Memes and Me

My seniors are studying humor right now. We've been looking mostly at satire and parody. We've watched Saturday Night Live, we've read Onion articles, we've watched Michel Jackson's "Beat It" and Weird Al's "Eat It". We've also studied Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as well as the Emma Thompson's adaption of Sense and Sensibility. Now, we're poised to read Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. We've had fun, and I hope they enjoy the book as much as I did. They're seniors. They've earned a little levity in their final quarter of high school. I know I still have a sense of humor despite my recent reaction to a stupid meme online.

 I know, Doctor. It's possible to just scroll on by, and yet...

I was annoyed. My friend, who I know has more conservative views than mine, commented, "Ha ha! Good one." Rationally, I know that memes are the lowest form of commentary and do not encourage thoughtful discourse. I know that to be vexed by a meme is ridiculous. I know it should roll off my back like so much spring snow water. But it took a while to calmly consider the stupid thing. Thing is, memes that attack liberal and conservative views really don't help anyone's position or cause. They often have simplistic terms and inaccuracies. I know these things, and yet I was pursing my lips and ready to assert my retort to that meme. 

Yes, Goat. I know. You're right as always. Let it be and move on.

Instead of reacting, I went and got myself some more coffee. I made a grocery list. I started some laundry. All good things to distract my attention away from the hideous meme that completely misrepresents liberals and the concept of pro choice. As I was busily scrubbing the kitchen counter, I thought about a scene in "Game of Thrones" that we had watched recently. Arya was watching a group of players perform a crude satire of the previous seasons of the show. They had Cersei and Joffrey and Tyrion all made to look like caricatures rather than the real people they are on the show. Tons of fart jokes, too. The dramatized version was of course pointing out their foibles and their vices and holding a mirror up to nature in an exaggerated comedic way. Arya was laughing right along with the portrayals of Lannisters, but when the character representing her father as a bumbling buffoon came out, her smile dropped and she was sullen and uncomfortable. The play was fine until it got too close to home.

Yes, Rachel, I get it. The joke's on me.

BTW, even your caricature looks intelligent.

If one were to draw parallels, the GoT episode showed early satire. Sometimes, we are too close to the subject to find the humor right away. Sometimes we never do. However, taking time to process and think through before reacting and attacking, is probably a good thing. I suppose the fact that I can take down every aspect of that silly meme that misrepresents what I consider my defining beliefs and social consciousness is largely irrelevant. I suppose I can see why someone who doesn't agree with me might point out those things they see as inconsistency or as they might see it, ironic contradictions in the liberal viewpoints. However, it's so ridiculous and completely misses the mark of pointing out the criticisms that it's not even good satire. Humor is best when it rings with truth. Since this meme doesn't really ring true, it's not that funny. Geez, if this is the way conservatives really see liberals, then we've got even a longer road to journey toward working together than I thought. What was the meme that so got me thinking and cleaning with a passion? I'm glad you asked.

No, really. That's it. I'm sure someone could satirize my reaction far better than this meme satirizes liberals.

Now, let's just acknowledge the fact that liberals are not against choice on any of these points. Liberals still believe in self-determination and a person's right to send a kid to a private school or to own a handgun or trade with reasonable countries or to select the right healthcare and energy and smoking (although really, why would you want to still?) and to decline membership in a union and light bulbs (WTF on that one actually) and plastic bags and shopping at Walmart and eating food that is bad for you or genetically modified in some way. 

Yes! So do I. 

However, when that choice means taking public funds away from public schools, no. That's not right and it undermines the point of public education especially since outcomes have yet to prove any of the school choice claims out there. What they do do is reinforce segregation. Guns? Have one; go for it! However, know that gun ownership in my state is associated with our outrageous suicide rate. Easier access means effective suicide methods. Who needs military grade weapons anyway? Liberals aren't for outlawing all guns, but sensible restrictions are absolutely important. Healthcare is a human right and having healthcare for everyone makes us a better society and it keeps the insurance companies honest. You don't want health insurance, don't buy it. However, realize that the more people who do reduce the costs everyone. Energy? Well if we're talking freedom of choice in energy then let's talk about energy companies who try and keep citizens from using solar energy for their home or windmills to power their home or collect rain water to get off the city water systems. But no. Utility companies don't like people being independent and reducing dependence on their product. Gotta keep that bottom line turning a profit. Smoking? Well, honestly. I quit that as have many people and I don't know too many people who miss going into a restaurant having to cough through the tobacco plumes in order to eat a meal or have a pint with their chums. Really? This is about as weak a point as light bulbs FFS. As for unions, well nobody forces you into a union. Workplaces vote on unions. And if you don't want to be in the union, don't! However, don't expect the benefits of the union without paying into it. Furthermore, can we all just recognize the good that unions have done? Eliminating child labor and improving safe working conditions and the weekend? No? Did you forget those? Then there are plastic bags. Well, I am still working on this. I do recycle all the bags that my husband brings home because he hasn't gotten int the habit of reusable bags the way I have. However, if people would also take a look at that enormous pile of floating plastic that is in the Pacific Ocean right now, maybe they'd change their tune. Maybe if they'd look inside the stomachs of sea creatures and see the death toll that our convenience is taking on the animals of the earth that we are supposed to be stewards for, maybe they'd change their tune. As an English major, I have to wonder who our Dickens will be. We need some strong literary figures to provide a narrative that points out the foibles of our consumption and greed. Do I shop at Walmart? Maybe twice a year. Our big camping trip once a year, yes. I can get all of our camping needs in one place. If we had a Target that had a grocery department, I'd gladly shop there. But we don't. I think Walmart represents what is worst in our consumer and labor practices. As for food: WTH? No one is saying to stop eating what you want. All we're saying is think before you eat. All we want is to hold the companies accountable since they have proven to put us at risk in the past. Saccharin anyone? Have any of these people seen the conditions in some large scale livestock yards? Have they looked at the process of how their food ends up in the grocery store? Some of the practices are appalling and unethical. But I suppose no one wants to look that closely at things. No one wants to admit the awful practices and effect humans have wrought on the creatures and the earth.

 

But ya know? Let's just reduce it to a catchy little cartoon that completely misrepresents the opposite viewpoints. 

Of course, one just has to wonder what would happen if the tables were turned. Conservatives are pro life until that baby is born and his/her mom needs food stamps to survive or that refugee needs shelter or that soldier has to go into combat to protect an industry like oil that is outdated and unsustainable. Conservatives are pro gun until that means granting a weapon to someone of Arabic descent. Even those with mental instability can now get guns, but someone with brown skin better not look sideways. Freedom of choice is great until you're a woman who needs birth control to manage heavy bleeding and your employer says that their freedom of religion is more important than your freedom to manage your health. Freedom of religion is for everyone until you're a Muslim who wants to open a Mosque. They're fiscally responsible until they want to build a wall to keep those pesky Mexicans out never mind the fact that it won't work!

You and me both, Snoopy.

But these oversimplify and divide the the participants. These arguments aren't funny and shouldn't be reduced to a meme. But this is where we are right now. I know what I know. They know what they know. Memes just don't cover it all. I have to hope that my friends who read them don't really think that about me just because I am a liberal. I have to try not to think in those terms about them. If anything, I can laugh at myself and my reaction to such a ridicules thing. Somehow though, we have to find a way through this without alienating and exacerbating the problems we already have. 

Here's hoping, Moose. 

The Fatigue of It All

This week has felt like one big waking dream. I wake up feeling like I need more sleep. Sleep and  then dread the moment I wake. I can't shake the awareness that no matter how many hours I sleep, it won't be enough to get me back on center. Welcome to the wonderful world of fatigue.

Goats know it's not just a matter of sleep.

It's tough to put into words just how much fatigue blows. It's waking up and thinking, "Shit! I have to wake up now? That couldn't possibly have been 7 hours. Surely my alarm clock is mistaken." Of course, it's fatigue, so your conversation with yourself is really more like, "What? Fuck. No *snrzzbabblesnork." Your thoughts are definitely not coherent. It's good that I'm the only human awake at first in the house. No actual dialogue required because I can't think clearly let alone formulate words into meaningful phrases. 

I'm sure these sea lions have deeper conversations.

Fatigue requires that you pull your ass out of bed even though everything else in your body fights for you to stay right where you are. You know you have to feed the cats. You know you have to make the coffee. You know you must do your yoga, your work out, your meditation, yet you don't know how you can possibly manage it all. It's simply overwhelming. Your morning routine is only beginning and you feel like it's the most arduous thing you've ever attempted. It's like facing Mount Everest with nothing but a stadium blanket and handful of fruit snacks. You are so completely unprepared you feel like it's not even possible to begin the day let alone muster the will to go to work. 

Indeed, poor owl: there's still 8 hours of work to get through.

Yup. Once you actually manage to dress yourself between your dry, unfocused eyes and fumbling, swollen hands, you have to then go out that door and drive to work. You know what all needs doing that day and you drive to work despite the helpless feeling that it'll be an eternity until the warmth of the bed envelops you again. You just hope that whatever the day throws at you, you will find some way to be alert, articulate, and accomplished. But you know there's a high likelihood that at least some of your to-do list will be moved to tomorrow's list. You haven't even begun, yet you know something won't be got to. Maybe many somethings. But there you are. Driving to work anyway.

Dude, I wish I had your energy and determination. Also, I admire the fashion choice.

Once you're at work, you settle in for the day. You feel somewhat disconnected and please, oh please don't let anyone have a crisis. Please don't ask me any questions I haven't already prepared an answer to. I couldn't possibly be expected to formulate lucid thinking for any thoughtful or insightful discourse.  Just don't even try.

Yup, that's about it, Dean. I knew you'd understand.

During that last half hour of work, your mind has jellified. You've given up trying to be productive. You know that in less than an hour, you will be home. You can shed your workplace veneer. That shield you need to get through the day even though you feel so completely fogged you can't believe no one notices. But they don't. You've gotten that good at faking it. Now though, you just want to take off that bra, put on your robe, and do something mindless like Netflix or kill demons in Diablo. Just don't make you be around people or talk or think or anything of any merit really. Just. Let. You. Be.

Nope. Move along. Nothing to see here. Just sleeping.

Once you reach the safety of home once again, you get comfy. Maybe you pull a beer from the fridge, maybe you make yourself some tea. Whatever beverage you choose, you breathe a mighty sigh that you've made it through another day. You rinse the dishes and load the dishwasher before you sit down because you know you won't be getting up once you finally crash on the sofa. You've already set your clothes out over the weekend so you wouldn't have to make such decisions during the week. Your spouse is bringing home groceries and is making dinner because that's what he does. He loves to cook even though he has his own fatigue battle to face. Thank the goddesses you don't have to stand and prep and cook. You can scroll Facebook or just close your eyes while you wait for dinner. Dinner means Netflix. Netflix means you're that much closer to bed.

What do you mean it's still light outside? Dammit!

It's early Sunday evening. Monday looms on the horizon. It starts all over again. Two days' rest has not been enough to recover. If only sleep were enough. I know it won't be though. I know I'll wake feeling like I've been through that proverbial wringer. On a scale of 1-10, I'm about a 6 and the work week hasn't even kicked in. 

Who knows? Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the day. Maybe I'll have energy and enthusiasm and not just this sense of, "Please oh please. Just let me get through. I'll stop being jealous of our cats and their ability to sleep 20 hours instead of only 7 if I can just get through today." Maybe. 

Go to sleep, Moose. Tomorrow's another day; you don't know what it holds and that's ok. Rest now.

Bluebaru

Hello gentle readers out there in the interwebs. I took last weekend off. I had nothing really of vital necessity to write about, nothing annoying the shit out of me enough to vent online about, and nothing really deep or meaningful. So, my husband and I took off to enjoy a wee bit of nature. It was the day before spring started after all.

Yes, Goat. Spring is finally here...although in Montana, that means there still will be snow at some point.

We took off mainly because we had just bought a new car: a bright blue Subaru Outback. I love it. I've never bought a new car from a dealer before, and I think I did fairly well. I emailed with dealers around the area. If they didn't email me back or tried calling me when I expressly said not to, they were disqualified. I was getting close to buying one about 3 hours away, but Subies are popular and they go fast. Missed out on that one. There was one about 90 minutes away, but it wasn't the right color. It was red. Red jacks up your insurance. Frankly, I also figured this was my first ever purchase, and I wasn't going to settle for some other color. It had to be blue.

That's right, Pusheen. I was going to wait until that blue one came along.

Then one popped up here in town. So I emailed the dealer about it. I got a peppy call back. Oops. Forgot to tell them in my email not to call. After that though, he did email as a follow up and we communicated that way from then on. It was blissful and suited my schedule.

That's right, Kermit. If we were going to do this, it was going to be on my terms.

Once it seemed like a really good idea, I started shopping around for loans. I actually got turned down by one credit union. I was a bit taken aback. They said they couldn't verify my employment. What? Did you even try asshats? I work for the school district. Verifying my employment is easy. Anyway, I got approved through 2 other credit unions,  but the interest rate was much higher at my credit union, the one I've been with since I was 13. I thought, "Hmmm, that's not going to work." I emailed my credit union and let them know I really wanted to go through them, but that another CU had come in under their interest rate. Low and behold, my CU said they'd match the other one. To which I replied that the dealer was going as low as 1.99. This is true. They did quote that. And guess what? My CU then said they could do 1.9%. Ha! If you don't negotiate a lower interest rate, you're missing out. I know some big banks can do 0%, but I don't want a big bank. I don't want to feed into that system. Besides, it wasn't through the Subie dealer here either. Consequently, 1.9% was really the best I was going to get.

Thanks, little turtle. I felt like clapping for me, too.

Anyway, the price on the Subie was also about two grand under blue book. I got a good deal all around. Funny enough, the fellow who sold me the car looked about 16, but he happened to be the son of a man I used to work with. Small world. I made sure to thank him profusely for all of his hard work and for being so forthright and not being pushy. He was great. He also wears bow ties every Friday. I appreciate a good bow tie.

I know you do, Doctor.

If you even noticed I didn't blog last week, this is why. We took our new Subie out for a highway run to a nearby water fowl preserve to watch the snow geese. We went about an hour out of town and tested the cruise control. I haven't used that in a long time. It's pretty cool. We tested the sound system. I love the bass. We tried out the heated seats. I don't know how I ever got along without them. It's ours. It's blue. It's beautiful. I made it happen. Rather proud of my accomplishment. One week on and absolutely love driving it.

That's right, Moose. That's the face I make every time I get to drive the Subie.

Have You Had Your Daily Dose of Gender Bullshit?

This weekend I went to see Niyaz in concert. The music was astounding and they invited us to dance while they played. So I did. I felt wonderful and alive and beautiful! They ended far too soon, but it meant that my friends and I got to hit the highway back home earlier, which meant we'd be home before midnight. Woohoo! On the way home though, my one friend mentioned that she and another friend have been tossing around doing Cabaret. They want the Kit Kat Girls to be drag queens, which I think as a concept is fantastic. My friend wants to direct it and said that she thought I'd make a great Sally. Uffda! That's huge. She surprised me with that idea. In my head, I was thinking, "I wonder who they want for Sally. They need a person with a lot of vocal and dance talent for that." Definitely not me in other words. However, as I was processing this bit of info, she added that her husband (who was driving) said I was too old. What the actual fuck?

You heard right, Goat. Too old. I wish he was joking.

I can think of plenty of reasons I should not be Sally, but my age ain't one of them. After all, Natasha Richardson was 35 I think when she tore up the role on Broadway. Seriously? My age is not the reason. If the Kit Kat Girls can be drag queens, then I could play Sally if I had enough confidence in my voice.Well hello there sexist, ageist bullshit. I've not missed you one iota. Especially not from a friend.

I agree, Giraffe. Fuck off on the age excuse buddy.

Then I wake up after the stupid time change (spring forward sucks ass) only to see reports of some idiot humping the statue of the defiant girl standing in front of the Wallstreet bull. Well who didn't see this coming? I did as soon as they announced the installation. Some idiot somewhere was bound to do this. Drunk or sober, someone was bound to do this because people suck, men are stupid, and sexism still exists. His only regret will be that someone caught him on film so he will always be the guy who humped the girl statue. Do I really need to go into why this man was wrong to do what he did? Do I really have to point out that it was a statue of a young girl and so his inappropriate gyrations is akin to acting out sexually assaulting a child? That's horrifying. People should be outraged by this and should not excuse it was a drunken indiscretion that harms no one. It does harm people. It does send a clear message that sexual assault and feminism are nothing more than a punchline for douche bags like this guy to mock with rapey behavior. Females are objects of sex in societies all over. Years and years of telling girls that he hits you because he likes you and boys will boys creates a culture where this kind idiocy is ok. Got news for you: it's not ok. 

Owl disapproves of attempts to excuse this asshat's behavior.

My friend who wants to do Cabaret then sent me an article link about this guy who couldn't figure out why his clients were suddenly being cold and questioning all his ideas in his emails. Turns out he shared a mailbox with a female colleague and was inadvertently signing his emails with her electronic signature. He was shocked. I wasn't. His colleague wasn't. It's kind of a big "Duh!" actually. Still, he sent a few emails to test his theory and signed some with his and some with hers only to discover that emails with the same content were received differently depending on the gender of the signature. Well golly gee! Thanks for validating what women have been saying all along. Thanks for opening your eyes to what gender studies have been reporting for eons. Hey look, everybody! It's everyday sexism right there in your inbox!

Pondering bear ponders the truths of yet one more man discovering that maybe listening to women is a good idea. Now that a man has said it, I'm sure it will all change. 

Then today, this vile piece of clickbait came along my newsfeed. I liked a page some time ago because they post thought-provoking quotations that I frequently enjoy and sometimes use as my profile banners, but this one was different. It was a body frame and weight chart for women. According to it, I am overweight, which is bullshit. This image was more than a little bit promoting the idea of  being smaller is better and females best be mindful of their weight because we weigh on average 20 pounds more than the average female a generation ago. Well, our diets are different and contain more processed ingredients, but the weights on this chart are definitely low for those heights, and BMI has been fairly well debunked as an indicator of health. Furthermore, why the fuck is a site that posts famous and thought-provoking quotations posting this bullshit? Just when I was calming down from that one, it got worse. Today the site posted something from 2013 about how a woman's butt shape is an indicator of health. What? I sensed the stupid was strong with this one, but again. Why the hell was this page posting such drivel? So I clicked it to find out what the hell this was all about only to be taken to a truly clickbait site. They were all sketches of female butts because this article was "especially for females" after all. Butt shape as a predictor has nothing to do with health warnings, but oh man! If your butt is shaped like an H, you're carrying to much extra fat in your love handles and you better get to the gym and do some squats. That's what this article was all about--the shape of your butt isn't right, means you have too much fat on this area, and you need to go address that problem right away in the gym. I unliked the page and stopped following it. I'm not up for the occasional body shaming in my timeline. If they want to stick to inspirational or profound quotations, that's cool. Telling me my butt needs work because it's not the right shape? Well, they can just fuck off. I don't need that bullshit in my life. 

White kitteh is annoyed and suggests Word Porn fuck the right off.

It's 2017 and this is still happening. It's 2017 and women will still be fighting this stupid bullshit for years to come. It's 2017 and people want to believe that equal rights are just fine and there's nothing to worry about and women should just stop complaining already! Guess what? Sexism, misogyny, rape culture--it's here to stay from what I can see. I don't want to believe that, but when it's 2017 and friends make comments about age rather than the obvious "She can't sing well enough" and men feel entitled to rub their junk on a statue of a child for a laugh or are just shocked by how women are treated at work and stupid sites post clickbait about how women's bodies will never be good enough, we haven't accomplished the goal of eliminating gender inequality. Everyday sexism people. It's here. It's not leaving. It's bullshit.

Bet mama moose has to go back to work soon because she doesn't have paid maternity leave.

March 8

From where I sit, I see tufts of cat hair and debris on the hardwood. I see dishes on the kitchen counter and in the sink. Over my shoulder, I can see the laundry spilling out of the small basket by the door. I know there is dried toothpaste in the bathroom sink. On an ordinary day, I'd have cleaned all of those things before doing much of anything else. In fact, I'd have cleaned the house before going to work as well as a little after work, but today I didn't go to that paid work gig I have either. It's International Women's Day, so I stayed home.

That's right goat. I am on strike today.

Consequently, I have been doing a few things in honor of the day and its purpose.

I'm wearing red glasses for instance. If I was going out and about for any reason, I'd be wearing red, but I am home and not getting out of my robe. Red glasses are it for now. Red is the color of the day because it is associated with passion, and I am passionate about women's rights not just here in Montana, but in the world. When millions of girls are denied access to education, I feel compelled to support them and wearing red is a visible way to show that...if I were going outside. So I'll wear red glasses for my cats and my own edification. If I hadn't been granted a personal day for today, I would've been decked from head to foot in red by the goddesses!

Umm, that's not quite what I meant.

I've also been listening to the Tori Amos station on Pandora. She's one of the truly strong feminine voices I listened to in college. I love her music. I also get Regina Spektor, Florence + The Machine, and Fiona Apple. This music speaks to me in a way others just don't hit. They are pained, empowered, unapologetic anthems of femaleness. 

She's simply divine.

The organizers of this Women's Strike also thought we should be sure to take time to ourselves, so I played Diablo 3 for a bit. Ok, so it was more like a few hours, but that's beside the point. I got my monk through Torment V and she's ready for her final torment. Then I'll go back and work on my barbarian or witchdoctor. I don't know which, but I like that I am keeping my all female ensemble.

Tigerlilly is badass.

Another thing I've done is research women's topics and fill my timeline with the results. I tried to find transcripts from the Women's March on Montana, but I could not locate any. I contacted the event organizer to see if someone may be working on it. I want to read them and study them. They play a role in my life and the lives of all Montanans. Maybe it's the teacher in me, but I also feel the need to share stories about acid attack survivors in Bangladesh reclaiming their beautiful selves. I further posted about the International Rescue Committee who allow you to pay the tuition for a young girl to go to school for a year. I found a photo essay of young girls from around the world walking to school. Personally, I thought the ones from Moscow were oddly sexualized...reminiscent of the sexy French Maid costumes you see at Halloween around here. I tried not to be judgey about it, but it definitely stands out in my memory as not being quite like the others. One of my favorite sites, I Fucking Love Science, posted a video of famous female scientists; many of them sadly had their breakthroughs stolen and published by men. Fuckers! I knew some of the names like Hypatia. One of my favorites was a TED Talk about why America needs paid maternity leave. Honestly. How the fuck do we not have this? Of course, even if we had it before January 2017, we'd have lost it or it'd be in jeopardy with the Tangerine Shart in office.  

I can't whenever I think of that asshat! He just creeps in and I get angsty and swear a lot.

Anyway, I also took some action on financial independence. I had to verify our tax return to the state due to new identity theft precautions that add over a month's wait time to your return. (insert grrr face) I also balanced the finances. Then I opened the online savings account I've been hemming and hawing about since last year. I may also look at getting my +30 credits so I am maxed out on the pay scale. You see, I am one of those nasty women who are the primary breadwinner in the household. I'm not a finance guru by any means, but I'm learning and figuring out how to make things better for us. Financial independence is something that not a lot of women have, so I appreciate it and intend to make the most of it so we have some security for retirement.

Kitty is rollin' in those singles.

I've also signed a bunch of petitions for causes like Planned Parenthood, the Affordable Care Act, education policy, environmental issues, and civil rights. Whew! So many petitions. There's also the contacting the representatives that needs to happen. Since our stupid heads of state want to introduce a national school voucher system and provide absolutely no safeguards for students with disabilities of whom I work with every day, I again must make some phone calls and send some emails.  At least our state legislature did indeed vote down that measure to allow teachers and staff to conceal carry in school. Dodged that bullet.

Yes, I did that Emma. Bad pun timing?

I did some digging on my health as well. As any of my readers would know by now, I went off Topamax, but then the question became, "What now?" Well, now I get Lamictal. It too has a step up to the dosage-- bit longer than Topamax, but after a week, no weird flavors or odd side effects. Here's hoping that keeps up. I also get to start Benlysta soon for my lupus. I'm a wee bit nervous about a biologic, but it's an actual medication just for lupus, not one of those meds that is made for some other purpose but seems to help or ease lupus. I have to get infusions though. Not really what I'm looking forward to, but it's supposed to really help with the fatigue and the sores in the nose and mouth, so I'm game. It's important to take care of your health and manage it accordingly, so taking time to look into these fits right into the day's purpose I think. I recognize and appreciate the fact that I have access to this healthcare and these choices. My neurologist and rheumatologist are both women. They really listen better and I feel more like I've had an honest discussion rather than a rush in and get the fuck out kind of appointment. I really value the care they provide. I trust them. I owe them big thanks and shouts out for their care. 

That's right, Baymax. It's like a big hug after I see them.

I'm well aware that some people will think this strike is silly, unnecessary, and selfish. Fuck them. Really. I will tell people why I participated if they ask. I will tell them how I spent my day. However, if they're just asking to mock or cajole or ridicule the idea and my participation, fuck them. When equal pay is at risk in our country and the pay gap is not expected to be closed for another 150 years, we've got to keep people active. When the people in Washington are overhauling the Affordable Care Act so people in their 50s and 60s are negatively affected at a time when their health becomes more complicated and they're supposed to be closing in on retirement, we need to be supportive. When the overhaul also includes a defunding of Planned Parenthood which means that women, especially women of color, will lose access and the choice to meet their health needs with professionals they trust, we have to make our presence known. When girls have to walk through war ravaged areas, cling to slippery rocks along a river, or risk rape and human slavery every time they try to go to school, we have got to raise our voices. I know that my position and my status as a white, somewhat middle class woman offers me the privilege to stay home. Therefore it is important that I not take advantage of it. I must not take it for granted. I must not allow it to turn my head in silence while others are beaten down. We've still got a long road to go before we're done.

Keep on, keepin' on, Moose.

Montana: Big Screwed State

I live in an absolutely beautiful state. In this state, we have access to any number of outdoor activities and natural wonders that I appreciate. My state is also one of the largest in the union, but with one of the smallest populations.  When I take time to scroll through news stories and I see Montana pop up, I always pause to read the content as Montana's history in the national spotlight consists in many memories as the place where the Unibomber hid out and that crazy lady killed her new husband on their honeymoon. People forget about the cool stuff like Jeannette Rankin. This week I have found all kinds of scary stuff coming out about the state legislature, though. Some of it is leaking into the national discourse making us look ridiculous.

Yes, Goat. I'm giving them the side-eye, too.

One that's not quite there at the national level though is the fact that once again the legislature has decided not to fund special education. This should be in the national spotlight since we now have an education secretary who does not believe in the administrative sate of equal protection under the law for students with disabilities to receive a free and appropriate public education. This was part of her statements prior to confirmation, so look it up. One of the favorite arguments is that state and local governments should be deciding and paying for things like this, not the federal government. Well, this is why federal protections were in place--because states won't do it! I teach students with disabilities. My district is facing a shortfall on their budget that might mean cuts in jobs among other things. Follow that line from federal down to my district and it means my students who are already at risk, are at greater risk. What will be left to ensure they receive an education? The answer for some is charter schools, which only help deepen the divide between have and have-nots. In a vast expanse of rural districts, charters aren't practical. They also help to further segregate. Charters help to further push those students out of public school into strip mall schools where they won't count on drop out rates nor will they count against testing measures for a successful school, but according to one source I read today from propublica.com entitled "'Alternative' Education: Using Charter Schools to Hide Dropouts and Game the System" my students might simply be brushed out the door and left to an absolutely horrible stare at computer and never get a high school diploma school. But they'll be gone so other schools will look really good on paper. An increasing number of students with autism are coming through school doors now and what will happen to them under this? Their intelligence, gifts, and needs will be ignored. Rather than bringing them into society, we'll force them back to the institutionalized system of bygone years. It's shameful and I admonish my legislature for being a part of the system to allow it to happen.

Yup, makes me want to throttle someone.

The current legislature is tackling school safety though. They've advanced a bill that would allow concealed carry on school campuses including public elementary schools. I blame DeVos for this, too. That whole grizzly bear comment just added fuel to the stupid debate. We actually did have a bear in a Bozeman school, but you know what? The school's lockdown procedure saved them while wildlife management agencies were able to secure and remove the bear without shots being fired. Yet, the legislature thinks we need weapons on campus in the hands of trained staff. Those heroes will be able to take down an armed intruder no problem in their delusional narrative. Fuck that! How many experts need to tell us that access to guns just means more likelihood of the gun used in an accident? I'm sure any of those parents of toddlers who wound up killing their sibling, cousin, or playmate thought they could manage the firearms, too. But hell! Let's just put them right into a school like mine where early in my teaching career a young person walked in, went to the bathroom, and committed suicide. Seriously? He brought that from home, but if there are guns on campus that aren't in the hands of our School Resource Officer (a policeman who is supposed to be armed) it wouldn't take long for the teenage network to discover who has a gun and where it's kept. Armed civilians won't make it safer for anyone. I for one will feel less safe. I get anxiety when I see people open carry at the pharmacy--I don't want to know my colleagues have guns in their classrooms! When a gun is available, that's where the mind and body reach to resolve conflicts. That's how our high numbers of spousal murder-suicides happen. What in the fuck's sake are these people thinking? The reassuring notion is that our democratic governor is unlikely to pass such rubbish. Oh! And they did opt for concealed carry upon review rather than the initial open carry, but they did say that someone could conceal their weapon even if they don't have a background check or permit. What the actual fuck people?

Me, too. If safety is the goal, none of this makes any sense. 

Along with the stupidity of concealed carry in schools, they also saw fit to decide that LGBTQ students don't need protection. This is part of the wider state proposal to include LGBTQ under the non-discrimination clause. I got news for anyone who thinks that LGBTQ individuals are already included--they aren't. The laws that are there currently don't spell it out, and with the whole religious freedom debate, these individuals are at even more risk. The idea that adding LGBTQ specifically somehow opens the door to any minority in the future to be added is a good thing! That is not an argument against as one person from my home city testified. The rights afforded in the Constitution are not absolute--we are supposed to expand and redefine them as our country grows and changes. Well guess what? LGBTQ people have waited long enough. When a former student of my school speaks up and says that she's been told someone "doesn't rent to her kind," that pisses me off. That tells me that without redefining who is protected, people like her and her family will experience that kind of discrimination over and over again. One person in the legislature actually invoked "the will of God" as an argument against expanding non-discrimination to include LGBTQ people. Until all citizens are specifically protected, no one is truly equal. Your religious argument is invalid.

No! Wrong direction. Turn it around!

On a non-education topic, the legislature is also very concerned about abortion rights. We made national news because of the 24 week abortion ban that they advanced and how the application of it also means that doctors would have to resuscitate fetuses. Again, law makers are trying to put in place laws about things they don't seem to grasp. Number one, late-term abortions are exceedingly rare.  According to he Huffington Post article, less than 2%. I think that follows with a NARAL article I read as well. When it was pointed out that the lawmaker who introduced this bill was an orthopedist, not an obstetrician, he said he "blushed" too much during that rotation to become an Ob-Gyn. WTH, dude? If you couldn't make it through medical rounds without blushing, maybe you should just step aside and let people who actually understand the way this works concern themselves with reproductive health rights. This bill would make it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion after 20 weeks for any reason--including harm to both mom and fetus. That's right, if the mom is at risk of dying, the doctor would have to deliver that baby by some means and resuscitate it if needed or face jail time and loss of all rights upon release because he or she has a felony record. Fuck off you fucking fuckers! Again, thankfully we have a democratic governor who is not going to sign that bill when it comes to his desk. I shudder what would happen should we get a GOP in that office though. Our last GOP governor was an embarrassment, but she was an Olympian. No really. Look her up. Judy Martz.

That's right, Red. She was a bonafide dumbass just like these people.

Furthermore, Montana made national news due to our need to replace Ryan Zinke in the house. Since he is likely to join the Tangerine Shart in D.C. as part of the cabinet, our one seat in congress is vacant. Since we had to do a reprint of all the ballots for the November election due to a candidate's untimely demise, our counties are all more than a little poor right now. They have suggested a mail in ballot since that will save considerable money. The head of the MT Republican party though encouraged individuals to vote nay on this idea since Democrats are apparently more engaged with mail-in elections. Can you believe this? He's worried they might lose, so he wants the counties to shell out more money they don't have. How's that for fiscal responsibility? Asshat! The good news is that the MT Senate passed the bill for a mail in election despite his opposition. It's not a for sure thing yet, but at least the Senate rejected the absurdity of the GOP chairman's argument.

That's right, Colbert. Cross your fingers that there's hope.

Ultimately this week in legislative news form MT, the Montana Senate wrapped up early. No. Really. They got so much done last week, that they get to go to break early. While getting shit done is a good thing, when I look at the shit they did, I want to scream. I can only hope that when these lawmakers return home, they also have town-halls like their counterparts in D.C. did and they hear what the students, teachers, parents, LGBTQ community, women, and men, AKA Montanans, think about their job performance so far. I know I'll be sending out some emails and faxes and also making some phone calls. It all starts at the local level, right?

Back to Helena in March.