Mary Lambert taught the Watertown NY First Baptist Church Sunday School class for 54 years before being dismissed for being a woman. That’s longer than most careers, marriages, and even parenthood. Why, you ask? The church decided recently to take a more literal interpretation of the Bible.

The First Epistle to Timothy states, “I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man; she must be silent.”

What a forward thinker Paul was. I suppose it would be overkill to state that such an ideal is considered not only backward in our society but also demeaning. Obviously it held a practical purpose in Paul’s day. Women educated the sons since they stayed at home until they were old enough to be trusted with the goats. A man who had a non-Christian wife faced his sons’ indoctrination into a different faith. As we know women are closer to their children because they are more sure they’re theirs (thank you Socrates.) So to bring the numbers up in this new religion, Paul had to make sure no monkey wrench (or wench) got thrown in. This also may have something to do with the focus of the DaVinci Code conspiracy, where there was a fear of women gaining power.

One point of fact that has been largely ignored when Bible literalists spew out-of-context scriptures to prove a point is the whole of the Bible was supposedly written before the 4th century. The Nicene Convention decided to leave a lot of books out due to a preordained agenda. Well, society progresses beyond the point of archaic notion. According to the Bible, a father is allowed to not only sell his wives and daughters into slavery to pay his debts but also take his mouthy son to the edge of town and stone him to death for being disobedient. Today’s laws make such activity undesirable.

Another point of contention, Paul was what we now call a misogynist. There’s a fifty-cent word for you. I don’t mean he didn’t understand women in the way all men generally don’t understand women. The Oxford Pocket American Dictionary defines misogyny as the hatred of women. The hatred of marriage is misogamy. There have been many famous misogynists in history, most of them serial killers. So Paul has company.

Additionally, the 9th century monk who translated a bulk of the Bible into Latin hated women as well. Good for the local women of his time that he removed himself from their presence. But this bodes ill for the women of passing centuries as his words were used to persecute half the human population just for being descendents of Eve.

Think of it, today’s society, women and men alike, balk at the idea of firing someone based on gender, especially teaching. We can only hope that the congregation of the First Baptist Church of Watertown NY will stand up to its tyrannical preacher and demand Mary Lambert’s reinstatement. Such betrayal must be righted.

If you are a Christian and you believe then what is the problem? Is it that you hold your faith so cheap that anyone can change your mind? For the hardcore fundamentalists, are you concerned that you might switch faiths in an IHOP parking lot that you want the movie and book burned? This is by the way, the protocol one of your brethren decided fit me when he thought I would switch faiths after he forced himself into a private conversation and would not leave? Is it that other people might not come to your faith now that a work of fiction has explored a possibility floating around archeological communities for years? Or perhaps they will avoid it because they think your faith is bogus now that there are theories to the contrary?

Let me clear up something for you. If you hold your faith so cheaply that a work of fiction will change your mind, then maybe the church you attend wasn't the one for you. If, however, you think droves of potential converts have been driven from your doors because of one man's imagination, you are mistaken. There is no guarantee that these people were future members. In fact, I can be pretty certain that if they were anywhere near your church, it was to laugh at you.

I think what really pisses them off is that the book and the movie could be used as great vehicles for conversion. Because Christ is shown to be human, it makes him much more easy to relate to and more attractive to the average person schlepping through their life. But the church people know the rub will come when they tell the potential converts that, no, there is no truth what so ever in those media offerings.

Well, duh!

What part of work of fiction don't you understand? I mean I can get into a tirade about how the Catholic Church covered up and cleansed Jesus's life in the name of good PR and how the Protestant church continued in that vein after their split because it was all they knew. And don't get me started on fundamentalists. But that is an entirely other rant. And the point is, does it matter, as a Christian, if you believe Christ had a wife and family so long as you believe in Christ and his teachings? I thought the most important thing in Christianity was how you acted according to His teachings. Now, it seems, that some churches want a federal mandate to force everyone to go - to their house of worship. In other words, if we are all the same then life is bliss. Diversity is bad. That smacks strongly of combining church and state and is not what the forefathers (several of whom who were Deists - the word for the day!) intended.

If anything I think that the concept of Christ having a wife would make him more appealing to people trudging along in their daily lives. While Superman is a fascinating concept, the perfect, flawless hero gets boring after a short time. The average Joe struggling to survive is much more interesting. Which is why the audience likes Clark Kent. Even Superman longs to be normal.

Now as far as review of the moving, it was entertaining and interesting. However, I began checking my watch - never a good sign - about a half hour before it was over. And it was predictable except for the main bad buy reveal. When I say, "saw that coming," it's also not a good sign. I tend to want to believe in a movie.

The COPE (Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement) bill is making its way through Congress with voting to be as early as Wednesday. This bill violates Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality allows an Internet surfer to pretty much look at whatever he or she wants to without interference from the ISP. In smaller towns and areas, this kind of freedom of speech has frequently been violated as the owners of the ISP (internet service provider) want to decide what content is appropriate for adults in the effort to protect children. At least that is what they say.

This kind of policing has been done on a much smaller scale on an area by area basis. All of that is about to change. Large companies like AT&T and Verizon are pushing this bill hard not because they are concerned about the content on the Web but because they aren’t making as much money as the beancounters think they should be making off the Web.

I’m all for capitalism but you can’t put the genii back in the bottle. We’ve had net freedom and now the companies expect not only us to pay more for the privilege (as we pay for Internet access now) but also they want to be paid by the Web sites in order to have them included in the viewable list. This means that if Google doesn’t want to pay an exorbitant fee to a telecommunications provider and you, the end user, can’t afford an expensive high tiered account, the two of you will never see each other. Which means that you could be forced into using a bogus or biased search engine that feeds you misinformation or a series of places to buy stuff.

So now the old caveat “Let the buyer beware” wrings even truer now. So go to Save The Internet and sign the petition if you don’t want your local ISP to decide what is best for you to view based on their latest profit margins or the personal preferences of the owner. If you have a web-based business in any way, this affects you. If you hold certain political or religious beliefs, this affects you. If you value freedom of speech, this affects you.

Today is the day we eat corned beef and cabbage and drink green beer. I always find it fascinating that, no matter what year it is, St. Patrick's Day always falls somewhere in the Lent season. For those of you unfamiliar with Lent, let me sum up. Lent represents the time Jesus spent in the desert in vigilance to a challenge put to him by Satan. It lasted 40 days and Jesus emerged victorious and ready to face the crowds on Palm Sunday. You can fill in the blanks as to what happened afterward.

What fascinates me is that Northern Ireland - the part of Ireland still governed by Great Britain - is predominantly Catholic. So most of the Irish immigrants that found their way to the shores of the US were and are Catholic. And St. Patrick's Day has become this huge drinking holiday celebrated all over the states (I don't know about Ireland so I can't speak to it.) All during the Lent season where it is traditional in the Catholic religion to give up something you enjoy for 40 days to remember all that Jesus gave up. A kind of homage, if you will.

Now, St. Patrick was a man who chased the snakes, toads, and frogs (the man must have had a severe phobia of reptiles and amphibians) from Erin. Some historians have postulated this to mean he drove out the pagan and druids - the naturalist folk - that lived on the Emerald Isle. Most likely this means he converted a bunch of folk and this new religion spread. I believe we can agree that the reptile expulsion is colorful imagery to get the point across in stories.

So the hero of the Irish people who rescued them from the eternal damnation of being holistic has been transformed into a brew peddling drunk. Kind of like Santa for the bar set. And all during the most holy and important seasons of Catholicism - Lent. It is the season of atonement unlike Advent, which is the season of anticipation and last minute goodness for the kiddies that don't want coal instead of presents.

I can speak on the drunks aspect of the holiday as one of my memories is being in eighth grade in Murphy's Bar on St. Pat's, after school (St. Patrick's School - can we draw a conclusion?) Several parents and educators from the school met in the bar to drink green beer for a couple of hours after school. And I was with them, drinking Pepsis. No one else brought an impressionable teenage kid. I was allowed because all of these people considered me a younger adult. A couple of times someone tried to buy me a round, which I didn't want. Have you seen green beer? Yuck! Don't get me wrong; I remember the day fondly and, in fact, felt kind of special to be the only one in my school and class to be included with the adults. Maybe they knew I wouldn't say a word to anyone the next day (which I didn't.)

My other real knowledge of drunks comes from my Alma Mater (college.) I went to an engineering school and the patron Saint of Engineers is, you guessed it, good ol' St. Pat. They had a beautiful, huge statue of him in the lobby of the library. Which did nothing to foreshadow the events to come in March. For starters our school had Spring Break and St. Pat's Break - which threw off the calendars for all the other state schools. St. Pat's started on Wednesday - right after the last class though many, many students just didn't bother to show up. All but one year I, like half the students in the school, evacuated town. This worked out as leaving students were replaced by students from other schools that easily doubled the school's population. One year I had the misfortune of staying. I had to work that weekend on a project that was due the next week.

There is nothing like trying to dodge drunks for four days. Daytime activities were okay, a parade, some games, and contests. Then they brought out Alice, a tank of muck made up by the St. Pat board reps (all Greek.) Baby reps (first year board members) were thrown into this pool of puke, beer, and god knows what else. I have researched this and Alice is apparently NOT a regular feature of other St. Patrick celebrations. There was the snake hunt (I saved one), in which pledges spent a semester and a half carving beautiful shillelaghs only to destroy them while some fraternity jerk throws rubber, yes, RUBBER snakes onto the carefully kept lawns of the courtyard and instructs him to, “Get the snake FRESHMAN. GET IT. GET IT. BEAT IT TO DEATH. HIT IT. HIT IT. PICK IT UP. NOW BITE IT’S HEAD OFF.”

ANIMAL HOUSE antics had nothing on our St. Pat’s holiday. The members of Delta House wouldn’t have survived. They stopped measuring our school’s drinking by kegs and started counting beer trucks. And no, I don’t say this with pride, which is why I am not stating the school name.

So now St. Pat’s is upon us, again, this time on a Friday, which means about noon, or beer-thirty, some workers will be leaving work early to immerse themselves in celebration. And I get to dodge them in traffic on the way home. Fun times will be had by all. And all this during Lent, well, probably as a break from Lent. After all atonement is a bitch and we are all only human.

Words fail me. William Shakespeare, aka The Bard, invented something like 1500 words during his career as a playwright. This compilation of his works is so fantastic I find writing a simple description to be bloody impossible – at least in the limited area a review allows.

In theater as with TV, writing, and art, there is an unwritten rule not to break the fourth wall. This is the wall that separates the performance or piece from the audience in order that the audience may experience the theater without actually being a part of the action. And Shakespeare’s plays are usually presented in such a fashion.

Which is why this play (or set of plays) is so mind-blowing and hilarious. The fourth wall no longer exists. The audience is as much a member of the production as the four talented players on the stage. And the players and playwrights know the Bard, very, very, well. They are such good friends with him they call him by his nickname, Sweet.

To present this piece, I would favor you with some highlights. I even got out my pen and my little notepad and in the half-light of the stage took notes. But such an act was in vain. The whole damn play was the highlight. The Othello Rap, Gladiator Chef, HAMLET IN REVERSE. Oh, and prolific use of the finger. I felt like I was riding a roller coaster that only sped up with every turn and I couldn’t fasten my belt.

The players of ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD were never so entertaining. Much like those traveling actors living out of a wagon, the stage lies empty but for a cart of props, costumes, and . . . . what’s this? Techno music? The performance depends on the talents of the players and they do not disappoint. Far from it.

Once I read the program (yes, even the program is hilarious) I knew I was in for a treat. The opening introduction of the plays of the Bard as well as a brief, if slightly skewed, biography of Willy himself to the final throes of laughter at the end (who knew tragedy could be so comical?), one laugh succeeded another and another. Each one belched out longer and harder than the first. And I paid for it in the end. My cheeks, sides, and mouth hurt so hard from all the belly laughs I had a hard time falling asleep.

So thank you Marques W. Brown, Steven Gary, Tony Isbell, Henry A. MacDaniel, and Tobias Q. Farthington (excellent stunt work btw) the gut splitting performances. Also thanks to Jess Borgeson, Adam Long, and Daniel Singer. I bow humbly to playwrights who know and love The Bard so well to write such a wonderful play about his works. My high school English teacher, Mrs. Bayer, would love it.

The new current administration has decided to make all such events open to the public in the hopes of getting new members. Hey, I understand that. But when you have people that know about the implementation of dues, don't pay, and still show up to the events and claiming to be part of the club, that's where I am lost. Add in all the underhanded tricks to get the new prez into power and you see where my patience is waning.

The only events not open to the public are the little member get togethers where they talk about non-attending members behind their backs. Well, I can get together with my friends and do that for free.

What bothers me the most is while my husband and I had the most problems with these members, we were not the only ones wanting them out. Other members voiced concerns especially over them not paying dues. The outgoing administration was also aware of the personal problems my husband and I had with them. So to invite them to events makes me think, well, because I spoke my mind, I am no longer welcome.

You know, there is a much less sneaky way of pushing me out of the club. Ask me to leave. To my face or in a PM where you list the problems you are having with me. Let me know. Don't try to edit something I put on my own site (or in my sig for that matter) and if something bothers you about what I wrote, don't get childish and make demands, ask me about it. Because there is the possibility that what I wrote has nothing to do with you, just like my sig. But if you jump down my throat, I'll have a problem with you and write about it.

I am a WRITER it's what I do! I'm not going to sully my fiction stories with making you a bad guy where you'll have to guess. I'm waaaaaay to honest and upfront for that. I will write a rant in my blog.

And guess what, it's a rant. A bunch of hot air issuing forth because I'm pissed and I want someone other than my husband to hear about it. Do you know how many people read this blog regularly? FOUR, four people.

So I have made a fool of you and the club in front of four people, two you don't know and will never meet. This is much better than my PMing individual members or posting it in the club forum where all 16 dues paying members and lots of others in that community could see it.

You accuse me of "secret PMs?" Some things:
1) I asked five people in person how they voted.
2) You had to read someone else's PMs to get that idea, so I guess privacy is out.
3) You are so ill suited to this position you couldn't even run your own campaign. You had the leaving president be your campaign manager. Additionally you and the current administration broke the standing guideline about sock puppets with Sal's Hairdresser and Sal's Hairpin. If any of the other candidates had tried that, we would have been called down. So I guess when you're buddy-buddy with the leaving president, rules don't apply.

So because of this unfair treatment, Joe and I have left. If you were planning on us to be around to keep the unwanted unpaying members company, well, you'll have to deal with that on your own. Don't expect other people to take up our slack.

Real friends accept you for who you are and don’t try to change you. They try to help you even when you don’t want to listen.

Real friends consider your worries their priority. They give support when something makes you afraid or annoyed and try to help you overcome it.

Real friends don’t sit in judgment of you. There are enough assholes in the world that are more than happy to do that in the guise of a friend.

Real friends use words to reach you, not to get a deeper dig. They accept you for your flaws and realize that every once in a while you trip up.

Real friends accept your decisions and give you their loyalty, even if it pits them against others. This is especially hard in a small group where pushing someone to split loyalties will cause more harm than good.

Real friends don’t take advantage of a person’s good nature all the while stabbing them in the back. Favors aren’t counted because they are not necessary. Not so with the users of this world.

Real friends don’t deliberately say something mean to get their point across. They choose their words more carefully.

Real friends accept that a friend has every right to speak his or her mind without threat of retaliation. That everyone is entitled to their opinions even if they are not particularly popular.

Real friends don’t smile to your face then talk behind your back once your leave. They also do not put mutual friends in the awkward situation of having to listen to it.

Real friends like you for your strengths and love you for your flaws.

No association, no matter how well intended, is worth breaking the bonds of friendship. A person has the right to speak their mind about injustice and high-handed malarkey and not be attacked for speaking that opinion in her own forum.

This is for Nikki, Quinn, Heartless, and Blaze. I love you all!

However, with the implementation of dues, dues paying members should get something more than non-paying freeloaders. We have received nothing. Every event held has been open to the public with the exceptions of a meeting to vote out non-paying clingers and the Christmas/Inaugaration/Retirement party where the losers were expected to show up and be magnanimous if they wanted to be involved in the holiday season with this club. What bad taste. I mean, after an election, you don’t force the other candidates to show up and kiss the competitions ass in front of everyone. It should be enough to wish them luck at the beginning and congratulations at the end without it being a public spectacle.

I will remind you it was you and your campaign manager that made the election a big deal. The rest of the members showed very little interest. But, because the mediocrity of this club is such a high priority to the two of you, feelings got hurt.

Hence the cancellation of “Vaderpalooza.” Now, I will state my case, an action long overdue. When I offered our home and land for the Saga Campout, it was my understanding it would just be the members, some friends from Arkansas and, maybe some family. So, imagine my surprise when I see a post on the Southeast Community board inviting all the sister fanforces to this event. The person whose idea this was decided without consulting I or my husband to extend our “hospitality” to these people.

Well I found something out. I found out this person was pissed that a fan force got a write for a big screen but his, which was bigger, got no mention. So, of course, we now have to prove, all 16 of us dues paying members – four shich actually get anything done, that we are the best fanforce. So when I told him I was pissed at his inviting these strangers without my knowledge so he could some off, I was pretty much told that I had an inhospitable nature. Never mind that I or my husband were never consulted. We were the bad guys because “Vaderpalooza” was supposed to be a big showpiece. But this stray fact was only known to the ex- and present presidents. Apparently the rest of us were expected to do without question. It was his “vision” after all and he founded the club.

Needless to say, I was pissed. And I told him so. Through PMs, keeping it off the board. And, naturally when the present president got involved, I was wrong. It didn’t matter that it was our land, our home, our time, our money, and we were in the dark, I was wrong. So I told the visionary no. Find somewhere else. Our idea was a saga sleepover ONLY for dues paying members.

This concept that dues paying members besides parties at someone’s house seems to baffle the current administration. And they are going to be nice. They are lowering dues by five or ten dollars for the next go around. Great, so I save on paying to hang out with my friends.

It was never the money, it was the fact that the people who paid the dues proved they cared about the club. People who didn’t obviously don’t. And by embracing freeloaders, you pretty much say, “Fuck All the Dues Paying Members.”

Well, Fuck You Sal and your cohorts. I was so sick of the petty bullshit by the end of the election, I didn’t care who won. I did notice, however, some of the board-adopted guidelines went lax in your favor. It was my understanding that sock puppets had to ID themselves but your supports could remain safely anonymous. That would be dirty pool. Having the leaving president organize your election was inappropriate. You shouldn’t have asked and he should have said no, particularly after begging your opponent to run when he wanted to keep a third party from entering the race.

He asked me to run for prez, I guess when you turned him down the first time, then promptly embraced your running mate after expressing to my husband he didn’t trust her with money. I couldn’t see why. I thought she was trustworthy.

Don’t worry, I now see what this group is really about, you and your master trying to manipulate the members into bolstering your egos. Only now your master has other interests and you finally feel the pressures of the office. Since you have nothing planned for us, I can only assume you are lonely at the top.

Yes, I have a problem with people who hang and don’t contribute. I have a problem with a couple who had decided that Joe and I were to be their sex toys (at this point, I don’t care if you believe me). I also have a problem with an administration that will not listen to the concerns of any of its members because they may rock the boat. If you keep things status quo, the boat is going to sink.

The biggest thing I have a problem with is being useful enough to not only hem the goods but hock the goods for you and then have you spit in my face because I deign to actually vocals my feelings on my blog that I pay for.

You can choose or not to read it. To tell the truth I was a bit surprised you did as I have received no indication you had before this. But to tell me to edit my words in my space, you are out of line. You’re sick of me, fine, I’m out of the club. But I am disgusted and humiliated that I could even have been associated with you. You are the worst thing to happen to the SMT and it will collapse because of you.

Here is your private message you wanted.

In answer to your first question, it's a blog. A place where I rant on whatever topic I want because it falls under the protection of the First Amendment. If you bothered to read any of the other ones on the site, you might have understood that.

I am so relieved you’ve been patient with me. It really ranks high on my list of things to accomplish in my lifetime. Right up there with finding a cure for the common cold and ending world hunger.

And I left a bad taste in your mouth. Somehow, I don’t think that’s the worst you’ve ever had. The way your precious inner sanctum treats anyone who aren’t a part of their click leaves a bad taste in mine. You want Joe and I to start behaving like adults. Okay but that comment means you and your pals as well. Your sick of the snarky bullshit?! Talk about the pot and the fucking kettle.
As I have already covered both the SMT election and Kelly and Rob in my previous blogs, I will not retread old territory. Since I obviously add nothing useful to the group, I’m out. I have way too much going on to worry about the slow collapse of the Timpire. It’s over! The movies are over and interest is waning.

We all have other things in our lives that we want to do, hence the lack of interest on the board. Face up to it and get over it. You’re an adult, there is more to life than Star Wars.

Yeah, that’s right, I said. Who wants some?

And this applies to the majority of people, moi included. However, I am working to change that vile part of myself. I say tell the truth all the time when asked. Sparing someone’s feelings is done through tact not lies. But make sure that the meaning is understood.

Honestly, if you don’t really what to hear what someone honestly thinks, don’t ask. Remember even paranoid people occasionally have someone following them. If your gut tells you something is wrong with a scenario, rely on that not the opinions of your friends, family, and co-workers. You decide for yourself what something is and, again tactfully, test the theory. There are ways of finding out truth without relying on someone else’s honest.

And don’t count on someone telling you the truth. People, in general, are scum as well as sheep. If a person thinks that there is no way you will actually find out the truth, that person will fib their heads off.

A few months back, I told some pests exactly what I thought of them. Additionally, I avoided them like the plague when an event brought them out. I made no bones about not wanting to talk to them. I thought it was better to avoid them all together instead of yelling at them, or at the very least, being snarky in front of a bunch of kids.

To my chagrin others in my group were nice and welcoming to them after reassuring me that they felt the same way. Now, the new president of our club has extended an open invitation to them after they were evicted from the club for lack of paying dues. Apparently there is a movement to try to force me out. And yet no one has said one word to me. They’ve all been exceedingly nice to my face and not one private message has been delivered.

But they don’t understand something. I understand the silent treatment. No need for me to hang around. And that street runs both ways. In light of the evidence that these people don’t want to hear the truth and would rather humiliate others behind their backs, I don’t think this is the group for me. So I bid a not-so-fond farewell, albeit in a forum that none of them will read. Feel free to breathe a sigh of relief and talk about how much a bitch I was. The words only reflect back on you.

And, of course, the drones of the school system can't see my side of it.

1) They gave me a physical examination form that Traci could fill out for me. Hell, I could fill it out if I were inclined and looked up a couple of things on the Internet. So I could circumvent the whole doctor issue. in addtion I was told if I had had an exam in the past year, I could just take the paper to be filled out by my doctor. The form asks for the date the form is filled out, not the date of the exam. My last exam was in September. A lot can go wrong in four months.

2) The smoke screen is that parents are concerned about their children's well being in school. I am behind that 100%. However the secretary let it slip that the reason for the physical is that if I had say a bad back and I "injured" myself while working for them, they would be liable and could be sued. So they want to know my medical history BEFORE I teach. When you look at the first reason I stated, kinda makes this one moot. I mean, how often does this happen? And muscular problems are notorious for being hard to diagnose.

3) This is one that parents should be concerned about. The school system's education requirement for teaching is a High School diploma (I don't know about GEDs.) The difference in pay between a High School level education and a College level education for subbing is a whopping $5.65 a day. For less than a buck an hour I am expected to actually teach the class rather than just babysit them. And they just dropped the rate of pay for subs across the board. Not much. Before I made just a little over $50 a day and now I make about $0.75 less. But more will be required of me.

4) The background check. I would have had the background check taken out of my first pay check. But I was cleared to teach before they got back the results, presumably. So, if I lied, and background checks not known for being instantaneous (when I showed up today after applying and being released for work last Wednesday I don't think my prints had been sent off yet) I would have full access to their little darlings BEFORE anything had been brought up. Now, my background is spotless so I have nothing to worry about. Additionally I am very honest in interviews. But think, pedophiles are generally sneaky and evasive. So there could be a week or two where one could have full access to a child and no one knows anything about it. As we know, if one moves to a new state where they are required to register, they might not get around to it for a while. Just think about it.

5) Substitute teachers receive no benefits. Which is understandable since they fall under temporary workers. But to require so much money from someone who takes this job for less than $50 a day is asking quite a bit.

6) When you think about it, it's backwards. To dissuade unqualified and potentially dangerous applicants, the background check fee and the physical exam fee should be paid up front. Additionally, the physical exam should only be done by a doctor that the school trusts and knows. That way there can be nothing hinky.

7) In our small, poor school district, starting salary for teachers is over $30,000/year and they get a laptop. Now I think that teachers should be paid what they are worth but as a taxpayer I have to wonder where the tax money is going when all I get to hear is how broke the school system and state is.

8) When I taught before I found it a little disconcerting that, when the sub list had been exhausted, the cafeteria workers and custodians were enlisted to sub for classes. Obviously these are people trusted to be around the children. But what is the education level requirement to be a lunchroom lady or janitor?

9) People that need the money have unnecessary expense added to their problems. Considering the low level of education and criminal background expected of the job, the people applying won't necessarily be assets to the teachers or school. Qualified people will look elsewhere for employment. Those that don't need the money won't bother. And those that are qualified and don't need the money (like moi) will be perturbed that one is required to pay to be an asset and worked like a dog for something just above minimum wage. In addition, I get to lose a day's work to go to the doctor. So now I would be about $150 in the hole to work for the school system.

10) Additionally, it isn't worth the aggravation. The office where I needed to apply only took applications on Wednesdays because that was the only time a qualified individual could take fingerprints. But, she made me print myself while she took my information. And you couldn't get an answer out of them but on Wednesday.

So anyone looking to sub as a means to make money I strongly encourage you to get as much information as possible (provided the school system is willing to part with it.) Potential employees have a right to know.

I was thinking of doing a totally nonconformist Thanksgiving with a London Broil or even enchiladas but, darn it, the turkey must be the centerpiece or my heart isn't in it. So bring on Tom, the taters, and the cranberry sauce. It's the only time of year we have a traditional menu, with everybody and their dog running to the store for the exact same things. I'm so glad I got the same idea as half the population and shopped early in the week.

This year we have decided to start a new tradition. Thanksgiving at our house with a couple of friends followed by board games, video games, movies, roleplaying games, or just talking about stuff. It’s more our speed especially with the crunch time around Thanksgiving holiday. Christmas, believe it or not, is a much more relaxed time mainly because my parents do Thanksgiving at their house but journey outward to local relatives for Yuletide.

Thanksgiving, however, is definitely a holiday I can get behind. No inner struggle with the pressures of faith here. I can be thankful to my husband, family, and friends for just being here without any religious overtones. Just be thankful for being alive.

I deserve an explanation Tony. Period. Not just of the banning but of your attempt to have me silenced on another board. Banning from the boards has done nothing to silence me. Instead I have learned what kind of person you really are and who my real friends were there. I have as much right to talk about my experience on the board as you do to threaten a mutual friend to keep me from discussing it on his. Just because you would stoop to such nefarious tactics doesn't mean I would. I resent the implication. You were pissed about something else and took it out on me. Most likely the comparison of your actions to a certain politician you loathe is what pissed you off. Well, you are a chat board tyrant and I pity posters that come there to talk to a has been writer only to find that he takes his inadaquecies out on his public.

Well with no further ado here is the letter I sent to him. I have received no response.

Someone pointed your post out to me of Just Trying Your Best. I left the board so there's no reason for you to ban me unless you're afraid of me, but I never received the obligatory email stating what I did wrong to get booted.

Additionally, a third party informed me you wanted me bounced from his boards as well (or at least reined in so I wouldn't turn his boards into a Tony-bashing party.) Because that is something you might do, doesn't mean it is something I stoop to. I keep it on my blog and my boards and that's it. I already exorcised that demon and moved on to better things. I held on posting it as a favor to a friend to let things die down.

But the only thing that bothers me is that you banned me, didn't tell me but told a mutual friend, and attempted to control things on another board. WTF? You don't have to tell me why you bounced me after I left the boards. That's your perogative.

But, if you are the believer in free speech you say you are, why attempt to censor me on someone else's boards? I'm banned from pop culture and the general forum (and I never posted on pop culture) in comics community. Why not go the whole nine and keep me off Ostrander's, Cho's, Duursema's, and Mandrake's as well? At least that would make more sense. But picking on a friend of mine and threatening him, that is very, very low.

I know I picked a poor subject to joke about. I do not apologize as others on your board have done the same and haven't had to justify their existence. I will not be returning to your boards as I still harbor harsh feelings and have a place to discuss politics to my heart's content and keep it separate from comics and fun stuff.

I will, however, extend an invitation to you to join our Exiles board (www.randomquoteproductions.com/exiles). We allow freedom of speech and no topic or poster is unwelcome. All we ask is that if a conversation degrades to flame wars, take it to PM, no one else wants to read the clutter. We would prefer you give an email address as well for the purposes of updating site and you need it to register. But you can use any name and don't have to show your email. There are five moderators so, should a problem arise, the squad will put it to a vote. It takes a lot to get bounced. We've had no trouble so far.

I wish you and your family well.

Who would think that copyrighting the Bible is a good idea? The King James version is public domain so I can still make fun of it. It has to be money oriented. I mean, if you were really concerned about getting the word out would you care if someone used it?

WHY COPYRIGHT THE BIBLE? This has to be money motivated. L. Ron Hubbard made up his own religion and copyrighted it. The Christians and Catholics had to get the idea from there.

What next? A price chart for Salvation. No wait, that’s called tithing. For those of you unfamiliar with the practice that is where a member of the church is expected to pony up 10% of his gross annual income (excluding the collection plate) to the church. This is to help with the upkeep on the church, its programs, etc. So if you figure for a little church, say 100 people earning on average $30,000 a year and its tax exempt so the church is earning about $300,000 a year.

My dad is fire chief of the all-volunteer fire department in our hometown. He gets less than $100,000 a year to train, equip, and fight fires. That is very little to do such a massive job.

Small churches make around $300,000 a year and the only requirement is to be open for Sunday service. And if you miss a payment, they badger you. Some now offer Tax help with forms so they can know what you make and can afford to give. And as we know, Income Tax forms are soooo telling about a person’s financial obligations.

Now think of how much the big churches with congregations in the thousands are pulling in. Millions of dollars a year, tax free. No wonder they are one of the strongest lobbying groups in Washington. Oil companies aren’t even close they have much higher overhead than just utilities.

I knew I went into the wrong field. I’m charismatic enough to be a preacher and can BS with the best of them. But there is a small part of me that considers it immoral to charge people to ease their state of mind. I mean, if that’s what you want to do, become a psychiatrist.

And now the Bible is copyrighted. Christians don’t consider Scientology a real religion because they charge people. Have you seen the exorbitant prices for Bibles these days? If it’s the Word of God, shouldn’t it be free? And now you copyrighted the Word of God.

Can I get an amen? Yes, for $19.95 plus tax.