Matthew Shepard's Mom Responds to Foxx's Homophobia

Judy Shepard was interviewed by Rachel Maddow a few nights ago. In her response to North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx (who got my Award of Shame last week) Mrs. Shepard said Foxx trying to distance herself from her earlier claims of Matthew's murder being a "hoax" was an argument of semantics not a renunciation of her ignorance. 

"Well, you know, attacks of lesser consequence, I guess, have been said about Matt since the beginning, and in 2007 when it passed the House, the same sort of vitriol' was spoken from the floor as well. I did not ever expect it to be called a hoax. Anyone who has done research into what happened to Matt knows it was a hate crime, although technically we couldn't prosecute it that way because there was no hate crime law in Wyoming and no Federal hate crime law protecting sexual orientation. So we couldn't call it a hate crime, but it was."

Exactly! If we don't speak out against such atrocities we are silently co-signing them. That acceptance leads others to add to the depravity  - until it starts to look like the normative circumstance instead of evil that needs to be stamped out. Here was a situation where white (male) privilege and class status did not protect someone. That makes it all the more perilous for the rest of us. So this is for all the Duanna Johnsons and the justice that has still been denied most (trans)women of color. 

P.S. Can we please end the "That's So Gay" and "No Homo" stupidity now!?

Who Knew That Blogger Could Be Used As A Slur?

I tried to give Sarah Palin the benefit of the doubt. You know all those leaks of her ever growing list of foolishness came from her friends in the McCain camp. Yet time and time again the hockey mom from the tundra keeps showing us her ever growing sense of entitlement, lack of humility and foot in mouth disease. If the rumors prove to be true that she's getting a talk show she can kiss her political career goodbye. If I want a daily dose of dysfunction I can watch Jerry Springer. She really needs to get the hook right now or a tap on the shoulder that her 15 minutes are up! 

So now she says we bloggers live in our mom's basement and make stuff up. Oh really, Sarah? Why is it that some women cannot manage leadership positions and overcompensate by being completely unbearable? Let me tell you, I wish my mother owned a house in San Francisco. She raised six children. We probably would've lived between the Fillmore and Upper Haight. It would have appreciated in value by about 400% and I'd happily renovate a basement for that! Anyway......here's the cable news pundit who's quickly becoming my fave displaying a wicked sense of humor in tribute to all us....bloggers! 

h/t Think Progress 

Side note: I know she's on CNN with Wolf Blitzer today but I'm on West Coast time. Also she said some really obnoxious things about our President-Elect's parenting skills. You would be highly unlikely to see Sasha or Malia as unmarried pregnant teens. This woman will say anything to stay in the spotlight and I will not give her any more press.

Barack Is Not the Only One Being Tested

So it's 10 days and counting. To election day. Hats off to those that voted early - please do so if you haven't already. Republicans, Democrats, Greens, Independents alike we all share a common desire for our country to be 'well'. We just don't agree on how best to achieve that goal. That's okay. If we can focus on a few things that we do agree on we can start from there. 

Some of us have been waiting for the October 'surprise', this event that would cause a rift amongst voters that would favor one particular political party and carry them on a wave to victory. We were thinking it would be military-related, perhaps something to do with Osama bin Laden. He's chilling somewhere in a villa with amenities despite public declarations of him hiding underground in some hole or cave. Don't you think someone would've found him by now? It's been 7 years! So that wasn't it.

We've had the inevitable financial catastrophe that some wise but ridiculed economists and trend forecasters warned people about at least three years in advance - but it was barely covered by the corporate media and most people weren't really interested in hearing 'doomsday' predictions truth be told. We're not quite out of the woods yet. Even as uncomfortable as this makes a lot of people that is still not quite enough to sway those that are single issue voters or those with a narrow focus. 

As for the rest of us who think we've decided what matters, we are being given another opportunity for review. How? Aside from the candidate, his wife, his children and anyone who's ever associated with them WE are being tested for our judgement, loyalty and common sense. 

This incident with Ashley Todd is our defining moment, as much as the Obama campaign (and this country) does not want to focus on race and the white supremacist structure that exists here. This is the biggest unofficial referendum on the ballot. For some would use every divisive racial tactic in the book to blow apart his campaign and ignore the will of half the country. 

Keith Olbermann discussing the Hoax heard 'round the world.

Because let's be clear, we have a majority of white people here and they have to decide where they stand. Not being aware of 'racism' can no longer be the caveat. Not when highly paid operatives and their supporters are trying to manipulate the system for their personal gain. Concerns about "issues" were tossed out six weeks ago and John McCain clearly stated his campaign was going to be about attacking Obama personally. He has encouraged a certain faction of supporters to regress to their basest nature, even commending them for acting out. Other Republicans have followed suit even going so far as to suggest some people who don't fit their narrow definitions are not American = not white = wrong. 

So now this is bigger than the McCain campaign and the Republican party. This is bigger than the election, though the result desired is selecting new leadership. No, the true goal here for us as 'Americans' of every creed, nationality and social standing is our very soul, our moral compass and to state what we stand for when tested. All the warm and fuzzy moments aside and all the feelings of harmony when times are good mean nothing if they were to be thrown aside at a time of duress. 

Will we continue to be a country based on engineered racial hierarchy and social standing? 

Let's state for the record that both major political parties have some serious flaws. Black people have had their votes marginalized since our enslaved ancestors were set 'free'. It's been a freedom that has been attacked time and time again, often using the rule of law to suppress that freedom along with our voting rights. Blacks have also been far too loyal to the Democratic party without demanding reciprocity. We also have internal motivations that need to be reevaluated. I believe that time for being taken for granted is over and done, never to be revisited. We still have to fight voter theft and let's also be clear that it has been directed by the Republican party almost exclusively since the passage of the Civil Rights Act. 

I have to seriously question any individual who may be opposed to certain policies of the Democratic candidate but would still support the McCain ticket after everything he has allowed. If he has a strong enough platform why can't he just run on that and let the PEOPLE decide? Why does he have to seek to tear this country apart with anger and hatred just so he gets elected President? If you see how power hungry and erratic your candidate of choice behaves before the election what do you think he'd be like afterwards? 

We have to take responsibility for those we put in positions of power! Why would a person who claims to love this country vote based on fear or smear tactics? I hope people of consciousness would decide to take their vote elsewhere and declare to those in their own party who are being so hateful, "Not in my name." 

It has been divine intervention that these plots for racial disharmony, the lies, the voter thefts have come to light so quickly. That and people being ever diligent. And I'll give credit to Obama and how he has run his campaign. He was so much nicer than people wanted, so much more comfortable in 'mixed' company, so shrewd (not Left enough for progressives) and frugal (he wears shows with holes in them). Those that supported him early on had a clear vision that made it easy for more and more people to put aside their doubts and jump on board as well. He's certainly not perfect - but neither are we. 

If enough of us take a stand no amount of trickery, subterfuge or scandal will touch us. This is bigger than one politician. After this I am more convinced than ever why we need Obama as President, though.  Perhaps this will be the spark we needed to overturn this country's long and violent history and finally heal. It's a beginning to be sure, but it's one that is long overdue. 

Here's a thoughtful conversation between Drs. Rachel Maddow and Melissa Harris Lacewell.

  

Twitter is Gonna Jack Up My Cell Phone Bill

So I found a bunch of people on Twitter and allowed for SMS updates. Well damn! Who knew people would be sending so many messages. Or am I following too many people, hey? I've had a 400 text message plan and that was plenty. Now..not so much. Do I disable or upgrade to unlimited texts? I hate having to pay almost $70/month as it is. I have a Crackberry and PTL my service is with T-Mobile.

**Soapbox Alert**
By the way all you people with AT&T service should be taken to task with their FISA violations and all. I don't care that they carry the iPhone. You could buy it unlocked. Yeah it costs more, but you can't get insurance on it anyway and since some of you must be rich enough or in debt enough to keep funding your consumerist habits it shouldn't matter. Don't fund companies that promote foolishness, denigrate women or break the law. By the way T-Mobile and Credo Mobile did NOT violate FISA. Ok I'll get off my soapbox now.

The only reason my nearly $70 bill is so 'low' is because I've disabled my wireless access. My bill was $96/month. I just can't abide with spending nearly $100 per month for cell phone service. I love technology. I hate being overcharged. The amount of fees and taxes is upwards of $15 and FOR WHAT? I know that is still less than what Verizon and A T & T charges for comparable service. I have the My Faves plan and 1500 minutes, free nights & weekends and 400 SMS. That's pretty good but still grossly overpriced for what I'd pay in the UK or Europe where all incoming calls are free and they were sending SMS like 6 years ago. We are soooo behind the times.

I still haven't reconciled myself to the use of cobalt that can only be found in specific countries in Africa. Is this another jacked-up situation where the big conglomerates with the military backing of the West takes resources and the people get nothing and we are oblivious and willfully ignorant to the suffering of others? Hello I have enough problems - I just did a post about it!!!!

Anyway this was supposed to be a quick blurb because I got a Twitter message that Rachel Maddow is getting her own MSNBC show. Yeah for her! But my immediate thought was, where's the Black people, specifically a Black woman with her own prime-time, morning drive, late night, mid-day or early evening show? Donna Brazile would be a great host. Or Gwen Ifill [who should've gotten the Meet the Press post] or any number of qualified journalists or politically aware and socially conscious women of color. So this is a great start but let's not be patted on the head and sent away because 'they' let another [white] woman in. I just hope she doesn't start preaching the Oppression Olympics lie of how sexism is worse than racism by discounting Black women and other women of color. We'll see.