Watching…

Two stories blend together in my heart and mind.

On one hand there is the drama and horror of resistance to oppression taking place in occupied Burma while on the other hand politicians continue to debate the war in Iraq.

Back.

Images and stories smuggled out of occupied Burma show the people facing death in non-violent protest…they show monks sitting down in front of armed soldiers and bodies on the street. Mass murder by governmental decree just hovers over this situation like a pressure system waiting to break.

And forth.

Congress struggles to unite behind one position on the Iraq war while political progress in Iraq continues to struggle to gain traction.

Back.

So we debate our nation’s military support of a democracy movement that wasn’t in Iraq. Yet fumble and seem confused about what to do when confronted with images from a democracy movement in occupied Burma that clearly is.

And forth.

Politicians speak in terms of creating a vacuum of opportunity in Iraqi for democracy to grow.

Back.

While I think of a dear friend’s mother who fled occupied Burma and certain death without a dime to her name. She learned English in less than a year, worked to put herself through school, raised two daughters and volunteered to free the land of her birth. She supported human rights causes around the world and wrote to anyone, hell everyone…and listened for voices that had gone suddenly silent…and searched for loved ones who were suddenly missing…and buried her husband in the nation she made her own because even in death he could not return to the nation that was stolen from them.

And forth.

I fear that, for the people of Burma, life has now boiled down to liberté, égalité, fraternité, ou la mort.

Back.

And the whole world is watching.

The world is watching.

And forth.

Watching to see what becomes of a democracy movement that is.

If you see a teen bull roaming downtown St. Louis…

…you need to call the police. He's one year old and has been in a traffic accident.

People are looking for him!

Lawd, I haven’t heard of cattle roaming the city after a traffic accident since I moved from Texas.

Sigh.

Takes a bitch back.

Go on with your bad self, year old bull on the run!

An Outbreak of Consequensus Avoidus Robustus...

A bitch is breaking into your regularly scheduled bitchitude to announce that there has been another outbreak of Consequnesus Avoidus Robustus in the nation’s capitol.

Blink.

Mmmhmmm, my ass finally figured it out when I read this shit about how Senator Larry Craig is postponing his resignation.

I know…a bitch should have waited to have my findings vetted in peer review, but this is a matter of great importance!

Here’s what I’ve got.

For years political observers have noted the gridlock and general slow pace of Washington D.C. political bitness, which they always called “politics as usual”.

But what I’m seeing isn’t mere political ineptitude…it’s some sort of dangerous disease.

Observe.

Scooter B. refuses to be held accountable for anything at any time ever…particularly regarding the war. I mean, the man went out and told everyone that September 2007 would tell the tale then held a press conference and told us to fuck off on national television.

We’re neck deep in a war without an exit plan or a defined measurable political objective...Social Security doesn’t have enough money to meet it’s obligations…immigration reform died…overt racism is coming out of the closet…chil’ren have been left behind…health care sucks, our energy infrastructure is vulnerable to attack, our roads and bridges have gone to shit…oh, and the dollar isn’t worth shit anymore.

But what’s been occupying the time of Congress?

A newspaper advertisment…

Lawd, a bitch would scream Move On, damn you…but that’s just too weird, isn't it?

Anyhoo, that brings me to the final symptom…Senator Craig, announced that he is going to delay his withdrawal…umm, err resignation from the Senate. This is the same resignation with date certain that he announced after initially trying to downplay his arrest and guilty plea for soliciting some action in a Minneapolis airport bathroom.

Craig is a textbook case of Consequnesus Avoidus Robustus. He denied the charges then pled guilty…then tried to make it all go away only to come out swinging when it didn’t…which he followed up by proclaiming his ungayness then announcing his resignation to fight the good fight…only to then take all that back, but still try to get his conviction tossed because he wants to keep his job.

These people are ill, chil’ren!

And this strain of Consequnesus Avoidus Robustus has proven resistant to the antibiotics Media Feeding Frenzy and The Disgust of the Masses.

Some of you will say that this outbreak doesn’t matter.

But a bitch believes that actions without immediate consequences have out of this world consequences waiting down the road.

Sigh.

Alert - Consequnesus Avoidus Robustus creates the bi-product of abundant bullshit. The masses should wear Wellies and face masks until my vaccine, tentatively named Power to the People Fist Held High Militancy Part II, is ready for release…

Black and Missing - Updated

UPDATE - Nailah Franklin's family says that a body found this morning has been identified as Ms. Franklin. May God have mercy...

I’ve been meaning to mention Black and Missing to y’all. This is a website started by a sister who calls herself “just another concerned black female”.

Black and Missing is dedicated to all the missing black women in America. As you may know, the mainstream media falls far short in coverage of missing women of color cases.

A fluff of the Afro to Ms. Deidra for living her values and helping bring attention to missing black women!

Black and Missing is covering the case of Nailah Franklin and the launch of a web site dedicated to finding Nailah.

Please take a moment to visit Black and Missing and Bring Nailah Franklin Home.

Thank you.

By request - A new book...another cure?

My older brother Bill is autistic and tomorrow morning my sister and this bitch (co-guardians) will attend his annual plan meeting.

Imagine Snakes on a Plane in a conference room with bad coffee and no pastries.

Anyhoo, some of y’all are kind enough to send me articles and news items about autism like a certain reader who was kind enough to forward an article on Jenny McCarthy’s new book about a cure she found for her son's autism.

Blink.

Now, a bitch couldn’t pick Jenny McCarthy out of a line up if I had to. I’ve got no ill will towards her or that book. And as much as I agree that autism is a spectrum disorder I also agree that some of that shit can be treated. So, I hope she did find some sort of cure or treatment for her son.

Having said that, this bitch has been down the “this will work…oh no, my bad - it won’t” road and it can be an emotional monster.

Catch that knee…I said catch it!

Shit.

My brother is 37 years old. That’s right…God willing, autistic kids grow up into autistic adults. That’s nothing to sob about…each year is a blessing not a failure of research. As the youngest child of three I grew up witnessing my mother trying to cure Bill while never coming to terms with her son and who he is…that’s the emotional monster I’m talking about.

There was the oh yea of little faith stage.

Some minister told my mother that Bill was born autistic to punish her for her sins, but if she prayed hard enough God would forgive her and cure him.

My mother tumbled into a massive depression that she fought against by searching for that magical treatment…that blessed cure…the fix that would take the autism out of Bill and the blame off of her shoulders.

She prayed…our family prayed…multiple churches prayed.

Bill remained autistic.

It took me damned near 30 years to realize God answered us all…loud and clear.

Ummm, then there was the get rid of caffeine, artificial coloring and sugar diet.

That shit was a royal beating!

Mmmhmmm, the nutritional method hit our house when this bitch was around 7 or 8 years old and I hated that motherfucking smug ass dietician with a fierce passion. It was bad enough that I had to spend summers hanging out at a school for autistic kids with my mother (Lawd, have mercy) but to be denied sugar after having sampled the magical elixir of the gods (artificially flavored sparkling grape soda, of course…wink) was criminal!

Oh but we did that shit…and the no dairy shit…and the dark leafy green vegetables followed by prune juice diet…and the no caffeine diet too…even the no wheat oh wait let’s try only wheat diet was road tested.

Bill remained autistic.

And who could forget the Psychomotor Patterning experiment.

Talk about some creepy assed shit!

My mother decided that all her chil’ren would benefit so we had to participate…and my hatred was split equally between that smug dietician and the 'you need to sleep in one position all night wrapped tightly in a blanket so that you can fully experience your infant state again' therapist.

I would wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning to find my mother looming over me trying to reposition me in my bed because…gasp!...I had shifted out of the fetal sleeping pattern and my life was going to be ruined for ever. And this bitch couldn’t even indulge in a cup of coffee the next day.

Bill, who didn’t require sleep (part vampire, to be sure), remained autistic.

I could go on and on but I won’t. Don’t get me wrong…I support families exploring options and trying new treatments.

Hell, a bitch saw Lorenzo’s Oil too.

But I also think it’s important that autism not be the thing that must be fixed or cured for any parent or family to be at peace.

I can’t imagine the misplaced guilt that a parent may feel when their child is ill…nor can I imagine the anxiety and frustration that comes with being told your child has a diagnosis that contains more unknowns than understoods.

But I can honestly tell you that loving and accepting Bill has been a hell of a lot easier than sleeping in the same position wrapped tightly in a blanket for 8 fucking hours (wink).

Bill is a great guy…not a cure that didn’t happen.

That's what helps me survive Snakes in a Person Centered Plan Meeting every year!

Four Muddy Paws Micro Chip A Thon!

Four Muddy Paws is having a Micro Chip A Thon!

Saturday, September 29, from 10am-1pm

Chips are ONLY $15.00 (oh, my!).

No appointments necessary.

It is important to make sure you pet is micro chipped. If they are ever lost they can be scanned to find out your contact information.

Dr Ed from Hillside Animal Clinic (Vet to Betsey & Theo the sorta-beagles and Sweetie the three legged chow) will inserting the chips and the proceeds will go to Stray Rescue of St. Louis.

Four Muddy Paws
1711 Park Ave in Lafayette Square
St. Louis, MO 63104

The clock ticketh...

Okay, so I didn’t tune in to see the President of Iran speak at Columbia. But I did catch a wee bit of what he said on CNN and…well, for a second I thought James Dobson had taken over the microphone.

Blink.

What?

Well, shit…the man said there were no homosexuals in Iran! I thought denying the existence of gays was a traditional value practice reserved for Evangelicals and presidential candidates from Kansas. Some people may hate or fear, but it takes a special kind of crazy to say gays and lesbians don’t exist. But there was the President of Iran speaking at Columbia University saying that very same crazy ass shit!

Mmmhmmm….well you can bet your ass that the next time this bitch hears some American pontificating about degayification I’m going to accuse them of standing with Tehran and against America’s freedom and of not supporting the brave gay and lesbians serving without telling in our nation’s military.

Blink.

Moving forward…

What’s the date today?

Oh thank Gawd.

A bitch thought I missed the big Will Senator Craig Stay of Will He Go? hearing and post hearing spinfest!

Tomorrow…September 26… Senator Craig is scheduled to head to court and try to get his disorderly conduct guilty plea tossed. Let me tell y’all, Senator Craig has been busier than a foot tapping man with a 45 minute layover in Minny since announcing that he is not gay and is going to fight to keep his Senate seat.

Cough.

Senator Craig went back to work…got some support from the ACLU…and has launched several challenges to the merits of his arrest in the press.

Whew.

Tomorrow is the big day and Senator Craig has not reversed his pledge to leave office if his guilty plea is upheld.

Oh my!

The clock ticketh.

Y’all bring the Kool-Aid and this bitch will bring the Smarties…

Just 50 years ago…

My father, God bless his soul, was 18 years old when nine black students walked through the doors of Little Rock Central High School and made history in 1957. My mother was 15 and was already attending an integrated school in Pennsylvania (her family having fled Mississippi as part of the post WWII northern migration).

My parents raised me on a steady Civil Rights diet. They were active in the movement and were proud of what they had accomplished, but they also wanted my sister and me to know…to remember…to understand that others faced violence and death for us.

That was my legacy…my inheritance...that people faced violence so that I could have a chance at a decent education.

The use of federal troops in 1957 to enforce the integration of Little Rock Central High School is featured in many a documentary including my favorite, Eyes on the Prize. I remember watching Daisy Bates and being so inspired and proud that a black woman activist was a key part of the struggle.

But there is one scene filmed on that first day in 1957 that is most powerful to me.

It features Elizabeth Eckford…her family didn’t have a phone and she didn’t know that everyone had planned to arrive together…and she arrived alone only to be surrounded by that mob. People were shouting and screaming and there’s Elizabeth Eckford...all alone. Her eyes are hidden behind sunglasses…her blouse and skirt were pressed and first day of school neat.

Merciful God, what she must have been thinking…how scared she must have been and oh so confused…and yet she stood unbowed. She tried to enter the school but was turned back around…she was bumped and shoved and her way was blocked. Finally she sat at a bus stop...visibly terrified, totally alone in a sea of hate.
Someone finally emerged from the crowd and guided Elizabeth Eckford to a bus, most likely saving her life.

That was day one.

And Elizabeth Eckford went back for day two...and the days upon weeks that followed.
I know…and will always remember that Elizabeth Eckford faced that mob alone.

She came home, probably pressed another dress before going to bed and then she woke up and returned to face down that mob again.

I carry that with me always. Sometimes I take it out and review it when things seem impossible or frightening or just not worth it.

A legacy…an inheritance…purchased with courage just 50 years ago.

Harnessing power of advertising…

This bitch is always fascinated by new advertising tools and techniques. I particularly enjoy watching political advertising, so I’ve watched the drama circling around a certain MoveOn.org ad since it first began.

Hell, a bitch was amazed to see Congress roused itself and get their vote on to condemn the MoveOn.org Petraeus ad.

Blink.

Hold up and wait a minute…I see an opportunity for manipulation in favor of the masses here!

Holy shit, was advertising the key to getting shit done in Washington all this time?

ABB’s Ad pitch to get some of the people’s bitness done in Washington…

Okay, here’s the deal.

We secretly partner with MoveOn.org and they place a full page ad in The New York Times with the following copy…

Cover Us – Betray Us!

Say no the the lies about the benefits of health care coverage for chil'ren!

Yeah, and we’ll add a picture of a miserable crying infant...perfect.

This could work, people!

Just imagine the backlash followed by hastified vote that will develop in support of expanding children’s health care coverage to cover all of America’s children just because MoveOn.org said not to do it.

What?

C’mon.

The newly discovered Politician Demographic just revealed how best to get them to move their ass. Think about it. When was the last time you saw those people debated, pontificated and then brought something to a vote in one week?

***sound of crickets chirping***

Right.

Pause…consider…continue…

Come to think of it, we should probably follow-up the health care ad with something like...

Teach Us – Betray Us

Say no to educating America's chil'ren!

...and see if we can’t undo some of that No Child Left Behind damage while we’re at it.

Lawd give me strength.

Keeping it real moment from last week…

My bad...but a bitch has been busy!

A tip of the afro goes out to San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders for reversing his position opposing same sex marriage in California by coming out in support of marriage equality Wednesday September 19.

Mayor Sanders brought a tear to many an eye when he spoke of his LGBT acquaintances and his lesbian daughter and said…

"In the end, I could not look any of them in the face and tell them that their relationships — their very lives — were any less meaningful than the marriage that I share with my wife Rana."

Go on with your bad self, Mayor Sanders!

Politics is more than merely local, y'all…politics is very personal.

We shall not be moved...

We shall not, we shall not be moved
We shall not, we shall not be moved
Just like a tree that's standing by the water
We shall not be moved

If they hang a thousand nooses from every tree in every state…we shall not be moved.

The union is behind us,
We shall not be moved

When they spray Jewish people’s cars with the symbols of murder, oppression and hate…we shall not be moved.

We're fighting for our freedom,
We shall not be moved

When they tell us to just be quiet, stop stirring up dust and that things will change eventually…we shall not be moved.

We're fighting for our children,
We shall not be moved

If they tell us that our voices lifted up in protest are too loud, our demands too liberal and our expectations too high…we shall not be moved.

We'll building a mighty union,
We shall not be moved

This is my country…I shall not be moved.

Black and white together,
We shall not be moved

The struggle is being fought for the masses…we the people, people…and we shall not be moved.

Young and old together,
We shall not be moved

Things will not be easy…but we shall not be moved.

One message was sent when our mothers and fathers sat down at segregated lunch counters.

Yet another was sent when The Man beat them for doing it.

Be strong and have courage.

Do not be moved.

Ahhhh, Friday…

There is a vodka cran with my name on it at the end of this day.

Sigh.

Gawd, bless the weekend.

Later that night, in Alexandria…

…two people demonstrated that noose tying skills are still holding strong in the region and that the hanging of nooses to send a message isn’t limited to Jena Louisiana.

Mercy.

Pam's House Blend on the Jena Six...

Pam of Pam's House Blend is breaking down the coverage and the lack of coverage in the progressive blogosphere regarding the Jena Six!

Go on, my sister!

Jena 6 Documentary on CNN tonight...

CNN will be premiering a one-hour documentary tonight at 7 p.m. CST (8 p.m. ET) CNN: Special Investigations Unit – Judgment in Jena.

I plan to watch it tonight.

Please let me know if you are able to catch it too and what your thoughts are!

A Jena Six quizzical...

A bitch watched several news reports about the Jena Louisiana protests that featured snippets from the District Attorney’s press conference. Something he said just stuck with me…like someone singing off key in the midst of a fantabulous choir.

LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters said of the victim (the white male student) "The injury done to him and threats to his survival have become less than a footnote."

Which would have shamed some people except for the fact that the victim was healthy enough to get his party on later that evening following the “injury done to him.” Mayhap the young have quick recovery skills…or perhaps “the injury done to him” wasn’t as serious as the attempted murder charge it resulted in.

District Attorney Walters went on to add…

"This case has not, never has been about race. It's about finding justice for an innocent victim, holding people accountable for their actions. That is what it's about."

Let’s dust that one off and take it for a spin, shall we?

No one is disputing the fact that a fight broke out. What is in dispute is whether the fight equaled attempted murder and whether the only people worthy of being charged in connection to that fight were young black men.

Cough.

I’m quizzical about the “holding people accountable” part of the District Attorney’s statement.

It really bothers me and I think I know why.

Pause…sip water…continue…

It’s bullshit.

Only some people are being held accountable for the fight…only black students have been charged…and this case was made “about race” by the very same D.A who is now trying to spin his way out of a public relations shit storm.

Further more, in the post-Columbine post-Virginia Tech era of education a bitch is beyond shocked that the District Attorney didn’t feel compelled to “hold people accountable” for the hanging of nooses on school property that kicked this shit off.

The students who hung three nooses in response to three black students having the audacity to sit under the unofficially yet officially white’s only tree located on school property where given in-school suspensions.

Blink.

Let me clear something up for anyone who is confused about the nooses hanging from a tree thing.

A noose hanging from a tree only means one thing.

It threatens lynching and therefore threatens murder.

Nooses hanging from trees never have been, are not now and never will be a joke or a prank and everyone involved in this case knows that.

Nooses hanging from a tree are a terrorist threat against the lives of others.

Except in Jena Louisiana…where the District Attorney speaks about holding people accountable but takes a pass when it suits him.

Boys will be boys when nooses swing under the white man’s tree.

What does it take for the D. A. to hold those "boys" accountable in Jena?

Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees?

Uh uh...hell no.

There will not be another harvest of that strange and bitter crop...

Jena Six Update…

A nod of the Afro goes to David Bowie who donated $10,000 to the Jena Six fund.

A bitch urges everyone to wear black tomorrow (September 20, 2007) in solidarity as the people unite in Jena Louisiana and around the country to protest unequal justice and demand freedom for the Jena Six.

Check out Michael Baisden’s site for information and other ways to support this movement.

And take the time to tell your family, friends and co-workers about the Jena Six.

By request…The B-Word…

For a certain Alexandra of Toronto, who asked so nicely whether this bitch is concerned with the title of my blog given the recent war on the word “bitch” being waged in certain circles.

Cough…stretch…continue…

I don’t give a hot shit what Isaiah Thomas says about the use of the word “bitch”.

Blink.

Years ago I took notice of the kind of black woman being called an angry black bitch. They were often independent, powerful, incapable of bullshit, proud, defiant, militant and without a submissive bone in their body women of color who were being called angry black bitches in an attempt to regulate their behavior and teach them how The Man likes his black women to behave.

“You’re acting like an angry black bitch” was code for…

Talk softly even when a normal person would raise their voice.

Keep your eyes downcast and your posture submissive because no one wants an uppity sister in the office.

Ingratiate yourself and put others at ease because “difficult” or “intimidating” black women don’t move up that corporate ladder.

The goal is for black women to be invisible…kind of like we are on the runways during Fashion Week.

Blink.

If we are silent, submissive and genderless we become “unthreatening” and “safe” in the eyes of The Man.

But I began to realize that listening to the oppressor tell me what appropriate behavior should be is crazy as hell.

So no, I don’t feel that the title of my blog is inappropriate.

I look at the world today and know that this black bitch’s anger is appropriate as a motherfucker.

And I stopped fretting over whether my empowerment made other people uncomfortable years ago.

I don’t walk with my eyes cast downward.

I don’t talk softly.

I don’t care if I intimidate people.

I will not be invisible.

And this revolution will not be censored.

Viva la bitchitude...

Female Trouble 2007 – The Enid Part II …

Longtime readers may recall the story of Enid and why she had to die.

Enid was the name I gave to my uterine fibroids. What? Doesn't everyone name their tumors (wink)? In 2001…with my approval and full support…my doctor murdered Enid during a three hour long surgery.

Blink.

Trust a bitch…Enid had to die.

Anyhoo, I have always considered my Enid drama a blessing because it forced me to come to terms with my life and how I want to live it. But I knew that the odds of my fibroids returning were high and that I would have to deal with them again.

Sigh.

Well, a couple of months of severe pelvic pain followed by an exam last week confirmed that Enid - The Sequel is here. And with Enid Part II comes the rare joy of trying to get treatment for a gynecological condition approved through insurance.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck and shit!

ABB’s Female Trouble 2007 - The Enid Part II Rant…
I know that several presidential candidates have revealed their healthcare plans but so many of them are blessed with the congressional healthcare plan (think amazing coverage and unlimited options) that this bitch doubts they know what real healthcare drama is.

It was hard to find a gynecologist specializing in uterus-based drama who was able to see a bitch this year. It’s a challenge to find two…and I need a second opinion before I do anything medical.

A bitch isn’t trying to get pregnant…I don’t want to have a baby…I just need someone to tell me how best to kill Enid Part II dead and another someone to either agree or disagree with the recommended method!

Not everyone going to a gynecologist to treat fibroids is having a "fertility" problem! And why the hell am I being punished with the torture of proving that I’m not trying to sneak a fertility treatment by my insurance company? Can someone please tell these people that fibroids are a fucking beating all on their own and not just when a woman is trying to get pregnant?

And why the hell are these companies so nasty towards wanna-be mothers anyway?

Lawd give me strength.

I had to cuss out an insurance heifer this morning because she claimed a bitch didn’t get my “fertility treatments” approved ahead of time.

What?

What treatments?

Since when was an exam and that ultrasound a "fertility treatment"? All we did was get a good look at the situation, for the love of all that's holy!

Ugh!

Anyhoo, I’m thrilled and so forth with all the talk about universal coverage…but that’s not the only reform that needs to be made. My heart goes out to those without insurance…but having insurance isn’t the cure to this industry’s illness.

This current system discourages good medicine. It is anti-patient and anti-doctor at the same time…mercy...and navigating through the world of insurance has become a business of its own.

I have a painful condition...it is making me sick…and I need to be able to find a way to get well again. I’ve been paying into this motherfucking insurance plan for years…don’t I deserve to have the council of trained specialists and the benefit of appropriate treatment? Should I have to go off on three people and threaten them just to get a medically requested ultrasound covered?

I guess so, because after that they backed off and agreed to pay for what they should pay for.

Great.

Good times.

Fuckers!

And people wonder why I’m angry…

Updated again - Deadlocked? No - Hung...

UPDATE 9/27/07 - The judge declared a mistrial & the D.A. says he'll go at this case again. Mercy.

UPDATE 9/21/07 - The jury has been sent back in with new instructions. Drama!

The Spector jury is deadlocked?

You’ve got to be kidding me!

A bitch just returned from a doctor’s appointment to learn that Phil Spector’s jury is hung.

Blink.

They are unable to reach a verdict in the second degree murder trial.

Blink again.

What?

Maybe I missed something, but it looked to me that the “wall of sound” crumbled to reveal a world of crazy and Phil Spector's days as a free roaming gun adoring music legend were numbered.

So, ummm....wow.

Mercy.

Currently shaking my groove thang to…

Ooooh, this bitch was just getting my groove on to Jill Scott’s Hate On Me and…well, that shit ought to be illegal to listen to while driving.

Go on with your bad self, Ms. Scott!

Go on now!

Was the Emmy Award show on last night?

As some of you know, a bitch has trained my beloved TiVo to avoid all things FOX television based (wink) so I never know what’s on that channel. As a result, it appears that this bitch missed The Emmy’s…not that viewers were actually allowed to see the real show anyway.

Blink.

Mmmhmmm, the news this morning mentioned that FOX got it’s censorship on during The Emmy’s…big time! Apparently someone in the control booth (a bitch suspects His Supreme Lowness of Rancidity, Rupert Murdoch) was eager to go off air rather than risk offending those delicate FOX viewers.

Gasp!

But what set FOX off?

Was it a wardrobe malfunction?

No.

It was Sally Field.

Oh, my Gawd!

Gidget?

Yes!

It was Sally Field who set FOX's censorship alarm off…The Flying Nun herself…and her apparent wish to express her opinion during her acceptance speech.

Did she say fuck...or motherfucker...or Rupert Murdoch is a sick evil unethical motherfucker?

Uh, no. She said "And, let's face it, if the mothers ruled the war, there would be no (expletive) wars in the first place".

Rumor has it that the expletive was "damn".

Oooh, someone didn’t tell Ms. Field that things are different over at FOX. It might take the unauthorized display of a breast during “family time” to offend other network's viewers…but FOX viewers are a different breed altogether. Lawd knows how many letters FOX would have gotten if their socially conditioned cult had been forced to withstand a woman speaking her mind.

Perish the thought?

I've got a better idea...perish FOX.

Don't fret about this Sally Field!

Right now this bitch adores you!

I really, really do...

Update on The Jena Six case…

I too was thrilled to hear the news that Mychal Bell’s conviction was vacated on appeal.

But the battle for justice is far from over. Five teens still face charges and Mychal Bell could still be charged as a juvenile.

It is the 50th Anniversary of the Little Rock Nine, who bravely walked through the doors of a segregated public school to take what had been previously denied them...an education.

Education was a key front in the battle for equality 50 years ago and it still is, because there is nothing The Man fears more than the people empowered with knowledge.

Now is not the time to rest and it sure as shit is not the time to back off.

For every Jena Six there are young people we haven’t heard about…without representation or support…being denied a decent education and equal justice under law.

The struggle goes on...

At a crossroads...

Brother Rob Thurman joined this bitch last night for a dinner of barbeque ribs and presidential insanity. I forgot the corn bread (wince) but the fantabulous slaw made up for it.

After hearing all about Brother Rob’s fantabulous trip to Montreal (we’ve got nothing but love for ya, Canada!) we settled in with ice cream sundaes topped with hard shell chocolate yummification and watched Scooter B. get his speech on.

Thanks to the blessing of TiVo, which allowed us to pause and scream at the television over and over again, it took a good two hours for us to get through the 20 minute address.

“Good evening. In the life of all free nations, there come moments that decide the direction of a country and reveal the character of its people. We are now at such a moment.”

Scooter B. went on to spin that the complete lack of political progress despite some success in addressing the violence associated with the civil war in Iraq had been the goal all along…everything was unfolding as he had planned…and we should just trust in the leadership of the world’s worst leader.

Blink.

Around this time a bitch decided to toss the score card and just hit the vodka cran as needed.

Bush went on.

“Yet Iraq's national leaders are getting some things done. For example, they have passed a budget. They are sharing oil revenues with the provinces. They are allowing former Ba'athists to rejoin Iraq's military or receive government pensions. And local reconciliation is taking place. The key now is to link this progress in the provinces to progress in Baghdad. As local politics change, so will national politics.”

Brother Rob erupted with a verbal stream of “Mahla lakaki hanah shukka ahhhh!”

I’m not shitting y’all, he started speaking in tongues!

Holy shit.

But Scooter continued.

“The principle guiding my decisions on troop levels in Iraq is "return on success." The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home.” And in all we do, I will ensure that our commanders on the ground have the troops and flexibility they need to defeat the enemy.”

Oh…my…Gawd.

“He's crazy.” We whisper in unison.

The vodka crans were coming one on top of another.

“Some say the gains we are making in Iraq come too late. They are mistaken. It is never too late to deal a blow to al Qaeda. It is never too late to advance freedom. And it is never too late to support our troops in a fight they can win.”

Oh shit…oh shit…fubar, thy name is this war!

It was over.

Rob went home and this bitch prepared for bed, but I was dead sober despite all that vodka followed by cran.

Mmhmm, I was wide awake and seeing clear as hell.

With this speech Scooter B. gave the green light to years of war...to an inheritance of combat...and to a prolonged policy of occupation.

He is saying to all of us “go ahead…make me” and banking on his few remaining minions to ensure that any real change will not happen while he is still in office.

My fellow Americans, we do face a moment that will reveal our true character.

Are we a nation of the people, for the people and by the people?

Or are we King George’s subjects after all?

Blink.

We are a nation standing at a crossroads.

Do we take a stand against the divine right of presidents?

Or do we damn it all to hell?

Presidential address preparedness…

Faithful flock of bitchitude members know that this bitch always watches Scooter B. when he addresses the nation (wince). Well, Scooter B. plans to get his speech on tonight and this bitch will be watching.

Shit needed to achieve preparitude for Scooter B.’s address to the nation and the scorecard …

The meal…
Yummified barbeque scored on the way home from work.
Corn bread… because life ain’t worth living without cornbread.
Lettuce-based salad with red wine vinaigrette

The drink…
Vodka… tonight we worship the Swedish god of vodka-based joy
Cran… the 100% for real deal, baby!
Water… it is a school night.

The scorecard…
Note - since fubarism flows away from progress, we’ll be subtracting points tonight.

Use of the words “bottom up” to describe political progress in Iraq
-3 points
Give 2 spanks upon nearest bottom and take one sip of vodka cran.
Non-spanking option – 3 sips vodka cran

Reference to “laying the groundwork”
-2 points
2 sips vodka cran or one large gulp

If he refers to the drawing down of troops to pre-escalation levels as a “withdrawal”
-5 points
2 shots vodka

Use of star fucking language to describe General Petraeus
-2 points
Drink a glass of water

A recap with point totals will follow the speech.

Keepin it real moment of the week…

A Britney Spears debate overheard by this bitch yesterday while waiting in line to purchase sparkling grape soda and Fig Newtons at the Walgreens.

SistahGirl #1… “I’ll give you that Britney Spears looked high, but she wasn’t fat.”

SistahGirl #2… “But compared to how she used to look, her stomach was…”

Cut off by SistahGirl #1… “Girl, you need to shut the hell up. You know damn well you’d smack me twice on Sunday to have Britney Spear's stomach.”

Daaaaaaaamn.

Annoyed...

A bitch is annoyed.

Maybe it’s because politicians are only talking about international shit.

That does not mean that I do not care about the world…but I stay here in St. Louis Missouri. So, I want to hear presidential candidates talk about more than just international issues. The truth is, I judge President Bush a failure domestically and internationally (shudder).

I need someone to prove they have the experience to address domestic drama…that they look around this nation and see the policy failures here too…and that they can balance our domestic needs with all that other stuff.

No, I’m not an isolationist.

I’m just a bitch who lives in St. Louis Missouri and is more than a little freaked out by the “but of course I’ll handle healthcare, education, our aging infrastructure and our inability to handle natural disasters too” dismissive posture I’m seeing from folks running for office.

Trust a bitch, the Bush administration has fucked up shit at home…big time.

Or do these presidential hopefuls assume he only shoveled shit in one direction?

It’s going to take some serious policy, dedication and motherfucking focus to change course. To see that all I have to do is look around where I stay.

The state of Missouri has taken over the St. Louis city public school system, the city has crime-based drama and North City rarely sees a trickle of whatever prosperity befalls the region.

36 percent of Missouri college freshmen require remedial classes to learn the basic shit they should have learned in high school.

800 thousand Missourians do not have healthcare. That’s a damn wicked shame…but it’s the truth.

Nearly 800 thousand Missourians participate in the food stamp program and that number does not include the thousands who receive assistance because their household is not food secure.

While anti-choice folks pontificate, a bitch has witnessed the wounds left by the battles against comprehensive sex education. St. Louis city is in the middle of a Chlamydia outbreak which joins the syphilis outbreak already in play. You do the math… Chlamydia cases in St. Louis city jumped from 3,200+ in 2002 to more than 4,500 in 2006.

I’ll say it again…this bitch needs to hear some domestic policy talk and I need to hear it now. Candidates need to understand that they must achieve my vote to receive it.

Shit, we need a “New Way Forward” too and the motherfucking leadership to accomplish the mission.

But you have to acknowledge what is broken before you can strategize about how to fix it…that logic works for Iraq and for Missouri.

No…I’m not an isolationist.

I’m just a bitch living in the real world waiting to hear what I need to hear and see what I need to see.

My server ate it?

Let’s kick today off with a Missouri specific post, shall we?

Stretch arms high…flex fingers…and begin.

As most of you know, this bitch has joined up with fellow Missouri pro-choice activists to address the fallout of HB 1055. HB 1055 threatens Planned Parenthood’s ability to keep clinics open in Missouri, the ability for trained educators to go into public schools and teach comprehensive sex education and the ability for comprehensive sex education to be taught in Missouri public schools. It is now law and, although groups are challenging it in the courts, portions are already being applied.

Governor Matt Blunt, our current anti-choice nightmarish Head Idiot-in-Charge, gleefully signed HB 1055 into law…pro-choice groups and activists immediately began to plan challenges…and that’s when a certain Ed Martin, who is Blunt Trauma’s Chief of Staff, decided to proactively rally private anti-choice groups in defense.

And it looks like Ed delivered his battle field orders to these private groups whilst on my tax provided dime.

Blink.

As reported in an editorial by Tony Messenger in the Springfield News-Leader (September 9, 2007)…

“So says an e-mail Martin sent at 9:23 the night of the 20th from his taxpayer-provided ed.martin@mo.gov e-mail account.”

Which, according to the same editorial, stated…

"This lawsuit has the potential of bringing down the a2a program as well as the other parts of 1055. We need to mobilize the supporters — to get Nixon off the case and get a new lawyer"... "Please have people write letters and call Nixon and the press. We need you to put out press statements asap. This is a huge battle.”

Messenger goes on to explain that he was sent the e-mail by one of the anti-choice activists who received it…he filed a Sunshine Law request with the Governor’s office to see if there were any more e-mails…and was then informed that there were no such e-mails to provide.

Double blink.

It seems that Ed Martin sends out a lot of e-mail…tons of e-mail…and although he admitted that the e-mail looked like an e-mail from him he could not confirm that it was...and he didn’t save his e-mails anyway...but in no way was he agreeing that the sending of such e-mails was inappropriate, because sending out e-mails is part of his job.

Whew!

Chorus - “But Shark-fu, what about the server?”

Shark-fu – “Great question! I’m thinking they’ll have to get back to us on that one. I like you, so don’t hold your breath.”

Anyhoo, if Ed was just doing his job by rallying private groups to defend this fucked up law that had already been signed and removed from Blunt’s desk and thus the political arena, then his e-mail on the matter is public record and should have been provided to Messenger per the Sunshine Law.

As a matter of fact, this bitch can’t help but wonder if some sort of crime (gasp) hasn’t been committed by the Blunt administration (for whom ethics are a 'sometimes food') by their failure to keep e-mails sent by Blunt's Chief of Staff.

And isn’t it interesting that Republican e-mails seem to disappear when a Sunshine Law request or subpoena is submitted?

Mayhap “the server died” is the new “18 minute gap”.

But it is nice to know what these motherfuckers are working on instead of doing the people’s business...it actually explains a lot (wince).

To whom much is given…

I’m wise enough to know that some questions have no answers, but my gut tells me that everything happens for a reason. So my mind searches for that reason…for the lesson to be learned…for the inspiration to be taken…for the legacy to be built out of the ashes.

Such was my reaction to the attacks six years ago. I walked around in shock and horror just like everyone around me. But eventually I circled back to questions and searched for answers.

One of my favorite quotes from the Bible is from Luke 12:48 “To whom much is given much is expected”.

When challenged in life I return to that verse and it is there that I turn today.

Shall we live for those who loved to live and fight for a peace that they were denied?

What legacy will we build out of the ashes?

Because much has been given and thus much is expected.

So much given.

So very much expected.

And infinity beyond infinite infinity yet to be given in return.

May the Divine One comfort those who mourn.

Iraq September Report to Congress Spin Game Viewage List of Necessary Things…

Some people watch Monday night football...a bitch prefers multi-viewing the political spin machine through the magic of TiVo!

The post Iraq progress report spin should be a battle for the record books!

ABB’s Monday Night Spin Game List of Necessary Things…
Vodka…Russian and I don’t want to hear any shit about that either (wink).
Grape Cran juicy blend...yum!
Yummified pasta dish
Notebook for documenting bullshit for future bitchitude
Dulce de leche caramel ice cream...what? It is Monday, right?

Blink.

Nyla-bones for sorta-beagle distraction.

And to finish, a fresh bottle of Excedrin. Based on what I’ve been listening to on NPR my ass is going to need it.

Toodles until tomorrow!

…while accountability remains an orphan.

This bitch was one sip into a rather fantabulous cup of extra bold coffee (2 cubes sugar and a dash of cream…yum) when a certain Billy Martin (where have I seen him before…oh, yes…oh my!) flashed onto my television screen representing none other that Senator Larry Craig of the three foot taps away from paradise Craigs!

Senator Craig is filing papers to have his guilty plea thrown out. Apparently, Craig was bewitched, bothered and bewildered when he agreed to enter a guilty plea in the Minneapolis airport bathroom sex sting case.

Gasp!

He didn’t know that he was going to be held responsible when he agreed that he was responsible…he had no idea that he was waiving his right to have his case heard before a judge when he waived his right to have his case heard before a judge...he was unaware that “guilty” meant guilty…and he’s prepared to fight till the fight is fought!

But it’s not what Craig wants that fascinates me…it’s what he thinks he deserves.

Pause…sip water…continue.

Senator Craig’s defiance shines a harsh light on the nature of the political aristocracy and how they resist accountability and thus prolong all manner of drama.

Observe.

Members of both political parties who are now gathered to listen to General Petraeus report about the progress or lack of progress in Iraq.

Both plan to hear a report that will validate their interpretation of the new way forward...no matter what General Petraeus or Ambassador Crocker submit.

Neither wants to be held accountable for what they have done, failed to do or plan to do regarding this war.

And so they will posture and spin...waste some time pontificating about some newspaper ad…and avoid any real discussion of where we are and where we need to be.

Policy has a thousand parents while accountability remains an orphan.

Is the whole world watching?

Or does fubar only grow in the dark...

Brain-based knowledge greed is a good thing…

The Sisters Bitch stumbled upon the documentary Zizek! about the philosopher Slavoj Zizek and we are now deep into reading all things Zizek and therefore also Lacanian based.

C-Money is the real philosopher junkie of the house, but a bitch can dig deep thinking too (wink).

Anyhoo, I’m concerned that the masses don’t appear to exercise their brain muscles anymore. What ever happened to learning new shit for the joy of learning new shit? When I read that one in four Americans didn’t read a book last year it made this bookish bitch weep!

Okay…so I didn’t weep because that would have fucked up my make-up, but it did make me sad.

Jesus to Gawd, people…use it or lose it!

Mercy.

Graphic novels, trash fiction, science fiction, fiction, non fiction, philosophicals…the subject doesn’t matter as long as it engages the mind. Books are fantabulous, reading kicks ass and every book has a reader just waiting to be hooked up.

We must get back to the business of reading! The written word stimulates specific parts of the brain that need regular stimulating…and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

Humph.

Anyhoo, C-Money is currently consuming Zizekian books at an alarming rate. She’s threatened to move on to his source material!

A bitch will have to catch up and I mean catch up fast. One can’t have one’s sister knowing more shit than a bitch.

That just will not do (wink).

So, bring forth the theory of Maximilien Robespierre!

I ain’t scared of you or your sponge like brain, C-Money.

Bring it!

Brain-based knowledge greed is a good thing indeed…

Pondering political legacies under the influence of NyQuil...

Lawd, a bitch feels like absolute shit!

It seems that this head cold Ebolaesque sinus drama from HELL…cough…is in control of my body!

Right nostril clear…left nostril still suffering Boston on a Monday morning level snot-based traffic jam.

Wince.

Thank Gawd for Senator Larry Craig’s public flip flop, because this bitch needed a distraction yesterday…big time!

When Senator Craig announced he was leaving to fight the good fight on behalf of all wide stance posturing Senators who enter airport bathroom stalls, tap their feet three times and then wave their hands in the air and I mean wave them like they just don’t care…mercy…this bitch was pretty sure Larry was down for the count.

And I must admit that I enjoyed his random as hell comments concerning his confidence that Senator Specter was now in his corner and believed Craig had been railroaded...railroaded, for the love of Gawd…into admitting guilt before a judge some two months after the incident and having been advised of his legal rights at the time of his arrest and during the hearing at which he admitted before judge and everybody that his wide stance was not as innocent a spreadage of leg as he initially stated…oh, hell yes that shit was entertaining!

Y’all need to try watching CNN whilst high on NyQuil and Theraflu…which should not be taken together, trust a bitch (wink)…anyhoo, that Craig shit was fantabulous!

But the odds of Senator Craig being able to reverse his guilty plea and stay in office are about the same as the odds of the much anticipated Iraq status report containing a multitude of achieved benchmarks and real political reconciliation.

But Craig is fretting about his legacy...and it seems he's not the only one. Did y’all catch Robert Draper on television pitching his new book Dead Certain about Scooter B.? It apparently contains interviews with Bush and his minions.

Blink.

C’mon, you didn’t buy that bullshit about Bush not caring about his legacy did you?

Anyone who thinks that the kind of person with the ego it takes to want to be President and the ambition is takes to achieve the presidency is capable of leaving that office without trying to shape how history regards their tenure is fucking insane.

The funny part is that Scooter B. is as graceless in shaping his image as he is in all things. Spinnage from Dead Certain currently centers around Scooter B.’s admission that he “does tears” and that he tries not to wear his worries on his sleeve.

While the President cries on God’s shoulders he is also playing a game of delay and redirect with the hope that both political parties will adopt a policy of no change in Iraq and allow him (Bush)to sail out of office with the war unended and his legacy sufficiently murkified in Eisenhoweresqe fashion so as to achieve the long term appearance of a war mismanaged by the leadership that followed him into office rather than the fucked up mess with his name all over it that he is currently faced with.

The goal may be to make like Ike but this bitch thinks Scooter B. has misjudged his wiggle room much like he misjudged the insurgency.

Eisenhower actually benefited from his reputation as a lazy as hell golf adoring president because the “do nothing” label distracted folks from what his Eisenhower Doctrine actually did.

But Bush is anything but a dynamic conservative...and the question I'm left with is whether a president so fully branded as the Decider in Chief can deconstruct that brand enough so as to not be held accountable for the damage he hath wrought?

Mercy, now I'm really feeling illish.

Oh shit, a head cold!

A bitch is ill.

One nostril works...but the other one has a snot-based traffic jam.

My eyes water...face hurts...damn it all to hell and back, this bitch has a head cold!

And they don't even make meds worth shit anymore.

Fuck.

Anyhoo, bitchitude will be delayed until after a nap.

Ugh.

Jena...

Several regular readers asked that I post about the Jena Six.

I have avoided doing so partly because other bloggers have done a remarkable job covering the case (Elle, PhD...Jack & Jill Politics…African American Political Pundit, just to name a few) but also because the case of the Jena Six takes me back to a place I don't like to return to.

I’m 34 years old and I still remember my second grade teacher looking me right in the eye while a classmate beat the shit out of me on the playground for being black. I remember my teacher's vivid blue eyes…so cold and yet amused…and knowing that my humiliation pleased her.

I remember the tolerance for bullying, violence, intimidation and racism almost more than I remember the kids who menaced me daily. My days were filled with hair pulling, stomach hitting, pinching, kicking, spitting, tripping, verbal abuse and general taunting.

Defend thyself and you’ll get in big trouble for "causing trouble"…so I learned how to take a beating by age six.

I stopped crying as a result of the name calling…stopped eating lunch because it just wasn’t worth it…and stopped sleeping because my mind wouldn’t rest for thoughts of drama past and drama sure to come.

By the time I reached high school I had learned to defend myself with words which earned me death threat during my sophomore year.

And I remember everyone asking me how that note got in my locker in a tone that begged me to “play ball’ and pretend it wasn’t serious. It was just kids acting out…just a youthful mistake…no big deal, right?

Of course I knew who did it and of course nothing was done.

Blink.

And I’m 34 years old and I still remember and wish and wonder.

Was it just that sad moment in time?

Has everything changed now and for the better?

Then a black student sat under a tree in the schoolyard in Jena Louisiana where only white students historically sat…and the next day three nooses were hanging from the tree.

There was tension…the tolerance of intolerance…a fight or fights…then a white student with a concussion and bruises…and six black Jena High School students were arrested, charged with attempted murder and conspiracy.

They face up to 100 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

And I'm back in that place I don't like to return to...a place I know still exists for too many people and not just in the south.

These young people do not deserve nor will society benefit from Jim Crow justice.

The Jena Six deserve justice.

We all do.

A bitch is back!

This bitch had a fantabulous time reconnecting with family over the Labor Day weekend!

My cousins have taken be fruitful and multiply seriously (wink) so there were plenty of chil’ren racing about with water balloons and projecting the kind of positive energy only chil’ren racing about with water balloons can.

I’m also blaming those youngsters for the head cold my ass woke up with this morning.

Shit!

Anyhoo, I hadn’t seen most of my maternal relatives for years and I won’t let that happen again.

Hugs and sniffles to all y’all!

Happy trails to you...

A bitch is breaking into my vacation/family reunion programming to bring y'all the following special announcement!

Senator Larry Craig (R - Idaho) has announced that he will resign the Senate. Craig will vacate his seat September 30, thus leaving it open for another "wide stance" Republican from Idaho.

Blink.

Craig still plans to fight like hell to reverse his guilty plea, but a bitch suspects the GOP would prefer he find a closet on his ranch and hide in it until after November 2008.

I wonder how many of those anti-equality LGBT attacking social conservative groups who once adored him now plan to join Larry in his post-Senate legal degayification effort?

Hmmm?

...sound of crickets floats over painful silence that speaketh volumes...

Yeah, I thought so.

Happy trails to you...