From Shari's Soapbox.......: Here's one for ya..........

The post below is a headline on Comcast news. The parts in blue are my comments. The text in black is the actual story. This photo accompanied the actual story.........

I guess Emily will have to wait until she's at least 18.........................
I know she's 5 and seems to be going on 30, but..............check this out.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas' marriage-age crisis is over. A law that mistakenly allowed anyone — even toddlers — to marry with parental permission was repealed by a measure signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Mike Beebe, ending months of embarrassment for the state and confusion for county clerks.
Lawmakers didn't realize until after the end of last year's regular session that a law they approved, intended to establish 18 as the minimum age for marriage, instead removed the minimum age to marry entirely. An extraneous "not" in the bill allowed anyone who was not pregnant to marry at any age with permission.
The bill read: "In order for a person who is younger than eighteen (18) years of age and who is not pregnant to obtain a marriage license, the person must provide the county clerk with evidence of parental consent to the marriage."

(It should have read "who is pregnant...")

Some lawmakers called for a special session last year, saying the error would make it easy for pedophiles to take advantage of the law. Gov. Mike Beebe said he didn't see any imminent crisis and said the chances of children marrying under the law were slim.
Legislators, however, had the chance for a do-over this week when Beebe convened a special session to consider a hike in the state's severance tax on natural gas. They repealed the botched law, and reinstated 17 as the minimum age to marry for boys and 16 for girls.
Rep. Will Bond, the sponsor of the botched 2007 law and its correction, apologized for the error and asked his colleagues to "throw me a rope and bail me out here."
"I always thought if you put your name on a bill, you should be ready to take the blame if you're willing to accept the credit," Bond said Wednesday.
Bond, a Democrat, said there hadn't been any reports of young children attempting to marry under the 2007 law.

Guess Emily missed her chance............

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This past weekend, we had slight tease from Mother Nature with some nice weather. It didn't last. Yesterday and today was cold. Now that I am pre-menopausal age, I get hot flashes. This morning while I was still in bed and Dean was getting ready for work, they hit. I throw off the covers, then put them back on. It's like a game. I get cooled off, put the covers back on, and get another and throw them back off. This morning, however, Dean comes in earlier than usual to kiss me goodbye and tells me the furnace isn't working and it's only 64 degrees in the house right now. (Are you kidding me? I hadn't noticed!) So, when I get up, will I call J & A and see if someone can come today? Since the A in J & A is Anthony Passatore, who Dean, Vince an Mark grew up with, we always call him when we need a heating or A/C repair. And the nice part is that we don't have to be home to wait for a repairman as per usual circumstances. We leave the door unlocked and they let themselves in, do their thing, and lock up when they leave. There's not too many people you can trust like that these days. Not that we have anything that's worth much anyway, and we NEVER keep cash in the house. So, when Dean left I got up. I do feel it's chilly in the house. I look at the thermostat. It's 61 degrees. I turned the oven and stove burners on, but don't go back to bed. I sit up and watch TV so as to be able to keep an I on the stove and oven. By 7:15 when I start to get ready for work, it's a very warm 77 degrees. I turn everything off and go get my shower.

As I am leaving for work, I call. I talked to Joe and he said he'd have someone here today. I told him the door would be open.

Anyway, I told them to leave the bill on the kitchen counter and I would run a check up to the office tomorrow, as it is about a 1/2 mile from where I work. Dean got home, called me and told me the furnace was working and the cover had been put back on, so he knew they had been there, but there was no bill left on the counter. So, it's either a freebie, or he's going to figure it up later and mail it. I'll wait a few days and see. If we don't get a bill by next Tuesday, I'll call and see what we owe them, if anything. I thought they would at least call and tell us the problem.