Dr. George Tiller has been murdered in Kansas…

Update - a suspect has been arrested in the murder of Dr. George Tiller.

Dr. George Tiller has been shot and murdered in Kansas.

Dr. Tiller was an out-spoken supporter of abortion rights and one of the few physicians who provided late-term abortion services in the country.

My thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues.

"Women and Families are intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and ethically competent to struggle with complex health issues -- including abortion -- and come to decisions that are appropriate for themselves."
George R. Tiller, M.D., DABFP
Medical Director
Women's Health Care Services, P.A.

May he rest in peace…

Kavya and The Bee…

Did y’all see it?

Huh?

Last night the final rounds of the Scripps Spelling Bee were on the telly and it was fantabulous!

I watched as spellers got their spell on and that evil bell rang…round after round…until finally here were three.

And then there was one.

Then a certain Kavya Shivashankar from Kansas correctly spelled Laodicean and won the 2009 Scripps Spelling Bee.

It was fantastically fantabulous!

I love the spelling bee even though this bitch can’t spell worth a dam…umm, damn.

I love that the young people involved have worked hard to learn the inner workings of words.

I love that they are able to share the event with their families.

And I love that The Bee focuses attention on young people competing with their mind.

In a world that too often focuses attention on unreal reality shows and celebrities gone wild, it is downright refreshing to see young spellers signing autographs and enjoying the limelight.

‘Twas hard to watch the disappointment of the those who did not win, but a bitch suspects they will ultimately be proud of what they accomplished and that a few of them will come back next year hungry to win.

So, congrats to them all.

And go on with your bad self, Kavya Shivashankar!

Like walking through a river of mud…

A bitch is dealing with a case of The Downs, y’all.

They happen…even to strong black women (wink). I’ve learned to acknowledge them and how to handle them…but The Downs make doing everything feel like a bitch is walking through a river of waste deep mud.

Ugh.

Anyhoo, last night I took a break from all things news related and watched the Red Wings v Blackhawks hockey game. ‘Twas a great game, but a bitch was able to maintain an emotional distance because it is illegal for Blues fans to get worked up for the Wings or the Hawks. So, this bitch was able to enjoy the game for the demonstration of fantabulous hockey that it was without having my nerves taxed.

The red Wings won…in overtime…and set up a re-match of last year’s Stanley Cup final with the Penguins.

And longtime readers know that this bitch adores the Stanley Cup finals. Mayhap my ass will indulge in some live blogging…hmmm?

Moving forward…

I woke up this morning to a report on Good Morning America that a Philadelphia mother allegedly faked her car jacking abduction and went to Disney World with her daughter.

Specifically, she allegedly lied about the two black men who hit her and her daughter, stuffed them in the trunk of the car then took off with them to points unstated.

Sigh.

A bitch’s first reaction…
Thank the gods everyone is okay!

A bitch’s second reaction…
Why the fuck do people bring black men into their fake crime plots? Don’t they know that shit rarely has a god outcome?

If the police buy it, then you’ve got a Boston Charles Stuart “let’s haul all of them into jail and get us a confession, y'all!” situation that will linger with the staying power of a stank fart in a humid room. You’ll be found out…after the community is divided, racist ‘string ‘em up’ feelings are resurrected and the civil rights of hundreds are violated.

If the police don’t buy it, you’ll still be the dumb ass bigot who tried to use fear of the black man to cover up your personal drama. The community will still divide, just not a sharply…and you’ll still be left to deal with your fucking personal drama plus a healthy dose of ‘oh, no she didn’t!’ in jail.

Just once I’d like one of these people to say a Jonas brother look-a-like jacked their car and took their baby.

Just once.

Shit.

A bitch’s final reaction…
Now that we know there probably wasn’t an abduction, could the producers of Good Morning America stop showing the daughter’s picture? Please!! The kids been through some serious shit and now she’s going to have to deal with some more serious shit…cut her a break, for the love of all that’s logical and decent.

Lawd, have mercy…

Breaking News - The President to nominate Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court...

CNN is reporting that President Obama will announce his decision to nominate Sonia Sotomayor as that next Supreme Court Justice to replace Justice Souter.

In related news, conservative opposition to Sotomayor is working its way through the internets with the speed of the Konflicker computer virus.

Blink.

Buckle up, chil’ren…

Pondering commitment…

Five years ago a majority of Missourians voted to amend my home state’s constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

This bitch was re-introduced to Missouri politics through the battle to prevent passage of that amendment…and I received a clinic in what a majority of my fellow Missourians really think when it’s just them and a ballot. Some activists tried to deny the outcome…that some 70% of Missourians voted for the marriage ban…but a bitch finds little comfort in denying that shit.

Comfort comes from knowing where we stand and where we need to be.

Same-sex marriages still happen here…couples still commit to each other before family and friends.

'Tis the rights afforded through marriage that are being denied…not love or dedication, but thousands of rights that are easily taken away and difficult to recreate through other means.

Today the California Supreme Court is expected to announce their ruling on whether the people of that state can vote to take rights away from a minority. The difference there is that same-sex marriage was not legal in Missouri and was made super-duper illegal in 2004…it was legal in California and then made illegal through a ballot initiative.

As a result, the legal standing of thousands of once legal now legally unclear marriages hangs in the balance…along with the ability for others to seek legal recognition of their commitment in the future.

Some will hear the ruling and cheer.

Others will hear the ruling and boo then hiss.

There is little doubt that the war will continue no matter what the outcome of this battle is.

And comfort comes from knowing where you stand…

…and being committed to getting where you deserve to be.

Even as years fold into decades...

I have so many memories of Memorial Day.

My father, rest his soul, and I would spend Memorial Day watching documentaries, discussing history and remembering that war touches civilians and soldiers, families and friends and towns and communities.

Remembering that war touches everything…everyone…all.

My father was born as Hitler invaded Poland, a young teen during the Korean Conflict and a man who watched too many friends taken by Vietnam.

As a result, he raised his children to question war and work toward peace…even as he shared how much he got out of his service in the Air Force…even as he would turn and walked away, unable to share his memories of friends lost to war who have been dead longer than they drew breath in life.

So today I remember decades of war interrupted by moments of peace…

…the women and men, civilians and soldiers, who lived through it all.

And those who didn’t. Those who are loved so much that years from now a friend or loved one will turn and walk away...just shake their head and press their lips together, as if will alone could keep the storm of emotion inside...turn and walk away, unable to form the words to share their remembrance of someone who will have been gone longer than they drew breath in life.

Never forgotten...even as years fold into decades.

Keep 'em talking...

A bitch caught the Penguins v Hurricanes NHL playoff game last night and daaaaaaaaamn!

I got tired just watching that shit.

Back and forth and back and forth…the Penguins scored then the ‘Canes and then the Penguins and then the ‘Canes again. Fantabulous! A certain Evgeni Malkin put on a clinic…and was showered in hats after scoring a behind the back highlight reel goal that was so good it was SICK…before the game ended with the Penguins winning 7-4 and going up 2 games to 0.

Amazing.

While I was watching the big game political talking heads were chewing on bone of The Great Current v Previous Administration National Security Face-off of 2009.

It’s a showdown!

Maybe.

It’s a war of words!

Uh, no…not exactly. What this bitch saw on the telly wasn’t exactly a face-to-face debate of the issue. ‘Twas more like a talking-point off…a good one, but one nonetheless.

Here’s my take – keep 'em talking.

Both of them!

The more President Obama is forced to defend shutting Gitmo down the more he commits to doing it. I happen to agree that we need a motherfucking plan before we cut any checks...and that's half common sense and half understanding that how we shut Gitmo down is as important as shutting it down and the whole world is watching.

Cough.

A bitch has studied Dickey C. for years and I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a reason he prefers being a shadow lord…because the more a body says the more a body reveals. And this bitch is hoping Dickey C. talks himself into some legal ramifications.

I see it as a national media version of a homicide department’s interrogation box. A smart person lawyers up and shuts the fuck up as soon as they find themselves in that box. But a lot of people…most people…try to talk themselves out of there. And a smart detective says very little while a suspect prattles on about how they don’t know the victim, they weren’t walking their dawg at 2 a.m. in the morning near the crime scene and they don’t own a dawg.

As applied to this situation, you’ve got Dickey C. giving interviews…speeches…responses…snarls…and even a few growls.

And the press has done an okay job of keeping him talking.

But eventually someone is going to have to bring him a cup of fresh coffee, lean forward and say “I’ve been listening to you for hours and I’ve got to tell you your story stinks like fresh shit.”…then make the call of whether to slap the cuffs on his rancid ass or let him go knowing that he and his are as guilty as homemade sin.

Otherwise this showdown war of words is just another exercise in bullshit.

Betsey the sorta-beagle’s fucked up leg…

Betsey the sorta-beagle, one half of a bitch’s sorta-beagle dawg squad, has a fucked up leg.

Specifically, she has a sore on her leg that has become infected.

Sigh.

Betsey is around 10 years old…60 in human years…but she’s still puppyish as beagle-based dawgs tend to be. It’s easy to forget that she’s getting older…except for the random little bumps she’s got on her legs. There are three and the vet told me they happen, so I’ve learned not to fret about them. But last weekend I noticed that one of them was inflamed and that Betsey was dedicated to licking that sore out of existence.

But constant dawg bathing didn’t make the sore any better. Instead, it got red and then the area around it started to swell. So, I took her dawg ass to the vet where it was diagnosed as infected.

Translation – Betsey the sorta-beagle has a fucked up leg.

Now, a bitch has the pleasure of giving her pills twice a day.

She hates them.

She likes cheese…but she has mastered eating around pills.

She adores peanut butter…but separate pills from goo without wasting a spec of peanut butter like a master.

Now, we are at war…Betsey the sorta-beagle vs. this bitch.

She casting pathetic dawg glances up from a sober hound face that leave no doubt who she thinks is in the wrong.

Me frowning and fussing that she’s gonna lose that leg if she doesn’t eat her pills coupled with a stern mention that this bitch paid money for these meds and she’s going to damn well eat them!

So far I’m winning…

…but I suspect Betsey is plotting my demise with her sorta-beagle brother, Theo the Bay Master.

Lawd, have mercy...

After all that…nothing?

A bitch followed the 2009 Legislative Session in Missouri closely. I’m pretty damned disgusted that prevention legislation was ignored by the leadership even though my home city of St. Louis leads the nation in certain sexually transmitted infections…and I’m beyond disgusted that the legislature failed to address the thousands of Missourians, many of them children, without healthcare coverage…oh, and this bitch is also fired up that the autism insurance bill was treated like a curiosity rather than the serious policy that it is.

But session ended with one possible sorta-achievement – the extension of unemployment benefits for out of work Missourians.

Or so we thought.

It seems that legislators talked themselves out of qualifying for federal stimulus funds.

Well, actually they wrote themselves out of it.

Pause…sip coffee…continue.

To be accurate, they wrote out of work Missourians out of it.

The U.S. Department of Labor says that legislation passed on the final day of session contains wording that makes Missouri ineligible for federal stimulus funds…and as a result the extension of unemployment benefits ain’t gonna happen.

I know, I know…you’re thinking WTF?

After a session of missed opportunities and public displays of the wrong priorities, now we find out that one of the few sorta-accomplishments of this session was fubar before the ink was dry?

Yep.

The fuck-up centers on the leaderships obsession with not allowing those stimulus funds to stimulate lest it make the stimulus plan look good. Republicans in the legislature spent this session killing legislation that would require our state government to commit to funding policies on our own after next year. On the surface that seems logical…don’t make promises our checkbook might not be able to keep. But peel back the scab on that shit and it stinks to high heaven. The leadership and their minions took the intellectually lazy route…refused to even try to work the problem or get creative…and settled on leaving the masses fucked instead of identifying areas of waste and shifting funds where residents need them to go.

And don’t sleep…Missourians need funds to go toward healthcare coverage (prevention is cheaper that treating serious illness) and the extension of unemployment benefits (‘cause Lawd knows the leadership didn’t exactly step up to the plate regarding job creation).

Note – trollish knaves currently writing comments that assume a bitch is unemployed and uninsured should cease and return to their usual rant about black women not knowing anything. A bitch is employed (thank the gods) and has coverage (thank them again)…but only a fool ignores the impact others in crisis has on her community and I’m no fool. Okay, you can go back to being assholes now.

Toodles!

Where was I?

Oh yes!

The leadership added some language to the bill that would have the extension automatically expire once the federal stimulus funds were used up.

If only being broke automatically expired when unemployment benefits run out...sigh.

And that language is what the feds are saying makes Missouri ineligible for stimulus funds.

So, it looks like the leadership wrote Missourians out of that extension just when we need it most.

No healthcare coverage…in the midst of a flu outbreak that makes the point of why we need to cover everyone.

No ethics reform…even as rumors fly about the FBI getting their investigation on.

No prevention legislation…even though it would reduce STD infection rates and the number of unplanned pregnancies in the state.

And no extension of unemployment benefits…even though Missourians are still struggling to find work.

But hey, they did manage to ban beer bongs on the river.

Blink.

Why this bitch ain’t getting over “it”…

Shall we?

As most of you know, this bitch moderates comments. I didn’t start off doing it, but soon after I published my King Kong post trollish knaves emerged and…well, a bitch simply can not have them distracting from my bitchitude (wink). So, I moderate my comments…and, as a result, I read them all.

I’ve noticed that a lot of anonymous comments have the same basic theme…get over “it”. They tend to be from Anonymouses (not to stereotype all anonymous comment people)…they are usually posted to pieces dealing with race, LGBT equality or feminism…and they almost always mention that we’re living in 2009 as if a bitch doesn’t know what fucking year it is.

Shit.

Suffice it to say, get over “it” is the kind of demand that inspires all manner of reactions in this bitch.

#1…Why the fuck do people insist on telling my grown ass what to do?

The only thing I have to do is stay black and eventually die (although I suspect I may be immortal...wink). The rest of this shit is negotiable. I understand…and even indulge in…thinking people ought to do this or that, but daaaaamn! There sure are a lot of pushy Anonymouses out there who need some serious instruction in home training and how to speak to a bitch whilst in my blog-based area!

Mercy.

#2…Did I miss the memo announcing that “it” has expired? And who decides what the expiration date is for “it”? Doesn’t the FDA have enough on their plate?

Assuming “it” is the oppression of [insert group here] and that, by saying there is something to get over, the Anonymouses are acknowledging that there was a wrong to begin with…who the fuck gets to decide the expiration date on that shit?

How is that expiration date determined?

Pause…put on Oliver Stone JFK conspiracy ‘fro…continue.

Who benefits from the expiration and removal of “it”-inspired feelings from the shelf? And why is it usually the people who benefited from fucking someone over who then think they can turn around and say “Fine! Now get over it!”?

Remove conspiracy ‘fro and continue.

Just think for a moment about how precious that belief must be…how powerful that skill would be…and how fucked up from the floor up insulting the real-life application of that bullshit is.

#3…I ain’t getting over a damn thing!

The notion of getting over “it” insults “it” and the impact “it” has on a people, communities and society as a whole.

The question is not why people haven’t gotten over “it”, but how the fuck some people can even conceive of a body ever getting over “it”.

I know folks who can’t get over getting the wrong order from a drive-thru, but I’m supposed to just “get over” my reality (which is so much better than my parent’s reality…and that was world’s better than my grandparent’s reality was) which is a present that is saturated in a history of denial, violence, intimidation, neglect and we must not forget those random monkey eating watermelon cartoons/t-shirts/coffee mugs/political fundraiser solicitations that keep coming back on the scene like a resistant yeast infection.

Yet some Anonymouses clearly feel that “it” is no big thing…or that it used to be a big thang but isn’t anymore because…

What, exactly?

Because America is supposed to be post-racial now…and so advanced that we can indulge in the pondering of whether we need feminism or a social justice movement?

And everyone knows that homophobia only exists because gays insist on being so gay and wanting the same rights as other people…and wouldn’t it just be easier if they could just get over being upset about that stuff and enjoy a nice refreshing smoothie?

Blink.

Lawd, give me strength.

Mayhap Anonymouses have confused getting over “it” with letting “it” dominate my life.

For the record, if this bitch stopped and fretted every time some ig’nant asshole dropped the word “nigger” into a comment, email or to my face…if I shut down every time my ass was followed through a store, if I got upset every time a well meaning but delusional acquaintance tried to convince me I wasn’t just followed through a store…if I melted down every time I’m harassed while driving black, subjected to someone’s “I’m not a racist, but…” need to seek approval for being a bigot…if I had to mourn every insulting as hell portrayal of women of color in the media, every Birth of a Nation portrayal of blacks in government, every watermelon and fried chicken reference on conservative radio shows, or every other time someone points out that they have issues with race/class/gender/orientation/nationality by trying to explain that they don’t have issues with race/class/gender/orientation/nationality but they do feel that [insert issue with race/class/gender/orientation/nationality] is wrong and something should be done about it…cough…if a bitch ceased functioning after every time some one resurrected, nurtured and demonstrated the hell out of “it” my black ass wouldn’t make it out the motherfucking door each morning.

“It” is not a thing of the past.

Even if “it” were history that shit wouldn’t be get over-able. To even hold that expectation requires a serious lack of understanding of “it”…or a level of don’t give a fuck that is disturbing as hell.

“It” is not some minor slight that no rational person would carry with them for more than a day.

“It” is a shadow of pain that was forever in my father’s eyes that I now see reflected in the eyes of many from my generation as we try to come to terms with a world that wants all of us to just get over “it” even as they refuse to acknowledge the “it” we should be getting over.

Even though “it” is still alive and kicking ass.

And this bitch will not be getting over a damn thing. As a matter of fact, I congratulate myself daily for living with “it” and remaining mostly non-violent.

***fluff Afro and pat back***

History teaches us that you can’t change what you’ve managed to convince yourself isn’t broken…or never even happened…or, if it did happen, certainly wasn’t so awful that you should have to hear about it when all you want to do is watch that Spokane banker save those adorable ducklettes again.

The tricky part is understanding that addressing what has resulted from “it” doesn’t make “it” go away...and that we don't want to forget "it" and move on.

We want to acknowledge "it", remember "it", fix "it" if possible and move on with better odds of not repeat "it" because we didn't say fuck "it.

***logs off to look at ducklettes again before moderating more comments***

Pondering the end of the Missouri legislative session…

A bitch read this commentary on the end of the legislative session in Missouri on StLToday.com and thought I’d share it with y’all.

Sigh.

‘Twas indeed a session of wasted opportunities…so sad and so true.

Eleven pieces of prevention legislation died this session...legislation that would have meant cervical cancer immunizations and comprehensive sex-education...that would have protected consumers trying to fill prescriptions for birth control at pharmacies and prevented unintended pregnancies in the state.

Sigh again.

Dust self off…focus eyes on prize…and begin the struggle again...

An outbreak of verbal malfunctions…

A bitch would like to address several email requests for comment in one post…because its been a long week and bitchitude takes a lot of energy.

That black dyke or Hitchens is a rancid knave…

Christopher Hitchens offered forth a comment regarding Wanda Sykes and her performance at the Correspondents’ Association Dinner the other night.

He clearly was not pleased.

“The president should be squirming in his seat. Not smiling," he said. "The black dyke got it wrong. No one told her the rules."

Now, folks should know that Hitch is not at his best when women comedians are the topic.

He thinks women aren’t funny…can’t be funny…and are genetically unable to make anyone laugh.

Keep in mind that he also likes to quote Kipling and ponder which mythological gods were not the result of vaginal birth…but I digress.

Hitch has woman issues...but he is on the record that he finds dykey, Jewish, hefty or combos of all that exceptions to the rule.

"There are more terrible female comedians than there are terrible malecomedians…but there are some impressive ladies out there.” Hitchens/Vanity Fair

“Most of them, though, when you come to review the situation, are hefty or dykeyor Jewish, or some combo of the three.” Hitchens/Vanity Fair

A bitch is almost tempted to cut his throw-back ass some slack. He’s an established knave who had to be uncomfortable at an event that forced him to button up and cover the chest of man-hair that proclaims to the world that he has lots and lots of testosterone.

And there was an open bar.

But I don’t like Hitchens.

9 times out of 10 he’s a peevish little shit...and the 1 exception to that is when he’s being unoriginal.

So, I’m going to call this one like I smell it – Hitchens is a misogynistic, homophobic bigot with a really good agent.

But it doesn’t have to remain that way. There’s hope for everyone!

Mayhap someone will catch Hitch at a sober moment after he’s had some quiet time reading Kipling at a Jews/Women/People of Color/Liberals need not apply gentlemen's club…and after having displayed his man-hair covered chest and mocked women in leadership while telling tall tales about his sexual prowess (shudder) for several hours…and explain to him while he's in that happy mental space that his ass rancid is batting a thousand in the game of getting it wrong and not knowing the new rules.

Blink.

Moving forward!

That Jew or Proof that they’ve learned nothing from Sen. Allen’s macaca incident…

A certain candidate for the United States Senate from Arkansas experienced a verbal malfunction when referring to Senator Schumer as That Jew whilst addressing what I’m sure he thought was a friendly crowd of fellow We Fear the Chosen People Republicans in Arkansas.

Senator Schumer is Jewish…but someone might want to hip Mr. Hendren to the fact that Schumer isn’t the only Jewish person in Congress.

As a matter of fact, if Arkansas should lose its mind and elect this asshole…and he should get to the Senate chamber and yell out something like “Hey Jew!”…he might want to know that several heads might turn, not all of them Jewish.

’Cause “That Jew” isn’t just an inaccurate statement given the number of Jewish Senators but it's ig’nant as hell too.

Not to mention telling.

Clearly Hendren didn’t get the memo from Congressman Cantor about how the Republican Party is all about being a big tent and welcoming of Jewish Americans.

A bitch wonders if Congressman Cantor got the memo from Hendren and his minions about how they think that big tent spin is bullshit…and ain’t nobody gonna take their guns…and that they feel like Rush Limbaugh is the second coming.

Cough.

Either way, should Arkansas lose its mind Mr. Hendren of the foot-in-mouth Hendrens will join the 13 members of the United States Senate who are Jewish.

And I’m sure they are just thrilled at that prospect.

Lawd, have mercy...

When...

Shall we?

A bitch is a crime buff. I regularly watch crime shows like American Justice because I am fascinated with the system and I adore Bill Kurtis. Over the years I have watched original episodes of American Justice only to later see an update episode that revisits the original crime because something new has happened…some new evidence has surfaced, someone other than the person convicted has confessed or corruption has been uncovered.

A bitch has to give it to Bill Kurtis, the host of American Justice, for circling back when that shit happens. Not only is it the right thing to do as a journalist, but it also helps viewers understand that all is not always what it appears to be when one is looking at a crime.

I bring this shit up because of yesterday’s vote in the Missouri House on a crime bill…and the emotional debate that took place…and the ultimate decision not to grant a moratorium on the death penalty coupled with the agreement to support further study.

As a crime buff this bitch understands Nancy Grace Syndrome. I get the “Well, what were they doing out in that part of town at that time of night!” the “Look at all those counts in the indictment, the prosecution must have something!” and even the “She had a lawyer, trial and was convicted…and if [insert heinous crime] doesn’t merit the death penalty I don’t know what does!”

And, as a crime buff, this bitch also knows that thousands of people have been wrongfully convicted, that the multitude of isms that infect our society also infect our legal system, that money talks and bullshit walks and that continuing to rely on eyewitness identification is fucked up from the floor up even as it is uniquely harmful to people of color.

I know that CSI is fiction, that people lie on the stand (gasp!), that people can honestly screw up and that sometimes innocent people talk themselves into a conviction (see The Interrogation of Michael Crowe).

And I know that our society does not benefit from denial…the questions hovering over our legal system will continue to poison and slowly kill any integrity left within.

No amount of southern fried outrage justifies the incarceration of the innocent…for everyone wrongfully incarcerated there is a criminal going free...no amount of societal fear justifies torture…and emotional and passionate testimony from victims will not absolve us should we uncover that the state murdered an innocent person.

Yesterday, the Missouri House voted to not halt executions but to investigate how those executions are done.

Which brings me back to American Justice and those follow-ups on previous episodes…segment after segment covering a person released due to DNA evidence, another person granted a new trial because a lawyer demonstrated that the original trial was fubar and others walking out of jail after decades because it was revealed that a crime never happened.

And a bitch can’t help but wonder when…not if…Bill Kurtis will profile the wrongfully executed the same way he has profiled the wrongfully convicted.

When.

Not if.

When...

Four more days and counting…

A bitch is heading to Jefferson City…again…to get my lobby on…again!

‘Tis the last week of session for the Missouri legislature and there are a lot of shiny red policy changing legislation balls up in the air, so it’s face-to-face lobby time for those of us who believe women can make decisions about our reproductive healthcare all by ourselves.

Bitchitude shall continue when my ass gets back home!

Toodles…

Dickey C. and the stank that won’t go away…

This bitch spent the weekend blissfully offline. I turned the cell phone off and let Ms. SisterGirl MacBook power down and instructed our TiVo to stay away from new-based programming. And it was fantabulous!

Don’t get me wrong…a bitch adores y’all! I do!

Pause…consider…continue.

Yep, even the knavish trolls among you who have yet to figure out that a bitch moderates comments…I’ve been called that ig’nant shit so much it doesn’t have the impact you think it does…and every bigoted comment reminds me why I do this shit.

Enjoying 48 hours offline isn’t about disliking my time online…’tis more about needing a break from Corn Flakes so I can discover them again.

Anyhoo, a bitch is now refreshed…and this MacBook is happy as a motherfucker too.

Shall we?

Former Vice President…and yes a bitch is glad I can finally type that shit…Dickey C. is finding it hard to say goodbye to yesterday. A bitch caught up on what his ass said this past weekend and I can’t help imagining him getting his Boyz II Men on about torture.

I see Dickey C., rancid as ever and scowling hard as a motherfucker, on a darkened stage in the spotlight where he loves to be.

How do I say goodbye to what we had?
The good times (of causing other pain) that made us laugh
Outweigh the bad (like the ramifications of violating the laws of the religions I pontificate about living by when it suits my political objectives).

I thought we’d get to see forever (because I was shooting for a dictatorship, natch).
But forever’s gone away (in a landslide, damn democracy).
It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday (and the power of hold another’s life in the dewy palm of my hand).

Sigh.

Yeah, that’ll probably give me nightmares too.

The thing is that Dickey C. is demonstrating through his recent media blitz that he was full of shit when he said that he didn’t care about how history will judge him. He cares…a lot…so much so that he’s taking to the telly to make a case that he denied having to make over and over again when he was in office…that our government tortured people in that name of national security.

And that’s the bit that is lost in all the post interview speculation going on…that this knave is now defending what he denied. And that begs the question of why the hell deny it if it’s legal and justifiable and worthy of praise rather than condemnation?

And I’ll take with me the memories

That concern for the nation angle doesn’t pass the smell test.

To be my sunshine after the rain.

And the lifting up of policies that the Bush administration told the masses they weren’t doing…and then that they weren’t doing the way we think they were doing them…and finally that they of they did them they did them for the good of the people, but saying that in no way is an admission that they did them.

It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

No, this performance is about power and the lust for power now lost.

But Dickey C. should know…it’s the cover-up that gets you.

***logs off to beg David Frost for a sequel***

Like passing gas after a session of abdominal cramps…

Let’s jump right on in, shall we?

The Missouri legislature passed a budget…much like a person passes gas after enduring stomach cramps for weeks. They used some federal stimulus money…after wasting weeks of the people’s time posturing about not using any of it. And the finished product, such as it is, will now go to Governor Nixon.

The biggest sticking point has been Medicaid, which too many Missouri conservatives allow themselves to think exclusively serves black people who live in cities. The Republican dominated legislature didn’t want to expand Medicaid coverage because they didn’t want able-bodied folks to take advantage of tax paying folks.

Translation – they’re still drinking that Reagan Kool-Aid.

This is where the Spock test comes into play.

As reported on StlToday.com, the House majority likes a plan that would help people with chronic medical conditions buy private insurance through the state's high-risk pool.
A certain Rep. Doug Ervin (R-Kearney) said the GOP plan was geared toward "helping people who need real help due to their health status."

Okay…a bitch gets it…that makes sense, until you fucking think.

What we know and no one with an ounce of sense can deny is that it costs a hell of a lot more to treat a chronic illness that to prevent chronic illness.

What we know and no one with an ounce of sense can deny is that people without coverage wait to seek medical attention and, when they do seek care, end up in emergency rooms and costing those tax paying folks Republicans like to pretend they are defending a whit-load of money.

And what we know and no one with an ounce of sense can deny is that the working poor…the masses…are the folks we need to government to start working for, who are forced to make unimaginable choices when the economy tanks and who are crucial to any economic recovery for Missouri and this nation.

Yet this budget…this passage of legislative gas…fails to pass the Spock test and instead is an illogical pander-riddled multi-page Fuck It dressed up to look like fiscal responsibility.

And after all that shit…after not extending SCHIP to cover thousands of children who have parents that lost coverage due to recent unemployment, after tying up the schedule with anti-choice bullshit resolutions and dangerous restrictions to family planning options and after avoiding any substantive discussion of job creation or economic growth like the plague…after all that, these illogical lawmakers have still yet to resolve whether they will extend a miserly tax cut to the masses or sit on additional funds just in case the economic drama their work has nurtured rather than worked to prevent comes to pass (like another bubble of painful gas).

But hey, the session isn’t over until the 15th…and that’s plenty enough time for a dedicated fool to do some more damage.

Yay.

One more thing…umm, what ever happened to that autism insurance bill?

***cue crickets***

Oddness…

A bitch just heard that today is a rare odd day.

The 7th day of the 5th month in the year 2009…or something like that.

Since this bitch has been experiencing some serious technology-based drama of late, I’ve decided to declare this odd day the end of all of that shit.

Mmmhmm, I’m saying this day of triple oddness is the official end of a bitch’s tech. drama and beginning of a new era of technological adoration of all things bitch related!

Pause…check Miss SisterGirl MacBook…gasp...continue.

Scratch that shit.

My Facebook account has been taken over by hostile spam trying to lure my friends through a bullshit email-based plea for help!

Fuck a duck.

***change Facebook password***

The technology gods are still at play.

***change Twitter password***

Shit.

Not only has this all happened before...but a bitch just knows it will all happen again (shudder).

***change Yahoo password***

KHHHAAAAAANNNNN!

Sob.

Pause...collect self...continue.

Anyhoo, this bitch was not going to comment on the naughty picture scandal circling around a certain Miss California…but then I saw that Hasslebeck person from The View on the telly mouthing off about witch hunts and, well…hmmm.

Hasslebeck’s blank-eyed yet tight-lipped outrage over Miss California apparently being mocked for tossing stones while living in all glass including the roof cottage instantly made a bitch imagine Miss Cali standing before a merciless Puritan court, declaring herself innocent of the crime of partial nudity in violation of her pageant contract...only to find herself found guilty...and her 2009 Anita Bryant Revival of I'd Pray for You, But I Don't Want to Spend Eternity With Your Kind of Sinner tour totally cancelled...Lawd!..and her official spokes-bigot contract burned at the stake during a segment of The 700 Club...all of this having been live blogged by Perez Hilton, natch.

Trust a bitch, that shit was not what I needed up in my fragile mind!

So, now this bitch resents the hell out of this Hasselbeck person even though I've never watched her on The View and only know her from the clips of her saying ig'nant as hell shit during the 2008 election...oh, and her defense of Miss Cali.

Okay, so this bitch is pretty sure Hasselbeck didn't intend to trigger such visuals any more than she intended to defend Miss Cali (trust a bitch, that earnest expression of hers has May sweeps ratings written all over it) but that doesn’t mean she's are off the hook for putting those fucked up images into a bitch’s head.

Wince.

***logs off to change Blogger password***

...and that depends on which definition of extremist you're working with.

Let’s jump right on in.

Since Justice Souter announced that he was outta there at the Supreme Court, this bitch has noticed that conservatives have taken to using words like extremist, radical and activist to describe the kind of judges they intend to oppose.

Cough.

Now, I know that there are some who think that Getting Active on the Court is a land populated exclusively by liberals…and this bitch acknowledges that, since my ass is sitting in a non-segregated hotel room preparing for a meeting having traveled on a non-segregated plane because some judges decided to get their activism on in response to grassroots pressure, I'm not totally against activist judges…but liberals do not own exclusive rights to judicial activism.

I know that there are some people who are incapable of seeing the world as a complex place full of folks with lots of different views…’tis hard to believe, since those of us who regularly disagree with them are loud as a motherfucker…but the reality is that one person’s extremist is another person’s rational thinker.

The chorus to a bitch… “What brought this pondering on? Why doth thou feel the need to state the obvious?”

A bitch, in reply… If I have to hear another news segment covering conservative concern over who President Obama may or may not nominate to replace Justice Souter that fails to touch on the fact that this bitch and many of my fellow Americans were freaked the fuck out by the extreme as hell and now proven to like a side of radical activism with their decisions judges that the President Scooter B. set before the Senate for confirmation back in the day…well, I may have to break out the merciless rod of correction and get busy!

Shit.

Heaven to hell and back again on a red eye, why the fuck does the press always accept the premise of the argument that what alarms the far right alarms the majority?

Why?

And why the hell don’t they at least pretend to value balance and cover the fact that millions of us have been beaten down so much that we are thrilled with the stingy opportunity to maintain the current count instead of lose yet another seat to a throw-back anti-knowledge far right ideologue?

Hell, lots of folks voted for President Obama for this very reason because we all knew back in 2008 that the next President was going to replace at least one Justice.

Sigh.

I'm sorry, I don’t know what got into me…a bitch must be suffering from travel brain…because my ass should know by now that coverage like that would just be too much like right.

Blink.

***logs off to go get my meeting on***

Hold please…

Bitchitude shall be delayed 'cause this bitch is traveling.

Toodles until I land...

Let the Supreme Court nominee speculation begin!

Justice Souter has announced that he will step down from the Supreme Court as soon as President Obama can find a replacement.

Thank the gods!

A bitch was just beginning to fret that the anti-Mexican Swine Flu festival of ill-informed CLOSE THE BORDERS – WELL, ACTUALLY JUST CLOSE THAT SOUTHERN ONE! public display of ignorance hate frenzy was going to rule the airwaves for another weekend.

Whew.

So, we’ve got a seat to fill.

And there are tons of groups that would like a say in who fills it!

The Nominate a Woman folks…
Multiple groups are calling for President Obama to nominate a woman to the bench… But not just any woman will do, because…

The Nominate a Hispanic folks...
Many groups would like to see Hispanics represented on the Supreme Court. There are several options, but those candidates will most likely also have to be…

The Nominate a Liberal folks…
Liberal/progressive groups would like to see the moderate Souter replaced by someone who could represent the views of liberal Americans on the so conservative it makes conservatives feel boxed in Supreme Court. But that doesn’t mean that the nominee has to be a career jurist…

The Nominate a Politician or a Regular Person folks…
Because there are some who would like to see a politician nominated or someone from outside of the lawyerly judge-based world.

And so forth and so on and…oh my!

A bitch suspects President Obama is getting an earful of advice…

…and I also suspect that he’s more than a little pleased that Souter’s announcement knocked Joey B.’s verbal malfunction regarding the flu off the front page.

For now, this bitch hopes the nominee is relatively young…because the Bush legacy currently sitting on the court in going to be the fuck you that keeps on fucking for years to come.

Blink.