...and right in the bottom of the 'fly' section was a Live Strong ad from Lance Armstrong, reminding me to get examined regularly for testicular cancer.

*************

Ok, that didn't actually happen (Speedo tighties just don't look good on me =), but if Live Strong did wanna insert a prostate cancer or testicular cancer message in men's underpants, I don't think it would be such a bad thing. Weird, yes...ignored by many, maybe...but not a bad idea, I suppose.

Yes, none of us are saintly and perfect.

Does this mean we must always turn a blind eye to other people's bad decisions and hurtful choices?

I have told my share of lies in my lifetime.

Does that mean I cannot criticize George Dubya Bush for lying to sell the nation on a war that has killed thousands...because, y'know, that would be like "casting stones"??

I tried smoking pot once.

Does that mean I should be nothing but gentle and sympathetic to a meth addict neighbor who steals from everyone around him and endangers others by driving while hopped up/drunk? Cause, y'know, that would make me a hypocrite who casts stones??

I said a insulting comment to my good friend once.

Does that mean I have to coddle the LW - there there, you poor innocent thing, NONE of this was your fault - when she fucks the man who her "alleged" best friend is in love with? Or else I'm being a stone-casting meanie?

Sheesh.

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To the LW: You very clearly are NOT this woman's best friend.

Why? Because a best friend does not fuck your fiance. Simple enough for ya?

Friendships - like any relationship - can have ups and downs. But the underlying bond at the core of a friendship...that empathy between the two persons...is what sustains a friendship over any rocky terrain.

NOTHING in your letter indicates that you have any such GENUINE empathy for this woman.

You are not her best friend. You probably never were.

And...at the risk of the other Salon commenters casting stones at me...here's a reality check, sweetie:

Nobody forced you to sleep with this man. You made an ACTIVE choice to behave like this.

And yes, you should be ashamed of yourself.

And yes, you didn't just make a "mistake" - you ruined the life of someone who cared for you in a way you could never reciprocate.

And yes, you are a bad person for doing that.

And you should seek therapy and find a means of atonement - so that you become a good person.

And yes, you should come clean to your "best friend" - and then spare her your continued presence in your life.

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FINALLY: do not befriend anyone else until you become a better person. The way you currently are/act, nobody deserves to endure having you in their life. NOBODY. Capiche?

Corporations have only one Number 1 priority: To turn a profit - as quickly and largely as is possible. This is the very nature of business.

With corporate-run healthcare, the well-being and lives of patients ("customers"?) will always be a #2 priority at best.

Yes, yes, yes...the HMOs will say that patients and profits are both priorities. And that they are not mutually exclusive.

In some cases (e.g. fitness drives, incentives for quitting smoking) they are right.

But at the end of the day: Profits will always be first over people.

********************

The solution? I don't know that it has to be single-payer...

But it MUST be non-profit.

Also, as far as doctor's salaries: didn't ANY of you guys watch the movie "Sicko"??

The doctor in London - who works under a single-payer system - wasn't exactly hurting for cash. Michael Moore humorously points this out by asking, "so, do you have to depend on public transport??"

Cut to the scene of this UK doc driving his new Audi, and living in a luxorious townhome with his fiancee.

He's rich - just not as obscenely rich as his US counterparts.

One of the best parts of livin' in the Midwest?

A pitcher of cold Leinenkugel's summer brews on a hot July evening. Ahhh....

I understand y'all feel the need to maintain hipster e-zine credentials - and what better way to do that than to bash a critic-proof mainstream blockbuster that everybody else gives positive reviews....

BUT SERIOUSLY: isn't it a bit of overkill to have three articles on your website (Wolk, O'Heir, Zacharek) dedicated to ripping on "The Dark Knight"?

I mean, c'mon - Salon as a whole hasn't focused such glaring scorn on one thing/person since Barack Obama had Broadsheet, Walsh & Conason's panties all in an enraged bunch for daring to fight Hillary for the nomination.

***************

Sheesh - methinks ALL of you need to get over your issues with dark (& dark-clad) men...

Why so serious (...and pissy)?? =)

FWIW: The Dark Knight broke the opening-day B.O. record. Clearly, your 3 bashing articles had their intended effect...

Leisure Suit Larry???

It wasn't even graphic (no pun intended), but ahhhh, the scandal! The scandal!

Featuring special cameos by Airwolf and AutoMan??

What male in the Western Hemisphere aged 25-35 would NOT wanna go see it on opening night?? =)

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As for the ladies: well, maybe there's a Square Pegs vs. She-Ra movie that will be made for you gals...with cameos by the Cabbage Patch kids. So, take heart!

(I keed, I keed...really! =)

Dick Cheney shot a guy in the face?!? Awesome! Epic!

Thousands of people killed in my unjustified war in Iraq? Brutal...