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The Cats Meow
All valid points, well taken. It can actually go to the other extreme, as well. I have a friend who lives in a community with a Homeowner's Association. She was fined for not bringing her delivered water inside soon enough after one of the local busybodies saw the boxes on her step (she was at work). She fought it and it esculated into a massive fee after penalties were added. One could argue that she knew the rules, but this is just another example of the imposition of certain rules and the absurdity of the amount of effort that goes into enforcing them. Consideration for your neighbors is so important, and if one of them came over and said "please keep your cat out of my yard" that would be enough. I would make sure the cat no longer bothered them. But they wouldn't. I have great neighbors. Except the jerk on the other street that has no pets. Or friends, for that matter. Peanut butter is being banned at schools, by the way.— December 5, 2008 8:25 a.m.
SDPD -- Got An Attitude?
And yes, the cops response to this incident sucked, big time. I wasn't defending them one bit, just the motorists that get harrassed by an unorganized group that creates chaos when their supposed intent is to do good. The SDPD will use any excuse to use brute force and also any excuse to defend criminal behavior if it is used to support something they dislike. And they do not like Critical Mass.— December 5, 2008 7:59 a.m.
The Cats Meow
"WOW, MsGrant you obviously have never been in an oxygen tent, take weekly allergy shots, or had your throat swell shut from an allergic reaction. It is not an "allergic argument" it is a fact some of us have to deal with, and it is not fun!!" HOW THE F*** WOULD YOU KNOW THAT?!?! "Me, in an oxygent tent." All men, all the same. "Would you feed peanut butter to someone who is allergic to nuts??" Stupid, stupid, stupid. Jerk offs such as your selves have no context to relate.— December 4, 2008 6:19 p.m.
The Cats Meow
Sure, you could capture it, but if it was wearing a collar why bother? Even if it's not wearing one, it's just another example of sweating the small stuff. And don't give me the allergic argument. The air is filled with allergens. It's just a cat, for pete's sake. We have one person in our neighborhood who hates cats. He is fortunately on the next street. I was warned about him when we moved in six years ago because apparently he had killed a neighborhood cat. And he is as miserable, bitter and lonely a f*ck as you have every seen. No one likes him, his yard is a pig sty, and he is mean as hell. There is a pattern there. And it's unfair to refer to someone who has a cat as a pet as "you cat people". I love all animals. I rescued my cats because they were abandoned and starving, not because I am some weirdo sitting around my filthy apartment hoarding cats. Guess what? Our house is surrounded by four, count 'em, four separate dog owners. These dogs bark day and night. I actually walk our one neighbor's dog because I have known her since she was a puppy, and I figure, what the hell? I am walking anyway, might as well take her. My neighbors are grateful and it makes me and the dog happy. I could call and complain about the others, but I don't. It is called tolerance. Before we came along and "domesticated" them, animals were free to roam at will.— December 4, 2008 9:09 a.m.
The Cats Meow
You have to get beyond your dislike of cats to understand the pathology of someone that would shoot someone's pet. That neighbor was a whack job. I have a cat. The whole neighborhood loves him. Everyone knows his name and he does not bother a soul. The kids go out of their way to come into my yard to pet him. Maybe I should shoot them the next time.— December 4, 2008 7:56 a.m.
You Eat Chicken, Don't You?
Here, here, KathRogers! Due to length, I did not go into the unbelievable amount of waste and pollution created by factory farming, or the amount of plant food necessary to feed animals raised for consumption by humans that could actually FEED humans and end world hunger once and for all. The cruelty inflicted on these poor creatures is unbearable to witness, but I suggest anyone on the fence view the video in the link from HMOORE123 above, www.GoVeg.com. Animals raised for dairy are just as bad off. Once they are used up, riddled with hormones and antibiotics, they are slaughtered as well, for soups, stocks, pet food, MEAT FOR SCHOOL LUNCHES, you name it. I hear people to this day that still believe you can lose weight by eating meat and dairy, and cite studies. No chance. The growth hormones will keep you fat. Guess who supports those studies? The dairy industry. The meat industry. I no longer have to work out like a maniac to maintain my weight. When I ate meat and dairy all the time, I used to exercise hours a week and wonder "why can't I lose this weight?" Thank you for the link. I had lunch at Sipz last weekend. It was incredible. As an aside, being a vegetarian has made me a better cook!!— December 4, 2008 7:47 a.m.
Dark Night
We don't start out crazy. We DRIVE ourselves crazy. And we can drive ourselves sane. High achievers have high anxiety. No one is ever as disappointed in us as ourselves.— December 3, 2008 8:49 p.m.
SDPD -- Got An Attitude?
Every major city is starting to have problems with this group. While we were in Seattle in August, an investigation was under way after a motorist hit one of the Critical Mass riders. They provoke motorists and then cry foul play when someone gets hurt. I do not agree that motorists should be biting fingers off or hitting people with their cars, but this is what happens when people feel threatened. You have to have a permit to host a marathon in any city, for the safety of the runners and the public. What does Critical Mass expect? Cops do not support trouble makers who make their jobs harder. If they do not act more civil, Critical Mass is asking for trouble.— December 3, 2008 3:28 p.m.
Hiking and Carjacked Babies in the News
If I could change the slant of this a bit, when we were children, we were taken out in public AFTER we had learned to behave. We did not have meltdowns in stores, we did not scream our heads off in restaurants, and we did not throw food or hit people. The things I see today are enough to drive me crazy. If you dare to say something along the lines of "control your kid" the mothers rear back in indignation as if you had struck the child! Kids should not be on cliffs, should not be left in running cars, and should not be brought out in public settings until they are old enough to behave. Today's lack of discipline is creating a generation of kids that will have no concept of how to get along in school and then a work environment. The parents extended adolescence is a huge contributor to this phenomenon. That mother should be charged with child endangerment. If you are too lazy to unstrap your kid, let alone to turn off your car and take the keys, you have no right having children.— December 3, 2008 8:26 a.m.
You Eat Chicken, Don't You?
Ltizzle, I brought my own gravy (vegan) to dinner and made dressing with vegetable stock and was able to enjoy all the trimmings (trust me, the pressure was there, though!). Most folks feel bad enough about how they eat without us around to remind them of the crap they put into their bodies, that's why they pressure us into joining them. And it's not nice pressure. It is insinuating something is wrong with us. I used to think most people mean well, but there is an undercurrent of intolerance and ignorance that really bothers me. Isn't it funny that the pressure comes from them, even though we are being the difficult ones if we don't eat meat? You didn't do anything wrong, they did. I agree that meat tastes pretty bad after you haven't had any for awhile. We all grew up with it so it is difficult for some to imagine their life without it. I don't miss it one bit. Don't worry about hurting anyone's feelings, stay strong and don't be afraid to bring your own food to family gatherings! Better yet, bring your medical records!— December 2, 2008 4:23 p.m.