Fighting for Justice

The Oprah show today is honoring the Freedom Riders as today is the 50th anniversary.

I will admit, I did not know much about them, I had heard of them and knew this movement was pivotal in repealing the Jim Crow laws, but that was about it. What I didn't know was that all of the Freedom Riders were ordinary people, black and white, who volunteered to risk their lives to defend equality and the rights of others.

I am in awe, not only at the level of hatred and violence that is in this world, but even more so for the bravery and compassion of those willing to stand up against it. I can be very emotional about the values that I believe in. I can not imagine though being able to find the courage to agree to this, to train to be nonviolent in the face of abuse, to sign my will and get on that bus. As someone who feels passionately about advocating for the disenfranchised, I have so much respect and adoration to these brave men and women. As I said, I am in awe!

Thank you to all the Freedom Riders and happy anniversary

Thoughts?... Did you guys see Oprah or know the details of this amazing event? Would you have been able to get on that bus?! Is there anything you feel this passionately about, enough to risk your life defending?

"Do not pity a shelter dog, adopt one"

I love this commercial! I am such a strong proponent of adopting pets. Buying from a breeder, pet store, puppy mill, or whatever only results in a shelter dog spending more time in a sad kennel. Plus, who wants to spend hundreds or thousands on a purebred dog (who by the way, is likely inbred and a just crawling with health problems!) when mutts have so much more character. So, to anyone looking for a new family member...please check your local shelters and rescue organizations! I can guarantee that there is an adorable lovable mutt just waiting to shower you with unconditional love!

Whatever lifts your luggage!!

I read a piece in the Stranger today that discussed this article. Apparently this douche (classy dig, I know, but whatever..I just like that the link to the story about him is to click on the word douche!) who is an anti-gay activist, going as far to be a member of NARTH (not worth a link, sorry), which is a group that does "research" surrounding the evils of homosexuality and how to "cure" it (gag!). Anyways, it was recently discovered that he had a "luggage boy" (hehe) travel with him on his publicity tour because he "couldnt lift his own luggage"....right, because the first place I look for someone to carry my luggage is a male escort site too! Back to the Stranger article, the author was proposing that the term "whatever floats your boat" be changed to "whatever lifts your luggage" as a way to pay ironic homage to this guy's hypocracy. I think it is hilarious!!

On a somewhat side note, Newbo shared a story about the Pope's rant against the new gay marriage in Portugal. Which I also was enraged by. Shouldnt the Catholic faith be more concerned with their own internal problems than waste their time on something as benign as gay marriage?!

Come on people, loosen up! If it doesn't affect you...it shouldnt affect you!!! Live and let live, even when you don't agree or understand something, thats ok but don't judge and ridicule, just say, "whatever lifts your luggage" :)

What does this say to young girls??!!

This is what is wrong with our society! Why do we need models that are so skinny they are sick? How do you make a size 4 woman feel fat?! Seriously, I am baffled by this. This picture is absolutely disgusting! It isn't even physically possible to be this skinny, why photoshop a beautiful skinny girl down to an alien looking form?

I know I am not alone in my belief that a confident, healthy woman is far more attractive than a sickly one who feels fat in her size 1 jeans! Case in point; Dr. Torres on Grey's Anatomy is leaps and bounds more attractive to me than Dr. Grey!! (And no, the irony of the fact that I had to pull a fictional character as a reference rather than a real woman in our society is not lost on me) She is confident in her skin, she even danced around in her underwear on tv!!

Why are we setting this unattainable goal for our women? If our society is making models feel fat, there is something that needs to be changed! We need to embrace ourselves and find a way to be comfortable in our skin. I am not saying anything is wrong with wanting to look good. But, you do not have to look like a photoshoped model in order to do so. Be happy with your unique aspects, it is what makes us different! Be healthy, eat well, find a weight that is comfortable for you, then flaunt it! Confidence and uniqueness are far more sexy than trying to fit some predetermined mold! Come on girls, nobody wants to be a plastic Barbie, how incredibly dull! Let yourself age, embrace your laugh lines, they are proof that you are living! Enjoy life and enjoy food, do you really want to die wishing you had eaten that piece of oreo cheesecake?!

Much thanks to Dove for using real people as their models!!

An attack on bigots! (lets turn the tables for a minute)

*disclamer: this is a rant in the truest sense but it is important to me and that makes it emotional!*


I read an article in The Stranger on my train ride home today that made me force back tears. For those of you who are not Washingtonians, here is a little back story before I explain the article. Our state presented a law (ref 71) giving domestic partners almost equal rights, basically "everything but marriage." A religious group formed a petition to get enough signitures to be able to put it (ref 71) on the ballot in November. Basically this is a repeat of prop 8 in California but with a domestic partnership law rather than actual marriage.


Ok, now for this article. It was ruled that the contributors of this referendum had to remain public, so The Stranger decided to utilize that. The author called up some of the backers of the ref 71 vote and asked them why they were against the domestic partnership law, here is a sampling of what they said. Im calling them by their names as well just because the comments are too stupid to be hidden behind anonymity!


James McFadden stated that although he is backing it, it is really a lost cause because "gay marriage is going to happen" in "pro-gay and very liberal" Seattle. Ok, gotta love an optimist (sense the sarcasm please)! He then stated that he is against gay marriage though because he has "seen people with perferated anuses and they end up with a colostomy bag." Ok James, you lost me there. For starters, anal sex is not a direct synonym to domestic partnership! There are pleanty of straight couples who have anal sex, plus even if us gays are not allowed a stitch of civil rights, there is still going to be anal sex going on in all forms of relationships, legal or not! Why is this guy worried about anyone's anus but his own?...odd


Carrie Vasko had some very weird ramblings that I didn't follow. She did pull out the gay teacher card though saying that "school is there to push math and science, not to push these personal agendas." Because yes Carrie, our entire life mission is to convert as many young vulnerable children as possible...bring on the toaster ovens!! (again, sarcasm please!)


Esther Mayoh (hows that for a name?!) said her main reason for being against ref 71 was that she "didnt want our state to leagalize sodomy." Here we go with the anal sex again! Yeesh people, is that the only thing you can come up with?! She passed the petition around to what sounds like quite a few people, but admited that she didn't read it! How very responsible of her. She also referenced a few family members who were "involved in that lifestyle" but are not anymore. Here is a hint Esther; they are very likely still gay, they are just lying to your bigitrous ass about it!!


And on to my personal favorite, Paul Henry, the biggest misinformed, judgemental idiot of them all! His entire belief system on this issue seems to be built on his idea of gays being basically comprable to rats. He stated that gays (I hate the use of the term "gays" by the way, its just a way to distance yourself from someone you are uncomfortable with!) are "even more than gross. I think they are major incubators of a lot of the bacteria. It is common for homosexuals to have hundreds of different sexual experiences with people...There are bacteria that are called 'gay-related syndrom' or something, but it is not healthy. And by using lots of antibiotics against them, the antibiotics are no longer usable because they don't work." What the fuck?! (excuse my language, but that deserves the F word!) Seriously, where does this stuff come from? I was unaware that my monogomous, loving, respectful relationship was crawling with bacteria simply because it is with a girl! They really should have put that in the manual when we joined this cult!


Why did this article make me cry, you ask? I have so much invested in gaining equal rights. It potentially affects my right to see my girlfriend in the hospital, our ability to raise children someday, our financial stability within our relationship, insurance, wills, and the list goes on and on...

I am being told that these basic human rights are being taken away from me on the basis of "sodomy" and some odd bacteria that dosen't even exist?! This is my life, stay the hell out of it! Giving us the right to legally be in our relationship does not affect anyone outside of it! I am appaled that anyone outside of my commited relationship finds it to be their right to take away any of ours. We are not "incubators of bacteria" who all sleep with hundreds of people. We are simply 2 people in love who have commited themselves to eachother in a very normal relationship.


Shame on you Paul, Esther, James and Carrie for placing your assumptions on my life! Keep your bigotry to yourself, talk about how horrible we are with your equally ignorant friends if that makes you feel superior, but do not impose it on a society that is working to include us. We are not asking for you to be gay or even to be accepting of us. I could not care less if you liked me, I do my best to exclude bigotry from my life. We are simply asking that you just stay out of an issue that does not affect you in the slightest way. We only want the basic human rights that you are allowed. And you are given these rights no matter the status of your marital relationship. Nobody comes into your bedroom to inspect for "sodomy" or "bacteria" because that is ridiculous, it has no merit on the ability to legally be in your relationship, so why are you placing it on mine?

"My love is just as real as yours..."

Ok, I am done...I am stepping off of my soap box that should not have to exist.

The inadequacies of our society's paychecks!

I saw a post yesterday on the most underpaid jobs and it made me sick! It said that EMTs make an average of $10/hour. They save lives and are readily susceptible to traumatic experiences and they make about as much as a line cook in a restaurant! Every time I think about how overpayed celebrities and professional athletes and how underpaid the people who are actually making a difference are, I want to scream. When did our society-wide payscale get so skewed?

These are the average salaries with 10 years of experience according to payscale.com;
Elementary school teacher $50,000 (they are mentoring and guiding our future!)
Police officer: $55,000 (they risk their lives for us!)
Firefighter: $50,000 (they risk their lives not only for us, but also for our possessions. Id say that running into a burning building to save my couch is worth way more than $25/hour!)
RN: $60,000 (they are monitoring our health, working long grueling hours, and by our bedside during our most difficult times)

And yet the popular movie stars are making millions per movie! Keep these statistics in mind the next time you drop your kids off at school or require any medical attention. Please give these people the respect that they deserve because they are definitely not getting paid what they are worth!

Long live the "bully" breeds!

Michael Vick has been reinstated into the NFL. He has been given the green light to go make millions more even though he proved that he used that money in an illegal and painfully cruel manner. Why is he being allowed back into the NFL after committing a felony? Why is dog fighting not held with significance by a national organization?!

Dog fighting is an absolutely disgraceful excuse for a "sport!" How manly can you call yourself if you have to force helpless animals against each other in order to make some money and then have the audacity to call it a sport?! For those of you who are not familiar with the torturous aspects of dog fighting, here is some information.

Dog fights generally last for about an hour. That means these dogs are forced (yes, I used the word force, they do not enjoy this by nature) to fight through their pain until one is no longer capable of providing "entertainment." This does not always mean instant death though. Often dogs will die hours or days later after suffering though infection, shock, and blood loss. Once a dog has lost a fight, he is no longer useful to his owner (aka: he didn't make money so he is worthless). Although it would be nice to hope that this means the dog would be put to sleep or "disposed of" by it's owner in a humane and ethical way, this is rarely, if ever, the case. The dog that looses a fight is often used as a bait dog to train new fighters, left somewhere to die, or worse. I have read cases where the dog was lit on fire by the disgraced owner in an attempt to regain his pride in the face of defeat.

The pit bull stripped from man's influence is an absolutely amazing dog. The irony of the situation is that they were brought into the world of dog fighting partially because of their overpowering desire to please. A pit bull as a family pet will defend it's owners to the death. Only our voracious species would utilize such a noble trait for our own selfish benefit.

Many people think that it only takes trait specific breeding to produce an animal that will fight in this manner. The truth is that breeding is only the first step, it produces the capability, not the behavior. The sadistic people who conduct this form of breeding are very smart in their own cruel way. They breed out the submission trait and breed in gameness. This means that they take away the dogs natural desire to quit fighting once the fight is won by their terms, and replace it with their own version of "winning."

Once the "ideal" dog is formed, the owner begins their behavioral work. These dogs are not pets by any sense of the word. They are kept secluded from other dogs most of the time; often living their sad existence on a short heavy chain to produce both a strong neck and a restless disposition. They are often given steroids and narcotic drugs in order to produce the desired aggression. Repetitive abuse is a common technique to essentially "piss off" the dog and antagonize it into aggressive reactions. The initial fighting training consists of pinning the dog against a "bait" target and beating him until he begins to fight. The initial target is always an animal that is incapacitated in some way and often found through free postings on sites such as craig's list. Eyes are gauged out, limbs are cut off, whatever it takes to qualify as a worthy bait for the new fighter.

I hope that I am effectively painting the picture that it is the egotistical humans that are producing the fight in these dogs; not their breed. People often argue that pits should be outlawed and although I sympathise with this viewpoint, it is not the answer. The pit is the current victim, riding the world of this selfless breed will only produce a new target for these people. We need to advocate for the breed and against the crime! Punishing the victim only reiterates the idea that the human is not at fault. It leaves society with a sense of a "big scary pit bull" when the truth lies a much more active and dangerous fear that lies within our own species.

More info:

This one is very difficult to see with its disturbing pictures and information but it provides information from the people involved in dog fighting.

Good information from the aspca.

And more from hsus (humane society of the us)

Some signs to recognize potential dog fighting rings.

More info on fighting details, plus info on the Michael Vick case.

Pit bull rescue site with good information on the breed.

Laredo, Jackson and my Beau :)

My sincere condolences

The news here in Seattle is often very difficult to watch as I am sure it is in many big cities. It is so surreal to hear a 60 second clip about a violent death immediately by a clip about a street fair or something else awkwardly festive. I have noticed lately that I am becoming immune to the terrible stories because of this format and have tried to make a point to fully attend to the depressing parts in respect for the people involved. I had to make no great measures to do so when this story came up though; South Park stabbing victim had taste for life

These women were violently attacked by a stranger at 3am while they were sleeping. They finally made it outside only for one to watch her partner die in the street naked and covered in blood. It goes without saying that Nobody should ever have to go through this!

This plays into my greatest fears of being viciously attacked in my sleep and watching someone I love die violently in my arms. I think that it was those factors along with the fact that they were a lesbian couple that made the story affect me so much. The reports are saying that it is not suspected to be a hate crime. My own paranoia makes me suspicious and the reminder that this hate is still out there is very scary for me. Everyone has the right to be who they are openly, without the fear of being victimized for it.

So people, please please sleep with windows closed (even in this heat). It is terrible that we have to do that, but if this was a random act, a simple little factor like an open window could have been the perp's deciding point. Also, remember that hate crimes do exist and do what you can to advocate against bigotry, we need to be past the point in our society where this is a valid fear!

Finally, my deepest sympathy to the partner and family of this woman. Life should not have to include this terrible form of grief.


Shared via AddThis