Because BIll Frist wasn't acting as Terry Schiavo's doctor when he viewed a few minutes of a videotape of her provided by the family and ostensibly did not have access to her medical record, he can't be disciplined for providing a totally inaccurate prognosis. He can, however, be held accountable for his actions in wasting millions of dollars of taxpayer money to defy the wishes of what Republicans have established as one of the bulwarks of their entire social program: the integrity of marriage.

Herr Senator Doctor Frist, who apparently is a very fine doctor when public policy isn't thrown into the mix, defied the permanent, irrevocable nature of the bond that Republicans cherish in order to throw his uninformed, but ostensibly authoritative view into the public despite the fact that Schiavo had been shown over and over again to be receiving the best possible care in Florida. In fact,

I haven't heard this term before, but it's part of post-feminism: lactivism! Activists agitating for the right (not grudging acceptance) of women breastfeeding babies in public. The New York Times covers it today.

I was typically unaware of how this all worked until having a baby. Ben has always been a frequent and insistent feeder, and if women don't have the right, ability, and comfort level to nurse in public, it condemns those who want to breastfeed to staying at home or giving up early.

I saw a discussion on a blog where grown men and women were going all oogey over the idea of women breastfeeding in places like Starbucks or a store, and it made me want to scream. So, what, you'd rather put a ball and chain on a women, leave her barefoot at the stove, not let her leave her house?

The sexualization of the breast

It doesn't matter how you feel about the war; a new country having legitimate democratic elections should be a cause for celebration. Let's see if the international monitors agree.

However, Iraqis in America are eligible to vote in their country's democratic elections--if they could get to a polling place. There are only a handful in the US near large Iraq-American population centers, and only one west of the rockies in Irvine, Calif., south of LA and north of San Diego.

Only 10 percent of eligible Iraqis here registered, in part because registration was several days before voting. This means a dramatic undervote from people living in democracy about the future of a country they may go back to or have an ongoing relationship with. It's probably security that kept more voting places from opening, but it's a shame.

Our president stated his goals very distinctly for his next term:

We will continue our economic progress. We will reform our outdated tax code. We will strengthen Social Security for the next generation.We will make public schools all they can be, and we will uphold our deepest values of family and faith.

Economic progress: More tax cuts increasing future deficits at the expense of the already wealthy. The averages will again be cited instead of the quintiles, showing disproportionate percentages of the refunds going to the wealthiest.

Outdated tax code: Easier ways to deduct for people who spend more, and thus can itemize better. Actually, I heard that the Bush administration is pushing a very good use of the Health Savings Account (HSA) program which allows tax-free accumulations of money used only for a variety of health-care purposes if you opt for a high-deductible health insurance program. There's talk

I'm not profoundly depressed that Kerry didn't win, and only slightly surprised after his surge the last few weeks. If the country had seen the man that won the debates and emerged in the last month for several months, the tide would have turned earlier, and he would have picked up enough votes in key states to have changed it around.But it's clear from Bush's first term and from the plans that have been openly discussed about what to do with a strong mandate and a totally overwhelming lead in Congress for his second term that we aren't going to see any cooperation at all. We have to fight for every last thing in every legal manner possible. The fact that so many races were so close just shows that people who believe in equal treatment for people of all stripes and all income levels really do abound. I

I just voted. Please remember to vote. Vote, vote, vote. Vote! But just once.Remember: resoluteness in the face of disaster and ruin isn't a virtue. Emerging ideals and policies that reflect a changing world is what we need right now.

Yesterday, I wrote about why I am voting for John Kerry, and what I expect from a Kerry administration.A lot of people can't stand the man, and can't vote for him. But they're angry about being betrayed by Bush. I've had a lot of conversations with lifelong Republicans with whom I am now in large agreement about an array of social and domestic policies. Bush's administration has pushed non-extremists closer together. If you can't bring yourself to vote for Kerry, just don't vote for Bush. We may live in a system dominated by two parties, but you can still opt out. Write in John McCain, even, a man I respect greatly (except for his party support for Bush in this election cycle). Write in someone you believe should be president. A John Kerry administration, just like the Clinton administration, will allow conservatives to participate in government and policy. The

If I haven't said it before, I'm voting for John Kerry. I voted for Al Gore in 2000, and was sorry he wasn't allowed to serve. I was dubious about Bush, then cautiously optimistic, then horribly disappointed. I don't believe Bush is an idiot. (I'm a Yale man myself.) I do believe that his agenda reflects the needs of a small percentage of people in this country, and that that group of people includes a very small number of the folks who will vote for Bush, convinced that he is doing good for them.

It's likely that Bush has helped my pocketbook, so you can see that I'm voting my conscience. I don't want more money from the government. I want more fairness. I want human rights upheld. I want to be able to travel the world with my head held high. I want no more lies. I want a