Tags: photos

Elvis, whining: Me not want those tights. Me want purple tights.
Me: Are you crying about it?
Elvis, not whining: Me not crying. Me talking. Me want purple tights.

In the fall of 1964 the leaders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee made a visit to West Africa. At the time SNCC was one of the most prominent civil rights organizations in the United States, and its leaders were among the country's most capable black activists.

Traveling to Africa from Jim Crow America was a shock for these young people. At one point on the trip, as the group boarded an airplane, SNCC communications director Julian Bond noticed that the pilot was black. He turned to a friend and, only half joking, said "I hope this guy knows what he's doing."

Forty-four years ago one of America's most vocal advocates of racial equality wasn't quite sure that he trusted a black man to fly a plane. This morning, just before noon, a black man will be sworn in as president of the United States of America.

How quickly did this happen? How fast did we move from then to now?

Here's how quickly. Here's how fast.

When Julian Bond stepped onto that airplane, America's first black president was three years old.

Six years ago right now, two midwives were conferring. Today Casey is sitting in kindergarten, peeking at her watch, waiting for it to read 9:30.

Just now, right after breakfast, Elvis toddled over to my bed, and hoisted one of her dolls up before climbing in herself. "Place. Eat. Baby." she said.

"This is the place for your baby to eat?" I asked. "Very cool. Come on up."

She settled in, held the baby in front of her, and lifted it to her mouth.

"Eat fingers." she said. "Eat eyes."

And then she did.

Tags: elvis

Odetta.

Come on and dress me, dress me, dress me in my finest array,
'Cause just in case you haven't heard today is do-mi-do day!
Dress me in my silver garters, dress me in my diamond studs,
'Cause I'm going do-mi-do-ing in my do-mi-do duds!

( More! )

From my buddy Lauredhel:

No, your doctors and nurses are not standing there thinking “oh no I hope she doesn’t want a pap smear oh no don’t ask for a pap smear oh no not a pap smear OH NO she asked! Ew ew ew ew ew ew, not vag again, keep a straight face, pretend to make nice, here, get the gear out, hop up on the table dear, spread your ARGH ARGH ARGH VAG keep a straight face, ok, just relax, here we go, ICK ICK EW SMELLY VAG GROSS why did I ever do this job I never want to do a pap smear again phew it’s finished fill in the paperwork don’t meet her eyes oh no don’t make eye contact you’ve seen her DISGUSTING SMELLY VAG go away please don’t ever come back.”

Really. We’re not. If you ever get the slightest feeling that your doctor is thinking this? Move. It’s not normal.

My great friend larryleveen reponds to my post from earlier this week, on the guy who claimed that courtrooms with gold-fringed flags weren't legitimate:

I met his cousin once. He claimed that stop signs with white borders were optional...

PS: Responses to your recent emails coming along soonest, Lar.

PPS: larryleveen, meet willendorf5761. willendorf5761, meet larryleveen.

This brought me right back to the salad days of the mid-nineties:

When I was a prosecutor, I had [a tax protestor] who claimed that the United States District Court did not have jurisdiction over him because the courtrooms had American flags with gold fringes, which established that they were admiralty courts and not courts of general jurisdiction. Judge Hupp, God rest him, wryly said, "I'll pretend you're a boat."