Things you secretly oppose, but don't want other people to know:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm scared of bird mites so would never get a bird...same with other animals except for fish.

Mites are not common for indoor, pet birds. Our parrot has an annual check-up and has never had an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm scared of bird mites so would never get a bird...same with other animals except for fish.

Mites are not common for indoor, pet birds. Our parrot has an annual check-up and has never had an issue.

Ditto. You can also buy mite spray for birds, although I'd be nervous to spray any chemicals at my bird.

[Anonymous]

I think we should more or less close our doors to new immigrants/permanent residents. I liken it to a family that would love to have/adopt more children but need to care for the ones they have and just can't afford to have/adopt more, as much as they might like to. I also think we need to stop granting citizenship to children of non-citizens just b/c they are born here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am personally sick of the "troop love" everyone in the military is a hero sentiment. Let's face it 80% of those enlisted (not officers) would be flipping burgers if they did not have the military as an option. It is a glorified welfare system

You are an asshole! You get to sleep peacefully at night because of "those enlisted"! You should go and see "those enlisted" over at Walter Reed Medical Center with no arms/legs; then come back and let us know if they don't deserve some "troop love". Would you have felt the same if your child joined?

I didn't respond to the posters who are so anti military. But I do want to say this. I have two sons in the Army. Both are enlisted. One graduates from college in a few weeks. The other starts college in 9 months. Both served in Afghanistan. One did tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq. At one point I had two boys serving in a war zone at the same time-one with the 82nd Airborne and the other with a combat engineer battalion. Both were injured while overseas, thankfully not seriously.

I post only to say-your words have power and today your words hurt me deeply. I know I am just some random Internet stranger. But I am a real person who nearly lost a son overseas. When I say your words hurt, I mean they literally made me cry. I think that says a whole lot more about you than it does me or my boys.

One more thing...My dad is a retired two star General and my husband was an officer before he joined the FBI. I've spent most of my life around troops. You reference "enlisted" as welfare people. NO ONE I know in the military, Officer or otherwise, would ever refer to our young soldiers that way.

NP here. I don't exactly share the sentiment of the previous poster (e.g. about flipping burgers) and I'm sorry that you are hurt by it. However, I don't think that the entire country has to glorify the work of the military. I didn't ask your son to go to Afghanistan or Iraq. In fact, I'd rather they stayed home safely with you. This jingoistic bullshit about fighting for freedom just rubs me the wrong way. If your family wants to devote your lives to the military that's great for you and I recognize that it involves sacrifices, but I don't understand why I have to thank you for doing something that I didn't ask for and don't support. There are plenty of other people in the country (yourself included) who will pat your sons on the back. If my own child chose to join the military I would be worried for him and stressed about it, but I wouldn't be grateful.

But that's kind of the point, isn't it? No one suggested you "thank" my boys for their service, although it's always nice when someone does. There is another option. Try being kind and showing compassion. I promise you, our soldiers aren't 't fighting for some abstract concept of "freedom". They are fighting for the guy standing next to them in the foxhole. You may not agree with this conflict , but you can't possibly believe we don't need a strong, well-trained military. Not sure how much you know about the military, but here's a clue- they don't take a vote before going to war.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am personally sick of the "troop love" everyone in the military is a hero sentiment. Let's face it 80% of those enlisted (not officers) would be flipping burgers if they did not have the military as an option. It is a glorified welfare system

You are an asshole! You get to sleep peacefully at night because of "those enlisted"! You should go and see "those enlisted" over at Walter Reed Medical Center with no arms/legs; then come back and let us know if they don't deserve some "troop love". Would you have felt the same if your child joined?

I didn't respond to the posters who are so anti military. But I do want to say this. I have two sons in the Army. Both are enlisted. One graduates from college in a few weeks. The other starts college in 9 months. Both served in Afghanistan. One did tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq. At one point I had two boys serving in a war zone at the same time-one with the 82nd Airborne and the other with a combat engineer battalion. Both were injured while overseas, thankfully not seriously.

I post only to say-your words have power and today your words hurt me deeply. I know I am just some random Internet stranger. But I am a real person who nearly lost a son overseas. When I say your words hurt, I mean they literally made me cry. I think that says a whole lot more about you than it does me or my boys.

One more thing...My dad is a retired two star General and my husband was an officer before he joined the FBI. I've spent most of my life around troops. You reference "enlisted" as welfare people. NO ONE I know in the military, Officer or otherwise, would ever refer to our young soldiers that way.

NP here. I don't exactly share the sentiment of the previous poster (e.g. about flipping burgers) and I'm sorry that you are hurt by it. However, I don't think that the entire country has to glorify the work of the military. I didn't ask your son to go to Afghanistan or Iraq. In fact, I'd rather they stayed home safely with you. This jingoistic bullshit about fighting for freedom just rubs me the wrong way. If your family wants to devote your lives to the military that's great for you and I recognize that it involves sacrifices, but I don't understand why I have to thank you for doing something that I didn't ask for and don't support. There are plenty of other people in the country (yourself included) who will pat your sons on the back. If my own child chose to join the military I would be worried for him and stressed about it, but I wouldn't be grateful.

But that's kind of the point, isn't it? No one suggested you "thank" my boys for their service, although it's always nice when someone does. There is another option. Try being kind and showing compassion. I promise you, our soldiers aren't 't fighting for some abstract concept of "freedom". They are fighting for the guy standing next to them in the foxhole. You may not agree with this conflict , but you can't possibly believe we don't need a strong, well-trained military. Not sure how much you know about the military, but here's a clue- they don't take a vote before going to war.

Not everyone joins the military b/c they want to serve. Many join b/c it's their best option and they just hope they don't have to see combat tours. Many join to get an education that would otherwise be prohibitive such as medical or law school. Others join b/c they are looking for a way to get out of poverty. Of course, they are *willing* to serve in combat and do support combat troops, of course. But it's not because they were just so selfless and ran forth with a torch screaming 'for God and Country'. I am grateful that people choose this path, because its dangerous a d we need folks to do it. But you could say the same about coal miners and welders. I am also grateful for garbage collectors and septic tank cleaners.

[Anonymous]

Yep, many a poor person has given her or his life in military service to fight the wars of the wealthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep, many a poor person has given her or his life in military service to fight the wars of the wealthy.

Because only the wealthy benefit from freedom? Many a poor person has died doing many jobs that the wealthy choose not to do. What would you suggest as an alternative? Communism?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep, many a poor person has given her or his life in military service to fight the wars of the wealthy.

Because only the wealthy benefit from freedom? Many a poor person has died doing many jobs that the wealthy choose not to do. What would you suggest as an alternative? Communism?

No, but we have fought resources wars (oil and colonies) to line the pockets of greedy people.

[Anonymous]

But you could say the same about coal miners and welders. I am also grateful for garbage collectors and septic tank cleaners.

Actually, I am grateful. But more importantly, I would never be purposely hurtful. That's the issue I have with the people referring to our service members as idiots. You certainly don't have to express gratitude or admiration. However, name calling and insults just seems so very wrong, especially when it caused so much pain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep, many a poor person has given her or his life in military service to fight the wars of the wealthy.

Because only the wealthy benefit from freedom? Many a poor person has died doing many jobs that the wealthy choose not to do. What would you suggest as an alternative? Communism?

No, but we have fought resources wars (oil and colonies) to line the pockets of greedy people.

It is one reason (or effect) but not the only reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep, many a poor person has given her or his life in military service to fight the wars of the wealthy.

Because only the wealthy benefit from freedom? Many a poor person has died doing many jobs that the wealthy choose not to do. What would you suggest as an alternative? Communism?

Which poor people benefited from the freedom we won in Vietnam? Korea? Iraq Wars I and II? How did our "liberating" help anyone there, or or returning soldiers here? Which wealthy people and corporations (excuse me, they're people now, too. I always forget) benefitted from the above? Tell me about the profits of the bomb and helicopter and chemical companies. How about Halliburton? Xe, or whatever they're calling themselves now? I'm actually one of the people who is grateful to the people who serve, but let's not pretend like any of our recent forays have done much in the way of protecting our "freedoms," okay, Cheney?

And communism? If we really had a problem with it, one would think we wouldn't let China own all our debt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we should more or less close our doors to new immigrants/permanent residents. I liken it to a family that would love to have/adopt more children but need to care for the ones they have and just can't afford to have/adopt more, as much as they might like to. I also think we need to stop granting citizenship to children of non-citizens just b/c they are born here.

I agree with you 100%. If you weren't born here, and you're over 18, you gotta go unless you're in an accredited college. If you get pregnant while IN college, you gotta go. If you break the law, you gotta go. If you need to apply for welfare, you gotta go.

Also I think people moving here from other countries should have to assimilate a bit more than they do. There should be a mandatory Learn to Speak English class that gets them fairly proficient. After graduated, you have to teach that class (volunteer). If you are not enrolled within 3 months of arriving here you have to go. If you can't graduate after the second pass of taking it, you gotta go. You can test out of having to take the ESL class, but still have to volunteer. After fulfilling your ESL volunteer obligation, you have to volunteer for an American-created organization that is not based on helping immigrants from your home country. GIVE BACK. If you have a child who commits a crime, you AND that child, gotta go. You are welcome back after that child reaches age 18, but any immigrant who breaks a law is never welcome back to live here permanently. If you are not either working or going to school or some combination of the two that equals full time for more than six months, you gotta go. (There should be waivers for this during recessions.) Full time students can stay in the country between semesters but for any break over two weeks long they must be volunteering or working at least 20 hours a week (or a combo of the two that equals 20 hours a week).

Lastly, I think we should do away with calling human beings "illegals." A person, in and of themselves, can not be an illegal human being. It is not illegal to be alive. We need a different term.

[Anonymous]

Interesting PP. Hospitals are deporting immigrants who are incapacitated and cannot pay their bills. Private jet and all, from the hospital returned to their home country where they have to hope they will receive some sort of lifetime care from their families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we should more or less close our doors to new immigrants/permanent residents. I liken it to a family that would love to have/adopt more children but need to care for the ones they have and just can't afford to have/adopt more, as much as they might like to. I also think we need to stop granting citizenship to children of non-citizens just b/c they are born here.

I agree with you 100%. If you weren't born here, and you're over 18, you gotta go unless you're in an accredited college. If you get pregnant while IN college, you gotta go. If you break the law, you gotta go. If you need to apply for welfare, you gotta go.

Also I think people moving here from other countries should have to assimilate a bit more than they do. There should be a mandatory Learn to Speak English class that gets them fairly proficient. After graduated, you have to teach that class (volunteer). If you are not enrolled within 3 months of arriving here you have to go. If you can't graduate after the second pass of taking it, you gotta go. You can test out of having to take the ESL class, but still have to volunteer. After fulfilling your ESL volunteer obligation, you have to volunteer for an American-created organization that is not based on helping immigrants from your home country. GIVE BACK. If you have a child who commits a crime, you AND that child, gotta go. You are welcome back after that child reaches age 18, but any immigrant who breaks a law is never welcome back to live here permanently. If you are not either working or going to school or some combination of the two that equals full time for more than six months, you gotta go. (There should be waivers for this during recessions.) Full time students can stay in the country between semesters but for any break over two weeks long they must be volunteering or working at least 20 hours a week (or a combo of the two that equals 20 hours a week).

Lastly, I think we should do away with calling human beings "illegals." A person, in and of themselves, can not be an illegal human being. It is not illegal to be alive. We need a different term.

The term doesn't mean they're illegal, it means they're here illegally. I knows it's developed negative connotations, but there's nothing wrong with the word itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting PP. Hospitals are deporting immigrants who are incapacitated and cannot pay their bills. Private jet and all, from the hospital returned to their home country where they have to hope they will receive some sort of lifetime care from their families.

Is this really true?