Yet Another WTF Moment in the Presidential Race

Does the image on the left look at all like the image on the right. Does that doll look anything like our future president? Via Racialicious was a post about a German toymaker who made this doll to commemorate Barack Obama. WTF y'all. WTF!

Racist Feminists & Bizarre Fruit

If you ever needed proof that feminists can indeed be racist, let me provide said proof. Via Racialicious & What Tami Said were details on a recent article by Nina Burleigh on the Huffington Post. In the Huffington piece, Burleigh posits that Mr. Obama is not a feminist until he addresses the OJ Simpson trial or the misogyny that exists in some rap. I love how Tami responded:

Will Hillary Clinton be taking a stand against Susan Smith, the white woman who murdered her children a year after the Simpson-Goldman murders and blamed their disappearance on a mysterious black man? Should she be expected to? The idea is ludicrous and so is any notion that black people always need to answer for the behavior of people who share their skin color.

I don’t need Barack Obama to be the second coming of Andrea Dworkin or a Black Panther. As a black person and a woman, I need to know that, as president, he will move this country closer to equality for all people. That means helping to close the wage gap between women and men, and white women and women of color. It means ensuring committed gay couples have the same rights as committed heterosexual ones. It means ensuring that kids in poor inner-city and rural areas are guaranteed a good education just like rich kids in the suburbs. I’m not arrogant enough to think that I am the only person on earth to face inequality, and I am not entitled enough to think that a president’s work need be all about me. I wish some of my fellow American citizens felt the same way.

Almost worse than Ms. Burleigh's racist assertion's about what Mr. Obama should address as feminist issues was the writers blatant low regard for Black men she has & has not encountered:

The black guys came to school with picks in their huge Afros, and joints in their pockets, and we danced with them to Bootsy’s Rubber Band, in parentless, pot-scented, subsidized living rooms.

We never imagined that in our lifetime, we would someday be competing for the spoils of dying-Empire America. [umm you're surprised you would be competing because they're Black & therefore not able to compete?]

...I have no idea what happened to any of those young black men. Did they get lucky, draw the affirmative action straw and get into private colleges and law school, get promoted up the EEOC ranks of a multi-national? Or, are they delivering mail, pounding nails, in jail?

Ghaaah! Treacle on Racialicious made a great comment: "Obama is not campaigning to be the President of black people in the United States." And you know Hilary is not campaigning to be President of white women or all women for that matter. Dear gawd can this election be over soon?

So on to better things...

Last night I tasted a very strange fruit indeed (and I'm not talking about my girlfriend) called a miracle fruit. This little fruit provides one of the strangest culinary experiences a person could have. The fruit is about the size and shape of a very large fleshy seed & is red in color. You bite into it & let it's juices coat your tongue for at least 10 seconds, but I think 30 seconds is best. As you chew this fruit it's flavor begins to change & suddenly a burst of absolute sweet fills the mouth. Next is the real fun. Take something sour like a lime or lemon and put it in your mouth. Everything sour tastes sweet! It's amazing! And what's great is there is no fructose in this fruit so it's perfect for diabetics or anyone needing to avoid sugar. Apparently there's a restaurant in Japan that serves desserts without sugar & has patrons eat the fruits before consuming said desserts. Cool huh?!

You can get these fruits at: http://miraclefruitman.com/
Peace!
~F

Sick (of it)

Well folks I've been dealing with a number of health crises in the last few weeks. I have not shared too much on here because some things are personal & it's been difficult. I was diagnosed with candidiasis aka Candida last month and it's been a hell of a struggle. My diet has changed in addition to some other things to get better but my progress despite all my work is slow-going. This is because in part my immune system is not fully functioning. Many things feel out-of-whack but I'm trying to keep up a fighting spirit even when I have pain and other yucky symptoms.

2 weeks ago I was in the emergency room for severe stomach pain and since last Sunday I've had a sinus infection & flu. Probably the worst flu I've had since I was a kid. I was in so much pain I was crying in the doctors office. Finally I'm on the up side but I have to take it easy this week as the infection found it's way to my lungs & I have asthma & can't take any steroids or antibiotics because of my systematic yeast condition.

But I remain grateful. Glad to have insurance, doctors, friends and a supportive partner. I don't know what I would have done this month without them. So I keep on keeping on because there is no other choice. Anyway I hope to have more to share that is not about me later this week. Until then enjoy this great pic I found.
~F Learn more about Soul Soldiers here.

The "It's About Time" Myth. A Note to You So-Called Progressives

I'm kinda tired of hearing some folks for either Clinton or Obama say "it's about time we had a woman candidate." Or "it's about time we had a Black candidate." No it's not. It's not about time. The time, folks, has come & gone & has been past due for many many moons. This country has been overdue for a minority candidate for a long while & by now we should have had a bisexual, transgender, half Asian, half Black, half Dutch, half Jewish, wheelchair using former mental health patient by now. For the love of gawd people stop staying it's about time. No one gives a shit that you think you sound so progressive and tolerant. You don't.

A long time ago I had a recovery sponsor who said "things in this program take a long time." And she was right. In that same vein we can say that things in this country have taken & continue to take a long time. Take for example the Constitution of the United States. It says:
"We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

This statement was created 221 years ago by our founding "fathers" and though it's debatable what those words actually meant & who they were meant for back then, one thing is clear to me: US citizens are meant to be equal and are supplied by their Higher Power fundamental rights that cannot be taken away. So it has taken 221 years to achieve in this country the idea that the statement I just noted might be something that guides our society and leads us all to joy & freedom. The idea folks. That's as far as some of us have gotten. A number of folks aren't even there, but at least a number of folks see how all folks being equal is a good idea and worth happening some day. Yes progress is damn slow. Because an idea is not an action & the fact that the action freedom fighters have had to take just to get the rest of this country on board with the idea of the constitutions words, has at last had some results. Now mainstream liberals feel a minority (white female or Black male) could be equal if not better than the presidents we've had. That's great, but shouldn't our whole country felt that way at least 10 years ago? How about 25 years ago or even a hundred years ago?

Saying it's about time is a shortcut. It gives us the chance to vote for a minority & feel good about that & not have to do much else. It's an easy way to feel good about our ideas without having to admit we still need to take to the streets to ensure all of us have those unalienable rights. Knowing in this country that so many people are still discriminated against for no other reason than that they happen to exist in the body they are in, is something we need to look at, ponder, then change. We can't stop at casting a single vote & smugly feel we've done our duty as good liberals. We have to do more than just have ideas. We have to get busy, we have to fight, we have to communicate, we have to listen and we have to believe in the strength that our creator's have given us and get to work. That's when this country will move past being a great idea to a great place.

So next time you hear someone say "it's about time" ask them what else it's time for. And then challenge them to go do something about it.

Peace!
~F

The Good, the Bad & the Sad

What a speech Barack Obama gave last week on this Nation's racism and building a more perfect union. I was in awe, impressed and felt for a moment damn proud to be an American- whatever that means. If this man doesn't make it into office, I know this- his speech made our country better. It permanently changed us for the better. He didn't just say words but provided enough inspiration for us all to look into each others hearts and begin to heal. I know most of you have already seen it, but here it is, because we need these words, this energy, more than I can articulate.

And here is a compilation of Fox Sleeze News reporting on Mr. Obama. Despite claims that our future president gets all the praise in terms of reporting, I think this video gives a clearer picture of what's really going on for Mr. Obama in the mainstream press.

On to a totally different topic. Have y'all heard of obstetric fistula? I hadn't until yesterday. Dear god what a horrible horrible condition. Here's a little bit on it from the United Nations:

The smell of leaking urine or feces, or both, is constant and humiliating, often driving loved ones away. Left untreated, fistula can lead to chronic medical problems, including ulcerations, kidney disease, and nerve damage in the legs.

How does this happen you ask? Dr. Mark Linden says: obstetric fistula occurs due to prolonged pressure of the child’s head against a part of soft tissue between the mother’s pelvis. The soft tissue becomes necrotic (dies) from the lack of blood supply and breaks down.

And here's the deal. It's preventable, fixable and is happening to mainly most African countries, India and surrounding countries. $300 is all it takes to repair a mother's fistula with surgery and post op care. To make a needed donation go here! To learn more about this devastating illness click here. If you consider yourself a feminist I challenge you to pay attention to this issue for our sisters in the "developing" world. Here's a story on this nightmare. PBS will be airing a documentary called A Walk to Beautiful in May. View the trailer here.

Sending good thoughts to all you lovely QWOC readers!
~F

Barack Obama

Though I'm reluctant to endorse anyone for president who does not support full marriage equality for LGBTQ2s, I am still endorsing Barack Obama for president. The electoral college sucks, and our system for elections needs to change, and until that happens I doubt I'll feel overcome with excitement over any canidate. That being said, I feel Obama is a uniter rather than a divider. He's not perfect but he will make a good president for how the system is and I like his style. So I'm supporting Barack Obama. Go team!
~F

Friday Linky Dinks. Nazi Homo's, Brilliant Homo's and Geraldine Ferraro

A short post today as I took the day off & don't feel like being on the computer much today. So here we go!

I was going to write a post titled: Oregon Bigots Think Some Gays are Brilliant! But since I don't feel like writing much here's the beginning of the post.

A recent interview with Senator Gary George, co-sponsor of an initiative to repeal the Oregon Equality Act, shed light on how behind the times some of our elected officials can be.

Okay so now there is an update to that interview via Just Out about how Gary George said in a very recent speech that the Oregon Equality Act is not only special rights but agreed with an audience member that these supposed special rights of GLBTQ families are similar to Nazi's. What a douche bag! I'm sorry for calling names but geez. I mean really. I don't even have the words.

Geraldine Ferraro has gotten herself in a bit of a mess recently when she said the following:
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position,” she continued. “And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.”

Anyone remember the Gloria Steinem debacle? Well now it's former vice-presidential candidate Ferraro to take a stab at sounding a little less that smart about the current presidential candidates. Here's an interesting take on this whole mess at Whuh?

Enjoy this funny video on the subject.

The War & That Not so Fresh Feeling + Friday Literary Links + Heartbeats

Yesterday I has breakfast with my sweetheart at Jam, a restaurant that is consistently great for breakfast. While waiting for scrambled eggs, hash browns and a ricotta lemon pancake, I noticed on a wall a sign about a soldier from Portland currently in Iraq. His name is JD and in the picture next to a sign detailing his experiences at war I noticed he was quite handsome in his uniform and thought he seemed like he would probably make a good military officer. The poster sized sign described how cold it is in Iraq, how they rarely get letters for various reasons and that in order for these folks over there to even be able to talk on the phone to loved ones, they must have an AT&T calling card and wait in line for 2 hours. I felt heartbroken all over again for those in Iraq fighting and surviving and living & feeling and being in Iraq. It's been 5 years y'all! And quite frankly I'm getting that not-so-fresh-feeling!

It's been long e-fuckin'-nough. 5 years. 5 friggin' years! It's gone on too long. And what breaks my heart even more is that our troops when they do come home, are left without enough medical coverage, enough money or enough concern. If you have time next Saturday and are in Portland, please join me at a rally and action camp next weekend on March 15th. It's being called: March 15 World Without War: A Day of Resistance and Hope. I hope to see you there!

Okay I better switch topics before I go into a depression. So March, besides being Women's History Month is also Small Press Month. And none other than Walter Mosely is the poster dude for the celebration. For suggestions on titles to read for this go here. I'm happy to say I've read a number of the books listed but would also like to read Lonely Ware wolf Girl and also The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte.

Critical Mass the blog of the national book critics circle has the scoop the NBCC winners. I'm personally very excited to see that Medical Apartheid by Harriet Washington won for general nonfiction. It's no surprise that The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz won for fiction because it's well...wonderful. Anyway congrats to the winners!

My pal Kevin Sampsell gave me an interesting book the other day titled: Sex for America: Politically Inspired Erotica. And it's a hoot. The very first story is a man's encounter with Dick Cheney in the back of a gun shop. Since were in election mode I think there is no better book to get us in the mood... for sex and politics. So check it out. Speaking of sex and writing there is a new award for sex positive journalism aptly called the Sexies. Submissions are being taken until the 23rd of this month so if you have done some sex positive journalism find out more here.

Well I need to go home and feed the animals now. I think I'll be getting a laptop soon cuz this blogging at work off the clock thing is starting to get really old. In the meantime here are two awesome videos of the same song. It's worth listening to them both because one is the studio version and the other is live & sometimes music can be great in the studio & suck live, the this group called The Knife, has done a great job in both genres! The song is called Heartbeats. Enjoy y'all. Much love!
~F

Show Your Presidential Support with a Lovely Thong!

Thanks to Cafe Press, you can show the world, or at least the ladies in the locker room, who you support for president! And people say Americans are obsessed with sex & politics. I beg to differ!

Friday Links on Tuesday. Because I Can

But first a pic of the cutest puppy ever! For more information click here!

Well folks I've been excited to share these links with y'all so here goes.

• Have a story to tell? DIY Stories happens once a month in various places around Portland. You don't have to be a professional storyteller. In fact sometimes the best stories come from folks who are nervous to share a story in front of a group for the first time. This next DIY Stories happens February 13th at the Urban Grind coffee shop (2214 NE Oregon). It takes place at 8pm.


• Do you have goals? Of course we all do but what a website that can actually help you along with them? 43 Things has become a site I constantly visit. Unlike the sites myspace & even face book, 43 Things has all the e-communal feeling without the need to impress or play any games. Folks share a diverse range of goals from knitting a scarf to not burning themselves or thinking about suicide. And the really fun thing is you can not only share & set goals but cheer other peoples goals. It's a love fest with no pomp. Here's my goals so far on 43 Things.


• So whats the deal with our U.S. economy? Are we heading for or already in a recession? Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickle & Dimed has written a great article called Recession - Who Cares? Here's an excerpt.

"I suspect that America’s fabulous growth in productivity is another illustration of the disconnect between economic measures and human experience. It’s been attributed to better education and technological advances, which would be nice to believe in. But a revealing 2001 study by McKinsey also credited America’s productivity growth to “managerial innovations” and cited Wal-Mart as a model performer, meaning that we are also looking at fiendish schemes to extract more work for less pay. Yes, you can generate more output per apparent hour of work by falsifying time records, speeding up assembly lines, doubling workloads, and cutting back on breaks. Productivity may look good from the top, but at the middle and the bottom it can feel a lot like pain."

Yes Babs it does feel like pain!

• Last link is about tomorrow. The rally to Defend Equality takes place at the Terry Shruck Plaza. Go to SW 3rd and Madison in downtown Portland at 5:30pm. My partner & I will be among many who are standing up to prejudice within the system. Please come Join us! More info at BRO (Basic Rights Oregon).

I'll try to get some pics up from the rally Thursday. Peace!

Still Sick/Yummy Chili/Example of Internet Activism

I'm still sick with that effing sinus thing (aka "the crud") and too boot I think I may have candida. I see my naturopath tomorrow & hope she can help heal me before I present my workshop on Saturday. Last thing I need is for a group of my sisters & brothers hearing me hack, snort & wheeze my way through the session. So here's my chili recipe, which my beloved said was the best chili she ever had and even though she has to say nice stuff about my cookin', I know when she's really impressed by a dish.

Fran's Garden Steak Chili
1 1/2 lbs of organic steak chopped (I like hangar steak especially because there's little fat after cooking and it has a rich flavor & texture)
3 1/2 cups water
1 28oz. can of diced or stewed tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 can kidney beans (rinsed)
1 cup frozen or canned corn
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 large carrot
4-6 cloves garlic chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 very small lemon
1/4 cup molasses
sea salt to taste
2 tbsp. olive oil

In a dutch oven on medium high heat coat bottom with olive oil & brown the steak and add garlic & onions. Saute a few minutes then add water, tomato paste & diced tomatoes. Allow to the mixture to get to boiling then turn heat to medium low and add the rest of the ingredients and squeeze the juice from the lemon into the pot. Cook for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Then turn heat to low & simmer another 2 hours. Serve with freshly baked cornbread and sprinkle sharp cheddar cheese on top of chili.

Now in news outside of my own little world...
One great example of Internet activism happened last week when CNN posted a story about Black women voters and their "dilemma" with having to choose between a female presidential candidate and a Black male one. Now I'm not sure how many comments that initial story got but there was so much reaction, so many folks commented, that CNN had to post another story later that day about the reactions to their story. Wow! My favorite gossip blog Jezebel reported on the story and noted one commenter that CNN also noticed named Tiffany who said:

"Duh, I'm a black woman and here I am at the voting booth. Duh, since I'm illiterate I'll pull down the lever for someone. Hm... Well, he black so I may vote for him... oh wait she a woman I may vote for her... What Ise gon' do? Oh lordy!"

A few of the commenter's on the Jezebel blog thought Tiffany was a rawk star saying things like:

"Buy that woman a drink", "Tiffany seems like an awesome lady", "Dear Tiffany, you have my vote" and "Tiffany, I can be biffle with yuo." (huh!) Anyway it seems like Tiffany by daring to speak up and use humor at the same time made a lot of people's day that day, especially mine.

This Internet interaction illustrates the power of people of color speaking out. To the point CNN had to take notice and reflect on it's narrow focus. Congrats to Tiffany, all the responders and CNN for taking the time to change the world just a little bit.

It's moments like that that give me hope to keep going, keep being an activist and love life. Reminds me of something Martin Luther King Jr. once said:
"Almost always the creative dedicated minority has made the world better."-Martin Luther King Jr.

Peace y'all!
~F

I'm a Woman and of Color. Maybe I'll Just Vote for a White Dude

*sigh*
*sigh* *sigh*
I'm already growing sick of presidential politics.

The presidential election seems to already be getting ugly and my guess is it will only get worse. Take for example a recent op-ed Gloria Steinem wrote for the New York Times. She starts out the piece trying to give us an image of a bi-racial lawyer & woman being qualified for Senate & then possibly the presidency. She goes on the ask:

Be honest: Do you think this is the biography of someone who could be elected to the United States Senate? After less than one term there, do you believe she could be a viable candidate to head the most powerful nation on earth?

Ms. Steinem goes on to write that the key reason others would not find this WOC qualified is because of her gender and most U.S. citizens attitudes toward gender. Don't believe the hype folks. The reason some would not find the woman qualified for much (other then polishing their floors), is because this person in Ms. Steinem's example is a woman and of color. Not because she's one or the other. My point in acknowledging this is that it feels Ms. Steinem is trying to pit race against gender in the "which minority has it worse" competition. And guess what Gloria? There are no winners. And let's be really real here. When someone is a double, triple and so on minority, they get the short end of whatever stick, based on the combination of their minority statuses. One minority status is not exclusive to the other within a person with more than one minority status. Therefore Ms. Steinem's example was not only erroneous but wrought with the perspective of privilege.

Perhaps the title of Gloria's article should have told me from the get go that her piece was going to highlight the plight of the white woman only when it said "Women Are Never Front-Runners ." Because the "women" she was talking about were obviously white women. If the piece was really about all women she would have noted that though Black men won the right to vote half a century before women, Black women had watch their men get to vote and see their white sisters back then have the free time to go & fight for voting rights while many Black women had to go to work and take care of their families. I'm not saying all white women then had it easy or didn't have to work, but as most of us know white feminism has it's roots in the middle class, rather than the working poor.

In a lovely post on Reappropiate Jennifer Fang says what I think a lot of WOC felt after reading Steinem's piece.

"...Steinem’s piece (intentionally or unintentionally) draws a line in the sand between people of colour and women, essentially disregarding the everyday racism faced by Black and Brown people, and claiming the Oppression Olympics gold medal for women. Further, by casting the debate as between Black men and White women (despite her imperfect creation of Achola Obama), Steinem renders the woman of colour invisible, reaffirms the binary Black-White paradigm of race, and demands we take a side in the epic battle between race and gender. Is it no wonder, then, that women of colour have long felt alienated by feminists like Steinem? Where do we fit when we’re being asked to choose between Obama and Clinton as a metaphor for race versus gender? And how are we supposed to react when an incorrect choice labels us as “less radical”?

And I don't think I'm alone in starting to feel like if I vote for Mrs. Clinton I'm against Obama, POC and therefore against my own color. Or if I vote for Mr. Obama I'm against Clinton, women in general and therefore sexist.

Another example for my annoyance are the regular emails I've been getting from family & friends telling me how racist Hilary Clinton is. Here is the particular quote that has upset many.

"Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act," Clinton said. "It took a president to get it done."

Okay so she doesn't acknowledge Rosa Parks, or Jesse Jackson or other influential activists but she did mention MLK Jr. first. And for the love of you-know-who folks, it did take President Johnson to sign off on civil rights legislation getting passed. It took the work of the activists without a single doubt. But it ultimately took one dude, the president at the time to sign off on our rights. Sadly we have a system that makes things that way. And please don't tell me what the president does & doesn't sign isn't very significant. I know all too well how policies can hurt or help citizens freedoms, for example, say, Don't Ask, Don't Tell anyone? How about DOMA? That was a president who made that happen in the end, wasn't it? Many homophobes influenced Bill Clinton, but ultimately he made a decision about the value of queer people and acted in ink, by signing our rights away. It indeed took a president to do that.

There are many who ask "is America ready for a white female or Black male president?" And I think that is the wrong question. Because for many of us this country has been long overdue for someone other than a white man to lead from the "white" house. The question here really needs to be "are we ready for a president who can't be bought, won't stand to be lied to, won't lie to citizens and will truly be guided by the tenants that make up our constitution?"

Just because we have a woman or man of color in office doesn't mean these folks will think any more progressively than a white man. It is utterly prejudiced to believe that the body someone inhabits is the main factor in guiding their thoughts. For some folks their race, gender, sexuality or physical ability makes them more understanding of their own oppression and the oppression other minorities face. By by no means is that the rule. So let's not just vote for Obama or Clinton because of the body their in. Let's vote for a candidate based on their ability and heart.

Peace!
~F