No, it wasn't like this under apartheid. I grew up in South Africa and under apartheid, white men were equal opportunity rapists - they raped black women and white women, but especially black women because it was yet another form of political subjugation. How do you think the mixed race came to be? Hope that answers your (fatuous) question.

I'm just a regular ol' blue collar gal - no genius IQ here, but here's what I don't understand about all these pundits. If you're backed into a corner and you've clearly spouted really bad advice, just apologize. Yes, apologize and admit you made a mistake. Getting defensive not only makes Cramer looks incredibly, well, er, defensive, but it makes him look stupid, unrepetant and even more arrogant than he is. Has anyone told him that the volume of his voice does not make what he is saying more intelligent or useful?

Jeez o' Pete.

The "healthcare" insurance companies are in the business to deny people. But there are some doctors who are equally to blame. I get cold sores - no big deal. I've been getting them since I was a kid and I use a topical prescription ointment Zovirax. When my Zovirax ran out, I called my doctor's office to get a refill. No way. My doctor insisted that I come into her office, so she could make sure it really was a cold sore and then write a prescription. It took a good chunk out of my day, so she could look at my cold sore and go "hey, you have a cold sore!", charge me $150 and write a script.

My heart goes out to you. It's such a tough decision, and my suggestion is that you find another vet. A second opinion can't hurt, particularly if your vet isn't taking other factors into account. Mercifully, we had a vet who helped us say goodbye to our cat - the vet came out to the house and within minutes it was over - peaceful and quick. I hope my own death is as smooth. Good luck to you - your dog is lucky to have you.

I watched as Rush stood at the mike, wiping his nose with one hand and then wiping his snot onto both hands. Perhaps coke gave him sniffles? Seriously though, the people who spoke at CPAC were desperados, clinging not to lofty ideals, or aspirations for the country, but rather, debasing themselves with hope for failure, using the entire country as their sacrificial lamb. I think that if in fact, it is the White House's intention to turn Rush into the GOP spokesperson (and I'm not sure it is), what a smart move. I highly doubt that the more moderate Republicans and Independents find Lamebaugh a compelling leader. I could be wrong though.

Rush Limbaugh gives pigs a bad reputation. Look at that blob o' raw pork face of his. I think that Rush needs to run in 2012 and his running mate needs to be Levi Johnston's mom since she's up on drug charges. Maybe she and Rush could hand out free meds while campaigning.

If I were in your situation, the first thing I would do is to check my credit report. You can do this for free once a year (depending in what state you live) by going to https://www.annualcreditreport.com. From there, you can assess what, if any, harm has been done to your credit. And then you can proceed to try and repair what harm has been done. When I was very young, my parents forged powers of attorney that entitled them to an inheritance (albeit modest) that my grandparents had left us. My grandparents were hardworking, trusting but naive people and didn't have sophisticated legal documents and my parents knew that. It's been a rough road with my parents who are guilt and fear-ridden, but are not willing to make amends (and I'm not talking about financial amends) Self-sufficiency is the name of the game - make sure that you cancel whatever legal documents might make you responsible for debts that are not yours. Good luck.

I too was so moved by the LW and I loved your response, Cary. Many, many years ago, I had a very brief affair with a woman. I was smitten. She was not. At least, not with me. I could not for the life of me understand the level of my grief, given how short a time we'd spent together, until I read one of those hokey self-help books and learned a nugget that was helpful to me. This nugget was that sometimes the hardest endings to deal with are the brief relationships because all we have to remember are the moments of joy and the potential we believed the relationship had. We don't have the counterbalance to the ecstasy(fights, seeing the other person's flaws, the fact that perhaps we aren't meant to be together). I write this not to give advice, but more as another way of looking at this event in your life.

I do hope that there comes a time when the ache is softened and perhaps replaced with an appreciation by you, of yourself, and your passion and willingness to take a chance.

Why are we surprised that the Pope (a former member of the Nazi Party) has allowed a anti-semite back into the fold? The Catholic Church - institutional denial of pedophilia and molestation - now gives us another winner. Par for the course.

Why is the VA not calling upon people like yourself and the many other Vietnam vets, to at least talk to the soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan? It shouldn't take a Blue Ribbon Commission to figure out that vets carry credibility - particularly vets who have empathy, experience and street cred.