A Very Moxie Christmas

I love Christmas. I love it so much that I spend the day with a Jew. My Jew friend and I have an annual tradition called the "MarilynJean and Jew Friend Holiday Christmas Magical Mystery Tour Extravaganza [Insert Year Here]". Seriously. It is better than spending time with family (all of whom don't talk to me anyways). This involves us rolling out of bed around midday. He comes to my house and then we eat and talk at IHOP. We then argue over a movie to see. This year I knew what movie I wanted to see, but all the show times didn't suit his liking. There were Jew jokes and Jesus jokes all around. We spent an hour looking for an open bar. We went to CVS. We then went to the awesome convenient store by my house and got this awesome beer sampler and began to get wasted. He watched a basketball game while I worked on this. Isn't it the most creepiest magnificent thing you ever saw?*

After some time, we headed to the east side (I know) and drank til our hearts content. I came home and scarfed some disgusting food I bought from the frozen food section at CVS. Gross.

And I wouldn't have Christmas any other way.

*My progress so far. Jew Boy and I did the math. This thing has about 14,400 squares. I've done about 300.

Man/Boy Love and the Boys that joked about a Man loving Boys

In Cincy, Ohio, some high school students and their parents are suing the school district where they attend school over a lengthy suspension that resulted from a Facebook parody.

Three boys created a fake profile of one their teachers on Facebook and referred to him as a member of this organization.

And they are the ones suing?

You accuse someone of endorsing sex between men and boys - a teacher no less - and you're suing someone?

The kids lawyer has some lame arguments based on the fact that the parody should be protected under Amendment 1 and that the profile was created off campus.

Well, that's fine and dandy, but then maybe that teacher should sue those boys for slander?

What the fuck?

Torn

The Original....



...or New School

Mum Men

This little nugget came across my desk today. Apparently we have a problem and that problem is that men don't talk. Talk as in express emotion and communicate. The editor (who I am sure is as gay as he pretends to be heterosexual) of Men's Health magazine offered up these reasons for this terrible phenomenon:

1. Guys Are A Little Intimidated
2. Guys Need To Decompress
3. Guys Are More Comfortable With Actions Than Feelings
4. Guys Don't Want To Be Put On The Spot

1. Intimated by what? When you are at the top of the gender food chain, what can you possibly be intimated by? That you might actually prove how stupid and undeserving of your privilege you really are?

2. Decompress? Men apparently are the only ones who need a little time to themselves when they get home from work. Wow. Usually after dealing with daily incidences of white ignorance, male gazes and other bullshit that results from living in a capitalistic, heterosexist, racist, patriarchal society, I need some solo time, too. Maybe on the crapper, maybe with a glass of wine, maybe with my own large pizza...maybe all three. But, gee. WOW. Thanks, editor guy for pointing this out, since this has nothing to do with personal preference and has everything to do with how your reproductive organs fall inside your pants.

3. You got that fucking right. You can blame every single war and human atrocity in the world's history on men. If even a QUARTER of those conflicts were talked out, shit would be a whole lot different.

4. Thanks for this one. Men don't like a barrage of questions. Who does except for self-centered assholes. Whatever. Again, this is not gender issue, but thanks for making it one.

Maybe it's because I am PMS'ing, or maybe it's because I'm like this all the time. Maybe it's because I had to counsel a woman today after she was raped by some dude. Whatever it is, the LAST thing I want to read about is how men don't talk enough. As far as I'm concerned, men need to shut the fuck up.

The real and ONLY reason men don't talk is because they are bound by the same strict and impossible gender roles that we all fall victim to. It's patriarchy that has made communicating a woman's "thing". And because it is something women are supposedly good at, patriarchy made sure that it was something men should not aspire to. You can list all sorts of bullshit, pop psychology reasons for why men don't communicate with their female partners, but you're wasting your time. If female "traits" weren't seen as weaknesses, then maybe we'd be in a better place. Until you confront the system of patriarchy and refuse to operate by its rules, men will continue to suffer under these antiquated John Wayne stereotypes that equate maleness with silence.

"Black", white, brown: It's all green to Paul

Everyone's favorite presidential reality checker, Ron Paul, received $500 from a white supremacist leader. His name is Don BLACK.

Staying in line with Paul's keepin' it trealz practices, his spokesman had this to say:

"Dr. Paul stands for freedom, peace, prosperity and inalienable rights. If someone with small ideologies happens to contribute money to Ron, thinking he can influence Ron in any way, he's wasted his money. Ron is going to take the money and try to spread the message of freedom....and that's $500 less that this guy has to do whatever it is that he does."

I suggest that Ron uses that $500 to buy doughnuts and coffee for his next town hall meeting with the NAACP, or the National Council of La Raza.

Rock 'n' Roll all night...or at least every three years

First our sports teams actually perform well this year. Now, Cleveland will have the privilege of hosting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies every three years starting in 2009. Sweet.

We built this city.....

Tee Strick asks PUCO to ban shut offs

Moved by the deaths of a Toledo woman and her kids in a fire that started from a candle they were using because their power was shut off, Gov. Strickland submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission to place a moratorium on utility shut offs. The headline reads: "Agency to weigh Strickland's request for winter". Um...what is there to weigh? Anyone with a functioning central nervous system knows that Ohio winters are for bitches. To deprive a household of basic utilities, no matter how defunct its payments, borders on being an accompliance to murder....or even cruel and unusual punishment. We're not talking about cable or internet access for crying out loud.

A spokesman for one energy company claims that bans on shut offs only deepens the deficit on the household's bill. Instead, he argues, the state should help people make the payments so that they get caught up.

Here's a suggestion Mr. Steve Brash of Duke Energy, how about you stop charging high ass prices for a basic necessity. And while you are sitting at home (a big one, I'm sure) cozy with your 72 degree heat, hot water and electricity, think about those families who just can't afford to pay all their fucking bills and had to make a choice between paying the gas bill and getting their kid some medicine. I mean really, the state should be paying for shit like healthcare and sound infrastructures, not paying to line energy company pockets.

I believe the words I am looking for are "try" and "again".

Trees. Apple. Falling. Not Far.

Two things happened in America today: the U.S. Senate approved a $70 million spending bill, but more importantly, Britney's little sister Jaime Lynn announced that she is preggers.

Knocked up.

Sixteen.

She does know her baby daddy.

Unlike her sister, she is having a baby OUT OF WEDLOCK and she is 16.

Surprisingly, her mother was "shocked". AND she wants to raise the baby in Louisiana so that it can have a "normal life".

I can't wait for the neo-con, Christian right to boycott Nickelodeon and Jamie's precious TV show. The blog-o-verse is overflowing with trailer park, barefoot and pregnant, white trash comments as I type this. The opportunity for ridicule is almost unreal.

Reality Check: Saudi Arabia edition

It's been awhile since a good feminist reality check. This one calls out western feminists on keeping mum about Saudi institutionalized sexism. The only thing I don't like about this piece is the comparison between racism and sexism. (It reminds me of feminist rhetoric that results in arguments that make it seem like all Blacks are men and all women are white. Hate that, but otherwise great points.)

Someone hasn't gotten laid in awhile and it's not me this time

So this guy wants to sue NYC nightclubs on the grounds of discrimination. Why? Because he says ladies' nights are unconstitutional. Are you fucking serious, Mr. Roy Den Hollander?

Really?

Really.

One lawyer tried to professionally and delicately explain that ladies' nights are designed to pack as much pussy into one place so that men will want to come to their clubs. In fact, women should be suing nightclubs for setting them up to be subject to all the asshole guys they meet on said ladies' nights. One could probably argue that Mr. Den Hollander hasn't got laid in a while or else the cheap bastard wouldn't be complaining about paying cover for club admission. Further, if Mr. Hollander were aware of the preposterous wage gap between men and women, he would understand our need for reduced and free admission and drink specials.

Who are these people, really?

I guess I should send the King of Saudi Arabia some fucking cookies or something since he pardoned the famous rape victim who was sentenced to 200 lashes for being in a car with a non-related male.

What I didn't know about this case was that her male associate was also raped when the attack happened. The status his sentence was not revealed in the news stories.

Black Bolivian King

This story about a lost Senegalese King who is a descendant of slaves in Bolivia made me a little misty eyed. Coolest thing: his people grow coca, but have no idea what cocaine is.

It's a Monday: "LIE"berman edition

Joe "Traitor Face" Lieberman has decided to endorse John "Just Quit While You're Ahead" McCain in the 2008 Election. The following words (in no particular order) came to my mind upon reading the headline.

troll
fag
jew
bastard
savior killer
asshole fuck face
loser
shithead
twerp
creep
sellout
elephant-fucking monkey
cock worshipper

Funny how the first three letters in his name spell "Lie", and McCain rhymes with "pain".

For love or money

Can't say I haven't thought about it myself.

Sharks take bite out of mortgage crisis

Asking Countrywide to save homes from foreclosure is like asking your rapist to pay for your abortion after he gets you pregnant.

Nevertheless, congrats ESOP on getting predatory lenders to take responsibility in this foreclosure clusterfuck.

Maybe Australia isn't a worthless piece of land mass after all

The only good thing Australia has ever given the world are attractive people such as him, her, her and him. Now, Aussieland is further proving it's worth by proposing carbon taxes for people who procreate. Yes: if you have a baby, you have to pay for the eco-stamp it will leave on the world for the duration of the child's life.

Neato plus plus to this? You get tax credits if you use birth control.

Forgotten Hits - Hey Jealousy Edition

And who could forgot these boys? Good, Indeed.

Here's another reason why John Edwards is not going to be America's Next Top President

He apparently thinks we're all idiots and that the internet really doesn't help relay information like this from STATE TO STATE, YOU ASSHOLE.

For Cleveland Smokers

Because MarilynJean is not without balance and compromise, I say that every non-smoker gets one smoker a pair of these this holiday season and continue enjoying the statewide smoking ban.

Sterlization of poor women and men not a bad idea after all

So the Pee Dee is doing this special coverage about saving Cleveland neighborhoods and it features Mt. Pleasant, which looks a lot like a war zone. To be expected mostly every white person in NE Ohio thinks that if the Blacks would just let go of slavery, everything would be OK.

Today's story looks at single mothers and it just depresses me. Depresses the shit out of me. I don't want to say stop having sex, but really, this is one of those times where sterilization of poor Black women doesn't look like a bad idea.

Really: what is the recurring theme in female-headed households and poverty: SINGLE PARENTS. CHILDREN. ABSENTEE FATHERS. NOT BEING ABLE TO SUSTAIN FAMILY.

Seriously. No seriously. USE CONDOMS. TAKE THE PILL. ABSTAIN. Cut it out. The affliction of poverty would not be so severe if people would have sex responsibly. I certainly don't believe that safe sex is the burden of the woman, but if she's going to be stuck with the child and the asshole father is in prison or fucking someone else, then by all means enact the No Glove, No Love rule.

Seriously. STOP HAVING SEX AND GETTING PREGNANT. IT IS NOT OK. IT IS NOT OK. How many ways do people have to say it??? I mean, reading this feature makes me want to throw up. The root of your problems, girl-whose-name-i-can't-pronounce-because-it-is-that-ghetto, is that you have more than one child that you can't support financially. I am super sure that you are a great mom and work really hard, but if you just reason for a moment and realize how not having sex, or simply using birth control would open up so many more doors for you.

And BC is accessible. Outside of rape, not having sex is even more accesible. Hell, it's free. You should see how much money I save not fucking. But really, no seriously, stop having babies. I can tell you which Planned Parenthood clinics will serve you at no cost. Provide you with pap smears and birth control for free. Condoms cost less than your Baby Phat jacket, or your weave. Trust me, it is possible and accessible.

Oh my God. Stop having sex. Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it.

It's Patriarchy Tuesday! - Iraqi edition

So Iraqi authorities have told their policewomen to surrender their weapons so that men can use them. After the U.S. did something right for a change and recruited female police officers, the number of women in the police force surged. Now that the U.S. has given authority over police bacl to Iraq, that number has gone down.

Nice.

And you won't find female police officers on the street because they're all in the precincts doing office work.

This would be one of thew few, RARE times when I say: bomb them all to hell. I mean WHAT THE FUCK? W to the T to the F to the ? If they're not raping women in the streets, they're attacking them because their hair isn't covered. They don't want them to work. They can be seen in the company of a non-male relative for risk of being stoned to death and now female police can't even be armed.

And they wonder why people frown upon their country and their culture. Why, we Western Infidels, don't fucking get it. I want to respect other cultures and not force my western ideals and beliefs down their throats, but there comes a time (like NOW) that I want to say fuck you, Iraq, and your wardsbackass way of the valuing the role women play in society.

Evacuate all the women and then bomb the whole goddamn country. I've had it.

Blacks and the subprime crisis

The Economic Rape of Cleveland

Washington Informer, Commentary, Harry C. Alford, Posted: Dec 08, 2007

Mr. Alford is the co-founder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, Inc. www.nationalbcc.org.

The subprime mortgage fiasco is hitting all geographical areas of this nation. This game broke all of the rules. It exaggerated housing appraisals to boost lending amounts. It eased credit rules to allow people who did not qualify for mortgages to get them anyway and pay the consequences later. Hedge fund investors fell into the same trick that made Enron famous. They fronted asset investments that were really poorly collateralized loans that would soon default and leave the investors holding the “bag.” Middle men brokers and package dealers ran these schemes for quick fees and cash. In the end, the investors and new mortgage owners would take the big hit.

The fall of Stan O’Neal, the Black CEO of Merrill Lynch, is probably the most famous instance of the Subprime Mortgage failure. Merril Lynch is $8 billion less in value because of its hedge fund activity in these subprime mortgages. Stan had to fall on his “sword." There were many others and some of the most prominent names on Wall St. have been adversely affected by this scandal. This in the end, will affect all of us. Available funds are going to dry up for a while as Wall St. must bite the bullet in paying off these losses. Pension funds will produce less; industry investment will shrink and thus lessen the amount of available jobs; legitimate mortgage transactions will decrease and interest rates will rise. Neighborhoods will become blighted, especially black neighborhoods. That old folks saying “When they catch a cold, we get pneumonia." It is still true.

Let’s look at a typical Chocolate City in regards to this matter. Cleveland, Ohio seems to be a perfect example. It’s a hardworking town with a strong history of bneighborhoods producing some of the greatest American citizens. A black middle class was formed decades ago and is indeed an institution in this population center. Maybe this is why the subprime hustlers targeted Cleveland. It had plenty of established black property owners who could be exploited while the activity remained under the “radar” for a while.

Subprime mortgages have had the greatest activity in large black populations and the state of Ohio leads the nation in this activity with Cleveland leading that state. As a result of the subsequent ballooning mortgage payments and hidden fees that lenders could not possibly afford coming due, foreclosures in Ohio – particularly greater Cleveland have led the nation. In 2006 alone these subprime hustlers or “flippers” caused over 13,500 foreclosures in Cuyahoga County (7000 in Cleveland alone). One out of every 27 houses in Cleveland is now vacant due to foreclosure. When a house becomes vacant it will soon become a “crack house” or temporary squatting venues for homeless and crime operatives.

For those of you who didn’t sucker for the subprime mortgages, you are not immune. This will affect your home value and neighborhood safety as well. Every time a home forecloses, all homes in that neighborhood will each lose an average of $7,000 in property value. The more foreclosures; the greater loss you have in your assets and equity. This coupled with the arrival of drug dealers and thugs will send your lovely neighborhood into an abyss. Like to walk your dog at night? That will soon be over and walking pooch during the day will be over also. Time to sell it and get away? Your home value is heading south with a bullet and you can’t sell it to anyone. You are trapped. You and your lovely neighbors are financially ruined.

There is one particular zip code in Cleveland that has over 1,000 present foreclosures. The neighborhoods in this part of Cleveland have become slums overnight and the blacks living there didn’t see it coming. It was fast and there appears nothing they can do. This city has been violated in every economic sense of the term. Their virtue has been quite lessened and the repair is not even imaginable. The elected officials, community leaders, chambers of commerce, etc. are lost in trying to find a solution to this devastation. All they can do now is stop the hustlers so that the present state can be termed the “bottom." But even doing this doesn’t mean that “which way is up” can be visualized anytime soon.

Yes, the lovely city of Cleveland has been ripped off. There are other cities, counties and rural communities around the nation facing the same crisis. Greed and hustle coupled with bad policy and weak laws have hurt us miserably. Our children will pay the price and all we can do is start over once again. It hurts. t hurts real bad and will have a very long-term effect. Cleveland was raped. She was not alone. Lord, help us please!

The Creature Returns

Remember Kitty? Well, he's back and apparently his name is Max. Mas is an asshole. He was too much for his foster dad and now he is back at Ground Zero and in need of a home. He's quite the little bastard.

As you can see from these pics, he's just ripe for a kitty-less home.

Like the Chia Pet, Max makes a great xmas/hannukah/kwanzaa/festivus/eid-al-adah/boxing day gift.

Senator goes without own health insurance to prove a point

Sherrod Brown is still proving that my vote was worth it. Can I get a hells yes for keeping it real and walking a mile?

Recently Watched - Irreversible

Mentally, I'm in a better space to even mention this film. It's strange and raw. I can't recommend it, nor not recommend it, that is how fucked up it was.

Just Ordered

It's a tee shirt. Threadless Tees, which ex-friend Tim put me on to, rocks. This little puppy is on it's way to my house this month. Merry Christmas, Marilyn! From, Marilyn.

It's a Tuesday, so it must be time for more patriarchal bullshit

"Leaders of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission were ready yesterday to tell skeptical lawmakers that guaranteeing women 12 weeks of maternity leave would ensure gender equality without hurting the economy.

They never got the chance.

Without a word from members of the civil-rights panel, a group of lawmakers yesterday shot down a proposal to grant Ohio women 12 weeks of paid or unpaid leave for pregnancy."

Yeah, wow. Hey all you preggers with a job: go fuck yourselves, because we care more about small business owners than we do women, their health or their families. And before you say it: this is not a political issue, we just feel it could use more "documentation" for the law to bode well with employers.

"The joint committee's six Republicans all voted against the policy, while three of the four Democrats joined them."

"Although Republican- leaning business groups had led the opposition to the policy, McGregor and Niehaus said their votes were based on the lack of data, not political considerations."

No...not political at all.

Go Joe!

Joey might be running for Denny's seat. Sweet. Call me when it's time to volunteer at campaign HQ.

Lil bit of feminist perspective from a MAN

Jewelry ads are stereotypical to both men and women and need to nixed. See how patriarchy hurts us all?

A bread roll and a paper ballot

Minus the free food and patriotic music at the polls, voting sentiments and patterns in Russia seem eerily familiar to another place I've heard of...

A different sort of philanthropist....

In Chile's equivalent to the Jerry Lewis Telethon, a Chilean prostitute, Mistress Maria Carolina, auctioned off 27 hours of sex to help kids with disabilities. Apparently there is room for argument on whether the charity violates ethics in taking her money. It is noted that prostitution is legal in Chile, so I'm guessing she can write this off on her taxes?

You may be wondering what Ms. Jean thinks of all this, and of course, I say take the damn money. Organizations have taken dirtier money from corporations and governments and we all know that they are whores to the devil.