Completely fair. I think Trump would have done anything to avoid service, regardless of the nature of the conflict. His only ideology is self-protection. I think the comments I reacted to were less nuanced regarding the meaning behind avoiding Vietnam, and that upset me. I agree with everything you said.

Well stated. I can absolutely understand how fed up you are with people in power being happy to start wars, but not serve in them. I guess I was caught up in my own feelings about Vietnam, but I concede that, when asssessed with the rest of the evidence, there’s not much ground for me to stand on. I think it’s clear…

I would offer that it shows he’s a total selfish coward, but that doesn’t mean I fault him for not choosing to serve there. A fine hair to split, but not insignificant.

I’m not trying to defend Trump in any way; I’m just noting that it would be hypocritical for me, and, I suspect, most commenters, to specifically judge him for weaseling out of this particular call to arms, since I think it was the right choice. I’m sure my reasons & his are not the same, but I’m not going to beat…

I hate Trump as much as anyone, but I’m not going to criticize him for dodging out of a useless, unjust war. I only wish it showed something more about his character than dedicated self-interest. Frankly, I’m disappointed that everyone is piling on here. A liberal figure could expect a lot more lenience on this issue.

I am an unabashed Lands End enthusiast. Their boys clothes stand up to a truly mighty amount of wear and tear. I have a dress from them that has cleavage, coverage, and color (!)- I wore it to a graduation and a Mormon temple, but change the shoes & ditch the cardigan and I can wear it out to dinner too. Their…

And sometimes new moms get super sick and almost die, so they kind of need their partner around to keep the ship afloat. Or maybe they just had a c-section and basically can’t do much for 2 weeks. These both are me, btw.

Is there a human-sized hamster ball in this scenario?

I haven't! I've read most of his books. He's hit & miss for me. Loved The Terror & The Crook Factory; hated The Fifth Heart and Drood.

He just thought it was poorly written and that each ‘twist’ was telegraphed way in advance. He had just finished writing a novel & failing to get it published, so he was particularly bitter at the time :)

I never would have finished Middlemarch unless I had someone read it to me in the car.

I bought Snow Crash with grand ambitions. Got about 1/3 through. It's one of those books that is so densely told that I need a pretty calm week in my life to read it. There's so much to assimilate that I just couldn't handle the virtual chaos in the midst of actual chaos. It's on my shelf; I'll get there. I think it's…

My husband read that bc it was hyped as Local Colorado Author Breaks Through. He hated it.

Have you read the Ancillary series, by Ann Lackie (I think that's her last name). Loved them- and I read the whole Hyperion quartet once upon a time. My favorite Dan Simmons book is still The Terror, though.

I think it’s all individual fit. I did Huggies mostly, bc Costco sells them. Kid 1 shat through any brand like it was made of air kisses; kid 2 never did.

I have 2 young sons. I get so scared that they'll marry one of these women. It motivates me to be Even More Awesome as a female role model.

At least a condo is an asset. A fucking wedding dress???

Anytime something breaks in my house I miss having a management company to call!!

That makes total sense. There are pills and treatment protocols that can really help some types of schizophrenia; Munchausen’s is, in its way, more pernicious.

People will cause infections- scrape skin & rub poop or mold in it, etc., to cause the necessary symptoms. Not saying it happened here, but it's been done.