While Everyone Is Worried About Paula Deen...

The Supreme Court of the United States struck down an important aspect of the Voter's Rights Act and within two hours, Texas' Attorney General has suppressed minority voters.   So far this week, SCOTUS is really showing the party lines.

My heart has been heavy all day.  My sister says folks are talking about the decision and I said not as hard or as vocally as they did about Paula Deen and her Southern ways. Not saying she was right, but when I think about the shenanigans that are about to take place in the next election I can barely breathe.  Every trickery that was tried in the last election will actually become easier now and for me, ladies and gentlemen, this not only scares me, but I see how we are slowly but surely going back to the 60s. 

So keep worrying about things that don't matter or affect you...

And I will be back with happy posts later, but right now I need to marinate on my dwindling rights.

And It Is Time...And History Will Be Written

The Election is upon us and we all have a civic responsibility to exercise our right to vote.  I am doing my part and that is vote.  My choice is for President Obama, and as much as the GOP would like to believe I am voting for him because he is black, they are absolutely wrong.  I have had to change radio stations because of the most recent GOP ads, which basically insult my intelligence.  Playing an ad which states Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King were Republicans is a sad and equally ill advised way of courting voters.  I make my choice not on the color of one’s skin, if that was true, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to vote for a President until 2008 and I have been voting since 1987, I make an informed decision based on the stance of certain issues and what I think benefits everyone, not just a few.  This election has been horrid in the sense of the propaganda and barrage of negativity being spouted.  What hurts more, is many folks are going to vote against President Obama not because of valid issues, but because of the color of his skin.  And it is that type of ignorance that scares me the most.  The most recent effigy and cartoon had me crying long and hard. America comprises all races and nationalities and all of us deserve to have someone lead us all, not a select few.  I hope you vote or have voted and no matter what your choice may be, we owe it to those who died trying to vote to make our voice heard.  See you at the polls!

Introducing the 44th President Elect of the United States...

I had decided since I was working Tuesday night, I would go home and take a bath and go to bed and wake up with the reality of my new President. However, as I was giving my aunt her eye drops a picture come on the television of Barack and the words, “Our 44th President”. I went to hooping and hollering and badly administering my aunt’s eye drops. I felt the warmth of my tears as they streamed down my face and still I was in awe.

No words can ever convey to me the enormity of America’s decision. Nothing can completely express how I felt at that moment. My sister was speechless. I was still in a stun stupor. We had done it. Yes we can prove Americans were willing to follow the road to change.

Later after I had my celebratory dancing, crying and a shot of Patron, I cried again harder this time. My uncle would have been ecstatic. Mr. Moore would have been in awe. Two men of differing races would have seen what no history book could have predicted. I have heard there were markers discerning that our President would be Obama. I heard it was in Bible about a Barak who would lead this country or those prophesied it happening or the fact Robert Kennedy predicted this country would be run by a black man. All I know is God had a plan for Obama and I know it was His divine will. I cried because of OUR history as black folks and when folks would say American would never elect a black President, I would always respond, “If we can’t have a black man as President, I need to pack my bags and get out of America, because America was built upon the backs of black men and women it is our ancestors sweat and blood cultivated in this land and I’ll be damned if a black man can’t be President." I cried harder because I knew I champion Obama’s cause, sometimes unsuccessfully, but I unwaveringly believed in him and donated for change.

I kept wondering if anyone got a candid picture of him when he was told he was the next President. I want to know if anyone captured the belief and I am sure a small moment of enormity of his task ahead. I wanted to see the happiness, grief, strength and determination in one picture. The picture of him crying made me know this man is just that a man. However, he is one who wants to take this country beyond segregation politics to one of hope and change for all Americans no matter what race, religion, sexual orientation, gender or any other separatist issues.

Barack Obama has the weight of our expectations on his shoulders. He is going to try to do his best, but he will not be perfect. There will be times we are going to question him, but he has promised to listen to all us. He wants to make this country better, and frankly the country is better for electing him. He crossed all the lines. We must support him through the good and bad times because he has a lot to do and it can’t be done without each of us doing our part. Remember, Yes We Can!

To my friend who didn’t believe he could win, I say to you, ‘Yes he can and he did!’. To my friend who refused to vote for a black man, you didn’t have to other’s did. To my friend, we are still friends.

I am so proud right now. I stand in awe of this man. I know I had a part in making History and to all those who followed this man’s dream you are part of History. To those who didn’t, he is part of your History now.

Barack Hussein Obama the 44th President of the United States of America.

I VOTED! I AM PART OF HISTORY!

November 4th - VOTE!





The time is here. We know we will not have 4 more years of Bush and it is time to vote for the Candidate you feel will try to get us out of this quagmire we are currently drowning in. No candidate will make this happen overnight, because it didn't take a few nights for things to be in the condition they are currently in. America as a cohesive country that seeks the opinions of all its people is what I want. I want Change. I want some one who knows what it feels like to be in my shoes...to have walked in my shoes...to have walked in our shoes...

Make a difference and exercise your right to vote. It is more than about us individually, it is about our past and what voting means. Men and women died for this right, let's not let them down. No matter how long the line, no matter who you vote for, no matter if you feel discouraged VOTE!

Those in Alabama if Amendment 1 fails, we will go into proration and not only will teachers lose their jobs, state workers will lose their jobs, which means economically Alabama will be in dire need and everyone will suffer.

VOTE!

In November we have the opportunity to make change happen. YES WE CAN!

September Happenings...

The month of September has been busy and it is over halfway over and it will be time to plan for the holidays. Even though my vacation has been over for several months now, I am still moving at a pace of someone who is still on vacation. I was doing so much prior to my vacation when I finally slowed down, it felt good. On to more rambling…

Let me say all the hoopla over the Republican vice-presidential pick has had my head spinning. I am just amazed folks think other folks are ignorant and so stupid that we don’t know when smoke is being blown up our butts. I am voting for the person who I feel will pull this country forward and not do it at the expense of the everyday working people. Nothing more, nothing less. Neither race nor gender has anything to do with my political preference. All I want is for people to vote and exercise their right to do so, because another few years of what we have now really scares me. I knew when Bush was re-elected things were going to get worse, and they did. So if you haven’t registered to vote, do so. In Alabama folks can register until 10 days prior to the election.

I had a minor outpatient procedure on August 27 and I realize I cannot withstand pain. I thought I had a high tolerance for pain, but on that Wednesday I came to realize I don’t. I remember being in recovery (the procedure only took 15 minutes) and waking up saying I was in pain. The nurse immediately gave me Demoral. When they took me to my room I was still in pain and very nauseous. So the nurse gave me a Percocet and some dry saltine crackers and diet ginger ale. Ugh! I don’t drink diet sodas, when I do drink a soda it isn’t diet. I have an aversion to sugar substitutes. However, the pain was intense and while my cousin was being a social butterfly I was in that hospital bed hurting. When she returned she sees my face and the nurse returned to give me another dose of Percocet. The nurse gave me my discharge orders and said when I was rested enough I could leave. When she left, I told my cousin to give me my clothes because I was ready to go. My cousin was asking if I was serious and my response was this dayum nurse just gave me aspirin for cramps. ASPIRIN FOR THE TYPE CRAMPS I HAVE SUFFERED FROM MOST OF MY ADOLESCENT TO ADULTHOOD LIFE IS LIKE GIVING ME A SUGAR PILL! Yep, I was mad and in pain. In 15 minutes I was in my cousin’s car praying we would get home quickly so I could take a hydrocodone. All better now, hopefully the procedure will eliminate my issues or a least make life easier.

I had my retightening on September 11th. I didn’t have the heart to tell my consultant it had been 9 weeks since my last full retightening. As you know I had been doing my assigned section so it was freshly retightened but the back of my head and the left side was a fool. I knew when she finished the right side in 30 minutes I had done a good job on that area, but chile it took her 4 hours to finish my head. What should have taken 3 hours maximum, took 4 hours. Homegirl was tired and saying we could never go that long. She kept asking me why I didn’t do the other side and I was like you told me to only do my section on the right side and you know I follow the rules. Plus, after marrying locks in the back and on the left side I knew I didn’t need to compound the situation any more. She said my technique looked good. Now I have to do both sides by the next retightening. I was so glad to feel my scalp, but lawdy did it hurt. My scalp was sore for days. She did have to combine some locks because they were small and seem to be thinning in my problem area. She undid my lock that I had put a knot in during my most frustrating period. I have learned to be patient because when I did my little section it only took me 2 hours, compared to the first time where it took me 4 hours. I have also learned when I get tired or frustrated stop. DIY is not so bad, but I ain’t ready to do my whole head yet. These locks are too small. Hopefully, by next month I can order me some spare tools, but after hearing the horror stories of dealing with the SL home office, dare I say trying to get additional tool maybe a test in my ability to remain calm in a storm.

So for my birthday I took the weekend off from my part-time job to rest and do something for myself. I had been debating if I was going to try to see Janet Jackson in Atlanta in October, but when I went to crunching the numbers I cursed Bush and settled for a facial and a few hours at the spa. Question? When using the whirlpool/Jacuzzi are you supposed to be naked? Let’s just say there is a reason I don’t get in public pools and whirlpools. I was just appalled that folks thought it was cool to get in the whirlpool naked. I was too through. The whirlpool/Jacuzzi is located in the quiet room. When I first went to this spa, everyone who got in the whirlpool was properly attired in bathing suits. This time, baby, these folks had no shame and it made other folks who wanted to get in the whirlpool uncomfortable. I had a nasty look on my face because really I don’t know where your tail has been and hot water and germs don’t mix. So I read and enjoyed the almost quiet room. Other than the nasty folks my afternoon was wonderful.

I know some of you are wondering about the picture of the shrimp. That is for my sister. We have this healthy competition going between us. She made chicken marsala the other week, and all she could brag about was that it was so good, but she had no pictures to prove it. So I wanted her to see what something that tasted good would look like. Just sisterly competition. So don’t expect more like that unless she ups the ante.

So far things this month have gone well even with our pecan tree throwing a limb through our back window on the day after Labor Day and the quickness of the tree cutter who removed a decades old tree in less than 2 hours. So busy me and busy month…

My Vote, My Choice

I try to keep my political beliefs to myself. Depending on the situation or the company will determine if I’ll discuss politics, because face it, a friendship, marriage or family can be divided by one’s political and religious beliefs.

I live in Montgomery, Alabama and although there have been great strides in acceptance and working together, we are still a southern town, with southern sensibilities. Some of my friends are older and more set in their ways and they way they think. I mean the head of our Democratic party has already endorsed Hillary Clinton. And some of the other Democratic old heads practically are forcing folks to believe as they do. So imagine my surprise while I was in Arlington, Virginia during our primaries (I voted by absentee ballot), Alabama chose Barack Obama. What? Yep, we showed the old heads they do not speak for all of us, we are educated and know how to choose the candidate that best suits what we want for our future. We are no longer living in the past, we are moving towards a future of change for all Americans, not just black.

Of course we still have some simple-minded folks who do believe the country is not ready for a black president. I say this, “If America is not ready for a black president; it is time for all blacks to get out of this country. We helped to build this country. We are part of this country. The blood and sweat of our ancestors prove we are this country. America without us is not the United States. And I am not going anywhere!” So America needs to get ready, because the next president may be black or a woman. So those worrying about his safety, should note a black man is hardly ever safe in America and although I don’t choose for him to be a martyr, I feel a man who talks about American goals is inclusive and not divisive and no matter who is to be the next president their safety will always be an issue. No man or woman can be safe when they are in the power of great authority over a nation like ours. Keep that in mind.

So who ever you choose to vote for is your choice. And for those who are trying to change my mind about my choice, note we will no longer talk politics. I chose Barack Obama because of his unwavering stance on issues such as Iraq, healthcare, economy and international issues. I didn’t choose him because he is black. He has a vision for the entire country not for just one race of people and in order for this country to begin to recover from the last eight years of Bush, we need an official who isn’t jaded by the politics of America, but is conscious about uniting all of for a common goal. Plus, I’m tired of being broke, when Republicans are in the white house, I stay broke.

These are my political thoughts and no one else’s…