I agree with you to a point. But I'd rather have leaders at least pointing in the right direction, even if they themselves fall short of behaving as they should. It is one thing to make a personal mistake, but it's even worse if someone falls short and then tries to say that it's OK what they did.

If a child has absolutely no chance of being adopted by a straight couple who is acceptable, then yes, I would say that being adopted by a gay person is preferable to a "string of foster homes." But that's not the point here. If gay marriages are recognized as equal to straight marriages, then the gay adoption will not be seen as a last resort but as equal to a straight adoption. Oh, and by the way, an ad hominem attack does not make your remark any more impressive.

If gay marriage is recognized, then there will be no way of preventing children from being adopted into families without a mother and a father. Social services will be obligated to treat a gay married couple as equivalent to the straight one. You don't have to be religious to believe that mothers and fathers are not the same and bring something different to the child's life. In fact, gay people themselves believe that men and women are different, or they'd be content to find a partner from the opposite sex.

By attributing the attack to angry Muslim citizens instead of terrorists, what the administration's story did was stir up a whole lot of anti-Muslim sentiment, something anyone could see by reading the comments on message boards on sites like Yahoo. That's what the difference is, Ms. Clinton. Is that what you wanted to do?

Well, two can play at that game. Maybe someone could get Melinda Herman and her children to speak about their experience and gun control. Mrs. Herman was fortunate to have the gun in her posession.

I work in welfare. I can assure you that there are just as many white lying/irresponsible/lazy welfare recipients as Hispanic/black ones.

As a welfare worker, I often review cases that are sent to me after someone applies for cash assistance and then withdraws the application, settling for only food stamps and medical assistance although their apparent income would make them eligible for cash. I often find that they withdraw the application when they find out that they have to apply for child support against their children's father (or mother). This is often a sign to me that the supposedly absent parent is living in the home and supporting the household.

EBT cards are used to purchase food if the recipient is getting SNAP benefits (in other words, food stamps). However, they are also used to access cash assistance benefits which can be spent on anything. The current program is TANF, which provides cash to very low-income families. There is much more involved in getting cash assistance than getting food stamps; the SNAP program also does not have a time limit.

Illegal aliens are not eligible for most benefits, but they are eligible for some. I had a client, whose entire family was here illegally; however, because she was a disabled child, she received (expensive) medical coverage. A woman who is here illegally and gives birth to a child will have her hospital bill paid by Medicaid; the hospital even submits the application for her. Furthermore, a family composed of 2 illegal parents and children born in the U.S. can apply for food stamps for just the kids. They usually get the maximum benefit because they have no real way of verifying their income...they just turn in statements from their employers who pay them under the table and can write down anything about what they actually make.

Lots of people listen to rap, while relatively few enjoy Beethoven, Bach and Handel. Reality TV thrives. Bad taste is in no danger of dying out in this world...I'm not impressed by mere numbers.

The Marx Brothers were funny, Monty Python was funny, MST3K was funny. Maher, Arnold, and their ilk--I don't think so.