First, this is a serious story that should be paid attention to. Second, when you share things that are filled with loaded political language and bias then it makes it easier not to take it seriously, so you should consider your sources. "Normalizing pedophilia"??? Not happening. Third, bathroom assaults have unfortunately been happening for many years before there were "transgender bathroom activists". Sexual assaults on girls and women need more attention than they get, and the fact that one in a million happens by a transgender person is being used to distract from real problems not address them. Banning transgender people in bathrooms will not solve this, because the majority of assaults are not associated with transgender people.

Some Texas lawmakers already saying, "That's not what the law means!" I'm sure they don't see the irony in arguing that the law is being applied unskillfully but that doesn't make the law wrong. 😉

Schools doing it appropriately don't make the news. Why would they? I know I have seen people protesting things that were appropriate, like the book about a black kid's experience in a mostly white school. So is your position that it is nowhere being taught appropriately? Or that all the protests are only against really inappropriate things?

This is an interesting perspective. Public schools have always been about what is beneficial for *society as a whole* not what is beneficial for individual kids or families. That's part of why we chose to homeschool, but the reasoning makes sense. If you have a publicly funded school, it has to benefit the majority. In our country now, we are just about evenly split about what exactly is beneficial. So what you are saying is a reality. The problem I see is that the same people who don't want a teacher supporting BLM in the classroom also want to bring back patriotism and prayer in the classroom. History can't be taught neutrally it seems, because even basic facts are being touted as anti-American. People who want "leftist propaganda" out of the classroom, seem to be okay with their own values in the classroom, because to *them* those aren't propaganda. Those are "American values". How is that gap ever bridged? (Can't seem to correct my weird font, sorry. I haven't been on the board in awhile, where is the font size option??)

I don't think anything about pronouns or name preferences, but someone mentioned sexual orientation. Is that really happening? I mean, if someone wants to announce it as part of introducing themselves, that's fine of course, but is anyone being *expected* to announce it? Editing to add, I get the current generation is very *out* about sharing things. When I meet my daughter's friends from college, they very often announce personal things during our first meeting, including mental health diagnoses, etc. But it shouldn't be *asked* I don't think.

But part of Felicity's point was that the crappy school will become even crappier and the people stuck there will become even worse off than they are currently. There have to be options that don't make things *worse* for some while making things better for others.

Fritz what's your take on the points that Felicity raises?

Thanks for sharing that, great perspective. Personally I'm conflicted about charter schools, because I see the advantages, but the points you make are real. I wonder if the person asking why would people be against charter schools takes time to read that. It's kind of the same perspective I have about "let states do whatever they want and if people don't like it they can move". That's so clueless about lower income life.

A search returned these results pretty quickly, these are just a few: Weapons at school board meeting, screaming profanities, houses egged, cars scratched, fire started in yards https://www.pilotonline.com/news/education/vp-nw-school-board-meetings-20211009-dg3iidzdhfdbfk7rta6tcuvgjy-story.html Threats including hanging or shooting (in public), sending photos of people being tortured saying that was what school board member deserved https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/education/school-board-leader-tells-of-death-threats-after-vaccine-mandate-vote-2435629/ School board member followed around while driving, told they were coming for her and she needed to beg for mercy https://www.wmfe.org/brevard-school-board-revises-public-comment-rules-as-violence-threats-against-school-board-members-rise-across-country/191553 We will make your lives miserable, you will be removed one way or the other https://news.wosu.org/news/2021-09-21/some-ohio-school-board-members-receive-threats-over-curriculum

The woman in your first article says: We are parents, and we have every right to speak passionately and publicly about our children’s education. To post on social media. To write open letters to school board members. To submit op-eds to newspapers. To form advocacy organizations with other parents. To organize protests. To show up to school board meetings. None of those things are being investigated by the FBI or anyone else as long as parties are following the law. It seems too often the goal is to *shut down* a school board meeting rather than to just show up, and communicate according to guidelines (which include time limits, non-threatening speech, no name-calling). If you think the threats are not really happening you might want to research that more. NO ONE is calling concerned parents terrorists if they are behaving like concerned parents and civil adults. For the parents that aren't, I wonder what kind of example they think they are setting for their children about how to resolve conflict. I did find this comment interesting: Why should our children — in class, in front of their peers — be required to discuss their sexual orientation? Give their pronouns? Renounce their “privilege”? Plumbing children for this kind of personal information is grotesque and inappropriate, and it has everything to do with the worldview of Critical Race Theory. Anyone who denies as much is lying. Pronouns and sexual orientation may be their own issue, but have ZERO to do with CRT. If they truly are requiring people to announce their sexual orientation in class (rather than just someone who wants to volunteer that) I agree that's weird and inappropriate. But it's still not CRT.

I didn't think of that. I might check into it if there's no Moderna news by the end of the month.

I am at almost 10 month out from my Moderna and not eligible, even though I work in first response. Oct 28 will be 10 months. I can't do the box checking thing because my conscience would torment me and I don't need more stress in my life. Thinking about doing antibody testing.

Also just chiming in about the school board situation, here locally there are eight candidates for school board with I think three openings. Typically positions go unfilled because no one is interested. I'm a little fearful, because I live in a very conservative county, no mask mandates, etc. So I wonder, what do these candidates want to happen? We did have one incident where a teacher posted something outside of school time that she supported BLM. That created an uproar that she should be fired. We have a very vocal Christian organization that has been pushing the "take over your communities!" line. I think that's been the main motivation. I can only hope that whoever gets these positions will still be interested in the boring work once the political frenzy dies down.

Related to this topic, here is another book being considered CRT: https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/10/05/katy-isd-pulls-books-cancels-authors-visit-after-parents-petition-claiming-subject-matter-teaches-critical-race-theory/ There is a general goal among CRT or DEI opponents that "no one should be made to feel bad because of their race", a phrase that has been used in some of the anti-CRT laws. That seems like a good goal, but it's far too vague and subjective. Reading a story about an all-too-common experience in which a black kid is bullied and or/ostracized by white kids is not trying to make white kids feel guilty. It's trying to make bullies feel guilty (as it should), make white kids be more aware of that dynamic happening and how hurtful it is,, and make black kids feel seen and more understood. Reading history about actual crimes committed by white people (or Asian people or Native Americans or anyone else) should not make any individual feel guilty about THEMSELVES unless they personally engaged in that behavior. What it should do is make people AWARE, and hence *educated* about the reality of what has happened in the world due to racism, colonialism, and other factors. I can read about damage humans have done to the environment. Do I feel guilty, like it's my personal fault? No. But do I feel "bad" that humans, the group I am a part of, have done so much harm? Yeah, I do. It's a feeling that makes me want to take action, to do things better. That's a positive feeling, not negative. I can't understand that argument, that everyone wants white people to feel guilty or feel bad for being white. What they should be is *educated* and *aware* of history and of certain realities and how those realities affect the system we live in. And yes, fighting against that looks really bad and even racist.

The home tests are definitely not as accurate. I've known two people with exposure to a tested case and symptomatic that tested negative with the home test. In one case dad tested positive PCR, mom tested positive home test, kid tested negative. All had symptoms. The school was so thankful that the kid did not get sent to school even though the test was negative, because they said they have had kids sent to school in that situation. That said, it's better than nothing. I would do the rapid right before book club. That plus no symptoms should be reasonably safe. Editing to add, whole family was fully vaxxed.

Quote for truth First it was if you don't like people not wearing masks then stay home. What about, if you don't want to wear a mask then stay home?

This should be the same as when a person had to apply for conscientious objector status during the draft. They had to show that they had already been following those principles in their life.

Agree strongly. People overestimate the power of "the market" when workers still have to feed their families. The same thing applies with Walmart for example. If you don't like their business practices don't shop there and they will suffer. But most families at lower incomes don't have the luxury of choosing where to shop because of moral principles. They shop where they can buy the most for their dollar. That's why we have OSHA and safety regulations to being with. The system did not work before. Employees WILL work in unsafe situations to feed their families and pay their bills.

Donuts. NOT CAKE DONUTS. I cannot have them around me. If you give me a box, I will eat them until the box is gone. Absolutely zero control. To a lesser degree, BBQ potato chips.

I am addicted to my ellipses and double spaces after the period. I did manage to drop the period at the end of a text though. The dispute about emojis really confuses me though. https://www.bustle.com/life/what-does-the-smiley-face-emoji-happy-or-passive-aggressive “A smiley face emoji at the end of a message is a patronising pat on the head from somebody who wishes you nothing but ill fortune,” wrote The Guardian. 21-year-old Hafeezat Bishi, an intern in the US, told WSJ that she felt taken aback when her co-workers welcomed her to the team with a smiley face, “I had to remember they are older, because I use it sarcastically,” From a WSJ article: The skull and crossbones means death or hazard to many adults. Many younger people say that to them it signifies laughing extremely hard—as in “I’m laughing so hard, I’m dying.” Take the upset emoji of a frowning face. It is defined by online dictionaries as “frustrated,” and she said that’s how her father uses it. But it reads more sexual for Gen Z. It’s almost like a pained sigh because somebody is so attractive, she said. On its face, the cowboy, a grinning emoji wearing a hat, can signify a special brand of quirky, giggly happiness. But for many in Gen Z, it means the sender is putting on a front, smiling on the outside while dying on the inside.

I was raised as JW and still part of that community, and I thought it was funny!

So sorry to hear that. I do think blood flow has something to do with it, because having an orgasm BEFORE makes a huge difference, no matter how much foreplay, lubricant, or arousal. Of course since menopause, that gets a little derailed now and then (bodies can be so confounding!) but DH is very dedicated! 😉 With orgasm right before, it still hurts at first but like you were describing it's minimal and then still pleasurable. It's so frustrating because it has absolutely nothing to do with my arousal or desire. In fact, it interferes with it, keeping me from doing things I want to do. I'm all hot-vixen, and then, wait, stop, slowly, now to the left, okay hold it right there... 🤣 Thank God I have a loving and understanding mate!

Just commiserating. After 35 years of marriage and a vaginal childbirth, if I go more than a week or so without sex, I am guaranteed pain the next time. This is with plenty of lubricant, foreplay, and satisfaction! If I can manage it, I will sometimes have a "practice round" on my own just to keep that from happening. I have also some scar tissue towards the bottom of my opening that will tear and bleed. 😔 Doctors were of almost no help and a couple were downright offensive, suggesting either that I was "frigid" or that my husband was basically raping me. Um no.

We actually have one that's a police/ems combo, and there was a huge scandal recently because for a suicidal vet the police did not send out the crisis team and the vet completed suicide. 😢 So yeah...

As someone who works with first response, but not in Texas, police response is very often differently regulated than ambulance response. Ambulance response is what will initiate an evaluation and involuntary transport for suicide attempts. The police will often handle it totally differently. But yes, the mental health system in most areas of the country is woefully inadequate. All the times people say, it's not guns, it's our mental health system...but yet nothing is still done with the mental health system. It's scary for anyone in desperate need, especially in rural areas.