I am the sole equipment and software support engineer for a department of 52 chemists working in 6 separate labs with over 200 pieces of equipment with associated computers. If I get to sit at my desk for 10 minutes in a row, it's either a sign of the pending apocalypse or the week between Christmas and New Year's.

I hope women do have to register for the draft. I deeply oppose the draft, except in cases of genuine emergency national defense of our actual US borders against an invading country, and I'm hoping that'll wake America up about getting rid of it.

Such as?

Bored with your name-calling...there will be no further response to any of your comments containing such.

You're probably right about that, knowing my mother as I do. Certainly not prior to my birth--she got pregnant with me and had me against my father's will, because of her intense desire for me--no way would she ever have considered it pre-birth....However, when I was somewhere between 13 and 15 years old, she told me that she'd had at least a half-dozen abortions, probably more, and she and I stopped having any semblance of a normal relationship close to a decade ago--I could easily envision her wishing I'd never been born and possibly even wishing she could go back and have an abortion. Still, the entire prospect doesn't move me either way...is it supposed to?

Disagreeing with you--though honestly I don't yet know if we do disagree entirely or not, as it's hard for me to tell from your dramatic hyperbole what your exact feelings about abortion truly are--doesn't make me a moral coward. Refusing to consider the issue deeply and allow my feelings to be engaged would make me a moral coward, but I haven't done that, so I'm not one. I don't lack a deeply considered opinion about abortion--my opinion is just very complex and unable to be reduced to a convenient sound byte. I'm happy to answer specific questions about if if you have any, though. :)

:) Thank you, and you and any children of yours if you have them as well. :)

Not at the time--she wanted me very, very much, which is so nice to hear from your mom. :) I'd love to say I'm not defective, but since I know I'm far from perfect, if that's the definition of defective, then I probably am...how are you definining "defective?" Not as "someone who disagrees with you personally," I hope.

Animal behavior is not a good role model for human behavior. Lots of animals eat their own babies, for example...why do they do that? I'm sure they have their reasons, but let's not emulate them.

I don't necessarily agree with this, but I love the thought that went into it. Great philosophical points.