Born Identity
Online readers comment on "Nikki Araguz: Lawsuit Says Widow of Heroic Wharton Firefighter Was Born a Man," Hair Balls blog, by Richard Connelly, July 19:
One opinion: He obviously knew his wife's history. He was probably a happy guy. Why assume otherwise?
Darryl
And another: What an absolute embarrassment for the family of this fallen firefighter, the department and the he-she widow. Was his accident his only way out of this nightmare? What I mean is, did he see the opportunity to end it in this blaze?
Psstoff man!
Beautiful woman: Thomas had to know Nikki's past, as I know personally that he loved her as she loved him. She was a good wife and mother. I wonder how many people were shocked to hear this news of such a beautiful woman inside and out.
Comments like the one above are what starts so much controversy. Did you know them?
Friend.o.nikki
Plain greed: I think that it is a real shame that the family of the firefighter disgrace their son in this way. Greed is a terrible, terrible thing. None of us, including the ex-wife and his parents, knows exactly what went on behind closed doors and who knew what. Who is anyone to judge Nikki? How does a sex change make someone a bad person? Why do people insist on showing how ignorant they are by referring to her as a he/she, or an "it"? I hope she hangs in there and stays strong. My prayers are with all of them.
Peace4All
OMG: Are you serious? "Nikki is now being sued by Thomas's mother and ex-wife, who claim he never knew that Nikki had been born a man." That mother and ex-wife should be charged with being ignorant and stupid in the first degree! This is what's wrong with America: ignorance. First, it's none of their business what Nikki is. He obviously loved her regardless. She is due the money. Give it to her, and let this man rest in peace. You two should be ashamed of yourselves.
Joey V.
Legal marriage: From what I understand, when someone undergoes a sex-change operation, they are issued a new birth certificate that identifies them as the sex they have changed to. Therefore, if she had a complete sex-change operation, then they were legally married and she was legally a woman.
How else would Texas allow them to marry? Last I heard, Texas does not allow same-sex marriages. So she would have had to have completed her sex-change operation to be identified as a woman to obtain a marriage license.
Except, of course: This is happening in Texas, so what else would you expect?
Uhhhh
You are wrong: In Texas, as in most places, a Y chromosome makes you male. Having a sex-change operation does not change that fact. Who knows what he knew? The Colorado MD who does so many sex-change operations swears that an OBGYN could not tell by a normal physical. I think a chromosome test should be required for marriage. That way the other person would be sure to know and could make up their mind based on the truth.
Ralph W.
Give the woman her money: This whole case is going to be about whether she is a woman or a man, and quite frankly it's a shame that Americans feed off this crap. On the other side of the world, it wouldn't even have been an issue where the money would go. I wish her the best.
Mary P
Nikki: You are brave and unique, and you are teaching us something important about the assumptions we make, our phobias, our culture and the value of open-mindedness. Please take care of yourself and remain strong until justice prevails.
Summa
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$2.99 Wine
Online readers comment on "$2.99 Southern Point Wine from...Walgreens," Eating...Our Words blog, by Lauren Marmaduke, July 26:
A fave: The Southern Point Merlot is excellent! My new favorite casual-drinking wine.
Just Me
Forbid her: Any $10-$12 wine in recent memory? Are you drinking wine in parking lots? There are plenty of very good wines from real farms, not giant industrial factories, in southern France and Argentina. Even Chile is producing some palatable wine at this price. Come on, Houston Press, get with the program.
This person should be forbidden to ever talk about wine, unless it's to hobos.
Erin
You missed the point: At no point did Marmaduke suggest that there weren't palatable wines in the $10-$12 range. Rather, she stated that the $3 Walgreens label could compete with those in that price range. And your bit about "real farms" and "giant industrial factories" is a red herring. At no point did Lauren pass judgment on the capacity of the vintner.
Bruce R
Red or white, who cares? I'm heading to Walgreens to buy a case for tonight. At 2.99 a bottle, this is a perfect "getting bombed" wine...
Xboxershorts
Another option: If you like this wine, I highly suggest Rite-Aid's Five Oaks which are about $3.99. They are awesome and inexpensive too. I consider myself a wine snob too, but having expensive taste can really break the bank.
