Things I learned on the Intertubes today....

From the trivial to the important.... and will begin with the trivial. Town names.... for instance. Yesterday, Rachel Maddow explained that the people of Newark DE do not pronounce it like their namesake in NJ. The stress is on the second syllable.

I could completely understand that, although I don't know what the historical reason for it is... because we have a BERlin in NH, but the stress on the first syllable came during WWII, and Lord whomever help the hapless who wanders in there and refers to BerLIN.

Middle trivia regards the clip from the Rachel Maddow show last night, which was broadcast live from a bar in NewARK, DE. I was listening attentively, and in the first third, there was a guy in a yellow sweater, next to a grey-fox older guy, and all of a sudden... the older guy's hand was on yellow sweater guy's shoulder, buddy style, and then it changed, and it was on the other side and on his pec.

It was nothing to set off world gaydar, but mine went into the red. Someone on her team must have caught what was up, and for the rest of the show, they got relegated to another place in the bar.

Maddow is, of course. GLBT friendly, but sending subliminal signals in the the middle of a political discourse certainly isn't of help in that context. There is a time and a place, youse guys.... They didn't get thrown out, but it wasn't helpful, am sure. (And gawwd, she is tall... a goddess..)

Now to the important part... I have sort of an 'instant editor'. As soon as I push the 'publish post' button, it immediately goes to the e-mail of my very dear friend and sometimes critic. And if I mess up, oh boy... am going to hear about at as soon as she's awake. (I ususally write when she is sleeping. Time difference...)

Soooooo... I usually avoid posting anything I think about women's rights. Sure, have done some posts on what I think about MEN deciding things about abortion... I AM a man after all, and have strong opinions on that, that WOMEN should decide what options they take, and will never back down on that opinion. Men should never have the right to decide or legislate what women must do . That would be the 'Murkin Taliban.

So yes, that is sort of sexist, but it would be worse to pretend to know what women think. They are sort of terra incognita to me. Obviously...

Today... the clip below from the Ed Show got me annoyed and fired up, so I went to a subject I usually do not touch. Women's rights. And touched on the spinster teachers I encountered in Grade School in the Fifties.

I HAD another example that was in my head, and happened elsewhere in the country only a few years ago, but I felt it was not my story to tell.

I do not go out and spread something told to me in confidence, if it is not my story to tell.

Well, my friend was hurt that I didn't mention her case. So here it is... she finally got a teaching job, and would go on in her mails about her rug-rats in kindergarten, and pretending to carp about how obnoxious they were, and how she had to spend her own money for supplies, but from the photos she sent, I could see how much she was enjoying it. She got fired because.... a)she wasn't married, and more important b) she didn't go to Baptist Church every week, and when one of the kids asked her if she were atheist, she said, 'Yes'.

Death knell, end of job, no alternatives in the entire region, Curtain... end of the play.

I repeat, she gave me permission to impart that, in that she was hurt that I did not.
Am sure getting fired hurt her far more than she ever let on.

It was their loss in that parrish. I knew she was very dedicated and had great plans for those kids.

'Write about what you KNOW.' The golden rule in every writing class I ever had. And I try to cling to that rule.

I CANNOT write about women's issues. I read about them in diverse places, but usually do not sound off on them. I can approach them obliquely, as I did today, relying on memories of the child I was, and the wonderment I felt about things that didn't seem 'fair' to me.

I think that what set me off today was that it was coupled with the fact they don't want gay and lesbians teaching their children either. It makes no sense to me. Part of my family entrusted their first two children to me every day, and they MUST have thought I might be gay, but I took care of them and walked on eggs, making sure they had everything they needed.

So it made me angry to be classed as 'unfit', and it must be the same for a woman who gets put in that category. It is like being relegated to third class degenerate status.

So--- in future, I will NOT butt into women's issues. They have strong voices, very strong ones... But I WILL go into them tangentially if they also concern me and 'my kind'.

Just so's ya know...

And my friend? Thank you for reading, sometimes setting my legs straight forward if I get things wrong, and your patience when I seem to be too 'light'. Love you.