I guess I’m in the minority but I don’t think this particular book was a smart move. From what I have heard it is mired with inconsistencies that can and will be easily disputed by parties involved. And then what? On top of already being perceived by the majority in America as being unqualified to hold high office, she will also be labeled a liar.

And not just a liar, but labeled a liar by the very party and people she needs to campaign in 2012 (should she decide to do so) which is the Republican party.  Everything about the book I have heard and read comes across as a woman who is whining. I heard her say in the interview with Oprah that she admits she wasn’t ready for the Couric interview. And there in lies the problem. Why wasn’t she? An intelligent, confident and savvy woman would have been. A woman adept at thinking quickly on her feet. However a woman who is a politician in Alaska who leads a simple life, isn’t intellectually curious, is not going to be prepared to give a national interview.

My bottom line on her is Republican women and men who like her personality and the spunk she brings to their party, God bless. I’m liberal and I see in Barack Obama the same attribute. I may not agree with all his actions to date, but there is no denying I like the guy and his personality. So I understand the affinity people have for Palin, because many people feel the same way about Obama.

However, politically speaking she will never be President of the United States. Never. She is far to polarizing a figure to be President.  I’m not saying she can’t be president because she isn’t smart. George W became president and he is far from being a rocket scientist. But our country is changing dramatically as every year ticks by. In 2012 it will a far cry from where it is today. And unfortunately she continues to speak to her base supporters and ignores the other sections of the country that she would have to win over to take the White House.

She is in for a rude awakening (as are her supporters) if she honestly believes she can become president of the United States with only the support of the South and the loud and unruly "tea party - Fox news watching" crowd that love so much.

Laura, I hope your daughter is the type of Atheist who is willing to allow her children to grow up within faith in something beyond who they are. That just because she and her husband don’t attend church, that they will have open discussions about spirituality with the kids so they can decide for themselves how they will believe. Especially when they are young in my opinion. I grew up Southern Baptist and now decades later I don’t believe in organized religion. But a lot of what I learned in church has molded who I am today. When kids are in their formative years, that is the prime time for them to tackle the subject of spirituality. I really do hope your daughter will have these important discussions with her children.

I can’t picture going through life not believing in a higher being, and yet more and more I keep coming in contact with people turning their back on God, Jesus, faith in a higher being. Choosing to believe we simply exist. No one knows where we come from or how we got here, so therefore to believe in a creator is ridiculous.

Funny, many of these same people however have no problem in living out fantasy lives in online virtual worlds. Curious. :-)

Well if you are a butter aficionado Lauriate, then you must love our 2009 version of Julia Childs, Paula Deen. She uses so much butter in her cooking that you would think it was water. And all of her meals have a warm, home-style appeal to them, which I like. I’m not particularly drawn toward "fancy" food. I like hearty and simple dishes.

Many of the shows now featured on the Food Network cater to the needs of people like me. From Smothered chicken and potatoes to southern fried steak and fries, everything always looks so good. I can’t wait until we have smellivision! 

It is indeed a type of faith.

I would say the mere fact that you acknowledge who you are and all that surrounds you derives from a higher being, beyond who you are, is having faith. The truth as you said, is we will never know the truth about a higher being, Heaven, Hell, the after life (if it exist) until we cease to be. Period. Priests, Pastors, Rabbi’s and even Hindu Priests can pontificate about why we are here and what comes in our afterlife, and they don’t know. They can only speculate.

And that is where faith comes in. It seems to me people who label themselves as Atheist tend to be logical thinkers. If it doesn’t stand up to logic, it didn’t happen. "A virgin can’t give birth to a child….that isn’t logical" There is no ability to apply faith in something beyond mortal comprehension. "There is no God because he can’t be seen, heard or touched….there is no proof"  While people like myself will say the mere fact we exist is proof of a higher being. The fact that there are planets, air, water, trees, etc. etc. is proof if you have faith, in a higher being.

For you Mr. Wow, you don’t want to label that being. For me I do, and it is God. But the bottom line if we were to sit down and have a long conversation about spiritually would be who, what and why we believe is more alike than it is different. 

Julia, as usual an interesting read. Thank you.

I love feeling like a fly on the wall in a room of people having a conversation about famous people I know I will never meet. I find that really intriguing.

However I must take you and Jason Epstein to task for your characterization of Food Network. Boy are you wrong. I am a foodie.  There is no way I could consume all the foods I lust after, I’d be 500 pounds! So I settle with the mental stimulation that comes with watching chefs create chicken in varied and delicious ways.

While others get high of weed and coke, I watch the Food Network and am taken to a place that is ambrosia. I love the entertainment aspect of the shows and the fact that many of the newer chefs featured, offer up recipes and food ideas that EVERYONE can create.

I’m old enough to remember Julia Childs and much of what she cooked and the ingredients needed were far beyond the average American.

I love the fact that you find value in sitting in a house of worship, just to be.  Quiet contemplation of your thoughts, feelings and emotions. I wish more people would do that. I have a friend who says she is an atheist, yet once a week before the start of work she visits a Catholic cathedral in our area and sits in the back and does as you described.

You say you do not believe in God but see value in faith. What is it then that you have faith in? I’m asking that (completely off topic) and sincerely just to understand. You touched on the very issue I have with people who do not believe in a God (I say a God because I recognize not everyone prays to "my" God) that being faith. I don’t have the answers to the universe and how and why we are. But I do have faith that the answer is far larger than anything mortal man can conceive. I have faith in a higher being.

So for me as a spiritual person more than religious, I see my faith grounded in the unknown. I interpret the Bible and the definition of God to my definition and no one else’s. He (that higher being) is who I have faith in.  When people like yourself who don’t believe in God speak of faith, what do you mean?

Just curious. Forgive me if I am prying or asking you to delve to deep into an area you may feel uncomfortable discussing.

Well I find your attitude refreshing.

Many of the atheists I know are atheists because of issues with religion from their childhood and a new found sense of not wanting to believe there is a God. So the fact that you can choose not to believe in God AND embrace something that you feel is a fantasy and myth does speak volumes.

I lived off the Dr. Seuss series of books when I was a child. I can remember my father bringing home a different book from him almost every month and having these great conversations about the meaning of the story.

Even though I was a child my father wanted me to get the deeper life lesson in the books and I did. Reading those books taught me lessons that stay with me today. I plan on sharing Dr. Seuss with my great-niece so she too can learn…..

Boy Lila that is not good.  I think it is disgusting that a woman can’t be a woman in the military, and still garner the respect she deserves without subjugating themselves to a male persona. What if I wanted to be an officer in the Army? I would have to forgo my make-up and false eyelashes in order to be taken seriously? My confident personality, assertive voice and knowledge in what I say and do wouldn’t be enough?

The irony is sickening. Men would never think that they have to behave and portray themselves in a feminine manner to get ahead, yet women must behave and portray themselves as masculine to do so. Well, I guess that is further proof we as women (and I guess across our society) still have a long way to go.

"…a gazelle at the watering hole being ogled by the lions…"

Oh Lila, I needed a laugh to end my day and that did it! :-)

So odd to read that you are uncomfortable turning heads. Because of your military background and the way you have spoken of your security in your marriage, I have a stereotype in my mind of you being a confident, secure and in control woman. One that walks with authority and purpose through life and is beautiful with or without makeup. Sexy in or out of the feminine trappings women like myself are always draped in.

George Clooney is one of those rare men that EVERY human being lusts after. Gays, Lesbians, Straights, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, young and old alike….everyone thinks the man is hot. Because he is Hot! And I for one am really jealous that Mr. Wow had the opportunity to stand at a distance and see this beautiful man with his shirt off, eyes closed looking totally yummy.

I love George Clooney physically, but to be honest, I don’t generally like his movies. I don’t think he is a great actor. And this movie, based on the trailer did nothing to convince me to pluck down any money to see it.  So it isn’t one I will give up two hours of my life for. 

And Mr. Wow you have every right to your opinion, and I respect it….but you don’t like Kevin Spacey? Ummm…did you not see Usual Suspects or one of my all time favorites American Beauty?  I love his acting and respect him as an actor but from what I have heard about his personality and personal life….he is not someone I like. I would reveal why, but it would be a definite "word bomb" (you know when a person post something that causes the thread to explode with posts) and I’m not in the mood to defend my opinion. :-)

Again, you and I are very different. I see it dramatically different than you. A mother doesn’t cease being a mother once her child becomes 18, 19 or 20. She is a mother for life and her child is just that, her child for life. She or he may mature and grow into their own, but they are still and will forever be her child. And if she does her job right, they grow into independent, well adjusted individuals.

One need only read this thread and others on this site to see there are a lot of women with "mother issues" who speak about their moms as if it is a non-issue, something they have dealt with long ago and that it has no baring on them today. When nothing could be further from the truth. If the anger and resentment is still there, no matter how old you are, no matter how long you have been married, gave birth to your own kids, have grandkids etc. etc. you are still simply her child - dealing with mother/daughter issues.