How bereft this child must have been to agree to have sex with all of these males. I wonder if the loser bee-otches on the porch could step outside their pathetic lives for a moment to feel for a girl who has lost her mother from a disease that she also is infected with. If there's any justice in this world, some of the men will have HIV too.

You wrote:

"After being reviewed by many doctors and scientists the GOVERNMENT had hired to DISPROVE the Polings case, the government concluded that yes, in fact, vaccines HAD caused Hannah Poling's autism by triggering an underlying mitochondrial illness she had, which was a genetic condition."

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This is typical of the sloppy analysis we see when it comes to Autism. Hannah Poling had a mitochondrial disorder that could (and probably would) have been triggered by ANY illness. Did you miss that part?

Many children have reactions to vaccines, ranging from prolonged crying jags to illness and lethargy. I knew that by reading my Pediatric Guide. Very, very few experience the serious reaction that can trigger symptoms like Hannah Poling. But then Hannah Poling, like your child possibly, was not really HEALTHY. She certainly wasn't what one would call normal. She only appeared to be healthy until her genetic disorder manifested. That was the real key to her Autism-like symptoms.

I am all for government studies of vaccines and examining links to Autism or any other disorder. However it does no one any good to look for someone or something to simply blame when the evidence suggests a far more complex web of causation.

Dieting is just one more step further away from the intent and purpose of marriage. Right along with the too-expensive dresses you'll only wear once. The focus is on the individual, not the partnership that is needed to make the thing work.

For me the answer is incredibly clear: they all should pay. Just because the mores in this particular community were low, we should not pretend that it mitigates in any way the abuse this girl suffered. This abuse is undoubtedly not what she simply endured in that house that day, but the shame and feelings of worthlessness that made her an easy victim.

As for the exact details of the crime, I can fill you in on one that is notable. This young girl was infatuated with one of her perpetrators who lured her into having relations with all of the others. This perpetrator was not a MALE but a teenage GIRL who appeared quite masculine. I believe she was 16 yrs old and thought this whole ordeal was amusing in some way. I think she was tried as a minor but I might be wrong on that. Do I think this girl should be in jail? Hell yes. Again, she knew better.

But the real low-lifes of the bunch were the men, the adult males who could and should have stopped the behavior of the teenagers. Instead, they participated. I'm sure doing 10 years in state prison isn't what they think they should be doing either. Oh well. I can sleep a little better tonight knowing that this bunch of losers is safely locked away until their young children and relatives are of an age to protect themselves.

If McCain wanted to be clear on this issue, he would be.

Cary, the advice to the LW was a little off. No true friend would ever do what this woman has done to her alleged friend. There are just some things you don't do.

If you have millions, I dare say the prices that have steadily climbed on stuff like gas and groceries probably doesn't do much to hurt your bottom line. So, to be fair, people like Gramm might not know what it feels like for the rest of us. However, I hope someone has had a long talk with him since his unfortunate speech about the way the economy is hurting the middle class and poor. I doubt it was John McCain though, he probably hasn't a clue what a grocery bill looks like much less how it can eat away at a budget if prices continue to rise.

They do a whole hell of a lot better than either teen or young mothers in their early 20's. I'd also love to know what this research says about the outcomes for the CHILDREN of teen moms.

Good point.

There 's also another point to be made about cost. Children born into poverty face a higher rate of negative outcomes than other children. Let's just start with one, the biggest, most miserably expensive one: incarceration. Anyone got any numbers on the rate of incarceration for children born into teen poverty?

I would agree that the incidence of older women abusing younger boys is underreported. However, it is prosecuted and prosecuted vigorously in most cases. The world sees these women for what they are which is predators.

No, not a good idea in light of the Republican attack machine poised to savage Obama in the fall. I hope Obama can bury McCain and the GOP by forcing them to spend in areas they thought were safe and maybe, just maybe we'll have a chance to end this war in Iraq and put our country on a proper course again.

I'm a huge fan of Mirren's from her Prime Suspect days. She's a dynamite actress and beautiful too.

The GOP needs to grow up. What they're really scared of is Obama displaying high-order thinking skills in a wide public forum, proving yet again that Bush is a very dim bulb. By extension, McCain who agrees with Bush on so many issues is also a dim bulb.

ITA. I'm sure that when the press turns its laser focus on McCain the whining and moaning will be, "Why is McCain getting all the attention while Obama get s free pass?"