I've been following the dust-up in the news about the 7 year-olds dancing to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" during a dance competition clothed in, well, "costumes," to put it politely. First, everyone was disgusted at the inappropriate clothing and too-adult dance moves. Then, the dance moms fired back and, with an assist from Whoopi Goldberg on "The View," took viewers to task to question themselves if they saw something that was inappropriate -- this was a dance competition, after all, so if they read more into it, well, shame on them.
Hmmm. So, in the interest of trying to inform myself, I viewed the video on YouTube as well as Beyonce's video for "Single Ladies." I think the little girls' dance moves were better than Beyonce's -- I don't think Beyonce can do a pirouette. But I don't think this was age-appropriate dancing for girls their age.
Therein lies the problem. Little girls shouldn't be dancing like grown women, or dressing like them for that matter, even in a dance competition. Here's why, or at least one man's take on this.
I spoke to a trusted male friend of mine, Trevor, who just shook his head when discussing the video of the little girls dancing. Trevor is absolutely certain that the choreographer of the girls' dance had to be a woman. No man, especially a man with daughters, would have allowed his little girls to dress and dance in that matter, in his opinion.
Now, what I'm going to paraphrase from Trevor's remarks is controversial, so don't blame the messenger.
"Women don't understand how men think, otherwise they wouldn't let their daughters dress and act in certain ways." Trevor went on to state that men are "hard wired" to think sexually and are visual beings. "A normal guy can look at those little girls and take a step back, remember they're little girls, and treat them accordingly. The problem is that a lot of guys aren't normal. For them, if you act like a grown and sexy woman, they're going to treat you like a grown and sexy woman -- like an equally sexual being. And that's okay if you're a grown woman and you make that choice knowing there's a chance that someone will treat you in that manner. Little girls don't understand that and don't understand the consequences of dressing and acting in a sexually suggestive manner. That's why parents have to step in and draw the boundaries for what's age appropriate for their young girls." Trevor's concern was for how those little girls might be treated off the dance floor for what they did on the dance floor.
Now, Trevor isn't one of those guys who think that women "deserve what they get" when the dress and act in a sexually suggestive manner. He believes that ""no" means "no"." But, he cautions, "That's the way it should be. That's not the way it always is. And grown women understand that and understand the risk they take when they dress and act in a sexually suggestive manner. It's unfair to little girls to make them think that dancing in that manner is just "dancing" and is without consequences. It's unfair to sexualize them without them being able to understand the consequences."
So there you have it. One guy's opinion.
Quite frankly, I thought the girls could have demonstrated their excellent dance abilities in a dance that was age-appropriate. And, if you compare what they were wearing -- bikini tops, short shorts, and knee-high stockings -- to what Beyonce wore in her video -- a one-sleeved leotard and panty hose -- it's Beyonce who actually looks more like she's dressed like a dancer. And more modest, too.
Maybe I'm just getting old. I thought little girls still danced in leotards.
And therein lies the problem. They should.
Free To Be Herself: Rest in Peace, Soror Horne
"I am a black woman. I’m free. I no longer have to be a ‘credit.’ I don’t have to be a symbol to anybody; I don’t have to be a first to anybody. I don’t have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I’d become. I’m me, and I’m like nobody else."
- Lena Horne at age 80
I was so sorry to hear of Lena Horne's passing this morning. But I had to smile, too, when I thought of her life and all that she'd accomplished. Despite all the obstacles and sleights, the degradations and denigrations, she still came out on top, with her dignity and pride intact.
Oh, what an example she was for all of us black women! We are all as free as we choose to be. Like Ms. Horne, we are each unique and there's not another one like each of us.
I remember in college one of my friends used to play Ms. Horne's version of "Be A Lion" from the Broadway musical"The Wiz" before she'd take her finals. She said it, and Ms. Horne, inspired her to greater things, inspired her to believe that she could overcome obstacles, including finals for a pre-med. She's a successful doctor now.
As for me, I took pride in the fact that Ms. Horne accepted membership in our sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, one of the nation's oldest black public service sororities, with a seriousness and dedication one would not expect from an honorary member. She didn't tout membership in DST as just yet another accolade; she wore it, extolled it, perfected it, and leveraged it on behalf of the good of others. She was a far better soror than I could ever hope to be.
Losing Dorothy Height and Lena Horne within the same month is a lot to bear. But to borrow from my own mother's verbiage, if I just "do like they did," I'm going to be alright. More than alright, come to think of it.
Rest in Peace, Soror Horne.
- Lena Horne at age 80
I was so sorry to hear of Lena Horne's passing this morning. But I had to smile, too, when I thought of her life and all that she'd accomplished. Despite all the obstacles and sleights, the degradations and denigrations, she still came out on top, with her dignity and pride intact.
Oh, what an example she was for all of us black women! We are all as free as we choose to be. Like Ms. Horne, we are each unique and there's not another one like each of us.
I remember in college one of my friends used to play Ms. Horne's version of "Be A Lion" from the Broadway musical"The Wiz" before she'd take her finals. She said it, and Ms. Horne, inspired her to greater things, inspired her to believe that she could overcome obstacles, including finals for a pre-med. She's a successful doctor now.
As for me, I took pride in the fact that Ms. Horne accepted membership in our sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, one of the nation's oldest black public service sororities, with a seriousness and dedication one would not expect from an honorary member. She didn't tout membership in DST as just yet another accolade; she wore it, extolled it, perfected it, and leveraged it on behalf of the good of others. She was a far better soror than I could ever hope to be.
Losing Dorothy Height and Lena Horne within the same month is a lot to bear. But to borrow from my own mother's verbiage, if I just "do like they did," I'm going to be alright. More than alright, come to think of it.
Rest in Peace, Soror Horne.
A Pretty Damn Good Life
Last weekend, I started my Saturday in my garden with my great-nephew M. He stayed over the night before – I was at a campaign meeting and didn’t get home until 11:00 pm, so we didn’t see much of each other – but we started the morning together in my garden, with him clipping the flowers off of my collards and mustard greens (they’re bolting, but hey, they’re still good, fresh food) and me watering the seeds I’ve started for my summer vegetable garden. I pulled a carrot out of the ground, washed it, and we both ate it, remarking at how sweet it was and so unlike the slightly bitter carrots we get in the store.
After going out to breakfast with M and BMNB, we all went to “Clayfest” in Lincoln, which included “Camp Clay,” a free event where kids could get as much wet clay as they wanted to do with it as they pleased. As I was sitting at a table that sunny Saturday listening to M and BMNB playfully argue over what M should do with the clay, (I finally told BMNB, “Get your own clay!”), I thought to myself:
You’ve got a pretty damn good life.
Mind you, I didn’t say perfect life. What makes my life a pretty damn good one at this point is that I’ve let go of a lot of things and no longer allow the perfect to get in the way of the good.
Yes, my house is a mess and I have grain beetles in my pantry (Who knew?). I still haven’t unpacked and organized things to my liking. But my roses are in bloom and fragrant as ever (Heirloom and Fragrant Cloud, to be exact). I can pay my bills, even with this freakin’ furlough. I’m not hungry – in fact, I’m overweight. My husband adores me and I adore him. I live in a nice neighborhood where my neighbors share in lawn care duties and weeding of each other’s properties.
But I’ve let go of a lot.
I’ve let go of the aspiration that I will find my work thrilling and motivating. My job doesn’t excite me. The practice of law doesn’t excite me. I like the people I work with, I like most of the work I do, but I can’t say I went to law school to do what I’m doing or that it propels me out of bed in the morning. I’ve long stopped trying to live up to others’ career aspirations for me, too. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard, “I thought you’d be on the bench by now,” without anyone ever asking me, “Do you want to be a judge?” The answer is “no.” Quite frankly, I don’t know what I want to do, and I know that my civil rights forebears, like my late soror Dorothy Height, would probably be disappointed in my current lack of direction given all of the educational capital that’s been invested in me. But I’m happier than I’ve been in a long, long time. Although I’m sure this is my last attorney job, I might stay in it for as long as it supports the kind of life I want – the ability to put my family first without a lot of pushback, as in private sector legal practice. My job does allow me a great deal of flexibility, and I work in a very parent-friendly workplace, which gets me to my second point:
I’ve let go of the idea that there’s a perfect time to start a family. There isn’t. You just do it. BMNB and I have probably waited far too long, longer than most, but that’s been the tenor of our lives – we’re late bloomers and over-achievers, always trying to get our ducks in a row before we embark on something huge. But not this time. So we’ve started to plough ahead on the adoption front, and I’m excited and scared all at the same time. And I wonder whether I’ll even care as much about my career when we have kids in the house. My advice to anyone, whether you’re single, married, or just breathing, is that if you want kids, go make some or go get some. There is no perfect moment to start a family.
I’ve let go of the idea that I would be wealthy. Mind you, I wasn’t chasing wealth for the purpose of buying oodles of crap. I wanted to be financially secure in order to be free to do whatever the hell I wanted. And deep down inside, I think I expected that that was what others expected of me. But as I look down the dual paths of retirement planning and child raising/college saving, unless I become the Donald Trump of Placer County in selling real estate, the likelihood that I’m going to be wealthy isn’t very high if I stay in my current position. Mind you, BMNB and I make a comfortable living for two folks with no kids. But the idea that one day I won’t have to watch my pennies, invest and save aggressively, clip coupons, or shop meat sales at Safeway is gone. I’d rather be less well off and surrounded by happy kids. My definition of happiness has definitely changed.
I’ve let go of the idea that I’m going to be a size eight. Now, I just want to be healthy and feel good. I’ve got this one body (I’m starting to sound like a “Boniva” commercial here), and I’ve got to stop waging war against it. It serves me, and I need to serve it, no matter what size it is.
I’ve let go of the idea that I have a lot of time left to do the things I want to do. I don’t. Nobody really does. I was listening to Joan Rivers on “Forum” on my way to work, and she said that she lives well because she believes you only live once. As a Jew, she remarked that they believe in “heaven and hell, all right here on earth.” I’m one of those people who puts fun things off until I can pay cash and I constantly say, “We can’t afford that right now.” Well, to borrow from an old civil rights refrain, “If not now, when?” I’m not saying I’m going to run out and charge a bunch of trips and rack up oodles of debt. I am saying that I’m going to find a middle ground and plan for more fun. As nerdy as it sounds, I’m looking forward to studying places with my kids and then traveling to those places, like Civil War battlegrounds, Washington D.C., California missions, the Underground Railroad, and the like. BMNB and I love to travel, and I want to build more of that into our lives.
I’ve taken a break from achievement and gone off on a path of fun. Right now, I’m running a local political campaign and I’m having a blast! I’m using all of my skills – writing, organization, planning, creativity – to put together a winning strategy for a candidate I believe in, and I’m meeting all kinds of intriguing and passionate people along the way. I don’t know where this might lead down the line, but right now, I’m having more fun at this than at trying to figure out my career path.
We finished our Saturday with a trip to the library (M loves to read – gotta love that in an 8 year-old), two trips to Burger King (don’t ask), and an evening watching kid videos we borrowed from the library for free -- Shrek, Madagascar, one of those Narnia movies – while I crocheted an afghan for his cousin. The next day, consonant with Donkey’s prescription for a good sleepover, I made waffles – buttermilk waffles from scratch, mind you. I’ve spoiled M to the point that he expects waffles from scratch when he stays with us. But the smile on his face when he eats them is more than worth it.
After going out to breakfast with M and BMNB, we all went to “Clayfest” in Lincoln, which included “Camp Clay,” a free event where kids could get as much wet clay as they wanted to do with it as they pleased. As I was sitting at a table that sunny Saturday listening to M and BMNB playfully argue over what M should do with the clay, (I finally told BMNB, “Get your own clay!”), I thought to myself:
You’ve got a pretty damn good life.
Mind you, I didn’t say perfect life. What makes my life a pretty damn good one at this point is that I’ve let go of a lot of things and no longer allow the perfect to get in the way of the good.
Yes, my house is a mess and I have grain beetles in my pantry (Who knew?). I still haven’t unpacked and organized things to my liking. But my roses are in bloom and fragrant as ever (Heirloom and Fragrant Cloud, to be exact). I can pay my bills, even with this freakin’ furlough. I’m not hungry – in fact, I’m overweight. My husband adores me and I adore him. I live in a nice neighborhood where my neighbors share in lawn care duties and weeding of each other’s properties.
But I’ve let go of a lot.
I’ve let go of the aspiration that I will find my work thrilling and motivating. My job doesn’t excite me. The practice of law doesn’t excite me. I like the people I work with, I like most of the work I do, but I can’t say I went to law school to do what I’m doing or that it propels me out of bed in the morning. I’ve long stopped trying to live up to others’ career aspirations for me, too. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard, “I thought you’d be on the bench by now,” without anyone ever asking me, “Do you want to be a judge?” The answer is “no.” Quite frankly, I don’t know what I want to do, and I know that my civil rights forebears, like my late soror Dorothy Height, would probably be disappointed in my current lack of direction given all of the educational capital that’s been invested in me. But I’m happier than I’ve been in a long, long time. Although I’m sure this is my last attorney job, I might stay in it for as long as it supports the kind of life I want – the ability to put my family first without a lot of pushback, as in private sector legal practice. My job does allow me a great deal of flexibility, and I work in a very parent-friendly workplace, which gets me to my second point:
I’ve let go of the idea that there’s a perfect time to start a family. There isn’t. You just do it. BMNB and I have probably waited far too long, longer than most, but that’s been the tenor of our lives – we’re late bloomers and over-achievers, always trying to get our ducks in a row before we embark on something huge. But not this time. So we’ve started to plough ahead on the adoption front, and I’m excited and scared all at the same time. And I wonder whether I’ll even care as much about my career when we have kids in the house. My advice to anyone, whether you’re single, married, or just breathing, is that if you want kids, go make some or go get some. There is no perfect moment to start a family.
I’ve let go of the idea that I would be wealthy. Mind you, I wasn’t chasing wealth for the purpose of buying oodles of crap. I wanted to be financially secure in order to be free to do whatever the hell I wanted. And deep down inside, I think I expected that that was what others expected of me. But as I look down the dual paths of retirement planning and child raising/college saving, unless I become the Donald Trump of Placer County in selling real estate, the likelihood that I’m going to be wealthy isn’t very high if I stay in my current position. Mind you, BMNB and I make a comfortable living for two folks with no kids. But the idea that one day I won’t have to watch my pennies, invest and save aggressively, clip coupons, or shop meat sales at Safeway is gone. I’d rather be less well off and surrounded by happy kids. My definition of happiness has definitely changed.
I’ve let go of the idea that I’m going to be a size eight. Now, I just want to be healthy and feel good. I’ve got this one body (I’m starting to sound like a “Boniva” commercial here), and I’ve got to stop waging war against it. It serves me, and I need to serve it, no matter what size it is.
I’ve let go of the idea that I have a lot of time left to do the things I want to do. I don’t. Nobody really does. I was listening to Joan Rivers on “Forum” on my way to work, and she said that she lives well because she believes you only live once. As a Jew, she remarked that they believe in “heaven and hell, all right here on earth.” I’m one of those people who puts fun things off until I can pay cash and I constantly say, “We can’t afford that right now.” Well, to borrow from an old civil rights refrain, “If not now, when?” I’m not saying I’m going to run out and charge a bunch of trips and rack up oodles of debt. I am saying that I’m going to find a middle ground and plan for more fun. As nerdy as it sounds, I’m looking forward to studying places with my kids and then traveling to those places, like Civil War battlegrounds, Washington D.C., California missions, the Underground Railroad, and the like. BMNB and I love to travel, and I want to build more of that into our lives.
I’ve taken a break from achievement and gone off on a path of fun. Right now, I’m running a local political campaign and I’m having a blast! I’m using all of my skills – writing, organization, planning, creativity – to put together a winning strategy for a candidate I believe in, and I’m meeting all kinds of intriguing and passionate people along the way. I don’t know where this might lead down the line, but right now, I’m having more fun at this than at trying to figure out my career path.
We finished our Saturday with a trip to the library (M loves to read – gotta love that in an 8 year-old), two trips to Burger King (don’t ask), and an evening watching kid videos we borrowed from the library for free -- Shrek, Madagascar, one of those Narnia movies – while I crocheted an afghan for his cousin. The next day, consonant with Donkey’s prescription for a good sleepover, I made waffles – buttermilk waffles from scratch, mind you. I’ve spoiled M to the point that he expects waffles from scratch when he stays with us. But the smile on his face when he eats them is more than worth it.
Yep, I’ve got a pretty damn good life, and it took an 8 year-old to remind me of that
Apartheid, Arizona Style: To The Left, To The Left
To the left, to the left
All the brown people in the line to the left
We’re the government of Arizona
We’ll violate your rights when we wanna
To the left, to the left,
All the brown people in the line to the left
Show an SSN card or a valid DL
Or you’re going to an Arizona jail . . .
You must not know ‘bout AZ
You must not know ‘bout AZ
We’ll detain brown people in a minute
If there’s any empty cell, they’ll be in it
Baybeee . . .
You must not know ‘bout AZ
You must not know ‘bout AZ
Don’t you ever for a second git to thinkin’
You’re brown and free in AZ . .
-- With apologies to Beyonce
Yours truly has been busier than a two dollar hooker. But with Arizona losing its collective mind, I had to put down what I was doing and speak (or write) my mind.
Isn’t this the same state whose public university refused to give President Obama an honorary degree? The same state that dragged its feet adopting a Dr. King holiday – hell, do they even have a Dr. King holiday yet?
Mind you, I have nothing against the citizens of Arizona. Having lived in Colorado and traveled home to California numerous times while living there, I traveled through Arizona many times and had no bad experiences. Even my late dog loved Arizona for the dog-friendly hotels.
But I cannot in good conscience spend my tourism dollars – what little I have – in a state that blesses an unabashedly racist law in the guise of immigration reform. What Arizona has passed is nothing short of apartheid, Arizona style: Carry your papers or get arrested and detained.
First, immigration, and the control thereof, is not within the rights of the states. Arizona is now the poster child for why that is.
Second, the people who promulgated this law probably think that America’s illegal immigration problem stems from porous southern borders and the lure of low-paying jobs where immigration status verification is lax. Not so. Lots of people in corporate America and in all tiers of American society are here illegally, and they didn’t come across the Arizona-Mexico border with the assistance of some coyote. No sirree Bob, these folks came here legally – with student visas, tourist visas, work visas, from countries where our government doesn’t even require a visa to come here -- and they stayed. And stayed. And stayed. And they’re not all brown. Some are whiter than Conan O’Brien.
So how, pray tell, will those poor Arizona law enforcement folks be able to tell which folks are here legally and which are not?
Easy. Racial profiling.
To the left, to the left . . .
All the brown people in the line to the left
We’re the government of Arizona
We’ll violate your rights when we wanna
To the left, to the left,
All the brown people in the line to the left
Show an SSN card or a valid DL
Or you’re going to an Arizona jail . . .
You must not know ‘bout AZ
You must not know ‘bout AZ
We’ll detain brown people in a minute
If there’s any empty cell, they’ll be in it
Baybeee . . .
You must not know ‘bout AZ
You must not know ‘bout AZ
Don’t you ever for a second git to thinkin’
You’re brown and free in AZ . .
-- With apologies to Beyonce
Yours truly has been busier than a two dollar hooker. But with Arizona losing its collective mind, I had to put down what I was doing and speak (or write) my mind.
Isn’t this the same state whose public university refused to give President Obama an honorary degree? The same state that dragged its feet adopting a Dr. King holiday – hell, do they even have a Dr. King holiday yet?
Mind you, I have nothing against the citizens of Arizona. Having lived in Colorado and traveled home to California numerous times while living there, I traveled through Arizona many times and had no bad experiences. Even my late dog loved Arizona for the dog-friendly hotels.
But I cannot in good conscience spend my tourism dollars – what little I have – in a state that blesses an unabashedly racist law in the guise of immigration reform. What Arizona has passed is nothing short of apartheid, Arizona style: Carry your papers or get arrested and detained.
First, immigration, and the control thereof, is not within the rights of the states. Arizona is now the poster child for why that is.
Second, the people who promulgated this law probably think that America’s illegal immigration problem stems from porous southern borders and the lure of low-paying jobs where immigration status verification is lax. Not so. Lots of people in corporate America and in all tiers of American society are here illegally, and they didn’t come across the Arizona-Mexico border with the assistance of some coyote. No sirree Bob, these folks came here legally – with student visas, tourist visas, work visas, from countries where our government doesn’t even require a visa to come here -- and they stayed. And stayed. And stayed. And they’re not all brown. Some are whiter than Conan O’Brien.
So how, pray tell, will those poor Arizona law enforcement folks be able to tell which folks are here legally and which are not?
Easy. Racial profiling.
To the left, to the left . . .
Sensei Obama's Chill Dojo
At first, I was angry at the protesters who spat on Representative John Lewis and hurled racial epithets (not “epitaphs” as one reporter called them) at Lewis and Representative Emanuel Cleaver II. Seething, mind you. Then I was angry at Lewis and Cleaver for not commenting on the incidents. Then I was angry at President Obama for not calling the protesters on their racism.
And then I chilled.
Consider me a new student in President, or rather, Sensei Obama’s Chill Dojo.
I realized that, like President Obama and Representatives Lewis and Cleaver, I could not allow the N word to have the power over me that those who used it on Lewis and Cleaver wanted it to have. I, like President Obama, needed to focus not on the extraneous and the offensive, but the goal itself – enacting health care legislation.
I know my husband, Black Man Not Blogging (BMNB), has heard criticisms of President Obama at his barber shop to the effect that the President needs to be “more black” – and, in this case, I think that meant “more angry.” I know my first inclination when I heard that Representative Lewis, who had literally taken blows in Selma to march for the freedoms I enjoy, had been called the N-word and spat on, was to take up arms. I wanted to show those protesters that I wasn’t part of the non-violent Dr. King civil rights generation, but the “by any means necessary” pre-Hajj Malcolm X generation. And that I wasn’t alone.
And that’s exactly what they would have wanted – that Lewis, Cleaver, and even President Obama – lose focus. That they give power to that most offensive word at the expense of representative democracy and social justice.
So I took my cue from the President. And when the House vote hit 216 Sunday night, I quietly rejoiced and realized that had the President and Representatives Lewis and Cleaver given those racial epithets the power that those who used them thought they had, we might not be talking about a health care victory today, but what could have been had we chilled and remained focused.
I guess that is the first rule of Sensei Obama’s Chill Dojo: Chill and remain focused.
Indeed.
And then I chilled.
Consider me a new student in President, or rather, Sensei Obama’s Chill Dojo.
I realized that, like President Obama and Representatives Lewis and Cleaver, I could not allow the N word to have the power over me that those who used it on Lewis and Cleaver wanted it to have. I, like President Obama, needed to focus not on the extraneous and the offensive, but the goal itself – enacting health care legislation.
I know my husband, Black Man Not Blogging (BMNB), has heard criticisms of President Obama at his barber shop to the effect that the President needs to be “more black” – and, in this case, I think that meant “more angry.” I know my first inclination when I heard that Representative Lewis, who had literally taken blows in Selma to march for the freedoms I enjoy, had been called the N-word and spat on, was to take up arms. I wanted to show those protesters that I wasn’t part of the non-violent Dr. King civil rights generation, but the “by any means necessary” pre-Hajj Malcolm X generation. And that I wasn’t alone.
And that’s exactly what they would have wanted – that Lewis, Cleaver, and even President Obama – lose focus. That they give power to that most offensive word at the expense of representative democracy and social justice.
So I took my cue from the President. And when the House vote hit 216 Sunday night, I quietly rejoiced and realized that had the President and Representatives Lewis and Cleaver given those racial epithets the power that those who used them thought they had, we might not be talking about a health care victory today, but what could have been had we chilled and remained focused.
I guess that is the first rule of Sensei Obama’s Chill Dojo: Chill and remain focused.
Indeed.
Congress: Grow A Pair and Reform Health Care
I don't know how much more bluntly to put it: We need health care reform.
I know I get tired of this country always regressing to the mean for industrialized nations in terms of quality of life issues like health care, child care and the like -- for goodness' sake, Cuba has better access to health care AND a higher literacy rate than the U.S. For all the money that this economic engine of a nation generates, you'd think we'd do better than tiny Scandinavian countries in taking care of our own. But we don't.
Like Dennis Kucinich, I, too, was disappointed that the current health care bill doesn't do more. I wanted single payer, was willing to settle for a public option, but at this point, I'm not willing to let the perfect get in the way of the good, especially in a nation that ties access to health care to employment during a time of high unemployment. At this point in history, I'll take what I can get.
I know that many people think that the unemployed are taken care of in terms of access to health care -- that they can get Medicaid or some other form of public health care for the indigent. Assuming that's true, what about the underemployed? What about those Americans who would rather take any job they can get -- even if it pays far less and doesn't provide health care benefits -- than be unemployed? The Americans who work numerous part-time jobs in an effort to cobble together a full-time salary, and still without benefits? What about them?
I know my nation can do better than just doing nothing.
So, to put it bluntly, Congress, grow a pair -- balls, ovaries, whatever it takes -- and reform health care.
I know I get tired of this country always regressing to the mean for industrialized nations in terms of quality of life issues like health care, child care and the like -- for goodness' sake, Cuba has better access to health care AND a higher literacy rate than the U.S. For all the money that this economic engine of a nation generates, you'd think we'd do better than tiny Scandinavian countries in taking care of our own. But we don't.
Like Dennis Kucinich, I, too, was disappointed that the current health care bill doesn't do more. I wanted single payer, was willing to settle for a public option, but at this point, I'm not willing to let the perfect get in the way of the good, especially in a nation that ties access to health care to employment during a time of high unemployment. At this point in history, I'll take what I can get.
I know that many people think that the unemployed are taken care of in terms of access to health care -- that they can get Medicaid or some other form of public health care for the indigent. Assuming that's true, what about the underemployed? What about those Americans who would rather take any job they can get -- even if it pays far less and doesn't provide health care benefits -- than be unemployed? The Americans who work numerous part-time jobs in an effort to cobble together a full-time salary, and still without benefits? What about them?
I know my nation can do better than just doing nothing.
So, to put it bluntly, Congress, grow a pair -- balls, ovaries, whatever it takes -- and reform health care.
Splitting the U.S. of A: An Exercise in Stupidity
My sister, the Writing Diva, received this email from one of her right wingnut friends. It disturbed her deeply. I figured I’d take a shot at responding to it, as it was reportedly authored by a law student. Since I used to get paid to intellectually smack down cocky and uninformed law students, I thought this might be fun:
DIVORCE AGREEMENT THIS IS SO INCREDIBLY WELL PUT AND I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT'S BY A YOUNG PERSON, A STUDENT!!! WHATEVER HE RUNS FOR, I'LL VOTE FOR HIM.
Of course you will.
American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al:We have stuck together since the late 1950's, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce.... I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let's just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.
Indeed. Until you realize you have no economy to speak of. But go ahead, propose away.
Here is a model separation agreement:
Actually, brain surgeon, this would be a property settlement and/or custody agreement, but let’s not split hairs.
Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.
Cool! We’ll take California, Nevada (We wouldn’t want to burden you with those legal brothels, now would we? You can still patronize them, though, as your people are wont to do, by seeking what we’ll call a “fuck visa.” But it will cost you.), Hawai’i (Because, of course, you wouldn’t want to be burdened with the birthplace of President Obama; it’ll take a lot off the plates of your Tea Party People, but then, what else would they have to talk conspiracy theories about?), Oregon (because medical marijuana and assisted suicide offend you so), Washington (and Microsoft), Colorado, Puerto Rico (where you think illegal immigrants come from), Guam, the territories, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, D.C. and Michigan. Good luck with the rest. Oh, and we’ll declare New Orleans a protectorate that belongs to neither of us, since your people did such a splendid job with relief and rebuilding and our people don’t want to own the entire state just to attend Mardi Gras and eat good food. Just like Cubans and former the U.S.A., we’ll give automatic citizenship to gay men from Atlanta because they shouldn’t have to suffer under your regime.
We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell (You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them).
Conversely, we gladly and happily cede to you Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, the entire Fox News channel, and that blond anorexic-looking conservative chick who won’t STFU. Oh, and Katie Couric, just because. We’ll keep Oprah, Michael and Rosie for the tax benefits alone. And good luck gassing up the Hummer you’ll need to ride Glenn and Rush around, especially if there’s another hurricane in the Gulf Coast.
We'll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies and illegal aliens. We'll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO's and rednecks. We'll keep the Bibles and give you NBC and Hollywood.
Uh, slow your roll, homeskillet. You can’t keep capitalism and Wall Street if you don’t keep New York,and Lord knows you wouldn't want to keep the birthplace of hip-hop. And “hot Alaskan hockey moms” is a conflict in terms, since, if you’re talking about Sarah Palin, ignorance can never, ever be “hot.” As for the Bibles, we’ll be keeping those too, the difference being that we’ll at least crack ours open from time to time to make sure we’re actually quoting them correctly and following them. We liberals have this thing for fact checking and accuracy that your people tend to disdain, especially as they pertain to the exercise of government power and Fox News.
You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we'll help provide them security.
Good luck buying the armaments you’re going to need to “invade and hammer.” And the circuitry that powers those arms – designed in Silicon Valley, which we’ll own. I guess you’ll fly visually. We’ll save our armaments for real, not imagined, threats to national security, not “our way of life.” Lord knows, your “way of life” didn’t include people of color, women or gays for a long time, anyway. Does it now?
We'll keep our Judeo-Christian values. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N. but we will no longer be paying the bill.
Why keep those Judeo-Christian values when you so rarely use them? Lord knows, the only lives you celebrate are in vitro – the in-your-face homeless and poor, well, tough nuggies for them in your new state. Like my momma used to say, if you’re not going to use something, give it to someone who will. We’ll actually use those Judeo-Christian values you speak of, thank you, sir. And since we embrace a diversity of views and beliefs so as to better equip us to deal with nations unlike ourselves in a peaceful manner, we’ll take Islam and raise you Hinduism and Buddhism.
We'll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru station wagon you can find.
You go right ahead driving those Osama bin Laden-mobiles. What’s good for Hummer and the like is good for . . . Saudi Arabia and al Qaeda.
You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors. We'll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We'll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem. I'm sure you'll be happy to substitute Imagine, I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.
Funny, doctors seem to like San Francisco and Hawaii, where healthcare is provided to everyone regardless of cost. As for our new anthem, I personally prefer “One Nation Under A Groove,” but since we will be a deliberative democracy and not some dictatorial, neo-con facist state, we’ll vote on it and let your leader know what we decide. Not that he’ll communicate it down to you proles, anyway.
We'll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history, our name and our flag.
What’s the point of keeping your history when you so rarely refer to it and regularly revise it to accomplish your current political objectives? And didn’t Bush I refer to “trickle down economics” as “voo doo economics”? Surely you wouldn’t want to embrace an economic approach associated with what you would view as a cult. You might also have difficultly with keeping the flag, too, since you’ll have to actually be able to count the stars you’ll need to delete to reflect the current number of states in your new union and you don’t highly prize public education. You do know what the stars in the flag stand for, right? Oh, my bad -- you’ll just replace the stars you’ll have to delete with bars, since that’s so familiar and comforting to you anyway. I know – heritage, not hate.
Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I'll bet you Answer which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.
Sure, I’ll take that bet. Oh, and we’ll take the immigrants, too, since we all know that most of the agricultural and entrepreneurial growth will be dependent upon them. Jai ho!
Sincerely,
John J. Wall
Law Student and an American
Sincerely,
Black Woman Blogging
Lawyer and American
DIVORCE AGREEMENT THIS IS SO INCREDIBLY WELL PUT AND I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT'S BY A YOUNG PERSON, A STUDENT!!! WHATEVER HE RUNS FOR, I'LL VOTE FOR HIM.
Of course you will.
American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al:We have stuck together since the late 1950's, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce.... I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let's just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.
Indeed. Until you realize you have no economy to speak of. But go ahead, propose away.
Here is a model separation agreement:
Actually, brain surgeon, this would be a property settlement and/or custody agreement, but let’s not split hairs.
Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.
Cool! We’ll take California, Nevada (We wouldn’t want to burden you with those legal brothels, now would we? You can still patronize them, though, as your people are wont to do, by seeking what we’ll call a “fuck visa.” But it will cost you.), Hawai’i (Because, of course, you wouldn’t want to be burdened with the birthplace of President Obama; it’ll take a lot off the plates of your Tea Party People, but then, what else would they have to talk conspiracy theories about?), Oregon (because medical marijuana and assisted suicide offend you so), Washington (and Microsoft), Colorado, Puerto Rico (where you think illegal immigrants come from), Guam, the territories, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, D.C. and Michigan. Good luck with the rest. Oh, and we’ll declare New Orleans a protectorate that belongs to neither of us, since your people did such a splendid job with relief and rebuilding and our people don’t want to own the entire state just to attend Mardi Gras and eat good food. Just like Cubans and former the U.S.A., we’ll give automatic citizenship to gay men from Atlanta because they shouldn’t have to suffer under your regime.
We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell (You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them).
Conversely, we gladly and happily cede to you Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, the entire Fox News channel, and that blond anorexic-looking conservative chick who won’t STFU. Oh, and Katie Couric, just because. We’ll keep Oprah, Michael and Rosie for the tax benefits alone. And good luck gassing up the Hummer you’ll need to ride Glenn and Rush around, especially if there’s another hurricane in the Gulf Coast.
We'll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies and illegal aliens. We'll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO's and rednecks. We'll keep the Bibles and give you NBC and Hollywood.
Uh, slow your roll, homeskillet. You can’t keep capitalism and Wall Street if you don’t keep New York,and Lord knows you wouldn't want to keep the birthplace of hip-hop. And “hot Alaskan hockey moms” is a conflict in terms, since, if you’re talking about Sarah Palin, ignorance can never, ever be “hot.” As for the Bibles, we’ll be keeping those too, the difference being that we’ll at least crack ours open from time to time to make sure we’re actually quoting them correctly and following them. We liberals have this thing for fact checking and accuracy that your people tend to disdain, especially as they pertain to the exercise of government power and Fox News.
You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we'll help provide them security.
Good luck buying the armaments you’re going to need to “invade and hammer.” And the circuitry that powers those arms – designed in Silicon Valley, which we’ll own. I guess you’ll fly visually. We’ll save our armaments for real, not imagined, threats to national security, not “our way of life.” Lord knows, your “way of life” didn’t include people of color, women or gays for a long time, anyway. Does it now?
We'll keep our Judeo-Christian values. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N. but we will no longer be paying the bill.
Why keep those Judeo-Christian values when you so rarely use them? Lord knows, the only lives you celebrate are in vitro – the in-your-face homeless and poor, well, tough nuggies for them in your new state. Like my momma used to say, if you’re not going to use something, give it to someone who will. We’ll actually use those Judeo-Christian values you speak of, thank you, sir. And since we embrace a diversity of views and beliefs so as to better equip us to deal with nations unlike ourselves in a peaceful manner, we’ll take Islam and raise you Hinduism and Buddhism.
We'll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru station wagon you can find.
You go right ahead driving those Osama bin Laden-mobiles. What’s good for Hummer and the like is good for . . . Saudi Arabia and al Qaeda.
You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors. We'll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We'll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem. I'm sure you'll be happy to substitute Imagine, I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.
Funny, doctors seem to like San Francisco and Hawaii, where healthcare is provided to everyone regardless of cost. As for our new anthem, I personally prefer “One Nation Under A Groove,” but since we will be a deliberative democracy and not some dictatorial, neo-con facist state, we’ll vote on it and let your leader know what we decide. Not that he’ll communicate it down to you proles, anyway.
We'll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history, our name and our flag.
What’s the point of keeping your history when you so rarely refer to it and regularly revise it to accomplish your current political objectives? And didn’t Bush I refer to “trickle down economics” as “voo doo economics”? Surely you wouldn’t want to embrace an economic approach associated with what you would view as a cult. You might also have difficultly with keeping the flag, too, since you’ll have to actually be able to count the stars you’ll need to delete to reflect the current number of states in your new union and you don’t highly prize public education. You do know what the stars in the flag stand for, right? Oh, my bad -- you’ll just replace the stars you’ll have to delete with bars, since that’s so familiar and comforting to you anyway. I know – heritage, not hate.
Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I'll bet you Answer which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.
Sure, I’ll take that bet. Oh, and we’ll take the immigrants, too, since we all know that most of the agricultural and entrepreneurial growth will be dependent upon them. Jai ho!
Sincerely,
John J. Wall
Law Student and an American
Sincerely,
Black Woman Blogging
Lawyer and American
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