SimplyComplexJen

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In  1963 Nina Simone  wrote a song called "Mississippi Goddamn".  Even today, it's an in-your-face political and social statement on the sad, pathetic state of affairs in the South.  Racism.

She was tired of it, and let you know.  The (partial) lyrics below do not even begin to describe the depth and strength of her song.  In my opinion, it is well worth your time to catch it on YouTube.  It's powerful and you can't help but feel her pain.  Go watch it, then come back here and finish this post ;)

Unfortunately, the racial divide remains in the South.  Ignorance and hate is still alive and well.  This time though, the focus is on a High School Senior, Constance McMillen.  

Constance wanted to take another female to the prom.   The school canceled the prom, and a group of parents put on a private prom.  Supposedly, Constance was sent an invite, but when she showed up, there were less than 10 kids there.  They had sent her to a fake prom. Here are pictures from the actual prom.  No Constance.

What is the Itawamba County School District and the parents of the Seniors trying to teach their kids?

What do they have to fear from this couple attending?

What is there to gain by ostracizing these girls?

How will these kids feel in 10 years for their part in Hate Prom 2010?




   It makes me sick.  This has NOTHING to do with a left or right agenda, or trying to shove anyone's beliefs down their throats.  It is simply about equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation. 


Like Nina said, "You don't have to live next to me/Just give me my equality."

Mississippi Goddamn indeed.




Lryics of Mississippi Goddamn by Nina Simone (1963).



The name of this tune is Mississippi Goddam
And I mean every word of it

Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

Can't you see it
Can't you feel it
It's all in the air
I can't stand the pressure much longer
Somebody say a prayer

Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

This is a show tune
But the show hasn't been written for it, yet

Hound dogs on my trail
School children sitting in jail
Black cat cross my path
I think every day's gonna be my last

Lord have mercy on this land of mine
We all gonna get it in due time
I don't belong here
I don't belong there
I've even stopped believing in prayer

Don't tell me
I tell you
Me and my people just about due
I've been there so I know
They keep on saying "Go slow!"

But that's just the trouble
"do it slow"
Washing the windows
"do it slow"
Picking the cotton
"do it slow"
You're just plain rotten
"do it slow"
You're too damn lazy
"do it slow"
The thinking's crazy
"do it slow"
Where am I going
What am I doing
I don't know
I don't know

Just try to do your very best
Stand up be counted with all the rest
For everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam
I made you thought I was kiddin' didn't we

Picket lines
School boycotts
They try to say it's a communist plot
All I want is equality
for my sister my brother my people and me

Yes you lied to me all these years
You told me to wash and clean my ears
And talk real fine just like a lady
And you'd stop calling me Sister Sadie

Oh but this whole country is full of lies
You're all gonna die and die like flies
I don't trust you any more
You keep on saying "Go slow!"
"Go slow!"

But that's just the trouble
"do it slow"
Desegregation
"do it slow"
Mass participation
"do it slow"
Reunification
"do it slow"
Do things gradually
"do it slow"
But bring more tragedy
"do it slow"
Why don't you see it
Why don't you feel it
I don't know
I don't know

You don't have to live next to me
Just give me my equality
Everybody knows about Mississippi
Everybody knows about Alabama
Everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

It went from bad to worse, and I could go on to explain how I'm locked out of ebay (temporarily suspended), Facebook (hopefully temporary), gmail (hopefully fixed tomorrow), and a couple of other sites.  But I won't.  What I will explain is some common sense rules I ignored.

My IT guy in corp HQ suggested changing all my passwords every 60-90 days.  I need to come up with an organizational system to do this.  I realized I hadn't changed my email password in over 3 years.  I'm not sure it would have prevented today's attack, but it would have been a line of defense.

I'm locked out of facebook, why?  It was the same PW as my email account.  How to solve that in the future seems pretty self explanatory.  Again, a new organizational system needed to keep track of a unique password for every site I visit.

Bank accounts.  Thank G-d I used a different PW for all my financial institutions.  I went ahead and changed those passwords too, called CS and asked for a fraud alert.  I'm already thinking not all my financial institutions need the same password.  I'm starting to see a trend here.  Following me?

Overall, I could go into it, but you've heard the warnings.  No longer is it a friend of a friend that it once happened to.  It happened to me.

I don't open emails from unknown senders.

I don't click on links that I'm not sure about.

Attachments to emails get run through a virus scan.

So, how did this happen?  No clue.

Ebay was nice enough to provide me with the IP addy of the person who changed my ebay password.  It belongs to an anonymous proxy server/service (?).  I was told that means this person can't be found.

So, dear hacker who ruined by day, made me cry, has locked me out of facebook, and overall my week a hell (and it's only Monday).... I have a message for you.  I even put it in a heart to show you how much I care:

Sunday, went to the pool at community to see how far I could swim in 20 minutes. I'll admit, not a well-planned workout, but it was time in the pool.

As usual, after 10min I'm exhausted (why is it I can run 5 miles fairly easily, but time in the pool KILLS me?) and really dreading the next 7-10 minutes of my workout when I hear a voice from the next lane : "let me finish my set, and I want to help you."

I turn. I look. Older gentleman who has been putting in some fairly fast laps in the last 20 minutes. His 3 to my 1? LOL.

Turns out he used to coach swimming. And swam in college. And said something about Olympic try outs. I'm listening.

Said he couldn't help but point out a few things as he could tell I was just starting out (uh, yeah. January). Not extending through my stroke, too stiff, and not kicking enough. LOL. Easy to remember everything all at once while remembering to take controlled breaths. Right?

Gave me a few drills to help me and we talked about swimming in general. He used to give open swim lessons to beginning triathletes. Sweet. He honestly was trying to help.

He took 15-20 minutes out of his day to give me a few pointers and work with me. It gave me a boost I really needed and hopefully (test it out today!), new focus on my time in the pool and new optimism on swimming.

This random act of kindness made the day (week? month?) of a person (Me!). I hope some day when my first triathlon isn't looming, but I have 10 or more under my belt, I can step away from my drills or workout and pay it forward.

(ps the answer to my question about getting enough air lies in what he told me, relax.. I'm using too much energy on bad form.)

When for the sake of a bargain, you are willing to step over (and on) a lifeless body... these are problems of humanity that go beyond terrorists, defaulting mortgages, and our economic crisis. Humanity in that moment lost its soul.

This man was over 250 pounds, yet people in the search of a tv that is 50% off, decided that their wallet was more important than his life.

I am appalled beyond words.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/nyregion/30walmart.html?em