when is a word derogatory?

So today I was having a talk with my 16 year old niece and she says" if I put tape on my glass I will fit right in . we even have a geek day, where we dress up like geeks for fun." when I explain that dressing up like "geeks" for a fun day at school was still derogatory her response was they do it on tv so it is ok. I of course was thinking " so they shoot people on tv that's ok right?" even my sister thinks that dressing up like someone doesn't cause those who do dress that way normally to feel like outcast. ( of Course my niece's finally response, I was making a fun day at school into a bad thing. mmm I thought school was for learning ??)

The definition of derogatory is " showing a critical or disrespectful attitude." So for me a word becomes derogatory when it is used to make others feel like an outcast or to feel ashamed. in today society we are constantly trying to reclaim words and change their meaning. For our black youth it ok to call each other niggar , gays use dyke or fag, and feminist even use the word bitch . But what if you happen to find the word offensive or derogatory ? you are told to grow a thicker skin. So sorry that you have lived long enough to remember words like "niggar, fag, dyke" being followed by a beating or being arrested.

And of course we got media telling us it is funny to single out a person(or a group of people) for anything we find different in them.  When we consider ourselves so enlightened and tolerant of each others feelings, isn't it funny we still  have a society building on putting others down?  Now we have convinced ourselves that if we are the one putting ourselves down it doesn't matter???

what happened to teaching our youth respect?? we don't even teach them to respect themselves and we wonder why so many of them turn to drugs?? Why so many become depressed adults ?? I watched a great video recently that i felt really ties in with this. (http://www.upworthy.com/one-of-my-favorite-authors-says-theres-something-we-should-remove-from-all-classrooms?g=2&c=ufb1) the old saying stick and stone will broke my bones but words can't hurt me was so wrong. Words cut deeper than any other tools.

thoughts? opinions??

the facebook caption simply read Police had to threaten force to break up the protest directly outside the house of White Supremacist.

the facebook caption simply read :

Leith, ND 
Police had to threaten force to break up the protest directly outside the house of White Supremacist.

I was wondering what is the rest of the story? isn't ok for us to protest in this country ? as long as we are on public property and not blocking an entry , doesn't everyone have the right to protest?? so I looked up the story.

I do not find anywhere that was said they were outside anyone's private residence. I did however find something alot scarier then some white people wanting to just live all together in their own town.  Cobb, 61, openly describes himself as “more of a white separatist. I don’t lord it over other races, but we want our race to remain separate.” however his so called friends are  Schoep, former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Tom Metzger, and April Gaede, founder of the neo-Nazi group National Vanguard. 

Being a former child of the KKK there is no way they can try to say they are only separatist.  And when I read thing like "where he(Cobb) envisions a park — perhaps with a swimming pool —dedicated to the late neo-Nazi and white supremacist William L. Pierce." or "'It would be extraordinarily beautiful when people enter the town, particularly at night because we will have floodlit flags from both the bottom and the top of all the formerly white nations of the earth. We will probably have the National Socialist hunting flag with stag horns and a very small swastika in the center, very discreet.' I get even more worried. I am all for these people living in their own little community but this sound like alot more then just a community to themselves.

There is also the problem that they didn't just buy up some land somewhere off by itself but decided to take over an existing town. "The 24-strong population of Leith had to deal with a turbulent weekend of verbal disputes and busloads of neo-Nazi supporters and anti-racist detractors. 'The values of our town include safety and acceptance for everyone. We stand firmly against the bigoted views of this group, and will not be participating in their events.' Local residents have been exploring ways to encourage Cobb to leave Leith and have even gone as far as setting up a defence fund to pay for legal fees to remove him for the area." Cobb's thoughts about locals not wanting him to stay ?? "he said once the media hype goes away, everything will be back to business as usual " the other thing is if he is such a "separatist" why in town full of empty land did he decide to live across from the towns only black resident?

I bet you are wondering what so special about this little town? why did he decided it was ripe for taking over?? "We have every intention of legally assuming control of the local government," Schoep said in a statement." It seems this town was pick because of the fact that it still has a town council. The preexisting residents are even thinking "of dissolving its government because an extreme hate group is wanting to take over".

With him using phases like "“It’s fine for minorities to talk about race. Let me tell you about racial cohesion and people loving their own tribe,” he says. “It’s fine for minorities but not for us. If you dare to even speak about it you’re defamed in this country.” he is trying to keep us from noticing the  little details. And Goddess forgive we notice that he is also buy up other towns. "Cobb's plans don't end in Leith. He also wants to take over other towns roughly adjacent to the state's oil fields, like one near the Canadian border called Alkabo. "A little bit like 'al-Qaida' but 'Alkabo,' " he says with a laugh."

Here I thought we were moving forward.:( Some think  laws like the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968 that prohibit discrimination in housing opportunities will very likely put a brake on Cobb's all-white vision. but are we ready to count on them?? Sorry but the fact that he has chosen a Nazi symbol to put on his flag says more than any words that come out of his mouth. IF we sit by and wait to see where all the hate is going and growing into who will be next on their hit list ?? this reminds me of a poem i once read.

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.  (Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

there are several more versions of the poem but they all finish the same way

Then they came for me and 
                  there was no one left to speak out for me.



link to the full story if you want to know more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2428991/Defiance-black-resident-Leith-North-Dakota-set-taken-white-supremacists.html

http://www.mintpressnews.com/small-town-in-north-dakota-fends-off-development-of-white-supremacist-community/169539/

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/north-dakota-town-ready-trouble-white-supremacists-stake-claims-article-1.1464003

marijuana for medical conditions

 With naturopathic methods being revived again isn't time we as a nation look at this matter again? After all 20 state governments  and even  Washington DC have already made medical marijuana legal. (http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000881)  But as this is not nation wide there are still several pit fall is you wish to travel with your new medication  In 13 of the states that have legalized medical marijuana they do not recognize cards from other states. and of course there still the others 30 states that haven't legalized medical marijuana. So far, only Colorado and Washington state have legalized marijuana for recreational use.(On May 20, 2013, the state of Colorado became Americas first legally regulated market for cannabis for adults.) Many places have decriminalized non-medical cannabis in the United States; however, cannabis is illegal under federal law. there are 16 states that have passed laws decriminalizing marijuana which may include no prison time or criminal record for first-time possession of a small amount for personal consumption. (http://norml.org/aboutmarijuana/item/states-that-have-decriminalized) 10 of which have legalized for medical use. even as a state the people cant seem to deiced where to draw the line? So you can take your narcotics across state line but not your medical marijuana ?

Under the new guidelines, federal prosecutors are required to focus on eight enforcement priorities, including preventing marijuana distribution to minors, preventing drugged driving, stopping drug trafficking by gangs and cartels and forbidding the cultivation of marijuana on public lands. but I have to wonder if we just make it legal won't it interfere with profits for the gangs?? And being the pessimist I am, sounds like the cops could still decided to charge you if they word it right. So they say the government will not interfere with state who have legalized marijuana but will that hold true ?

 King James I in 1619, ordered every colonist to grow 100 plants specifically for export. As early as 1853, recreational cannabis was listed as a "fashionable narcotic". There are studies that show marijuana does have medical benefits. In 1937 they made possession or transfer of cannabis illegal throughout the United States under federal law, excluding medical and industrial uses, in which an inexpensive excise tax was required.  In 1978 the FDA set up a program to grow cannabis on a farm at the University of Mississippi and to distribute 300 cannabis cigarettes a month to a patient to treat his glaucoma. However, In 1992 George H. W. Bush discontinued the program after the patient tried to make AIDS patients eligible. So there is history to show even the federal Government knows it can be used to help medical conditions.

However they are still not moving forward to  legalize it  federally as a medication. So the question is why?

It is easy to grow, after all it was called weed for a reason. it has less side effect then almost all of the man made medications. No one has ever overdosed on marijuana..

Are they people who will use it as a gateway drug to harder more dangerous drugs? of course don't we do the same with prescription drugs? Is there a chance of more driving under the influences ? if they are gonna drive won't they do it under the influence of narcotics ?

So it better to fill our sick with chemicals (man made drugs) we have no clue how it will affect the body long term ? How many times do you open the web to see someone suing a drug company because their drug made them sicker? So why are we not using what the Earth has provided us with? Other herbs are used in helping us to keep us well. Makes me wonder who is afraid they will lose money if marijuana is used as a medication ? And it worries me that profit is in the way of our peoples health.

Obama health care, have you seen what it means to low income people every where?

If the Republican do not get to hold congress hostage to "protect" the american people from Obama care, things will be changing in a few weeks. as of OCt 1st. American people might actually be able to see a dr with out waiting until it cost so much because you have to go to a hospital. preventive care could be in reach of all americans. If your one of those Americans who need insurance but don't see how you will pay for it you might be surprised. they have lowed the eligibility for medicaid. you should check out the Washington State Health plan calculator athttp://www.wahealthplanfinder.org/calculator/index.html to see if your fall under the new rules to get in. (The Affordable Care Act of 2010, signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010, creates a national Medicaid minimum eligibility level of 133% of the federal poverty level for nearly all Americans under age 65. ) If you qualify you might want to check out http://www.medicaid.gov/Medicaid-CHIP-Program-Information/By-Topics/Benefits/Medicaid-Benefits.html for more info on what is covered.

futher looking  around with get you to: https://www.odshealthplans.com/SecuredFormsWeb/ODS/drug_card_wpdp.jsp which can help lower the cost of prescriptions . there is no cost to join this service.

But be careful when looking for the Washington State Health Care exchange as number of websites that have popped up which have striking similarities to the state's Washington Healthplanfinder site which is located at http://www.wahealthplanfinder.org/


If congress really wants to lower the national debt they should take a pay cut. we pay our politicians way too much money.

I'm White., He's Black Does It Really Matter?

I was reading the blog post http://jezebel.com/im-black-hes-white-who-cares-i-do-actually-1189595810 on Fb and started to reply there until I realized it was a bit long for a reply. so I decided to write it all down here if anyone cared to know
this is an issue that hits home with me. my fathers side of the family was very KKK. we were not allow to watch different strokes at our grandparents house because and I quote" those N are not in their proper place." Luckily for my sister and I our mother didn't share the same views .We grew up learning what they told us, stuff like if a baby has 1 black and 1 white parent it will be polka dot, wasn't true but she never explain what they would be.

When I moved to Alabama I dated my first black man ever. BTW the south really is no place for a white girl partial raised by the KKK to start dating black men. you got to understand I thought when I got there I would see black and white water fountains still. our little town in Oregon didn't have any blacks until I was in HS. I remember as a small child watching them chase a black family out of town.

I complained one day cause my black bf wouldn't take me out anywhere.I thought he was ashamed of dating a white girl. He said he didn't think I was ready but I thought I was. We went to a Japaneses restaurant were they cook the food at the table. There was a white family at the table with us. He took the outside seat which left me next to a white woman. One of the men actually traded places with her saying she shouldn't be that close to me. Like she would catch something from me??? My boyfriend at the time just gave me a look like don't start anything. I soon found out them saying things to my face was the least of my worry. In Huntsville Ala there is still alot of pain and prejudiced on both side. There were a number of times black women would threaten to beat me up. My bf mothers was just as bad as my grandfather.My bf would always say if they were older then him he would just smile and not say anything. He figured they had reason for what they said and that they were never taught better. However if they were young he didn't think the same way. He got in heated fights sometimes over these issues.To this day I am still a bit afraid of black women and I have meet some really nice ones here.When I had to move my stuff out of my (white)ex husband house I called the cops to come help.From the moment my bf and I showed up the cops were nasty to us. The cops were standing on the side of the front door when we went to walk past them, they shoved my bf. he locked his knees and didn't fall. so they pushed him down on the lawn and handcuffed him. why because he said they didn't need to have an attitude.. Then they threaten to arrest me too for trespassing. They told me I had 15 minutes to get off the property with or without my stuff. BTW my name was on the lease of the house. But as I had a young son I was afraid of what would happen to him if I fought back. so I got a few things and left.

Here on the West Coast thing are not as blatant but If you think that the prejudice is gone you are wrong. When I work in Portland as a manger of a rent to own store I got reminded of it. I got a call from the local police verifying one of my deliver drives really work for me.I ask if there was a problem with his driving and was told no. So why did they pull him over well it seem they thought he stole the big truck with the company name all over it. I assured them it wasn't stolen. they finally let him and the truck go. When he got back to the office I notice he was also wearing the company shirt with the logo on it. So what he stole the truck and a uniform? And yes he was black. things like this are still happening in today world not only to black but many other minority as well. Today I do date a black man . It is not uncommon to see me and my white best Girlfriend with black men in a public setting. Yes we get stared at. In fact I was talking to my mom about it. She said I should turn around and say I know we make a great looking couple thanks. So far I haven't had anyone say anything to me but if I could read minds I am sure there something less then friendly behind those dirty looks. alot of time though my boyfriend is the only black person there too. When we first started dating he would make a joke about being the token black again and all the whites would laugh. Why was it his responsibility to make the whites feel better about staring at him?

Since I am always afraid I will say something dumb I learned in childhood, I am mostly careful about what I say around any minority, but especially blacks as they were a favorite for my KKK family. Sometime to the point where my BF will look at me and roll his eyes, When I start apologizing for something I said that no one thought it as bad as I thought it sounded. I am sure you already notice that I do not even spelling out the word my Grandfather use. I have a real problem with the word. to the point I even cringe when black people use it. My Bf was sharing with me a Black comedian he really liked but ever other word out of his mouth was N this and N that. I couldn't get pass that word so never really heard any of his jokes. My Mother taught us not to cuss and although I do at times, this is one word I almost never use. I fought with my dad's family when my kids where small. I asked them repeatedly not to cuss around my kids and they never understood.To them they were not cussing , after all what was so a profane or obscene about calling people what they are.I had to leave several time before they figure out I was serious.

I still say little things that I shouldn't but I am working on paying attention. Boy is one of my favorite things to call all men(even white men). Most of the Men I know are younger then me :P. However we were watching a trailer for a movie coming out and I realized how it could sound to others. I didn't like it when the white man called the slave,who was a grown man, a boy at all.

I grew up knowing it was wrong to treat others differently after all we are all human but I never learned why they were so different. They didn't have black history month when I was in school. So all I learned about black Americans was what little was cover in the civil war.  I agree with this women point that her boyfriend almost grew up in a different world and why didn't someone explain the difference to him. there are alot of American that have no knowledge of what they are saying when they say "privileged". to me the word meant rich before I met my current boyfriend.

Another point I am sure someone has thought reading is why does she say black and not African American? I believe we are all Americans and the only reason to use black and white was to show a point. Being Proud of your ancestors is a great thing but aren't we putting up more walls by stating where one set of people may have come from ? I recently heard that some scientist believe we all might have come from Africa, black and white and everyone. So would that make me, a redhead white girl, African American?? If you were Born and Raised here that makes you an American. If you have become a Citizen by taking the test that makes you an American. I am happy to use what ever boxes you what to identify with but to me we are all human and that is the only box that matters.

What is important is that we learned to talk to each other and realize everyone has there own belief but that doesn't make them any less of a person with rights any less important then anyone else's. I look forward to the day when a green man can walk hand in hand with a purple man and no one thinks to stare.

Anonymity Of Internet Is It Helping Or Hurting?

Almost everyone I know is either talking about a blog or thinking of writing a blog. Isn't it nice to live in a world where technology is readily available to almost everyone? For people like me who have little patient, this is a great way to listen to other peoples opinions. after all I can just stop reading it or even delete it from my system if they annoy me and no one ever needs to know. I don't have to worry about my mom's voice in my head saying "be polite or just don't say anything if you don't have anything nice to say". And my ADD doesn't upset anyone when I want to voice an opinion but wind up talking over them for fear I will forget my own thoughts. (In one on one conversation it still considered rude to jot down a note while they are still talking)

But is all this Anonymity making easier for us all to talk or harder? After all if I write a blog how do you even know if I have any clue what I am talking about??  How do you really know if I am a white witch or black christian ?

How many people read the Help or saw the movie and thought someone really did talk to all those black women? Or maybe you thought it was really written by a Southern black women??? How many still do not realize it is pure fiction and was written from a Southern white women's thoughts of how the blacks might have responded during that time?? I will be the first to say the writer made it seem believable. As a White women raised on the West Coast, who half her family was KKK, I thought it was true. I felt so betrayed when I turn to the last chapter only to learn the real identity of the writer :(

This reminds me of the old saying "do you believe everything you see on tv??" If we listen to the real experts on how blacks think and feel; what are we afraid we might find out? (Experts like black themselves) Why is it still so hard to get a true dialog going between the sexes , between the races, between the ages??? I would think the internet would be a great place to voice an opinion with out attacking or taking it personal. After all, I don't personal know the other person so why should I think they are personal attacking me? I realize there is still many subjects we are afraid to approach out of fear. but what are we afraid of ? The internet gives us a chance to not see race, religion or even sex why not use this to our advantage and get the talks started.

Today my daughter had bible study with two charming black women. They are new coming to our home and talking with her in ASL. This is giving her a chance to interact with others. This is great for her,despite the fact they have different religious beliefs then me, I am still able to talk to them about whites writing for blacks about blacks. IF an Seven day Adventist and a Pagan can have a race conversation without attacking each other why can't others? We are all still stuck on this planet together and more over some of us are stuck in this country together.

Living in a country that was based on freedom why can't we see when we are taking other people freedoms away? Why is a black gay transsexual man any less then a white straight man? Why is a Women still less important then a man? of course I don't think everyone think that there is a difference but there is still a hidden societal agreement in our media and other places that say we are not all equal. So now instead of coming out to their faces and saying it society say it in more subtle ways. I already know some of you have gone to the other extreme and said well if that is the case why have laws at all? I don't have all the answer and if I did what would be the point of starting a conversation with others? After all once we stop learning are we really living at all?

So I guess to sum up my thought that probably seem as jumble as my ADD by now.

Does it matter what place the one who start the conversation comes from? Does it matter more that I am white pretending to understand black after watching it from the outside or does it matter more that the conversation is/was started?

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