Words From a Wicked Woman

By the time you read this Barack Obama, senator and candidate for the 2008 Democratic Party presidential nomination, will have spoken at a public rally in Cleveland, Ohio and I will not have attended. Frankly, I’m a little bit disappointed. I don’t really support Obama, but I don’t really oppose him either. Let’s say I’m keeping an open mind. Various news outlets have reported that blacks generally don’t support Obama’s candidacy because he didn’t go through the civil rights strainer of the 1950s to 1970s, but who in this generation did? We weren’t born in the ’50s and we were kids in the ’60s and ’70s, people! This analysis would suggest that the only qualified black candidates are those 60-years-old and above. I think said analysis is supremely faulty. Assuming this supposed lack of support is, indeed, real, I think another reason is more germane: Obama has a unique background that frightens some, less sophisticated, black people.

The good senator from Illinois grew up in Hawaii where discrimination has a long and dishonorable history, but primarily against Native Hawaiians and not as profoundly against blacks. His father was Kenyan and his mother was from Kansas, both educated at the University of Hawaii where they met. Obama’s father returned to Kenya after a time while and he and his mother remained in Hawaii with his grandfather, a World War II veteran, until she married an Indonesian. Obama has mixed-race Indonesian-Caucasian siblings. He received an Ivy League undergraduate (Columbia University) and graduate (Harvard Law School) education, serving as Harvard’s first black law review president.

Obama is an exemplary individual no matter what his race. I believe the primary obstacle to his acceptance by black voters is that he is in an elite class. By virtue of his accomplishments, he has surpassed the achievements of the average black American and that bothers some people. It also does not help that, traditionally, what is good for white people is not good for anyone else. Therefore, his support among large numbers of whites may be problematic for some, though not all, black folks. And here we run into a serious problem with the news media in general: the habit of monolithically classifying all black Americans. It’s a hell of a lot easier than doing the necessary background research, not to mention keeping an open eye, to learn we are as diverse as our skin colors. Broadcast media, especially, has a tendency to suffer from this myopia. Add the two together and you get a general pronouncement that blacks don’t support Obama.

There are plenty of reasons not to support the man. I’m not crazy about his positions on marriage equality, but I’m not crazy about any candidate’s position except that of Dennis Kucinich (D-OH). I believe he’s too moderate for my tastes as well. I want a left-leaning Democrat because I’ve had enough of the center. I’m not sure Obama isn’t saying one thing to his audiences in Iowa and New Hampshire and another to his audiences in Brooklyn and South Central. I have no evidence of this either way. I just have my suspicions because he can’t be all things to all people as he appears to attempt to be. I will wait and see.

. . .

I was so proud of Best Lead Actor nominee Forest Whitaker and Best Supporting Actress nominee Jennifer Hudson for their wins last night at the Oscars™! I was also very proud of Dreamgirls’ Eddie Murphy for his nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category, but he lost in an upset to Little Miss Sunshine’s Alan Arkin. I won’t say that Murphy was robbed because I think reasonable people could disagree. I will say, however, that his performance as James “Thunder” Early was far and away his best and proved that he is very capable of handling dramatic, non-action roles. The biggest upset for me was Melissa Etheridge’s win for Best Original Song with “I Need To Wake Up” from the Al Gore-inspired documentary An Inconvenient Truth. She was nominated with three songs from Dreamgirls, all written by Henry Krieger with different lyricists, and Randy Newman’s song “Our Town” from the animated movie Cars. I love Etheridge and Newman always writes fabulous music, but the odds were with Dreamgirls. Personally, I can kind of see it. With three songs from the movie nominated, Krieger canceled himself out and these were not the strongest songs in the movie. At least one of those, “And I’m Telling You,” was ineligible because it was from the Broadway play.

Ten-year-old Best Supporting Actress nominee for Little Miss Sunshine, Abigail Breslin, was little-girl-elegant in a little pink dress with a flowered bodice, Swarovski crystal handbag, Jimmy Choo shoes and, get this, Harry Winston jewels. Even with the Jimmy Choos and the jewels, she was appropriately dressed for the occasion. On the other hand, I really do have to wonder what in the HELL the beautiful Penelope Cruz was thinking when she chose her dress. UGH! How many birds had to die to make that skirt? It was hideous to boot! Not too far away on the scale of Hideous Oscar Ensembles of 2007 was Cameron Diaz’s white Valentino gown. It was lovely until your eyes got to the hem. I get that it is supposed to be asymmetrical, but it looked as though someone should be arrested for drunk sewing. Yuck! Finally, behind Penelope and Cameron was the delightful Kirsten Dunst who wore a form-fitting, light blue tuille, embroidered gown from Chanel Haute Couture. If that’s what Karl Lagerfeld is designing these days, maybe it’s time he retired and Chanel hired some new talent. The neckline was all wrong and, again, there were feathers, although not nearly as many as Cruz’s dress. In addition, she needs to do something about her bangs. With that dress, as hideous as it was, and with the rest of her hair, bangs were simply a very bad choice.

It was nice to have two lesbians take center stage at this year’s ceremony. Host Ellen Degeneres did an admirable job given that she had to keep things rolling for approximately four hours. It’s true that some of her bits were serious misses–like the one where she could be seen vacuuming the first row of the auditorium in preparation for the long-awaited end of the broadcast–but she was mostly quite up to snuff. Aside from her monologue in the beginning, I loved the bit she did with Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg where she gave the latter a digital camera and asked him to take a quick snapshot of her with his fellow Oscar™-winning director. Degeneres’s partner, actress Portia de Rossi, was definitely one of the beautiful people of the evening. I don’t like skinny or thin women, but if she just had to be that way, her navy Zac Posen halter stood her in great stead.

The second upfront lesbian of the evening was the aforementioned Etheridge who, with her wife, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, formed the epitome of the Hollywood power couple in the Best Dykes To Watch Out For category. Etheridge wore a navy woman’s tuxedo while Michaels wore an ethereal black Pamela Roland gown with upswept hair. If I had to say one thing about each of their outfits I’d say that I would have liked Etheridge’s tux jacket to be more tailored and Michaels to have worn a different color with her pale complexion. Actually, I think I would have chosen another dress for Michaels altogether, although that one was not bad at all. I just think that it could have been better.

. . .

Apple, Inc. began its advertising campaign for the new iPhone with two 30-second spots during last night’s Oscar™ broadcast on ABC. The ads featured clips from famous films of characters answering their telephones with “Hello” and ended with two black screens with white type that read, “Hello” and “Coming in June.” Now that Apple and Cisco have ironed out their trademark dispute over the “iPhone” name, let the marketing campaign begin!

The much-anticipated combination Internet device, telephone, iPod and, as the iPhone page says, “High Technology” product was introduced at Macworld San Francisco in January where it was demonstrated by keynote speaker, iconic Apple CEO, Steve Jobs. The iPhone brings with it a beautiful, crisp, 3.5-inch-wide touch-screen display that that can be used both horizontally and vertically depending on whether it’s being used to watch video, play music or games, dial the phone, type on the QWERTY keyboard or operate one of the ten applications included in addition to the Safari web browser and Mail. People practically salivated over the two prototypes on display after the keynote–only three in the entire world. Journalists had to practically sign over their first born child, their spouse and their income for the next 20 years just to get their hands on one so that they could at least tell readers they’d seen it up close. Time magazine writer Lev Grossman describes his pre-release visit to Apple’s Cupertino, CA headquarters to scope out the theretofore über-secret device.

“If you’ve ever wondered how it works, this is how it works: I don’t call Steve, Steve calls me. Or more accurately, someone in Steve Jobs’s office calls someone in my office—someone at a much higher pay grade —to say that he has something cool. I then fly to the metastasized strip mall called Cupertino, Calif., where Apple lives, sign some legal confidentiality stuff and am escorted to a conference room that contains Jobs, some associates, and some lumps concealed under some black towels. I stare at what was under the towels. Everybody else stares at me. . . . This is how Apple, and nobody else, introduces new products to the press. It can be awkward, because Jobs is high-strung and he expects you to be impressed. I was, fortunately, and with good reason.” Journalists after the introduction didn’t fare much better.

I don’t know if the “Hello” ads that appeared during the Academy Awards™ will be shown at any other time, however, I believe it was wise to start the campaign even though Apple can’t even take iPhone orders now because the device hasn’t been approved by the Federal Communications Commission as yet. The Oscar™ telecast generally garners one of the largest viewing audiences in the world and serves as a premier opportunity for Apple to keep the brand in consumer minds. Such an early launch campaign may also give potential buyers the opportunity to save their pennies because they’ll need a whole lot of them to acquire even the less expensive model–49900 of them, to be exact–that comes with 4GB of storage. The more expensive model will sell for $599 and will have 8GB of storage.

Technorati Tags: african-american, business, candidates, celebrities, clothing, democratic, lgbt, entertainment

There is no getting around this, although I have tried. I am physically and emotionally exhausted and damaged. Physically, I am experiencing some of the more persistent symptoms of fibromyalgia: sleeplessness, exhaustion, irritability, “brain fog.” That last means that I am finding it difficult to think coherently due to the failure of neurotransmitters in my brain to carry sufficient information fast enough. My thoughts are all over the place and I can’t concentrate. In addition, I am in pain and the painkillers, though helpful, have not done their job well enough to allow me to concentrate even without the brain fog. The pain is diffuse, therefore, procedures like nerve blocks will not help. Neither will cold/hot compresses. The pain is there and it will stay there until it isn’t. The lack of sleep makes the pain worse because my body is unable to repair the natural damage that results in everyone after a normal day’s activities. The pain is distracting, aggravating and pervasive.

I am experiencing difficulties with my 81-year-old mother. She is depressed and has been depressed for many years. Unfortunately, she will not acknowledge the longevity or severity of her illness, causing a great many problems for herself and for me. Some of those problems have placed me in an almost untenable position and I am trying to deal with that as well as my physical issues. I am an only child and so this burden falls to me and me alone.

There have been several issues that have piqued my curiosity, anger or interest of late. My intent was to write about them beginning Tuesday. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I have been unable to do so. I am beginning to accept that there may be many weeks when I cannot write the two posts per week that I have scheduled for myself regardless of what I may want or responsibility I believe I may have to readers. With this in mind, I ask for your understanding. The human body is not a perfect creation. Even when born with a working body, anything can happen in the blink of an eye. That is why I find it both amusing and sad that people place such an exclusive importance on beauty. Not only is beauty highly subjective, it can also disappear in an instant. Anyone who is blind to its fleeting nature is in for a major disappointment later in life. Then again, it probably serves them right.

Please believe me when I say that I feel very guilty about taking this time for myself yet again, but I believe it is better than stressing my body even more by doing the research necessary to write a truly good post. I hope to have something new up by Friday, but I may not be able to accomplish anything until next Monday. Send a good thought or two my way if you think about it.

Technorati Tags: blogging, health, fibromyalgia

Earlier this week I announced that I planned to write a post about the changes that have taken place at long-time voice of black LGBT communities Venus Magazine because publisher Charlene Cothran recently experienced a religious conversion and is no longer one of us. I, like so many other LGBT writers, black and otherwise, wrote for the magazine for a time and felt a particular rage and cynicism at the betrayal not only of us, but of all LGBT around the world, particularly LGBT of color since there are so few media outlets who even acknowledge our existence. For those who wrote for Venus, Charlene was not only a business associate, but a role model, mentor and friend. I dare say that her personal relationships saved her from legal action on more than one occasion when we later had a hard time collecting our fees as we almost always did. It wasn’t that she was a cheapskate or deadbeat, although it seemed that way at the time, but because she was faced with the realities of an ever-changing advertising market where few large sponsors existed who paid their bills. As Cothran’s financial difficulties mounted, there were many times the magazine never made it to newsstands and mailboxes. Yet, each time Venus emerged, we, as a community, were deeply grateful we could breathe a collective sigh of relief. We, as a community of black LGBT, had survived another day.

In preparing to write the announced post, I was ready to express my outrage at the idea that a person can make a choice to be queer or straight by finding Jesus, as Cothran is now evangelizing, or through any other method. I know that simply is not true based on scientific research, the travails I’ve heard witnessed at religious gatherings and plain old common sense. The fact that Cothran has turned such a venerable publication into a mouthpiece for the ex-gay movement is a slap in the face of hundreds of millions of LGBT throughout the world. She says that she has not been contacted by anyone in the ex-gay movement and that she preaches love for LGBT even while saying that there is something inherently wrong with us. I have every reason to condemn Cothran, as do others. She deserves the cynical comments and the venom with which many of them are delivered. However, I am beginning to wonder if she also deserves some small measure of compassion.

I ran across an article in the Chicago gay newspaper Windy City Times about the conversion Cothran and her magazine have experienced. Aside from being informative, the article impressed upon me the loneliness Cothran feels. “’Don’t think that I’m being welcomed with open arms now in Black churches, because I’m not . . . I’m in a place where it’s just me and God,’” the newspaper quotes her as stating.

It seems that even black churches are not so gullible as to believe a person can really change their orientation. And why should they? Ever heard of a heterosexual willingly becoming homosexual or even bisexual other than in behavior alone? And that is the problem with many of these conversions: they assume sexual orientation is only about behavior. Of course, LGBT know that is far from the case. Behavior is, in the end, only a small part of the orientation equation. A person is attracted to whomever she or he will be. Attraction takes in pheromones, concepts of external beauty, qualities we each believe draw us one to the other and myriad other elements. No one knows why we are attracted to the people we are whether they be same-sex or opposite-sex attractions. It is one of those great mysteries in life that many Bible-thumpers are not content to leave as mysteries. Indeed, they are full of the arrogance of their ilk, claiming to be able to change to whom we, as LGBT, are attracted even though they have no greater understanding of it than we do ourselves.

Cothran has noted that she was spiritually conflicted through most of her life living as a lesbian. She had been raised in a fundamentalist Christian environment that denigrated and condemned LGBT people. Yet, here she was, one of the very “sinners” her faith tradition found so unlovable. With courage, she went on to build a good life for herself, complete with life partner, and a business that influenced millions around the world. Cothran’s mark on modern black LGBT communities cannot be overstated. Venus may not have been the first magazine dedicated to our lives, but it was probably the most distinguished. Therefore, financial troubles aside, choosing to give that up and turn that reputation on its head must have taken something truly profound. She has said it was a call from a pastor who is a “former” lesbian, but that her unhappiness with herself began to reach critical mass in 2004 while attending a Pride event in Chicago. That information is contained in the Windy City Times article and so I direct you to that website.

I had every intention of slugging this post with a sensational, but true, headline alluding to the fact that I’d sent Cothran e-mail that posed 15 questions relating to her re-purposing of Venus as a tool supporting “deliverance” from homosexuality and that she’d chosen not to respond. (Originally, I’d planned simply to comment on what was plainly stated on the Venus Magazine website and been said in the black LGBT blogging community but realized that I owed Cothran more than that.) Maybe she didn’t get my e-mail. I tend, however, to believe that she made a conscious decision not to answer. And that’s alright. But in doing so, she’s also choosing to abide by whatever conclusions, speculation and inferences I draw. Frankly, those conclusions, speculation and inferences are putting her in an extremely unfavorable light. So much so that in the course of writing this post I had to give her something I’ve never given anyone else: I have to give her one more chance. I want Charlene Cothran to answer the 15 questions I posed to her last Tuesday evening. I want to understand why she has done what she has done above and beyond my own experience in dealing with religious zealots who are almost always motivated either by greed or internal conflict. I want to understand what science she bases her conversion upon and why she believes all peer reviewed, accepted scientific evidence is to now be discounted as being done by individuals with a profit motive. I need to know these things because I am going to be forced to tear into someone who may not have paid me when she should have, but whom I’ve always admired and respected. I am trying to find compassion and a compassionate way of portraying what is otherwise a sad and utter betrayal.

With that in mind, if you are a Venus Magazine reader, former contributor or critic, I ask you to write to Cothran and ask her to please answer my 15 questions. If she isn’t interested in answering those, I have no problem with a phone interview or even a different set of questions. My goal is simply to be as fair as possible as opposed to simply blasting her. I have not in any way changed my mind about the futility of what she’s doing, the damage that this type of message creates or the palpable anger that is present in the overall black LGBT community. However, I also believe that she has a right to comment and I would rather not go forward without affording her every opportunity to do so. I will be sending her this posting.

Technorati Tags: african-american, christianity, homophobia

Valentine’s Day weather in Cleveland, OH (image courtesy of Cleveland.com)

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! I know that some people hate this consumer-oriented holiday designed for greeting card, confection and gift companies, but some of us look upon the day as a time to appreciate those we love be they family, friends or, yes, even our honies. It is true that this day reminds many of us that we’re alone and lonely and may stay that way for the foreseeable future. However, I honestly believe there is at least one someone out there for all of us. The trick is to find him or her. That is often a difficult task, I know; and keeping the faith while agreeing to open one’s heart requires a commitment like no other. I have to believe the risk is worth it because if I didn’t, I’d end up a cold, bitter, hopeless and cynical woman. I, for one, refuse to live my life that way. So buck up, people!

Now, to the point at hand. I said that I’d post an article yesterday about the transformation of Venus Magazine and its publisher, Charlene Cothran, into shills for the ex-gay movement. Unfortunately, the worst snow storm in years hit the area and this Wicked Woman and her fibromyalgia-addled body was caught in the middle of it. Although I knew the storm was coming, I had appointments that had to be kept. Of course, both of them took longer than expected and I was caught in this mess slipping and sliding back home in a vehicle whose heater and defrost suddenly decided they would not function. Thankfully, it was an SUV, but that was both a blessing and a curse. I had traction, but I also had the burden of trying to guide a big, heavy potential weapon of destruction down crowded, snow-covered thoroughfares when I couldn’t see through the windshield. I didn’t get home until early evening and my body was, and still is, in dire pain. I re-injured my foot with the boots I wore and the fibromyalgia pain surfaced in greater intensity because . . . well . . . that’s what it does. Slogging through several-foot-deep snowdrifts did not help, believe me.

Cleveland and environs were shut down until about an hour ago. We’re all digging out now. I’ve literally got two feet of snow in both my front and back yards; my 23-inch Airedale Terrier, Lola, (named for the Kinks song), who was born in the U.S. equivalent of the Arctic–Minnesota–was frazzled by outside conditions and refused to relieve herself until Berry, my Dachshund-Jack Russell-mix, tunneled through for her like the good Earthdog that she is (tested or not), and; it’s snowing again, but lake effect this time, and there’s a wind chill advisory. Since fibro is most definitely influenced by weather, and since I ache, I’m taking today and part of tomorrow off. We’re going to try again–Friday. Until then, hug the ones you love and remember to also hug yourself. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Technorati Tags: blogging, disability, health, postponement

I am thrilled to report that this Wicked Woman is now feeling better and ready to get back to work after over a week of convalescence. I am still in pain, but it has lessened enough so that I can finally concentrate on what’s important–writing and getting the word out about issues of interest to readers. Words From a Wicked Woman has been idle for too long while so much has happened in the world. Therefore, beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, February 13, look for an article on the recent changes at black LGBT publishing institution, Venus Magazine. Publisher Charlene Cothran has found Jesus and made a provocative change in both her life and the direction of her magazine to the horror and bewilderment of many of her steadfast supporters. I’ll discuss some of the reasons this change may have taken place and the difficulties black LGBT Christians face at home and in their churches. Was Cothran’s conversion simply a final breakdown of will or something more calculated? Maybe.

This blog will undertake a continuing exploration of race in America. The time to discuss this issue is now and CNN’s Paula Zahn, host of the program Paula Zahn Now, well-meaning though she may be, should not be the only journalist doing so. Her past programs on use of the words “nigger” and “faggot” have been good overviews, but haven’t provided fodder for the necessary deep internal inventories we each need to take in this country. This is especially true given Illinois Senator Barack Obama’s official entrance into the 2008 race for the White House. Several media outlets have asked the question, “Is he black enough?” supposedly reflecting their perceived lack of support among blacks for his candidacy. I have some questions of my own about the media’s coverage and about black support for all the Democratic Party’s potential presidential candidates.

Whatever the outcome of the presidential race, Obama’s entrance into the fray will force a confrontation of racism in America. Fellow Democratic presidential contender, Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), unwittingly gave that racism voice when he remarked of the Illinois Dem, “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.” Add to that a December 26, 2006 New York Times article about the difficulties middle-class and upper-class blacks have finding nannies and other in-home childcare because of the perceived differences even black nannies have between working for whites and working for blacks. The article is exceptional in that it delves into issues previous mainstream media seemed unaware existed between race, class and culture, providing nuances in the discussion of which we should all be aware.

I posted the article Black Straight Man vs. White Gay Man on January 22, even before this blog officially opened. What was the rush? Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington called fellow actor and co-star T. R. Knight a faggot and LGBT activists, media and public called for Washington’s head on a platter. In contrast, white, gay “comedian” Charles Knipp, who makes a living out from his blackface portrayal of character Shirley Q. Liquor, a juicy, fat, ebonics-speaking caricature with 19 “chil’run” with little to no complaint from mainstream LGBT organizations. At least that was the case until GLAAD, the same group that supposedly rehabilitated Washington, was shamed into finally denouncing Knipp and his character. Blogger and author Jasmyne Cannick has been a lone, loud and, ultimately, effective voice against Knipp’s disgrace. The West Hollywood club that has booked Knipp for an appearance during February, Black History Month, was peppered with complaints and the threat of both a boycott and protest if Knipp appeared. The club’s management saw the error of their ways and canceled the show. Thank you, Jasmyne! Unfortunately, Knipp has other bookings throughout the country and, strangely enough, in Great Britain. These, too, need to be canceled and Cannick is again leading the charge. This time, she is not alone. There are hundreds of people who are now aware of the damaging, racist connotations of Knipp’s act and are calling on all good people to stand up against this abomination called Shirley Q. Liquor.

The controversy surrounding Knipp has brought racism within LGBT communities to the surface. Why did mainstream LGBT organizations take so long to denounce his act? Where are blacks and other people of color within these organizations? Are these organizations even relevant to black LGBT people? These are only some of the questions that need to be asked. I am asking them in an exploration of racism among white LGBT organizations and people that must be ongoing if change is ever to take place.

While racism will not be the only topic of discussion here, it will be prominent. There are other topics highlighted as well, particularly the Medusa of politics, especially as it relates to people of color and LGBT people and communities. Politics touch almost every aspect of our lives from healthcare to business to where we live to our individual world views. Politics permeates my life, for better or worse, and there are millions of people like me. I’m betting that some of them are even reading this article.

Often closely associated with politics is the subject of religion. Religion has played a major part in the formation of current American political thought and action, including the very messy estrangement of common sense from Middle East policy and the uncomfortably real possibility of a theocratic political regime at the federal level. Not only has religion been instrumental on a national level, but also on a personal level, particularly within LGBT Christian communities. Two major Protestant traditions are facing schism due to their contrasting treatment of LGBT people within their respective faiths. The Episcopal Church, U.S.A. has elected an openly gay bishop, causing homophobic reverberations within the Anglican Communion stretching from Virginia, where several churches have opted out of the American branch of the Anglican Church, to Africa, where a sympathetic archbishop has taken them in against all traditional Anglican practice. In the meantime, the United Methodist Church, the second largest Protestant denomination, has withdrawn the credentials of the Rev. Irene Elizabeth “Beth” Stroud after a sermon she preached declaring herself a practicing lesbian, something the Church considers to be “incompatible with Christian teaching.” Revocation of Stroud’s credentials is simply the latest slap in the face to the committed Methodist LGBT faithful and has them wondering whether they will ever be welcome in the denomination. Unfortunately, Methodists are kind in their spiritual assassination compared to fundamentalist Christians. Religious topics are more than worthy of close scrutiny and they will get it here.

Finally, at least as far as this article is concerned, look for articles on entertainment. I’m not interested in who is sleeping with whom, but I am interested in how minorities, women, LGBT and other under-represented groups are portrayed in film, television and music. I am also interested in the entertainment industry and how business decisions translate into what we see and hear. While these articles may be few and far between in comparison to other topics, they will, nevertheless, be an ongoing area of discussion.

One More Thing . . . Apple, Inc., makers of computers, the iconic iPod, the yet-to-be-available iPhone and perennial thorn in Bill Gates’ side will be a topic of interest as well. I am an unabashed Mac convert and long-time fan of Steve Jobs. Yet, I am not uncritical of the company or the man. It is unlikely that I will write about Jobs himself, I do reserve the right to comment on the products released by Apple, Inc. I write this column on one of them everyday and there are two others always within convenient reach. Consider any articles on Jobs, Apple or associated topics my personal folly if you will. I hope you’ll join me in the romp.

Technorati Tags: african-american, blogging, christianity, democratic, racism, united methodist