One of the reasons that women's incomes fall behind is absence from the workplace for issues related to childcare and pregnancy. Sad to say, but in a competitive workplace gaps on your resume for any reason arouse suspicion. In a humane workplace environment, people would be considered responsible and worthy if they took time off to breastfeed, to parent, or to care for sick family members. They would be considered loving and responsible people for taking this care whether they were men or women.

We do not have such a workplace. Moreover, the women who are checking your groceries, stamping your utility bill as paid, and helping you solve your computer problems over the telephone have as much right to make their own reproductive choices as you do. They just cannot afford to take a year of unpaid leave to breastfeed.

Every month a mother breastfeeds improves the health of her child. So consider, would you rather have her expressing milk in the workplace or would you rather have her on welfare? Would you rather she keep her job and manage to improve her child's health not only by breastfeeding but by being able to afford health care for her child, or would you rather be paying for the resulting health problems of the children of low income workers?

As to those who don't want to take up the slack for co-workers, I hope people recognize you for the mean-spirited people that you are and never take up any slack for you when you become ill.

Think you won't? You'd better read up on health matters and disability. Someday you may need some help when you break your leg skiing or acquire back problems due to an auto accident.

or sometimes honey, or sometimes even sugar.

It doesn't mean a thing because it's really not about gender. It is more about being Southern. Texas is an interesting case in point because toward the Eastern side of it you get this Deep South sensibility and to the Western side there is more of a cowboy/Western sensibility. The is really no such thing as a standard Texas accent. We can tell each other apart.

When my mother moved from the Southwestern US to Texas, the endearments drove her crazy, and probably because of her voice she was sometimes called sweetie.

My own accent is more Southern. As you move toward West Texas you get the hard nasal twang. To my ears, it can be quite unpleasant, especially if a woman's voice is also loud. I confess that I hate loud in either men's or women's voices. I actually cringe when I hear loud voices. However, because I have taught, I have learned to project my own voice.

People have so many prejudices about voices and accents that are mostly silly. For instance, in academia, people with Southern accents are considered stupid. In the South, New Yorkers are generally considered abrupt and rude.

Over the years, I have come to appreciate variety, both in people's voices and their outward appearance and manners. I try not to prejudge people because people fascinate me. Who knows what I might miss if I let assumptions get in the way.

One thing I enjoy about Salon is that who I am here is somewhat different that who I am in daily life. This is because feminists, religious doubters, and liberals simply could not easily survive in the small town where I have moved. I am here to do a bit of research. Sometime this summer, I plan to go to church. I will put on my best manners. ;)

Here I get to be a BITCH!

If I were to use the N-word here at Salon I would be out on my ass pronto. That is because it is an ugly dehumanizing word. Similarly, the word breeder is dehumanizing and when it is substituted for the word mother or father serves a pejorative function to those words.

Whether to motive of those using the word is promote zero population growth or to win an argument, I consider their use of the word no better than when bigots use the N-word. To me, if they use that word, they have already lost the argument because they have resorted to name-calling.

By doing so, they have practically placed themselves in the same category as a certain poster who is always shrieking about the Patriarchy and who, when he gets angry enough, makes sexual suggestions to his opponents.

I am a little bemused at the idea of certain people calling up their parents on Mother's Day or Father's Day and saying "Happy Breeders Day!"

I don't want to be too harsh however. Maybe they simply have never met their parents or despise their parents.

Salon needs to de-tabloid its headlines. Often the headlines and staff lines do not reflect the article or they are just plain hysterical, as is the one above. People sometimes get in a tiz reacting to the headlines as much as the articles.

In the world of online predation, there is not one predator per child. It is stupid to even think in those terms. Instead there are predators who reach many children. It is not as if these folks are looking for monogamy with children. They usually want short term relationships. When the child no longer looks eight, eleven, or fourteen, or whatever age range is their preference, then will look for new victims.

Child porn and internet predation against children are closely linked. Often the people posting porn, which now can be live, are also "trading" images of their own children being molested. Then they arrange meet-ups.

Naturally, if you are going to give a laptop to every child then safety issue should be considered. However, I will worry a bit more about it when every child has a lunch.