I’m A Delicate F**king Flower

If you’re offended by blue language, you might want to be on your merry way. 

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One of my most prized possessions.

I own these socks (from Blue Q)  and would wear them every day if I could.  Never before have I seen a quote that captures my essence quite as perfectly as this one does.

I AM a delicate fucking flower, goddammit!  I’m the nicest person you would ever want to meet.  I’m a giver, a nurturer, a dedicated friend ’til the end.  I will stand up and fight beside you, for you.

Under the proper circumstances.

I’ve also been called bitchy, loud-mouthed, sassy, and bossy.  Since I was 8 years old.

I am an unlikeable woman.  I’ve learned to embrace that.  I’m proud of it.

I am in good company.

And like my unlikeable sisters, I do not give a flying fuck.

Sure, sometimes those sharp, targeted words can sting, but not enough to make me stop being me.

It’s a dichotomy – the whole delicate fucking flower persona.

Let me explain.

I have a fabulously over-developed sense of justice.  I am a Libra, after all.

Nothing upsets me more than to see anyone, anything being treated unfairly.  To see bullies attempting to force their will and beliefs on everyone else.  Attempting to legislate that shit. Innocent people suffering and dying because of selfishness, ignorance, sanctimony, a political vendetta, or just plain dickishness. I’m very sensitive to any type of injustice.  I have a knack for honing in on it.  It’s a blessing and a curse.  Mostly a blessing.

Racists, homophobes, liars, Neo-Nazis, pseudo-Christians, religious bullies and bigots, (Dominionists, particularly), animal abusers, child abusers, sexual abusers, spouse abusers, pussy grabbers, pussy grabber apologists, authority abusers, authority figures who murder people based on melanin levels, antichoicers, xenophobes, those suffering from the every-growing scourge anti-Semitism and jingoism, NRA-worshiping ammosexuals, Fox “News” and alt-right zombies, war-mongers, whore-mongers, misogynists, sexists – all those folks in that big basket of proud Deplorables.  I know I’ve missed someone…. Oh yeah, Islamophobes.

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Um, NO!  I will not tolerate them or their revolting behavior.

It’s called righteous indignation.

Out come the thorns.

I will – and usually do – call out those assholes on their dumbfuckery every chance I get.

The curse –  I can sometimes be indiscriminate about identifying the offending jerks.

I am a champion of the underdog.  That goes with being a delicate flower.

I’m not shy about supporting my causes.  Why should I be?  Those cretins are certainly not shy about their bullshit.

I know I can’t change the world, but I do have a voice and a forum.  That voice may be shrill and bossy, but it gets my job done.  I sleep well at night.

I have a gut feeling that the above-mentioned assholes – they’re the very people who find me unlikable.

Good.

Would YOU want their approval?

H/T: Video courtesy of WhoHaHa

It Will NEVER Be Over…

* I have never felt it necessary to issue any type of explanation or qualifier regarding any of my writing until now. This post is NOT about every Republican – although some of my Republican readers have been having a difficult time understanding that. Why?  I’m not really sure. Nowhere do I refer to all Republicans as “deplorables.”  I know they’re not.  I personally know a few.  But if a reader happens to identify with that label and takes it as a personal affront, that is not on me.

 

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NOT my work.

 

 I do not believe that anywhere in this piece I have made blanket accusations or insults toward an entire political party, nor have I disparaged anyone other than the politicians, the abhorrently-behaved people featured, and those who condone their behavior. They deserve to be exposed and by their actions, have invited it. I wrote this because I’m angry and I’ll admit, a bit frightened. Never being one to stick my head in the sand, and possessing a desire to stay informed, I have watched, listen to, and read these types of accounts day after day for months. The closer to the election, the more plentiful the stories have become.  Never being one to hold my tongue, especially in cases of blatant injustice, and because we still have the 1st Amendment in the U.S.,  it is only fair that I be allowed have a voice with which to express my opinion, especially when the people featured in the piece below do so so very freely and seemingly without repercussion.  So, yeah, Liberals and women express rage and fear.  We usually don’t threaten the lives of others when doing so, however. 

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Photo of a sticker on a Jeep in Baltimore.

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Are you one of the shiny happy people who believe that after the big election in November is over and done,  things in America are going to go back to “normal” and we’re going to be one big happy country?  Kumbaya and shit?

If you believe that, I pity you. You are delusional. It’s not going to happen. Pandora’s box has been opened. You have not been doing your homework. You have not been paying the slightest bit of attention to what is going on during this surreal freak show of a campaign. Any hope of the GOP running a legitimate campaign was flung out with the cat litter the second Donald Trump announced his candidacy for President. And the Republican establishment knows it.  The process continued to erode as the GOP allowed that disgusting orange thing to systematically bully each and every one of his opponents for the nomination. Even as despicable and unworthy as some of them were, Trump’s 5th-grade bully behavior should have never been allowed to continue. Petty name calling during national debates – so very trashy, juvenile, and should have been reason enough for immediate removal from any respectable political party. “You’re FIRED!, you fat, filthy, coke sniffing, Tic-tac gorging, cretinous rapist liar!”  But no, the GOP establishment, most of them, endorsed him and embraced him. Or they didn’t want to rock the boat. Whatever… same outcome.

Hey, GOP!  YOU made this!

Remember that slogan?  I do.

And then the real shit show started. Enter The Deplorables.  The extremist Trump supporters. Yep, she named it and THEY claimed it. And what is with those people, especially the politicians, who look the other way or make excuses for his behavior?  Afraid to stand up to the ugliness for fear of repercussions from their own party?  Guilty by association?  Or just guilty as well?  If you’ve been living under a rock the past couple of months, the Deplorables are the alt-right nutjobs who have suckled at the teat of Rush Limbaugh, Breitbart, Fox “News”, the largest domestic terrorist organization in the U.S. – the NRA, at their own hate-mongering churches and around their own dinner tables, on the website Stormfront – “where every month is white history month”- etc., and at the man-boob of Trump his own disgusting self – Birther in Chief.  Even after he issued his Edict from the Mountain – that Barack Obama WAS born in the United States – there are still people who refuse to believe it. Even when it came directly from the cat’s ass, I mean mouth, of Trump himself.  Idiots like this dickwad – Sheriff Joe Arpaio – who recently announced that he’s still investigating President Obama’s birth certificate. President Obama has about 3 months left if office, you horse’s ass. Give it up! What a great use of taxpayer funds.

You go, Maricopa County, Arizona!  Go on with your bad selves!

The Deplorable show is nothing new.  It’s been around since the dawn of brutish man and the sad little women they drag around by the hair, or these days, the pussy.  The divisiveness will always be present. That is proven scientific fact.  President Obama being elected – twice – really pissed off the Deplorables,  worked them into quite a lather. If you haven’t noticed, some of them tend to not like brown people. His presidency has been the catalyst for the Deplorables to crawl out from under their rocks. The racists, the xenophobes, the misogynists, the anti-Semites, the white nationalist, the nativists, the war-mongers, the 2nd Amendment wackos, the KKK and the confederate flag wavers, the “Christians” who actually hate anyone who doesn’t believe like they do – like Indiana’s hard Dominionist Mike Pence, the anti-choicers who are so ignorant about the workings of women’s bodies and their healthcare it’s embarrassing, and those who condone sexual abuse and assault, even invite it. (Like the wildly unstable lady in the photo below.)  Those who vote against their own self-interest because of their pathetic gullibility. Their willful ignorance. These sheeple, fueled by their base hatred and underdeveloped prefrontal cortexes,  go to rallies or watch Trump spout his Fascist propaganda, his out-and-out lies, and spew is sulfurous evil. They lap it up like a dog eating its own vomit.

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Classy lady.

With all due respect – which is none whatsoever – these are the people who are going to be the ruination of the United States of America. The end of the world as we know it.

It’s obvious that they don’t care or even know about the U.S. Constitution, how our political system works, or the basic elements of common human decency.  They provoke and attack people at Trump’s Hitler-esque shriek-and-bellow-fests. They wear profane clothing, carry profane signs, shout profane catch phrases. In front of their children, building up that master race of Trump Youth.  They attack perfect strangers and post horrendous, vile, uninformed word salads on social media.  Yet they cannot present one logical reason Pumpkin Spice Hitler is our best choice for President of the United States. No policy, no platform. They can’t debate a point without insulting Sec. Clinton, Democrats, Liberals, even their own. That venom has to be aimed at someone, anyone.  Or they deflect the argument completely.  Why?  Because they’ve got NOTHING. Nada. A vapid narcissist in an expensive, yet somehow, ill-fitting suit and an unearthly pelt atop his mangy head.

Trump and his hate speech have emboldened The Deplorables.  As each day goes by, Trump eggs them on and gins up more “reasons” for them to become more violent, inciting them to attack the media, requesting armed voter intimidation at polling places, hell, even “casually” calling for his “2nd Amendment people” to take matters into their own hands and assassinate Hillary Clinton.  Trump may have played that off like it was a joke, but I assure you, Bubba Ammosexual is out there somewhere, fondling his arsenal, just waiting for the right time to take a shot at the crooked, nasty, baby killing, liberal cunt who is running against his Grand Wizard Master and trying to take away the object of his undying affection.

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Trump knows he’s going to lose and he has already set up a plan and sent out a call to action to his Deplorables.  There has been talk of racial war, rebellion, coups, secession, blood in the streets. After he loses to a nasty woman, he’s going to have his own network to telegraph his message of hate 24-7.  As if Fox wasn’t enough…

Look at this fine self-proclaimed “Christian soldier” from Greenville, South Carolina and what he recently posted on his Facebook page, which has strangely been taken down. Either by himself or the FBI. We’re not sure.  Behold:

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Photo courtesy big, brave Christian soldier’s Facebook page.

Trump, that greedy, power-hungry, sexual abusing (he raped and sodomized a 13-year-old girl, I hear – people are saying…) pumpkin-faced, bad rug wearing, Fascist liar has set all this chaos in motion.

But he can strike the match and walk away.  Watch the country go up down in flames as he retreats to one of his ostentatious, tacky hotels.

Also remember, though, that Charles Manson never actually killed anyone and he rots away in prison to this day.  So there is a glimmer of hope, should the unspeakable happen. There’s precedent.

Yet, people are still chomping at the bit to vote for this pasty wad of ego.

Why?   He might be the Second Coming.  Just like Obama might have been the Anti-Christ.

Watch Trump compare himself to Billy Graham, at a Republican primary rally:

Barring some miracle – like Jesus coming down and slapping the shit out of some of these people – the damage done to our country will not easily be repaired. Not for a very, very long time. Generations.

Be ever vigilant and make no mistake. These people are evil, have pitch-black hearts, and they are arguably insane.  And thanks to all the NRA whores in our government and Bush’s  2008 SCOTUS’ D.C. v Heller decision, they are armed to the teeth.

I hope Secretary Clinton has a sturdy, comprehensive health care plan for dealing with the criminally insane.  She also might want to consider beefing up the Secret Service and the FBI, just as a precaution.  I have a feeling that these issues will be of utmost importance after November 8th.

And you will also understand if I do not allow my child to be left unsupervised with any Trump supporter or voter.  If they’re not condemning his sexual abuse, they’re condoning it.  My policy, when it comes to my child, has always been “better safe than sorry.”

Update: October 26

If you think I’m being hysterical and reactive, think again.  It’s not only me.  This NBC News report is about the Federal Government being concerned about election-related violence.

Silence in the face of evil IS evil. If you see something, say something, as with any terrorist-involved situation. Do something.  Don’t be an innocent bystander.  Good can overcome evil. Love trumps hate. But by no means should we negotiate with terrorists – foreign or domestic.

Meanwhile, enjoy these lovely photos.

 

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Former IL Congressman Joe Walsh and his 2nd Amendment Remedy. 

 

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‘Murica!

Jesus Wept

 

I am so grateful to the politicians/evangelicals of North Carolina and other states for bringing to the fore the issue of pubic restrooms, who can and cannot use them and why, and how the whole issue is infringing upon the religious freedom and basic rights of so, so many persecuted Christians. Bless their hearts.

Watch the video below to see how this poor family is being denied their freedom of speech and assembly, as well as their freedom of religion while in no way bringing attention to themselves or their beliefs.

 

We also have this lovely gentleman who was initially reported to police in May of 2016 as an active shooter inside an Illinois Target store. Turns out, he too was only a harmless Christian bathroom protester. Police found that he was not carrying a weapon at the time, but his behavior was such that employees and shoppers alike believed he was on the verge of opening fire. These days, better safe than sorry.

Some of Tennessee’s state “Republican” lawmakers are currently in talks about whether to call a special session specifically to address this issue. No libtard President is gonna tell THEM what to do! In particular Glen Casada, who told reporters “This is not a dictatorship. This is a republic.”  No, Mr. Casada – you are merely a fanatic who is trying every trick in the book to turn the U.S. is a theocracy.  And all this in direct conflict with the Governor’s view of the issue. So much time and money to waste, Tennessee.  Shame on you!

I know not everyone who identifies as Christian believes or behaves like the extremists mentioned above. Especially over an issue that has been present in society since the dawn of mankind. It has to do with chromosomes and biology, which is science and therefore, evil.  For some bizarre reason, (not getting their way regarding same-sex marriage and being able to discriminate in the name of God, therefore pouting and throwing a hissy fit) these folks have chosen this particular and quite frankly, imaginary “problem” to be the focus of their wrath and energy.  Stirred up by Josh Duggar’s – admitted incestuous child molester and adulterer – former employer and recognized hate group The American Family Association, their followers (homophobes) were instructed to boycott Target stores. Something I was actually looking forward to – shopping at Target and acting like a total heathen. Wait, I do that regardless. Anyway, a simple boycott wasn’t enough for these Super Christians. They had to protest! Right there in the pit of vipers known as Target. Making their way through the multitudes of hellbound sinners, judging and condemning every step of the way.

Unfortunately, these are the kinds of displays of ignorance that are driving people away from organized religion in droves and cast an unflattering light of bigotry and hate upon the Christian faith. By ignorance, I mean first and foremost having no understanding of what being transgender even means. Hint – it is not a mental disorder. The psychiatric community at one time gave it a classification to obtain a filing code ONLY so insurance companies would pay for associated treatments.  By believing that all of our LGBT friends, family, and others are pedophiles, that our transgender brothers and sisters somehow “chose” the lifestyle with the sole objective of hiding in public restrooms, stalking their next tiny little victim. Fact: there have been ZERO reported cases of a transgender person ever even attempting to commit such a crime. Straight men – yes, indeed. Actually, a transgender person is much more likely to be assaulted by (latent) homophobes. Ignorance about the fact that this nonsense legislation would be unenforceable. Ignorance when your elected officials, by mixing church and state in an attempt to impose their will and control everyone, are getting themselves into civil rights predicaments that are not likely to have a positive outcome for anyone living in those states. Fiscally responsible?HA!!!  Those predicaments involve money. Be honest – isn’t money more important than God?  Bigots who seem to have forgotten the 1960s, segregation, and the Jim Crow era. Ignorant because they are too blinded by hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and sanctimony to see how ridiculous they are. Marching around Target, screaming at the top of their lungs, telling everyone they are going to hell, waving what I assume is a Bible, although it looks more like a DVD to me, and acting as judge, jury, and (oh, how they wish) executioner – I doubt that kind of behavior would fall into the category of “Thing Jesus Would Do.” In fact, it leads me to doubt the faith in general of the demonstrators. They must believe that God is somehow weak and ineffective, that he needs the help of loud mouth “warriors” to assist him in doing his job. What happened to “Give it to God”? Not showing a lot of trust and faith there, are we?

First, take the plank out of your own eye…

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t the term “Christian” defined as “a follower of Jesus Christ and his teachings”?  Fact: Jesus is not recorded as saying one word about sexual preference or gender identity. He did, however, have plenty to say about divorce and adultery. With the divorce rate in the U.S. hovering somewhere around the 50% mark, why are we not seeing protest rallies about THAT sin when it is much more prevalent and does so much harm to families and children? Curious, huh?

You know what else Jesus said? That prayer and good deeds should not be a public spectacle, that they should be done in secret.

Matthew 6: 3-6

 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Not a lot of that going on. Don’t be like the hypocrites, now.

Probably the most simple and to the point instruction from Jesus – so simple that even the most willfully ignorant, uneducated, illiterate, or misguided among us is able to understand, is this three-word gem.

Love one another.

I don’t believe this ginned up crusade about public restrooms has anything whatsoever to do with where someone goes to pee. It is the next in a long line of “causes” that fundamentalist evangelicals, bigot, and hypocrites seize onto to make themselves appear superior, powerful, and in control of everyone. Stroking their own egos. Considering the state of the world today, wouldn’t you believe that God has more important issues on his plate than getting his Holy panties in a wad over where someone takes a piss.  Really….

My advice to the state governments, “spiritual” leaders, and their flocks – Mind your own business. You should have enough to worry about keeping your own self right with God. Your meanness is not going to change anyone, convert anyone, or save anyone.  If you believe what the Bible says about final judgment, then you know at that point, it is ultimately a mano e mano situation. None of your business.

Now don’t get me wrong. I believe everyone has the right to worship any way they see fit. That usually does not involve being arrested for disturbing the peace and being a public nuisance, though. As an American who believes in the 1st Amendment, and that everyone should be treated fairly and with respect, I would be the first one to stand up next to anyone and fight for their 1st Amendment rights. I don’t have to agree with it, however.  I believe religion is a personal and private choice and the Constitution guarantees that right.

Thanks, once again, North Carolina, Tennessee, and all the other defiant crackpot states for drawing this element out of the woodwork so they have another opportunity to show the public their true colors.  We all need to be reminded of what we are living among once in a while.

We know the solution to every problem faced in the U.S. – MORE GUNS!

Seriously, the solution is simple: exclusive restrooms for bigot and homophobes.

 

 

Losing My Religion

 Devil's chapel meme

That’s me in the corner, that’s me in the spotlight, losing my religion. ~ R.E.M.

It has been a while since I escaped a nefarious little corner of hypocrisy, dysfunction and subtle abuse. Yet it has taken me this long to put fingers to keys and write about it. Now it is time. This is my testimony. Read this or not. It is my catharsis.  Perhaps you might glean something from my experience as well.

There are very few times in a person’s life when you stand before an altar and take a vow.  For me, that act has never been something to be taken lightly. One of those times is a wedding.  Another is when you vow to join, give of yourself, and pledge to be faithful to a principle, an institution, a family. You offer your gifts, service, your presence. You offer yourself.  As with a marriage, the dissolution of the bond is always painful and difficult, regardless of the underlying cause. Healing doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the same when you’ve been betrayed by the institution to which you pledged to be faithful.

What happens when the church is the unfaithful party in the relationship when they betray you?  How do you not feel forsaken and abandoned when you are attacked like a virus in the Body?

Of course, it changed me. It changed the way I think about some the most fundamental issues in life. Honesty. Trust. Friendship.Spirituality. Love. But change is good.

It changed the way I think about myself. Now I’m more careful, cautious, even skeptical. I have, once again, learned to trust my gut. Listen to my instincts. I smelled a rat early on. I just didn’t want to admit it. Justice, equality, authenticity, courage, personal conviction. They are higher priorities now.  I realize that Claire Boothe Luce was correct when she stated: “No good deed goes unpunished”.

But as much as it has altered my worldview, I can’t help but feel the pure joy of enlightenment, freedom, and clear sight.

I escaped via the high road.  I knew full well their plan. I had seen it unfolding for months. The devious, calculating, duplicitous scheming. Gossips, egomaniacs. bullies, manipulators, hypocrites. It is not unusual, so I’m told.

I was in a no-win situation.  I was marked.  So I quit.  I conceded.

When I say I quit, I mean I really quit. I washed my hands of all of it. It was the healthy thing to do, for myself; for my family.  There is nothing sacred about that place anymore, that situation.  Poisonous. Toxic.

Quitting ultimately turned out to be one of the wisest decisions of my life. I feel more liberated every single day.

I  escaped with the peace of mind of knowing that I walked out the door standing for what I know is right. I never lied. I was always honest and sought harmony. I did not see the point of attempts to placate evil. I’m proud of myself. For everything I did, every step of the journey.

I’m the fortunate one. I no longer have to live in a stagnant web of deceit, dysfunction, pride, and mendacity. I’m not snared in a saccharine tangle of my own design, knowing deep in the recesses of my soul that I have perpetuated and allowed a poison to seep into something that is meant to be good, kind, and caring.

I chose freedom and a new path. I no longer have to play the game. I suck at the game.  I get to be authentic.  I no longer have to bear witness to the playing of politics with other people’s lives, with what they hold most sacred.

My only regret is that I protected the bullies, my tormentors. By taking that higher road, they got their way.  It seemed easier at the time. And by that point, I needed to get out.

The experience was both liberating and heartbreaking, as are most growth experiences.

Another aspect I found surprising and interesting –  with the exception of a very, very select few, no one cared that I fled or really even noticed. Nor did they have the slightest clue of the reason. They never asked. They never cared. There’s a certain liberation in knowing that truth as well.

Let Karma do her job.  Everything in its time.  I was blind, but now I see.

Revival

Originally published at Mel’s Big and Tall, Oct. 2013

I’m taking an acting class and one of our assignments was to tell a “First Time” story.   Here’s mine.

When I was growing up, my family never took a real vacation to the beach, a national park or to Disneyland.  We never wanted to.  We always went to visit my mother’s enormous family in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  There was always something fun, exciting and different to do.  For me one of those novel things was going to church.  A little brick church within walking distance of my grandparents’ house, nestled in a hollow, sitting on land my family had donated over a century before.   The roots run deep.  And I loved that.

One summer evening when I was 9, there was a lot of excitement buzzing around the house.  It was the first night of Summer Revival.  I didn’t know what it was, but it sounded like a very big deal – the social event of the season.  Everyone would be there.  I couldn’t wait to go.  Even with my injury – I had stepped on a hornet that morning and my foot was swollen to double its normal size.  And I got to borrow someone’s crutches. Those too were a novelty.  So off I went to what I expected to be a big party or festival.  Boy was I in for a surprise.  What started out as a normal church service quickly turned into the most horrifying event of my young life.  Satan was lurking around every corner, ready to steal my soul and inhabit my cold black heart. Tales of lakes of fire, eternal pain and suffering, damnation and separation from all those who loved me.  Because I was a bad, bad girl.  Because I hadn’t accepted the gift that had been offered to me.  With the combination of insect venom, Benadryl, and sin coursing through my veins, I sat in shame, shaking and sobbing for the remainder of the service.  Not a moment too soon, the Devil’s Ringmaster transformed into the kind, forgiving preacher who finally issued the invitation.  I was the first one to pop out of my seat, shuck those crutches, and hobble up to the altar to accept my free gift and save my mortal soul.  I was surrounded by aunts and uncles, my grandparents, in the arms of my great-grandfather – tears streaming down both of our faces.  I was saved.

As an adult who doesn’t subscribe to that belief system, I look back on that memory today as terrifying, a bit abusive and oddly, one of my most treasured memories of my extended family.  They meant well and they loved me. Enough to literally scare the hell out of me.