especially wher it applies to the woman in Applebys and the woman the plane.

1. Booth, back corner of restaurant, window side of booth. Family between her and restaurant. Several feet between her table and next.

2. Airline seat with high back. Windw seat. Husband on aisle seat.

How much staring does one have to do before seeing anything in the few seconds it takes to et the baby latched? More than is commonly polite, I'd warrant. But clearly, the women are total exhibitionists who need attention and are out to destroy everyone's day by making a big stink over nothing. And not the poor, wounded pople who need to occupy the same restaurant or air plane where somewthing that reminds them of sex is happening.

God, how do they go out in public, knowing that everyone is naked under their clothes? Everyone else had best stay home.

I'm not sure why everyone is all worked about the blanket idea either. A mom nursing without the blanket, at first glance, looks like a woman simply holding her baby. A woman draping a blanket over herself signals to the public "I am breast feeding."

I suspect those who object to "gross public display" would still be creeped out by seeing the woman with a blanket. Because they *know* what's going on uderneath that blanket.

And no one has shon me how a woman nursing her baby violates any one else's right to anything but prudery. Which isn't constitutionally guaranteed, last time I checked.

"The simple fact is that nursing mothers do sometimes occupy public spaces and then expect everyone not to look and to give them a wide berth. This is an inconvenience."

If by "wide berth" you mean calling the authorities over and insisting they leave or cover up, then you and I are in a greement. But you seem to be conflating 2 things.

1. a nursing mom in a public space does naturally give up some privacy. No one *forces* a mom to nurse in public, so if she wants more privacy, she can choose to leave.

2. You, or anyone else, going over to that woman and telling her how offended you are is a great inconvenience to the mom, the baby, the management, and the other customers. If you are offended, don't look. Leave. Or grow up.

3. Nursing in public is not about you. Insisting women not nurse in ublic, or that thhey toe the line to whatever your definition is discreet, is all about you. Your hang-ups, your preferences, your issues. Your narcissism.

4. And again, explain again how a nursing mom is denying anyone their right to occupy a public space?

for your logical argument.

My favorite bit was when Ms LaShawn said "Jimmy Carter was president before I hit puberty, so I wouldn't know about him." Of course. Because anything that happened before we were teenagers can't possibly be useful in forming decisions today.

"What's really amazing is that some people think their right to the public space trumps everybody else's right to the public space"

Ok, to be symantically correct, how does my nursing a baby "trump [your] right to the public space"? What "right" of yours is being trrumped? Your "right" to not see anything at all that might offend your fastidious sensibilities, about the human body, or grammar?

There are plenty of people here who say nursing in public is gross, offensive and self-aggrandizing. There are several posters who say that nursing moms should "just" bring a bottle when in public, or should stay home instead of nursing in public. There are several posters eho say that women should nurse in the bathroom instead. There are even posters who have suggested that all mothers are narcissists whose only thought, then nursing a baby, is bout how wonderful the mother is, and not about anything else, and more than one poster who has red to mothers as "breeders."

I think I can accurately call thse posters "anti-public-nursers" and the "breeder" folks just plain anti-woman.

Herring it may be, but it ain't red.

As for you, I think you're being disingenuious. I call your "if she'd only been more discreet" idea a figleaf. Clearly, a blanket is not enough for those who want the women to stay ome. Staying home isn't enough for the likes of BBWlover who doesn't think children are worth having. So, if we are now to all modify our public begavior to the most prudish among us, where can we get our Burquas?

the great Cindy Sheehan blocking the doors to a medical facility and denying medical care to people with appointments. I remember that day well!

Civil disobedience rom prolifers I'd be happy to see: a birth-in on the lawn of a Planned Parenthood clinic.