I had a baby in Louisville Kentucky this past October, and I've been breastfeeding him ever since.

Because I live in a rather conservative part of the country--and because I'd heard my own family make comments about others nursing in public in the past--I feared the worst. Newspaper articles about women being harangued, cited, and arrested for public indecency while nursing babies didn't help any.

So I armed myself with information and prepared to fight a ground war for lactating moms. Well, I'm glad I was ready with my defenses, but the truth is I haven't needed any. I've nursed my baby at home, in other people's houses, in parks, in restaurants, on planes, on the beach, and everywhere else I've been for the past nine months. I've nursed in front of family and friends, in front of kids and grandparents, around men and women alike. I haven't always been discreet about it, and I've never encountered so much as a nasty stare. (A few uncomfortable glances from my brothers, maybe, but that's all.)

At first I used a cover all the time, but by the time my son got squirmier and the weather got warmer, my wrap became a thing of the past and discretion flew out the window. I try to wear clothes that work well for nursing, and I position myself carefully wherever I am, but anyone who wants to get an eyeful certainly can.

And yet, no censorious looks or comments have come my way. In fact, in recent months I've even heard family members defend public breastfeeding as though they can't remember a time when it made them uncomfortable.

The lessons I'm taking away from this experience are, in no particular order:

1. The message about breastfeeding is out there.

2. Most people can be eased into public nursing if you give them time and a chance to get used to it.

3. If the nursing mother seems comfortable, odds are so will those around her.

So far as I can tell, the haters are far outnumbered. There may be many obstacles between a would-be nursing mother and success, but the fear of public disapproval or castigation need not be one of them. Nurse away!

What year is it exactly?

I'm not amused that any of this is "kind of kinky." Reading about three paragraphs in the HOH (Head of Household) section was enough to show the truly colors of at least the men here. They get off on control. It's that simple.

The complicated part is how they carefully phrase things and use scripture to promote what looks to me like systematic spouse abuse while making it look godly or consensual. My vote is that it's neither, and that these women have been brainwashed their entire lives to think such behavior is acceptable.

I grew up Orthodox Jewish and railed against the inequity of the sexes in that culture. But I gotta say, for sheer offensiveness, these lunatics have the Orthodox of my childhood beat by a landside.

But the real question for me is how long before one of these Christian ladies offs her dear HOH and then uses a battered wife defense in court?

I'm 38 years old and a life-long liberal Democrat. In twenty years of voting in national elections, I've never had a chance to feel this good about my party's candidates or their chances in the November election. On that stage last night, I saw candidates who were not weak, not running as someone other than themselves, and not tearing each other apart in debates so rancorous that they did the Republicans dirty work for them.

Maybe it took seven years of the current disastrous administration to make Democrats work together. I don't know, but I do know that this is the best I've felt about my party's candidates and chances since I've been able to vote.

I could not agree more with Schaller that Blitzer was the sole loser on that stage last night, clearly trying as he was to get candidates out of a thoughtful discussion and into personal attacks. He wanted drama to prop up ratings; I'm thrilled that neither candidate took the bait.

I have been an Edwards supporter, and I watched this debate last night in an effort to figure out which candidate to support now. Frankly, I still don't know. As I suspected, Hillary came across as the better policy wonk, and Obama came across as a natural leader and an amazingly gifted orator. Contrary to their reputations, though, Obama last night backed up some of his big ideas with reasonable detail, and Hillary--safe from attack--let her funny and engaging side show.

So I still don't know who will get my vote when Kentucky primary comes around this spring, but I do know that if they keep this up, I'll be able to cast my vote come November without having to hold my nose while I do it.