Ms. Schuler decided to drive. She also decided to drink, for whatever reason. She then, as the drive progressed, decided to drink more. And, as they say, the drink took a drink. Before long, Diane Schuler was blind drunk, with five kids in the car, and not long after that she was killing seven people, in addition to herself. Pretty fucked up, but it's the way alcohol can work. Was Diane Schuler a monster? Probably not, but her behavior was monstrous. And, too, alcohol is monstrous.

Not a man/woman issue.

If Diane Schuler were a man, I would judge him the same way. I also don't see it as a law issue. Had Diane Schuler lived, she'd have deserved to have been charged with negligent homicide of seven people. Figuring out how she came to kill seven, though, is a worthwhile task.

You make a good point. We're told that any alcohol can lead to drunken fatalities, which is true (I can definitely see how someone buzzed on say, four drinks, could think it's a good idea to run a red light, with devestating results), but I find it hard to believe that, if she were merely buzzed, Schuler would have driven so absolutely out of control as she did.

When I read the original article in "Marie Claire" (at the gym!), a few weeks ago, my heart just sank. I'm hardly in the best shape of my life, but I do work out religiously, and what the author of this repulsive article whines about is one of my fears- that my body will not measure up enough for nude showing in the ladies' room. I couldn't help but notice that the naked woman who sent the author into a concussion was a large one. Furthermore, I actually work at a gym, where I see a lot of women who suffer even worse self esteem issues than I do. It's HARD to start working out when you think everyone's going to be staring at you, either on the gym floor or in the locker room. While I believe (and tell others) that few people are going to be paying too much attention to you, an article like this doesn't help to reinforce that. Women who are struggling to take care of themselves do not need an article like this.

Can I also say this article was just stupidly written? What an embarrasment. All the forced, trying to be hip language. The emphasis on how she saves her nudity for her husband, because that, after all, is what nudity is for! I won't even get into the Tailhook business. What a loser of an article.

So far as illegals getting health care, has Rep. Wilson realized the consequences of them not getting it? An illegal with untreated TB will infect all sorts of legal, "worthy" citizens. Even if you don't give a fuck for the well being of illegals, it's not like legals are immune to the risks of not treating illegals.

if a lot of senior folk aren't operating under the belief that they're only getting out what they paid in (maybe someone could explain how this works for, say, housewives, who never worked outside the home and thus never paid into social security?). Of course, the fact is, people are exhausting what they paid into social security after a couple of years or so- the system is absolutely unsustainable -but I can see seniors claiming they paid into the system in good faith, were being told they'd be provided for in their old age. Maybe it's unfair to remind seniors of how much more they're getting out of the system than they gave, but it needs to be done.

to hear the word "stick" for a long time without laughing. I'm beginning to see why I like people sometimes- they're ridiculous! In the LW's defense, I'm sure I've been just as ridiculous as she on occasion. It all seems so SERIOUS when it's happening to you.

As for that stick (giggles), I believe the LW should honor it by using it to hold up a large and meticulously constructed model of her dreadful neighbor. Put effort into that model- work on it day and night. Make it look just like she who shall not be named. Then exhaust the nail gun- let those nails fly into every part of your model neighbor. A voodoo doll on steroids, and hung on the STICK- what better gift to leave on your neighbor's lawn?

Yeah, the fact that Portman signed the Polanski petition would lead me to believe that she does, in fact -despite her protests to the contrary -not care a bit about whatever cruelly obtained cuts of flesh are set upon her dinner table. Just following her argument all the way through.

It's not Portman's comparison of meat eating to rape that has me irked. I don't agree with her that the grave abuse of humans equals the grave abuse of animals (and while I think that the mass production of food animals via factory farms is absolutely a grave abuse of animals, I also think animals can be raised in a way that's not abusive), but I can see how someone can come by that opinion honestly. The fact that Portman compares meat eating to rape, something which she, by signing the Polanski petition, signifies that she does not take seriously- well, that just does not compute, and to me it makes her whole argument blow up. Saying something is serious by comparing it to something you've shown you don't take seriously simply does not work.

I agree that eating a diet free of animal products need not be expensive- really, meat eating needs to be a lot more expensive than it is. In addition to being cruel, the way most food animals are raised is absolutely unsustainable.