jenni

This situation is horrible. Writing to my congressman would be a waste of time and postage, but I am writing to both of my senators.

I can only talk about Christianity, not because I think it's the only religion with "good" in it, but because it's the only one with which I'm familiar enough to reply. This is a broad question, so I'm going to focus on how it can affect society rather than the individual. The Bible can be used for good or for ill. When relied upon in the best ways, it teaches how to treat each other better. 1. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us to look beyond races, nationalities and other prejudices we might have towards other people and help when we are needed. 2. Jesus befriended the harlot Mary Magdalene to the chagrin of some of the disciples, which is another example of how we should spend a lot less time judging each other and more time caring about each other. 3. Jesus showed by example that we can be forgiven, but we must also be able to forgive others. 4. The Bible lays the foundation for good morals that speak to how we treat other people, such as not lying, not stealing, etc. The problem with that is that people sometimes focus too much on that aspect and not only take certain passages too literally, but forget to couple it with Jesus' example of not judging and forgiving. 5. The Bible says we were made after God's own image, which implies not only that we have worth as individuals, but that all humans have worth and need to be treated that way. This was the basis of the Quakers' abolitionist views.

Wade and Matt are so perfect together! Like Matt, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop in this chapter. I can't decide if I'm happy that it didn't or not. Of course I want them to be happy, but I don't want the story to end yet! It's a very good sign that Wade is considering Matt's feelings about sleeping with women at parties. I was also glad that Cole is up and around and interacting with people again. I was worried that staying holed up at Escorial might not be good for his depression, but he seems to be doing well. Matt's Mom is a piece of work. She and her husband kick Matt out of their lives and cut him off financially while he's in school, and then are surprised that he would embarrass them? That's pretty minor compared to what they've done to him. Even JP's parents handled it much better, and that was 30+ years earlier.

I voted for Scottish. With Craig Ferguson's crazy sense of humor and his sexy accent, I could listen to him 24/7.

Great chapter. The country club scene was lots of fun, and Robbie *sigh* I just love him! Who wouldn't want to have such an awesome father! It's funny to think that he makes a living doing what Greg used to do because their personalities are so different and IMHO Robbie has his priorities in life straight. Hmm I wonder what Wade has been up to back at Escorial?

I picked Wade, Cole and Cam, but honestly I have no idea who it will be. I think it would be hilarious if the whole group went. Stef would be great. Oh and now that I think about it, it would be great to see Stef playing the part of Matt's lover because not only would people be surprised by Matt being gay, but by him being the boytoy of some rich, much older man!

That was a really fun chapter! Matt was brilliant during his confrontation with Wade's father. My favorite part was when he started yelling, "But I'm a U.S. Senator!" I also loved the scene with Cole. I'm glad they were spending some time with him, and it was funny that he was teasing them about being an old married couple. Can't wait to see what happens in Cleveland! That should be a riot.

I love Christmas movies. A lot of my favorites are sappy, but I love sap especially this time of year. 1. Christmas Vacation 2. It's a Wonderful Life 3. White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye 4. Home Alone 2 - Lost in New York 5. A Charlie Brown Christmas Incidentally, for those in the States, AMC is running Christmas Vacation every night this week. If you haven't watched it, this is your chance!

I couldn't agree more! When it comes to child molesters, I really don't care about what has caused the abuser to molest, unless it is for the purpose of research to prevent it from happening in the future. There is simply no excuse for doing that to a child. If the Senator started molesting Wade when he was twelve, then he has no qualms about molesting young kids and I would be surprised if he hasn't also molested Beau. I wonder if Wade will come out to his brother by the time they head to Escorial? I'm really glad Wade's anger at Matt didn't last too long and that he's willing to go along with Matt's plan. I was afraid Wade might be harder to convince. I will feel much better once the trio of boys is safely away from Washington. It's true. I say I live in Indianapolis so everyone has an idea where I am, but I am really out in the country near Indy. My husband works in schools as a consultant, and even in some of the most small town, rural, backwards areas it is almost a popular thing to come out as gay. I'm not saying that's true everywhere, but it's not just the "fashionable" places by any means.

^^ To some degree, Robbie and Brad had to deal with that in Be Rad and Man in Motion. By the time Robbie got out of prison in the latter story, Brad had to be pretty rough with him to get Robbie off, as I recall. Brad didn't have to exactly recreate a rape scene, but couldn't be gentle, either, and that was because of Robbie being repeatedly raped in high school and prison. I don't think Wade's going to react that way, but he's going to have a hard time getting over what's going on. He may even be mad at Matt for finding out.

Well, I have had my thoughts on that, too, at least from Wade's point of view. I think Wade is protecting his younger brother from their father. Wade thinks if he is always around when his brother is (since his brother goes away to school, too) and doesn't fight his father too much, then his father won't do anything to Beau. That's why Wade goes into a trance during sex, so he can mentally deal with it and not fight it, even when it is repulsive to him.

OMG I feel old! Kind of like when we were little and used to ask our parents if they had to drive the horse and buggy to school when they were young! Yes, I had my first mobile phone in 1994 when I was in college, and by 1996 when I got married I had a small one that wasn't too dissimilar from what we have today, except a bit bigger. Well not too dissimilar as far as the actual phone functions went, but no cameras, internet, games, etc. In post #707 Mark said we'd know in two chapters what was going with Wade, and that was before this last chapter was posted, so I think we should know something in the next chapter, even if it's not the whole story. I agree with calling this a cliffhanger. Inquiring minds want to know!

I was really hoping for Matt's sake that his parents' first reaction to the news he was gay was merely an attempt to control him, and that when that didn't work and he didn't come crying to them they would back off some. Apparently not. That would take a heart of stone to make plans excluding your only child from Christmas and then not even talk to him about it. Yeah, cutting off the money was harsh too, but that again could be about control. Not wanting to see your son at all - very harsh. I really liked how everyone, parents and grandparents alike, are now contributing to Matt's finances. Money isn't love, but I'm sure it's helping Matt to feel loved by all of them. I'm afraid Matt's going to need more support tomorrow when he watches that tape.

If Matt was going to be outed to his parents, it's kind of good that it happened at Thanksgiving when there were so many people around him to offer support. Brad and Robbie were just awesome. Matt is really lucky to have such a lot of people who love him and care about him. And of course, Wade is at the top of the list so it was wonderful to see them reunited!

I pretty much like them in the order they were written, with CAP being my least favorite (but still very good!) and If it Fits being my favorite so far. Bloodlines could surpass it by the time it is done, but I just adore Stef and JP so their story will be tough to top! I don't know if Mark just gets better as he goes along, if I get more emotionally tied to the characters the more I read, or if I like the stories with the more modern settings.

I'm going to play a little bit of devil's advocate here because I don't think that Adam's kiss should have been censored and I agree with him about there being a double standard with regard to girls kissing on tv and guys kissing on tv. However, that being said, Adam did that without consulting the people behind the show (I think it was a Dick Clark production) or even letting them know he was going to do it. I don't think it was quite as spontaneous as he claims. If I were producing a big awards show that was going to be aired nationally and my butt was on the line, I would want to know everything that was going to happen, especially from the performance standpoint. Even though I personally don't think the kiss should have been censored, I would probably be mad at Adam for doing that without my approval or knowledge. I guess the people at GMA just didn't trust him after that to commit to another live performance. There is free speech in America, but sometimes you have to live with the ramifications of your speech and and actions. I think Adam is right to be upset about the double standard and the censoring, but I can also kind of see the standpoint of a producer who just can't be quite sure what Adam will do on live television now.

^^ Matt's parents met his California family when they visited him before school started.

Very handsome, Camilo!

It seems like everyone at Escorial is having a fun Thanksgiving so far! I'm really interested in seeing how things work out with Cody and Max. Is their connection strong enough for Max to feel comfortable sharing Cody with others? It will be interesting to see. Max is such a great guy that I hope it works out for him. I know Matt's parents aren't the most accepting people in the world by any means, but it seems like they are trying to accept Matt's biological family. I don't know if it's because they care about Matt and want to see him happy, or because they don't want to upset Matt's potential organ donors. I hope it's the former. If so, maybe there is hope they will take Matt's coming out better than he fears. That chapter was great fun and I'm looking forward to the next one!

Two chapters in 24 hours? You are spoiling us, Mark! This was a great chapter. I really love it when characters like JP, Stef, and Robbie tell Matt stories about their lives and tie it into what's going on with Matt. I was always partial to Andre over any of JP's lovers other than Stef, so I liked that he was mentioned. I was sad to see that Marcel and Max have broken up because I really liked them together, but I'm sure a great story is going to come out of it. I think we're going to need a scorecard though: Marcel is with Lou Max and Matt want Matt to sleep with Lou Matt also wants to sleep with Max Stef wants to "comfort" Max Cody will want to sleep with Max I'm sure Cody will probably want to be with Matt, too Who knows what Marcel is going to want And Matt's parents are going to be there the whole time! Should be interesting to say the least. It kind of reminds me of that scene in "The Secret of My Success" where everyone is switching rooms in the middle of the night.

I actually really like Twilight (have only read the first two books so far). It's not the best thing I've ever read, and it's not going to inspire me with any life-changing ideas, but it's readable and entertaining. The funny thing is that I usually don't like vampire tv shows and books. Friends tried and tried to get me to watch Moonlight when it was on tv and I just couldn't get into it. I think Twilight just seems lighter to me somehow. I don't like really dark material. Maybe that's the key - it's so far from the typical vampire story that it attracts new readers / viewers but doesn't appeal to those who normally like the genre? Just a theory. And BTW I don't get the appeal of Robert Pattison either!

I got a similar vibe, Paya. Wade's definitely not as screwed up, but he reminds me a little bit of Roger when he was with Stef. I'm not sure exactly what it was that made me think of Roger, but I think it was his reaction when he was bottoming for Matt. That could be evidence of some kind of sexual abuse. Also, it definitely seemed to me that whatever ongoing sexual activity Wade has going on back home isn't something he has a choice about (or rather he feels he doesn't have a choice).

I have my guesses as to why Wade is acting the way he is (all of them probably wrong), but it definitely seems to me that his life back home is more dysfunctional than Matt realized. If Wade can work through his issues, he and Matt would seem to be perfect for each other. They've only known each other for a couple of months and there's plenty of time to work everything out.

When my grandma was alive, my mother always had to make cooked cabbage on New Year's Day because eating it was supposed to mean that we'd make a lot of money in the coming year. I think we pretty much let that tradition go after my grandma passed away as none of us were too keen on the dish. When the Colts play I have to wear a Colts shirt or jersey, and drink from a Colts glass if I'm watching at home. It's more of a tradition than a superstition I suppose, but I'm sure that if I didn't do one of those things and the Colts lost there would be a small, illogical part of my brain mad at myself for not following the tradition.

^^ Evil cliffhangers are great. Not only are they fun, but we can often guilt Mark into posting the next chapter early to relieve all of our anxieties!