = Sarah (obvious) + iki (2, in Turkish)

I did a project in Turkey and there were three Sarahs on a small team, so we got numbers. I'm Sarah Iki.

We have the Bible now. If anything someone wants to add is contradictory, then it's obvious it's not from God. He does not contradict himself.

Look, I respect your faith, but you're not going to convince anyone with logic that is so, well, illogical. That simply doesn't answer my question. God didn't write the books of the Bible in the first place. A person did.

My 1st day of college class starts I am excited. Does not feel like when High school starts it's a big diffrence! What do yall remember about what your 1st day of college was like? Thank God I dont have an 8:00am class like my twin and my roomate!!! That was my birthday gift to myself no early classes!

I go to PVAMU all the way out on 290. Not how I wanted to spend my 18th birthday all the way out here getting settled in my dorm but the club can wait. LOL

Advice from the prof:

Read the syllabus!!

Shoot, there are even "Christians" who believe in Jesus and/or the Bible but don't worship the true Jesus or believe what the Bible really says (they misinterpret the Bible). Take the Mormons for instance. They believe in Jesus and the Bible, yet they add extra stuff to the bible or leave important things out(a direct violation of Bible teachings, Revelation 22:18-19). They pick and choose. You can't do that.

But the Bible didn't just fall from heaven as a complete and finished document. Who, in your view, is the authority who determined that its current state is the absolute truth? It is a text that has gone through translations, revisions, additions, subtractions.... church leaders over the centuries have made decisions about what to include and what not to include. What makes those mortals different than the Mormons or Jews or anyone else who "picks and chooses," or adds and subtracts? What makes the mortal authorities you agree with more reliable than those whom others agree with?

huh, always found the Heights to be scruffy and full of nut cases. Anyone who calls this place elitist has either never seen much of the world or is demented

I adore both lattes and arugula. But I don't think I'm elitist. I had lunch at Jack in the Box yesterday.

I don't live in the Heights, but I would LIKE to live in the Heights. But I can't afford it. Maybe if I gave up the lattes and arugula....

sorry if im a bit ignorant, but does the name change mean that they will no longer be part of the UH system?

No, nothing would change but the name.

I like and was thinking the exact same thing before reading skyphens post:

University of Houston at Buffalo Bayou

somone should campaign/run with that

Bayou University?

Bayou City University?

I totally agree. I lived in Westbury for a little over 2 years and can honestly say it's one of the most gay friendly neighborhoods in Houston (including Montrose). On my street alone in Westbury 3, south of W. Bellfort and North of Ludington, there are (including me) 5 gay households (with one household with young kids) And around the corner another 2 same sex couples. Not to mention others that I seen around Westbury. The mixture of folks here is eclectic with mixture of retirees (original owners), young professionals (30-50), and all others that fall in between. The civic association, mostly retirees, are very active and have the desire to continue to bring the neighborhood to its former glory (best place to live) Since I've moved here, I've seen more and more people walking their dogs, jogging, and riding bikes (same sex, different sex, old, young, with kids, w/o kids). There are areas on the fringes mainly due to neglected apartments, which give the area a bit of an "edge". However, that'll even change (already began) as the area continues to get blended with professional middle class. I've got a feeling that with the high commuting gas prices and infrastructure proposed (connection of 610 to Ft. Bend toll road among others mentioned in earlier posts), the area will absolutely excel.....It's a super neighborhood!

What do you Westbury residents think of the crime incidents around Bellfort and Fondren... I think there was a gang shooting there the other day? Does that crime happen only on the main streets, and near the apartments, or does it trickle into the neighborhoods?