If I could...

Something about Regina Bell’s version of If I Could has always touched me and it inspired me today…

I remember the day when it hit me. I taught women’s health classes at a shelter and we were going to cover sexually transmitted diseases that evening. There I stood, looking out at ten women who were looking back expecting me to lecture them, judge them and then ignore them.

If I could…I'd protect you from the sadness in your eyes…give you courage in a world of compromise. Yes I would, if I could. I would teach you all the things I've never learned and I'd help you cross the bridges that I've burned.

Yes I would, if I could.

My mind scrambled and I was, in an instant, filled with a frustrated rage. I didn’t want this…I thought. I don’t need this shit…my heart screamed. I can’t handle this responsibility and what if I fuck this shit up and oh God please let them listen, let them listen, let them listen and then understand that more than anything I want them to live and prosper and be happy.

I would try to shield your innocence from time, but the part of life I gave you isn't mine. I've watched you grow so I could let you go. If I could, I would help you make it through the hungry years. But I know that I can never cry your tears.

But I would, if I could.

That’s when it sunk in that I wasn’t in control of their lives. They weren’t a project I was going to be graded on. In that moment my students became my sisters. The rage shifted to fear and, in a flash, fear shifted into a determined concern.

My generation grew up with words like HIV and AIDS in our vocabulary. I vividly recall watching reports and seeing images…the fear, misinformation and bigotry that took over…then the ignorance and lack of compassion…and always the self righteous judgment and careless disregard. Now, so many years later, the young women who sat before me represented an emerging demographic at risk and it felt like another case of history repeating.

I live in a time and place where you don't want to be. You don't have to walk along this road with me. My yesterday won't have to be your way.

Would they know the same fear or face the same lack of resources and information our generation did? Would they be victims of the abortion debate, denied knowledge for ‘their own good’ refused prevention for the ‘sake of their souls’ then denied treatment to ‘punish their sins’?

Are the wages of being born young, black and poor still hunger, illness and death?

If I knew, how I'd try to change the world I brought you to. And there isn't very much that I can do. But I would, if I could.

I wanted them to know how much I want a better world for us all. I want to wake up tomorrow, turn on the news and hear that war is over…hunger is at an end…and AIDS has been cured at last.

If I could, I would try to shield your innocence from time. But that part of life I gave you isn't mine. I watched you grow so I could let you go.

So, there I stood looking out at ten women who were looking back expecting me to lecture them, judge them and then ignore them.

If I could, I would help you make it through those hungry years. But I know that I can never cry your tears. But I would, if I could.

They were my students and my sisters in the struggle…mothers and daughters and cousins and friends…and I spoke to them as such.

Yes I would.

“Today we’re going to talk about sex, and your body and your health.”

Oh yes I would.

“We are in this together.”

If I could.

“Shall we begin…?”

Every day is World AIDS Day until we have a day without AIDS.

Begin.

A worthy discussion that we need to stop dancing around Part II…

This bitch has posted a lot about the alarming lack of coverage for missing women of color as compared to the onslaught of media attention paid to cases like the Peterson case currently giving Nancy Grace’s life meaning or the Natalee Holloway case.

I recently posted about it over at Shakespeare’s Sister and found the comments fascinating. Honestly, that’s the best part of blogging at several locations…the variety of responses are enlightening as hell! Anyhoo, I was annoyed that some of the comments seemed to want to deny the worthiness of the discussion.

For the record, discussing the lack of coverage given missing women of color does not detract from the broader discussion of violence against all women…and a discussion of violence against women does not detract from the broader discussion of violence against people…and a discussion of violence against people doesn’t detract from a discussion of violence in America.

But the lack of coverage given missing women of color is worthy of specific discussion. It speaks to the issue of acceptable victims. When I read about crimes like those that occurred in Dunbar Village I’m struck by the lack of reaction by society in general and by communities of color. We have all been conditioned to accept certain crime…to accept that missing white women get a 15 minute prime time lead in and missing women of color get nothing…and to accept less than, half ass and not as good as in all manner of areas this bitch doesn’t have time to get into.

So, let’s talk about it for the love of all that is worthy of discussion.

I do not and will not accept that my life and the lives of women of color are not of value. The lack of media coverage given missing people of color should have everyone fired the hell up...there but for the grace of God go any of us. And I will struggle against this shit because it is a symptom of the accepted victimization of people of color and that hurts all of us.

This is worthy of discussion...and that doesn’t detract from a damn thing.

A worthy discussion that we need to stop dancing around Part I…

A bitch has been following the case of Megan Meier, a young Missouri woman who took her own life after being harassed online. It was later revealed that a grown ass woman…a so-called friend of Megan’s mother who lived down the street…had initiated a farce, created a faux teen boy on-line who pretended to be interested in Megan and then facilitated the end to that relationship. Megan killed herself shortly after cruel messages were posted on-line by the faux young man.

Pause…sip water…continue.

What seems to be lost in the mix is the issue of bullying. I understand why it is getting lost. Hell, it’s hard to get past an adult conspiring with her daughter to torment a peer on-line. But Megan Meier killed herself and never knew that her on-line tormentor was really the fiendish adult down the street…

…and that is why I see this as an issue of bullying and hope that this tragedy inspires some support for the Comprehensive Anti-Bullying legislation currently pending in Jefferson City.

Blink.

The Today Show featured Megan’s story again this morning. They had a Missouri parent, who supports one of the many new anti-cyber bullying measures, give a statement about how this is about parents protecting children from harassment no matter what form it takes. Gawd, that sounds nice…so decent…but I just don't buy it.

What?

Oh come on! This isn’t about the protection of children…this is about the protection of some children in some circumstances from some bullies.

LGBT youth are not protected from bullying in Missouri schools and the attempted suicide rate among LGBT youth is 33%.

Sit back and let that settle on your brain and then ask yourself why we are horrified when an adult taunts a teen to death but are unmoved by a 33% attempted suicide rate among LGBT youth that is too often related to bullying.

Or are we?

Are we really unmoved?

Maybe this is all just a matter of educating the masses and legislators that bullying is a damaging thing no matter who the victim is or who the bully is.

The on-line protection measures are a good start. So let’s keep going and make Safe Schools legislation about what that Missouri mother said it should be about…protecting children from harassment no matter what.

For more information about Comprehensive Anti-Bullying legislation pending in Missouri and how you can help make it law visit PROMOonline.org.

The Locked Jaw Incident or How Betsey the sorta-beagle scared the living shit out of this bitch….

Note - Betsey pictures used for the post were not taken yesterday but do help y'all understand the hound in question...

C-Money is on vacation and spent yesterday dealing with a difficult furnace, carbon monoxide levels and a visit by an engine company of the St. Louis fire department.

Blink.

Yes, we have detectors…no we’re not ignoring the problem…yes C-Money is on top of the shit…no, Betsey the sorta-beagle didn’t collapse as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Cough.

Anyhoo, Betsey the sorta-beagle has an issue with the mail.

She attacks mail when it goes through our slot and I mean really attacks the hell out of it. C-Money has been working with her on this while on vacation, so when the mail came through the slot yesterday C jumped up to redirect Betsey’s aggressive dawg on mail behavior.

The mail came through the slot.

Betsey the sorta-beagle dove at it and chomped down hard as a motherfucker then froze.

C-Money knew something was wrong immediately. She tried to open Betsey’s mouth but…it was stuck in the clenched down on mail position!

Mmmhmmm, Betsey had chomped down so hard that her jaw was locked shut!

She began to drool and look pathetic.

C-Money instantly went in the action. Sweetie the three legged chow was put upstairs…Theo the Bay Master was put in his crate…and this bitch got the shit scared out of me through a phone call that went something like “Betsey hurt herself attacking the mail and can’t open her jaw so we need to go to the vet NOW.”

Blink.

I flew out of my office, which is thankfully 10 minutes away, and I’m pretty sure I ran a red light at Vandeventer and Tower Grove (my bad, y'all!) then arrived in front of the house and collected the now dazed and fully drooling Betsey the sorta-beagle who was being held by C-Money.

Off to the vet we went. It felt like forever but they are only 5 minutes away (a bitch likes shit to be close).

Dr. Ed (vet of the year!) looked at Betsey and said “This is interesting.” He then pulled her lips back and exposed what I though were crushed teeth gathered in dawg foam but what was later identified as chunks of the mailing (Mattress Firm is having a sale, by the way) trapped between her locked teeth in foam.

Oh and drool….lots and lots of drool.

“I’m going to take her into the back.” said Dr. Ed.

A bitch felt faint. I thought that sorta-beagle was going to die…or need a new jaw…or lose all her teeth! Can a dawg live with dentures?

Jesus!

But Dr. Ed came back in with a now drowsy beagle, her tongue hanging out and jaw totally released. He had sedated her and then pried the jaw open with the back end of some toolish thing. It took some elbow power but pop and she was free! C-Money still has the chunk of mail released in the process.

Suffice it to say that my ass was scared to pieces but Betsey the sorta-beagle is doing fine. Darn dawg ate her kibble like nothing even happened.

Blink.

But that natural born bitch is back in the crate during the day from now on.

Whew.

I spent the entire night thinking that my dawg locked her jaw shut attacking mail.

Oh my Gawd!

Anyhoo, thank you C-Money for being dawg Aunt of the year and thanks to Dr. Ed for actually thanking us for presenting him with an interesting case of dawg medical drama on a Tuesday afternoon.

Lawd have mercy...

A bitch's healthcare challenge...

Today is Dining Out for Life day in St. Louis, so a bitch is beyond busy hosting and eating and hosting and eating and then eating some more.

Blink.

Dining Out for Life is a St. Louis Effort for AIDS fundraiser that raises money through restaurant donations and individual donations too. If you don’t already have plans for dinner, join us at The Royale on S. Kingshighway (hosted by Brother Rob and the fantabulous Ms. Joyce).

If you don’t live in St. Louis you can still support St. Louis Effort for AIDS through online donations.

Moving forward overly full from lunch and breakfast (mercy!)…

Dickie C. (Vice President Dick Cheney to the uninitiated) went into the hospital because of a persistent cough and wound up having his upper heart area jump started. It seems that his heart rate was irregular and they used shock therapy to help it gets its rhythm back.

Oh my!

Good to know that the Vice President continues to benefit from the best healthcare our tax dollars can buy.

Shit.

A bitch hasn’t endorsed candidates through this site, but I would be willing to endorse the Presidential candidate who publicly pledges to propose and advocate the following reform…

…that all federal and state government employees shall have healthcare as a benefit that is no better than, no more comprehensive than nor any less comprehensive than the current Medicaid coverage offered to the American citizens they serve.

Blink once more.

What?

It is a motherfucking shame that the Vice President of the United States of America went to work today because he has healthcare coverage funded through the fruit of our labor but someone lost a loved one yesterday due to the lack of that same precious benefit.

Note - a bitch is in no way saying that Dickie C. shouldn't be going to work today but is calling for equal access to comprehensive healthcare. So, and I'm speaking directly to Mr. The Man from that government agency that shall not be named who logs on daily between 3pm and 5pm EST, there is no need to get your rendition on with this bitch.

Cough.

Show me the candidate with the courage to propose that kind of keeping it real reform and the backbone to push until it is reality and I’ll walk my feet raw in support of them!

But I fear my feet are safe for now…

We have ourselves a wedge issue…

Or at least a desperate attempt at forming a wedge issue.

Missouri’s own gubernatorial nightmare, Matt Blunt, is in St. Louis to speak out against illegal immigration.

Blink.

He wants to ban driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants…even though undocumented immigrants already can’t get a license.

He wants to deputize state officers to enforce federal immigration law and round up people…even though it is not a crime under Missouri law to be undocumented and we currently lack the capacity to process undocumented people for deportation.

Oh my!

Where was this propose first and worry about the price tag later attitude when Blunt was tossing thousands Missourians off of healthcare and bleeding social programs dry?

A bitch suspects that never-ending checkbook only opens for fear of a brown majority inspiring wedge issues with the potential to rally some votes.

Egad, is that an English-only speaking ballot initiative I see on the horizon?

Lawd, have mercy.

If he had only put half as much energy into creating jobs for Missourians as he puts into this bullshit.

Oh, fuck it.

Ten bucks says Blunt proposes a state border fence during his next Confederate Remembrance Day declaration…

Since she brought the subject up…

A bitch was pleased to read that Senator Clinton would increase funding into autism research and education…

…but I’d like to see some of that money go to adult autistics too.

Oh, I know that the press is in love with autism right now because the revised spectrum has resulted in a better understanding of just how common an autism diagnosis is.

But the press has failed…horribly…to point out that autism is not a childhood illness just because symptoms appear when a person is a child.

Autistics grow up.

Education is great and more funding will certainly help the many families who can not afford programs that will help their child become an adult who can participate in society.

But autistics grow up and that 1 in 150 estimated figure should be a warning bell to policy makers that major funding increases in adult care and job training programs are needed now and sure as shit will be needed in a few years.

So go forth and fund research for a cure and research into treatments. I hope all the candidates intend to fund education and expand the availability of those programs to all families.

But all y’all need to know that the thousands of autistic adults who woke up autistic today and will, by the grace of God, wake up autistic tomorrow need a commitment to healthcare, job training, work programs and residential care.

I’ll say it one more time…autistics grow up.

This Missouri voter would like some of that $700 million to go towards funding adult programs for people like my older autistic as hell but loves to work brother so his ability to participate and add value to our community isn’t on the quarterly cutting block.

A bitch would like everyone and anyone who talks about autism to recognize that some of us caregivers are siblings or aunts or uncles or even cousins. As autistics grow up my family’s story will be more common…siblings emerging as co-guardians when parents are no longer there.

My brother is 37 years old…he ain’t a child anymore…and I will welcome funding that acknowledges that.

Senator Clinton’s proposal it is a good first step.

Tis Monday…

Shit.

A bitch hopes that everyone had a safe and fantabulous feastitude! I was blessed to be able to spend Thursday with family and friends…gorging on yummified food (Ryan, we just adored the bread pudding and by adored I mean inhaled it)…and sharing laughs while watching Ordinary People.

Sigh.

Good times.

I didn’t make it to Smoke Signals but shall view that sometime this week!

This bitch had to work Friday (sob) and then…well, I crashed. Mmmmhmmm, I basically took to my couch-based area for the weekend and slept. Lawd, I must have needed a rest.

Anyhoo…

Brother Rob Thurman was among those who graced a bitch’s feastitude gathering with his fantabulous presence. As is his habit when visiting he asked to check out the cable news channels to see what’s on. Brother Rob doesn’t do cable/satellite/any of that shit. So, I clicked over to FOX (shudder) which was an O’Reilly repeatification and then we took a look at Glenn Beck of the An Unfortunate Long Term Contract Becks on CNN (ugh). Suffice it to say a bitch wasn’t surprised by the content of either show but my ass is glad Brother Rob asked to watch.

Blink.

Yes, I said my ass is glad I watched that shit.

Stretch…crack neck…continue…

Many a visitor to this bitch’s blog has asked why the fuck I bother watching The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN…ummm, NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press or This Week with Georgie S…oh, and Face the Nation too. And I probably haven’t explained myself for a spell…must be due.

Being partisan is about feeling right. The passion comes from conviction and the conviction has us seek out others who share our values and too much of that single source diet can sour into intellectual poison.

Catch that knee before it jerketh and puts someone’s eye out!

Catch it!

Whew.

Okay, where was a bitch?

Oh yes…passion, conviction and intellectual poison.

If we believe in something we should not fear debate and we must not shy away from arguments. More importantly, being oh so fucking right about everything is meaningless if we isolate ourselves on our enlightened mountains and gaze down upon our fellow Americans with disdain and contempt.

We are all subject to the will of the majority and common sense should have partisans on all sides consuming the media of the masses to better understand why they think the way they do and how they can be made to see the light.

Go ahead…a bitch highly recommends it. Okay, maybe not FOX (makes a bitch break out in hives like a beauty pageant contestant wearing floor length silk drenched in pepper spray)…but too many of us avoid mainstream news like the plague even as that shit is shaping the beliefs of millions.

If the faithful are going to really bring about change then we’re going to have to understand where society is, how they got there and what lies they hold true that require debunkification.

So, a nod of the Afro goes to Brother Rob Thurman for reminding a bitch to tune in to the media machines of the dark side more often.

There is nothing like an hour of Glenn Beck to sharpen thy bitchitude...

Happy day before feastitude...

Happy day before feastitude, y’all!

The weather is miserable with a wicked cold front working its way through the city.

Ah, perfect feasting weather!

Wink.

Last night a bitch watched my new favorite television show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and it was a good one. Keith dove into the Scott McClellan press release sorta-indictment of Scooter B. and his gang of conspiring to out a CIA operative as political payback minions. It was like a hot fudge sundae for the brain (no nuts, extra whipped cream)! And the cherry on top was an appearance by none other than my favorite old school Nixonian felon John Dean!

Fantabulous.

There was nothing for a bitch to do but put in my prized Discovery Channel Watergate documentary tapes…narrated by Daniel Schorr …and tuck into a vodka cran while dreaming that this new scandal is all just another case of history repeating.

Blink.

Shit, a bitch can dream.

Moving forward…

A bitch is beyond fascinated that the 5-4 Supremes will be taking on a case that will tackle the Second Amendment of The Constitution!

I can’t fucking wait to see what those strict constructionists do regard the right to bear arms.

A bitch adores The Constitution (wink) so I took the old girl out to refresh my memory.

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Blink.

But that seems a bit awkward. Lawd, it almost appears as if some founder smooshed two related rights into one unfortunate sentence! It reads as if the militia, which exists to secure the free state and protect the right of the people to bear arms, shall not be infringed.

I wonder…oh look! Through the magic of Google a bitch has found an earlier version that the current Amendment (ratified in 1791).

This is it as written by the Constitutional Convention of 1787…

“A well-regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Oh yes, that was much better! A much smoother flow, don’t you think? Makes a bitch wonder if William Lambert didn’t change the meaning of other shit through his adoration of punctuation.

Thank goodness we’ve got the Supreme Court to help us clarify…oh fuck.

With their tendency to ignore the legal advise to stare decisis et non quieta movere by ignoring previous decisions then moving that which was quiet way far away from it’s original location, a bitch predicts some serious drama when this decision comes down.

100 Neediest Cases…

A bitch has been running around like a crazy person and stressing out over silly shit, which is why my head hurts (wince).

But I am so very thankful to be able to run around like a crazy person until my head hurts while getting shit together to feed my family and friends.

Sigh.

Not to piss in your holiday Corn Flakes, but there are many among us who need someone to reach out and care. As a community we need to care ‘bout each other 12 months out of the year, but a bitch knows the power of holiday guilt so I’m starting my pitches now (wink).

Please take a moment to read about the 100 Neediest Cases. Behind these stories are real people in real need…I know, because my mentee’s family was on this list just a few years ago.

Be generous if you are able and send kind wishes if you are not.

Recognize the blessing that your family and friends are and know that I am thankful for each one of you.

Okay, not the rancid knave-like trolls…but the rest of you for sure!

Still violent after all these years...

St. Louis, my beloved river city, is the second most violent city in America? I don’t buy it! No way is Detroit more violent than we are.

I mean they can’t just let average violence trump the kind of multi-month record breaking maybe we ought to relocate violence like we have here in St. Louis.

Blink.

Anyhoo…

As usual the St. Louis Post Dispatch has run story after spin-laden story covering how the methodology of the report is flawed and how we aren’t really the second most violent city in the country if you count the white flight zones surrounding the city that they don’t count because they aren’t in the city.

This story is my current favorite, Area Group Fights ‘crime’ label.

One would think that the area group fighting the violent city label would advocate for community programs, job creation, funding for mental health screening and treatment and perhaps a dash of political accountability.

But you’d be wrong, baby…wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong followed by wrong!

The area group is fighting the label not the reality of crime in St. Louis.

That’s right...they plan to spin it out of existence!

The best part of the article is that one member of the we aint violent coalition called the dude who puts these reports together to try to persuade him to change his crime reporting ways.

After several minutes his response was…wait, are you sitting down?

Okay, the Post reports that "His dismissive conclusion at the end was, 'Go fight crime.'"

Classic!

By request, a bitch’s Corn Casserole recipe…

A certain soldier sent this bitch a request. He’s home (horray!) and has been promised anything he wants from his momma’s kitchen.

And what did he ask for?

ABB’s fantabulous Corn Casserole!

Honey bun, your momma must be thrilled to have you home or I’m betting she would have boxed those ears for requesting someone else’s cooking out of her kitchen (wink).

I’m touched and sincerely hope you enjoy it.

Have a long and fantabulous visit…hug your momma every single chance you get…and know that I wish you the best as we work towards peace and an end to this war.

Blink…blink….blink, blink, blink and another blink.

Oh shit, there goes my mascara…

ABB's Corn Casserole Yumminess...
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn2 eggs, beaten
1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin mix
1 stick butter, melted (or 1/2 c. oil)
1 c. sour cream
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (opt.)
Shredded cheese (opt.)

Mix all ingredients except cheese. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, if desired. Bake in casserole dish or 9"x13" baking dish for 30 to 45 minutes or until fully cooked in center.

And you'd better thank your momma twice...

Save the date - ACLU 36th Annual Bill of Rights Celebration…

Support the ACLU of Eastern Missouri by attending the 36th Annual Bill of Rights Celebration!

When?

Saturday December 1 at The Pageant featuring award winning actor, singer and activist Harry Belafonte!

Yes, Harry Belafonte!

The event also features local musical guests, A Taste of Motown, a 14 piece orchestra.

For more information, event schedule and to reserve seats visit www.aclu-em.org.

Dinner tickets are $125.

Performance only (starting at 8pm) $30.

General admission tickets will be on sale up until event date.

This is your brain on privilege…

Several of you asked that I link to the blog post that pissed me off yesterday. I’ll admit that I was tempted but, after some thought, a bitch as decided not to. Trust that the post itself is not worthy even if the societal diseases it displays are worth exploring.

I’ve tackled the reflex to challenge race whenever someone fails to fit The Man’s mold, but the motherfucker in question actually articulated another more alarming opinion that a bitch would like to delve into today.

Specifically, the writer who shall not be linked questioned both my veracity and authority to write about the things I write about.

Pause…roll up sleeves…continue.

I suspect that said writer has invested a lot of time, money and intellectual energy in pursuit of some manner of degree or degrees. I also believe that he is dangerous because of the underlying message threaded through his sorta-post.

The person in question is an educator (shudder) and I can say from personal experience that an educator who questions the “right” of others to express opinion or the veracity of the opinions expressed simply because an alphabet doesn’t follow their last name is dangerous as hell.

Having said that…

This is your brain on privilege…
I actually understand people who think truth and authority come with multiple degrees. I sure as shit don’t intend to let someone without them cut me open on an operating table and there are clearly fields where training matters.

But I’m a product of a liberal education (go Judges!) where value was also put on what we learn by doing.

I could list off the various forms of training I’ve had, my major courses of study at college, the organizations I’ve chaired committees in and blah followed by blah followed by blah. I could do that, but it’d just be a partial resume.

I’m an activist. My feminism wasn’t just learned in a classroom but also through the art of living. I certainly took classes, wrote papers and attended lectures all of which expanded my potential. But this bitch didn’t actualize a damn thing until I took my intellectual authority out for a spin that challenged the veracity of all that theory right down to the bone.

I’m a militant (wink) and I reject the argument that the masses lack the authority to debate our government and its policies. That’s the very definition of wrong in my book. Give me the voice of the people, loud and skeptical, any day over the voice of some self anointed political overseer pontificating about authority and questioning folk’s veracity to maintain it.

Many a brain is on privilege and, borrow a phrase from my grandmother (who was an amazing educator), not just those full of book learning. People of color have internalized the lie, which is why we too often abdicate our voice to The Man.

We think someone else has to know more or understand shit better.

Someone with more authority or who speaks in such a way that you would never think to question the veracity of their arguments.

Yeah...The Man.

That’s why I wrote this post, because the masses have some serious inner work to do so that we can speak truth to power and resist those who feel entitled to our power.

I’m not knocking the shit I learned in college but don’t dare devalue the shit I learn through activism.

The Man, whatever form that motherfucker takes, fears the militant empowered voice of the people because that is a voice he will have to answer to.

Empowerment lives in a lot of places, but last time I checked it didn't hold an exclusive lease behind ivy covered walls.

Viva la bitchitude!

Ain’t I a black woman?

I just read another in a long pathetic line of “is AngryBlackBitch really a black woman?” posts and for some reason this one pissed me the hell off.

I should link to it…but some of y’all UCoB&LDD members are crazy (wink) and Lawd only knows what you’ll do to the severely misguided.

When will we as people stop judging each other based on a stereotype of how we act and what we do that most black people don’t fit into?

Jesus, Mary and Joseph...a bitch is tired of this shit.

For the record...

A person can speak French and be black. I don’t…would love to learn…but if I did I’d still be black.

A person can be LGBT and be black at the same time (gasp).

A person can be interested in Russian politics and be a black woman.

A person can adore hockey and hate basketball and still be black.

A person can be a feminist and be black.

A person can curse, swear and write sentences laced with potty mouth words and be black.

A person can be conservative and be black. I try to convert them whenever possible (wink) but they are black people.

A person can listen to country music and be black.

A person can have no motherfucking rhythm whatsoevah and be black.

There are black people in Sweden…black people can like math…black people can be foodies…black people can be goth.

A person can be something totally outside of your expectations...and they will still be black.

I am, have been since birth and will forever be a black woman.

Recognize or get thee gone forever from this place of bitchitude!

Thou shall not trifle...

Gluttony Debauch 2008 Preparedness…

Holy shit, a bitch has to cook next week!

Blink.

Where the fuck did November go?

Lawd, have mercy.

ABB’s Preliminary Great 2008 Gluttony Debauch list of required things…

Holiday viewage…
All the President’s Men
Smoke Signals – this film was written, directed and co-produced by Native Americans and I’ve wanted to see it for a while.
And, of course, Ordinary People...for pre-holiday emotional cleanse

Holiday feastings…
Turkey
Cornbread dressing
ABB’s Yummified Corn Casserole Goodness
Something green
Something bread like to deposit butter on

Dessert anyone?
C-Money’s Sweet Potato Pie
C-Money’s Apple Pie
Butter Cake with chocolate icing…because my brother Bill just loves cake
Rob Thurman’s famous chocolate pecan bourbon pie
Ice cream

Drinkables…
Vodka
Vanilla Vodka (for Ryan)
Cran
Grape Cran…for variety
Diet Coke
Winter Lager

Meds…
Excedrin
Sudafed
Advil
Claritin

Dawg distractions…
Biscuits
Chews
Hours upon hours of begging

Sigh.

Now all I have to do is put all this shit together...

Dear Mr. Hastert...

Mr. Hastert?

Dennis?

Ummm…

Go on now go!

Walk out the door!

Just turn around now,

'cause you're not welcome anymore…

Asshole.

Silence is not golden…

A bitch has been following the Dunbar Village story over at What About Our Daughters? and I want to bring it to your attention just in case y'all missed this.

A woman was raped and tortured in the Dunbar Village housing project. What About Our Daughters? has been covering the lack of response to this horrific crime as well as providing information about what we the people can do.

Many of those who say they speak for the black community have yet to speak up for this victim and the Dunbar Village community.

Please take a moment to read the amazing coverage over at What About Our Daughters? and to read about a protest organized by Black Sapience taking place tomorrow.

Get up, stand up!

Are you with me?

Okay, so the return of Enid (my fibroids) delayed implementation of our grassroots sex education plan…but it’s time to regroup and kick shit into gear!

Drop me a comment or shoot a bitch an e-mail if you are interested in sex education training in St. Louis (and no, having done 'it' isn’t what a bitch would call training). We have access to some award winning educators, so don’t let this opportunity pass you by!

Our goal is to get folks trained and out in our communities filling in the knowledge gap and empowering others to do the same.

Are you with me?

The message is in the numbers, people...

I was driving back to work after lunch and passed by the Planned Parenthood on Forest Park, which had a splattering of protesters out in front of the entrance.

As I sat at the red light I kept thinking how hard I’ve tried not to hate them.

I really have…hate isn’t all that productive, but…well, shit.

Right now?

At this moment?

I really, really, really hate those people protesting in front of Planned Parenthood.

Blink.

For the love of all that’s preventable, St. Louis tops the country in STD rates. Based on a CDC report, we lead the nation in sexually transmitted disease infections for gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis. And women of color are the fastest growing group for new HIV infections.

So, I’m not going to lie. I hate those protesters who may make someone seeking information and protection turn away.

I hate them because they don't want someone to get tested today, get treatment or get the sex education they are hell bent on denying the masses.

My city and my fellow St. Louisans are paying a heavy price for the beliefs of a few sanctimonious assholes who really don't give a shit about the lives of women or their children.

These new STD statistics are the diseased based result of the war on choice.

And I really don’t understand how people so willing to harm thousands of living human beings can claim to be pro-life.

But a bitch has long suspected that to be the goal and so I hate…and then I get angry...and I reject this sorry assed reality they call a culture of life.

As Marvin said, this ain’t livin’.

Feeling Mr. Handish...

A bitch heard about this story from the Chicago-Sun Times this morning.

Eileen Sullivan reports in the Chicago-Sun Times that the TSA tipped off airport screeners when undercover tests were going to be run.

So they could…you know…totally undermine the fucking purpose of the tests.

Blink.

A bitch must confess that I don’t travel often, but when I do I’ve taken to wearing my very special travel bra (look Ma - no underwire!) so I can avoid having a full breast exam in front of my fellow Americans.

But this Chicago Sun-Times story casts those pat down feel ups in a different light!

That airport security screener didn’t administer rather thorough breast exams because my underwire was an imminent threat (I did ask her if she felt any unusual lumps…I am, after all, a bitch) nor did she do it to keep the homeland secure.

Odds are my airport screener breast encounters are the result of a job performance tip off.

Pause…consider…continue.

I knew it...that gleeful worker smile was fake as a motherfucker!

Which means that my time as a traveler has been wasted by The Man's bullshit.

A bitch is feeling Mr. Hand-ish and the way I see it the TSA owes this bitch for every additional second my ass spent in a security screening farce.

Aloha, my name is AngryBlackBitch...

Its light, small and comes in colors…

You hush now!

A bitch is talking tasers not erotic accessories (wink).

Brother Rob Thurman tipped this bitch off about the Taser Party story and I got a good laugh out of it.

The woman in the story says that having a light and colorful taser makes her feel more confident.

Blink.

I have to admit that angle worries me because most violent crimes are committed by someone you know not the wild eyed stranger you’d never pause to tas within an inch of her or his crazy life.

Mayhap we should be hosting a few 'girl, that motherfucker is dangerous' parties along with the taser-based gatherings?

Just a thought.

Anyhoo…

Women hosting parties so that law enforcement can demonstrate the safest way to get your tas on without killing somebody?

Smart, except that vodka crans are probably a no no with all those light and colorful tasers about.

Tasers being marketed as the new must have weapon for women?

That’s just sad.

Is this news to you?

Every now and then some news story will remind me that my black experience isn’t everyone’s experience.

Such is the case with U.S. incomes reveal racial divide over at CNN.com.

The story touches on the fact that income levels for black men have declined in the past three decades and income levels for whites have increased more than those of blacks. Oh and this stat jumped out and grabbed a bitch…one in three blacks from middle income families make more than their parents while two-thirds from white families make more than their parents.

Now, this bitch gets the fact that there are people out there who are so entrenched in their gated communities built on a foundation of white flight that the income race divide may actually be news to them (mercy), but there is an underlying angle of surprise in this examination that gets my back up.

I can’t help but wonder if folks think some black communities are struggling because we like to struggle.

Blink.

Mention the income disparity in casual conversation and odds are there would be an automatic knee jerk assumption that black people must not work as hard, be as smart or clever or have as much ambition…all assumptions built on the skillfully maintained stereotype of the lazy, ignorant and in need of the white man’s guidance simple minded black person.

The reality…which came as no surprise to this bitch…is that grown black children are just as likely as whites to have higher incomes than our parents but the income of our white counterparts has increased more than our income.

That shit ain’t news and a bitch isn’t exactly thrilled that people require a study from the Brookings Institution to grant black people the benefit of the doubt when we say that the motherfucking playing field isn’t and hasn’t been level.

Shit.

This matters big time, because public policy needs to reflect what really is not some flawed perception of what is. Communities need adequate schooling but current funding systems result in separate and unequal education. We need programs in place to address and prevent workplace discrimination, but policy makers have to admit it exists and then agree that it’s wrong. And society needs to acknowledge that single parent homes need and deserve support through programs that empower rather than humiliate.

But here I am reading what I already know to be true and feeling the same way my ass did when I tried to explain why being profiled by the police when shopping while black isn’t fucking understandable.

Ugh!

Holla then throw up both your hands…

And quick pondering...

I caught a smidge of Good Morning America while drinking my morning coffee. A certain Chris Cuomo was doing a sorta follow-up to the tragic school shooting that happened in Finland. Apparently the young man in Finland was in contact with a young American who is alleged to have planned a school shooting of his own.

The information is conflicting as to whether they tailored their plans through online dialogue, but the press is not one to walk away from pure speculation. In this case, the rampant speculation laced through the story wasn’t nearly as alarming as Cuomo’s summary at the end.

In wrapping up his sorta-story Cuomo said something along the lines of…kids used to go through phases but ultimately the forces of good in their life would prevail. The fear is that they can now go online and feed their anger.

Now, a bitch has long been disturbed by the way the mainstream media covers school violence and school shootings. Stories are always laden with someone saying “Just because you’re bullied doesn’t give you the right to blah blah blah.”…as if anyone said being violent with another person is ever a matter of rights. After an initial “Students say the alleged shooter was a loner or deeply disturbed or unstable and/or bullied.” all focus is turned onto the carnage wrought and the weapons used.

Inevitably some talking head will do as Chris Cuomo has done and cast the past in a violence free nostalgic haze of bullshit that is as much a delusion as seeing the internet as the root of all evil.

But reality? Well, the reality is that just because Norman Rockwell didn’t paint them doesn’t mean that families weren’t fucked up in the 1950’s too. Mental illness wasn’t invented after cable television. There were school shootings and violence back in the day and depression, alienation, and isolation have always been warning signs that have more often than not been ignored.

What bothers me is that our adoration of the past for the perfection it never contained is part of our mass avoidance of dealing with violence within our culture and the shitty fact that it has been violent for some time. It bothers me that the media looks everywhere for the culprit...desperately seeking that one removable thing that would take us back to the kinder gentler time that never really was.

Through it all we never look at each other, talk to each other or see each other.

I suspect that the solution to the problem may be found through the very communication and honest inner work we Americans prefer to avoid.

Blink.

May the Divine One grace the community of Tuusula, Finland with strength, compassion and love as they mourn those lost to this tragedy.

Chaz Saunders was fired?

Shit.

A bitch is so shocked my ass hit publish before writing a damn thing.

Chaz Saunder is an amazing radio voice and she has been fired...after 20 years...from Majic 104.9.

Budget cuts, my black ass!

Shit.

But I know Sister Chaz will be blessed, for she has been a blessing to many during her career.

This is a joke, right?

A bitch has taken to my sick bed today but this news story about CNN opening up shop in the world of Second Life perked my illish ass up.

CNN in Second Life? And they are requesting I-reports of breaking virtual news happening in the virtual world?

Blink.

Nice.

Pause...reflect...continue.

Unless Second Life is the real world and this is a virtual world, in which case....ugh.

Now my Afro is nauseous...

Known but to God...

For the veterans for whom home is the street…

My college was very close to my sister’s and I used to take The T in to visit her at her dorm. I’d walk through my beautifully landscaped campus to the station, hop on the train and watch the suburbs of Boston fly by.

The train would stop as trains are supposed to do…I’d exit and trek through Cambridge, down familiar streets…past the Coop…and finally arrive at her dorm. And I always noticed the familiar…the rally posters stuck to any and every available space of wall, the stuffy looking professors (or maybe they were just grad students fronting)…the cars that never seemed to move and the traffic that held them captive…and two homeless vets playing chess outside of Au Bon Pain.

Two men…of a certain age…who were veterans and who were homeless. Both wearing some portion of a uniform, one without a leg and the other unable to make eye contact but with the chessboard before him. There they sat, sipping coffee and taking a break from the struggle of life to play chess at a table in the middle of all the action that is a city-based college campus.

When I mentioned them to an acquaintance she instantly doubted that they were really veterans and seemed annoyed that they didn’t “take advantage of the many programs available for homeless people in Boston”.

But she never really saw them. Hell, most of the students who waltzed by doing their best Paper Chase imitation didn’t see the homeless. They saw a hustler or a drunk or a loser or a drop out, but they didn’t see an addict or a mentally ill person or a woman down on her luck or the families with children…or the veterans.

One November day I made my journey to visit my sister...walking through the campus devoid of city dirt and city problems, to the train station and onto the train, watching the suburbs of Boston flying by and down familiar streets until I stood where two homeless men were playing chess.

Both wearing some portion of a uniform, one without a leg and the other unable to make eye contact but with the chessboard before him.

And there was an American flag, crisp and clean in contrast to the dust and dirt, tucked into a backpack at their feet. I’ve always wondered…and preferred to believe…that the flag had appeared that day because they were marking Veteran’s Day.

This Veteran's Day I remember them as I watch the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Here rests in honored glory an American Soldier known but to God.

What does it say about us as a people, that we can honor their combat and mourn their death but we lack the will to support our soldiers in life?

Today is the 11th day of the 11th month...Veteran's Day...and many rest on the streets wondering where the honored glory is for a homeless American soldier known but to God.

Please support these local organizations and the work that they do...

Places for People - Opening doors for hope and recovery for the mentally ill homeless.

St. Patrick Center - Provides opportunities for self-sufficiency and dignity to persons who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Peter and Paul Community Services - Helping our neighbors find a way home.

...until we study war no more.

A bitch is currently getting my groove on to…

Let’s Do It Again by The Staples Singers!

Sometimes the rain

Groovin' when I hear the sound

Like you and me, baby

Gettin' down with the sounds around

Oh, the smell of the mornin' flower

As we pass away the hour

I wanna do it again,

do it again

Do it (Do it)

***jumps up for cube dance***

Let's do it in the mornin'

Sweet breeze in the summer time

Feeling your sweet face

All laid up next to mine

Sweet love in the midnight

Good sleep, come mornin' light

No worries 'bout nothin'

Just gettin' good,

just gettin' good

Just gettin' good love

Woo, hoo, hoo, hoo!

Now that’s how a bitch likes to start the weekend…

A connection-based pondering...

Longtime readers know that a bitch adores connecting all manner of shit, so when I read about the release of Iranians who were being detained in Iraq my brain immediately began to connect like connecting is going out of bitness.

I’ve been wondering about the fate of Iranians detained in Iraq for some time. Their initial detention was covered heavily, but then all the media attention kind of died down.

Well the United States military released some nine Iranians from detention, some who had been held for years without being charged or tried...which made me ponder the broader issue of detaining people without trial.

Not just people being held at Gitmo…but the 25,800 Iraqis waiting to face charges or be given freedom being detained by the United States in Iraq. About 17,000 of those were captured this year which leaves more than 8,000 people who have been held without trial or charges for over a year.

That shit is disturbing enough, since we should be leading by example…and detaining people without charges or trial is not an example of democracy in action (wince)…but it’s even more disturbing given what we learned during the recent hearings featuring the CEO of Yahoo.

During the hearings Yahoo apologized to the family of a Chinese man who was arrested after Yahoo turned his e-mail information over to the Chinese government. He was arrested, charged and sentenced to jail because Yahoo wanted to kiss the ass of the world’s fastest growing economy.

And that shit made me think of AT&T and how they supplied the United States government with data about American citizens.

People detained without trial…governments collecting private domestic communication information about citizens from corporations…the tragic example of how a government could use that shit against the people…and the terrifying fact that we are considering giving immunity to companies that supply this government with information about citizens when Congress has already turned a blind eye towards the detention of people indefinitely.

So...ummm, eventually corporations will supply the government with information about the masses and the government will be able to detain us at will. Makes that China Yahooian agreement look fair and balanced, doesn't it?

Catch thy knee before it jerks and do not sleep.

Think about it and I mean think long and hard about how all of these things and happenings swirl together to result in a people who have reason to fear their government....

...when the government should fear the people.

I call bullshit...

Happy Friday, y’all!

Shall we?

This bitch witnessed a most interesting interview this morning on The Today Show between Meredith V. and a certain Ann Shoket of Seventeen Magazine. Oh, and Dr. Drew was there too…not that I gave a shit, because it was the exchange between the two women that woke this bitch up mid sip of coffee.

The topic was Girls Gone Wild Online – Why do women post drunken pictures?

***close eyes…pray for strength…continue***

No.

I’m not joking.

Cough.

After a pre-recorded segment showing how young women are posting pictures of themselves binge drinking and/or getting their freak on, Mere (and let me tell you, that child has got her disapproving Mom who never drank herself silly…not once, damn you…in college look down cold) engaged Dr. Drew in a brief ‘see, we consulted a trained medical expert’ exchange then moved on to ask her outraged ‘this is disturbing…don’t you find this disturbing?’ so leading it was already there question of Seventeen’s Ann Shoket.

Ann’s response?

“I mean, this is absolutely so disturbing!”

Blink.

Specifically, Ann Shoket of Seventeen Magazine is disturbed that some young women want fame from a little bit of debauchery (gasp!). Oh, and these youngsters have no sense that there are consequences for posting their wee bit of debauchery on the internets for all of the world to see.

It was about that moment when this bitch looked at Betsey the sorta-beagle and proclaimed Ann Shoket of Seventeen Magazine to be absolutely so very disturbingly totally like you know what I mean full of hypocritical bullshit.

The problem is that Ann Shoket and her minions at Seventeen Magazine have no sense of the social consequences that follow hyping young celebrity teens getting their debauch on after binge drinking and or drugging themselves silly.

But I trust that they all have a strong working knowledge of the cash consequences that result from selling that tired ass shit to the very population Ann was acting so disturbed by this morning.

These people need to cease bullshitting!

Shit, even the article about Britney Spears having a solid new album launch was written from the 'and we’re shocked because she’s our hot mess it girl of the moment' angle.

So, it’s safe to say that the young women who absolutely so disturb with their online debauch testimonials learned the attention getting value of posting pictures of their booze filled debauch from…well, from people like Ann Shoket of Seventeen Magazine.

Blink.

Ann? You’ve got to admit that you so like have a serious editor gone wild problem to fix that you know what I mean absolutely disturbing shit.

It’s time to look at the editor in the mirror…

…and make that change.

Proof that a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous…

As overheard while waiting in line for yummified iced green tea…

Alarmed Woman #1... “So, they were aiming water hoses at protesters and everything!”

Alarmed woman #2...“And this was in Georgia? Oh my word!”

AW#1... “I know! And after all that talk about a water shortage there, they’re hosing people down in the streets for all to see on CNN! That's where your water went, Atlanta!”

Blink.

Be afraid.

Be very afraid…

You can do it!

Okay Congress…see, you can do it…you can tell Scooter B. to take his veto and shove it where the law don't shine!

Nice veto override, y’all!

So….are you listening?....okay, ummm…NOW KEEP DOING IT!

For the love of all that’s holy…

Robertson for Rudy?

Pat Robertson has endorsed Rudy Guiliani for President.

Blink.

My initial reaction was that this was yet another Robertsonian moment. I mean, the man is fucking insane and has been know to indulge in public displays of insanity before.

Pause…consider…continue.

Which, come to think of it, casts his endorsement of Guiliani in quite a different light.

Cough.

Pat Robertson has said that feminism is a socialist anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.

Blink.

He blames gays and lesbians for no fault divorce and abortion…blames the Katrina disaster on legalized abortion…believes that the September 11th attacks were caused by pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays, lesbians, the American Civil Liberties Union and the People for the American Way…

…and he thinks Rudy Guiliani is the most qualified person running and should be next President of the United States of America.

Alrighty then and...ummm, daaaaaaamn.

Jesus Guiliani, what's next...an endorsement from Fred Phelps?

O, An Evening of Art and Wine

Join Four Muddy Paws, St Louis Animal Rights Team (START) and Stray Rescue of St. Louis for O, An Evening of Art and Wine. Proceeds will be used to help the St. Louis Fire Department (SLFD) purchase pet-friendly, emergency oxygen masks.

Friday, November 9, 2007
Four Muddy Paws
6pm-9pm
1711 Park Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63104

If you are unable to attend, please consider making a donation.

It is the goal of Four Muddy Paws, Stray Rescue of St. Louis and START to continue their efforts in supplying the City's Fire Departments with pet-friendly emergency oxygen masks.

Thanks for helping save the lives of beloved family pets during a time of crisis!

O, An Evening of Art and Wine
An event from 6-9 PM
Friday, November 9, 2007!

Weep no more my lady. Oh! Weep no more today!

Speaking of politics being local, some serious state-based shit went down in yesterday’s election.

And…well, hot damn Kentucky!

Go on with your yummified bourbon producing selves (wink)!

A bitch hopes to mimic your celebration same date next year here in Missouri when we put an end to Blunt Trauma!

Until then, this bitch will sing one song for the old Kentucky home…

A quick note...

Okay, so a bitch has noticed an increase in the number of 'this world has gone to shit...fuck it!' comments lately.

Blink.

As much as I agree that things are beyond fucked up, a bitch just can’t settle on that position and set up camp.

I’m political because politics is personal. I give a shit about policy, candidates and causes because policy, candidates and causes impact me and mine. Thus, a bitch can not afford to holla and throw up both my hands (wink).

And neither can y’all.

Rather than dwell on what isn’t and build a case for what will not be, I hope that we the people can see what could be and build a case for how we can make that shit happen.

A bitch truly believes that there are powers at play that encourage voter apathy and that seek a disinterested electorate so that they won’t have to answer to the masses.

And who the fuck wants to make The Man’s day?

***pause and listen to the sound of crickets getting their grove on***

Okay then!

This bitch recommends that we all explore what matters to us, why it matters and how policy/government plays a role in that shit. Then we need to evaluate local, state and federal candidates based on how their positions match up to that shit.

Ask questions…get involved…challenge staffers and supporters…and be citizen activists.

What matters to you?

Why do you vote?

What do you hope for…

…and what do you fear?

Let’s not get so caught up in the Presidential elections or federal fuck ups that we forget that politics is local and we have a role to play where we stay.

Otherwise, we’re all going to wake up this time next year to the sound of The Man getting his party on…again.

Refueled...

Last night a bitch refueled my militant tanks with some Eyes on the Prize.

It was just what I needed!

Whenever this bitch starts feeling sorry for myself or demoralized about the state of the social justice movement I like to look back at where we the people have been, how far we have come and how hard everyone had to work to get from there to here.

We call it a struggle because it is one.

Apathy Robustus Political Dissatisfactionitis...

A bitch is currently fighting some kind of malaise.

Blink.

I’m probably just tired from over work and disgusted because I spend too much time involved in all things political and all things political have been breaking a bitch’s heart and crushing my soul and blah followed by blah followed by blah.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck it, fuck it and another fuck!

I think I’ve caught Apathy Robustus Political Dissatisfactionitis.

Gulp.

But I’ve got work to do!

A bitch can’t afford to catch Apathy Robustus Political Dissatisfactionitis!

Sob!

I need a cleanse…some kind of emotional flush that doesn’t actually result in hours upon or dangling over a toilet.

Blink.

Okay, okay….okay, okay, okay.

Tonight I'll dine on some yummfied chicken pot pie…enjoy a few vodka crans…and polished the evening off with a screening of Eyes on the Prize.

That should shake it.

After all, the one thing we did right is the day we started to fight...

Ugh...

With so many organizations supporting a non-inclusive ENDA…when so many are advocating that there are benefits to exclusion…can we honestly say that gender identity will ever be the cause of the equality movement in the future?

Who will rise to fight that future battle?

The same people who didn’t fight it this time?

Blink.

I can’t even bitch about this.

I yield the floor to Pam’s House Blend.

…the Gunpowder Treason and Plot…

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has imposed a state of emergency, suspended the constitution and put elections that had been scheduled for January on hold. More than 1, 500 lawyers have been rounded up and opposition party members have also been detained.

The American foreign policy is to continue aid to Musharraf even though he pulled the plug on his not even sorta a democracy yet totally a nuclear power government when it threatened to get a wee bit democratic.

Blink.

So, we’re asking Russia and China to back us in sanctions against Iran because we believe that Iran is harboring terrorists, a threat to democracy and has nuclear ambitions.

But we’re sending money and aid to Pakistan, who we believe to be harboring the world's most wanted terrorists, who we know to be tearing down all things democracy related and who already has the bomb.

Oh.

Cough.

Strength through tyranny.

Unity through oppression.

Fubar prevails!

Remember, remember…

‘Tis the fifth of November, y’all…and America is one year out from the 2008 elections.

Flock of bitchitude! Pause for a moment of encouragement for all of us who are politically involved….

…and then buckle up, ‘cause this ride is going to be bumpy as hell.

Shall we?

A bitch caught the Sunday morning chat shows this weekend. As usual, I tucked into a weekend breakfast of yummified cheesy eggs and potato with onion chased with plenty of coffee tinted by 1% organic milk (wink).

Yummtastic!

Anyhoo, a certain George Stephanopoulos sank his brilliantly whitened teeth (the glare is a wee bit blinding...ouch) into the realization by the Democratic Party that there are currently as many single women as married women in America.

Blink.

George tossed that nugget out during an all male round table and he did acknowledge the lack of women to discuss the anticipated power of the women’s vote in 2008, which he claimed was due to the luck of the draw. A bitch is dying to know how that draw process goes down. Mayhap they should drop a few more women’s names into the lottery…hmmmm?

Or would that be too much like right?

Anyhoo, this bitch couldn’t stop thinking about the discussion despite the lack of women’s voices. The pundits on hand gave a lot of attention to a Democratic Party ad targeting single women with a ‘Be A Part of History’ spin that was so obvious that a bitch expected to hear “Suffrage, apply directly to the forehead…Suffrage, apply directly to the forehead…Suffrage, apply directly to the forehead”…wince.

The population of single women is now equal to the population of married women…and single women are more likely to vote for a liberal/progressive candidate…so the Democratic Party is all giddy over capturing the single woman vote.

Got it.

So…ummm…well shit.

Now is the time, my sisters…
…to make these candidates work for our coveted because it’s crucial vote.

A bitch isn’t talking about ‘Be a Part of History’ work.

No, my ass is talking about “You've got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying in sweat” work.

Blink.

I’m not a fan of the pick a candidate who will run away with it position. I don’t want a candidate who will run away with it, because that’s not a candidate who will dump her or his shit on the table and earn my vote.

Don’t let anyone tell you that we the people are wrong to demand specifics. For all the debates and complaints about how elections are run in this country, those shouting usually fall silent on the most damaging phenomena…the reluctance on the part of voters to truly interview those who would be President.

Mmmhmmm, we the people are part of this problem but we are also the key to the solution.

They want single women to vote like we’ve never voted before?

Well, this single woman wants comprehensive sex education in public schools, a complete overhaul of all things education-based and that shit had better be funded…I want my mentally disabled brother to have Medicaid funding and I want Medicare to negotiate on the price of prescription drugs because they’re spending my motherfucking money like Britney Spears at the grand opening of House of Wigs.

I want disaster relief plans for every state in the union and I want that shit funded too, because a person’s survival shouldn’t depend on where they live…this is America, for the love of all that’s holy!

I want immigration reform rather than race baiting bigot arousing rhetoric…I want Warren Buffet to pay more of a percent of his income in taxes than I do (blink)...I want the fucking truth about Social Security so I can prepare to take care of me and mine…and I want a moratorium on the death penalty.

Pause…sip water…continue.

This bitch wants an equal wage…I want to know that when I take a prescription to a pharmacy I won’t be asked to take a morality quiz…I want a fucking plan to end the War in Iraq and specifics on how we’re going to clean up the ocean of shit that is American diplomacy today.

I want a War on Poverty and I want to live long enough to see a HUGE Mission Accomplished banner raised above the White House announcing victory.

In short, this bitch wants what’s owed to me…life, liberty and the ability to pursue happiness.

We are a year out from the 2008 elections.

And if a candidate wants my vote right now is when they start paying in sweat…

By request…To speak, oh yes to vote!

A certain Isis from Chi-Town sent this bitch an e-mail asking my advice on how to motivate the black women in her family to vote.

Cough…sip yummified iced green tea…continue…

You got it, sistah…but this shit applies to everyone as far as this bitch is concerned.

Every election is a job interview between the masses and the candidates. Oh, I know that’s easy to forget when the media is focused on clothing choices and fundraising goals rather than an individual’s qualifications…but when you step into that voting booth it’s just you and the choices and the fluff be damned.

I teach a Voter Education class and each session my students ask me why the hell they should give a shit about politics in general and elections in particular and I usually reply…

Do you eat food? Because your government’s policies and the agencies that enforce them impact everything that goes into your mouth. Tired of the recalls and worrying whether that salad you had for lunch is going to land your broke ass in the hospital? Well, the detection of food-based rancidity depends on screening and screening depends on staffing and staffing depends on funding and funding depends on the priorities of the head motherfuckers in charge.

Blink.

Do you use electricity…water…the toilet? Do you drive a car, have car insurance or home insurance…do you have a credit card or a savings account?

Do you have children or grandchildren…are you planning to have children, adopt them or not have kids at all…do you want to marry but can’t or do you want to divorce and just can’t afford to…do you pay taxes for a shitty school system or pay too many taxes for a fantabulous one?

Do you have children of draftable age…blink but don't sleep...or do you have people in your life who actively serve in the military…or do you have anyone in your life who plans to?

Do you want to make medical decisions with your doctor or the Supreme Court?

Do you want to be proud of your country or pray for forgiveness?

Do you want to have a voice or do you want to be spoken for?

Sigh.

Politics is local, but government is personal as hell.

So why care…why volunteer…why vote…why make each and every candidate achieve our vote before they receive it?

Look around you and behold all those things you hold dear and all the shit you can’t fucking stand.

Mmmhmm, we get the government we deserve.

But oh, to speak.

Oh yes, to vote (wink)….

This bitch on Tell Me More...

A bitch woke up at the crack of dawn despite my sorta-headcold this morning (wince) to chat with Michel Martin of Tell Me More on NPR about a certain Don Imus and his return to radio.
We got our beauty shop on with Pulitzer winning journalist E.R. Shipp and media executive Nick Charles...

…which felt a wee bit odd with those radio headset things fucking up my Afro.

Blink.

I'm exhausted but it was fun.

Have a listen if you wanna…