Take Your Money and Then Discriminate?

This is exactly why anti-discrimination laws are needed.


From:  Daily Kos user Chrislove







East Texas restaurant to gay couple: "We just don't like fags.


    This latest act of discrimination against gays has all the tact of a Sherman tank rolling through your living room. A restaurant in East Texas proudly posts this notice on their front door. I don't think "welcome" means what they think it does. I am all for businesses setting their own standards, but I think you need to be consistent in your policies. 

     That being said, I am furious over the double standard that seems to elude a lot of people as far as PDAs go. I do not mean those hand held computers, I am referencing Public Displays of Affection. Although I was truly not alive when the wheel was invented, I do adhere to most modern standards of behavior. Those standards dictate that what you pursue in the privacy of the home probably shouldn't be on public display. As a gay woman, I have spent 60+ years watching heterosexual couples lick,grope,fondle,kiss and in some places, engage in intercourse in public. And yet, while these 2 kids may have "pushed the envelope" by touching knees or hand holding, they did none of the aforementioned acts. And yet, they were told not to come back to this business. Because "they don't serve fags."

     Now, that is the right of any business, however, if you are going to discriminate, then I suggest you do that before the bill is presented and paid. It is a sad but true axiom that you can't have your cake and eat it , too. If you don't want to serve gays, then man up and put that on your door. I would be happy to avoid your establishment and take my dining dollars (or any other dollars) elsewhere. And please, don't try that tired old phase..."but some of our other customers are gay." Some of your customers black, too? Or Greek? Be open about your bigotry and discrimination.

Mourning the Demise of the Church Lady Hats

     Way back in the dawn of time, when Easter came around, the most marvelous thing for me was not the Egg Hunt or the chocolate rabbits in my basket, it was the plethora of hats I saw in church.  I should have realized then I was a "magpie personality ."  It was all the bright and shiny that took my breath away.  Hats with tulle, hats with feathers (sorry birds), hats with jeweled hatpins holding them on, they were all a trip into fantasy land for me. I angled closer to the best hatted Ladies for a better look.  I wriggled down the bench seat to see how the tulle was attached. I got the "lecture" in the car as soon as we were released from the services.  But I couldn't stop. Hats, hats, hats...glorious hats...that you rarely see anymore.

     Now you see hats in Britain for special occasions but not here. If you want to seek out hats in the United States, then the best place to stalk them is in the local community of black churches.  I thank the black Church Ladies for their continued devotion to "splendiferous" hattery. I thank them for keeping alive an elegant reminder of delicious confections for the head.  I commend them for their fashion sense, verve and joie de vie. They are the last bulwark against the loss of beautiful adornments for the head.

     I mourn the loss of this once essential component of dressing well.  I regret the passing of a tradition that was the avenue for creativity for many folks who were considered artists in the fashion community. Oh, there are still hatters,but their works are rarely considered as everyday staples of fashion. And it disturbs me that there will be less inspiration for the people on the bench with the "magpie personalities," such as me. So, bless the Church Ladies who still wear their hats; long may they reign.

What Happened To Spelling and Grammar?

Today's thought on misspelling...


Why can't the kids nowadays spell anything correctly without spell check?  I have never seen so many incorrectly spelled (and used) words in my entire life. There are things like spell check and auto correct (new words generated at the slip of a finger) but we still have whole web pages filled with errors every time I turn on the computer or pick up a (gasp) newspaper.

And the grammar errors!  There is a world of errors in the use of the King's English that drive me up a wall.  Mrs. Southworth (may she rest in peace) is now in a 24 hour spin in her grave.  Had I attempted to get 1/4 of these errors past her in the 5th Grade, I would have spent my summer in school.

The advent of texting has lead to even more shortchanging when it comes to the beauty of the language. Archaic words are like rare orchids.  There are 20,000 words that are being removed from the dictionary every year, just to make room for colloquialisms and words that are currently "in vogue."  In whose "vogue?"
Certainly not mine, nor anyone else who has passed the 50 year milestone in life.

Words have become harsh with strident overtones and a staccato linguistic flow. Elocution used to be considered an art form. And the spelling!!! When they began teaching phonics in the school system there went the sight memorization of wordage. English is a most confusing language to learn either way. " Sounds like" and "spelled like" may be two entirely different things. I am totally offended by the inability of writers, bloggers , twitterers (is that even a word?) and the general public to effectively and correctly use the words their, there, they're and the like. I don't care to see truncated versions of easily spelled words, either.

Language is a beautiful thing, not to be wasted on bastardized context. There will be no capricious use of language in my presence -  "capricious" being the word of the day.