Jesus, self-righteous much?

What the hell is it with people who feel they have to jam THEIR beliefs down other people's throats. Look, honey, YOU might be willing and/or able to spend huge amounts of money on your pet, but not everybody sees the world the way you do. Some of us don't have that kind of money AT ALL, to spend on ANYTHING. Yeah, yeah, I know - "then you shouldn't have pets!" Nice. So all those abandoned dogs and cats should just sit in the pound until they get killed rather than spend a few years with someone who'll love them, right? Reminds me of those puffed-up "rescue" people who think it's better to keep a cat in a cage in their "facility" for months rather than let them go to a home that's less than their idea of "perfect".

Folks like you think the love of a pet is priceless, but seem to put no value at all on the love of the HUMAN who takes the cat or dog in. I think if you'd ask the animal whether that love is worth anything, you'd get a different answer. Whether they'd prefer to live a life on the street, or a few weeks crowded in with other strays in a pound, only to die in some unpleasant way, or whether they'd prefer to live with someone who'll feed and shelter and care for them, even if only for a while. I know which one I'd choose. How about you?

Thanks to the Asshole in Chief, this female reader will be using her check to do things like pay the electricity bill. It's been YEARS since I could spend such a windfall on frivolous crap. Like a huge number of people in this country, I can't afford to think about luxuries; it's hard enough just to keep my head above water.

But then, what with the hard-on this administration has for waterboarding, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that we're all drowning.

For all those who sniff and scoff at California, this post is a must-read. Yeah, we're not "the heartland". Yeah, we can be kooky and nutty. But we lead the nation on some pretty damned important stuff. The rest of you want a clue? Watch what we do and then follow us.

Because Bush and his cadre of assholes certainly don't give a flying fuck if they leave a polluted sinkhole of a country behind them. For all our supposed craziness, I thank the gods I live here. At least we're sane about the stuff that counts.

I once took a dog in because he'd injured his foot, expecting that the vet would treat the wound and bandage him up. He did, and then told me they'd taken x-rays of his WHOLE BODY, and were now saying I had to get him surgery for some hip condition or other. The dog had never shown any signs of trouble moving about, but this guy wanted me to pay $3,000 to get this supposed problem fixed. I freaked out, told them they had no right to extort money from me for something I had NOT asked for, and demanded that they return the dog to me. They did, reluctantly. We went home, the dog lived another six years without any "hip trouble" and died an old guy.

Oh, and the next day I asked my friend who used to be a vet nurse about it, and she sighed. "Yeah, they'll do that," she said. "Fishing for extra money. But it's not legal or binding. When you take an animal in, you're only obligated to consider the cost of whatever you took the animal in for. And you're not under any obligation to accept any treatment you can't afford. The pet belongs to you, and you're the only one who can determine what will happen to it. It was good you stuck to your guns."

Don't let anybody tell you what you can or can't have done to your animal. Vets and people in that business have become experts at guilt-tripping you into doing what they want, paying exorbitant amounts of money for these treatments, many of which (as the author noted) are unnecessary. If we can't afford medical treatment for ourselves, who the hell are they to insist that we lavish ridiculous amounts of money on our pets??

This country has gone insane, I swear.

It's a sweet story and all, and I sure sympathize. But...is that all? It ended kind of abruptly there, and I had the impression the writer had more to say. Pity.

Jeez, dude, gullible much? Since when is Drudge a reliable reporter of anything?

I'm in L.A., and there was no problem at all where I went. Smooth lines, everything working fine.

Methinks you've been had, man. Next time, check with somebody not known for Fox-style scare-mongering, OK?

because media snipes like YOU kept going on and on about stupid crap that didn't mean anything, eh? Maybe if he'd been given half a chance from the beginning by media attention whores like YOU he might have been our candidate.

But NO. You all had to go for the glamour candidates. How can we assure our "place in history" (that's a laugh) by hitching our wagons to the one who'll win? How can WE get the most attention? How can WE make sure we're seen as cool?

No, Traister. Don't even fucking go there. If Edwards lost out, it's because of people like YOU. So quit your bitching and suck it up. You don't know who to vote for? Boo to the motherfucking HOO. You should've put your money where your mouth now is, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.

No sympathy here, kid. Not the slightest iota. Go cry to your mama, you ain't getting any pats on the back here.