I find it difficult to believe that an eight-year-old child has any clue as what premeditated murder might be. I could see how an older child or teen who was being abused might strike back by killing their abuser, but I think this kid was too young for that. It makes me wonder if the child played too many video games where the character “dies” and then goes on to another “life.” I personally think younger kids don’t grasp the differences between real life and that on the Wii.

Why is it that women are arrested for being prostitutes, but the men who paid for their services are only rarely arrested? If they both are participating in the illegal act, shouldn’t they both go to jail — every time? It strikes me as both unfair and sexist!

Great list Maizie! I can only think of two writers you left off, Michel Foucault (my fave is his book “Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison) and Alain Corbin (read his “Village Bells” for how The Church controlled life in villages and “Women for Hire” for how men controlled women). I miss grad school! LOL I had time to read so much GREAT stuff then!

I guess I just don’t understand people who feel the need to shove their personal values and beliefs down the throats of every person they meet. Some of use believe that God loves everyone—gay, straight, conservative, liberal, Republican, and Democrat. Books are just so freaking important to me personally, that I would impeach anyone who tried to take away my freedom to read what I want and when I want.

Right on, Elizabeth!

I kept thinking yesterday as I stood in line to vote about 1972 and my first presidential election. I was voting for George McGovern because he promised to end the Vietnam War. I had that exact same feeling of hopefulness as I voted for Obama. For the first time in many years, I have hope again for our country. The historian in me finds it very interesting and significant that Obama is half white and half African and that he was the ideal person to be a bridge, so to speak, into the future. I think he, like Whoopie says, has finally created the environment so that ALL people can finally consider themselves to be full-citizens of the United States. God bless him as he begins his work.

Personhood? Doesn’t God make that designation, not man? And my feelings about gay marriage is that everyone deserves the right to be married and happy (or not so much happy in my case). Why can’t people allows others to just live and let live? Why do some insisted on making other people believe what they believe? I believe that God gave us our own minds for a reason.

I used to admire Elizabeth Dole. But she, like John McCain, went to the bottom of the barrel in dirt and filth in an attempt to win. People are tired of that crap, no pun intended.

Gosh yes!! It is amazing how much data has come to light about the role of women in our early country. I am having my class read a book called “An Uncommon Soldier,” letters of a northern woman named Rosetta Wakeman who fought for the North in the Civil War dressed as a male. It is an amazing story.

Nah … will just be covering that section next week in my US History class.

From your lips to God’s ears!!

There are a lot of interesting comparisons with John Q. Adams and George W. Bush. The Election of 1824 had Andrew Jackson with the lead in electoral votes AND the popular vote. Because there were four candidates running and at that time only three could participate in the runoff, the fourth place guy, Henry Clay, threw his votes to John Q. in exchange for the Secretary of State job. Like Al Gore, Jackson felt the election had been stolen from him. John Q. was not the man his father was in regards to politics. He even asked Jackson to be his Secretary of War, which Jackson turned down. He tend to make appointments to placate enemies rather than to reward friends. Overall, he was one of those D+ or C- Presidents.

I live in Mobile, Alabama and I spent about an hour in line this morning to vote. There were lots of young people in line who were voting for the first time and were just so thrilled! I was flashing back to my first Presidential election in 1972 and I cast my vote for George McGovern and how exciting it all was then. It was nice this morning to cast a ballot for Senator Obama and know that I was voting in a historical event.

Right on, James!!!! And I think people get confused about the whole checks and balances thing. They were established to keep any one branch from having too much power, in particular the executive branch. The Founding Fathers were afraid of someone coming in a creating their own monarchy. I personally wish they had added the law that no President’s son could be President, too!!

As a historian, I take umbrage with your words that historian lie because we certainly do not! I conduct historical research with great care and report my findings with great care. Facts ARE facts … they can be interpreted in many ways, but they basic facts are always there.