Hi, Diana.

Thanks for commenting. I've done my best to shield my daughter, but the abuse being heaped on her by her mother -- and the way my wife's family is enabling it, and the court shutting its eyes to it -- is hurting my daughter daily. She's in therapy now, but that's a holding action at best, and I've already burnt up my entire life savings. I haven't even bought groceries since September. And so far I haven't even gotten a day in court yet.

Ironically, had my wife just been sane and civil, she'd be living in a nice little house by now, with about $17K in the bank, a nice monthly stipend, and a daughter who was already getting used to the arrangements. It takes a particularly sick, dishonest, and greedy woman to even start this mess -- and a woman with no sense of self-preservation or real concern for her daughter's future or well-being to continue it. And finally, a truly evil family to keep the whole thing alive.

I'm civil, but nobody cares...

Well, the money was always going to be for my family...I just didn't envision spending it THIS way...

I'm working on the first follow-up post tonight - to deal with other "big label" she hung on me that day...the one that I'm sure will be the "justification" for everything has transpired. Check back soon.

While I appreciate the time you've taken to state your case, I don't see where you addressed any of the pitfalls to legalization that I mentioned in my essay. You've restated the same case that others make, and left my questions and concerns largely unanswered. If I were the lawmaker charged with this decision, I'd need all of my specific points (and probably more) addressed directly or I'd rule against you. The same is true in this kind of debate environment. So, for example, I spoke directly to the idea that legalizing drugs doesn't get rid of the opportunities for crime and illegal drugs. I shared how criminals would adapt in the new environment. You didn't address that point at all, and you need to if you're going to convince other people (and decision makers) that your perspective is the right one. I'd love it if you'd respond again, and try to speak directly to some of my chief concerns.

I posted a link to this post on a newsvine article earlier today, and got a very thoughtful response there from td3k. I'm pasting the content of that response here because I appreciated what the author had to say, and that he or she took the time to respond.

"Frank: I read your blog post about gay marriage and I agree with about 90% of your sentiments. I do agree that there are much more important issues facing the country today than the issue of gay marriage. Granted, if you were gay it would probably register much higher on your list of priorities, but to quote Lewis Black, the importance of gay marriage ranks somewhere after "are we eating too much garlic as a country" in the grand list of important issues.

That being said, and also having made comments in previous posts regarding the impatience and complaining by the gay rights advocates against the President, it seems very obvious to me that he has not forgotten or ignored their cause - he has prioritized the list and they did not fall on to page one. The man has been in office for 6 months and people, republicans and democrats both, are shouting, yelling, cursing and crying of what he hasn't done as if he's already served his 4 years. It is mind-numbing.

But, to counter your argument a little bit. I would say that there will NEVER be a good time to address this or any other issue. There will always be something more pressing, more important, more critical to the overall good of the country than any social issue could ever hope to create. Therefore, it is important to prioritize and to mark a spot on the calendar to address that issue and stick with it. Otherwise, if you wait until you have time or until there are no more other pressing matters, then it will never be addressed - ever. For both sides I think the President has to schedule it in as a priority and stick with the schedule and the activists who eagerly are awaiting action on this should be patient and realize that the solvency of our economy is infinitely more important at the moment. Gay marriage represents an important social and civil issue that needs to be addressed and I firmly believe that it will. The fight by those who are opposed to it is far from over."

You can find the article and comments here: Obama reaffirms support for gay rights

Thanks, td3k!

Congratulations. It looks like a great house. Can't wait for Ryan to invite us over... ;)

Congratulations on getting so many comments. I knew people would enjoy your blog. Keep posting. :)

Yes, I do have the original, and the recipe originally calls for 2 1/2 pounds of beef round steak or veal, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. It's also served over "hot noodles".

I mentioned deja vu in a comment I posted for Ryan's last essay. I have it again as I read yours. Ryan was always quite vocal about the "pain" in situations like these. He'd tell me that it was all about how much pain we're willing to feel -- I think the bailout plan is a direct extension of this theory: the pain of letting the chips fall here looks like more than we can bear. So our government is trying to offset it with a plan that we'll feel in smaller doses over time. I'm not sure this is the best way to go, but I'm not a recognized policy maker.

The bottom line that keeps flashing for me is how much our financial system relies on faith/belief. We've seen how financial giants with good earnings and recent growth can still die because someone out there has lost faith in their ability to perform and deliver. It buttresses the idea that perception is reality, and shows how a company's success can be defeated in direct contravention of the tangible proof of its daily working. For me, that signals rougher times ahead. We can pay off THIS crisis, but the faith-based nature of our economy won't be healed by public funds. In a few weeks/months/years/decades, we're going to see more of the same, or even worse...and when that happens, I just hope I can keep my job, pay for my house, and feed my child.

I had such an amazing case of deja vu as I read this piece...