I have seen some pretty bizarre stories in the past . . .

ATLANTA | S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford arrived in the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport this morning, having wrapped up a seven-day visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina, he said. Sanford said he had not been hiking along the Appalachian Trail, as his staff said in a Tuesday statement to the media.

Sanford's whereabouts had been unknown since Thursday, and the mystery surrounding his absence fueled speculation about where he had been and who's in charge in his absence. His emergence Wednesday ended the mystery

Sanford, in an exclusive interview with The State, said he decided at the last minute to go to the South American country to recharge after a difficult legislative session in which he battled with lawmakers over how to spend federal stimulus money.

 

Link

But wait . . .

Meanwhile, in new York, the Democrats are about to open a session that will include same-sex marriage, but likely no Republicans.

The governor may have screwed up, though.

The state representatives may need to come back and re-pass all the bills.

The Republicans, meanwhile, want binding arbitration.

Follow it here.

 

Words about words . . .

Warning: Pontificating and philosophizing ahead.


In my rambling around LJ, I ran into the word "crotch droppings," regarding small children who have no manners and whose parents clearly have no control.

Colorful. Descriptive.

I hate it more than I hate pirates.

People I like, on the other hand, find it a useful and apt phrase.

OK, so I started thinking about it.

Not about the specific phrase, but rather my reaction to "offensive" words, and how it has intensified as I have gotten older.

I think people are, in general, too mean to each other, but hey, that's me. And I have been known to use the phrase "douchebaggery" on occasion.

The other part has to do with my role in teaching and in running Gay Straight Alliances .

(I started teaching in 1991, and helped start a Gay Straight Alliance in 1995)

First, I had to fight the "nigger" battle with Black kids who *insisted* they could use it with other Black kids. I let them know it was not acceptable to me as a teacher or in school.

I also feared if the white kids heard it, they might think it was somehow OK. I foguht against "wigger" too (a white kid who acts Black). [And no, for the life of me I do not know why I captialize Black, but not white.

I fought "tard" and "ghetto," and "welfare."

I hate stereotypes as much as I hate . . .  well, you know.

(I know we're not in school here on LJ, that's just how it developed).

I have seen first hand how hate speech can hurt kids. (To the point of one of them blowing her head off with a shot gun rather than hearing the word 'lezbo' one more time."

I fought and fought the battle against "fag, dyke, lezbo, homo, etc. (Yes, I know peopel who describe themselves as dykes. That's not the usage I amarguing. It's the begative connotation usage, and I think it's a different case than "nigger."

My past experience has sensitized me, and I would just like for things to be a little nicer now.

Maybe I could even get to like pirates?

Nah.