Friends Helping Friends Who Cut Themselves

I know you are hurting because your friend or relative is in pain. However, you should focus on your friend's pain when talking about their cutting. Really it comes down to something they are avoiding or escaping. It might be as obvious as abuse by those they know, or less apparent such as stress from work or school. You need to ensure that you talk to them in an environment that will be safe for you and your friend. Most of all keep them talking, and don't be hostile. Your friend needs someone to not only listen to them, but understand and help them resolve the problem they are escaping. No matter how difficult it may get for you, remember you are helping your friend have one less scar.

From:
http://onelessscar.weebly.com/index.html

Quote

One person at a time will not change the world.
One nation at a time, now that is getting something done.
-RHK

Marriage

A difference with no difference is no difference. In the UK a straight couple is suing to have equal rights to gays and want a civil union. I do not know their reasons for not going to marriage directly, but I do know this simply highlights the insanity of the issue at hand.

Marriage granted to straights and gays, whether it is called marriage or not, is (in theory- but not in practice in Maine as I proved months ago) the same thing. The bureaucracy of having two names for the same thing (two consenting adults having their love of each other legally recognized) is pointless. Save paper and allow only one form of marriage to be available to everyone. Since love, not gender, decides the commitment people have towards each other so should a legal recognition of that commitment.

Afghanistan

A leak from the White House says we will be in Afghanistan for 8-9 years.

My gut reaction: Obama wants to anger his base and stir the anti-war movement to be more active than the Conservative revolution taking place so that he can say he was forced to compromise and pull out in two or three years taking the possible victory and leaving. If we don't actually have victory he can have the base explain it was impossible to win anyway.

I know one thing: Afghanistan could be a stable democracy allowing for our troops being removed in two years. We would need to fight the war like it was a real war, and not our current drive-by shootout strategy. Hold the line with 250,000 troops, build the infrastructure to support our troops, and when we leave allow the Afghan troops to continue using that infrastructure to use against whatever remains of an insurgency.