I am so not surprised about the way this discussion(?) is going. This is the new “PC.” To begin with, I am not a skinhead, nor do I attend McCain/Palin rallies, and I am planning to vote for Obama next Tuesday; no thanks to people such as Belinda. But, come on people, how could everyone be jumping down C Hardy’s throat…. have you read Belinda’s posts? It is almost comical that this woman could describe the violent hate riots that she is predicting, not to mention her follow-up posts, and not one person called her on that. Are you serious? Her words are way out of line, and I have about had it. Just because she is an African-American woman, she has free rein. It’s a lot easier to pick on someone like C Hardy, I guess. My God, C is a young woman with a small child and a husband in law enforcement, and Belinda scared the wits out of her. So save your nasty words, Belinda and company. I get it…… anyone who dares to call her on her ignorance is a closet racist, and she is not interested in my opinion because I have not lived her “experience.” Belinda, do Barack a favor, and don’t go door-to-door in these last important days trying to plead his case.

Hi Bonnie —- I just wanted to add my positive thoughts and my hope for a good outcome of your biopsy along with everyone else. The waiting has got to be so difficult, even for a woman with your courage. Please take care.

Good Morning Kryssi, To answer your question, yes, I could believe there was a time when you could draw and write; I don’t think it ever left. From your adorable picture to your funny, clever, compassionate and thoughtful observations, anyone would know that you are not only extremely well-informed for a person of your age, but a creative soul as well. I don’t know why you have been on antidepressants for all these years, but my hope for you is that, if weaning yourself off of your medication is the right step for you, that you do it slowly and safely, which you already said. I’m sorry you’ve had to go through so much pain in your short life, honey, but I’m betting on you. P.S. Don’t take offense to the “honey” endearment, I’m just feeling extra maternal this morning. It’s my daughter’s 25th birthday, and I’m waiting to give her a kiss at 7:12 am (birth moment!) Oh, God, I just saw an episode like that on “Everybody Loves Raymond”. But no, I’m not as nutty as his mother. I mean, my kid’s in the other room; it’s not like I would drive to her place and swoop down on her unannouced, would I? Have a lovely Monday, Kryssi.

Good Morning HoBo ETBMcS …. I remember when I first began posting months ago and was totally intimidated by all of you brilliant ladies, and someone said something derogatory to me and it hurt my feelings. You were nice to me then and told me that I should not allow a stranger on the web who doesn’t even know me to affect me. Well, thanks for that, and you were correct. Re: your first reply to my post; actually, I am not “quite the hypocrite.” Cindy McCain doesn’t need me to run to her defense; she’ll be quite alright on her own. Which was just my point - they all will. They are politicians, they have an agenda, they will pander to get what they want from us, and once they get it, all we can do is pray they actually meant some of it and might be able to accomplish one tenth of what they promised. This includes Obama; in fact, it is now apparent that he had an ultimate plan all along to get where he is in such a short time. He came to Chicago and got right in the thick of Chicago politics and has endorsed some absolutely horrible politicians (who, by the way, directly affect my life) in the course of making a name for himself. So be it. This is what they do. As I stated, I am voting for him, but he is no savior, just another back room dealmaker. If even half of what you write is the truth, and I am going to believe it all is, then you are about the most fortunate woman I have ever encountered (sort of.) But in my experience, is it possible for a young woman in her twenties to lose her heart to an older, powerful man? Of course it is. Might a person in the throes of addiction steal drugs? Of course it is. As far as my saying the election would not directly affect some people’s lives, that might have been overstated, but not ludicrous. All I meant was from the way you present yourself, it doesn’t seem you’re hurting for money, not to mention you have stated you will be living in France, and, yes, I realize you would still be concerned about this election. Still … if you recall, I have an anorexic daughter without health insurance, I’m trying to get a job at the “advanced” age of 52, we have some utter crook running Cook County (who Obama endorsed) giving us the highest sales taxes in the country, so sure I would greatly appreciate positive change in government. Do I expect much? No. Can you rip apart anything I say with your vast store of knowledge and research and make me appear to seem uninformed and stupid? Sure you can. Do I care? Hmm … actually, this morning I do not. Thanks for that, Suzanne.

Hi Lady Gator: Funniest thing … I came back to take a quick peek and it appears that both your post, and my response to it, have gone missing. I can’t imagine why; but, anyway, if you’re interested, click on and take a look at my response. It’s still there, but no title is included. First time I felt inclined to post in quite a while, and I’m in trouble already? Amazing, considering some of the loony rants on these threads. Oh well, maybe I’m just tired and it will be back when I check tomorrow.

Yes, Ms. Pepe, on a second perusal of the piece, I did realize I might have misread, but I do appreciate your pointing it out to me; however, it doesn’t really negate the point of my post. If I didn’t know better, I might feel you are mocking me, but that wouldn’t be very friendly. Anyway, I have read a lot of your posts, and I have a feeling you could probably teach those bees a “thang or two.” Have a lovely Sunday.

Gee, thanks Elaine. Have a great Sunday.

The hypocrisy oozing out of these posts amazes me. Give it a rest, already. I think it’s pretty low down herself for Ms. Howard to apparently refer to Mrs. McCain as a whore. We know, we know. He came back from hell and was an ass to his wife, hooked up with Cindy, yada, yada. Of all the things we can criticize them for, this is not one of them. God, would I love to be a fly on the wall of wow bedrooms across the land where you are all living your upright, skeleton-in-the-closet free lives! The funniest part about it is the low down dirty dog parade of Democratic politicians (both living and dead) are seated at the right hand of John Paul and Gandhi (in honor of it being Sunday and all.) This summer I read a biography of Jackie Kennedy, and, fascinating though she was, her marriage was more “Let’s Make a Deal” than “Camelot.” And JFK … wow, the guy passed Bill’s cheatin’ dog status and went right into, in 2008 talk, sex addiction. If anything, at least John McCain probably went through life altering experiences which we can never fathom, whereas JFK was just a spoiled hound dog. By the way, I am voting for Barack Obama, but only as the lesser of two evils. I already had the honor of voting for him in the senate race, only to see him use my vote as a stepping stone to his ultimate goal. Thank goodness we have Dick Durbin actually giving a damn about the citizens of Illinois. There is something phoney about him, but what the hell. Unlike some of the posters here who are insane about this election and, ironically, whose lifestyles wouldn’t be affected either way, or, even better, are leaving the country, my family will be (affected) and won’t be (leaving.) Hence, I’m gambling on a better chance of positive change with Obama than McCain. Does that mean I believe some other woman and/or baby will never pop out of his closet? Hell no. This morning I am feeling rather like the mom in that “Harper Valley PTA” song, and am kind of liking it.

Lady Gator … post above is priceless … you absolutely crack me up. You and Star, in my opinion, are just the funniest, most down to earth women on WOW. I admire and respect the intelligence and information some of these women put forth, but humorless, one track fanaticism is a big turn off. And the catty remarks about women … geez. Sorry, but whatever the political persuasion, Cindy McCain is an attractive woman, and, I, personally, loved her dramatic outfits at the convention. I guess I can relate to her somewhat because she seems to be an introvert who would not have put herself in this position were it not for her husband. So, yeah, she does come off a bit self conscious and corny when she speaks, but it’s my opinion that she would rather be home(s) in her garden! One thing I love about this site is how whenever the subject of appearance comes up, I think every lady talks about how great she looks, and how everyone thinks she looks “at least 10 years younger.” Yeah, and last night I was carded at the neighborhood tavern. Personally, I was sitting in the chair at my hair stylist this morning ( a cute young thing), and I guess I look attractive in a “kind of over the hill” way, but all I could see is my unfirm neck, which all the lifting creams and face massages in the world can’t cure. So that’s my thing. I don’t yearn to look 30 again, but I would kill to have a lovely, firm jawline, and if I was a billionaire beer heiress, dammit, I would! Also, if some of the WOW club look as good as they claim to, put up your picture so we could all be jealous.

Lady Gator … thanks for your kind words; they are appreciated. I have been in a place lately where a little confidence booster really means a lot.

Thanks, Star, I can always recognize another person who is too honest and genuine for their own good… it’s not always received in the right spirit, but your humor rocks.

Thanks, Marjorie; I appreciate that.

You’re welcome, Bonnie… it was from the heart, that’s all I’ve got.

Bonnie: I have not posted for a while, but check in to see what’s being discussed, and I really want to respond to this diatribe that has come down on you. There are many posters on this site who seem to be filled with anger, and given the opportunity, start to vent and it gets real ugly real quick. You, though, are not one of them. No matter what your political standing, I have never known you to be anything but reasonable and respectful of others. If anyone was reading these posts any deeper than “you don’t agree with me, you’re ignorant,” they would see that you are a compassionate soul, intelligent, and have the courage of your convictions, without stooping to name calling and personal attacks. I am not a Republican, do not care for our president, cannot imagine myself voting for John McCain, and yet have the same concerns and questions about Barack Obama, even though I live in Chicago and voted for him in his senate race. I think it is shameful that because of the race issues in this campaign, people seem to feel they have free rein to go from disagreeing with someone’s political views right into making judgments about the deepest part of their character and beliefs. That’s a low blow. I am turned off by the people who support B.O., and I don’t mean celebrities; I mean some of the people right here on this website. Ms. DeBurca is obviously a knowledgeable person, but her fanaticism is a real turn off; and the fact that she found Rush L’s ugly comments so amusing does nothing for her credibility. You did not deserve that, and if Diana T was referring to you as being toxic, I am surprised and disappointed in her. I know DeBurca is from the same area as myself, but I guess we have had very different experiences. She has stated she lives in DuPage County with a lot of Republicans. This is the same as saying I am upper middle class and have a lot of money. I, on the other hand, am a genuine, down to earth person with blue collar Chicago roots, and people like that don’t appreciate anyone, especially the candidate himself, pigeonholing me as so scared and clueless that “we are confused because he doesn’t look like the other guy on the dollar bills.” (1) I am the one living in an area that completely changed over the past decade; where parents have to be worried about gangs at their kids’ school, and you better be, if not scared, then at least aware, of your surroundings and take the necessary precautions, and (2) I don’t give a s*** whose face is on the dollar bill as long as I could find a job and my daughter could get health insurance. That’s why I have not been posting on this site; most of the women seem to be living on a different planet than myself (unfortunately for me), and do not appear to be interested in what I have to say, but, believe me, there are a lot of people out there just like me. There are actually women out there of a certain age who missed the boat on the whole big career, independent woman thing. Women at the middle stage of life who not only have not traveled the world, are not set financially, and have no idea what the heck their purpose is in this life. Anyway, that’s a whole different story. It was just important to me that you know, Bonnie, that no matter what your political and life views, your good character is always obvious, and you are undeserving of these low blows. Take Care.

I have not had many strong or positive male role models in my life, nor have my daughters. So I think I first used sexuality as a way to gain some kind of power as a female, which is unfortunate. I also feel females have more freedom to explore possibilities, to be as feminine as they want while also tapping into their masculine energy. Men can do this, but not as freely, I don’t think. But I feel most like a woman with my daughters; as their role model (have not done a very good job of that), as the person who they know is always there, whether she wants to be or not. If things get rough, they know I’m not going to take off for 2 days, they know they’re not going to find me sloppy drunk with the house a mess. I don’t think I’m saying this real well, but to me being female has a lot to do with nurturing, responsibility, and having my girls (and my mom, for that matter) have a safe place to fall. I realize there are a lot of men who are doing the same, I’m just speaking from my experiences.