By request – my thoughts on the Casey Anthony verdict…

Okay, everybody take a deep breath…hold…exhale.

Good job!

Shall we?

A certain Maggie from Orlando sent me an email requesting my thoughts on the Casey Anthony verdict.

Pause…consider…continue.

Okay…but remember that you asked for it!

#1 The masses have been conditioned to think public opinion is a factor in all manner of shit because public opinion is too often a factor in lots of shit but that doesn’t mean public opinion should be a factor in most shit.

Last night I watched as Nancy Grace disgraced herself…once again…by attacking the jury, reading off their personal biographies with overt disdain for the juror with an “11^th grade education” and the one with “a prior conviction for drug possession.”

My sister C-Money responded to Grace’s tirade with a question – how many of the people screaming about this jury have dodged jury duty when they were called?

The answer?

Plenty…and let’s not bullshit about it.

Juries are drawn from the public.  I wish and the system wishes that they were drawn from the general public, but sadly most juries are drawn from the willing to serve public that doesn’t make up a bullshit story to dodge their civic duty. 

There is a difference and sometimes it shows.

That said, trashing juries feeds into the already existing problems with the jury system. Folks either won’t want to be on a jury in a high profile case and face the wrath of Nancy Grace & Co on national television…or folks will neglect their duty as jurors and do the public’s will rather than weigh the evidence.  

I've been guilty of it my damn self...but watching this frenzy has inspired a personal correction on that tip.

I don’t care if you watched this trial from beginning to end…the jury experience is different and acting like they gleefully fucked up without entertaining the notion that this was a circumstantial trial with contradicting evidence and no certain cause of death is intellectually lazitude.

The mob is pissed.

The mob disagrees with the verdict.

But the only thing about this trial that surprised me was that the wishes of the mob were not granted this time.

That speaks more to the prosecution’s case than to the jury’s worthiness, because you can bet your ass those 12 people knew what the public expected.

No matter how many talk radio blowhards chew on this…no matter how outraged Nancy Grace & Co get…I don’t want to live in a country where the mob calls for an accused individual's head and then gets it in a basket.

That ain’t justice.

That’s the Reign of Terror.

Blink.

#2 But what if her name was Keisha Anthony…?

Having acknowledged all of that, the Race Card was also at play.

What?

Oh, puhlease don’t tell me you bought that bullshit that the Race Card and its get out of jail free benefits only apply to black people just because a few rich as hell black folks got favorable verdicts?

Shake yourself!

Race is usually discussed as a negative in jury trials…people of color often get longer sentences and are convicted on less convincing evidence.

But there is a flip side to every coin…and odds are we saw it on display yesterday with the Anthony verdict.

If “black” is suspect…then white is…?

If “criminal” equals “person of color”…then white woman equals…?

'Tis true that there is also the issue of class...poor people are suspect but people from middle class backgrounds are often assumed to be less likely to commit a crime.

I’ve seen this before…in the Susan Smith trial and others…where juries struggle to reconcile their preconceived notions about background and demographics with the charges brought against an individual.

The prosecution faced a challenge in Casey Anthony as much as they faced challenges in combining the evidence into a convincing case…a white woman from a middle class background who must be believed to be a monster to have done what the state alleged that she did.

If we're going to dissect this trial we should examine how the prosecution handled that challenge too.

#3 A child is dead - there is no justice in that...

I recently read this article about the murder of a young boy.

His body was found buried in the home where he was abused and tortured for years…left in a cage…denied comfort and food…separated from society for years…missing and yet not missed.

Christian Choate was 13 years old.

Christian’s story joins the thousands of other stories of missing, exploited, and abused children in America.

We have not ordered our society to protect innocents.

That should leave us all cold.

Verdicts in murder trials are not justice.  They are what we are left with after we have failed to protect children and/or people from violence.

Justice dwells in a life free of oppression, neglect, and abuse.

May we seek justice in our communities...for the living...because every single person is deserved of it.

My heart weeps for Caylee Anthony.

May she rest in peace.

And may this case inspire advocacy for this nation’s children - they deserve far better than a jury’s verdict, be it guilty or not guilty.

Those are my thoughts...

...thanks for asking.

Happy Birthday, Brother Bill!

Today is my older brother Bill’s 41^st birthday.

Gasp.

My, oh my!

I woke up with a smile just thinking about him…and a time when we were wee ones and the world revolved around getting outside to play, scoring sugar-based snacks behind our mother’s back, and having fun.

On hot summer days my mother used to set up the sprinkler in the front yard…one of those contraptions that sent an arch of water up into the air, moving forward and then backward to distribute the water across the lawn.  We three siblings, my brother, sister and I, would put on our bathing suits and indulge in hours of water-based fun.

We’d do cartwheels through the spray…dance as the cool water hit our sun-kissed skin…laughing and screaming and generally having the time of our lives.

We three…outside together…just having fun in the sun.

It’s a rare special memory of summer-based fun - we spent most summer days at my brother’s school, bored out of our minds while he took speech therapy or some other therapy or was assessed by experts who had assessed him and would sure as shit assess him again.

I understand it all now…as an adult, I can see the why of it…but back then my brother’s summer school was a pain in the ass that I resented the hell out of.

But oh, relief and childish release…a day spent just being kids, having a blast, spinning and spinning in a shower of water while slipping and falling down in the wet grass.

When I close my eyes ‘tis that memory that my mind turns to…not the boring as hell days spent in a muggy school pretending to read a book while longing to be anywhere else.

I remember holding Bill’s hand and running toward the sprinkler, laughing and gasping for air…I remember leaping into the spray and feeling invincible…fearless.

The feel of the heat and cool water.

The sounds of summer, lawn mowers and birds and a baseball game on the radio.

Our laughter rising above it all…giggles and shouts…the noise of youth in motion.

As we tumbled and stumbled and danced in the water…

...baptized in child-based absolute summer joy.

Together.

Always.

Happy birthday, Bill.

Pondering the Bulge…

Today is Independence Day in America.

Folks will barbeque…go to parades…bitch about the rain…set off fireworks.

That’s what lots of people do to celebrate Independence Day.

Me?

I’m recharging for the next battle in the struggle for reproductive justice.

The other day, as part of my three-day weekend recharge plan, I watched a documentary on the Battle of the Bulge. 

Blink.

What?

Well, shit…it was on and it was interesting!

Anyhoo, I watched as German forces launched a surprise offensive and pushed until the Allied line literally bulged. After initial chaos, Allied forces regained their footing and held key ground and then ultimately made German forces pay for their risky gamble.

I couldn’t help noticing that lessons of the Battle of the Bulge can be applied to the struggle for reproductive justice today. 

The opposition is coming at us with overwhelming force.

They have shown that they are planning one step ahead and are willing to take big risks.

They have successfully pushed back at reproductive rights and access to the full range of reproductive health care...and now, with multiple states set to defund life and cost saving programs, there is a bulge in the front.

Do we surrender?

Or do we hold firm to what we have…push to regain what we have lost…and make the opposition pay the price of defeat for their gamble?

I’ll take the latter, thank you very much…

…and may the opposition be damned.

Have a safe 4^th of July holiday, y’all.

A week...a seriously intense week...

A bitch is tired, y’all!

This has been quite an exhausting week…with bullshit breaking out all over the place, it’s been all I can do to keep my Afro above water!

I’m sorry for the sporadic posting, but I’ve been helping out activists in the neighboring state of Kansas and haven’t had a lot of time for online bitchitude.

For updates and information on the reproductive justice struggle in Kansas, follow Planned Parenthood of Kansas & Mid-Missouri on Facebook.

Bitchitude shall return over the weekend – toodles for now!

Happy Canada Day, y'all!

I'd like to wish all my Canadian readers a happy Canada Day!

On slavery…

Last year my sister C-Money and I watched the TED talk How to Combat Modern Slavery given by anti-slavery activist Kevin Bales. The video gives shocking details on modern slavery and the activism currently under way to end it.

One of the many hurdles anti-slavery activists encounter is that far too many people think slavery no longer exists.

Others, like the rancid race-baiting shits behind a series of anti-choice billboards popping up in cities across America, seek to re-write history and manipulate the understanding of slavery to fulfill their goals of demonizing women of color, resurrecting the idea that women of color have a racial obligation to breed, and shaming women of color who seek access to the full range of reproductive healthcare.

Slavery was slavery…and, to the world’s shame, slavery still is slavery.

Slavery exists…but not in healthcare centers.

People still enslave other people…but women of color seeking access to reproductive health care are not enslaving or enslaved or addicted or dangerous or perpetrating genocide.

Slavery was and is.

Combat it…expose it...end it, instead of appropriating its history to oppress women of color.

One need not open a history book to learn about slavery – Google “slavery in America” and you’ll find stories about workers kept in chains and locked in boxes, forced to work in tomato fields…case after case of forced labor and sexual exploitation in America and abroad, all very real and current examples of actual slavery that fail to capture anti-choice groups’ attention because real emancipation isn’t as appealing as oppression dressed up to look like emancipation.

Spare me the comments trying to make the case that equating abortion to slavery is accurate or that such advertisements don’t indict black women for enslaving our own or accuse us of willingly being enslaved.

Spare me the propaganda that these atrocious insults and lies are meant to liberate black people.

I am a black woman.

I am the descendent of slaves.

And I know that slavery was slavery…slavery is slavery…and the most dangerous place for my rights, my dignity, and my history is in the hands of my oppressor.

On health...

I need to purge my mind…indulge me.

Years ago I was watching a documentary on the history of tanning.

There was a time when being tanned was seen as being a worker and being a worker was seen as lesser than equal. Tanned arms meant a person labored outdoors. Women of means trolled about with parasols to shield them from the sun least they catch some sun. Fascinating. But in the early 1900s, factories replaced toiling in the fields for many and vacations came into vogue for the few. The leisure class flipped the script on tans. Suddenly, having a tan meant you had the privilege of leisure time in the sun and that you weren’t locked in a factory all day or tied to a desk.

Tans are still the concert t-shirt of vacations – people return to work or school to show off freshly bronzed or burned skin as proof they got their vacation on in the sun. When someone is pale, folks sometimes tell him or her they’ve been working too hard. Fascinating.

I thought of that curious history when news came that yet another state, Texas this time, has moved to defund Planned Parenthood and eliminate access to a key provider of low cost family planning and life saving cancer screenings for thousands of people.

And the chorus asks… “What the hell does tanning have to do with defunding Planned Parenthood?”

And a bitch replies… “My people call it privilege.”

Health is a privilege.

It shouldn’t be.

The ability to go to a health care center and get a yearly check-up, complete with Pap smear and breast exam, shouldn’t be the equivalent of being able to afford a vacation in the sun.

But that’s what many states are creating – a freakish new reality where access to life saving exams and tests is reserved for the few.

Some people can take a week off…fly off to some beach-based destination and lounge in the sun. 

Some people can access affordable health care…go the doctor and get checked out, tested and know that they are doing fine…or find out that something is wrong and take steps to address that.

Each state government that has moved to defund Planned Parenthood has done so without offering an alternative.

They have eliminated…not replaced.

The conservative lie that taxpayers are funding abortion has moved beyond damaging deliberately obtuse rhetoric…as policy, it is devastating.

Every day equals tests for cervical cancer that are not happening.

Every week equals another seven days that thousands are not screened for sexually transmitted diseases…are not able to afford birth control.

Every opportunity for prevention missed costs we the people money.

In county upon county found in state after state, people who once had access to life saving and cost saving health care are now left with nothing.

Nothing.

And yet so much more than the wistful longing for leisure time on a beach.

Health.

And I can’t help wondering how long it will take before simple wellness becomes a badge of prosperity.

Pause…consider…continue.

Truth be told, we’re already there.

And the chorus sighs as one… “Shame.”

Blink.

Titanium...

First let me congratulate the great state of New York, where same-sex marriage became legal over the weekend!

A fluff of the Afro to the thousands of New York activist who made up the movement for marriage equality – this victory has your names written all over it. 

I must confess that it was emotional to watch yet another state move forward because too many states, like my home state of Missouri, resist extending basic protections to LGBT residents. They call this a struggle for a reason, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

Speaking of same-sex marriage, a certain Michele Bachmann of IowaMinnesota…

What? 

C'mon, she’s working a multi-state identity like it’s going out of style!

Shit.

Where was I?

Oh yes…Bachmann of IowaMinnesota recently claimed to have a“titanium spine” while working on the pre-campaign campaign trail in Iowa.

I couldn’t shake the thought that I’ve heard that titanium spine stuff before…and, thanks to the magic of Google, I quickly confirmed that Bachmann’s been claiming she’s got a metal spine for quite some time!

She mentioned her spine o’ titanium as far back as 2006 when speaking of her opposition to same-sex marriage.

Pause…consider…continue.

To be accurate, Bachmann’s titanium spine has evolved.

She definitely claimed to have a metal spine in 2006 when touting her anti-equality man-on-woman sanctified marriage supporting “values”…and I assume that it was still solid during the recent GOP debate ‘cause she didn’t issue a press release announcing the removal of her metal spine before she re-stated her opposition to same-sex marriage but said states’ rights trumped federal blah, blah, blah.

But a curious change took place after the New York marriage victory – Bachmann’s titanium spine became flexible as hell (translation – Bachmann’s political spine was flipping before flopping like a noodle fresh out of boiling water) as she called for a Constitutional amendment defining marriage between one man and one woman just days after saying that shit wasn’t necessary.

That doesn’t sound like a solid metal spine to me.

Titanium is corrosion resistance and has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal.  Clearly, Bachmann’s spine was easily corroded by bigotry and shows a clear weakness when confronted with minor challenges like remaining politically consistent on an issue for more than 30 days.

Methinks Bachmann’s spine, like her respect for true individual liberty, is as soft as aluminum.

Titanium, my black ass…

Happy Pride!

This is Pridefest weekend in St. Louis…hooray!

I’ll be at the festival Saturday and Sunday…and I’ll be marching in the parade with Planned Parenthood along with my fellow activists too.

Pridefest is a fun two-day event here in St. Louis…but it is also an opportunity to meet folks from across the region, some of who are experiencing active discrimination and bullying in their communities.

I remember an encounter a few years ago, when I was at a booth distributing the Pride Pages. A young lesbian couple approached and I asked them whether they were enjoying the weekend.  It was hot as hell…humid and muggy from a recent rain shower…and I felt like I was literally going to melt.

Translation – I was kind of bitter.

But the two women before me were all smiles and happiness. 

They held hands…arms swinging…and told me that it was a rare pleasure to be able to do that in an accepting environment that celebrated love.  One woman said that she feared having her employer find out that she is a lesbian because she was certain she would be fired.

Hands clasped together…

Her fears were and are valid – in the state of Missouri, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people can be fired from their jobs, evicted from their homes, refused access to public services, and denied parenting rights.

Fingers entwined…

They thanked me for being a part of a festival they look forward to every year.

Arms swinging in rhythm to the music floating through the crowd…

I thanked them for attending…for sharing their story.

United.

And I was reminded, as I am every June, what the movement for LGBTQ equality and rights is about.

Protection from harassment, discrimination, and bullying.

Education and empowerment that will make our communities more inclusive and stronger for it.

Visibility with out fear…love without violent repression.

Pride.

Have a fantabulous Pridefest, y’all!

I hope to see you at Tower Grove Park…

Breaking News - another minority baby and single mother alert!

Let’s jump right on in, shall we?

New census data shows that minorities make up the majorityof babies in the United States.  Data also shows a growth in households, particularly minority households, headed up by single mothers.

Pause…sip coffee…continue.

Shark-Fu’s initial reaction to the new census data on minority babies…

Oh shit, now conservatives are going to freak the fuck out because they fear a majority of minorities will seek revenge for decades of oppression that they deny taking part in even though their fear subliminally acknowledges it.

I anticipate an increase in anti immigration legislation, bigoted language, and conservative calls for white women to get their Duggar on as part of a racial obligation to protect “traditional families”.

Ugh.

Shark-Fu’s follow-up reaction to the new census data on households headed by single women…

I need Tony Perkins’ providing family planning advice like I need a drug resistant staff infection.

Of all the rancid motherfuckers to get a quote from for this news story…Perkins?

Really?

My eyes hurt just from reading his name!

If Mr. Perkins is concerned about the economic impact of single women raising families he should turn his wretched gaze toward a solution – fair pay for women would go a long way to addressing the issue of being able to make ends meet.   

But I guess that would be too much like right…right?

***rolls eyes***

Shark-Fu’s final reaction before logging off and getting ready for work…

This new census data should inspire policy makers to brush up on People Are Intersectional for Dummies…

…but the coverage in the press leads me to believe that this information will instead inspire The Man to ramp up the bigotry.

Sigh.

Hold please...

I'm working on a deadline!

Bitchitude shall return this evening.

Toodles!

The Elements, hanging with my siblings, and a concert to remember…

Last week I attended Netroots Nation 2011 in beautiful Minneapolis Minnesota!  I had a great time, took copious notes, and returned home fired up and ready to make change.

I flew home Saturday.  When we landed, I checked my voicemail and found a message from my sister C-Money – Earth, Wind & Fire was in town, she got tickets, and we’d be taking our older brother Bill too.

Lots of readers know that our older brother is autistic…but longtime readers know that Bill loves him some Earth, Wind & Fire.  He particularly adores “September” so much that he sang the chorus…over and over again…for years.

As I rode the Metro into town, concern over Bill latching onto that chorus again joined my typical trepidation over taking him out into crowded unfamiliar places.  I have a hard time with folks staring at my brother and he is a vocal sort of guy…but I quickly decided that we were going to give this concert a go, rude ass staring people be damned!

I was beyond exhausted, but that worked in my favor…I was too tired to get truly uptight over what may or may not happen at the concert.

Anyhoo, C-Money had scored a ticket for a staff member at Bill’s residence…they picked us up and we headed to the Fabulous FOX Theatre in St. Louis.

Bill was in a great mood…he was fascinated by the ornate ceiling, still magnificent despite smoke damage from a recent fire.  He indulged in one moment of attempted manipulation over getting more than one soda pop...but after the concert began, Bill seemed intrigued by the psychedelic light show on stage.  We sat and enjoyed the music for a while and then we walked around because he’s not one to sit still for long periods of time.

Ultimately we ended up in an area just beyond the first floor seats.

Bill had a HUGE smile on his face...he was having a blast.  When he hugged one of the ushers I got worried…but when I went to apologize and explain, she just smiled and said... “He’s having fun!  That’s what this is about, right?” and went back to getting her groove on.

We didn’t stay for the entire concert…I’m not sure if Earth, Wind & Fire played "September."

But I did get a chance to dance with my brother…and to be reminded that lots of folks are not rude assholes and my brother is just fine out and about in the community.

It is fitting that our sibling family went to an Earth, Wind & Fire concert during Father’s Day weekend – our Dad loved this band and he would have been thrilled at the idea that his children had a great night out listening to fantabulous live music together.

Many thanks to the concession staff and ushers at the Fabulous FOX theatre – for the quick refills on soda pop and for being welcoming, accepting, and shaking your groove thangs along with the crowd!

And thanks to C-Money for having a great idea and acting on it...love ya!

All together now…

Ba de ya - say do you remember
Ba de ya - dancing in September
Ba de ya - never was a cloudy day!

At Netroots Nation!

Hi all,

A bitch is at Netroots Nation in beautiful Minneapolis, Minnesota!

I don't feel like lugging Ms. Sister Girl Macbook Pro around, so follow me on Twitter for updates etc.

Toodles for now!

For the smiling face on the wall…

Yesterday, my sister and I toured my brother’s new program. 

After years of trying to patch together daily activities for my brother Bill, he is finally in a structured day program that gets him out and in the community from 9a-3pm Monday through Friday.  Bill, who is autistic, has wanted a regular program for forever and a day…it took years to get him in one after he became ineligible to work due to a series of anti-people budget cuts and changes in our home state of Missouri.

I’d like to explore this for a spell.

***steps up on soap box***

Cough.

We the people need to look good and hard at what we’re cutting through budget cuts.

We need to look at what is, not at what has been spun.

When the Governor of Missouri announces spending cuts to programs that have already been slashed to the bone in previous budgets he is announcing that those programs will be programs in name only.

And those programs impact the lives of thousands of Missourians.

Don’t get me wrong…there’s all kinds of spending we need to cut at the state and federal level.

But I toured a program yesterday that is pretty damned awesome.  My brother is part of the program run out by the same organization that manages his residential program – it connects residents with volunteer opportunities at homeless shelters and other area charities in need of volunteers.  This program also involves classes that enrich the volunteer experience by stressing life skills, sign language, and appropriate behavior in a community environment.

In short, this is the kind of program that represents what communities can do when we work together…and the sad truth is that I’m going to have to focus all kinds of energy and advocacy to defend funding for this program because state government doesn’t look at what works anymore in this current environment of Cut & Slash.

I haven’t looked at the new slashified budget for Missouri. I’ll have to and soon. I know better than most that protecting funding is a never ending war against those who put on blindfolds then start whirling their machetes.

For the record…I’m not a saint. I’m not some super hero who should be praised for doing what I know without a doubt my brother would do if the tables were turned.

I’m a sister.

This is my family…my community…my state and, therefore, my motherfucking budget too.

Yesterday I toured an awesome facility…one that I am proud to have in my community. I looked at the gym where my brother plays basketball, at the classroom with his name in bright colors on the wall, and at a drawing of a smiling face on the chalkboard that represents how Bill was feeling being there.

It took years for us to get to this point...to the point where we were touring a program Bill is enrolled in rather than hearing about programs he doesn’t qualify for.

I’m a sister and I’m fighting for that smiling face on the wall.

And you can bet your ass I'm carrying that image with me as I prepare for yet another budget battle.

***steps off soap box***

Let’s get this party started…

 

Happy Monday, y’all!

Let’s jump right on in, shall we?

Tonight the GOP presidential hopefuls will get their debate on in New Hampshire.

In many ways, this debate will be a test for the most electable GOP candidate currently in the field – Mitt Romney.

Romney’s healthy poll numbers against President Obama (and no, I don’t need a lecture in how silly it is to buy poll numbers this far out…or in general…or ever at all, given how fucked up from the floor up they tend to be) have some in the GOP rethinking their previous serious dislike of him…and those hopefuls who also covet the presidency know that they must tarnish Romney’s shine if they are to be seen at all.

Pause…sip coffee…continue.

Tis gonna be like watching a debutante ball populated by the cast of Mean Girls!

Tim Pawlenty has already taken a swipe at Romney’s healthcare reform during the latter's turn as Governor of Massachusetts…and you can bet your morning coffee that he won’t be the only one.

In truth, Romney’s move to stand by his health care reform was shrewd as hell…but it also exposes a potentially terminal flaw within the GOP nomination process.

Now that Mitt has doubled down on his health care reform, a head-to-head Romney against Obama would be likely involve debates over everything else domestic, international, and economic…and perhaps even a back-and-forth over the nuance and implementation of federal health care reform.

What it wouldn’t be is a debate over whether health care needed to be reformed in the first place…cause Romney took that shit off the table.

Sidebar – Mitt might flip or flop or flip and flop…it’s still early yet…and anything is possible in politics.

The issue is that Mr. Currently Electable is now trying to woo a base that’s hungry for fresh meat with a bowl full of fresh steamed broccoli.

Pause…sip more coffee…continue.

And so those who adore elephants and tea while longing for the presidency shall debate tonight...and political junkies will get our first look at how far to the right the GOP field has to pander to attract a base hell bent on sticking to niche “values”, political victories and domestic stability be damned.

***rubs hands together***

Strike up the band, baby, and let’s get this party started!

On Medicare and Medicaid…

Happy Friday, y’all!

Let's talk about Medicare and Medicaid, shall we?

A lot of folks are debating Medicare and Medicaid funding and some politicians have proposed radical changes to both programs.  I’ve heard from advocacy groups representing the poor and seniors…but I haven’t seen interviews with groups representing a huge population that would be fucked over if Medicare and Medicaid are dismantled in favor of unproven reform-based fubarity – the disabled.

Longtime readers know that my sister and I are co-guardians for our older brother.  My brother is autistic and relies on coverage from both Medicare and Medicaid.

He isn’t getting over or participating in a hustle…trust me.

Last year my brother’s primary care physician opted to no longer take patients with Medicaid, so I had the joy of trying to find another provider in a city where fewer and fewer doctors are seeing patients with Medicaid. 

The reason behind a doctor’s decision to no longer accept Medicaid patients is clear – the program is slow to pay and doesn’t provide adequate coverage. 

But that’s not what these politicians are trying to "fix."

Rather than address the issues within the program that would alleviate the burden placed on doctors and patients, these callous knaves seek only to slash funding.

And trust me on this too – funding is already lacking because of the issues within the program that are placing a burden on doctors and patients.

With another generation of autistic children becoming autistic adults, we can no longer afford for the disabled to remain unspoken for in this debate.

People like my brother are part of this equation...BIG TIME.

I’d love for policy folks to work on instilling some efficiency…something tells me that would also cut costs without cutting coverage.

But I’m not seeing that…I guess it would be too much like “right.”

Pause…sip coffee…continue.

As a guardian and an advocate I’m speaking this shit out into the universe – Medicaid isn’t a program for lazy freeloaders and Medicare isn’t a program for solvent retirees who could afford other coverage but opt not to. 

This isn’t about stereotypes…this debate is real as hell for millions of Americans…and I’ll be damned if the spin takes out yet another program my brother needs because some motherfucker with political aspirations what’s to pander to his gleefully ignorant base.

We need to revise our definitions to include all the people who actually use these programs…

….because Medicare and Medicaid recipients reflect the kind of diversity Congress should.

Blink.

A community in sorrow…standing for peace.

Even as Missourians struggle to come to terms with the overwhelming loss in Joplin from a tornado, those of us in St. Louis are also coping with violence of another sort.

Last month, 7-year-old Jnylah Douglas went outside to play at the playground in her housing complex and was shot in the head.

A suspect has been arrested and charged.

It is believed that Jnylah was the victim of a drug deal gone wrong.

The Friday after Jnylah was shot, I left work with co-workers to attend a midday vigil at the playground inside the Clinton-Peabody Housing Complex where Jnylah Douglas was shot.

It was a beautiful day, the sky high above us filled with cotton ball clouds that floated in a sea of bright blue.  A crowd had already assembled, many residents of the housing complex and others, like me, were from neighboring communities.

Alderwoman Kacie Starr Triplett, who represents the ward where Clinton-Peabody is located, led us through the vigil.  A resident spoke about how she had raised her daughter, now an adult, in Clinton-Peabody and then called for renewed unity.  She pointed out that nothing like this has ever happened before in the complex and that the alleged assailant was arrested as a result of tips from residents.  Jnylah’s grandmother sat on the edge of a slide not far from me, rocking slowly back and forth as supporters held her close.

Throughout the service there was the sound of children.

Laughter.

Giggles.

Crying.

The scuffle of sneakers as they ran in between the adults.

Mothers hushed them.

Children were captured in hugs…adults holding on tight and the children, sensing the elevation of emotion, looked up in confusion as they struggled to break free and continue their games.

It was a lovely vigil…as lovely as a vigil held for a victim of violence can be.  And yet, it was also a powerful reminder of what community means.

I took it all in - the crowd that stood beneath a stunning bright blue sky…children dancing and dodging about…all eyes cast upward as balloons were released.

And when it was all over the visitors dispersed.

Jnylah Douglas died last night.

May she rest in peace…

…and may we continue to work toward it.

A ween is just a ween, but a lie is another thing altogether...

Confession – a dear friend from Texas is responsible for my tendency to call a penis a ween.  You’d have to hear her say it, with a West Texas accent – too cute!

Anyhoo…on the case of the phantom ween or rather the fall of Congressman Weiner otherwise known as Weinergate.

Shall we?

I could give a shit whether Congressman Weiner was texting.  I do give a shit whether Congressman Weiner was stalking attractive fans through Facebook and Twitter…but that remains to be seen.

My issue is with the lie…and it’s near Nixonian texture.

On the surface it would seem that this latest political scandal is lame and the result of some conservative minion launching assaults on key liberal politicians as part of his ultimate campaign for world domination.

Tis true that a conservative minion with a habit of targeting liberals broke this story.

But the problem isn’t that a peevish little shit broke the story and the problem isn’t that Weiner sent pictures to women who are not his wife – those are issues that became problems when Weiner lied his ass off, made charges that someone hacked his accounts, and the lied some more.

‘Tis the lie that is the problem.

The lie…and all that the lie reveals.

Oh, don’t get me wrong…I understand the lie.  Hell, I probably would have wanted to at least attempt to lie my way out of that shit my damn self!

But the lie is what turns an issue into a problem…and the fall out from the lie is what turns a promising political career into a ween joke.

Congressman Weiner’s lie about texts and/or tweets is amusing political theater for some…ill-timed distractitude for others…and a shit-storm for Democrats.

For his constituents it is a disturbing look at what their Congressman will do when in a pinch…how he will respond when called out on a mistake…what his instinct is when shit goes wrong, when he may look bad, when he fucks up.

He lied…doubled down on that lie…and had to be hauled, kicking a screaming with feet literally dragging, to meet the truth face to face.

It is important that we don’t see that as trivial.

When President Nixon and his minions lied about a third rate burglary that was wrong…but his position as the head of government and the military is what made his instinct to lie to protect his ass intolerable.

A ween is just a ween…but a lie?

Oh, a lie can take a nation to war…can result in death and destruction…can destroy far more than a political career.

I suppose we’re lucky that the conservative minion who broke this story was hell bent on breaking a scandal and didn’t think to blackmail Congressman Weiner.

Pause…consider…continue.

That’s not the kind of “lucky” that should make anyone sleep easy.

Blink.

I forgot to put my car in PARK last Monday…

Take a deep breath.

And begin.

Over Memorial Day weekend I crashed…literally and figuratively.

I was getting sick and was already tired, so I took to my bed to try and head illness off at the pass.

It didn’t work.

By Monday my head cold was kicking in…but I hadn’t done all the shit that I needed to do, so I rallied my exhausted almost sick ass to go out and run errands.

My last stop was the grocery store.

I turned into the parking lot…head pounding and mind racing with all the shit I’d need to try to do once I finished shopping and got home.

Slide into parking space.

Check wallet for funds, cell phone and shopping list.

Get out and lock door.

I walked quickly into the market, got a basket and started shopping.

I was more than half way through my list when an announcement came over the store channel… “Will the owner of a blue Volkswagen Cabrio please come to the customer service desk?!”

“Shit,” I thought…or maybe even said… “That’s my car!”

I left the basket…befuddled and concerned…and made my way to the customer service desk.

“Your car hit another car in the parking lot.”

What?

That didn’t make sense.

The machines hadn’t become self-aware…had they?

Ms. Sistah Girl Cabrio couldn’t just take it upon herself to go for a drive and hit something…could she?

Hit something…hit some thing…oh, Gawd…what if my car hit some…one?

Bolt out of the store.

Across the parking lot, like a blur.

Ears ringing.

Heart racing.

There was my car…kissing the ass of a cherry red Chrysler.

There were a couple of other shoppers…their faces full of shock as if they’d just leapt out of the way of a runaway Volkswagen Cabrio.

And there was the owner of the Chrysler…an older black woman who was equal parts disturbed and confused.

“Is everyone okay?”

“Was anyone hurt?”

Everyone was okay.

No one was hurt.

I took a deep breath, clenched my hands into fists, and gazed under my car.

No crushed limbs…no mangled bodies.

Everyone's okay!

No one's hurt!

Insurance information was exchanged….I moved my car to a different spot...Chrysler lady and I parted ways rather quickly.

I had neglected to put my car in park.

So busy…always rushing…not feeling well and so many errands to finish.

When I had parked my car earlier there had been a car in the spot opposite to mine…when that customer left, my car was no longer restricted…still in drive, it went ahead and drove….

Across the parking lot…only a few feet…past at least one woman who barely missed getting hit…and into the ass of a cherry red Chrysler.

Back into the store….finish shopping and check out…return to car.

Hands shaking.

Everyone…okay.

Key in ignition.

No one…hurt.

From PARK to DRIVE and then REVERSE.

Oh my Gawd, oh my Gawd, oh my Gawd.

REVERSE to DRIVE and then go.

I drove home and parked (brake up, this time).

I took the groceries out and into the house.

Fed the dawgs.

Put the groceries away.

Sank to my knees...

heart racing…hands shaking…

…my hands with palms down on the cool wood of the floor

…and cried.

Because everyone was okay and no one was hurt when I forgot to put my car in PARK last Monday.

Exhale.

Illish...

I’ve caught another cold.

Or maybe this is the same cold and it never really went away.

Wince.

Either way, my ass is sick.

And y’all know the rule – friends don’t let friends blog while taking ‘tussin!

Bitchitude shall be delayed until I can breathe through both nostrils again.

Ah, morning television…

I caught the first half hour of Good Morning America today and…well, let me tell you it was a wild and crazy ride.

Sarah Palin is on a magical mystery bus tour to parts undisclosed.

Mmmhmm, Palin refuses to say where she’s going.

Reporters are left to either grab content of the tour from FOX (the only network with coverage of the tour and also Palin’s current employer)…or reporters can chase after the Palin bus as it darts to historic landmarks on it’s way to New Hampshire (allegedly and not confirmed…probably overheard at a Starbuck’s before or after the Memorial Day Harley ride).

Pause…sip coffee…continue.

Almost a candidate, Palin says she owes nothing to the mainstream media…she wants to see them work for their coverage of her…so she’s waging a maverickish war on traditional politics by chugging across America in a Where’s Waldo revival.

If this shit is a glimpse into how she’d govern…well, I guess the masses will have to decide if they want the Executive Branch to be run like a trivia night fundraiser.

Mercy.

After covering Palin, Good Morning America moved on to Rep. Bachmann.  George asked Bachmann whether she’d support the Ryan budget…if she’d sign into law as President what she voted for in Congress. 

Bachmann attempted to do a political two-step, but it came across as more of an awkward rope a dope…and the rope won.

Or was it the dope?

Blink.

Bachmann supports the Ryan budget…but wouldn’t say if she’d sign it if she were President...but, heck yeah she voted for it!  She somehow thinks that America will be able to focus on cures for major illnesses…like how we did for Polio…but she offers no framework through which that kind of effort could be achieved.  Bachmann likes Palin…they’re friends…she wants to be compared to President Obama…has raised 28 children in her house…and will be making an announcement in Waterloo Iowa but won’t say what she’s gonna announce but trust that it’s gonna be a whopper!

Pause…sip more coffee…continue.

Lawd, have mercy – if this is a taste of the race for the GOP nomination to come, I’m going to make some popcorn and enjoy the show!

On the end of the Oprah Show…

It’s raining in Missouri…again. 

My backyard is a damned pond. 

Shit.

Anyhoo…shall we?

Yesterday, as I sat huddled with co-workers in the basement of our building to wait out the tornado sirens, my thoughts turned to Oprah’s last show.

I remember when Oprah came on the air.  Our house was a Donahue home…but we added Oprah to our television menu to see what was what.  It was the era of the talk show wars…Oprah, Sally, Phil and so on and so forth.  One by one, they came and went…except for Oprah…Oprah kept on keeping on.

Over the years I’ve cheered and winced while watching Oprah. 

She’s made me proud, pissed me off, taught me new things, made me rethink some shit I already knew, disappointed the hell out of me, and made me wanna wrap my arms around her and hug her for hours.

I’ve cried…with her.

Yelled…at her.

Cheered…for her.

Looking back, it is amazing how much time I’ve shared with Oprah!

And now her show is over and she is moving on to the what’s next phase of her life.

Fare thee well, Oprah...

Behold, and EF-5 level asshole in action...

As most of you know, Joplin Missouri was hit by an EF-5 tornado Sunday… the most powerful tornado on the scale, with winds at 200 mph. 

Longtime readers know that I live in St. Louis Missouri… on the other side of the state.

Pause…collect thyself…continue.

When 122 people are dead…when a city has been leveled…when people are searching for over 1,500 missing loved ones…when disaster stretches out as far as the eye can see…when the storms keep coming and the warning sirens sound again…

Now is not the time to use massive devastation as leverage to negotiate spending cuts in the federal budget.

So far this week I’ve learned that my co-workers in Joplin are alive…that a board member lost his home…that friends are traveling to Joplin to help out with medical care.

I learned that over a thousand people are unaccounted for in Joplin…and, I hope beyond hope that they are just out of touch due to the overwhelming communication drama impacting the area.

And yesterday I learned that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) is an EF-5 level asshole.

Cantor has tied emergency relief for Joplin to budget cuts.

As expected, his ghoulish reflex triggered a sharp response from most but not all.

Think Progress reports that Missouri Rep. Russ Carnahan (D) had this response on MSNBC's The Ed Show Tuesday night:

"We have a long history in this country of backing up people when they're at their worst, when they've gone through natural disasters. ... But to have that debate in the face of the suffering we've seen in Joplin is just plain wrong." [...] 

As I said, by most...but not all.

Cantor’s homeboy, Missouri Senator Blunt, pulled his punch…um, well it was more like a tap.

In a statement to Politico, Blunt said, “We need to prioritize spending, and this needs to be a priority,” Blunt said. “I’m sure Eric will help find the necessary off-sets.”

Nice.

And that lame ass shit was from a man who used to represent Joplin in Congress!

Someone obviously reached out to Cantor with instructions on how humans usually react to natural disasters, because he eventually took to Twitter with this gem.

"Our hearts are w/ victims of #Joplin tragedy. House #GOP ready to help & has found offsets for emergency $$$."

Oh, thank the Goddess – the GOP leadership in the House found a way to get their budget cut on so now Joplin won’t be left to rot!!

Rumor has it that lawmakers had to offer up over a billion dollars in cuts to a program encouraging fuel-efficient vehicles to get Cantor’s heart redirected toward the victims of the tornado in Joplin.

Up next - Cantor and the “ready to help” after “offsets” GOP minions will unveil cuts to the tornado-forecasting program.

Blink.

Virtually gone…

Words cannot express my horror at the devastation in Joplin, Missouri after that city took a direct hit from a tornado Sunday.

Early reports are that 75% of Joplin is virtually gone.

To those who mourn and those who face the aftermath, my thoughts are with you.

To my friends who are traveling to Joplin to lend medical assistance…please let us know what we can do to help.

Pondering the end of days…

Lawd, I am tired!

I’ve been watching the news about flooding along the Mississippi River and it made me wonder when the bullshit that’s been rising at an alarming rate will finally crest.

Sigh.

I can’t let this Friday May 20, 2011 go by without a brief pondering of the Rapture. Some folks have predicted that tomorrow May 21, 2011 will be the end of days and “real” Christians will be “raptured”. 

I think it’s supposed to start at 6pm in Australia, but I’m not sure.  It’s confusing and left up to interpretation and lots of folks don’t agree with it anymore than they agree with the fabillion trillion other interpretations of the end of days…not to mention the people who don’t buy into the end of days at all.

All this talk of folks being disappeared got me thinking about folks I’d like to see raptured tomorrow...like that wretched anti-choice fanatic who damned me to the fires of hell last month or those politicians who pontificate about “life” while voting against funding for programs that serve those in need…oh, and faux scientists who write about the unattractiveness of black women and their friends…people who abuse animals…Ann Coulter…the heifer who bullied me in 5^th grade…shit, the list is endless.

But it occurred to me that the very people I’d like to see raptured tomorrow are not the kind of people who fit the criteria for rapturization.

My list is full of absolute assholes… the folks on my People I’d Like to See Raptured list is full of mean-spirited violent egotistical judgmental lying hypocritical bigots.

Pause…consider…continue.

Hold up.

If I don’t believe in the Rapture do I still have to keep my mental exploration of the happening with the parameters established by Rapturites?

That doesn’t seem right!

Fuck it.

I hereby proclaim that tomorrow’s regularly scheduled Rapture shall be a Reverse Rapture!

I plan to have several cocktails, watch some NHL hockey (love the playoffs, big time!), and monitor Twitter – tomorrow’s content should be fantabulous!

Wink.

Toodles till Doomsday!