Veracity Unchecked: Stephen King to Mitt Romney & His Minions
This made my day lol!
Stephen King just happens to be my favorite horror maestro but I have long said that I respect him for his mind & courage. He worked hard for years and dealt with years of rejection slips before he became the GIANT he is today.
Before his well deserved fame, he and his family struggled mightily as he worked two jobs and wrote at night. They lived, like most of us, one paycheck away from being destitute. In fact, when his first book offer was made, they had to call him at his school because his home phone had been cutoff. Sadly, that was a routine occurrence.
Reading his piece in the Daily Beast, it’s clear to me that he not only has conscience but, unlike many, has not forgotten from whence he came. I always love people who become successful but do not let it change who they are at core. It’s a sad truth that fate is fickle and many hard working and talented people die penniless. Think, Van Gogh…
The only way that we will achieve tax fairness is if the GOP is voted out of office in November. Clearly, they will not see logic for all the reasons that Stephen so beautifully articulated in his piece. Truth speaks volumes.
Check out the article here and get your smile on today 
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Resurfacing…
For those of you who wonder where I’ve been…
I’ve been treading water. Think I’m exaggerating? Read on and let me know if you STILL think so at the end.
As many of you know, I am the proud owner of a small landscaping company. It’s still new and I have a staff of 3 doing the work of 6 people. Hey! It’s still in it’s infancy lol. Spring, for reasons plantaholics will find understandable, is my favorite time of year.
The confluence of events that have transpired has ensured that I will never forget 2012, for more than the election. *smirk*
February blended seamlessly into March as I bent myself feverishly to the administrative and marketing tasks that come along with the start of landscape season.
I was focused, psyched…
But most importantly, determined.
Determination is easy to cull after three of the long months of of inactivity, stress, more stress, and steadily dwindling finances, due to the warmest NE winter in record. This winter, beach baby that I am, I actually prayed for snow.
God replied, “No can do.”
So, as we often do in the absence of cooperation, I set my sights on another goal – Spring.
I saw an early Spring as a gift and indeed it was, in many respects.
When I had a few precious moments to catch my breath, I grew heady at the rapidity with which I was moving through my to do list.
That same force of will drove me to drum up lots of Spring startup work from my clients and launch my first newsletter.
I was so successful that we had seven weeks of work booked solid and we hadn’t even begun. Woot!
“Man proposes…God disposes”
Ah joy, you fickle mistress.
On 3/17, my erstwhile employee of three years called out for the week due to a family emergency, leaving the burden of startup on my fiance and I.
We did not panic, we regrouped and soldiered on with dollar signs dancing in our eyes.
On 3/21, I received word that my work truck needed work to the tune of $5,000.
When I protested, the number miraculously dropped to $3,000.
It was then that something akin to panic stepped in and stopped all brain function in it’s tracks for about 1 hour.
I stopped the work and took some time to contemplate my next move. New truck? Or, work out of car? What to tell all the clients who were eagerly awaiting lawn work, designs, paving?
Ye gods.
Necessity as they say is the mother of invention.
We decided to use our personal vehicle while we looked for a new truck, a sane mechanic, or both.
Week 2 arrived, finding us somewhat worse for wear but ok….
until we realized that our employee was still MIA. No response to texts or phone calls.
NICE.
Never let it be said that rage is not a nice motivator.
I swear many people’s bushes were pruned and lawns were raked/stabbed in record time due to the bubbling anger that came over me whenever I thought of the sheer fuckery of the fates.
But it got done.
Week 3 arrived to find us utterly exhausted working 6 days a week, indoors or out. And you guessed it, still no word from !?%! (aka employee).
At which point, I gave in to the idea that we needed a new truck. No way could we continue on with this tiny vehicle lol, nor could I continue splitting my days bt. office and client sites. My fiance, trooper though he is, was running amok with a crick in his neck and an aching back.
It was then, that my neighbor, a mechanic offered to work on the truck for us at a reasonable rate and I started searching for a replacement.
Whoppee!
Not quite.
Week 4 and we ran through three guys in one week! Only one of them lasted two days. All in their 20′s and not ONE of them could keep up with my fiance who’s in his 40′s. What does that say to you about today’s youth? RIGHT.
FINALLY, last week, we found a replacement who has brains and stamina (pray for me that he lasts the season). The truck is now operational AND we have purchased a trailer. That was in the works but had to wait as we had no truck.
Jeezly crow. Had someone told me this is the kind of mess I’d be up against with when I took this path I honestly don’t know what I would have said LMAO. Certainly, I wouldn’t have believed that some things, seemingly so easy, would be so difficult. Like finding good help *clears throat*
Now, sleep restored, bills almost caught up, three designs done in spite of all the difficulties thrown at me and a few new clients in tow…
I am proud and happy that I am free to once again revel in the love of nature that led me to my business. When they say labor of love, they are NOT kidding. I am also somewhat impressed with my own reserves of strength which I thought depleted. It is that fortitude that I will take with me to tackle bigger things.
“Not too bad, kid.” As my boss used to say to me 
.
Next post, I will share some of the design pics with you. And hopefully, you will all forgive me for my long absence. Believe me when I say, I MISSED YOU.
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Rolling Stone Mobile – Politics – Politics: Ready for the Fight: Rolling Stone Interview with Barack Obama
Searching For Justice
Yesterday, state prosecutor Angela Corey announced the arrest of George Zimmerman on the charge of second degree murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin.
Like many others, I was glued to my TV watching the 6pm news conference. By all accounts, Angela Corey performed admirably under pressure, displaying graciousness, professionalism and high ethical standards. That coupled with the feeling that the wheels of justice have finally begun to turn inspired, in most of us, a renewal of faith in the justice system.
But not all of us. There are many people, African Americans in particular, who feel that justice delayed is justice denied. After all, it took fourty five days for the arrest to occur.
Fourty five days. in which the national outcry became incredibly LOUD, in both cyberspace, in the media and on the streets. That’s what it took to get the state of Florida and federal authorities to do their job.
That, in and of itself, is terribly disheartening.
No sane person could possibly think that the Sanford PD’s handling of this case was anything but inept and biased. The Stand Your Ground law enables vigilantism and fosters institutional bias. It must be abolished in all the states where it masquerades as justice.
People can fool themselves by opining that this is an isolated incident but its not.
Just last week, the killers of Sean Bell were finally brought to “justice”. We should be grateful, it only took 2 yrs. The Diallo family never saw justice for the loss of their son, Amadou Diallo.
Since it’s taken me so long to publish this, the 20 yr anniversary of the LA riots incited by the assault on Rodney King has just passed. In his interview on The Last Word, he spoke of how he recognized and understood the “death screams” of Trayvon Martin and how disturbing that was. The sound of a human being minutes from death, fighting for their life.
I broke down and cried.
The details of these cases undoubtedly differ but the end result is the same, innocent, young African American males lost their lives in confrontations exacerbated by deeply embedded racial stereotypes. In a word, the criminalization of African Americans.
It’s heartbreaking, unjust and enraging that such gross
miscarriages of justice have become commonplace. Particularly, because the criminal justice system is charged with the protection of all citizenry.
Is this not a flagrant violation of our constitutional rights?
The social contract that exists between government and citizenry is unspoken, yet it is the very wheels upon which everything works. We agree to submit to the authority of our elected officials and perform our roles as citizens in exchange for protection, freedom, security and dignity which should be accorded to all human beings.
For far too long, these basic rights continue to be constrained by personal, social and institutional biases. But why quibble about such a minor thing?
Because, as so beautifully illustrated by the power of our collective voices crying for justice for the Martin family, if we do not injustice continues to be commonplace.
Videos of the Week #9: Miniature Worlds & Nature
Sorry for my long absence, work has me in it’s grip lol. Better to be working than not. Yes? Yes. So short and sweet just to say I miss you all and hope you had a groovy weekend.
I’m on a quest for totally mindless entertainment and found some much to my delight! Some days you need that .
WORLDS IN MINIATURE
1. The Sandpit – A Day in the life of New York City
2. Chicago’s Very (tiny) Own
NATURE
1. Frozen Planet which premieres tonight!
2. Fishing at Victoria Falls
3. Aurora Borealis Noway Jan 2012
P.S. – I started to include a viral video called Jon counts to 100,000 but it is IMO just a symptom of what idleness can do to a perfectly good human lol.
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Video of the Week #9: GOP Fearmongering, Judge Cebull & MHP on “The Second Face of Power”
1. Aha! The proof is in the pudding. I watched this with my mouth on the floor. I can’t even explain why I was so shocked but indeed I am, be it from the stupidity of the Fox News for so shamelessly spinning lies, or the shortness of the collective memory of the American public. Can we really be this gullible and uninformed? Don’t answer that.
Watch this clip from the Ed Show and be sure to let me know what you think.
2. If you haven’t heard about the scandal that is Judge Cebull, you need to watch this clip. I am up in arms and head over heels with disgust at this mess. It has shades of Rush Limbaugh but with darker gradations. After all, this man has the power of life and death over people. It’s just impossible in my mind to believe that he could deliver fair and balanced judgements if this is taken to be an indication of how his mind works. I agree with Karen Finney, that he is indeed old enough to know better. It’s another question altogether about why it is so difficult to remove a judge from the bench… And no, I’m so not buying that it was just a joke. It was fathoms away from funny.
3. I find Melissa Harris-Perry’s new show to be fascinating. I applaud MSNBC for creating shows with intelligent, rational, informative and balanced perspectives. It’s a relief from the insanity of Fox News.
That aside, you may also be wondering at the rapidity of changes in the National conversation. Back at the end of Dec., we were obsessed with OWS, inequality & the 99%. In the last few weeks, the contraception insanity and Rush Limbaugh debacle has unfolded. Of course, there is also the grinding ax of the GOP candidates ranting about gas prices. Now, while they may all be relevant to you, some is clearly just nonsense taking up space in your already overcrowded brain. Like most of us, you are thinking about getting a job, keeping a job, paying down your debt, keeping your home, getting a home, upgrading what you’ve got and how to stretch your dollars to meet the rising cost of…everything.
And yet, the GOP and the Right seem obsessed with everything else. It’s not your imagination, it is deliberate. Welcome to election year 2012.
This segment of the MHP show deals with this conundrum and I found it very educational. She’s good at that, she’s a teacher after all. Her show is definitely worth a second look as it deals with a variety of topics, not just political and has a fascinating assortment of guests – 4 weeks in. I can feel my brain stretching
4. Ode to one of my favorite singers, the unforgettable Teena Marie who passed last year. She would’ve been 56 on March 5th.
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A Tangled Web: African Americans and The GOP
So, let me start off by saying that I believe in the two party system. Even in the throes of my disgust with what the party has become, I stand by that belief. Why? Because the two party system should ensure a balanced and measured approach to policy making. In a pluralistic society, differing approaches/ideals are needed to inform political, economic, social and judicial policy which is representative of the masses.
At my core, I respect differing ideologies/opinions and the dynamics of compromise. In, and of itself, compromise has value in all areas of life. Congress has forgotten this in their thirst for power as they become fat with the corrupting influence of money in politics.
I get hives when I envision unilateralism. We have examples of these systems and how they work, think the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, or the People’s Republic of China. It can be a dangerous path on the road to fascism.
Theoretical models aside, the ineptitude of the current Congress challenges this belief to my very bones. But let’s be fair, that’s pretty much a direct result of my Bush hangover and the GOP field today. Their platform has been poisoned by inaction, divisiveness and destructive race/hatemongering. When I hear about Republicans like George Romney, Mitt’s father, I am stymied as to how we got where we are today and wonder why Mitt falls so far outside the spectrum of his father’s values and life lessons.
The bigger question might be, based on the last two years, why the party seems to have moved to the extreme right and by doing so, have they made themselves defunct? Surely, they embody devolution at it’s best and a hearkening back to days gone by. How will they make their way back? Is that even possible?
But I digress…
All this is to say that my motivation for the following question is not because I think the Republican party is unnecessary but a genuine quest for what seems to be a glaring contradiction.
“What’s up with African American Republicans?”
It’s Black History month and an election year to boot, so I want to get down to the bottom of this. Why do they exist? Their very existence is anathema to me and makes me itch.
It should be said that even at 19, I was a Democrat. I align with their world view, you see. My blood pumps liberal and always has. They are the party of conscience. The party which cares for the people, not just an elitist, rich and privileged few. They are critically important, especially now.
So speaks a child born in 1968, post Civil Rights era.
When my grandmother told me she was a Republican, I looked at her like she had two heads. Interestingly enough, my mother is a Democrat. I grew up listening to the likes of Sonia Sanchez “Refuse & Resist” and since I was 12 have been blessed to have multiracial friends embodying the full socio-economic spectrum. This gave me an experience of cultural norms outside the African American community. This made my my world view nothing if not pluralistic. I think that knowledge and experience is germane to my fundamental beliefs.
Only now, after learning of the Hip Hop Republicans (again I thank you Twitter) have I been moved to do some research in an attempt to understand the question.
Did you know?
- Abraham Lincoln was a Republican.
- The Republican party were proponents of the 13th amendment banning slavery the 14th amendment guaranteeing equal protection under the law for Blacks and the 15th which granted us the right to vote.
- All these initiatives were opposed by the Democratic party.
- The original 1957 Civil Rights Act was written by Chief Justice Earl Warren who was also the author of Brown vs. Board of Education, responsible for desegregation. He was appointed by Eisenhower, also a Republican.
- Famous African American Republicans: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Carter G. Woodson, Condoleeza Rice, Clarence Thomas and Michael Steele.
Those are the facts and we can argue about the why of it, which many have said was spurned by less than altruistic motives, another time. But now, I get it! I understand that past is prologue. See, what you don’t know is just as important than what you think you know!
This has spawned a second question, “What has happened to the Republican party?”
Hmm, crickets.
Yes, more research is in order lol. Nonetheless, the current GOP field, think Allan West, Herman Cain, and their ilk, are so far removed from previous generations of Republicans that it is nothing short of scary. In fact, I don’t think they know their history. The rhetoric they spout underscores this in a MAJOR way.
I understand loyalty but I do not understand blind loyalty and so my original question remains. Why, in today’s environment, would any African American, especially those whom care about progress and the plight of their people today, continue to be loyal to the Republican party? It flies in the face of the evidence and facts. You can add to that the growing list of embattled groups, women, LGBT, immigrants, the poor, the college educated etc.
I have a scary vision of them converging on the ballot box which, God help me, keeps me up at night. I won’t be happy until 11/7/12 or thereabouts…
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It Will Not Stand: The War on Women’s Choice
I’ve had many discussions with older African Americans about what we call the apathy of the younger generation. They seem to be incredibly distant from the struggles of Civil Rights Era. To hear them tell it, it has little to do with them and I can only hypothesize that this mental “distance” is part ignorance, part self defense and partly the right of those who benefit but do not get bloodied in the fight.
In my opinion, the view that the world is so different today that they don’t need to actively engage and fight for change in the Black community is sadly way too prevalent.
As a a child born the year that Dr. Martin Luther King & Malcolm X were assassinated, great granddaughter of a slave and Native American Indian and the daughter of a woman who lived through Jim Crow, the struggle is an ingrained part of who I am. I see myself, individually and collectively, connected to a legacy of strife and ascension of which I am the beneficiary and guardian. I do not feel the disconnection but the continuum of The Dream.
Regardless of what this generation might believe, this shift towards individualism and away from a collective sense of struggle, which were the glue of the Black community, is only possible because they are beneficiaries of the Civil Rights era.
That is where we differ.
The past few weeks have shown me where we connect. The assaults on women’s rights have left me stunned only because I’ve spent my life in the same protective bubble of inherited blind confidence, assurance and disconnectedness. I am moved by tales of women having back alley abortions, disturbed by old movies where women were so clearly lacking any real autonomy but that’s just so yesterday. How could they have stood such a thing? I just never got it. Women have fought for their rights as equal citizens and made tremendous, unassailable strides, or so I thought.
I was wrong.
Women’s rights are under attack. Our right to our bodies, to self-determination and actualization is what’s on the chopping block. I had no doubt that we remain second class citizens in the eyes of many men and that we live in a world whose limitations are defined by patriarchy but those rights which women marched for, died for, and laws which had already been passed…I never imagined that they would be challenged. Not in the 21st century.
Beneath the skin of our nation, ideological warfare is being waged. Religious zealotry has infected politics under the guise of the GOP, threatening to undo 40 years of progress. The separation of church and state is guaranteed by the first amendment and yet that seems to hold little sway in the political arena TODAY. You only have to listen to Santorum to get the lay of the land. The Right wing agenda is actively and insidiously pushing legislation based on their religious beliefs, challenging and undermining women’s reproductive choice. Transvaginal ultrasound my ass. If you think that’s an exaggeration, read this article from the Daily Kos. You can also read the excellent article, The GOP War on birth control by Rachel Maddow of MSNBC.
Historically, women vote in greater numbers than men and I’m betting that the 2012 election will be nothing short of historic.
In a society where women are still struggling for equal representation, still not earning the same pay for the same work as their male colleagues, still make up less than 15% of congress, never mind be president, and comprise less than 10% of media executives, which stops us from telling our own stories and combating embedded stereotypes, lack of reproductive choice is a death sentence.
Every woman I know is outraged at the dismissiveness of elected officials and their intrusion, legally mandated, on our personal choice. Women need to send a resounding message that we will not go back. I will never in my lifetime support a candidate who espouses the rhetoric and policies coming from the GOP candidates seeking presidential nomination.
It will not stand.
The call has gone out for a National March against the War on Women to be held in Washington on 4/28/12. I plan to be there with every person I can wrangle to show that our voice matters, ensure my rights and those of future generations. Just to ensure that they get their chance to glide along in the protective bubble and take for granted, as long as they can, that their rights are guaranteed.
Go to http://www.facebook.com/UniteWomen for more information.
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Why I Don’t Need To See The Help (Updated)
So, tomorrow night is the Oscar’s and vying for Best Picture is The Help.
Woop! Woop! Not.
You had to have heard about it, it’s popularity makes it hard to escape. Critiques and accolades are indeed everywhere. In fact, in keeping with Capitalism American Style, there is a product line on the Home Shopping Network. You know, to be sure that they feed our atavistic consumerism and pimp us for every dollar.
And yet, I have not seen it.
My initial reaction was, “Who needs to see yet another movie about Blacks in a menial position being “rescued” by a White Savior?” It’s a story as old as the world and I for one would much rather not.
But I try to keep an open mind so rather than run screaming in the other direction, I sought out the opinions of others and have watched with great curiosity the dearth of commentary about the film on Twitter. I follow a pretty diverse group of smart folks, writers, feminists, political pundits, pop icons, intellectuals, activists and the like. It has been extremely enlightening to listen to the array of voices dissect and analyze The Help. Unsurprisingly, their criticism echoed my initial reaction and cemented my reluctance.
Someone on my TL Tweeted, “The Help was no help to me.” LOL. Succinct but accurate.
The opinions follow a general trend, that the story itself, is a false depiction of the historical record and insulting to the struggles of African Americans. That it is wrong to depict the perpetually smiling, loving, jovial, self-sacrificing, stereotype of the “Mammy” in the face of racism and debasement. It’s undignified and plain stupid, to say the very least. To boot, that such depictions inform the misconception of Black women as victims, incapable of saving themselves and reliant upon, in this case, White liberals “do-gooders” to save/enlighten them.
It should be noted that the author, Kathryn Stockett, based the story on her experiences growing up in Mississippi and her family maid. Sadly, it seems she did much more than that. Click here to read the article about Abilene Cooper’s court case against Kathryn Stockett.
Petition @kathrynstockett to give #TheHelp's "real Aibilene" the $75,000 for which she sued! act.ly/5lu RT to sign—
Coco Rivers (@coco_rivers) February 26, 2012
Of course, not all African Americans agree, we are nothing if not a heterogeneous group. I think those who disagree are giving a nod to revisionist history and downplaying the importance of media representations which inform, or reflect, social norms. This is an all too common meme in Hollywood which hearkens back to the good ol’ days of Gone With The Wind, Butterfly McQueen and Hattie McDaniel.
The Help is defended as a “feel good” story and I don’t doubt it has some redeeming qualities but that doesn’t give it the right to obscure history with fantasy. Nor, can any rational person argue that revisionist history is good for mankind.
There is an alarming trend towards revisionist history that seems to be gaining momentum in America. I believe that it’s the driving force behind censorship of Huckleberry Finn removing the word Nigger, HD 2281, the Arizona law that deems it unlawful to teach Ethnic studies in schools and Texas Board of Education’s attempts to revise history books, changing slavery to the Altantic Triangular Trade. *snort*
The mindset seems to say, “Let’s erase the evil deeds of our ancestors because it’s over. Why harp on slavery and Jim Crow?” We have the Civil Rights Amendment, Affirmative Action and a Black president now.
Right, like women have ERA and Roe v. Wade and are still fighting today for equal pay and the right to control our bodies. Let that be a lesson to you.
Would you ask a rape victim to forget about her rape? Would you ask a victim of child abuse to forget that their abuse?” I didn’t think so.
History teaches us, collectively and personally, informing who we are and where we came from. It encapsulates the full spectrum of possibility, achievements and atrocities. In many cases, it is a cautionary lesson. Erasure does not encourage critical thinking or evolution. Which is why such stories, parroting as truth, offend me.
When I saw “For Colored Girl’s Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf” it devastated me, hit me right in my core and left me sobbing in the theater. Why? Because it was so REAL. Those women told the often marginalized, undiluted tales of Black women who rise or fall, in the wake of emotional and physical trauma. Their voices reflect a reality that women face and it would be a completely different story if the guts were taken away because it’s too controversial, or some such mess. No, it’s not the uplifting escape from reality you seek but hey, life is not a perpetual party and people should not be reduced to caricatures for material gain, or personal appeasement. And never, never, should fiction be paraded as history for convenience sake…
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