Us and Them - The Palin Narrative

I'm so far behind on my blogging it's a shame, but I think it's time to weigh in on Sarah Palin. The current prevailing narrative is that "she's one of us," and because of that, independents and many white women voters are trending towards McCain. Maybe, maybe not. I am more than a bit skeptical about the polls, particularly since this election has never really been classified as anything other than a dead heat by those national polling outfits. I find that a little bit hard to believe, or maybe they're just not polling anyone I know. Or anyone who only uses a cell phone. Or anyone who... well, you get the idea, back to Sarah Palin and "us."

You know, I can relate to having and raising kids, and that sometimes they do things that you've specifically beaten into their heads not to do. That's life, as are circuitous routes through college and other such nonsense. I also understand the genuine excitement that so many women are feeling to have a female candidate at the top of a major party ticket. But my question still is who is "us?"

Honestly, I don't know. What I do know, is I don't feel like I'm included in this "us" thing. That's reason enough to give me pause because if the main reason folks are supposedly moving towards the McCain/Palin ticket is due to her being one of "us," then that implies that she's not one of "them." Which now means we have figure out who "they" are, and for some strange reason, I suspect that "they" are "us."

Confused? Yeah, well me too. According to the prevailing narrative, I can only surmise that "they" are the folks in this country who aren't white, or white women. Which leaves one to wonder about all of the white women and men who support the Obama campaign. Where do they stand? I'll let y'all try and figure that out yourselves, because I honestly don't know.

What I do know is that "they" haven't leveraged their positions to get people fired for petty, vindictive reasons. "They," by and large haven't shot a moose for no good reason or have bears hanging on their wall. "They" don't try to ban books, and definitely don't sneer condescendingly at those who make it their life's work to help empower others.

You know, looking at it like that, I guess I'm cool with not being included among "us" because really, all I need to know about Sarah Palin is that she's running on the Republican ticket. And after 8 years of their "leadership" running this country into the ground, I'll be ecstatic to pull the lever for anything with a "D" after it's name.

To me, it's as simple as that, and everything else is just background noise and distractions. Or lipstick on a pig. Or whatever. What about you?

Texas Progressive Alliance Weekly Round-Up

Hey, better late than never, right? I have been kind of busy the past few days with an unwanted guest named Ike and cleaning up the mess he left behind. But enough with the excuses, here’s the latest edition of the Texas Progressive Alliance Weekly Round-Up.

This week, many bloggers in Houston and in the Gulf Coast region are without power and digging out from Hurricane Ike. We extend our best wishes for a speedy recovery not only to our member bloggers in these regions but to all citizens in the areas hit by Ike.

Why does Sarah Palin hate wolves? The Texas Cloverleaf clues us in.

Everybody knows that this year's wedge'em and hate'em issue is Hispanics immigration. CouldBeTrue at South Texas Chisme says Texas leads the way with banning rents in Farmers Branch, denying passports to citizens in the Valley and threatening document checks during an evacuation.

During the preparations for Hurricane Ike, Off the Kuff noted yet another lawsuit filed against Farmers Branch for its ongoing war against immigrants and apartment renters.

Sen. John Cornyn claims to be voting "Texas values" when he consistently rubber-stamps Bush in the U. S. Senate. Eye On Williamson asks, since when have torture, spying on Americans and misleading the country on matters of war and peace been Texas values?

PDiddie survived Ike almost exactly as he predicted.

BossKitty at TruthHugger wonders if disaster lessons recently learned, will be used as we watch Hurricane Ike Recovery, Texas Style

Colloquialisms are a wonderful rhetorical device to create an instant sense of commonality within the minds of the voting public. However, they can at times be misconstrued (right, Governor Swift?) which is why McBlogger took some time to offer Sen. Obama (The BEST!) a phrase he could use that can't possibly be interpreted as anything other than an attack on John McCain and his worthless ideas, proposals and suggestions.

North Texas Liberal examines in-depth the Palin pick, comparing and contrasting her with Obama's VP pick of Joe Biden, and dissecting the media's coverage of Sarah Palin.

jobsanger writes about how United States interference into Bolivia's internal affairs have gotten American ambassadors kicked out of two countries in South America, and how some politicians can't refuse even a bad photo op.

Vince at Capitol Annex notes that State Rep. Phil King (R-Waxahachie), chair of the House Regulated Industries Committee, is having a fund-raiser at the home of a lobbyist for telecom giant AT&T. King's committee just happens to regulate telecommunications in Texas.

Musical Interlude: Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble - Couldn't Stand the Weather

I have not been able to get this song out of my head for the past three days, so I'm sharing the love. Here's Texas guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughn with Couldn't Stand the Weather.

Kind of appropriate with Hurricane Ike in town, wouldn't you say?

Hurricane Ike - The Aftermath

Ike gave us his worst, but we survived; a little tattered and torn, but alive nonetheless. As bad as this has been for us out here on the southwest edge of the Houston metro area, it is much worse inside the city and especially down on the coast in Galveston.

Our power is already back on for example, while it could be weeks before the rest of the city can say the same. Many of the grocery and hardware stores and gas stations are open as well. The lines to get into anywhere are ridiculously long, and from what I can tell, most of the staple supplies are just not available in any real quantities yet. But you can load up on junk food, and I guess that's better than nothing. Not much better, but a little.

So what happened during the night? Well, as you read in my previous post, we hunkered down in the safe room and were waiting for the main body of the storm to hit. The funny thing is that by the time that occurred, we were all exhausted and fell sound asleep on the floor. We didn't wake up until the worst had passed! I've always told my daughter that she could sleep through a hurricane and now I have the proof. Although I guess she can say the same about me. We were back up by 5:30 AM and inspected the house and discovered a couple of leaks. There wasn't much we could do about it at that time, except catch the water in pots.

We sustained some damage to our roof that was easily patched up, but not before some water got into the house. Our trees took a beating too, especially the avocado tree we've been waiting 6 years to produce fruit. Next summer was supposed to be the time, but after being uprooted and replanted, I'm not sure if it's natural schedule will be delayed. Our banana trees weren't exactly built to withstand winds that high either.

In the aftermath, I set up our generator and plugged in the freezer. We took in some stray food from our neighbors, and charged up cell phones for others. Speaking of cell phones, as usual, the only thing that works is text messaging, which is better than nothing. So we shot texts off to friends and family around the country to let them know we were safe, and then began the process of cleaning up.

Around our neighborhood roofs, fences, and uprooted trees seem to be the order of the day. Thankfully no injuries or deaths out here that I've heard about. Late last night the power came back on, and things are taking on some semblance of normalcy for us out here.

In other words we were blessed beyond belief.

The same can't be said for the rest of the region. This was a really big storm, and most of the people in the area not in mandatory evacuation zones stayed put. If the current death toll (21) holds, it'll be nothing short of a miracle. The Houston Chronicle has been doing a great job reporting on this storm and it's aftermath so I'd suggest visiting them if you want a lot more detail than I can provide in this post. But the amount of property damage appears staggering and it's going to take the region a while to recover from this one. Since we were spared the worst, I'll be heading into town tomorrow to do what I can to help out.

Most likely volunteering with one of those community organizations that have been so disparaged as of late.

Live Blogging Ike - It's Getting Ugly

Ike has most definitely arrived. Not sure how this is will to work out, but I'm going to try and post an update from my old Ipaq phone. That's because the power went out around 11PM and the computer is not available. There's no telling when the power will be back on. Maybe hours, or days. The storm hadn't even made it ashore yet before the power went, which seems unusual. Once the power went out, we decided to try and get some sleep before the storm really hit. That lasted for a couple of hours until the winds and noise picked up. We're in our safe area but I've looked outside a couple times. The winds are so strong our trees are leaning to the left and being buffeted around. You can hear the rain hitting the windows and it sounds like they're being sandblasted. You hear it all the time, but the rain is blowing sideways. We are hearing some strange noises that we can't figure out exactly what they are yet. We're listening to the radio and the eye of the storm is over Clear Lake, and we still apparently have hours to go before this thing is done. I'll be back when I can.

Hurricane Ike - An Inside Look

Ok, I'm back. Again. And what better time to come back from my self-imposed blogging hiatus than during a hurricane. So here I am.

To say a lot has been going on the past few weeks is a definite understatement. Politics, weather, life, death, we've been through it all lately. I'm not even going to try and catch up on everything that's occurred since that last post, but I will try and provide a glimpse into what's happening here in the Houston area right now, and it can be summed up in one word.

Ike.

That's right, Ike has come calling, and like an unwanted party crasher, he's acting like a true fool. Right now, Galveston is in his sights, but we expect to feel the full brunt of the storm soon. Luckily for us, we're not in the surge zone, so water is not an issue. But we do expect some serious wind and rain.

By the way, where's President Bush? Haven't seen him at all since this whole situation developed. I mean, he was so involved "monitoring" Hurricane Gustav a couple of weeks ago that he couldn't even attend his own parties convention. What's different about this situation, or was that all about *gasp* politics? Oh, wait a minute,turns out he's fundraising.

But I digress. Since yesterday when Ike's path became clear, the whole area has been preparing. A lot of people in the surge zone evacuated, but apparently nearly half of the people in Galveston decided to stay put. This despite the fact that local officials told them in no uncertain terms that no help would be coming once the storm got close. I pray they don't live to regret that decision, but looking at it right now, I'm pretty sure they will. The storm hasn't even hit yet and a good portion of the island is already flooded.

We decided to stay put too, for several reasons. One, we're not in surge zone. Second, we're pretty far inland, and our house is only 8 years old and seems to be pretty well built. And third, we evacuated when Hurricane Rita threatened the area in 2005, and that was an experience I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Still, I hope we don't end up regretting our decision to stay either.

Like I said, we've been preparing. The gas tanks are full, all potential projectiles are cleared from the yard, we've laid in a supply of food and water, the generator is tuned up with plenty of fuel on hand, and eventually, I'll shut down all of the electronics in the house, including computers. One thing we did not do was board up the windows, but we've scouted out the strongest point in our house to shelter at during the worst of the storm.

So now we wait.

The craziest thing so far has not been the amount of effort it taken to prepare. Nor the anxiety of waiting to see if it's coming directly towards us or not. No, the really crazy thing that has been taking up most of my time is fielding all of the calls from family, friends, and current and former business acquaintances from around the country. And while I really appreciate the concern, we are kind of busy down here y'all. I promise we will call as soon as we can after this thing is over. In the meantime, no news is good news.

We are expecting Ike to show up sometime in the early morning hours, and have been told to expect the power to go out soon thereafter. I'm not sure how long it's supposed to be out, but some of the folks who remember Hurricane Alicia back in 1983 said it took nearly two weeks to restore the power to all areas. Man, I hope that is not the case this time around. There's only so much power that my little generator can provide, and that doesn't include air conditioning. And y'all know we are pretty much dependent on the AC down here, especially during this time of year. In fact, I don't think Houston would be the 4th biggest city in the country without it. Suffice it to say, I'm not looking forward to that.

What has been cool is my ten year old's response to this event. Talk about a learning and growing experience. She has been as helpful as she can be, and has been asking a ton of great questions. She's also taken it upon herself to monitor the news for us, providing updates whenever she feels the situation has changed, or there is something newsworthy to report. Even though I can tell she's nervous about the whole 'sheltering in place' ordeal, in her own words she's "nervous but still excited to see what's going to happen." Ahh, youth.

Anyway, I hope that gives you a little peek into what's happening on this end. The winds are picking up right now, but still no rain. I'll try to jump back on soon to update. In the meantime if you're so inclined, send up a little prayer for the safety and protection of life and property for your friends down here in Texas.

We'll definitely need it.

Texas Progressive Alliance Round Up - August 11, 2008

It's Monday, and that means it's time for another edition of the Texas Progressive Alliance's Weekly Round-Up. The weekly round-up is complied from submissions made by TPA member blogs. This week's round-up is compiled by Vince from Capitol Annex.

The Truth About Texas Republicans, a new blogger-powered website designed to expose the real truth about GOP Texas legislators looks at the stuff State Reps. Dwayne Bohac, Betty Brown, John Davis, Bill Zedler and State Sen. Mike Jackson don't want you to see.

refinish69 was happy to introduce a real progressive Democrat to the readers of Doing My Part For The Left a few weeks ago but has to wonder how to describe Mike Skelly: Democrat or Republican Lite?

Vince at Capitol Annex takes a look at the Texas State Teacher's Association lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency for giving public funds to private institutions.

Irony Alert: Mary McDaniels, Manager - Pipeline Safety, Texas Railroad Commission, who lied on camera about the Atmos Energy gas pipeline couplings, spoke in Ft Worth about pipeline safety, inspections and regulations, for Chesapeake Energy's Barnett Shale pipeline.TXsharon at Bluedaze.

Julie Pippert at MOMocrats asked, "Offshore drilling---whose issue is it anyway? The people's? Or the politician's?"

Women who enter the military know they may encounter danger along the way, just as their male counterparts do. Diarist Liberal Texas at Texas Kaos highlights an additional danger they face in Assault on Women in the Military, and calls on all of us to ensure that our fighting women are protected from sexual assault from the companions they should be able to trust.

WhosPlayin used to think John McCain was worthy of respect, even if wrong on issues. But mocking conservation and lying about Obama raising taxes show who John McCain really is.

jobsanger thinks Democrats should let Clinton's backers have their vote at the convention, and believes Barack Obama has a chance to win Texas this November.

Neil at Texas Liberal talks about AIDS and African Americans.

Due to purchase of McBlogger by a rival blogging firm, the regular writers are on strike. This week, we'd like to introduce you to a new McBlogger, Rose
Petal.

North Texas Liberal remarks on John McCain's anti-Obama ad comparing the Democratic nominee to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, and also includes Hilton's response ad. Still waiting on Britney's energy policy...

Off the Kuff takes a look at The Queue behind KBH for her maybe-to-be-abandoned Senate seat.

YaGottaLoveIt of South Texas Chisme urges Barack Obama to have a fundraiser for money that stays in Texas while urging Hillary Clinton to campaign for Rick Noriega in South Texas.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on the Williamson County DA's unwillingness to test DNA evidence in a almost 30 year old unsolved murder, Lawsuit Filed Against County For New DNA, Fingerprint Tests.

Tropical Storm Edouard was more like a decent rainstorm, but that didn't stop the media -- old as well as new, including madcap reporter/Congressman John Culberson -- from building it up to a height it could no more sustain than its winds. PDiddie at has the roundup of the hyperventilating in Houston.

BossKitty at TruthHugger is concerned about the economy "Purses Tighten, Small Business Suffers, Families Budget"

nytexan at BlueBloggin points out, as the Gerogia Russia war continues and Bush plays with U.S. athletes at the Olympics, Could The U.S. Get Pulled Into Georgia�s War?

XicanoPwr discusses the immigration survey that was sent presidential candidates Obama and McCain put together by The Sanctuary, a web base grassroots community of pro-migrant, human rights, and civil-rights bloggers.

And here is the rest of it.

Musical Interlude: Old School Friday - Rock Songs

Happy Old School Friday! We've been out of the mix for a minute now and missed a couple of great themes. But hey, we're back now and ready to rock. And that's a good thing because today's theme is Rock Songs.

Alright, I know what you're thinking; "What can you possibly know about rock music?" Well first of all, rock is simply an evolution of the blues, and a lot rock and roll hits have been remakes of old blues tunes (think Hound Dog). Second, I did spend most of my formulative years in Denver. You pretty much had to gain an appreciation for rock out there, and I'm glad I did. Otherwise I might have missed out on some really great music due to a closed mind.

The only problem I had is limiting my choices to only two songs. So since y'all already know from earlier Old School Friday's and Musical Interludes how much I like Black rockers like Fishbone and Living Colour, I decided to branch out a little bit to some of my other favorites today.

First up is one of the best bands in the world over the past 25 years, U2 with Beautiful Day.



Next is one of the groups I listened to a lot back in the day, mainly because of their amzaing drummer Neil Peart. Here's Rush (and friends) playing Closer to the Heart. Watch him wear those drums out.



Well, that was fun, but unfortunately, that's it for this week. Don't forget to check out the rest of the Old School Friday crew.


Electronic Village - Chatting Over Cocktails - Ms Grapevine - Quick - Marcus LANGFORD - Cassandra - Danielle-Lisa C -Chocl8t - DP - Kreative Talk -MarvalusOne - Regina - LaShonda -AJ - Sharon - Invisible Woman - Believer 1964 -Dee - SJP - sHaE-sHaE - Songs In the Key of Life - Shawn - Hagar’s Daughter - freshandfab - Creole Pimp - Wonderland or Not

Thanks...

I'm back. Well, sorta. I'm here physically but my mind is not quite all the way back. Not yet anyway and I'm not sure it ever will be based on past experience. Death is never an easy thing to deal with, but life must (and inevitably) does go on.

In that respect, I'm slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things and hopefully will be back on a regular posting schedule soon. In the meantime, I want to say thanks to everyone for your support over the last couple of weeks. It really has meant a lot and I very much appreciate all of you.

There's no way I can possibly catch up on all of the items of interest that have taken place lately, and I'm not even going to try. And after this experience, I've discovered there are other things that I'm interested in too. Like finding a cure for cancer, legacy planning, and the importance of family.

In a strange way, my mother achieved in death what she was working so hard on in life; namely bringing the scattered members of our family together in the same place at the same time so that we could rediscover how much we love and need each other.

That is a priceless gift.

So I'm closing the door on grief and focusing on all of the great years we had together, while looking forward to the future. It's a process, but with friends like y'all, I know I'll get there.

Thanks again.

My Heart's Broken

Despite the best of intentions, I just haven't been able to blog lately. Work, stress, writer's block, I don't know, but I'll get back to it soon I promise.

But right now, I'm hurting y'all.

My Mother passed away on Sunday.

I've been enveloped by an overwhelming sadness and grief that comes at me in waves. I just can't shake it. I'll tell you my story one of these days, after which you'll understand why I'm going to miss this saintly woman so much. And why I really haven't quite figured out how I'm going to reasonably move on without her presence in our lives.

I am now left without both parents and grandparents on this earth, and find myself at 40 years old rapidly becoming one of the elders in my family. I pray to God that I'm up to it when my time comes.

Mama, I love you, I miss you, and I cherish every day I had with you. Thank you for giving birth to me. Thank you for everything you instilled in me, and for the love, care, and sacrifice you made for all of us. Thank you for being my Mama.

May you rest in eternal peace and bask in the glory of the presence of the Lord.

You deserve it.

A Good, Swift, Kick In The...

I know, I know. Our blogging has been pretty infrequent as of late. I could offer up the usual excuses; busy, tired, brain lock, etc., but I won't. I think I've just been a little lazy for the past couple of weeks.

Wait a minute. Alright, it's full disclosure time. I actually received an email from Menopausal Mick, late of The Llama Ate My Flipflops. Mick basically told me that "Hey, some of us come here to your blog because we value your opinions. You kind of screw that up when you don't post for days at a time."

You know what Mick? You're right. Consider that kick in the a** duly received. And since you delivered it in such an eloquent manner, I'm going to include some excerpts from your email and my brief comments here in this post as a starting point towards catching up.

MM: What do you think about our fella (Barack Obama) voting for FISA? Are you going to do apost about that? I'm pretty steamed that he rolled over on this issue.

DP: Well, I think I will do a post on it, but for now, I think it's pretty sad that Obama and so many other Democrats rolled over on this issue. The rights of the individual have been sold down the river in support of corporate and so-called *national security* interests. I also think that the progressive folks might want to transition from the rock star adulation of the candidate and start holding his and other Democrats feet to fire as regards the party platform. There are only a couple of months left to shape the agenda.

MM: On another front, I understand why he's talking about faith based initiatives. He's used faith-based before with great success in Illinois. I still twinge at the blurring of separation of church and state but at least he's proposing an initiative that is all-inclusive of religious flavors.

DP: Agreed but I do think he's treading a thin line with the faith-based stuff. Some people looked at that whole Bush administration initiative as a good thing, but others of us saw it as a very effective way of splitting the Black community, and the Black vote. The Repubs only need a tiny percent of our votes to move into their column in order to win elections. Faith based initiatives effectively did that for them in the last couple of cycles by silencing many preachers who received the money. Besides, most religious conservatives are not voting for Obama no matter what, so why pander? His faith seems to stand on its own.

MM: OK, I guess what I'm asking is: Were we right about our fella or were we fooled into thinking he'd defend the constitution and put things back to a more constitutionally sound government? Whatcha think, DP? Am I gonna get my heart broken?

DP: I don't think Obama will be a disappointment, but I do think we're all gonna find out he doesn't walk on water, heal the sick, and feed the masses with a few loaves and fishes. He's a politician. I do think we all need to look at what the alternative to him is in this election. When I do that, I jump back on the bandwagon pretty quick.

MM: Oh! and what's up with Rev. Jackson? Don't you think he's mainly just jealous of what is obviously a crowning of the new guard. Obama doesn't fit anyone's stereotypical template. It appears to me that Jackson is both jealous of Obama's success and missing the spotlight.

DP: Regarding Jesse, the old saying goes that an old bull doesn't give anything up to the younger one. He has to take it. I think that's what's going on in this case. Not to mention a terminal case of stupid. I mean, how could you not know, as an "activist" that the microphone is most likely on when you appear on Fox News, apparently for this exact reason. Sheesh. My feeling is that Jesse and Obama will continue to make nice for the rest of this campaign season. But as soon as he hits the Oval Office, it's on again. We'll see how that pans out for the good Reverend. I for one am glad to see a Black, secular leader arise.

So how's that? I didn't hit everything (the New Yorker cover, etc.), but I'll catch up on the rest later.

Thanks a lot Mick for the wake up call and being a good friend. I know that removing yourself from political blogging has to be a painful experience. But you know you always have a home here. Maybe we'll make these public conversations a regular thing.

What do you think?

And here is the rest of it.

No Longer at the Bottom of America's Cultural Totem Pole

Since moving to the land of the rising sun, I have had so many people ask me the same million dollar question:

"So, how do they treat Black people there?"

You know, I can't speak for any other Black person living here, but I will tell you that my experience has been an uplifting, truly positive one. What gift has Japan given me that America wouldn't? Well...finally, I can say that I know what it feels like to live life and do business on equal footing as White Americans. Imagine that happening...not in the country of my birth, where my great-grandmother broke her back working as a slave in Louisiana...but half-way around the world in a country that many Americans view as overtly racist.

When witnessing the image of our country through the eyes of people abroad, we don't appear to be 'united' at all. For the most part, America is the land of 'White privilege,' a privilege that comes at the expense of what the American majority sees as its 'minorities.' Oh, now don't get me wrong, I'm not here to stir up controversy. I'm just here to share my feelings as they already exist, minus the sugar-coating. Those of you who have a problem with sensitive issues involving race may wish to stop reading here. Now, for those with the thick skin...
It's the ARROGANCE that gets me. I remember when I first applied for a Japanese government-sponsored job teaching English. During my interview at the Japanese Consulate in Chicago, I was asked a question that almost made me roll my eyes in disgust: "So, Ms. Taylor, as a Black woman, you're going to stick out like a sore thumb in Japan. How are you going to deal with that?" I gave the answer I felt they were obviously searching for, i.e., sharing my culture, exposing Japanese kids to a positive experience with foreigners, etc. But I was thinking all the while: "You arrogant, IGNORANT fool!! How dare you even ask me that question? I managed to survive life (and rather successfully at that!) all these years as a Black woman in the South without being 'broken,' so why would Japan be all that different?"

It was never me, the Black woman that they had to worry about. They should have been worrying about the racially 'privileged' applicants who were suddenly going to have to figure out how to live life abroad as a minority. Many White westerners I have known leave here hating my second home.
Trust me, it's not Japan...it's the bitter taste of racism and oppression. For me, life tastes far better here than it ever did in the United States. Imagine that.

The arrogance didn't stop there. I've heard it many times since from Whites whenever they hear me speaking Japanese at an airport and automatically assume that I MUST be stationed on one of the military bases in Japan. As if a Black person can't be here on any other kind of business. Mind you, I'm not knocking those in the military, but when White Americans say they live in Japan, the next question usually is: "Oh, so what do you do there?" For us Black folks, it's almost always a military-related assumption.
I see very bitter arrogance on some faces when I drive by in my convertible Alfa-Romeo Spider (imported from Italy). The looks often ask the same question: "So how did SHE get THAT?"

Sadly, I can sense the blistering arrogance in some of their hearts every single time I return to shop in the States. If, at first, I'm not followed around in the stores, then I'm totally ignored as a Black female shopper in favor of my Japanese friends (whom they automatically assume to be filthy rich!). I called one lady on it after she ignored me while I was looking around in her section. My friend came over and that witch almost broke her neck jumping over the counter to help her. After she figured out that my friend wasn't going to buy anything, she turned to me with a nasty little smile and offered to be of assistance. I smiled back; calmly informed her that I make 4 to 5 times what my friend does and that I'd be paying for all of the things that I had found in her section at another register. I ended that fading smirk on her face with one last comment: "I just LOVE commission, don't you!?" Then I exited majestically...better than any 'pretty woman' ever could. You could say I had the walk of a queen going on.

You know, my 15 years here have definitely shown me that I'm a confident, determined, capable, passionate, intelligent Black woman. I won't lie down to be trampled on by anyone.

Now, to end this heavy topic on a lighter note that will leave you smiling: when I worked in the elementary schools years back, my 1st graders thought I was just another Japanese lady who hung out at the beach to get a tan every day. I LOVED their innocence and the unconditional way in which they cared for me. It's that kind of love that we adults can learn from.

Texas Progressive Alliance Round Up

Round up time. Here are some posts you should've read last week from the Texas Progressive Alliance.

South Texas Chisme got what they were asking for - a spotlight on the Webb County Sheriff's race. BlackBox Voting's Bev Harris has asked for relevant auditable materials.

CouldBeTrue can hardly wait to find out what happened. WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on the "rail-rage" that's hitting Central Texas, Rail, Rail, Rail - Do It Right, Not Fast.

President Bush hasn't seen Russian President Medvedev since his 'election' to the Russian Presidency. Last week, he had his first opportunity to look into his eyes. Check out McBlogger to see what he saw.

Lightseeker at Texas Kaos tells the chilling tale of Goodhair and the Fire at the Governor's Mansion. Governor Rick Perry didn't light the match, but decisions laid at his door certainly made things a lot easier for the arsonist who did.

The Texas Cloverleaf examines T. Boone Picken's Plan to save us from evil oil men and move forward with greener energy.

Texas Senators Cornfed and Bailey scored a perfect ten in synchronized flip-flopping on the Medicare bill last week, shortly after they and the rest of their Republicans exhibited mirror-image coordination on FISA. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has the details.

BlueBloggin sees Maliki making the same mistakes as King George Iraq Hands Out Stimulus Money As Us Shifts Occupation.

BossKitty worries about the consequences of revaluing human life in America Dollar Value of American Life drops - Now What.

Vince at Capitol Annex notes that Senate Democrats have taken a strong stance on calling for reform of the Texas Department of Insurance, with one senator even calling for the Insurance Commissioner to be an elected official.

MeanRachel wonders when politics became unpatriotic on July 4th. Off the Kuff had a guest post from Rep. Pete Gallego about the HDCC and its efforts to reclaim the State House for the Democrats.

WhosPlayin was impressed that Ken Leach, candidate for U.S. Congress in CD 26 got good coverage in the Gainesville Register, even though his totally honest quote didn't pass the "smell" test.

jobsangertook a look at the lies being told in a McCain campaign ad in this post.

Nat-Wu of Three Wise Men ponders whether long-suffering American Indians could Bay Area Houston details the record $52,000 fine by the Texas Ethics Commission against State Senator Craig Estes.