Archive for the ‘family’ Category
08
To be honest with ya, I’ve been fortunate to meet some great people in my life. From awesome teachers and professors to great fellow students and coworkers. From grade school all the way up to today. With the advent of Facebook, people who I have known for over 40 years have reconnected with me. Some of these people grew up in the same neighborhood that I did. Some of them I met in elementary school through high school, and some I worked with. But even though I don’t have that many “friends”, the ones I do have hold special memories for me. But I have one friend who is not here. I lost him in junior high school. His name was Chuck.
In my area of the planet, when you graduate from elementary school, you go to a junior high school that brings kids together from a fairly wide area of the city. So for me, I met new people at Lemon Grove Jr. High. One of those people was Chuck. He was a year older than I was, but we hit it off immediately!
I don’t know if Chuck was gay but he had effeminate characteristics. It didn’t matter to me, I just liked him. He was one of those people who always had a smile on his face and made you feel good. He was smart and funny and you liked to be around him. He had lots of friends and EVERYONE knew him. If you need a visual of what Chuck was like, picture Jack McFarland from Will and Grace, MINUS the narcissism! I remember dancing with him at the school dances and laughing with him in passing in the halls in between classes. He was one of those people who you thought would be successful if only on his personality alone.
Yeah, I remember people saying he was “gay” or calling him a “fag” on many occasions, but it seemed to roll of his back. I don’t know the extent of any physical bullying, but since it was the late 70′s, I wouldn’t doubt that it didn’t happen to Chuck. Again, because he was funny, he was always able to turn torment into laughter. He just had that knack!
The summer after the 7th grade, when we came back to school, the school was hit with the news. Chuck had committed suicide. Many people speculated that he got tired of being harassed, both in his neighborhood or at home and at school because of his “feminine ways.” Either way it was a huge blow to me. I didn’t know what a “Lesbian” was, but I knew I liked girls. And I knew I was “different”, just like Chuck. Chuck was the first of 8 suicides of people that I knew personally. Not ” a friend of a friend” but people I cared about. People who for whatever reason, we connected. On a spiritual level.
With the rash of teen suicides in the last month, at least nine if I count correctly, Chuck has come rushing back to me. That nine teenagers, who haven’t really had the chance to enjoy life, are no longer here. That they saw no other outlet for the bullying except to commit suicide. And that the torment Chuck went through is now global. And how you can be humiliated and have it seen by millions of people, in seconds. Little did I know, I would face something similar myself.
At San Diego City College, there was a rumor that I was a lesbian. No one ever said they saw me with another woman. No one ever said they saw me do anything with any women. What was said is that I “looked” at other women. YUP, that was my crime! Not like Jack Tripper used to look at Chrissy, Janet, and Terry, just looked at them. And I endured semesters of whispers, murmurs, and pointing. And should someone not have known about my “crime”, it was quickly brought to their attention. Luckily for me, most of the people who were “told about me” didn’t seem to care. They continued to talk to me and it didn’t matter. But yes, there were times when I didn’t want to go to class. And times where I was ready to toss people off of the second floor of the building we were on. But I was in my mid twenties and saw the bigger picture. And the fact that I was usually one of the people who always “fucked up the curve”, I was able to get my revenge that way! No one had the balls to come up to my face and say anything. But the murmurs and other crap were aggravating just the same.
Continue reading “Chuck” »
13
As expected, Federal Judge Vaughn Walker lifted the stay on Same Couple Marriage! Using the same legal standing that was presented in the overturning of Prop 8, Walker then reiterated that Prop 8 discriminated against Same Couple Marriages. Which means that on August 18, 2010, Lesbian and Gay couples will be able to get married again!
As in his original ruling, Judge Walker stated the obvious. That Same Couple Marriage “doesn’t harm heterosexual marriage or anyone else for that matter.” That there is “no reason to deny Same Couple Marriage.” That denying Same Couple Marriage is “NOT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST.” And most importantly, whether “opponents of Same Couple Marriage have not made a strong showing that they are likely to succeed on the merits (of their appeal).”
Opponents of Same Couple Marriage had ample opportunity to present a case during the Appellant trial. And as Judge Walker stated in both of his rulings, “Proponents had a full opportunity to provide evidence in support of their position and nevertheless failed to present even one credible witness on the government interest in Proposition 8.” Prop 8 supporters presented two witnesses. One who based much of his theories on the research of closeted anti-gay leader George Rekers. And the other on a man who stated, on the stand, that he got his research “from the Internet.” Why are they surprised that Prop 8 was overturned?
According to the ruling, Judge Walker stated that “Proponents replied that they have an interest in defending Proposition 8 but failed to articulate even one specific harm they may suffer as a consequence of the injunction.” The reason they didn’t present any “specific harm” is because there is none. Never was. This has always been a moral issue and not a legal one. And as the judge stated in the original ruling, “California’s obligation is to treat its citizens equally, not to mandate [its] own moral code” and that ““Moral disapproval, without any other asserted state interest, has never been a rational basis for legislation.” For those who can’t read behind the lines, Judge Walker meant that just because you don’t like something, it doesn’t give you a right or reason to make it illegal.
If people took the time to read the original ruling overturning Prop 8, with an open and honest heart and mind, they will see two things. One is that Judge Vaughn Walker went to great lengths to explain his ruling. Second, he cited legal precedents to back up his ruling. So for all those clowns saying that he ruled the way he did because “he is gay”, get passed yourself! Whether he is Gay or not is irrelevant. Unlike you, Judge Walker applied the law. He didn’t use morality, the bible, or fear tactics to scare people into voting for a discriminatory law!
Unlike the title of this blog, I AM FEELING THIS!!!!!!!!!
P.S. To the citizens of California, YOU’RE WELCOME! Welcome for what? For all the money that will come into the state of California because of Same Couple Marriages!!!!!
09
With these four words, it is so ordered, millions of Lesbian and Gay citizens in America, and around the world, found last Wednesday’s ruling that overturned Prop 8 to be a GODSEND! Yes, I said it, a GODSEND! Because what we have been saying all along, that Prop 8 was UNCONSTITUTIONAL has been proven to be just that. And for the last nearly 96 hours I have been happy and smiling without knowing why. And when I do remember why, my smile gets wider and wider! The air seems clearer. The birds seem to be chirping more, and the sun seems brighter. But those in the struggle know the battle is still not over.
One of the things the Judge Walker stated was that there was no evidence that Same Couple Marriage harmed “traditional marriage.” The six states that currently allow Same Couple Marriage are Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire. The world didn’t come to an end nor did the roof fall in. The opponents of Same Couple Marriage have done nothing to prove we cause them any harm. And they had the same opportunities to present evidence that it does and came up with NOTHING!
Iowa, the only state to perform Same Couple Marriages not on the east coast, has seen a jump in tourism. Why? Because Lesbians and Gays in the Mid-west can go to Iowa and get married. Since there is a three day waiting period to get married in Iowa, money is being spent in the local economy. For an country that is still in the midst of a recession, that extra money is a blessing. Do you hear that California?
In the now four days since the ban was repealed, the Republican party has been eerily silent on the ruling. And these are the people who have been on the front lines of opposing Same Couple Marriage. With mid-term elections coming up, they are afraid to make Same Couple Marriage an issue. Especially since the economy, health care, the federal deficit, the war, unemployment, and immigration, seem to be more important than Same Couple Marriage. Or maybe the Republican party is seeing the writing on the wall. The tide is changing and Same Couple Marriage isn’t and never should have been an issue.
It is so ordered. No finer words were EVER uttered!
13
The mormon church has decided to support Gay Rights legislation because it is “the right thing to do.” This after being the main catalyst for the passing of Prop 8 in california and Prop 1 in maine that overturned Same Couple Marriage. The mormon front group, the National Organization for Marriage/NOM has been on the forefront of financing propositions that oppose Same Couple Marriage. And with each passage, the magnifying glass under which the mormon church is being dissected, gets clearer and clearer. Many mormons have been critical of their church for being “too political” and bringing wide range criticism from everywhere. Their business ownership have been brought to the public’s eye and they are being boycotted. This alleged “change of heart” means NOTHING!
NOM/the mormons are being investigated in maine for improper campaign contributions. They claim to have done “nothing wrong” but aren’t willing to obey the law. They have either failed or REFUSED government COURT ORDERS to turn over campaign financing information. For people who claim to be “religious” their lies and bigotry is appalling. They are hiding behind the bible all the while ignoring what it really says. Forgive me but isn’t “Shalt not tell a lie” in the bible?
Continue reading “They love us! They REALLY love us!” »
12
I admit it. I’m a NERD and proud of it! I’ve always been a NERD and I fully embrace my NERDINESS. Learning came fairly easy for me so school was never a problem for me. I certainly had classes that gave me trouble, like Calculus. But I never felt the need to cheat. I felt that if I applied myself, I would at least be able to get a “C” and have the basic knowledge of what that subject was about. And while a coupIe of “C’s” did lower my overal GPA, I am pleased at having a 3.2 GPA throughout my high school and college education. Could it have been A LOT higher? YES! Should it have been higher? YES? I guess I was born about 24 years too soon. Because in the state of North Carolina, students can BUY points that can be added to a test and raise the grade. That means a student who might have failed a test can buy enough points to raise that grade to passing. All this is being done to raise money for a cash strapped school district. This takes “buying and education” to an all new level!
The “point policy” for Rosewood Middle School in Goldsboro, NC, says that for $20.00, a student can apply 10 points to a test of that students choice. So a “B” can become an “A”, and an “F” can become a “C” or a “D.” I’m at a COMPLETE loss as to what kind of lesson we are teaching these kids. A lesson that says instead of studying, you can just buy ten points and keep them in reserve just in case you need them? That if “mommy and daddy” will “kick in” the student can put the book down and continue surfing Facebook or playing with their WII?
Continue reading “Buying an education” »
11
To put it bluntly, I’m sick of hearing or seeing Chris Brown. He’s a BITCH and a COWARD. And now he has the AUDACITY to complain about Rhianna going on 20/20 and talking about the night he BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF HER ! It is OBVIOUS that he still hasn’t learned a DAMN THING from this incident and still thinks the world revolves around him. It is OBVIOUS he hasn’t learned a DAMN THING from the Domestic Abuse classes he is supposed to be taking. It is OBVIOUS the so called “spiritual advise he is going to seek” isn’t helping one bit! And it is even MORE OBVIOUS that he is still an abuser. Because by saying that the “incident should stay between us“, he is using the same language and exhibiting the same behavior as an abuser.
Hey, I understand that people make mistakes. And I understand that everyone should be given a second chance. But that chance is only given when that person is TRULY SORRY. I have yet to see any real remorse in any interview he has done. He always looks like the “class nerd” whose lab experiment went ACCIDENTALLY wrong. Like the kid in class who had a “bad idea” and says he will never do it again. All the while, he has his fingers crossed behind his back. He sounds like Eddie Haskell from the “Leave it to Beaver show” talking to Mrs. Cleaver and telling her “what a pretty dress she has on.” Even when he is giving her praise, you always think there is “something under his sleeve! Almost every word looks like he has been standing in front of a mirror saying it over and over again. Practicing the right inflection in his voice. The right pause or eyebrow raise. All those interviews seem to happen to try and rehabilitate his reputation. And not what is should be. To take full ownership of what he has done!
And now he is saying what happened that night should stay between him and Rhianna. WHY? So HE won’t look bad? So he can get his “life back?” And his donation of concert proceeds to Domestic Abuse Centers seems hollow and another way to make himself look good. If he wouldn’t have put his hands on Rhianna in the first place, none of his problems would have happened. He is almost trying to make it sound like HE is the VICTIM! But it isn’t working.
Continue reading “Gee you look swell Mrs. Cleaver!” »
09
I’m still shocked that Michael Jackson is dead. It doesn’t seem possible. And when I see the footage of him dancing, literally hours before he died, it seems like a bad dream. And seeing the people come out of the woodworks to try and make money either from his estate of off of him is appalling. Add to that list Joe Jackson. Yup, Michael Jackson’s father Joe, is seeking upwards of $20,000.00 from the estate for “living expenses.” His rationale is that since Katherine Jackson is getting money, he should too! I guess he is trying to get nominated for “Father of the Year” again!
It stands to reason that if Michael wanted his father to have some money, it would have been put in the will. IT WASN’T! So for Joe to now seek money is disgusting. Are we all to think that Michael not including his father in the will was an accident? Are we to believe that Mike forgot that he had a father? Both Michael and Janet have both said that Joe was abusive to Michael. Does Joe think Michael has forgotten that? Does any parent think that a child forgets the person who abused him?
Joe needs to do what millions of senior citizens do. Go collect Social Security and live off of that. He received millions of dollars off of his children. If he wasn’t smart enough to keep some of it for a “rainy day“, so be it. But he shouldn’t collect one thin dime from Michael’s estate. The money that Katherine is getting from Michael’s estate if for the care of his children.
The gravy train unfortunately is gone Joe. And your ticket has expired. Get a job!
08
I could help but laugh my FAT ASS OFF when I read that former Miss california, carrie prejean, has decided to drop her lawsuit against the california Pageant because of the threat to release a sex tape in which prejean is the star! The tape is said to be so racy that people are SCARED to release it!
If you will recall, prejean announced at the Miss America pageant that she didn’t believe in Same Couple Marriage, even uttering the phrase, “not in her country.” With those words, she became the Republican AND the National Organization for Marriage, poster child. She was ferried around the country, first class, to dozens of speaking engagements where she was the “toast of the town.” Then there were some pictures of her in suggestive poses and with areas of her body barely covered. She said she was “tempted by the devil when she posed for those pictures.” Isn’t that convenient! Now with the release of the sex tape, I wonder what, or who, she is going to say “tempted her” this time?
I wonder if she is going to continue to be the “family values” spokesperson now that she has joined the ranks of Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and Pam Anderson, among others, as people who have participated in sex tapes? I wonder if she is still going to be ferried around the country talking about “traditional marriage?” I wonder if her phone will even ring from anyone other than Playboy or Penthouse? From published reports, of the million dollars she was seeking from the Miss california pageant, she walked away with ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, NOTHING! Not one damn cent!
To recap, she lost the miss california title, she sued the pageant, and then dropped the suit once the sex tape was about to be released. You almost want to feel sorry for her. But the DAMAGE she caused to the Gay community can’t be undone. And because of that, I feel that the creator is letting her know that she doesn’t decide what goes on in this “country.” Maybe she will have a little more compassion for the “others” now that she is one!
Your 15 minutes is up dear. GET LOST!!!
16
A justice of the peace in Hammond, Louisiana, has refused to sign a marriage certificate for an interracial couple. Keith Bardwell has said that he is “not a racist” because he has married Black couples “right here in my own home.” When the bride, Beth Humphrey, called to get the certificate signed, Bardwell’s wife stated that her husband “would not sign marriage licenses for interracial couples.” His concern was not about the couple themselves. The judge is concerned about the children, and how they will be treated by society. I was under the impression this issue, interracial marriage, was taken care of with the Loving vs Virginia case decided by the Supreme Court in 1967. But I guess deciding who can and can’t get married has again become a slippery slope and the slope done slipped!
Again is looks like someone is sitting in judgment of someone else, using racist stereotypes to justify bigotry. Bardwell has said that he “don’t want to put children in a situation they didn’t bring on themselves.” And since he is now the foremost scholar on interracial children, he doesn’t want them to suffer.” Damn, that’s awful nice of him isn’t it! Those are the same piss poor excuses that are used by people who oppose Same Couple Marriage. But you’re right black folks, the Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights struggle is not the same thing! Dumbasses!
Did Bardwell forget that our president is the product of an interracial marriage? Does he not realize that no one is “pure?” And that in 2009, the number of interracial children are growing and those children are no less proud of who they are and who they come from?
As a Lesbian who saw the state she lives in, california, and other states, pass propositions that bars Lesbians and Gays the right to get married, I felt this was bound to happen. Because people are failing to realize that once you start considering people to be “thems” or “others“, if shouldn’t be a surprise when someone else does that EXACT same thing to you.
This will be an interesting test to see just how trifling Black people really are. Are far to many Black folks just bigots or are they racists too? And we will also see how far we have come as a country. Because we already know that people ARE NOT FREE to marry who they want to marry. We will see if race is “no longer and issue” since Obama was elected!
This should be good!
17
For any parent who has had a child abducted and have never found out what happened to them, where they are, or if they are still alive, the return of Jaycee Dugard might have given them some hope. Hope that someday their loved one will come back home safe and sound. And the story has made those people who know or knew the Dugard family happy for her return and those who know or knew her abductors, Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, shocked thinking about what has happened. But for one IDIOT, this tragedy is fodder for him to joke about in his SPORTS COLUMN!
The IDIOT, sports columnist mark whicker, lower caps on purpose to show my CONTEMPT, of the Orange County Register, decided to write an article recounting all of the “sports moments” that Jaycee missed while being held captive, repeatedly raped, giving birth to two children, and being abused. And what were some of those things whicker decided Jaycee just “had to know?” Let’s start with “Beach Towel Night!” Or how about not having “high fived” anyone for a long time! Or “spiked a volleyball!” He even joked that “at least penitentiary prisoners get an hour of TV a day!” The column, the writer, and the paper were IMMEDIATELY taken to task for what they had allowed to be printed in their paper. At the bottom of this post the “sports moments” whicker felt Jaycee missed and CERTAINLY NEEDED TO KNOW! And to top all of this off, he ended the column by saying “Congratulations, Jaycee. You ‘left the yard.’ ”
Initially, whicker, dismissed the complaints and added that “bloggers were making a bigger deal out of this than was needed.” It was those words that sent this story into the mainstream where it was published and republishes, and aired and re-aired on the news ad nauseum. It was at that point, the the writer and the newspaper apologized for their poor decision to allow the article to go to print. And that apology was piss poor to say the least. He seemed more concerned about having “offended readers and advertisers.” Very little was said about why it was done, and WITHOUT a DIRECT APOLOGY to Jaycee and her family. But is whicker the only one at fault?
At any newspaper, whether high school, college, local, or national, there are editors who make the final decision as to whether an article should be printed. And it seems like at the Register, EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM must have fallen asleep at the wheel because NO ONE saw anything wrong with this article. What the hell could they have been thinking?
Continue reading “Girl, you missed it!” »