Wednesday, January 29, 2014
And now for something completely different
All is not gloom and doom down here on the bayou. Sure, our politicians are loco, the weather is trying to kill us and our public schools openly teach Creation Theory, but it's my second Sneaux Day at home and I'm nice and warm, with a couple of snuggly cats to keep my company. And so, because it is funny, I present to you True Facts about the Illusive Bisexual.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Maybe he can get a Huggies plant to open shop in La.
David Vitter is going to have to talk about his diaper fetish now that he's running for governor
Here's the thing: Normally, I don't give a rat's ass what consenting adults do behind closed doors. I pass no moral judgement on anyone who has a diaper fetish, or foot fetish, or leather fetish, or scarlet red nails fetish or you know, any fetish. Different things work for different people, as it should be. I do pass judgement on people who cheat on their spouses, but that's still not my business unless you're MY spouse. If you want to forgive a cheater and stay married, that's all up to you. I don't even necessarily have a problem with prostitution, in those rare instances where being employed as a prostitute is a free, voluntary choice. The problem with the Diaper Dave scandal is the all-encompassing hypocrisy.
This is a man who routinely decries abortion, gay marriage, sex outside of marriage, proposed increases to the minimum wages, any effort to strengthen the social safety net, and supports governmentally-sanctioned public prayer, parental notification/permission for abortion, a constitutional ban on flag-burning, banning gay adoption, tax subsidies for corporations that move US jobs overseas, a broadened use of the death penalty and vouchers for private and/or religious schools, among other things. He's proud of his pro-family Christian image and is generally first in line to throw stones at anyone else who fails to live up to his unrealistic standards. And yet....his indiscretion? Eh. Made him a better man, he says. No need for him to resign. No need for him to genuinely apologize to the people he betrayed. It was a learning experience, you see.
This man is bad, bad, bad for Louisiana. NOT because he has a diaper fetish, not because he likes to engage prostitutes. He's bad for our state because he believes he is better than the people he represents. He is so disconnected from the realities of the state, from the people who live here, from their actual needs, it's scary. He's bad for poor people. He's bad for working people. He's bad for anyone with a shred of genuine compassion for their fellow human beings. We should be talking about how his policy affect the poor, the needy, the mass majority of people in our state, but instead we're going to spend all our time talking about his damned diaper fetish.
David Vitter: On the Issues
Here's the thing: Normally, I don't give a rat's ass what consenting adults do behind closed doors. I pass no moral judgement on anyone who has a diaper fetish, or foot fetish, or leather fetish, or scarlet red nails fetish or you know, any fetish. Different things work for different people, as it should be. I do pass judgement on people who cheat on their spouses, but that's still not my business unless you're MY spouse. If you want to forgive a cheater and stay married, that's all up to you. I don't even necessarily have a problem with prostitution, in those rare instances where being employed as a prostitute is a free, voluntary choice. The problem with the Diaper Dave scandal is the all-encompassing hypocrisy.
This is a man who routinely decries abortion, gay marriage, sex outside of marriage, proposed increases to the minimum wages, any effort to strengthen the social safety net, and supports governmentally-sanctioned public prayer, parental notification/permission for abortion, a constitutional ban on flag-burning, banning gay adoption, tax subsidies for corporations that move US jobs overseas, a broadened use of the death penalty and vouchers for private and/or religious schools, among other things. He's proud of his pro-family Christian image and is generally first in line to throw stones at anyone else who fails to live up to his unrealistic standards. And yet....his indiscretion? Eh. Made him a better man, he says. No need for him to resign. No need for him to genuinely apologize to the people he betrayed. It was a learning experience, you see.
This man is bad, bad, bad for Louisiana. NOT because he has a diaper fetish, not because he likes to engage prostitutes. He's bad for our state because he believes he is better than the people he represents. He is so disconnected from the realities of the state, from the people who live here, from their actual needs, it's scary. He's bad for poor people. He's bad for working people. He's bad for anyone with a shred of genuine compassion for their fellow human beings. We should be talking about how his policy affect the poor, the needy, the mass majority of people in our state, but instead we're going to spend all our time talking about his damned diaper fetish.
David Vitter: On the Issues
Monday, January 27, 2014
The Gods are clearly punishing us
Louisiana is currently undergoing some seriously weird weather. Friday, it was snowing in New Orleans. Tomorrow, we're slated to get between 2 to 3 inches -- and it's supposed to accumulate. No one here knows what to do! The whole bloody state is shutting down. No one can drive on these roads, there are accidents everywhere and the shelves are devoid of bread, water and beer.
Clearly, we are being punished. But for what?
I have some ideas:
Who Needs Science When You've Got God? -- This is why we can't have nice things, Louisiana.
Sabine Parish School board vs. Buddhist Student -- What could possible go wrong for a Thai Buddhist student in rural Sabine Parish?
Gov. Huggies? -- Diaper Dave wants to take over for Bobby Jindal
Accountability, schmountability! -- Tax dollars to send students to Voucher Schools with no accountability? Sounds like Louisiana to me!
Clearly, we are being punished. But for what?
I have some ideas:
Who Needs Science When You've Got God? -- This is why we can't have nice things, Louisiana.
Sabine Parish School board vs. Buddhist Student -- What could possible go wrong for a Thai Buddhist student in rural Sabine Parish?
Gov. Huggies? -- Diaper Dave wants to take over for Bobby Jindal
Accountability, schmountability! -- Tax dollars to send students to Voucher Schools with no accountability? Sounds like Louisiana to me!
My state is trying to kill me
Abortion in Louisiana going the way of the Dodo if conservatives have their way
No one with even a passing familiarity of Louisiana politics will be surprised at the way these new TRAP laws were passed. Over a busy holiday, little fanfare, backroom deals with no public input. That's pretty much par for the course around here. What is surprising is just how brutal these new regulations are.
How brutal? Every single clinic in the state could be closed. Every. Single. One.
Should a clinic avoid the closing, and you find yourself in need of an abortion, pray you had certain blood work about 30 days ago. Why? Well, because the new regs require that everyone seeking an abortion "undergo blood tests at least one month before an abortion procedure. That means that unless a patient happens to have gone to the doctor previously and had those tests done by chance, she will face a mandatory thirty-day waiting period."
Add to that the fact that Louisiana forbids abortions after 20 weeks and this gets really dicey. Say you don't find out you're pregnant until you are about 8 weeks along. You're uncertain what you want to do, so you take some time to think over you're options. (As women are wont to do, regardless of what certain portions of the population believe.) So, ok. You take a few weeks, decide you aren't in a position to birth a child at this point. So, that's 10 weeks. You call the clinic and make an appointment. Only to be told you can't get in for at least another 30 days, because you have to have some blood work. Ok, you make an appointment that week to get the blood work done. So now you're at 11 weeks. The blood work gets done, you call back for the appointment. At this point, you're at 15 weeks (because you had to wait for those 30 days to pass.) You've got five weeks left, so it's later than you'd like, but you can still do it. Except that because there is only one clinic left open in the entire state, they can't get you in under the deadline. Or they can get you in, but the cost at this point is prohibitive. What was once a few hundred dollar procedure had morphed into $1,000+. What are your options? Well, if you're very very lucky, you have access to funding to go out of state and have your procedure done. (Although, given the state of TRAP laws in Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi, good luck with finding a place with a day's drive.) Most women in this state will not be so lucky. So they either are forced to have a child they did not want or they'll be forced into more drastic measures. People like to pretend that a woman will just give up and have the baby, but there are many, many , many woman who will do ANYTHING to no longer be pregnant. The Pre-Roe septic wards and deaths prove that. It's just been so long since we've seen that, we've forgotten.
No one with even a passing familiarity of Louisiana politics will be surprised at the way these new TRAP laws were passed. Over a busy holiday, little fanfare, backroom deals with no public input. That's pretty much par for the course around here. What is surprising is just how brutal these new regulations are.
How brutal? Every single clinic in the state could be closed. Every. Single. One.
Should a clinic avoid the closing, and you find yourself in need of an abortion, pray you had certain blood work about 30 days ago. Why? Well, because the new regs require that everyone seeking an abortion "undergo blood tests at least one month before an abortion procedure. That means that unless a patient happens to have gone to the doctor previously and had those tests done by chance, she will face a mandatory thirty-day waiting period."
Add to that the fact that Louisiana forbids abortions after 20 weeks and this gets really dicey. Say you don't find out you're pregnant until you are about 8 weeks along. You're uncertain what you want to do, so you take some time to think over you're options. (As women are wont to do, regardless of what certain portions of the population believe.) So, ok. You take a few weeks, decide you aren't in a position to birth a child at this point. So, that's 10 weeks. You call the clinic and make an appointment. Only to be told you can't get in for at least another 30 days, because you have to have some blood work. Ok, you make an appointment that week to get the blood work done. So now you're at 11 weeks. The blood work gets done, you call back for the appointment. At this point, you're at 15 weeks (because you had to wait for those 30 days to pass.) You've got five weeks left, so it's later than you'd like, but you can still do it. Except that because there is only one clinic left open in the entire state, they can't get you in under the deadline. Or they can get you in, but the cost at this point is prohibitive. What was once a few hundred dollar procedure had morphed into $1,000+. What are your options? Well, if you're very very lucky, you have access to funding to go out of state and have your procedure done. (Although, given the state of TRAP laws in Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi, good luck with finding a place with a day's drive.) Most women in this state will not be so lucky. So they either are forced to have a child they did not want or they'll be forced into more drastic measures. People like to pretend that a woman will just give up and have the baby, but there are many, many , many woman who will do ANYTHING to no longer be pregnant. The Pre-Roe septic wards and deaths prove that. It's just been so long since we've seen that, we've forgotten.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Things About Me That Are True
1. I love cats. I talk about my cats like they were children. This is a fact of my life. I sing them little songs, I have a dozen names for them and they feel like family to me. I'm not going to apologize for that, nor am I going to think it's some sort of foolish immaturity. I love cats, always have, always will. My friends and co-workers call me the Cat Whisperer. They come to me for advice on their feline-related problems, because I generally know the answer. I aspire to be a Crazy Cat Lady. It's one of my life goals. I understand that not everyone loves cats the way I do. I don't judge you for that, but don't give me shit about the fact that I love them. Cat people, like cats themselves, do not give a fuck about your opinions.
2. I love sci-fi/fantasy. I prefer urban fantasy, but any variation of the genre works for me. Yes, I'm almost 40 and I geek out over B-grade sci-fi. I watch every scripted series Syfy comes out with, at least long enough to see if it's gonna work for me, and I have a tumblr so I can keep up with fandom. I like roleplaying, of the D&D kind. I play online and I'd love to do some tabletop, if I could find a local group. If that makes me terribly uncool, I just don't care. See above: cat people, no fucks given.
3. I am bisexual. Yes, we do exist. No, it's not a phase. I'm not suddenly gay when I'm with a woman, nor am I straight when I'm with a man. I'm bisexual, regardless of who I happen to be sleeping with. I prefer the term queer, but my orientation is definitely bisexual. Don't give me crap about making up my mind. I have made up my mind, you're the one whose confused.
4. I'm not sure I particularly like sex. Which is not to say I don't like it or don't feel desire, but it's not on my Top 10 list. Part of that is due to my chronic pain condition, thanks to which my body can go from feeling really good to horrible painful in the span of seconds. Partly it's due to the fact I'm recently out of a relationship where I was coerced and manipulated into sex even when I didn't want it or when I was in so much pain every touch made me want to cry. And partially it's due to the fact that, while occasionally really enjoyable, on the whole I've found sex to be rather disappointing. Have I just had a string of bad lovers? Maybe. Maybe they've all been selfish (the last one was, that's for damned sure) or maybe I'm just wired differently, I don't know.
5. It may literally be impossible to be more socially liberal than I am. Pick a social issue, I'm likely on the liberal side. (That's liberal as defined in American, not in the UK or Oz.) I'd be a socialist, but I see a need for a bit more government than they do. I just don't think the government should have any say in how you live your day-to-day life. Or as little as possible, anyway. I think taxes are good, although the way our system is currently set up is unfair. I think the job of the government is to provide for the public good and then get out of the way. So use our tax money for roads, schools, police and fire, a decent social security network, etc. Do not try to tell us who we can and cannot marry, do not try to infringe on bodily autonomy, stay out of religion, etc. And yeah, I don't apologize for it. I didn't come to these views overnight, I've thought them through and listened to my conscience and this is where I've landed. You may not agree with me and that's fine, just don't give me shit about it and I won't give you any.
2. I love sci-fi/fantasy. I prefer urban fantasy, but any variation of the genre works for me. Yes, I'm almost 40 and I geek out over B-grade sci-fi. I watch every scripted series Syfy comes out with, at least long enough to see if it's gonna work for me, and I have a tumblr so I can keep up with fandom. I like roleplaying, of the D&D kind. I play online and I'd love to do some tabletop, if I could find a local group. If that makes me terribly uncool, I just don't care. See above: cat people, no fucks given.
3. I am bisexual. Yes, we do exist. No, it's not a phase. I'm not suddenly gay when I'm with a woman, nor am I straight when I'm with a man. I'm bisexual, regardless of who I happen to be sleeping with. I prefer the term queer, but my orientation is definitely bisexual. Don't give me crap about making up my mind. I have made up my mind, you're the one whose confused.
4. I'm not sure I particularly like sex. Which is not to say I don't like it or don't feel desire, but it's not on my Top 10 list. Part of that is due to my chronic pain condition, thanks to which my body can go from feeling really good to horrible painful in the span of seconds. Partly it's due to the fact I'm recently out of a relationship where I was coerced and manipulated into sex even when I didn't want it or when I was in so much pain every touch made me want to cry. And partially it's due to the fact that, while occasionally really enjoyable, on the whole I've found sex to be rather disappointing. Have I just had a string of bad lovers? Maybe. Maybe they've all been selfish (the last one was, that's for damned sure) or maybe I'm just wired differently, I don't know.
5. It may literally be impossible to be more socially liberal than I am. Pick a social issue, I'm likely on the liberal side. (That's liberal as defined in American, not in the UK or Oz.) I'd be a socialist, but I see a need for a bit more government than they do. I just don't think the government should have any say in how you live your day-to-day life. Or as little as possible, anyway. I think taxes are good, although the way our system is currently set up is unfair. I think the job of the government is to provide for the public good and then get out of the way. So use our tax money for roads, schools, police and fire, a decent social security network, etc. Do not try to tell us who we can and cannot marry, do not try to infringe on bodily autonomy, stay out of religion, etc. And yeah, I don't apologize for it. I didn't come to these views overnight, I've thought them through and listened to my conscience and this is where I've landed. You may not agree with me and that's fine, just don't give me shit about it and I won't give you any.
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