Okay, if you're interested, that current discussion is taking place in this thread, the one in which you and I are currently having this exchange. It's just a bit up-thread.

Btw, there's a very interesting discussion, currently going on somewhere on this page, about "religious liberty" and discrimination in the U.S.

Yeah, having grown up in the xxxxxxx, I lived alongside people of all stripes in my youth. And back in the '60s and '70s, my parents were, while not particularly religious, what I would describe as, primarily, politically conservative.

No, I think your description of your parents, and your Home Depot anecdote, illustrate, perfectly, the mindset of many older, white Americans. They just don't get it, and what they fail to recognize is that the system has always been rigged.

Yeah, in an attempt to keep from writing a book, I think I tried, in my last couple of comments, to put too many ideas into a short space, and that my comments probably lacked clarity and specificity.

Oh, I agree! Her actions ushered the issue into the public consciousness like nothing else has, right? I just wish that certain members of the media would do a better job in connecting the dots between something like the Kim Davis affair and the erecting of "Ten Commandments" monuments on public courthouse grounds ….…

Absolutely. A simple fact with which more people — specifically, straight, white, Christian males — need to acquaint themselves: Your privilege in running the show, here in the U.S., has long depended upon your ability to control things through sheer numbers.

Hmmmmmm ….. That's pretty ….. specific ;)

Truth be told, I don't think they do have anyone whose job it is to think about these things! I'm getting the impression that they are kind of, ummm, short-staffed. Yesterday, I read an article in HuffPost which indicated that phone calls to Trump's state campaign headquarters went unanswered and un-returned.

Ah, now that you mention it, I do recall that bit of scandal surrounding Josh Randall. I guess, in the intervening years, my old brain has had to clear out some non-essential stuff to make room for new stuff, like learning how to use HTML to italicize ;) But, yeah …. I do recall that he was arrested for drug…

Oh, gosh, I didn't know that Daryl Mitchell is on NCIS: New Orleans! You know, I've never watched even a single episode of any of the NCIS shows — I was always more of a Law & Order, L&O: Criminal Intent kind of gal — but I'm going to check out NCIS: N.O., if for no other reason than to see Daryl Mitchell again.…

Yep. Back in the day, when the "enemy" was as invested in staying alive as we were (think the Soviet Union, during the Cold War), it was that "mutually assured destruction" which kept things from getting too out of hand.

Isn't it great? When I read it, several months back, I quickly added it to my little "Favorite Quotations" list, certain that, at some point, I'd want to re-visit it. It's all right there: " … those whims become the whims of the state …." That's it. That's all. Eight little words. Game, set, match.

Yep. Back in the thick of the Kim Davis / marriage equality kerfuffle in Kentucky, attorney Joe Dunman, co-counsel for the plaintiffs in those cases, wrote the single best thing I've ever read concerning this topic:

Kaine's record on reproductive freedom is, while perhaps not entirely disqualifying, slightly shaky.

I enjoy Grantchester.

We don't …. Can't.

I know that a lot of folks didn't care for the Tom Cavanagh show Ed, but I liked it, and I enjoyed Daryl Mitchell's performance in it. And, yeah, it would be nice to see more of him these days. He's a funny guy.

Ah, I just found those nominations. One is for writing, for the song "Settle For Me," and there's a second one for Original Main Title Theme Music.

Yay! Better Call Saul! And Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks!