Happy Birthday, Liz. Thank you for the many many hours of amusement you’ve provided all your fans over the years. Thank you even more for the good works you do and to which you loan your name. Thank you the most,however, for adding an aura of elegance, dignity, ethics and standards to an arena which has become sadly tawdry and despoiled over time. You are a class act, with no axe to grind, no reputations to soil, no malicious intent of any kind. Thanks for setting such a fine example (if only more of your peers would follow suit!). Brava! May you enjoy many more years of success, health, happiness,and all the love and laughter you can hold! Warm regards, Laurie J. Macdonald

I don’t have to “search” for my first love, as we’ve never lost touch; our lives were always too entwined for that, depsite his living far away from me for the past 30 years. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the man he grew up to be does not equal the boy he was. His character and integrity were better in his earlier stages (he openly tells me about cheating on his wife, e.g.). However, I will always love him in some way for who he was, and for what we were as teenagers. Finally, although he was my first love, and a deep, real love, he was not The Great Love of My Life. I was fortunate enough to have a genuine true love for over 30 years before my beloved died three years ago. I regret none of the loves I have had in my life, large and small, brief and lengthy, given and received, and am grateful beyond measure for the blessing and gift of my Great Love, for whom I long every day (and always will). Laurie J. Macdonald

I set the dress code for my (corporate) law firm, and we “do” business casual, with the emphasis on business. Each person has to be dressed so as to be ready for client contact. I cut more slack for my part-time college students, since they do not have the wherewithal to have extensive work wardrobes. However, banned at all times are: jeans, shorts, skorts, very short mini skirts, untucked shirts, collarless shirts, tank tops, tee shirts with writing or images, sleeveless anything, sneakers, sandals, mules or slides, flip flops, peep-toed shoes, and anything that is rumpled,wrinkled, torn, dirty, or too revealing in anyway. Socks and hose must be worn , except for women in the summer.We are professionals, and should look that way while at work. I totally subscribe to the idea that one should dress for the job one wants. Common sense dictates, for the most part, what would be deemed appropriate (no evening gowns, e.g.) without having to spell it out.

My dermatologist at Mass General Hospital , who has removed from my person several basal cell (and one squamous cell) carcinomas over the years says it is less important what the spf is than that the main active ingredient is titanium dioxide (zinc is second choice). I have trouble finding sunscreens with titanium dioxide, so if anyone can recommend one (that doesn’t cost $30 for a few ounces), please let me know. Thanks.

Just what exactly made 2008 Hillary’s time? What are we doing, taking turns? Bush/ Clinton/ Bush/ Clinton? That attitude of entitlement is one reason she lost. It led to making unwarranted assumptions, and let her opponent outsmart her. No one is entitled to become President. No one has a “turn”. And just how long should Obama have waited? When would it be his “turn”, his “time”? What preposterous statements. Previously, I have asked in this forum for any one of you Hillary fans to point me toward Hillary’s achievements, anything beyond propping up an unfaithful husband. Please tell me what her successful legislative initiatives are? What has she created and sponsored ?What is her concrete record? I ask again if you remember how unsupportive Hillary was of the women her husband first nominated for Attorney General (before Janet Reno), those who fell in “nanny-gate” and who were then immediatley dropped by both Clintons. Where was her sense of sisterhood then? Shall we discuss once again her votes in favor of our painfully wrong and immoral war in Iraq? Do you want to review her “under sniper-fire” lies? (And please don’t tell me that it was a one-time “misspoke”. The claim was repeated a number of times, in different venues). These are all revelatory of her character, and have nothing to do with Obama. I would glady support a qualified woman whose actions and views were consistent with my values. I haven’t had the opportunity. And at the risk of incurring further wrath, I venture to say that as much as women have suffered under the rule of oppressive males, none have suffered as grievously as have people of color under the rule of white people. I find it offensive to have sexism and racism treated as equal evils. They are both wrong, both morally and spiritually repugnant, but racism is a far greater stain on the soul of my beloved country.

My advice: Use Ted Kennedy as your role model, and go back to the Senate and become one of the legends. When Ted lost his bid for the nomination against Jimmy Carter, he gave one of the great speeches of all time, then returned to the Senate. Since that time, Ted Kennedy has had more (positive) influence on the welfare of American citizens than most presidents. He has been a champion of the poor and the powerless, been a voice for women’s rights and for children’s needs, led the fight on health care and on education- the list is endless. He is now acknowledged as of the truly legendary “lions” in American history’, and is lauded for his ability to work with “the other side” in order to achieve his goals. He is loved and respected by his colleagues. How could one ask for a better legacy, or a more profound contribution to our beloved Country? Senator Clinton could have the influence she desires and effect the good she espouses if she is willing to put ego aside, to abandon the search for sheer power, and if she - like Ted Kennedy- is willing to work tirelessly for change, for good, for others. (Bonus: she would never have to evoke or involve Bill. This would be her own work, her own career. No more “two for the price of one” BS.) She has the gifts; does she have the commitment?

I have no idea if anyone is still reading these comments, but I am sickened and apalled at the arrogance and racism inherent in much of what has been presented. Educated white women, “tired of race as an isue”! Well, isn’t that convenient. Until you have walked a day in the shoes of anyone in this country who is of color, until you know the fear, the oppression, the innate injustice of our society, how dare you dismiss “race” as an unimportant issue? Do you think we are far away from lynchings? Do you remember the man dragged to death behind a pick up truck a few years ago? His crime? Being black.What color was Amadou Diallo? Sean Bell? Do you even know their names? (Amadou killed with 41 police bullets for reaching for his wallet; Sean killed by 50 police bullets for no reason anyone can discern; both occurrred in NYC). Race doesn’t matter? Shall we talk about the noted crime of “driving while black”? Have you visited a prison lately? Can you explain why so many men of color, later proven via DNA evidence to be innocent , have spent time on death row or in hard -time prisons? Race doesn’t matter to you? What about the demonstrated inequities in medical care? (And I don’t mean insured versus uninsured, I mean how differently even insured black people are treated, according to study after study). Race permeates every aspect of this society, and it is about time someone called it as it is, which Obama has done. He told the truth and offered hope and a time to heal, but you’re not interested? You must not have been listening to his speech, because he brought up white people’s understandable fears and anxieties, like their sense of frustration with affirmative action. Race doesn’t matter? You can only say that as a sheltered white person of privilege. I will accept and support the right of every person to have a favorite candidate, to have views different from my own, but I will not stay silent when I see the racist postings this topic brought forth. If we are honest, we will admit Jack Kennedy had not been a “productive” Senator, had no major legislation to point to when he began his presidential campaign, but he was a candidate of honor, ideals, ideas and persuasive words. He was handsome, and thin, and articulate, and smart and funny. He wanted us to do better, to be better, as a nation.Seductive? Maybe, but so is every other successful politican (Bill Clinton being the most obvious example). Jack Kennedy brought hope and idealism and inspiration when we sorely needed it. He is held in high regard despite his abbreviated presidency. Who are we to say “Obama is no Jack Kennedy”? President Kennedy’s brother and daughter have made the comparison, and I’d say they have a right to use that description more than we have the right to disparage it. For the record, I am no “kid”, I’m white, and I remember the Kennedy campaign and administration well. Finally, as far as having a “record” ,Senator Clinton is demonstrably no more qualified than Obama, and I for one am really tired of hearing about how “experienced” she is. At what? Propping up an unfaithful husband? Dabbling in unsuccesssful legislative efforts (remember the health care debacle ?)? She overstates her case time and again,and yet there seem to be many of you who excuse and exhalt her because she is a woman. I find that patronizing. And I am disheartened by the tone and tenor of so many of these postings. I had hoped for better from this site. I am deeply disappointed. Laurie J. Macdonald

I have on my office bulletin baord a column the late, great Molly Ivins wrote , published Jan. 20, 2006. The headline was: Molly Ivins Not. Backing. Hillary. [sic] And I quote: “Enough. enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone. This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terry Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag burning, are just contemptible little dodges. The recent death of Gene Mccarthy reminded me of a lesson I spent a long, long time unlearning, so now I have to relearn it. It’s about politcal courage and heroes and when a country is desperate for leadership. There are times when regular politics will not do, and this is one of those times. There are times a country is so tired of bull that only the truth can provide relief”. And she goes on. I am with Molly Ivins, and I do not, will not , support anyone, man or woman, who embodies the worst of my (boomer ) generation: the solipsistic, self- involved person with a sense of entitlement; the educated, sophisticated achiever who should know better; the one whose arrogance is exceeded only by his/ her contempt for the intelligence of the common people. Someone in this idea exchange refers to Obama as a “rookie” senator, but I ask you to name me Hillary’s accomplishments, name me the bills she’s sponsored and shepherded through the Senate. What has she done? What did she do in the White House? Eight years experience? As what? How does the joke go? “She has eight years’ experience in the White House? So does the pastry chef!”. Do none of you recall the promises made during the first Clinton presidential campaign? Remember how the the Hatian Boat People would be treated with justice and kindess? Upon election, the Clintons abandonded those promises with dispatch. Do you not recall the string of nominations of women to be Attorney General, all of whom, improperly vetted in the first place, were left to “twist slowly, slowly in the wind”? Do the names Kimba Woods and Lani Guiniere mean anything to you? Where was Hillary’s “sisterhood” then? I could go on, but I’ll just say the “I was under sniper fire” routines are just more of the same. I didn’t buy it then and I don’t buy it now. If Senator Clinton really cared about her party or her coutnry, she would withdraw, support Obama, and insure an end to this unrelentingly catasrophic Republican reign. She won’t ,however, because it’s not about “us” it’s about “her”. And she’ll stop at nothing, destroying the Democrats’ chances as she goes. Laurie J. Macdonald

What we’ve heard this morning is that Governor Spitzer has spent upwards of $80K on “escorts” over the last number of years. How is that “out of the blue” “uncharacteristic” “not like Bill Clinton”. The difference is that Clinton had encounters with people he knew and for free, while Spitzer paid for specific sex acts with strangers. Is there a difference of degree or kind? As many have said, we can’t know what goes on within a marriage, and so cannot judge Mrs. Spitzer’s choices. However, one must never forget that the wife reaps the benefits of the husband’s power and prestige, so perhaps there are tradeoffs implicit in supporting the spouse whose job depends on public approval. Practically speaking, acting like the wronged wife is not a great option: Castigate the errant spouse and perhaps be held (at least partially) responsible for his downfall and resultant loss of a job, which means cutting off the salary and benefits which accrue to the family as well as to the actual office holder. All of this just helps to confirm my view that those who position themselves as the most righteous, those who take pleasure in engineering the downfall of other “sinners”, those who pray the loudest, those who hold themselves out as guardians of public morals…. these are the ones to watch out for. They likely have closets full of skeletons. Laurie J. Macdonald

Welcome to my world! How intriguing to find a gathering place for women who seem to be vital, intelligent, passionate, committed…. and who’ve been around long enough to have some experience and wisdom. I’m right there with you! Thanks for creating the space/place in your busy lives. I’ll be back. (Laurie J. Macdonald)

My choices: Molly Ivins for her incisive wit, warmth and wisdom; Susan B. Anthony for recognizing the power implicit in women’s suffrage;Harriet Tubman for her death-defying courage and commitment to freedom; and Jo March of Little Women for her long-time, long-term positive, “feminist” influence on young readers