Bert.... I have read most of the above posts.

But I'm picturing you and me sitting side by side at a baseball game, in the cheap seats. Someone comes up to the microphone to sing the national anthem, but first they come out with, "Now we are all going to pray."

OK. It's you and me sitting there. What do you think we would actually do?

I think we would both crack up laughing at the idea that we could be made to stop kidding around about stuff for a minute, to do what anyone told us to do, and at the ridiculosity of prayer and baseball, as an odd juxtaposition of such a lovely afternoon MADE for playing ball.

I think I would rather think about that than get stirred up again today-- I've been stirred, shaken, and poured out thank you very much-- by what I have read in this thread. I see friends occupying what-if positions that bear no relation to what they encounter on a day to day basis in their own lives, as well as some others talking about hard realities they know too well.

But... it's enough, already, for me. Just speaking for ME. Going further with this.... it'd be enough to bring my energy to DO something about any of this to a dead stop.

There has been plenty of opportunity for friends here to find they agree or disagree, and enough gorge has risen to run right over the top. Do we need to restate ourselves more than a couple of times in order to find motivation to action? I mean, is there something that can be accomplished by everyone wrestling each other to an exhausted tie?

So Bert... care to go to a game, my dear?

~Susan