It worked for Bush (twice!), why wouldn't it work for Huckabee? Courting right-wing religious fanatics seems to be the stuff that good ol' fashioned
Republican presidential campaigns are made of. It should come as no surprise that Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee has
endorsed GodTube, the supposed God-fearin'
righteous version of YouTube.
I do agree with something Huckabee said in the video posted on GodTube. He said,
"The whole point of being a Christian is to penetrate the darkness, is to preserve
the things that are spoiling, and I don't know of anything more spoiled, more decadent, than politics." (bold emphasis is mine).
Does this mean that Huckabee himself is
spoiled and decadent? I mean, he IS a politician.
Oh wait, maybe he was referring to left-leaning politics because everybody knows that
only conservative politicians are true God-fearin' Americans.
A recent NY Times Op-Ed
(you may need bugmenot to read the article) asserts that this is the first election in two decades where Gay Rights is not an issue. The author, Andrew Jacobs, states:
For the first time in two decades, gay voters find themselves in an unusual, if happy, predicament.
The three leading Democrats have staked out similar positions on issues that resonate with
gay men and lesbians. Although none of the three candidates back gay marriage,
they all support same-sex civil unions and say they would fight to repeal the military's
'don't ask, don't tell' policy. And each of them says he or she would champion a federal
anti-discrimination law that would protect lesbians and gay men.
What fantasy land is Jacobs living in? I don't believe for one second that
Hillary Clinton will do a damn thing to
change the horrible mess her hubby made with his ridiculous Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.
If she says otherwise, she's lyin'.
All of the candidates may be singing the same gay rights tune, but the question is this:
which one of them do you believe will
follow through with any promises they make to the LGBT community? In my opinion: not a single one of them.
If you're a White man interested in dating Black women, this book shows you how to make it happen.
Learn how Black women think, what they like and don't like to see in White men, and where and
how to go about meeting them. Find out how to cope with public reaction to interracial couples,
learn how to counteract the psychological inhibitions that can hold you back from getting
involved and understand why those who oppose interracial relationships feel compelled
to think and act the way they do.
Ha! Ha! Rollin' on the floor laughin' my ass off!
I'll ramble off a few questions that immediately come to mind:
1. Are Black women so complicated that white men need an instruction manual?
2. How does dating Black women differ from dating white women?
3. Where's the The White Lesbian's Guide to Dating Black Women? I might actually consider buying several copies of that
book to give away as gifts next Christmas.
4. Will this be the first of a series of books that address interracial dating? If so, I wanna see this as the next book in the series:
Why Brothas Are Dating White Women Like It's Goin' Outta Style
The book's author, Adam White, has apparently learned something that even I -- as a Black female -- don't know;
He knows how Black women think.
I haven't read the book yet, but when I do I'll give it a very fair review. I promise.
For now though, I just need to rant
about the implications of a book like this. The author should've just named the book
White Women are from Venus, Black Women are From God Knows Where because the mere suggestion that dating Black women is somehow
different than dating white women implies we're complicated characters that need to be studied under a microscope.
Because this blog addresses race issues on a very regular basis,
I purposely avoided blogging about Dr. King yesterday. I figured I would wait for
both liberal and conservative bloggers to cleanse their souls by posting their obligatory
Dr. King Day comments -- which also serves as one of just a few race-related posts
you'll ever find on their blogs.
I've lost track of the amount of times I've blogged on race issues, just to be told I needed to move on
and lay this country's history of racism to rest. I suppose if I limited my racism comments to one day a year
-- like most of the non-Black blogosphere does -- I wouldn't get as much grief from the white folks. But since I'm not
all that worried about pissin' people off, I'll carry on as I always have.
With that said, I want to point you to a joint op-ed
related to Dr. King and his dream of
social and economic equality that's worth at least a quick scan.
Sidenote: View pictures of the Civil Rights Movement.
Afterthought 245 pm: I'm wondering if the ex-gay movement (especially people like these) will pick this interview and other articles like these that illustrate healthy sexual behavior in the gay community as an example of how homosexuals can indeed change their behavior and abstain from sex -- if we really wanted to.
--original post below--
I just read an article on Gay.com that reminded me of all the great things I learned in therapy years ago.
After the weekend I just had, the article couldn't have come at a better time.
The Sexy Celibate
is the latest installment in a series that looks at modern gay relationships. "Jared," the article's subject, is a
36 year-old handsome
gay male who has been celibate for 5 years. He says:
I was meeting people and didn't care whether they found me attractive,
because I wasn't going to sleep with them anyway. And I was connecting
with new people that I probably wouldn't have gotten to know because a
big part of the gay bar environment and party scene was about hooking
up and that wasn't where my head was.
It was great.
Of course, lots of people are bothered by Jared's decision to practice celibacy. It doesn't surprise me that
some people see Jared as a freak of nature. I mean, just because they don't know how to respect themselves enough to
wait for the right person means no one else should have that ability either, right?
In the Spring of 2006, I did a lot of dating. I was out with a different
woman every every few days or so. Shawn, a former friend,
assumed (and started spreading the rumor!) that I was having sex with a different woman every few days.
In his small mind, it was impossible to date without including sex at the end of the evening.
The assumption that homosexuality means promiscuity is how the narrowest of the most narrow minds work.
I suppose a large percentage of the LGBT community assumes that "dating" means there's
some kind of sexual relationship going on --
and if there isn't, there should be! So Jared countered that by simply not dating at all.
Personally, I love dating because I like the company of another woman. I like touching.
I like smelling her hair. I like rubbing her shoulders. Jared
believes we can nourish our bodies with physical affection without
sexual contact and without dating.
This was probably the one statement I agree with the most: " . . . I
think life is too short to be in bars all the time or on the Internet
looking for sex, or, for that matter, looking for a relationship." I'd like to
add that looking for any kind of relationship
in a bar is a really bad idea -- even if it's just a friendship. In my opinion, you really get to see
the ugly side of a person who relies very heavily on a bar and its patrons to provide him with love,
affection, or attention. The Cheers
fantasy is just that, folks, a fantasy.
You will not find real love, respect, admiration, or affection
in a bar.
I'm quite anxious to see Wisconsin's primary results.
The Daily Chronicle says there's no clear frontrunner
for either party. My guess is Hillary Clinton will emerge victorious in Wisconsin -- with a little help from Congresswoman
Tammy Balwdin. In the
August 2007 issue of The Advocate,
the first open lesbian to serve in Congress announced her support for Hillary Clinton's Presidential candidacy. Although Baldwin's endorsement wasn't enough to
convince this female homosexual to support Hillary Clinton, I'm sure it will give Clinton an advantage over Obama with other females and homosexuals in WI.
No, I don't believe Baldwin's endorsement will be the only factor in Clinton's success here in WI; the overwhelming racist atmosphere in Wisconsin will
help Clinton more than anything else. Before my Wisconsin readers prepare their fingers to type "Wisconsin is not a racist state. We're very liberal here!"
let me remind everyone that until the late 1990s, Janesville, WI had the largest KKK organization in the country.
Not even Madison's blatantly exaggerated diversity can redeem Wisconsin.
Just because Madison is
full of gay people doesn't mean it's a diverse city. Population statistics state that Madison is 82% white and 18% non-white. Where's the diversity in that?
While it's true that diversity may or may not be related to racial demographics, there's still very
little evidence that Madison, WI is full of anything other than people
who walk, talk, and chew gum the same way everybody else in Madison does.
Defining a city as diverse simply because there's a large university (which helps contribute to the fact that
Madison residents ever get to see Asians or Blacks!) is ridiculous and misleading.
So, my prediction is: Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination in Wisconsin (just as her hubby won the Wisconsin Democratic nomination in 1992). Bible-bangin' Mike Huckabee will win the Republican nomination.
All those confederate flag lovers
in Janesville will just love him!
The Bush Administration has admitted they "routinely
overwrote" taped emails between 2001 and 2003. According to AfterDowningStreet.org, over 10 million emails were
illegally deleted. Ten million.
After reading the WaPo story, I keep going back to the lame argument Patriot Act lovers often present when left-leaning folks like myself
voice our concern about the government's desire to actlikeBig Brother: "if you're not doing anything wrong, why do you care
if the government is watching you?" Let's run with that theory. If the Bush Administration hasn't done anything wrong, why have they
deleted 10 million taped emails?
A blogging colleague wonders about the legitimacy of the WaPo story simply because it's a WaPo story.
It doesn't really matter where the story is published, the fact still remains:
the Bush Administration admits it deleted taped emails:
"More than two years after this problem was first discovered by White House staff," Waxman said,
"the White House still has not identified the cause of the problem, determined the volume
of emails lost, or developed a plan for restoring those emails that were lost."
In a related controversy, House investigators have determined that hundreds of
thousands of e-mails from former presidential adviser Karl Rove and other White House aides are missing because they were sent using external accounts set up by the Republican National Committee.
Don't you just love the way they use the word "lost" instead of "deleted?"
Denise Simmons has joined Tammy Baldwin in the record books
by becoming the country's first out, Black lesbian mayor.
I know news like this gives Hillary Clinton just a little more hope.
On Monday, January 14, Cambridge, MA's city council voted to install Denise Simmons as their mayor.
Queerty says,
"Alright, it's great that Simmons won the seat - congratulations! - but we'd be more psyched if she were in Texas or some place. Now that would be incredible."
Obviously the person who wrote the Queerty post is not of African descent. If they were,
they'd be just as shocked as I am to see a woman who society normally views as the lowest of the low (black. female. gay)
serving as the head of any governmental agency anywhere in this country. It only took 200+ years to get there!
Is the Queerty writer aware that between 1705 and 1843,
MA banned interracial marriage? Even after MA's ban on interracial
marriage was appealed, in 1913, a MA law made it illegal for non-residents to marry in MA just to get around their own state's ban
on interracial marriage. Surely, electing a Black lesbian in a state where
race was once a huge issue is a historical event. It's ok though; I forgive their ignorance.
Part of me believes the Queerty post reflects a broader issue within the LGBT community: racism. Come on folks,
give the sista the props she deserves. Acting as if Simmons' accomplishment is nothing to scream about really grates my nerves. In my mind, the Queerty writer is saying, "So what if a Black lesbian was elected Mayor of Cambridge? That ain't nothin'! When a Black lesbian accomplishes the same in Texas, wake me up."
I've received several comments via email about my post
Sexist Jabs Are Exactly What Hillary Clinton Wants. Some good.
Some bad, but quite entertaining. I didn't plan to circle back to that post, but I overheard some really disturbing comments
about Hillary today that warranted a return.
I had lunch at Swilligans today and two white men
-- who appeared to be in their mid to late 40s -- sat next to me at the bar. They greeted
each other in thick southern accents, then turned
their attention to the big screen television mounted on the wall above the bar.
CNN had a small segment on how race and gender are becoming major issues in the 2008 election.
I was floored that two redneck white men expressed more support for a Black man than they did for a white person.
Their issue with Hillary?
Her gender. The snide comments about her gender angered me and I briefly thought about voting for Hillary on Super Tuesday
just to
spite all the dumb sexist bastards in the world.
Here's a bit of advice to all the jerkoffs who would just die if Hillary became the next US President. Shut the fuck up.
Every sexist remark you make helps Hillary Clinton move one inch closer to the Oval Office.
You might as well drive female voters
to the polls, help them locate Hillary on the ballot, and give them the pencil to mark her name. Because Americans are so predictable,
I'm sure Hillary went into this election knowing her gender would be an issue. She knows exactly how to turn
those sexist comments
into a fuel that will light the fire under any female's ass.
Last night, I had a very healthy political debate with Ken, a gay Republican male, who told me
I was really a conservative deep down inside. Why?
Because I believe in personal responsibility and I don't
just blindly support Democrats just because most of my
gay friends & Black friends support Democrats. In his mind, liberals are all about raising taxes then using that money
to feed lazy bastards who don't want to work.
On the subject of Election 2008: Ken hates Hillary and thinks Obama is too inexperienced to run the country.
He's certain Rudy Giuliani will emerge victorious on Super Tuesday.
I still hope John Edwards can pull it together. As far as Ken's concerned, Ron Paul is really a liberal. I'm not sure what his basis is for that opinion.
On the subject of welfare: I believe people should never rely on government aid to help them feed their kids.
I'm sure there are a lot of left-leaning people
who would agree with that statement. At the same time, lots of left-leaning folks are challenging
conservatives who are okay with our country spending billions of dollars on Bush's war in Iraq,
while simultaneously ignoring hundreds of thousands of physically and/or mentally disabled
US citizens who are homeless and hungry. Why are so many conservatives ok with spending billions of US dollars
on one damn military conflict after another, but they bitch constantly about any
federal or state programs that even remotely resemble welfare for people right here in the Unites States?
On the subject of gay rights: I believe members of the LGBT community should be afforded
the same rights as heterosexuals. Members of the LGBT community should be allowed to adopt children,
marry whomever we please, live wherever we want, and work without fear of harrassment or discrimination.
I do agree with Ken though: "If you have money, you can buy yourself lots of rights."
On the subject of illegal immigration: Ken and I managed to meet halfway on this subject.
His complaint about illegal immigrants
was one that addressed the damage illegal immigration has done to the US's healthcare system. You know the argument:
Mexicans come to the United States illegally, work illegally, don't pay taxes, then use our hospitals and clinics for free.
The cost is then passed on to tax-paying Americans. I reminded Ken that there are a lot of US citizens who have contributed
to the rising cost of healthcare in this country. Just because a man is well-off financially doesn't mean he's paying his hospital bills. I know this
from working in the car business for awhile. Lots of middle-class people and six figure income earners are ignoring their hospital bills, while simultaneously
buying $50K sport utility vehicles. Ken's response to that statement? "Yes, but they're American citizens, not illegal immigrants."
Of course I challenged that with, "So we're ok with American citizens doing it, but we're not ok with illegal immigrants doing it?"
We agreed that any illegal immigrant who has been in this country for years, working, taking care of his/her family, and
contributing to the country's economic growth (i.e. buying goods and services
from US companies), should be given amnesty and allowed to remain here in the US.
We disagreed on whose fault it is that illegal immigration
has become such a huge economic concern. In my mind, the plethora of business
owners who have exploited illegal labor are to blame. For Ken, it's the
liberals because we refuse to write strict laws that provide harsh punishments for both
illegal immigrants and anyone who employs illegal immigrants.
Ken will be launching his own right-wing blog very soon,
as well as joining me in a regular podcast full of friendly political bantering.
I'll let you know when both sites are live.
I suppose here's where I should declare myself a tree-huggin' liberal.
I prefer calling myself a left-leanin' lesbian who despises
right-wing religious fanatics.
I'm in a bit of a hurry, but I wanted to post this before I forgot.
I did a quick search for Maria Lauterbach on MySpace
using the Find a Friend search function. Of the 5 results, 4 of them appear to be the same person.
View a screen capture of the results, or
if you're logged into your own MySpace account, click
this link
to view the search results live.
This profile has
a little information, but no picture of Maria.
This profile
shows Maria's last login as 11/03/2007 and has a picture, but you have to be in her friend's list to view her full page.
I'm wondering if she talked about her accused rapist and the pregnancy in her blog.
One of the profiles does have a
couple of blog postings listed: here and
here, but they're both
dated March 17, 2007 -- approximately a month before she was raped.
I'm sure bloggers (feminist bloggers especially) will be all over this one.
It's full of the stuff feminists bloggers love to rant about:
sexual abuse, women being abused in the military, men getting away with sexual abuse and murder, dead pregnant women, etc. I'll let
them do their job as far as those issues are concerned. My issue with this is how Maria's case was handled because she was a bipolar woman accusing
a fellow Marine of rape.
More on that issue later. I'm out for the evening.
I honestly believe I have the most talented teenagers in America. My 15 year old (Chris) is a great football player who once ran a 90-yard touchdown, and my
13 year old (Andy) is the most talented teenage artist I know. Here's a pencil sketch he drew of me:
Despite his denials, rumors
and e-mails circulating on the Internet continue to allege that Obama (D-Ill.)
is a Muslim, a "Muslim plant" in a conspiracy against America, and that,
if elected president, he would take the oath of office using a Koran,
rather than a Bible, as did Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the only
Muslim in Congress, when he was sworn in earlier this year.
Americans are so fuckin' predictable. In a January 3 post here at SistersTalk, I said:
A friend of mine stated last
week that if Obama wins the
Democratic nomination, his GOP
rival will do everything in his
power to associate Obama's name
(Obama Bin Laden, for example)
with extreme Muslim terrorists --
resorting to the same old worn-out
scare tactics Bush used in 2004. And
because Americans are gullible, they'll fall for it.
Come on my fellow Americans, we're lookin' pretty damn stupid to the rest of the world -- again.
Just as ridiculous rumors about Obama's association with Muslim terrorists appear on the Internet,
a rather curious thing happened on Homeland Security's website today.
Take a look.
Is this a coincidence, or a purposeful move by the GOP-influenced DHS?
This is the first heightened national security alert issued since August 2006, according to the Current Threat Level archives on DHS's website.
Note: Here's a screen capture just in case DHS removes the heightened security alert before you can read it.
I was finally able to catch up with Chisa Hutchinson, a 2002 Vassar College
graduate and brilliant young playwright.
Ms Hutchinson authored She Like Girls -- a play
that addresses how urban communities deal with homosexuality. After reading several articles about Ms. Hutchinson, I thought an
interview with her would be an interesting read for anyone concerned with issues like race, gender, interracial dating, and sexuality.
ST: Please provide SistersTalk readers with a little biographical information. How old are you and where did you grow up?
Chisa: I was born in New York in 1980 and raised in New Jersey (no jokes, please).
My biological mother gave me away when I was four and
I've been unofficially adopted by a couple different
families since then: one hard-working, God-fearing black
woman who, despite not having the money or the room,
took in kids the way other women take in stray cats,
and one wonderfully enlightened white woman (she wouldn't really
describe herself as enlightened, but that's part of why I think she is)
who offered me her home after I got a scholarship to a private high
school in her neighborhood. I moved from Newark to Short Hills
when I was fourteen. It was like colonizing another planet.
ST: Have you always had an interest in theatre, or did that interest develop while you were a student at Vassar College?
Chisa: For the most part, I grew up piss poor
so I'm not one of those people who can
say I've been into theatre since I was
like, a fetus. I saw the commercials for
Phantom of the Opera and Les Mis' and Cats
(oof), so I wasn't oblivious, but I didn't
see a real play until high school.
I had a drama teacher, Mr. Pridham (I
get to call him Bob now) who was adamant
about getting us off campus to see theatre.
I saw some incredible stuff: Julie Taymor's
Juan Darien, Cabaret with Natasha Richardson
and Alan Cumming (he winked at me!). It was
exciting to be studying something that was
soooooo beyond academic, and to suddenly become
aware of the possibility of theatre not only
as a profession, but as a priority, period.
This was unheard of where I came from.
And then as a bonus, because Bob took kind of a
shine to me, I got to see August Wilson debate
Robert Brustein about color-blind casting.
And that was it. That sealed it for me.
ST: What was it like being the only Black drama major at Vassar College?
A Star Tribune analysis
posted late last night discusses how women voters are now standing firmly behind Hillary Clinton after
noticing what they considered was blatantly sexist treatment by the press, other politicians, and some male voters
Even Democratic women with no intention of voting for Clinton found themselves drawn
into the debate and shaken by what briefly seemed like a humiliating
end to the most promising female candidacy in U.S. history.
The process seems to have changed a few minds.
I've already said gender will be a big issue in the 2008 election.
But many female voters of a certain age range never really thought gender would be a factor
in the 2008 presidential race. People like 37 year-old Allison Smith-Estelle stated, "I do want Hillary Clintom to take the White House, but until
she lost Iowa, I didn't realize how much, or how much it had to do with her being a woman."
If Hillary's
emotional breakdown on January 7 -- and
the media's subsequent treatment of that breakdown -- was what Clinton needed to (gently) remind non-supportive female voters
of her gender, then I'm thinking Clinton
is patting herself on the back right now and saying "Mission Accomplished." Obama would accomplish the same thing with
Black voters who don't plan to vote for him if could suddenly position himself as the victim of
media-encouraged racism. Let's keep our eyes open for that one.
There's no denying Clinton is treated differently because she's a female.
On the flip side, that's exactly what she's hoping for. It's rare that I read articles or blog postings
written by female Clinton supporters that don't focus heavily on two things: Clinton's gender and their own desire
to see a female in the White House. It's always been my belief that no publicity is bad publicity.
For Hillary Clinton, negative
publicity related to her gender is the best (and cheapest) publicity she could receive right now. Sexist jabs at Clinton will translate to sympathy votes from females who never planned to vote for her.
Usually when I write about Clinton, I address her by her first name -- as most bloggers do, both male and female bloggers.
How often do you see bloggers calling Barack Obama by his first name only? Rarely. Some would argue that addressing Senator Clinton
by her first name is a sexist move since we don't usually address male politicians by their first name.
Even if it is a sexist move, it's a really good thing for Hillary. Very few of us address
our friends by their last name only (unless it's an old habit you developed in the military -- my aunt still calls her husband of 30 years by
his last name).
In my opinion, when you're on a first name basis with someone,
that person enjoys friendship status -- or a status closely resembling
that of friendship.
Yes, you can argue that we often call our
enemies by their first name. But how many Bush-bashers call
George W. Bush by his first name?
Maybe the reason so many people call Senator Clinton by her first name is because it's the easiest way to inform our readers
which Clinton we're hatin' on at the moment. That argument is flawed as well since there were two Presidents with the last name
Bush and rarely did we call the latest one "George" to differentiate between the two.
It's my opinion that Hillary wants the world to see her as Hillary. As long as
we continue to see her as Hillary-the-female-politi cian, she can hold on to her
dream of becoming Hillary-the-first-female- President of the United States.
Washington Post's Fact-Checker says, yeah, we were wrong about NH,
but here's why:
We paid too much attention to the size of the crowds turning out for Obama.
It is true that he got larger and generally more enthusiastic crowds than Clinton,
but that did not translate into more votes. A significant
minority of the people (perhaps 30-40 percent)
who attended Obama rallies were undecided voters.
(We know this because he usually asked for a show
of hands at the beginning of the rally.)
It is now clear that he did not always make the sale.
Hmm, what does that remind you of? Remember this infamous historical
"oops, my bad!"?
NH's results should tell us one thing only: you don't know nothin' until the results are in.
Maybe there's hope for John Edwards after all? I wouldn't be surprised at all
if we see completely different front runners emerge
on Super Tuesday.
P.S. I just noticed The Seminal is harpin' about the same thing.
Even though Illinois residents
can't smoke
in bars anymore, at least they can still swear and enjoy a little table dance or two. We might not be able to say the same for St. Charles, MO residents.
City Councilman Richard Veit has proposed a
new bill that would ban swearing in bars,
in addition to table dancing, drinking contests, and the playing of profane music.
You gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me. How much fun is that?
How will Councilman Veit determine what constitutes profane music?
I'm guessing hip hop and
rap music will make the banned list --
all of it, even the edited versions you can buy at Wally World. And if this were 1965Rock & Roll might just make the list as well.
A proposed ban like this might just motivate the largest voter turnout in St. Charles' history. When you
start messin' with a man's ability to watch (for free!) drunken women dance suggestively on a table, you're motivating the masses to get off
their asses and get politically active. The mere suggestion that anyone would
refuse St. Charles, MO an opportunity to enjoy the Girls Gone Wild tour is maddening!
A CNN breaking news report sent to me via email says "McCain wins New Hampshire GOP primary."
I won't recreate the wheel. Richard at ASZ did a great job of semi live blogging New Hampshire's primary election.
The front runners appear to be McCain and Clinton. Although Obama had a 9 point lead going into the NH primary, it appears Hillary will make a comeback. Whodathunk it?
I'm very relieved that Huckabee has lost steam. So far, he's lookin' like he could be way more trouble than Bush ever was.
As for Ron Paul . . . that po' thang.
When I grew bored of reading about NH, I was distracted by a headline that read
Taylor Hicks loses record deal. Big surprise there.
I read a NY Times article
that analyzed Hillary Clinton's rare show of emotion during a campaign stop in New Hampshire:
Mrs. Clinton bared her thoughts about the race's impact on her personally, and her eyes welled with tears.
"I couldn't do it if I just didn't passionately believe it was the right thing to do," she said here in reply to a question from an undecided voter, a woman roughly Mrs. Clinton's age.
My first thought was,
"Oh shit, here we go. Are we about to see a repeat of Howard Dean?"
Richard
at All Spin Zone thought the same thing, while Taylor Marsh's analysis almost redeems Hillary:
This is a defining moment in American history. To see if we can grow up from "bitch" to "strength," while appreciating that an infuriated woman standing up for herself and her record is a sign of real heart, passion of conviction and determination. It all depends if America likes the look of feminine power when it's released through a flash of fire in a potential commander in chief's eye.
Some liberal bloggers aren't commenting on Hillary's tears as much as they're commenting on
how the media has
handled the
situation. The CarpetBagger Report takes a completely different approach and discusses how crying has become a common thing in American politics.
Liberal bloggers are in agreement, for the most part, that
Hillary is being treated differently because she's a female. Even if we agree on that, our opinions are all over the place about whether or not she
deserves it. Those of us in the liberal blogosphere
who have not chosen Clinton as our candidate of choice are
chewin' her up and spittin' her out, calling her performance just that:
a performance.
I'm afraid I have to agree with Sharon.
Hillary was no more distraught than I am at this very moment. Her ability to take cheap jabs at
Obama while fighting back the tears tells me she's desperate right about now.
Not one public tear did she shed when she learned, along with the rest of the nation,
that her husband did indeed
touch Monica Lewinsky. Of course,
we can
look at this another way: perhaps Hillary is indeed more upset about losing the election than
she ever was about the Lewinsky affair. If that's the case,
what does that say about Hillary?
Bob Garfield, an
Adage.com writer, basically asserts that Obama will win votes from even Hitler-style racists simply because
he's one of the good niggers:
Acceptably black means
being nonthreatening to white people inclined to feeling threatened
by black people. It means standard English, clean-cut appearance
(or, as Joe Biden fumbled, "clean") and the most Caucasian features possible.
These obviously are not objective measures of character or worth; just as obviously,
they are measures of what sells to the vast, white audience. Halle Berry and Denzel
Washington are acceptably black. Your local news anchors are acceptably black. Tupac was not.
In other words, Obama is a House-Nigga and Tupac would have been a field nigga -- kept outback with all the other unnacceptable filth.
Now, having once played the role of an "acceptable" Black (when I married my conservative white husband), I can tell Garfield that even a good nigga is still a nigga. I learned that lesson
the hard way. Even though
house-niggas were allowed inside the house, they were still required to enter through the slave entrance, stay out of sight unless they were serving their master,
and never mention the desire for education or freedom. Only a hardened racist suffering from the worst form of
Schizophrenia would nominate a Black man and give him the kinda political
and social power
that very few people even want a white man to have.
If Obama gains momentum with hardened racists, it's only because those people dislike the idea of a woman running
the country more than they dislike the idea of a Black man sitting
in the White House.
I just received an announcement regarding the premiere of Lifetime's latest made-for-TV movie Queen Sized.
This email comes at the perfect time because last night, while cruising the blogosphere, I noticed an insulting
"anorexic" comment on a popular blog authored by a plus-sized
female author. The comment annoyed me because one of plus-sized
blogger's readers took a jab at a skinny conservative girl -- just for laughs. Bad form, ladies. Bad form.
Making fun of skinny girls is no nicer than making
fun of fat girls.
Before, I get started on my fat girl political rant, let me first offer a quick synopsis of Queen Sized:
Overweight Fat girl gets nominated for homecoming court as a joke. Fat girl gets laughed at
by skinny people. Fat girl enters competion and becomes a celebrity, but it changes who she really is on the inside.
Blah. Blah. Blah. View the clip below.
That's out of the way, so here we go. . .
I'm no more impressed by Queen Sized than I was by Mo'Nique's
F.A.T. Chance Beauty Pageant.
Any program that promotes the idea that being overweight is ok (as long as you love what's inside) is like handing a fat girl
with clogged arteries a fuckin' Big Mac and saying, "Hey, this will make you feel better." It's not healthy to be overweight.
If you can provide evidence to the contrary, please enlighten me. And hurry up, 'cuz
I'm sick of counting calories, carbs, fat, and worrying about when I can squeeze in my next workout.
Yeah, it sucks to be fat. And yeah, it sucks to have the kids in school make fun of you. But, in a country where
childhood obesity has tripled since 1970, there are very few fat
girls walking the school hallways alone. She has a big group of fat friends with her. You know it. I know it. And they're all looking at a possible heart attack, stroke, or weight
related diabetes by the age of 35.
On the flip side, skinny girls get grief too. Women are either too fat or too skinny. Where's the happy medium? I have a very thin friend
who is sick of hearing, "You need
to eat a cheeseburger" usually from the girls who have probably eaten more cheeseburgers than they should have. I told her to stop defending her
skinny-ness; there's no need
for her to respond with "I eat. I eat a lot. I just can't gain weight" ever again. It's not her responsibility to make the fat girls feel better about themselves.
Accusing a skinny girl of being anorexic is just as bad as accusing a fat girl of sitting too long on the couch with twinkies.
This country needs to seriously address obesity as well as anorexia
-- neither of which is good for the body. There ain't a Lifetime movie in the world that will successfully combat an
eating disorder of any kind, but a good cry (or laugh) about both fat people and skinny people
will make ya feel better for about 90 minutes.
A January 5 article in the Chicago Tribune announced
that Disney has officially banned children under the age of 10 from one of their swankiest restaurants:
Beginning this week, children younger than 10
are no longer welcome at Victoria & Albert's
in the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Victoria
& Albert's is Walt Disney World's only restaurant with an AAA five-diamond rating.
I ain't complainin' one bit about that decision; however, I just wanna know something: how come only rich people get
that kinda relief from other people's annoying kids? I wanna be able to go to any restaurant and see a sign that says "Children under 10 not allowed."
That includes McDonald's, folks!
My lord. Some people (you know who you are) don't know the first thing about how to beat their kids
deal with their kids when they misbehave in public. I remember the very first time my son had a temper tantrum in the grocery store.
I took off my flip flop and
smacked him right there in front of everybody. Tryin' to embarass me in public? Not havin' it.
Seriously though, if I'm seated near a table full of bad ass kids, I will loudly proclaim to my server,
"I need a new place to sit. I left my kids at home. I don't wanna hear anybody
else's kids."
Even though Victoria & Albert's gets only a handful of small children a year, the few they did see were so damn bad
they felt it necessary to implement a ban on children under the age of 10. If my kid caused that kinda ban,
I would be so embarassed I'd never visit the state of Florida again.
Let's take this post dangerously close to a racist rant. I'll state this: it's usually the non-Black mothers suffering through an embarassing public temper tantrum.
Am I right? You know I am. Remember the scene in The Color Purple where the Mayor's wife (a white woman) says to Sophie
(Oprah's character), "Your children are so well-behaved. You wanna be my maid?" Her kids were well-behaved because Sophie didn't mess around!
If you're a run-over, run-down mother who needs
some child-rearin' help, let me know. I have several tried-and-true methods that will whip your child
into public-presentation shape in no time. You'll never need to threaten them with, "You wait 'til your father gets home" ever again.
There's a lot of really good liberal bloggers out there, many of whom appeared while
I was on my 10 month blogging hiatus. Dayum, a lot changed in 10 months!
Bloggers who were just learning to walk are now sprintin'
around seasoned bloggers with complete ease. Many bloggers who were super hot leading up to (and immediately after) the 2004 election have lost steam, and the
newbies are graciously picking up where they left off. That's right: you snooze, you lose.
I realize some of the bloggers I "found" aren't new at all, and most likely, I was just very inattentive when those blogs
were in their infancy. Nonetheless, they're still new to me. So, while playin' catchup in the blogosphere, here are a few of the great blogs I found:
Is That Legal?: the name made me laugh. You don't even know how many times
my friends have asked me that.
Republic of T: Terrance isn't new, but I'm so gosh darn proud of how far he's come.
Look at his puuurty blog awards. Oh, and check out his post May God Be Your Co-Parent.
Kick! Making Politics Fun: Hey now, who said politics weren't fun.
Politicians entertain me all day long. Funny bastards they are. The
Houston DA's sex email scandal will give you a good laugh.
And just when I thought Capitol Annex had redeemed Texas.
American Street: they're not new, they're just a personal favorite of mine.
I think I missed Kevin's new "incredibly sexy team of hot slutmonkeys."
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo: just cuz I love their logo . . . and he took his blog awards losses very well.
HorsesAss.org: dear lord! Liberal bloggers are funny little shits, aren't we? This blog is definitely one to keep your eye on.
Today's post has exploded with over 100 comments already.
I will do a liberal blog roundup once -- maybe even twice -- a week. If you find somethin' great, send it my way.
Special notice to the bitchy little fucker
who reamed me out the last time I asked for submissions from the liberal blogosphere, you have to send me a formal
apology before you make any submission requests. Thank you kindly.
This blog officially endorses Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D).
I just had a very nice discussion with my 15 year old about the importance of local elections.
I'm a firm believer that change is possible if activists engage in an aggressive and progressive local grassroots campaign.
On November 4, 2008, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs.
Successful candidates will serve a two year term in the 111th United States Congress from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011.
I've gathered information about candidates in
Wisconsin's 8 districts.
Wisconsin Elections 2008, House of Representatives
All opponents listed have either declared they are running for a seat in the House, or ran against the incumbent in the 2006 elections. Tom Petri (R) ran
unopposed in 2006 and appears to be running unopposed in 2008 as well. I guess that's
the best way to win an election, eh?
Anywho . . . learnmoreabout Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. You'll be reading lots of ST posts about her in the coming months.
First thing: shame on all the self-proclaimed feminist bloggers who won't touch this story with a 10 foot pole but will jump all over any story related to a man
sexually abusing a child.
Beth Ann Chester,
a 26 year old female high school teacher in suburban Coraopolis, PA has been charged with
sexual abuse of children and statutory sexual assault after she sent nude photos of herself to a 14 year old student via text message:
The boy's parents discovered suggestive text messages on Dec. 26, then met with Chester later that day, police said. She tendered her resignation the next day, citing personal reasons, said Moon Area School District attorney Jack Cambest.
I noticed there's no mugshot photo of Chester accompanying this article. Why not?
A June 2007 article in the same newspaper discusses sexual abuse in US schools
as a growing problem,
and mentions "two 28-year-old female teachers at a therapeutic school for emotionally disturbed and neglected boys
in New Windsor, New York, were charged with having sexual relations with two 16-year-old students."
My fellow feminists, where is your outrage? Surely something like this would piss even Dworkin-type feminists off:
One 2000 study, by the American Association of University Women, a nonprofit membership
group, and the market research firm Harris Interactive, asked a national sample of 2,064 boys and
girls in the 8th through 11th grades if they had ever experienced "unwanted and unwelcome sexual conduct,"
either verbal or physical, from teachers or other school employees. A previous study in 1993 included an
identically worded question. The response was consistent in both surveys, with about 10 percent of both boys and girls saying that they had.
The 2005 article When Ms. Teacher Goes After Male Pupil
(beware, it's published at FoxNews.com) has a very detailed discussion about female teachers pursuing male students, while an article at
AZcentral.com claims sexual abuse by female teachers is rare.
Personally, I know several adult lesbians who have told me they had sexual relationships with female teachers at Beloit Memorial High School
and Turner High School (both in Beloit, Wisconsin) while they
were students.
Meanwhile, Joseph Samuel Ellis's trial started today. He's one of three teachers
accused of sexually abusing students at various
high schools in Maryland. One of the three accused Maryland teachers is a 28 year old female named Kirsten Ann Kinley.
As a mother of two teenage boys, I can't imagine learning a teacher has been sexually involved with one of my children. I'm hoping
I've made it quite clear to Beloit school teachers that I'm crazy -- and don't mind losing my mind when it involves my children.
That should be all the protection my children need.
I received a press release regarding She Like Girls, a new play opening at
The Lark Theatre in New York on January 9, 2008.
Triggered by the 2003 murder of a Newark, NJ teenager, Chisa Hutchinson's She Like Girls is the story of two inner-city high school girls who fall in love in a dangerously homophobic climate.
"The play isn't about murder . . . it's more about the urban community, the urban family, and how they respond to homosexuality . . .
If I sit through two hours of a middle-aged white guy having an existential crisis [or] well-off white chicks debating the merits of marriage,
then why not expose the white folks to the plight of poor Kia Clark, lesbian teenager fighting against the doubly oppressive forces of the inner-city?
Everyone deserves validation."
If you aren't familiar with Sakia Gunn, she's the
15 year old Newark, NJ girl who was stabbed to death after rejecting Richard McCullough's sexual advances and declaring herself a lesbian.
McCullough claimed he did not intend to kill Sakia, but instead she died after running into the knife he pointed
at her after she rejected him. I guess an adult male needed to point a knife at a 15 year old girl to protect his . . . manhood?
For ticket information: larktheatre.org or call 212-352-3101.
In the meantime, I've made a few calls and sent a few emails to several people, hoping I can snag a few minutes of Ms. Hutchinson's time for an
interview. If Once I have successfully secured an interview, I will post it here at SistersTalk.
Until then, if someone already knows how to contact
Ms. Hutchinson, your help would be greatly appreciated.
The results are in: Left-leaning MySpacers love Obama. Conservative MySpacers chose Ron Paul over Still-Ridin-the-911-Wave Rudy Giuliani.
Before we shrug off
MySpace's results and proclaim that MySpace is full of 14 year olds who don't know what's really good for the country,
head on over to MySpace and do a quick age check. The amount of voting-age MySpacers will shock you.
A few weeks ago, I wrote the post John Edwards, Go Away Please. So, it might come
as a huge surprise to SistersTalk readers that I voted for John Edwards in the (unofficial) MySpace Primary yesterday.
Snooty bloggers will shun results like those posted on MySpace, but because I'm convinced social networking communities
can will be a great way to gauge public
opinion, I won't be so closed-minded.
So, why did I choose Edwards over Hillary-the-female and Obama-the-Black-Man? Simple. Edwards' platform and voting record shows me he's the candidate
whose views are closest to my own. It's too bad his
views on gay marriage annoy the hell outta me.
An email from Truth Wins Out (TWO) finally put into words how I'm feeling about Obama. TWO's Wayne Besen presented the
question: Would Obama be a revolutionary president that heals divisions
and restores credibility to America? Or, he would be a
rhetorically gifted Jimmy Carter - inexperienced
in foreign policy and too weak to reach his full potential?
My guess: Obama is all rhetoric. There's no doubt in my mind that
Obama can definitely do a lot to address the division Bush's regime created in this country;
however, he's too inexperienced to sucessfully pull the country out of our mess with Iraq. If he were to win the election, I hope he
surrounds himself with a staff that is much more experienced in foreign policy than he is. A friend of mine stated last week that if Obama wins the Democratic
nomination, his GOP rival will do everything in his power to associate Obama's name (Obama Bin Laden, for example) with extreme Muslim terrorists
-- resorting to the same old worn-out scare tactics
Bush used in 2004. And because Americans are gullible, they'll fall for it.
As for Hillary Clinton . . . I just can't get over the idea that we'll see another 4 years of Bill Clinton if Hillary is elected.
I did not appreciate Bill the way other left-leaning folks did.
The royal screwin' gay Americans received with Clinton's Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) and
the Defense of Marriage Act makes me wonder if we'll receive more of the same with another Clinton in the house.
I'll be the first to admit it's unfair to judge Hillary for her husband's acts, but as Rhonda Byrne says,
like attracts like.
I will support whichever Democratic candidate who emerges as the party's top candidate for 2008 -- just as I did in 2004 -- even if that candidate isn't the person I really wanted
to see on the ticket.
I just read a letter to
Raymone Johnson (About.com's Gay Life editor) from a straight girl whose exboyfriend is gay and wants to be friends.
Mad as Heck writes:
I am a straight
female who is just ending a five year relationship with
my boyfriend who is now coming to terms with either being
bisexual or gay. I am furious with him! Over the course of
the past year and a half I have given him several opportunities
to tell me that he wasn't happy. He's been lying to everyone
in his life. Everyone is telling me to support him but
I don't know if I can do that right now. While this is
something that certainly must be hard to deal with -
he's had many years to come to grips with it. Meanwhile
I have been planning out my future with the stupid jerk.
Now I hate him and don't want to. He would like to be friends
but he has been telling so many lies to so many people that
I will never know if he is actually telling the truth or not.
Any suggestions on how to deal?
That girl is a bitch! If I were her exboyfriend, I would be happy to be rid of her. I'm analyzing her letter and a few things jump out at me.
First, she says she gave him several opportunities in the past 18 months
to tell her he wasn't happy. If she could tell he wasn't happy, why was she waiting for him to break the news?
Second, she
states, "I have been planning out my future with this stupid jerk." She said "my" future, not "our" future.
She sounds a bit self-absorbed and selfish to me. I imagine a lot of people would have a difficult time communicating with someone who is that
self-absorbed.
And lastly, she says, "While this is something that certainly must be hard to deal with - he's had many years to come to grips with it."
Mad as Heck has decided that she -- a self-proclaimed straight girl -- knows when it's time for a gay person to come out the closet. I'm glad she knows
because there's hundreds of thousands of gay people who don't have the first clue when it's the right time to come out the closet.
Mad as Heck should count her blessings. She learned her exboyfriend is gay before he became her husband; there's no need for a nasty divorce and she'll never
have to tell her kids that Daddy's a homosexual. She should really talk to all the exwives and exhusbands who have had to end what they thought were happy marriages when
they learned their spouse was a homosexual.
So many gays and lesbians hide in heterosexual relationships because we don't know when (or how) to come to terms with our true identity.
In the past 5 years or so, George W. Bush and his GOP groupies have created an environment of fear and hostility for homosexuals. We've feared losing
our civil rights; we've feared losing our dignity; and we've feared growing hostility from religious fundamentalists who were
doing nothing more than using the LGBT community
as a distraction for Bush's failed war in Iraq.
A question comes to mind as I finish this post: how could Mad as Heck not know her man was a homosexual? I shake my head in
disbelief when I see a straight girl
dating a guy who is so obviously gay; he's so flamin' he could light up New York City for days. Let's forget about all the gay stereotypes
(one of which I just used) and assume that if a couple had the communication they should have,
one would know sooner (rather than later) that her partner is a homosexual. My exhusband knew very early in our relationship that even though
I didn't think I was gay, I certainly didn't
believe I was straight either. Coming out to him was no big surprise -- for either of us.
A post on The Political Environment
about the new smoking ban in IL
reminded me of Wisconsin's newest cigarette tax. Beginning January 1, 2008, every pack of cigarettes purchashed in Wisconsin will incur a
$1 excise tax.
Personally, I would prefer an across-the-board
smoking ban like the one started in IL. For now, I can keep dreaming.
While standing in the checkout lane at a local convenient store last week, I saw a sign that said, "Stock up now. Beginning January 1, 2008, cigarettes will incur a $1 excise tax per pack."
I laughed out loud -- literally -- thinking, that's like charging a crack addict a dollar more for his fix. Does anyone really expect people to quit smoking just
because the price has gone up? I remember when my mother and grandmother would send us kids to the store to buy cigarettes for them.
This was back when there was no age restriction
for purchasing cigarettes. If I remember correctly, cigarettes were less than a dollar a pack (and gasoline was 89 cents per gallon!).
On December 31, 2007, cigarettes were $3.50 a pack.
My mother still smokes. I doubt she will quit, even if Georgia increased the price of each pack by a full dollar.
She hasn't quit yet and they've already gone up well over $2.50 more than they were when I was growing up.
The good thing about the excise tax is that cigarette smokers are now paying more towards cleaning up their own fuckin' mess along the highway. At least I
certainly hope that's what the money will be used for. It's so rude when a smoker rolls down his window and tosses his cigarette butt out the window. That leaves
non-smoking taxpayers to flip the bill for highway cleanup. Another thing that bothers me is when you're standing next to a cigarette trash bin and you notice cigarette butts all over the ground right next to the trash can. Lazy bastards! If smokers insist on littering highways and public streets with their garbage,
I say they should be subjected to a new excise tax every year.
Smokers here in Beloit, WI will simply cross the border into IL and buy cigarettes, while IL smokers on the WI/IL stateline will cross the border
and hit a bar in Beloit so they can smoke freely without incurring a fine. Gas stations and cigarette depots in IL will benefit from WI's excise tax; and
Wisconsin bars (all except Madison, WI bars) will benefit from IL's new smoking ban. It looks like a match made in smokin' heaven.
Update January 2, 2008 -- 12:30 noon:
I just learned there's an English version of Apples located here. I'll go back and watch the English versions tonight then do an updated review. Also, there's an Apples blog. Content is in Spanish.
------ original post below ------
I received an email from Nadia Robles, introducing me to
Apples -- the first Spanish lesbian series aired exculsively online.
Apples chronicles the lives of 7 lesbian students, a dummy, and a teddy cat.
The story takes place in two flats located in the same
building, one just above the other, where the girls move back and
forth according to the swinging of their relationships. All this
dressed up with the best sauce: an epic love of Juliet and Juliet style.
The series reminds me of Go Fish -- a lesbian dykeumentary with a very B movie-like feel that became
a staple in all good lesbian film collections. My Spanish needs work, but I understood enough of the dialogue to know
that the series is slowing turning into something that could potentially explode. My only complaint (although I feel bad even voicing it) is I wish the series
had English subtitles. Providing English subtitles could open Apples up to an entirely new audience that's craving new and exciting original programming.
Just an FYI: there's a very nice orgy scene at the end of episode 7 (Capitulo 7), but you have to wait through all the not-so-hot dialogue leading up to it.
I would be curious to know what some of my Spanish-speaking readers think of the series. I didn't see much Butch/Femme stuff going on and that really goes
against the
Hispanic lesbian culture I am most aware of here in the midwest. From what I have seen so far with the Hispanic lesbian community
(and this goes for the Black lesbian
community as well) is that most couples engage in Butch/Femme coupling with both parties being an extreme case of each "label." One of the complaints I expect to hear about
Apples is it
furthers the idea that women often explore lesbianism in college, but after graduation they settle down into heterosexual marriages.
I just finished watching the season premiere of The L Word (season 5). OurChart.com
(which appears to be a Showtime blog)
is airing The L Word's season premiere a full week before the new season begins. Good for them! I'm guessing OurChart has snagged a lot of The L Word related
traffic that once went to AfterEllen.com.
Anyway, I was a bit disappointed with L Word 5's season premiere. I didn't watch a single episode of L Word 4 and watching this season's premiere didn't
really make me feel like I missed much.
The things I liked about L Word 5 so far:
1. There's a seemingly happy and functional interracial lesbian relationship
(Alice
and Tasha)
2. Tina is no longer with men. Maybe that actually ended early in L Word 4?
I guess that whole post-partum depression thing is over.
3. Kit is no longer with Magnus Angus (whatever his name was!). Hopefully this means we won't have to see a lot of heterosexual sex this season.
4. Jenny is still crazy. What would L Word be without a crazy lesbian or two?
5. Helena is in jail. No, that's not the good part. Her cellmate is the
good part. SHE'S HOT! I think the person playing that part is the psycho boxer from
Million Dollar Baby, Lucia Rijker. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
The things I didn't like about L Word 5:
1. That hideous, hideous, hideous theme song is still alive and well.
2. Tina's on the prowl and seems very
interested in getting Bette back. Personally, I wouldn't want her back.
3. Bette's relationship with
Jodi is very, very, boring.
Even the sex scene between those two seriously lacked steam.
4. Looks like Tasha is headed for some trouble with the military.
She was supposed to be leaving for Iraq, but the final scene shows her appearing at
Alice's door.
5. The my-baby-is-more-diverse-t han-your-baby bullshit about halfway through the episode.
Bette and
Tina run into a gay male
couple after interviewing at a prestigious pre-school they'd like little Angie (their baby) to attend. The gay male couple brags
about how racially and ethnically diverse their baby is, while
Bette counters with something like, "Well our baby is biracial and has lesbian parents, blah, blah, blah." WTF? I guess if the writers are trying to show that gay parents
can be just as competitive with their kids as straight parents, they've done a damn good job.
As a final note: the season premiere was quite boring. Other than the fire
Shane's ex started, the show looks like it'll be lukewarm at best.
If that's any indication of what
the entire season will look like, I think I'll save my money and not renew my subscription
to Showtime. But hey, don't take my word for it. View the season premiere yourself -- for free!
It's 7:35 pm, January 1, 2008. Only an hour ago was I finally able to roll out of bed --
not because I partied hard last night (although I did), but because this winter depression is kickin' my ass. I don't want to make excuses here because things are really very good for me. Really, really good. It's when things are really good and you
still can't get out of bed that you know something ain't right in your head.
At about 5 pm, I started mentally preparing for the rest of my day. I was laying in bed thinking, "Get your ass up and get some blogging done. Don't worry
about WHAT you blog about, just get it done." My phone rang at 5:15. It was a friend who, even though I love her dearly, is just too much to deal with
when I'm struggling with my own demons. I didn't answer.
At about 6 pm, I received a "Happy New Year" text message from my friend V. I love him. He's a
really lovable straight guy who is dating his soon-to-be-ex-wife. Don't ask
how that happened.
By 6:30 pm, I was dying for Chinese food. I made a mental note to order from the healthy side of the
menu since it's Jan. 1 and I vowed I would get back to my diet religiously in the new year. I lost almost 80 pounds in 2007 but started eating
very badly on December 24. The holidays provide the saddest excuse to eat like a pig.
My youngest sister is getting married in August and I want to lose
those last 30 pounds by then.
And now, it's 7:55 pm.
I've eaten my Chinese food. I had the Steamed Combo with white sauce on the side: chicken, scallops, shrimp, pea pods, broccoli, chinese cabbage, and carrots.
I hate carrots. I picked those out. I drank a small rum and diet. I spent half an hour Googling
Blue UV trying to find its carb count since I won a tiny bottle
of it at a party last night. I tossed the Blue UV after learning it has way more carbs than I'm comfortable with consuming.
I'm feeling a bit better now so I'll check my Google News Alerts to see which stories annoy me the most.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Because this blog addresses race issues on a very regular basis,
I purposely avoided blogging about Dr. King yesterday. I figured I would wait for
both liberal and conservative bloggers to cleanse their souls by posting their obligatory
Dr. King Day comments -- which also serves as one of just a few race-related posts
you'll ever find on their blogs.
Denise Simmons has joined 
I'm in a bit of a hurry, but I wanted to post this before I forgot. 
I was finally able to catch up with Chisa Hutchinson, a 2002 
Even though Illinois residents
There's a lot of really good liberal bloggers out there, many of whom appeared while
I was on my 10 month blogging hiatus. Dayum, a lot changed in 10 months!
This blog officially endorses Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D). 
I received a press release regarding She Like Girls, a new play opening at
The results are in: Left-leaning MySpacers love Obama. Conservative MySpacers chose Ron Paul over Still-Ridin-the-911-Wave Rudy Giuliani.
Before we shrug off
MySpace's results and proclaim that MySpace is full of 14 year olds who don't know what's really good for the country,
head on over to MySpace and do a quick age check. The amount of voting-age MySpacers will shock you. 
