This is a slight change from last week's open thread and link whoring. In those threads, we asked you to practice blatant self-promotion. This week, we're asking you to promote someone else this time.
Don't worry. You can still post a link to your blog or twitter page in the URL spot on the form. Use it! But, we want you to suggest a few great blogs (or Tweeters) for us to check out.
Oh, one more rule: please do not promote Tweeters who already have 5K+ followers. They have all the love they need - for now.
This thread is designed to help the "little" people.
Here's a very small list of Tweeters to check out:
Dr. Lisa M. Diamond, an Associate Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies in the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah, says NARTH distorted her research on human sexuality. Diamond claims NARTH manipulated her work to claim that homosexuals can change their sexuality.
According to NARTH, ". . . powerful political pressures have done much to erode scientific study of homosexuality. As a result, there is now great misunderstanding surrounding this issue. Because of the angry tenor of the debate, many researchers have been intimidated, we believe, into trading the truth for silence."
The only truth NARTH believes is that homosexuals can change their sexuality - and any researcher who disagrees with that statement has been scared into claiming otherwise.
White women are being good little politically correct folks and blogging about a Black woman (Brenda McElmore) who is suing a JC Penney hair salon because she was told, "We don't do African-American hair." There's a big to-do over at Jezebel about the pending Black-Hair lawsuit - mostly comments from white women who really don't know a damn thing about Black hair.
Normally, I would be in agreement with the rants over at Jezebel. But, after watching this episode of Shear Genius several months ago, I'm inclined to disagree with the white women (and Black women) who have assumed that all hair stylists are trained to do Black hair.
This episode of Shear Genius challenges the nation's top hair stylists to do Black hair. Only a couple of them have ever had any experience with Black hair, and all of them are professional hair stylists. One white stylist said, "For some reason, I thought African-American women lacked oil [in their hair]" after he realized he really had no clue how to deal with Black hair.
I once took my sons to a local Cost Cutters for a hair cut. A simple haircut. They're biracial and the "stylist" there said, "We don't know how to do their hair." I'm glad she admitted that, instead of failing miserably for the sake of a buck.
This thread over at Lipstick Alley addresses the issue of white women with biracial children trying to find a suitable hair salon. Yes, there are some white stylists who are experts at styling all hair types, but those stylists are few and far in between.
Personally, I think the Black-Hair lawsuit has been fueled by journalists doing their obligatory race story for the month. Most Black women I know wouldn't dream of letting a strange white woman go near their hair. Hell, most Black women I know won't let just anybody touch their hair - Black, white, Hispanic, whatever. I would dismiss this McElmore's lawsuit and stick a DUH! sticker on her forehead. McElmore was embarrassed to be told "We don't do Black hair" in a room full of white people. She's suing to regain her dignity.
I'm a little bothered by something that a lot of people would consider petty. There's a self-identified straight man who frequents our local gay bar. He cross-dresses as a woman every time he visits. His name is "Regina" when he's dressed up as woman.
There are a few things about "Regina" that bother me:
1. He scopes out the bar and follows women into the ladies room.
2. He chases after every new woman who enters the place. You could bet your mother's life on it.
3. He refuses to use the men's bathroom, insisting he is a "woman" while he's in the bar and insists he should be allowed to use the women's bathroom.
I asked this question on Twitter: "Should a straight man who cross-dresses as a woman (but insists he's straight!) use the men's or women's bathroom at a gay bar?" I got several responses:
RVAfashionista: Hmmm, tough question. I have seen men when I am in the ladies room @ the gay bar but they're usually the non-women liking kind
SunflowerYoga: I once dated a cross-dresser. He should use the men's bathroom
techfun: considering in a gay bar most people use same the restroom as the folks they are attracted to, he should prolly use the ladies
womanistmusings whatever bathroom closely represents the gender identified to is the appropriate bathroom
mainelementlove: I don't think any man or woman is going to be offended either way
I have no problem with transgender women (post-op or pre-op) using the women's room. Most of the lesbians I know feel the same. But, we are bothered by a straight guy like "Regina" manipulating a situation like that to his advantage. Yes, I know there are more important things going on in the world; this is my biggest annoyance for the day.
Too many people excuse "Regina's" behavior because it's a gay bar - as if rules of decency don't exist once you enter a gay bar. It ranks right up there with the stupid straight girl who thought she could give her a man a blowjob on the dance floor - just because she was in a gay bar.
I was talking with an old friend/mentor and our conversation reminded me that I've had this particular post planned for about three years. Since graduating from grad school, I've read a lot of rhetoric from "experts" who attempt to devalue all MBA programs (most of these people don't have one. imagine that!).
Before I graduated, I was a self-employed internet marketing consultant. After graduation, I decided to go back to work for "da man."
What I've learned post grad school seems to be just as important as what I learned in the classroom. It's certainly more entertaining!
Here's what real life experience has taught me:
1. Knowing how to play golf will get you advanced a lot faster than knowing how to read a profit and loss statement. I wonder if grad school programs will start offering golf classes. . .
2. The good ol' boys club is alive and well -- and apparently, still actively recruiting! The only membership requirement is . . . you guessed it, knowing how to play golf. You'll start to notice that the young guy in the cube next to you is suddenly using worn-out buzz words in really, really, long-winded sentences (see item 3).
3. Learning how to use buzz words in a really, really, really long-winded sentence will make you look smart and sophisticated -- even if you don't have the first fuckin' clue what you're talking about.
4. Mutual backscratching will get you a VP title long before you really actually know your job. And if you're smart (or "resourceful," as my former coworker calls it), you'll hire an earger-to-please peon who knows your job and his - you'll then make him/her do all the work. You can always take credit for your subordinate's work in closed meetings. You know, those meetings you get to sit in all day to make yourself appear busy and important.
5. Meetings are a waste of time - 99% of the time. You'll spend half of your week in meetings, to discuss things you talked about in meetings that happened over a year ago. And then, you'll plan the next round of stupid ass meetings that won't result in a damn thing (other than more meetings).
6. Women STILL fuck their way to the top! I'm not complaining about that; I'm just pointin' it out. Hell, I can't even say I blame the ladies. Competing with the good ol' boys club is time-consuming, challenging, and a real pain in the ass. Besides, using sex to climb the corporate ladder is a lot easier (and cheaper) than grad school. But please, if you plan to get advanced that way, don't assume people won't know that's how you did it.
7. Every straight man you work with is borderline homosexual. Members of the good ol' boys club spend so much time pattin' each other on the back that it starts to look very homoerotic. Don't believe me? Look around. See how many of those guys spend more time with each other than they do with their wives. And usually, they're playin' golf!
8. You don't have to actually know how to do your job -- at all. You just have to make sure you become an expert ass-kisser. Kissin' the right asses will keep you employed for a very long time. You can ride that wave straight into retirement.
9. It will take months and months and months (maybe even years) to push through innovative ideas that generate large amounts of revenue. And then, once you get the idea pushed through, someone else will take credit for your work. Guaranteed.
10. Diversity in the workplace is a load of crap. Eventually, you will start to walk, talk, and chew your gum the same way everybody else does. You will submit if you want to "fit" the corporate culture. If you don't fit, you have to hit the road.
I almost never read our local paper
because the content is poor and the publisher is a blatant
homophobic right-wing nutcase; however, this story caught my eye while standing in the checkout line at the grocery store:
It took a lifetime for Lucy Davidson to finally make peace with the polls.
The 97-year-old voted for the first time Saturday at the Rockton Community Center.
"I was scared at first because I never had done it before," Davidson said, adding that her very first vote went to Sen. Barack Obama for president.
I know exactly what people will say. The first real possibility of a
Black president is what really motivated Ms. Lucy to cast her very first vote. And so what if that's the real reason? Imagine how many more Lucy Davidsons
are voting for the very first time because the Democratic frontrunner is a Black man. Like this guy
and these people:
The number of black men registering for the first time in Georgia increased by 33 percent from 2004.
The number of black women registering increased by 22 percent.
I had a great conversation with my good friend Barry (a Republican and my former boss) about the effects of an Obama win on the Black American population. We both agreed that an Obama win
will change the politics of victimization amongst Blacks. We'll no longer be able to say, "White people will always run the country and keep the Black man down." That shift in mindset will take
some time, but an Obama win will be the beginning of real change. I think we can all agree - conservatives and liberals -
that anything that will motivate minorities
to attend college and captain their own ship is a good thing.
We talked about sex, politics, relationships, gay marriage, children and STDs in the lesbian population. Hear why Felice doesn't think it's wise for Obama to support gay marriage (if you want to jump to that part, scroll to minute 10:00).
It was a great session. If you missed the interview, don't fret.
The archived version is available here.
I received an email forward from a friend that made me think of the good old days of doing nothing. I didn't have to work. I didn't have to take care of children. I was a teenager and all I had to do was go to school, behave myself at home, and watch my favorite television shows.
Although Wonder Woman ran on network television between 1975 and 1979, I watched it in reruns in the 80s. Every girl I knew either wanted to be Wonder Woman - or she wanted to kiss Wonder Woman. I think our SistersTalk editor, Genia, was the latter.
I can't quite get into today's TV shows. They seem to lack the substance of 80s television. Maybe I'm just a jaded old woman. What's your favorite 80s TV show? This web site should jog your memory.
McCain sources say Palin has gone off message several times, and they privately wonder if the incidents were deliberate. They cited that she labeled robocalls -- recorded messages often used to attack a candidate's opponent -- "irritating" even as the campaign defended their use. Also, they pointed to her telling reporters she disagreed with the campaign's decision to pull out of Michigan.
A second McCain source tells CNN she appears to be looking out for herself more than the McCain campaign.
"She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," said this McCain adviser. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else."
The anonymous adviser said that Palin is looking out for her future because she sees herself as the next leader of the Republican party. As my mentor would say, "Ms. Thang is tryin' to get cute!" I don't blame the woman for lookin' out for number 1, but does she really believe the Republican party will allow a female to be anything more than a tool in their sick games?
I thought the GOP wanted a woman who did her own thing. Did they really think they would be able to make her mind her manners? Palin reminds me of a female corporate VP I once knew who is only looking out for herself. She's a big bitch, too.
I already said Palin was using the GOP because they're using her. The GOP chose Palin because they think a pretty, young (younger than Moses), female VP running mate will help people ignore the fact that McCain's been around for centuries.
Proposition 8 supporters are joining the McCain/Palin "Spread the Hate" committee. A new video on YouTube equates gay Americans with Adolf Hitler - rumored to be a closet homosexual.
The video shows that Proposition 8 supporters are against gay marriage because they just can't stand the idea of two men marrying each other. Watch the gay stereotypes fly!
Comparing equal rights for gays and lesbians to Hitler's mass extermination is extremely offensive - and something only a right-wing nut case would do.
Sarah Palin has been calling Barack Obama a "socialist" at every opportunity. Or to be more specific -- or as specific as Sarah Palin seems to be able to get - she says that Joe the Plumber says that Barack Obama is a socialist.
And she says it to a crowd of people who don't even know what a socialist is.
And she says it to people who could probably benefit if Barack Obama actually was a socialist.
John McCain's campaign loves to say that Senator Obama is "different" than us and "not who you think he is."
They love to make him out as an "other," a stranger, someone who can't be trusted. Someone, *wink*, you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley.
Because of this divisiveness, the McCain devotees, worked into a frenzy by their leaders, have resorted to calling Senator Obama an Arab, a Muslim, and from the dark corners of the crowd have shouted "Kill him!" while another brands a "B" on her cheek and makes up a story about how a tall black man - an Obama supporter of course - sexually assaulted her.
The N-word is no longer socially acceptable. However, a new nomenclature has been born, and although the words may not sound as demeaning, the intent behind them is just as hateful. They have dressed up their racism with $150,000 worth of new clothes and new words.
Fear of the 'other' is a primal instinct that has been around since the dawn of humankind. This 'other' or 'stranger' meant danger in our ancient civilizations. Some countries still operate primarily under this primitive attitude. And their leaders know that the way to control the masses is through fear.
The Republicans are experts at fear-mongering. With their rhetoric they tap into the unconscious fear of the 'other' in an attempt to manipulate their base. And for simple people, simply trying to survive, this often works.
If you look at the big picture, this is about more than politics. It is about becoming aware of who we are as individuals. It is about differentiating and evolving beyond the dictates of our families, our societies, and our political parties. It is about discovering how we are alike, not how we are different. As people, we must mature and develop beyond our primal fears so we can move beyond the past and be a force for positive change in the present.
Susan Gabriel is an ex-shrink turned full-time writer and author of the new novel, Seeking Sara Summers.
This is low, even for McCain's people. Actively participating in a lie designed to make Americans fear a Black president is immoral - and it screams sore loser. TPM reports:
John McCain's Pennsylvania communications director told reporters in the state an incendiary version of the hoax story about the attack on a McCain volunteer well before the facts of the case were known or established -- and even told reporters outright that the "B" carved into the victim's cheek stood for "Barack," according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.
While the McCain camp denies any involvement with AshleyToddGate, you can view the original TV news announcement that specifically states the McCain camp provided KDKA with information about the attack - before the facts were collaborated. TPM insists the original story stated that the McCain camp said the following:
The original text of the printed story has been modified and the references to the McCain camp have been removed.
When I first heard that McCain's people were involved, I couldn't believe it. That's just low. Tacky. Unprofessional. Desperate.
It really shouldn't surprise me though; McCain and Palin have made every attempt to scare Americans with hate-filled racist rhetoric. I'm so fed up with all of it that I told a friend who is a McCain supporter to never speak to me again. She and most of the other McCain supporters are racist bastards who can't stand the thought of a Black man in the White House.
This kind of mean-spirited campaigning motivates Black Americans to get involved. No wonder Barack Obama's campaign has raised more than double what McCain's campaign has raised. We're sick of the bullshit and we're ready to kick ass and take names.
Sarah Palin is a bitch. She will define Bill Ayers as a terrorist, but she won't call abortion clinic bombers terrorists. Why? Because Sarah Palin is anti-abortion and won't condemn anyone who helps to push the religious right's agenda - not even abortion clinic bombers. If Palin could connect Obama's name to abortion clinic bombers, she would definitely call those people terrorists.
Notice how she refuses to label herself a feminist. Sounds like she's afraid of offending the religious right - the folks who think women are meant for nothing but cookin', cleanin' and birthin' babies.
Sarah Palin has benefited from the hard work of feminists who fought for her right to be treated as a full and equal citizen - and she thumbs her nose at them? Founders of FeminstsforObama.com are correct. A McCain/Palin victory will definitely hurt women, and set women's rights back 100 years.
I just read a blog post written by fellow Tweeter CajunTechie who seems to completely miss the fact that Ashley Todd lied about a Black man robbing and attacking her to tarnish the image of another Black man. CajunTechie says:
think that, instead of judging Ms. Todd as a psycho or unstable, we should see her as what she is: collateral damage in the war for America. Yes, it's tragic that she took things to the level she did, but I understand it in an odd sort of way. In her mind, this election is no different than how Americans might see the War on Terror. In her mind, losing control of the country to her candidates opponent would deeply and fundamentally harm America.
In an odd way, I understand her thoughts..
In an odd way, I actually respect her.
Pfft! Spare me the rhetoric. Ashley Todd could have accused anyone of attacking her; she chose to say her attacker was Black because she thought it would make her story more believable. I mean, we all know Black men rob and abuse white women in public everyday, right?
Like Susan Smith, Todd believed America would track down and punish her attacker - as long as Americans saw her as the innocent and wounded white woman who was abused and robbed by a savage nigger.
QueenofSpain says, "I see this 'woman fakes attack story' in the racist historical narrative of Scottsboro to Emmitt Till to Susan Smith. I agree. Anyone who doesn't agree has their head buried in the sand - or they could care less about the Susan Smiths and Ashley Todds of the world perpetuating the stereotype that Black men are savage beasts who want to ruin our sweet and innocent white women.
I am a Black mother of two Black teenage boys. I am sick and tired of white women playing the race card and accusing our Black men of crimes they did not commit. How can anyone respect that kind of behavior? Anyone who respects the Susan Smiths and Ashley Todds of the world is a racist. Plain and simple.
How many Black men are sitting on death row because a white person played the race card and accused a Black man of a crime he didn't commit? Like these guys:
David Keaton;
Wilbert Lee and Freddie Pitts; Delbert Tibbs
The good ol' Susan Smith method: blame the Black man because everyone knows they're brutal beasts.
Twitter is buzzin' and buzzin' about the McCain campaign worker who lied about getting attacked. I guess she thought she was earning some sympathy points for McCain, instead she's facing criminal charges. This kinda behavior is not helping McCain at all. His supporters are becoming an even bigger liability than Sarah Palin.
jivebotic: RT @yebot: The McCain girl who fell victim to the big scary black man who carved a 'B' in her face? She made it up link
BaltimoreGal: McCain campaign worker confessed to making up story that mugger attacked her and cut letter "B" in her face after seeing her McCain stick
seanosh: McCain campaign worker confesses to making up story of attack... link (expand) Disgraceful. What an idiot tho too- backwards B
jpmeyer: haha even michelle malkin thinks that the mccain worker with the B scratched on her face in pittsburgh was a hoax! link
otakusecret: pgh mccain campaign worker "attack" confirmed as fake O SNAP link
pridkett: It's official - the McCain campaign worker made up the assault and face carving story. Will Drudge report it? prbly not link
ubermensche: Mccain worker lies about being mugged by obama supporter. lol. link
WashingtonIndependent: BREAKING: McCain Worker Fabricated Attack Story; Race Over?: KDKA of Pittsburgh reports that acco.. link
More . . .
A McCain campaign volunteer who reported that a tall black man robbed her and then cut a "B" onto her cheek after seeing a McCain bumper sticker on her car has been given a polygraph test because of "inconsistencies" in her story, police said.
Among other things, police said photos and bank card information from an automated teller machine where the college student claimed she was robbed do not show her using the machine at the time, police said.
Please check out the bloggers in this list. Feel free to use this posting as today's open thread and add your blog URL to the comments section. Check out last week's blog pimpin'.
In the last presidential debate, McCain told Obama he was not President Bush - trying desperately to disassociate himself with the Bush administration. But, I don't think McCain thought this video would come back to haunt him
A fellow Tweeter just posted a tweet about the latest Palin PBS poll. According to an email forward she received, McCain/Palin supporters are using mass email forwarding to encourage people to vote YES if they think Palin is qualified to be Vice President:
Please read:
PBS wants to 'show the world' that Sarah Palin is not qualified. They are taking an 'unscientific' poll and will then use it to make their point. To achieve their goal, they have turned to their viewers who are about 80% liberal.
Let's provide them with a result they did not expect. Send this email to every non-liberal you know. Let's get some balance into this survey group. This is the easiest vote you will ever make. It takes literally two seconds.
AFTER YOU PARTICIPATE, FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO YOUR LIST OF PEOPLE, ASK THEM TO VOTE AND THEN ASK THEM TO FORWARD IT ON TO THEIR E-MAIL LISTS. LET'S SHOW PBS WHAT REAL AMERICANS THINK!
First thought: Nice to see people who don't believe PBS's poll is scientific actually participating in (and trying to skew the results of) a non-scientific poll they don't agree with.
What do they mean by "REAL AMERICANS?" Leave it to Republicans to imply that liberals are not real Americans.
That brings me to a web site I saw today (again via Twitter updates) called I Am a Real American. I don't even know why liberals are engaging moronic Republicans in the debate about who's a real American. By definition, people who are born in the United States or become naturalized US citizens are considered real Americans. Someone toss those rat bastards a dictionary!
Sarah Palin isn't the only one milking taxpayers out of their hard-earned money:
Say you misplaced $185,481 somewhere? Just expense it - Iraq style!
A U.S. contractor hired to teach Iraqis about good government misplaced that amount in cash, then claimed the loss as "an expense."
The U.S. government not only covered the loss, but paid the contractor tens of thousands of dollars more in special fees for overhead and other costs relating to the missing money, according to a report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, known as SIGIR.
WTF? This unjust war is a fuckin' goldmine. I wonder if I can head to Iraq, pretend to lose $1M, and get reimbursed by the US government? That's gonna be my next get-rich quick scheme. It seems to work so much better than the MLM crap I see on Craigslist.
I wonder if those "good government" lessons included a section on "How to Successfully Milk Taxpayers Out of Their Money."
Bush does whatever he wants to do, doesn't he? WTF?
The Bush White House violated federal policy by deploying five top administration officials to Nevada, at least some at taxpayer expense, two years ago to help Republicans win election campaigns, according to a House committee.
And of course, Palin's following the monkey-see-monkey-do GOP philosophy.
Geezus Christ!
Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business.
The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.
Palin and her kids are staying in luxury hotels while the McCain/Palin ticket appeals to middle class Americans who can barely pay their bills.
Dear gawd!
The Republican National Committee appears to have spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August.
I guess Palin figures the RNC is using her, she might as well get a fierce wardrobe out of it!
I never thought I would be using Ronald Reagan to support an Obama endorsement. But, a campaign speech Reagan made years ago speaks volumes to undecided American voters.
1. Are you better off than you were 4 years ago?
2. Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the store than it was 4 years ago?
3. Is there more or less unemployment in the country than it was 4 years ago?
4. Is America as respected throughout the world as it was?
My son woke me up at about 6am to give me the bad news.
My 15 year-old Siamese-Calico cat, Sandy, died sometime between midnight and 6am this morning.
She was just knodding off to sleep when I turned off the lights and shut down my computer, looking up at me briefy when I
rubbed her head.
Before Sandy came into my life, I hated cats. Seriously. My exhusband brought her home thirteen years ago stating a friend was moving into a
new apartment that didn't allow pets. Even though I hated cats, I was the only person in our home Sandy
would acknowledge. She was so scared
those first few weeks that she found her way under all my blankets and slid under the fitted sheet to sleep. She quickly grew on me. For years, she wouldn't allow
my exhusband or my kids anywhere near her.
I was so depressed when my nasty divorce and custody battle started. On the nights I felt the lowest,
Sandy would move from
her usual spot at the foot of my bed to a spot beside me on my pillow. She knew I needed a friend. Every time I needed a friend, Sandy knew it.
I am burying Sandy in the backyard this afternoon. I asked my boys to come directly home after school so we can have the ceremony.
I just took the education quiz below.
Responses are recorded as an agree or disagree response.
Guess which one of the statements I disagreed with (along with 66% of the other participants). I would like to see how these results vary
between liberals and conservatives, but the current setup doesn't allow that kind of tracking.
1. I believe that the federal government must invest more in our schools because they are the economic engines of our future.
2. I believe that our next President must work to make college more affordable for all families.
3. I believe that effective classroom teachers are the most important part of school and that we must invest in training, mentoring and paying teachers.
4. I believe that giving tax dollars to private schools through vouchers will help the quality of our public schools by increasing competition.
5. I believe that voters can make a difference in the future of our education system.
I agreed with every statement except #4. There's a private K - 12 school in my old Georgia neighborhood called Edmund Burke Academy (EBA). That school's main reason for
existing is to give the white kids in my hometown a whites-only educational environment. EBA's administration can deny it all day, but that's common knowledge. The school was named after a man who said. . .
most men in a nation are not qualified to govern it and should look to men of finer upbringing and higher Christian education who are by their position, naturally responsible to them and the nation as a whole. He professed that a civilized people could not naturally be made up of people with the same distinctions, positions and interests
I would flip if I learned tax dollars were going to support that place.
Take the education quiz and see where you stand on the issue.
Tracy's comments are bad enough in this video; however, combine that with her southern accent, bitchy persona and wild bug eyes, and I just feel embarrassed to be a southern girl. We're not all this stupid, I promise.
When asked what the most important issue is for her, she says,
"The one that has the most faith in the Lord." Tracy assumes Obama is faithless because his mother was an atheist and his father was a Muslim. I don't understand how her husband can sit next to her and not feel completely embarrassed by his wife's public stupidity.
Comedienne Mandy Steckelberg's "I Love the Gays" music video. This video is frickin' hilarious! And . . . Mandy's kinda cute. Watch for the Obama bumper sticker.
I have to first say that I'm shocked a Muslim would support McCain, with all the anti-Muslim BS his people are spewin'. But shit, if Republican Colin Powell can support Democrat Barack Obama, I guess anything is possible.
At a John McCain rally in Woodbridge, Virginia, three people handed out "Obama for Change" bumper stickers with the Communist sickle and hammer and the Islamic crescent, saying Obama was a socialist with ties to radical Islam. Several moderate McCain supporters, Muslim and Christian alike, struck back - relentlessly bombarding the group distributing the flyers until they left the premises.
Watch the video. Be forewarned; it's nothing but pure ignorance on display. I'm thinking Palin isn't the only liability for McCain; these rabid anti-Muslim McCain supporters are creating their fair share of trouble. The kind of behavior displayed on this video hurts McCain much than it helps.
On October 6, we blogged about exaggerations posted on a web site run by supporters of Prop 8. About 10 days later, Felice Newman (author of The Whole Lesbian Sex Book) sent us an
email asking for our help with defeating Prop 8. We posted Felice's email, but decided we need to do even more.
We are active participants of Twitter with over 1000 followers. We thought, "Wow! If we can get all of our followers to donate at least $5, then have our followers ask their followers to donate $5, we can help defeat Prop 8. Even though we don't live in California, we feel any help our fellow gay & lesbian Americans can get from the good ol' midwest will be greatly appreciated.
With that said, tomorrow (October 20, 2008) we will make regular updates throughout the day, asking our Twitter followers to donate and retweet (RT) our No on 8 updates.
We ask all of our Twitter followers who support equal rights for gay & lesbian Americans to join us in our efforts.
Update 1 - 10/20/08: Check out No on 102 as well and help them out if you can.
Update 2 - 10/20/2008: Here's a list of all the No On 8 tweets so far. Yey! We can do this!
Update 3 - 10/20/08: No on 8 Day got a mention at Daily Kos. Hopefully that helps us out a lot. Thanks!
This is a sure sign of desperation, folks! These signs were found in John McCain's campaign office in Pompano Beach, FL. In an attempt to compare Obama to Hitler, Marx and Mussolini, the sign reads: "Who else called for change in this fashion? Each and everyone called upon youth movement."
As the 2004 election heated up, "liberal" was the dirty word. GOP groupies labeled all liberals anti-American, claiming only Republicans were true patriots. I see "socialist" is the new dirty word.
This is a disgrace and very offensive. Elections really bring out the worst in people. It seems McCain supporters are pissed that Obama has been able to successfully appeal to young people in America. If McCain had done as well with young people, would any of his supporters compare him to Hitler? I think not.
Republican Colin Powell, former Secretay of State in the Bush Administration, announced
he will support Barack Obama because he thinks McCain's judgement is impaired:
. . . he said McCain's choices in the last few weeks- especially his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his vice presidential running mate -
had raised questions in his mind about McCain's judgment.
"I don't believe [Palin] is ready to be president of the United States," Powell said flatly. By contrast,
Obama's running mate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, "is ready to be president on day one."
Hell, even McCain is beginning to question his choice of a VP running mate.
Powell anticipates that people will say he's only criticizing McCain and backing Obama because he's Black.
But, this isn't the first time Powell has criticized his own party:
Colin Powell is telling his party they need to shape up - or get out. He plans to help Obama campaign in Florida. I'd rather see Powell help Obama with his campaign - not that opportunistic bitch Hillary Clinton.
Notice that Sarah Palin's husband, Todd Palin, is holding that sign - not a random supporter in the crowd. Geezus, he really wants to move to the White House in January '09, doesn't he?
This is the kinda thing that has Mary Kay Green pissed off.
One Obama supporter tried getting close to stage and said, "I want to know what he [Todd Palin] has to say! I want to know if he's smarter than his wife." A pro McCalin/Palin sign read, "Three things keep us free: God, Guns, Sarah!" What's wrong with these people?
A metro grandmother is suing Republican presidential candidate John McCain, his running mate Sarah Palin, and his campaign manager for promoting hate speech.
The grandmother claims some statements made about Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama at an out-of-state rally terrify her as much as J-F-K's assassination.
Mary Kay Green, the plaintiff, is a 66 yr-old civil attorney and a lifelong Democrat. Green says the McCain campaign has intentionally and recklessly portrayed Barack Obama as a terrorist - which led people to make death threats against Obama.
I agree. McCain and Palin behaved recklessly. But, can you sue someone for that - especially a presidential candidate making desperate moves to win an election?
A friend of mine suggested weeks ago that John McCain did not pick Sarah Palin as his VP running mate. She believes McCain's people picked Palin. And according to this, I'm inclined to believe that Palin was not McCain's first choice:
Sen. John McCain acknowledged in an exclusive interview Friday that he probably would be better positioned in must-win Florida if he had picked Gov. Charlie Crist as his running mate.
"Charlie, because he's so popular, he probably would have made a significant difference,'' McCain said in an interview with the St. Petersburg Times and Bay News 9.
Is McCain saying Palin isn't popular, or is he saying she's not as popular as his people first thought she was?
John McCain chose Sarah Palin, so he has no-one to blame but himself, but as I have said before, why didn't they vet her thoroughly? Why didn't they find out that she knew absolutely nothing about foreign policy and economics? Why didn't they probe her and find out that she was intellectually inferior for the job of Vice-President?
Personally, I'm glad McCain chose Palin. His actions have helped push Obama closer and closer to victory. I'm guessing McCain chose Palin because he thought having her by his side would help him appeal to Hillary Clinton supporters who hated the idea of Obama winning the Democratic nomination. But, how many independent voters would have voted for a McCain/Crist ticket? Two old gray-haired men doing the same stupid shit that Bush did? No thanks!
I'm a bit disappointed with TV lately. What happened to the good ol' days of Dawson's Creek, 90210, and Seventh Heaven?
The latest feel-good Lifetime movie will likely cheer me up tonight. I won't even bother flipping through the channels, Living Proof is the one show I won't miss.
Next week, I'll catch the first 5 episodes (yes, count them - 5!) of the new TV show Rita Rocks - the story of an overworked married woman who's juggling a husband, kids, a job, and a boyfriend. You go girl! The sneak preview is hilarious!
In his attempt to appeal to middle class workers, McCain spoke a lot about (and directly to) Joe the Plumber in the final Presidential debate. But, Joe isn't happy about that. It seems Joe isn't even a plumber (technically) because he's not licensed. And, the poor guy owes $1200 in back taxes. Leave it to the media to go pokin' around in this guy's personal life.
This campaign mishap is just one more oops! for the GOP presidential nominee. Failing to pick a better-prepared running mate was a major oops!. If the McCain camp had done their homework as well as the media apparently does theirs, they would have known that Palin abused her power as Governor and ticked off raped Alaskan women when she decided to make them pay for their own rape kits. No one, not even a right-wing religious conservative, would be heartless enough to make a woman pay for her own rape kit. Well, no one except Sarah Palin.
Which is worse? A male Republican who sent dirty messages to teenage male pages, or a Democrat who cheats on his wife?
U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, embroiled in an adultery scandal and a tight race for re-election, admitted Friday to having at least two affairs but insisted he broke no laws and will not resign. The first-term Democrat conceded that one of the affairs began as he was running on a family values platform to replace Mark Foley, a Republican who resigned amid revelations that he sent lurid Internet messages to male pages who had worked on Capitol Hill as teenagers.
I'd have to say the pedophile is much worse. And no, I don't give a crap that he's a closet case.
I don't generally send out mass emails on political issues, etc. I figure we all get enough email from the Dems and candidates. But I'm really concerned about California's Proposition 8, which seems to be ahead in the polls. It would feel truly awful to wake up on November 5th and find that the state where I live has voted to deny the legitimacy of my marriage to Constance. It's urgent that we defeat this Proposition, which would amend the California state constitution to deny same sex couples the right to marry.
Here is the text : Shall the California Constitution be changed to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry providing that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California?
Prop 8 is ahead only because they've raised huge sums of money (much from out of state) to buy TV ads to scare and/or anger Californians into voting discrimination into the California constitution. Before the recent deluge of ads, polls predicted that Californians would vote down Prop 8. Now the numbers are running in their favor.
Equality California needs money to make sure TV viewers in California hear our point of view. I've sent $50 to Equality California twice in the last week.
PS: The Equality California site is a little slow this morning -- hopefully that means many people are going online to see their new TV ad and send money.
A college student in Ohio launched an investigation of Planned Parenthood, looking for any evidence that supports his theory that Planned Parenthood targets minorities and encourages race-based abortions.
In the video, the investigator/caller asks the Planned Parenthood employee:
Caller: When I underwrite abortion does that apply to minorities too?
Employee: If you specifically want it to underwrite an abortion for a minority person, you can target it that way. You can specify that's how you want it spent.
Caller: Ok, yeah cause there's definitely way too many Black people in Ohio, so I'm just trying to do my part.
Employee: Ok, whatever.
It's clear (at least to me) that the caller was on a fishing expedition - looking for anything to help the religious right continue its attack on pro-choice advocates. I don't believe Planned Parenthood is purposely encouraging race-based abortions.
A female telecommunications lobbyist who became part of an explosive story early this year about John McCain has broken months of silence to deny the main subtext of the account - that she was suspected of being romantically involved with the Republican presidential candidate. "I did not have a sexual relationship with Senator McCain . . . " [Source: Lobbyist speaks out, denies affair with McCain]
I don't believe for one second that this woman had an affair with McCain. I mean, seriously. Does Cindy McCain even have a sexual relationship with John McCain?
I was very bothered when Obama suggested that women should be in consultation with family members and clergy before deciding to have an abortion. Sounds like he's walking a very fine line.
We're sorry our posts have been lean the past 2 days. We've been working on the marketing and PR for our new blogging site. But, we wanted you to have something new to read while we take a brief (very, very, very brief) break from blogging here at SistersTalk.
Check out The Unapologetic Mexican - should be an interesting read for you. When you're done nosin' around there, help a couple of lesbians earn a free wedding and wedding trip. Yep, you heard me. LESBIANS. If you want to know if there's a wedding in your future, let Arwen read your tarot cards. And finally, something for the shallow folks visiting our blog (J/K!) jump on over here.
We'll be back faster than you can say, "Damn you, McCain!"
So what if Obama was Arab or Muslim? So what if John McCain was Arab or Muslim? Would it matter?
When did that become a disqualifier for higher office in our country? When did Arab and Muslim become dirty words? The equivalent of dishonorable or radical?
I love the way Brown highlights the old woman's ignorance in this video. You would think old people would be wiser than this pathetic example.
Personally, I think it's the McCain camp's fault (oh, and pissed off Hillary Clinton supporters) that so many people are scared dumbasses who actually believe Obama is a radical Muslim terrorist. The GOP has been using the fear factor to "scare-the-vote" for quite some time. Bush tried to make everyone believe that the country would be repeatedly attacked by terrorists if Kerry was elected, and McCain/Palin (especially Palin) tried hard to make people believe that a terrorist will be Commander in Chief if Obama wins.
I felt like I was in a freshmen level economics class watching this video. I would need to look up a few things before I decide if I agree with this guy. I like the point he makes about seemingly worthless consumer credit counseling services and the role they played in the crisis.
You're minding your own business at home and a white man brought a group of his buddies to your house and took it over, claiming, "Hey, I discovered a new home! We're taking it over. Scram!" And if you decided not to hand your home over, the white man and his buddies would rape your women and murder your children.
That's what Christopher Columbus did. He stole someone else's home and called it his own. I can't believe we celebrate that shit.
There's not a single patriotic American who would jump for joy if Japan or Russia or Germany decided to claim US territory as their own, but a whole lot of you are rejoicing in your ancestor's fucked up greed.
* Two days following Columbus' arrival in the Bahamas, he recorded in his personal log, "These people are very unskilled in arms, with 50 men they could all be subjected and made to do all that one wished." This first impression would prove ominous.
* In November 1493, on a return trip to Hispaniola, Columbus ordered the enslavement of six indigenous women for the purpose of allowing his crew to rape them.
* In February 1495, Columbus rounded up 1,500 Arawak women, men and children, and imprisoned them. He then selected the 500 of them that he deemed the most marketable and shipped them to Spain. Only 300 arrived alive in Seville.
* In 1498, documents indicate that Columbus enslaved another 600 Carib people.
* By the decade's end, it appears that Columbus had kidnapped at least 1,400 indigenous people to send back to the Spanish slave markets.
We're watching the Bears and Falcons game while jumpin' around on the 'net. We're hoping something besides the football
game can keep our attention.
HumptheVote wants to throw a Uhaul party for Bush and Cheney. I say throw their shit in the backyard on moving day;
Cult of Gracie is always a hot read; CallieSimms is a fellow SEO pro and her work for the adult industry is
awesome; Women Against Sarah Palin looks like nice work, but I'm still waiting for the White Women Against Sarah Palin blog to surface;
Smut and Steff explain why Sarah Palin is so scarey;
Anali has a video of 2 Alaskan women speaking out against Sarah Palin;
If you're at work, turn your computer volume down before you visit Queen of the Click - yikes!
(oh shit!
The Bears just tied the game with 11 seconds left in the 4th quarter)
I've been watching reruns of Law & Order and CSI Miami tonight. I love those shows, but I'm gettin' fed up with all the blatantly exaggerated McCain ads on television. They're showing up every 15 minutes or so. The man must be really desperate! He's tried how many times to win the White House? And the one time he's finally the official GOP nominee, he's gettin' his ass kicked by a Jr. Senator (a Black Jr. Senator, I might add). That must really piss him off.
Anyway, here's a video I don't think anyone should miss viewing:
This is a quick announcement that the team here at SistersTalk recently launched FreelanceBlogger.net - a community for freelance bloggers and the folks who love us.
Bloggers who are interested in freelance blogging or ghost blogging can post a profile, completely free of charge. FreelanceBlogger.net will act a resource for both bloggers and companies looking for professional bloggers.
Don't fret! If you're a new blogger, join the community anyway. You never know who might be looking for you.
Since she took state office in late 2006, the governor and her family have spent more than $13,000 in taxpayer funds to attend at least 10 religious events and meetings with Christian pastors, including Franklin Graham, the son of evangelical preacher Billy Graham, records show.
Palin was baptized Roman Catholic as a newborn and baptized again in a Pentecostal Assemblies of God church when she was a teenager. She has worshipped at a nondenominational Bible church since 2002, opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest and supports classroom discussions about creationism.
Since she was named as John McCain's running mate, Palin's deep faith and support for traditional moral values have rallied conservative voters who initially appeared reluctant to back his campaign.
I didn't know government officials could make taxpayers pay for their attendance at religious events. That seems like a blatant violation of the separation of church and state.
Welcome to our latest sponsor, Lifetime - the feel good channel for women (or the kill-the-men channel for the angry straight women!) Their ad will start to run on October 12. Keep a lookout for it, please.
We thought this new TV series was worth a blog mention - especially since it's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Some of the celebrities in this new TV show are: Harry Connick, Jr., Angie Harmon, and Amanda Bynes.
Living Proof is the true story of Dr.
Dennis Slamon, the UCLA doctor who helped develop the breast cancer
drug Herceptin. His
journey shows the sacrifices he makes in his life
and the obstacles that he faces to get the drug approved.
I thought this was bad, but this video is just plain scarey. A group of scared, ignorant, white McCain supporters are waiting in line to see McCain at a Pennsylvania rally. Some of the comments you'll hear in the video:
"That guy [Obama] hangs around with terrorists."
"Obama's a terrorist, didn't you know that? Obama's a Muslim and he's a terrorist himself."
"Commie faggots! Commie faggot!
"He's [Obama] a socialist swine"
"Screw Obama!"
One guy, when asked if Senator Obama was an American, said, "I don't know what he is."
Just in case you were sleeping under a rock last night, McCain and Obama participated in the
2nd presidential debate.
One of the most interesting moments of the night was when the candidates were asked what should be done if the U.S. knew how to
find bin Laden
or any of his cohorts in Pakistan.
Obama repeatedly stated that if he knew where bin Laden was hiding, he'd attack -even if he had to attack across the border.
McCain replied: "Sen. Obama likes to talk loudly . . . . In fact, he said he wants
to announce that he's going to attack Pakistan. Remarkable."
McCain went on to say: "I'm not going to telegraph my punches, which is what Sen. Obama did.
And I'm going to act responsibly, as I have acted responsibly throughout my military
career and throughout my career in the United States Senate."
Wow. It seems there's some flip-floppin' going on here.
In an October 2007 interview with Military Times,
McCain sang a completely different tune than the one he was singing (and badly I might add) last night.
In that October 2007 interview, McCain was asked if he'd "go get him" if the US knew how to find bin Laden.
McCain said: "Sure. Sure. We have to, and I'm sure that after the initial flurry,
that whoever our friends are, wherever he is, would be relieved because, as I
mentioned to you before, he's still very effective in the world, very, very effective."
That sure looks like McCain was telegraphing his punches in October 2007. Did he disagree with Obama last night because he couldn't think of
anything else to say?
McCain even went on to say that he would go after the Taliban in Pakistan, too:
"I think that if we knew of al-Qaida -
more specifically Taliban, it's mainly Taliban that
are operating in these places - that we have to do what's necessary. We don't have to advertise it.
We don't have to embarrass or humiliate the Pakistani government."
This wins (hands down!) as the dumbest shit I've read all day:
The chaplain to the London Stock Exchange is recommending homosexuals be tattooed with a health warning similar to those on cigarette packs.
The Rev. Peter Mullen made the suggestion in a posting on a blog where he called homosexuality "clearly unnatural, a perversion" and "a cause of fatal disease. . . ."
Mullen has issued an apology. Pfft. He's only sorry because the media made him look like the hateful dumbass he is.
Mullen's blog is gone (big surprise!), but you can still see a cached copy of his comments (under the Matthew Parris entry). Reading through this guy's blog, I wonder how many more pastors are preaching this kind of hate. He kinda sounds like a closet-case to me, completely obsessed with homosexuality. This main is living in the kingdom of self-loathing.
I was speaking with a doctor from one of our local hospitals yesterday. She informed me that several of her nurses have expressed concern about Wisconsin's absentee ballot. They stated that the return envelope that comes with the absentee ballot application has the wrong return address on it. Who would think to check that before they put their ballot in the mail?
Here's where my paranoia sets in. Is that on purpose? Wisconsin is considered a battleground state in this year's election. So far, Wisconsin is tilting toward Obama. Are we looking at a purposeful move to keep legitimate voters from having their say in this year's election? Or, is this just another pathetic mistake by those supposed overworked state employees?
So far, I've seen nothing in the news (mainstream or otherwise) that's even discussing this issue. If you read anything, please post it in our comments.
Strong American Schools issued a new report entitled Diploma to Nowhere,
a study which highlights the fact that many college freshmen need to take remedial classes to relearn skills
they should have been taught before graduation. Ultimately, American schools are simply not competitive when
compared with other countries. Check out the report for details, but here are some highlights:
More than 80 percent of students in Oklahoma's community college system are enrolled in a remedial course.
Of the 40,000 freshmen admitted each year into California State University - the largest university system
in the country - more than 60 percent need help in English, math, or both.
Nearly four out of five remedial students had a high school grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
See how you measure up with a standardized test for eighth graders around the world, and see how American kids measure up. Take the quiz
To help ease credit stresses,
the Fed announced Monday it will provide as much as $900 billion in cash loans to banks.
Most of the loans are for 28-days and 84-days. Some are shorter - 13-day and 17-day loans.
I'm just curious. How will a banking system that's struggling so badly that it needs $900B in loans
be able to repay those loans in
as little as 84 days? This situation is reminding me more and more of those payday loan places.
They'll loan you money on a short-term basis (at an extremely high interest rate),
but can you realistically repay the loan as quickly as required if you're desperate enough to go to a payday
loan place to begin with?
Are we creating an even bigger mess by loaning banks $900B in short term loans? What happens if those banks
don't (or can't) repay them?
The second Presidential debate will take place tonight at 8pm CST/9pm EDT. T. Boone Pickens and Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope will be hosting an online rally at PickensPlan.com during and after the debate. The rally will feature live video from Pickens Plan HQ in Dallas and you will have an opportunity to submit questions and comments about America's energy future. PickensPlan.com will be delivering a copy of your questions and comments to both Presidential candidates, so don't miss this opportunity to lend your voice to the call for American energy independence!
T. Boone Pickens is a legendary Texas oil and gas executive. He's considered one of America's best known entrepreneurs whose success and innovation is seen in a wide range of areas. Pickens says:
America is in a hole and it's getting deeper every day. We import 70 percent of our oil at a cost of $700 billion a year - four times the annual cost of the Iraq war. I've been an oil man all my life, but this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of. But if we create a new renewable energy network, we can break our addiction to foreign oil. On January 20, 2009, a new President gets sworn in. If we're organized, we can convince Congress to make major changes toward cleaner, cheaper and domestic energy resources. To get this done, I need your help. Check out the plan. If you think it's worth fighting for, please join our effort, and encourage everyone you know to do the same.
Of course, I have to play devil's advocate and ask if Pickens' motives are self-serving.
Anti-gay marriage homophobes are at it again. They've stepped up their efforts to ban gay marriage in California with the new web site whatisprop8.com. On that web site, they've listed 6 complete exaggerations.
1. Children in public schools will have to be taught that same-sex marriage is just as good as traditional marriage.
This is a ridiculous claim. Public schools aren't required to teach anything about heterosexual marriage any more than they will be required to teach kids about gay marriage.
2. Churches may be sued over their tax exempt status
I love the use of the words "may be" instead of "will be." There's no law requiring a church to perform a man/woman marriage. Heterosexuals who get married at the courthouse but skip a church wedding are still considered legally married. Logic dictates that sense a church wedding is not required by law in order to consider a heterosexual marriage valid, churches will not be forced to perform same-sex marriage either.
3. Religious adoption agencies will be challenged
This is already happening across the country, in almost every state you can think of. Proposition 8 will not cause this to happen in California.
4. Religions that sponsor private schools with married student housing may be required to provide housing for same-sex couples
How many religious colleges do you know of will admit openly gay students -- married or otherwise? Yes, there are some religious universities that will admit homosexuals; however, many of those universities already have a non-discrimination policy that protects gays and lesbians from unequal treatment. Proposition 8 will not force religious colleges to change their current standing on gay students.
5. Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages may be sued for hate speech
Fred Phelps hasn't been sued yet for hate speech and neither has Reverend James Dobson. Proposition 8 will not open up the possibility for that to happen since othe US Bill of Rights protects religious affiliations from any hate speech legislation.
6. It will cost you money. This change in the definition of marriage will bring a cascade of lawsuits. . .
Massachusetts is not bombarded with lawsuits yet and they allow same-sex marriage. Besides, how will a lawsuit between two private parties cost you anything?
If you're as sick of these lies as I am, help the cause. Donate to Equality California.
The cultural battle over the identity of the family is taking another turn in California as the Archdiocese of San Francisco's Catholic Charities plans to cut its relationship with an adoption agency that works to place children with homosexuals.
Catholic Charities San Francisco made the decision in July of 2006 to close its adoption services after receiving clarification from the Vatican that Catholic organizations should not take part in the adoption of children to homosexual couples. The archdiocese was then attacked by San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, who threatened to pull public funding from Catholic Charities and questioned its status as a non-profit.
I would question this organization's standing as a non-profit as well, but most importantly, I would question if these people
really care about children at all. These self-proclaimed Christians need to decide what's more important to them:
using religion to discriminate against individuals, or placing
a once unwanted child into a loving home with people who want to raise them.
I just don't get it. Catholic organizations aggressively pursue pregnant teens - begging them to opt for adoption over abortion.
I don't understand how the same people can then say, "yeah, we'll find a loving family for your child - but we won't
help homosexuals to adopt him no matter how badly they want to."
On my way to work this morning, I noticed a lot of churches throughout the city have put up their "It's a Child, Not a Choice" posters. It's
election season, big surprise to see those signs popping up. But one church surprised me. This particular church has not jumped on the
abortion bandwagon; instead, they have placed domestic abuse signs up all over their lawn. The signs, accompanied by cardboard silhouettes of various families, read "Domestic violence hurts everyone."
Yes, domestic abuse hurts everyone; including the children.
Finally, a religious organization is showing real, genuine concern for living and breathing children.
A very interesting discussion on Twitter has urged me to resurrect this post I originally deleted when I was employed at Ford a couple of years back. I feared being dooced if someone at Ford found the post. But, fuck it now. Here ya go . . .
I'm feeling very inclined to write a "How To" for those who have an automobile purchase in their future. This advice focuses on women and Hispanics, but it's great information for anyone to know. You don't have to work in the auto industry to know any of this; it's mostly common sense. I'm sure most of you have heard this advice before anyway, but here goes:
Young women, please don't visit the dealership alone. There aren't a lot of dealers who have the first clue how to handle female shoppers with respect; if you're under the age of 25, you better have your father, brother, or husband with you.
Know your shit. Know your shit. Know your shit. Never walk into a dealership uninformed about the vehicle you wish to purchase. There are manywebsites out there that provide lots of information for auto shoppers.
Research your trade before you get to the dealership.
KBB is a great site to research your vehicle's value; however, as far as I know, KBB has never actually purchased a vehicle from anyone. The best way to research your trade is to make dealers compete. Take your vehicle to at least 3 dealers and get a trade appraisal. Be careful though; some dealers will pad your trade value with a manufacturer's incentive. For example: there's a $2000 rebate available on the car you're looking at. Instead of offering you the $2000 discount, they give you $2000 more in your trade.
Visit the manufacturer's website before you visit the dealership. Most of the time, the manufacturer will list all available rebates and incentives. If your dealer doesn't offer the rebate or incentive, but is giving you a lot more money for your trade than the last dealer you visited, you'll know where the difference is coming from.
Know how your salesperson arrived at the total amount you are financing. If you're financing $22,000, you'll want your salesperson to explain exactly how he/she arrived at that number. For example: a woman walks into a dealership owing $10,000 on the vehicle she wants to trade. She wants to purchase a vehicle that has a sticker price of $20,000. The dealership offers her $8000 for her trade. Here's how the math should look:
This is just an example. Some dealers may only tax the adjusted price of the vehicle you wish to purchase. I didn't include any rebates in this example.
Too many people forget that the dealership has to pay off their trade's balance in order to secure the title. That amount has to be added back into the deal.
Hispanics, if you don't speak FLUENT English, take someone with you who does. That person should not be a child, but an adult who is familiar with things like
rebates, incentives, and financing terminology.
Women, never assume a female salesperson won't screw ya over. She wants to make money just as badly as the next salesperson. I'm not saying salespeople are
unscrupulous in general, I'm just saying you shouldn't let your guard down just because your salesperson is female. The same advice applies to Hispanics who are dealing with Hispanic salespeople.
Secure financing for your new vehicle purchase before you get to the dealership. This is very important. If you can't secure financing before you arrive at the dealership, then make sure you know exactly what your interest rate is and how the finance manager arrived at that rate.
Know your tax rate. If you live in one state, but you're purchasing a vehicle in a neighboring state, you'll be taxed in your home state.
Here are a few more links that provide valuable advice for car shoppers:
One more tip: know your state's lemonlaw. In most states, lemon law statutes apply only to vehicles that have been "repaired 4 or more times for the same Defect within the Warranty Period and the Defect has not been fixed . . . "
Palin's words avoid repulsing voters with overt racism. But is there another subtext for creating the false
image of a black presidential nominee "palling around" with terrorists while assuring a predominantly white
audience that he doesn't see their America?
In a post-Sept. 11 America, terrorists are envisioned as dark-skinned radical Muslims, not the homegrown
anarchists of Ayers' day 40 years ago. With Obama a relative unknown when he began his campaign, the
Internet hummed with false e-mails about ties to radical Islam of a foreign-born candidate.
Whether intended or not by the McCain campaign, portraying Obama as "not like us" is another potential
appeal to racism. It suggests that the Hawaiian-born Christian is, at heart, un-American.
Palin is right; Obama is not like her and he's not like McCain.
Maybe those homegrown White American terrorists are more like her.
Let's not forget that terrorists come in all races and genders:
Palin's attempt to scare Americans by linking Obama's face and name to those spooky dark-skinned Muslim terrorists is one of the most divisive
and overused attacks against Obama this election year. But Palin isn't the only one who used that tactic.
Radical and hateful
Hillary Clinton supporters did the same thing during the primaries; they repeatedly referred to Barack Obama as "Obama Bin Laden."
Maybe Palin can learn a lesson
from those Hillary supporters. Racist attacks didn't help Hillary win the Democratic nomination;
what makes her think racist attacks will help McCain/Palin win the White House?
Update: 6:30pm: McCain discusses negative attack ads. He says that anyone who runs negative attack ads has no vision for the future. Ummm . . . maybe he should have a talk with his running mate.
An organization called Why Tuesday has launched an aggressive grassroots effort to address the reason(s) why there are 100 million non-voting Americans.
Why Tuesday is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to increasing voter turnout and participation in elections.
Starting October 15, we at SistersTalk will give away a $50 Visa gift card to one lucky SistersTalk reader - every month. Prize is awared every 15th of the month.
How do you win this gift card? It's easy! Just join the SistersTalk discussion by making a comment on any of the posts we have made. One lucky reader will be chosen at random - every month.
One winner allowed per household - per 12 month period. SistersTalk employees and subcontractors are not allowed to enter the contest. $50 gift card will be mailed to you within 5 business days after your name is chosen, so please make sure you include your email address in our comments so we can contact you for your snail mail address.
Bookmark us now so you don't forget to come back and visit us. Good luck!
Winner can opt for a $50 payment via PayPal instead of the visa gift card. Spend the money ANY way you want, ANY PLACE you want.
A fellow tweeter is microblogging all about Cindy McCain and the allegation that John McCain beat his wife. Maybe that's why McCain chose a female candidate as his VP; he anticipated that his alleged wife-beatin' days would surface eventually. Who would believe that a man who chose a mother of 5 as his VP running mate would ever beat his own wife?
I would believe it.
Update: Cindy McCain is now a hot topic on Twitter. One Tweeter says, "McCain was co-habitating with Cindy and got [marriage] license before divorcing disabled wife - that is bigamy."
I just read GOP and Democrats Battle in PA Over Dress Code. Apparently Republicans favor a dress code at the polls and Democrats oppose. I guess that must mean a lot of Pennsylvania residents are sportin' their Obama tshirts. Can't have that, right?
And if that wasn't enough to annoy me, McCain's new willingness to review Bill Clinton's pathetic Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy made me almost lose my lunch.
In a written interview, McCain thanked the Log Cabin Republicans (a group of gay and lesbian GOP groupies) for supporting him. Although McCain fully supports CA's Proposition 8 (marriage ban), he says he would give some thought to reviewing Clinton's DADT policy.
Are Log Cabin Republicans so desperate to disprove the stereotype that gays always support Democrats that they're willing to vote for a man who only promises to consider to review DADT. McCain never made one promise to actually repeal DADT. Hell, he's had 15 years to review Clinton's DADT policy. He hasn't formed an opinion yet? He still doesn't know (after 15 years!) if he would repeal the ruling?
Any gay or lesbian voter who actualy believes McCain will do us any favors is completely delusional. They should really just be honest with themselves - and the rest of the LGBT community - and admit that they're voting for McCain becaue they believe he's what's best for their checking account.
A fellow Tweeter just mentioned a blog post discussing Hillary Clinton's short interview on the Ryan Seacrest show (scroll a little to listen to the interview). Hillary stated that Palin was a "very composed and effective debater last night".
I was live-tweeting the interview -- in the car on my drive home. I remember Hillary also said Biden gave a flawless performance. What does that mean, exactly? Is she implying that Biden had the perfect script and executed it without error?
When questioned whether it was hard for her to watch the debate (after she was eliminated as the Democratic candidate), Hillary said it's always easier to watch someone other than herself or her husband participate in a debate.
Hillary was much too complimentary of Sarah Palin, and in my opinion, she's working hard to plunge a knife in Obama's back. I don't trust her. Never have.
Hillary's Seacrest interview was so self-serving that it makes me believe she's already started the Hillary Clinton 2012 campaign.
Abandoned-baby laws address the situation in which a desperate parent will abandon a baby. These laws encourage that parent to assure that the baby will not be harmed. The goal is to save infants' lives. . . . The laws identify a safe location where a parent can leave a baby, who is under a certain age, without risking the prosecution of the parent, while assuring the parent's anonymity and confidentiality. They also facilitate the termination of parental rights for infant adoption.
Some parents have taken this new law one step further and are handing their teenagers over to authorities, citing that the new abandoned baby law allows them to do so. Come on, people. Just because I call my 16 yr-old my "baby" doesn't mean he is a baby.
Since September 1, sixteen Nebraska kids have been surrended to authorities - 9 of which belonged to one man. The father stated that he could no longer cope with the burden of raising children alone. In August, fifteen older children were surrended in Nebraska; some were abandoned because the custodial parent found them unmanageable.
The NYT article questions (rightfully so) why parents are allowed to just surrender their kids without being required to receive parenting classes or counseling first. If an abused child is removed from a home, the parents are forced to receive counseling - often on the taxpayer's dime. Perhaps the new abandonded baby law should be changed to include wording that requires state-funded counseling before a parent surrenders a child over the age of 1.
Of course, the question then becomes: why should taxpayers who are good parents flip the therapy bill for people who have decided they no longer want to be parents? Lots of taxpayers are paying for a lot of things they don't want to pay for, like: health care for people who are receiving welfare benefits, food stamps for people who are playin' the welfare system like a fiddle, mental health counseling for people committed to state mental health facilities, and the war in Iraq. Certainly, a portion of our taxes can be allotted to help keep children out of foster homes. I think we can all agree that the state can never be the kind of parent a child needs.
Tonight (at 9pm central time) I'll be
discussing
Wisconsin's proposed statewide
smoking ban with my friend
Gracie Passette.
I support the proposed ban and Gracie supports the rights of individuals. In prepartion for tonight's discussion, I've
made a few notes.
Since I'm a non-smoker, it's almost predictable that I would support a statewide smoking ban. Originally, I did not.
I believed it was the right of the business owner to decide if she should allow smoking in her establishment.
I'll be honest with ya, for purely selfish reasons, I have changed my mind. I hate coming home after a great night out smelling like
cigarette smoke. Do you know how long it takes a Black woman to wash cigarette smoke outta her hair?
I don't secretly hate smokers; some of my best friends are smokers. But let's be real here. The
CDC reported that in 2007, secondhand smoke killed more than 3000 non-smokers from
lung cancer and 46,000 were killed from coronary heart disease associated with secondhand smoke.
As many as 430 newborns died from SIDS because
of secondhand smoke.
Secondhand cigarette smoke contains more than 250 toxic chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. If I walked into a
daycare center and purposely exposed 430 children to 250 toxic chemicals, no one would claim it was my right to do so -
not even a
cigarette smoker.
If I walked into a public building, purposely ignited a chemical that contained 250 toxins and killed 46,000 people, no one would claim it was my right to
do so - not even a cigarette smoker.
Even though the Bush administration
received millions ($7M to be exact) in campaign funding from the tobacco industry,
his administration
announced
on June 27, 2006 (via the Surgeon General) that non-smokers have a 25 - 30 per cent chance of developing heart disease associated with
cigarette smoking and a 20 - 30 per cent chance of developing lung cancer.
No one would ever agree that I have the right to be the cause of someone developing lung cancer of heart disease.
I'm not sure why smokers feel
it's their right to do so. Are their rights more important than others? If they want to kill themselves, that's their business (and hey, I support that decision), but they don't have the right to cause
someone else's death. I think that's called manslaughter.
A drunk driver is punished when he unintentionally kills another human being. Why are we still allowing smokers to light up in public buildings?
A tweeter just posted a link to Show Me the Women, a public call for women to submit questions for the third (and final) presidential debate. This is a chance for women to submit questions on important domestic issues. Deadline is 5pm EST October 1.
Sidenote: What's that #debate08 label for? It's a hashtag that will automatically index this post under the topic Election 08 on Twitter. Learn more.
I almost never read our 
I just read a 
My son woke me up at about 6am to give me the bad news.
My 15 year-old Siamese-Calico cat, Sandy, died sometime between midnight and 6am this morning.
She was just knodding off to sleep when I turned off the lights and shut down my computer, looking up at me briefy when I
rubbed her head. 
On October 6, we 
Welcome to our latest sponsor, Lifetime - the feel good channel for women (or the kill-the-men channel for the angry straight women!) Their ad will start to run on October 12. Keep a lookout for it, please. 
Starting October 15, we at