Yeah but this is the comment section where people argue that women should be prostitutes and strippers to get through college and that it's not demeaning or cruel. Or, that they should work as call girls with their college degrees and that's just another job, not a really sad comment on the state of women's progress, that you can have a college degree and make better money in a brothel.

So how are you going to argue against entering beauty pageants to pay for college with this crowd?

If we found out that Sarah Palin had been a call girl, the rubes on this thread would still be calling her "empowered". They are anti-feminists who have appropriated the lingo of feminism, and nothing makes any difference in their twisted minds, a place where stripping, prostitution, and cattle show beauty pageants are all "good for women because we said so". No examination of what these activities actually do to or mean for women.

Sarah Palin doesn't care about women, or about using her T and A to get ahead, but she shouldn't be too surprised when the rest of us don't respect her very much for it. This is normal, and the twitterers on this thread who think every cute young thing should have to be a hooker to get through college are not normal--just mean dirty old men who are not getting laid.

And this means what exactly?

Is it the magical age at which women become non-human, no longer needing love, companionship, or sex?

Or does everybody just expect an old bag to have given up by then?

This attitude is just what I am talking about.

It's too late for this now, but I really believe that when the kid later-to-be-killer was getting the crap beat out of him by his abusive father, somebody should have called Child Protective Services and aggressively pursued having the boy removed from the home. People don't do this because they "don't want to get involved".

Take this as a cautionary tale, all of you who are witnessing abuse and doing nothing about it. While you are busy being nice neighbors, that abused kid may be growing up into a twisted sociopath who will, you know, walk over some evening and beat you to death and take all your money. Yes, even if you were nice and taught him to read or gave him some hand me down clothes or baked him cookies or whatever. He will still hurt either you or somebody else, probably lots of people. Guaranteed.

For God's sake if you can see a child being beaten and hear him screaming for help, GIVE THAT HELP. Call the friggin' police, get involved, make the Neanderthal dad next door mad at you, get mad yourself for that kid's sake. Of course if you sit out on your porch and do nothing for the sake of appearances, that child's growing rage will include you. Why shouldn't it? You're also guilty. The LW's dad is also culpable for the abuse that went on under his nose next door--I'm not saying that to be mean, it's just a fact.

If you want to do nothing, go ahead, but you know, karma might turn out to be a bitch, you know?

Palin has accused Obama of being a scary black terorist who dares to "think America is imperfect"....

But Palin's own husband, whom she has shown no signs of disagreeing with, is a member of a freaking secessionist movement for God's sake! And Palin thinks America is "perfect"? Are we to believe that?

Somebody needs to ask the Palins why they hate America so much, and this time it would be a real, legit question.

He's turned you into his nanny and housekeeper, and instead of wondering how you ended up being a domestic servant for life and not even being paid for it, you're thinking all this other gobbledygook. Don't make it overly complicated. He's using you.

I like Allie's letters usually, but the fact is abusers don't change. Yes sometimes, an abusive parent stops beating their kid when said kid gets big enough to beat up the parent in turn--I've heard that story. Let's face it, bullies are also cowards and they fear receiving the same treatment they mete out. Allie's dad decided to stop beating the shit out of his kid when a horse broke six of his ribs? Oh very good then! All is forgiven. All we need now is a horse to stomp on the LW's boyfriend.

Really, I don't think he's going to change--just make a plan and leave as Cary said. If you're young and childfree you will find someone better.

Oh and just because it hasn't turned physically abusive yet, doesn't mean it won't.

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy *snark*.

And the others are right--the words "Arab" and "Socialist" should not be insults, either independently or in combination with each other--there are Arab socialists, too, you know. Qaddafi and Saddam Hussein both established secular Arab socialist governments, which is the main reason Americans have been carefully taught to hate them so much--repressive right wing monarchies are much more to the liking of the U.S.