My ex-girlfriend is going through this very issue now. She had a two year relationship with a woman after we broke up. She's now on her second male relationship since that time. This guy is a Republican, conservative, hunter, Christian -- the full meal deal. (And, no, don't ask me why she's attracted to him. I have no idea.) She has told him that she's "been with" women, but he assumes that it was just experimental. She thinks he'll flip out if she tells him it was a two year deal. That's an interesting distinction that may make a difference to some. Neither her nor there for me as I don't have a dog in the fight with the two of them.

But to me, it doesn't seems dishonest not to mention it. But it does seem dishonest to hide it if the subject comes up. And if a long term relationship is potentially in the offing, honesty does seem to be -- how shall I say this -- at least a tad bit important.

There is really no need to demean the no doubt heartfelt Christian beliefs of this gal's parents. You and I may not share their beliefs. But that does not necessarily meant that her parents do not honestly, and deeply, believe in their version of right and wrong/ heaven and hell, etc. Sneering at them behind their back, making jokes at their expense, or denigrating their sincerity is not going to solve anything.

This gal just has to be tolerant where her parents are somewhat inflexible and intolerant. She just needs to be a bigger person than they are. And in fact, that's shouldn't really that hard. (And in fact, it seems pretty obvious to this casual observer.)

If you "currently have a progressive, wonderful therapist [you] treasure," why on earth are you asking some dime store advice columnist,(much less the great unwashed that writes these letters)?

Ask your therapist, for God's sake. That's what professionals are for.

While these stats may hold up for Presidential elections, they offer cold comfort to the Democratic party when it comes to Congressional elections. The party must not only win the Presidential race. It needs to expand it's thin majorities in the House and in the Senate. Doing that will require some attention to middle of the road voters and some erosion into traditional Republican demographic groups, especially if the party wants to hold on to Bue Dog seats in the South.

It pisses me off to no end to see liberal members of the party complain about Blue Dog Democrats and other moderates (who are far more conservative than I am, too, by the way). But without them, there is no majority in either the House or the Senate. A party has to be a coalition of broad interest groups and ideologies or it just doesn't work. If you need any evidence of that, you need look no further than today's Republican party which has abandoned it's moderates.

Unfortunately, the strip is a pretty accurate take on the sorry state of the U.S. airline industry. The only thing that makes flying tolerable is if you fly enough (or pay enough) to get upgraded to first class. But back in cattle class it's dog eat dog. And they wonder why they're going broke!!

And yes, larger flyers, bless their hearts, have to take all the shit that we do, and then some. I'm 5' 11" and 200 lb. and it's hard enough for me to fold into a cattle class seat. For someone who is seriously overweight -- not just 20 lbs. or so -- it must be horribly uncomfortable.

Nothing will fix this until the Federal government legislates a Passenger Bill of Rights. And frankly, I'm for that bill including regulations on seat width and seat pitch (the distance between seats). If it cases fares to go up a bit, I'm all for it. Avoiding the discomfort, and the illnesses (such as deep vein thrombosis) are well worth the cost in my opinion.

If Toobin believes that, he's clearly a fool. And probably a fool with an agenda.

He remarks remind me of an old saying: "I can't hear what you're saying, because your actions are speaking too loud."

If Sen. Clinton is so outraged, why is she the most hawkish of the Democratic Presidential candidates? Why did she wait to see which way the wind was blowing before making up her mind to be for a withdrawal (or is she even for it now)?

John Edwards is the class act of the Democratic field. He saw early on that he had been mislead into voting for the war initially, but instead of blaming that on others, he stood up and took responsibility for his vote in plain and honest terms -- "I made a mistake." Senator Clinton couldn't string such a simple, elegant sentence together if her life depended on it.

If it is truly your apartment, and your name is on the lease, I'd tell them to hit the bricks and don't let the door hit them in the ass ont he way out. Here's your hat, what's your hurry, etc.

Of course, if you value the friendship more than you value you apartment, you might bite the bullet and go, but I wouldn't give a plug nickel for a friend like that. If the poor guy had come with his hat in his hand and said something to the effect that "I know it's asking a lot," "We both understand, and no hard feelings is you say no," "Just wondering if you might be able to accommodate us," etc. it would be different. But this SOB has the unmitigated gall to ask you to leave your own place. Tell him to bugger off and get the hell out!