You Can Get It If You Really Want, Desmond Dekker version

You can get it if you really want
You can get it if you really want
You can get it if you really want
But you must try, try and try, try and try
You'll succeed at last, mmmm yeah

Persecution you must fear
Win or lose you gotta get your share
You've got your mind set on a dream
You can it though hard it may seem

You can get it if you really want
You can get it if you really want, yeah
You can get it if you really want
But you must try, try and try, try and try
You'll succeed at last, don't you know it

Rome was not built in a day
Opposition will come your way
But the harder the battle, you see
Is the sweeter the victory

You can get it if you really want
You can get it if you really want
You can get it if you really want
But you must try, try and try, try and try
You'll succeed at last...

Miss USA and same-sex marriage...

This piece by Andrea Tantaros sums it up pretty well.
The money quote: I didn’t hear the outrage when Joe Biden said that he and Barack Obama are against gay marriage. No incendiary language, no insults, no four letter obscenities.
Why is it acceptable for Obama and Biden to have this opinion but not a conservative female?
(And what is it with disgruntled, foul-mouthed "progressives" and the "c" word? They use it on Miss California USA, before that on Sarah Palin... nasty people some of those Lefties are!)

As someone who, as long as government is going to be involved in legislating marriage (a better option: separation of marriage and state) believes that same-sex couples should have all of the rights- and responsibilities- of their straight peers under the law, nevertheless I won't automatically pass judgment upon those who hold differing views, even if I disagree. That is why, for example, I won't call President Obama or VP Biden reactionary homophobic bigots because they oppose same-sex marriage. But the hue and cry (not to mention the ugly, hateful rhetoric) directed toward the utterances of a Miss USA (!) contestant when asked her opinion on an issue (as if it holds any real-world relevance) while giving the two most powerful political figures in our land a pass for holding the same opinion speaks more to the hypocrisy and intolerance of those criticizing her than to hers.

"Get up, stand up/Stand up for your rights..."

Catching up...

First, I have several calls, emails, IMs, etc... to catch up on; hope to get to 'em today and tomorrow, my apologies, I've had some family stuff to attend to...

I had three people tell me that they were touched by the Kasey Chambers vid I had posted on my previous entry; she is one talented Aussie! And while that vid and song seemed appropriate given the day (Good Friday) she can rock, or country rock, or whatever her genre could be called, with the best of 'em! And it's nice to know my entries here occasionally make an impact upon others...

Speaking of music, another fav of mine, Neko Case, has a new disc out, Middle Cyclone...

Two I'm currently reading:
Down At The Docks, Rory Nugent
Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution, T.J. English

Whaddya think of these "tea party" protests? I can certainly appreciate and understand the sentiment; government has been growing too big and too expensive and too unresponsive and just too arrogant for too long, growth which sadly seems to be accelerating. Having said that, I've never been much of a "protest" gal; holding signs, chanting slogans, just not my thing- supporting/working to elect candidates dedicated to reform seems more relevant activity to me. But more, in my lifetime I've never seen these things make much, if any, difference, no matter the cause- all the folks who rallied and protested about the Iraq War? You didn't stop it or end it, it's still going on. So many of the LGBT-related rallies, for or against? Minimal impact. Prop 8 still passed in California, the Massachusetts legislature still refused to allow citizens to vote to repeal (or not) the judicial imposition of same-sex marriage. These current rallies? Certainly they reflect dissatisfaction with the status quo (dissatisfaction which transcends party affiliations- much as the lamestream media and many Lefties would wish to portray as otherwise- dissatisfaction which I agree with) but whether they will have any direct impact upon policy seems highly doubtful. And one other thing- too often these rallies become circuses, embracing issues and causes far beyond the stated one. The so-called anti-war rallies become forums for seemingly every left wing issue under the sun; free Mumia, Israel out of Palestine, anti-corporate, economic "justice", and on and on. One hopes that, should the "tea party" movement continue, it doesn't similarly devolve. (An aside: one of the more cogent, balanced pieces on the issue of same-sex marriage I've read- Cathy Young on the Culture War Over Gay Marriage )

The 13 Worst-Hair Cities
Fortunately Boston didn't make the cut!

Gotta see my dentist soon; I've had a nasty toothache the last day or so- ouch!!! Last night it took a couple of Smuttynose Portsmouth Lagers (which they are phasing out; a shame, as it was a nice, lighter beer) and a couple of vicodins to dull the pain and help me sleep (shure Kel, like you need an excuse for a beer or two!)

Good workout today!

"In the end I was the mean girl/Or somebody's in-between girl..."

I Still Pray, Kasey Chambers

I still cry for baby Jesus
I still pray when I'm alone
And when I'm lost He'll come to find me
Because He died to save my soul.

When I can't walk He's there to carry
When I speak He hears my words
When I wake and I have nothing
He sends me gold, frankincense and myrrh.

I still cry for baby Jesus
I still pray when I'm alone
And when I'm lost He'll come to find me
Because He died to save my soul.

When I cry my tears of sorrow
When my heart will only ache
And if I'm troubled when I'm sleeping
He will hold me until I wake.

I still cry for baby Jesus
I still pray when I'm alone
And when I'm lost He'll come to find me
Because He died to save my soul...

Shitty run this morning; it felt cold, I felt tired, cranky, didn't even do 5 miles... My mom did something to her back last Thursday, and between getting her to the doctor, as well as back and forth running various errands and getting/doing stuff for her while also tending to everything here... First, don't even get me started on my sibs, as they've done absolutely nothing; I could throttle the two of them right now. But there are also a couple of T "friends" I could equally throttle right about now, people I have always- always- freely offered support and understanding toward over their seemingly endless series of troubles and travails yet who won't give me the time of day-let alone offer me any support, encouragement, understanding, or simply a pat on the back- when I've sought a lil bit of support and understanding. These folks are great... as long as it's all about them! But expect or seek any sort of reciprocity? Fuggedaboutit... Self-centered, self-absorbed, selfish individuals... one of them is the type who frequently speaks of fellow transgenders as "sisters." Forget "sisterhood"; try simply working on friendship, will ya? I have many faults; I can often be too opinionated, too judgmental, too set in my ways, and I'm sure many more. But I've always been willing to be there for and to give to those I'm close to and care for and about as much as time and distance and means allow, and I'll add that this has had nothing to do with my femininity, as I've always treated, and been treated by, my "other" friends in just that manner... something those who bleat of "sisterhood" could learn from... Some of the most selfish, self-centered, self-absorbed, narcissistic people I have ever met have been transgender folks, the same ones who claim to be so-in-touch with their "feminine" side... please. Curiously, some of the best people I have met and knew/know from "this" have been the oft-maligned admirers. So many transgals either bash our male admirers (and yeah, sometimes these guys deserve it!) or the trans-lesbians (please!) go "ewwwwww!" when it comes to men. But in my experiences, invariably the men I knew and know have been far more interested, caring, and just decent, un-self centered, normal-acting people than too many of the "girls" I've known.

Having said that, obviously there are more-than-a-few gals who know how to be friends. You know who you are, and the affection I hold for you in my heart. A shame more aren't like you.

Time to shower, dress, and hit the grind.

"You don't know what's going on/You've been away for far too long/You can't come back and think you are still mine..."

I haven't had one of these in awhile- ouch. Sometimes I wish I could sleep in...

"Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday..."