...is not that assholes make mistakes and everyone else doesn't. It's that assholes make mistakes and refuse to learn from them, to attempt to fix them, or to even admit they were mistakes. Thus they go on to more and bigger mistakes, until making mistakes and attacking those who call them on it becomes their daily bread.

So bro isn't an asshole--yet. But he could easily become one; in fact the trajectory towards assholery is clearly in place. And if the LW cares about him, he should tell him that in no uncertain terms. I'm not saying he should make his love for his brother conditional on his brother doing some variety of the right thing, but I am saying that he should make his respect conditional, explicitly so.

You are not humanizing children by teaching them poetry. You are treating them like you own little playthings that you can graft you own interests and world view on.

Can you show me on the doll where the bad poem touched you?

how the F are you going to dispose of the battery, enviro chic Hybrids.

NiMH batteries (the main batteries for hybrids) have been being recycled for years. Toyota has been recycling the batteries from their cars using them since the 90s, and offers a $200 deposit/reward on the ones from their current hybrids.

She said the branches of the family were not close, literally or figuratively. How likely is it that the niece will turn to her when the marriage goes bad? That's wishful thinking, not support.

Of course, if they're NOT close, why have the LW's daughter in the wedding? If the religious parents are behind the wedding, are they behind that choice too? Cui bono?

Some families NEED to have rifts. It's the only way to prevent fights from breaking out on a regular basis.

Say, "Our daughter is too young to be a bridesmaid."

Best in thread.

What would it take from the Democrats, for you to change your vote to supporting an independent candidate? A constitutional amendment letting Bush stand for a third term?

A non-zero chance of that candidate winning. And it's not going to happen given the current structure under the current Constitution, because of the way the Electoral College is set up, because of all-or-nothing voting, and because of money.

If you want to break the stranglehold of the two-party system, you attack the system, not the parties. Proportional or ranked voting systems would be the first necessary step for this, but you have to be careful how they're applied; otherwise you're in the same position as CA with the thinly-disguised "fair voting" amendment designed to give the GOP another 20-25 electoral votes every year.

And here's why--those are the bodies that can invoke the Other Method for amending the Constitution to fix the electoral system, and they don't have the entry fee problem that even small Congressional Districts have. It won't be a quick process. It won't be quick enough to make a difference in Iraq. Sorry, but nothing will at this point. In Viet Nam terms, this is 1971, and it's going to be another 2-3 years before we get out, no matter who gets elected, even if it were a Ron Paul-Dennis Kucinich Third Party Dream Ticket. No, I don't like it. Yes, it's wrong. That doesn't change things.

We are no where near becoming the worst place on earth.

But we are closer than we were a decade ago. And farther from being the best. Isn't that enough? Must we slide all the way down before we show some concern? Can't we turn the flames down before we're actually boiling with the frog?

If you have friends, anyway. Or relatives who know. Or any physical evidence you missed. Or you just let something slip. And when that happens, then trust will be damaged, even if the person in question wouldn't have cared about the information in question.

For those of you who are constructing analogies with former dietary habits, pet ownership patterns, et al, turn it around. If it doesn't matter, why wouldn't you mention it if it comes up? Something cannot be BOTH none of their business AND inconsequential.

The question is never whether to tell, it's when and how much. And here's where the shades of gray creep in, on little cat feet. You have to determine not only how much the other person is comfortable with hearing, but how much you are comfortable with sharing, which means you have to decide what any relevant past experience means to you. Was a lesson learned? Was a part of your self discovered? Was a mistake made? Was an epiphany experienced? Sort it out for yourself, or realize you're still sorting. That in itself is something a partner should know before a serious commitment happens.

The US House of Representatives functions along more or less parliamentary lines. The Senate, on the other hand, was designed way back in 1787 to protect the rights of states, as opposed to individual constituents. Originally Senators weren't even elected directly, but by state legislatures--it took a constitutional amendment in the early 20th century to change that.

One of the ramifications of this underlying idea is cloture, the ability to move something to the floor for an actual vote. In the Senate, cloture requires a separate vote, and a 60% majority. That means 60 senators, more than the Democrats have.

It used to be worse. Watch "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." ONE senator used to be able to hold things up (and indeed, on some matters such as nominations to various federal posts/judgeships, still can).

When there is something even close to gender parity in plastic surgery, then and only then can it "just" be plastic surgery. Right now it's more than 4 women going under the knife for every man (American Society of Plastic Surgeons 2006).

Call me when it's around 3 to 2 and we'll talk.