If you can drive…

I’m not a fan of car racing.  I grew up with plenty of it on the television, though.  My father was a car person…the type who unwinds on the weekend by tinkering with a car for hours.  He used to watch the big races…and it felt like they took forever, eating into prime mindless weekend television in my opinion.

I’ll also confess that I don’t know a lot about Danica Patrick…other than the fact that she drives fast, makes really bad Go Daddy ads, and is one of the few women racing cars for a living.

Anyhoo, you don’t have to be a fan of car racing or Danica Patrick to appreciate the history made over the weekend at Daytona.

Danica Patrick made history by becoming the first woman to win the pole position at Daytona.  She finished 8^th in the race.

Her 2013 Daytona performance illustrates a key progressive point – people deserve the opportunity to demonstrate their ability and go for the big win.

The You Can Play project ice hockey applies this logic to address homophobia in sport - if you can play, you can play. 

I like to expand it and think it fits rather nicely to Ms. Patrick’s historic moment.

Cause…if you can drive, you can drive.

The fight isn’t for a guaranteed win or an unfair advantage.

The fight is for a chance to race for the pole position and then the opportunity to start where you earned the right to start.

If you want to…you should have the opportunity to try.

If you can, you can.

I congratulate Ms. Patrick on a race well driven.

She could.

And she did.

Birthday time...

C-Money looks on as I meticulously remove candles
I think this was birthday #8!

Thanks so much for all the fantabulous birthday wishes!

I’m already loving 40…even though I woke up a wee bit hung over from celebrating my last night at 39 a little too hard.

Wince.

Anyhoo, many thanks to my sister C-Money for giving me my own personal Shark Week of birthday-based joy.

Best sister EVER!

Toodles.

On Rep. Leara’s gun bill and defending the Constitutional rights of Missourians…

Once again, I have the joy of watching a Missouri lawmaker’s legislative malfunction make national news.

***cue Rep. Leara and his bill to restrict the rights of legislators to legislate***

On one hand, I was dismayed to see our dirty laundry (mainly, the fact that the Republican majority in the Missouri General Assembly has less home-training than a gang of feral cats) aired out as content for people who enjoy feeling that the middle of the nation is an absolute hot mess.

But on the other hand…I’m kind of glad that Rep. Leara gave me the opportunity to go off on the epidemic of hypocrisy rampaging under the dome in Jefferson City.

Rep. Leara filed a bill that would make it a class D felony for any member of the General Assembly to propose legislation that restricts the right of an individual to bear arms, as set forth under the second amendment of the Constitution of the United States.

Rep. Leara then took to the press to acknowledge that this bill is absolute bullshit filed to make the point that he’s not going to stand for anyone trying to take away Missourians Constitutional rights.

But Leara is full of it.

He is.

He and his Republican colleagues are members of an army waging relentless war on women’s Constitutional rights, with a freakish glee and dedication.

They've even gone so far as to say the reason they feel validated to restrict women’s Constitutional rights is…wait for it…to protect people.

Pause…allow to marinate…continue.

Tis like a policy-based math equation.

Constitutional right - protection of people = restrictable as hell

I happen to disagree with Rep. Leara’s definition of “people” and most of what comes out of his mouth…but I also think the best way to back fools like Leara off of is to hold them accountable for their inconsistent application of their own logic.

Rep. Leara just filed a bill containing felony penalties should any legislator attempt to legislate restrictions on Missourian’s second amendment rights.

Now’s the time to ask Rep. Leara and the rest of the conservative gaggle to stand up for the Constitutional rights of Missouri women to have UNRESTRICTED access to the full range of reproductive healthcare.

Oh, I already know that Rep. Leara will fail to file a bill applying felony penalties to lawmakers who fail to respect privacy rights.

His kind is incapable of understanding how his over-the-top defense of one amendment to the Constitution shines a glaring light on his nonexistent defense of the rest of the law of the land.

***sniff, sniff***

If you get lost on the way to the Jefferson City, a swarm of flies and the smell of fresh bullshit will guide your way...

State of the Union 2013 Preparedness…

Let’s jump right on in, shall we?

President Obama will give the State of the Union address tonight…and I’ll be watching.  As with all political addresses, I need some stuff to help me get through this shit.

Yummification…

I’ll be preparing some lamb and potato with onion…because I recently watching The Silence of the Lambs and now I’ve got a craving.

What?

I never claimed to be right in the head.

Anyhoo, I also plan to have some ice cream on hand just in case I need to soothe my soul after a public display of no home training shout from [insert conservative with no home training, an upside down view of the facts, and a voice that carries here].

Onward…

Notepad and writing instrument…

I’m a doodler during political speechification, so I always have something to write on.  Also, I need to take notes for my post State of the Union recap!

Beverages…

After a couple of unfortunate incidents of extreme intoxication in my couch-based area (wince), I no long play drinking games during the State of the Union.

Pause…think back to the “September 11” reference drinking games of the Bush II administration…shudder.

But I shall indulge in more than a couple vodka + cran + ice libations…cause that’s the official drink up here in my lair.

Music…

I can’t remember the last time I needed music for a political address, but recent comments by Nicole Wallace have made it clear that I need to dust off my Tupac to properly interpret the Republican Response from a certain Senator Marco Rubio.

Has anyone told Marco that delivering the Republican Response is the political equivalent of winning the Best New Artist Grammy?

Blink.

Oh well, if Rubio's response sucks as bad as Governor Jindal’s did (and it did…it really, really did) at least I’ll be jamming to some good music.

Toodles!

***logs off the prepare to speak truth to power at a reproductive health Lobby Day in Jefferson City***

w-a-t-e-r…

When I was a wee bitch, I used to pray and ask God to make my older brother “normal”.  For the longest time I was convinced that the reason God had yet to answer my prayer and “cure” my brother’s autism had to do with my inability to be a perfectly behaved sin-less little girl. 

I woke up one day…just a random day…knowing with absolute conviction that my prayer wasn’t being rejected. 

I just knew that my brother was as he should be…a different kind of normal.

I got it…

…and we were cool.

A different kind of normal has meant different kinds of communication.

I couldn’t just pick up the phone and have a conversation with my brother.  I’d call and talk…he’d respond with a whispered word or two when prompted…but we never chatted.

I eventually stopped trying because the attempts were more about me than him…more about my preference than his…more about my trying to have my brother bend than meeting him where he was.

Fast-forward to the now.

Earlier this week I had my first telephone-esque conversation with my brother…via Skype.

I logged in from a conference room at work.

Bill was assisted from his day program and used his iPad.

It was a reverse of the scene from The Miracle Worker where Helen Keller signed w-a-t-e-r, because I was the one connecting the dots for the first time.

As his face filled the screen, I was the one learning.

He smiled and waved hello.

And then we communicated.

About his day so far.

About how he liked his apple snack, but didn’t want to go out on the community visit later that day…but he sure would LOVE some pizza, just in case I had the power to make that happen.

Then he touched his fingertips to the screen, as if he were touching my cheek…softly humming a little tune… just like he does when we are face-to-face, but this time with a look in his eye that said “you get it now, sis…we’re cool.”

I get it.

We’re cool.

w-a-t-e-r