Touching Lives in 140 characters or less

Today has been a quiet day on Twitter, at least for a group of Tweeps I, @warriorblue, am privileged to call friends @spacetrucker @babykk09 @kritner @Asimov7 @sherriwilson @lilbughi. Someone who had only recently become a friend to most of us, @BamaRock28 passed away last weekend and we are missing him.

While some of the group have met each other, I had never met @BamaRock28 in person or even heard his voice. It seems strange that you can miss the presence of someone who you have never laid eyes on, but I suppose this is the new reality of life. You can now touch people's lives in 140 characters or less.

@BamaRock 28 - Peace to you, my friend.

Fear of Socialism

I am not sure how it is that the populace of the United States has been scared into believing that socialism in any form is a bad thing. Perhaps the propagation of this notion serves the purpose of the right wing, and in furtherance of that purpose they incite righteous indignation, creating mobs, who protest the loudest and understand the least. Perhaps if they spent less time worshiping Ronald Reagan, and more time researching history and facts, they would realize that socialism plays a role in our society. Social Security and Medicare, as examples of "socialist" programs, provide bare minimum protection against homelessness, disease and hunger in the elderly, and were put into place in the decades following the despair of the Great Depression. So called "socialist programs" are not about the expectations referred to in the blog linked below.



http://maybeitisrocketscience.blogspot.com/2009/12/feed-body-starve-soul.html

What will we leave?

Can G.W. Bush be prosecuted?

Gender/age discrimination

I have been reading a lot about the blatant discrimination against women by Health Insurance providers. Pregnancy, C-Sections, even domestic abuse and rape have been called "pre-existing" conditions. I have Osteo Porosis, a condition common in small boned women my age. I pay full price for the medications that treat that condition because Insurance will not pay for it. When my income dropped due to a divorce, I couldn't afford to pay for it. After a few months, I broke my hip. It could have been prevented had I been able to take the once a month medication that builds bones weakened by Osteo penia and Osteo Porosis.
But health insurance is not the only insurance that discriminates. When my divorce was final, my auto insurance went up. Now I should tell you, I have had a pristine driving record for 20 years, and have never had an accident. In fact, in 35 years of driving I have only had one moving violation.
Not too long ago I learned that I pay nearly double the auto insurance premiums as my ex husband. We use the same insurance company and have the amount of coverage. This alone isn't so bad, but the man has had a wreck and 3 tickets in the last year alone.
The reason my insurance is so much higher? Divorced, menopausal woman are considered as high a risk as TEEN AGERS. Me pristine driving record should speak for itself. I've been divorced for over a year, drive several times a week and am a safe, responsible driver. Talk about blatant age and gender discrimination!

We all do it don't we?

Awhile back I voiced my objection to something that I have always taken issue with. The response I got was nearly as insulting as the word used to describe me and other women. I refuse to accept that gender based expletives are acceptable. Think about names people are called, whether in jest or intentional insult.
Let's start with bitch, since that is the word I found objectionable. What is a bitch? It is a female dog. A fucking bitch would be a female dog in heat. One might argue that men are often called sons of bitches, but think about that. That is an insult to the man's mother. So is bastard, given the definition of that word. I suppose you could call a man a cur, which is another word for male dog, but it just doesn't seem to have the same sting.
If you must be gender exclusive, cunt is a good choice. Few people are aware that Cunt is actually the name of a goddess of sexuality, and therefore should be considered a compliment.
Asshole is probably a good, genderless name to call someone. We all have one and most of us have probably been one a few times in our lives. I prefer to be called by my name. But if you must expel your anger on me by calling m an off color name, call me an asshole or a cunt. It won't hurt my feelings, but I may return the compliment.
If you simply must call me a bitch, kindly capitalize every letter and follow each with a period:
Call me
B. beautiful
I. intelligent
T. talented
C.caring
H. honest
but please don't refer to me as a female canine.

Reply to a Conservative Woman

Recently, on twitter, I made a comment about Liz Cheney, to which I was taken to task by a Conservative (I believe a woman) who asked if I had a problem with strong women. My reply was that I have no problem with strong women. I have a problem with women who support the conservative culture that holds women down, like Liz. Of course, the person that I was replying to, could not comprehend what I meant by that reply. I tried to explain to the person, which cannot be done in a sole 140 character increment, so I ended up sending four tweets, including a link to an article about Lilly Ledbetter http://bit.ly/2XqsB8, which you can read better than I can explain.

Women conservatives, in their support of conservative candidates, including judges, lower their own standard of life. Ms. Ledbetter, after two decades of working in good faith for a company, found out she was being paid significantly less than men doing the same job. The conservative courts in Alabama added insult to the injury inflicted on her by the company by first reducing the jury award from 3.3 million to $300,000.00, a 90 percent reduction, and then ultimately the United States Supreme Court with its conservative majority did the same by taking away that award and rendering an absurd opinion that because she did not file a complaint with the EEOC within 180 days after receiving the first discriminatory paycheck, she was precluded from recovery. How can you file a complaint on discriminatory practices within 180 days, when you have no idea that these practices are taking place? That is absurd and unfair beyond belief. Ms. Ledbetter will still receive no compensation from the company that mistreated and abused her, but she did get recognition for her fight with the legislation recently signed into law by President Obama, that says that a worker can file a complaint within 180 days from receipt of any discriminatory paycheck. That is an important distinction in that in most cases, discrimination occurs for a long period of time, in Ms. Ledbetter’s case, many years, without being discovered.

I am sure that the significance of this one instance will be completely lost on the conservative woman who questioned me about my comments, but the point is that when you support the conservative dogma, you should look beyond the rhetoric and see what practical applications your support may have on your own life.