The rantings of an avowed liberal in a Red State: I’m mad as y’all and I’m not taking it anymore! 25+ year resident of Nashville, Tennessee; teacher, writer, traveler, animal lover. Trying to stay sane. Reach me at SouthernBeale at yahoo.
The rantings of an avowed liberal in a Red State: I’m mad as y’all and I’m not taking it anymore! 25+ year resident of Nashville, Tennessee; teacher, writer, traveler, animal lover. Trying to stay sane. Reach me at SouthernBeale at yahoo.
Southern Beale 
Good afternoon.
So far, it looks good. My last comment at the old site was posted. And there is a short blog roll on the right side of the page. Take it easy, SpBe, and it will all work out.
Proofreading skills fail.
OH NO!!! Not nice, much! LOOL
LOL
This is a link to my Memorial Day remembrance about visiting a Civil War cemetery in Florence, SC.
Hope you will read it although I know you have eleventy billion things to do.
Love your blog here in the hinterlands of Nikki Haley and Alvin Greene.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439×1196768
Lynn Prosser
Hey Lynn, those pics were amazing. I am not familiar with Florena Budwin’s story, sounds like a great idea for a movie.
Do not underestimate Perry’s appeal. While many Texans know better, the South and Midwest will fall in love with him, no questions asked. If he didn’t already know this, he would not be running. While he won’t seek out debates, when he does participate in one, he’ll sound like any other Republican ideologue, but his charisma and ability to walk the party line will enable him to win every time. Perry didn’t save Texas from the Recession by creating jobs; Texas’s energy industry simply insulated us against the worst of the Recession. To get a true sense of Perry’s (destructive) ability and strict ideological loyalties, investigate what has happened to Texas’s healthcare, educational (pre-K through college), and environmental policies during his term as gub’ner. Krugman’s January article “The Texas Omen” is a place to start: http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2011/01/paul-krugman-the-texas-omen.html
SB,
Love that I found you. Eykis is a native Dallasite sitting in Cheatham County for the past ten years – work down in NashVegas as a paralegal. This Curry Todd arrest led me to your door. Look forward to your blog. Noticed you have JuanitaJeanHerownself listed, excellent. Try Malia Litman’s blog – she is eversomuch fun.
I was writing a post on the “White’s Only Swimming Pool” and saw a link back to you. So glad I did. I’m a liberal in Texas. You have a great voice, so I’ll be dropping back.
Keep up the good work.
Beale, I saw this on Kos today, thought you’d get a chuckle out of it…
Knoxville, Tennessee restaurant Bistro at the Bijou is receiving boatloads of support on Facebook after reports began surfacing that it refused service to state Senator Stacey Campfield out and asked him to leave. […]
Campfield, who has been in the news again recently because he’s still trying to push his heinous homophobic “don’t say gay” bill in Tennessee, gave an interview last week to Michelangelo Signorile in which he asserted that bullying of gay kids “is a lark”, compared homosexuality to sex with animals, asserted that homosexuality is “glorified” in the media, and that it’s “virtually impossible” for heterosexuals to contract AIDS.
Just found your blog today. Love love love it.
–fellow liberal in a Red State (TX y’all)
Thank you!!! We “living blue in a Red State” folks need to stick together!
are you on twitter?
no
am I?
So I was right, you really do need to get the last word?
🙂
Hey Southern Beale, I came across your blog recently while googling the safety of Gulf Coast waters in the wake of the BP oil spill and read your “Waiter Is That Corexit In My Shrimp Cocktail?” post. I did a little more research after reading your article and found that people were discussing this very subject back in 2008, well before the BP oil spill:
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f16/devein-shrimp-and-find-orange-gunk-43552.html
and here:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080524141920AAwVYIK
I think you may be getting yourself worked up for nothing. Thought you might be able to rest a little easier after seeing this. Best of luck to you and remember to breathe deeply relax.
Yours truly,
A non-racist Floridian
Well, Deepwater Horizon was hardly the first oil to hit the Gulf. There were 250 oil spills related to Hurricane Katrina alone in 2006. And I’ve written about the tens of thousands of leaking abandoned oil wells in the Gulf. It’s completely logical that oil-tainted shrimp have appeared in supermarkets for decades. But not since the BP spill has it been this bad. I’ve never bought a pound of shrimp and had nearly three-quarters of them tainted in this way; at most you’d run across one or two a year.
Thanks for your comment though.
I too came across this “Orange Goo” in some gulf shrimp. I struggled to find the answer to what it was on the lovely internets… So…. I ended up asking a marine biologist who specializes in shrimp. I sent him your photo as reference and asked what the goo was / is.
I have good news… Here is his reply:
Hi Aaron: I started this email some days ago, but was interrupted and apparently sent it incomplete. Here is the full reply:
Yes, those yellow strips of goo are extensions back from the main part of the ovaries in the front part (cephalothorax = “head”) of the shrimp. They become apparent when the microscopic egg cells enlarge and fill up with yellow vitellin (= “yolk”).
By the way, the white shrimp is a penaeid shrimp; females of that group (also the brown, pink, rock shrimps) don’t spawn the eggs below nor brood their eggs below the abdomen like grass shimps or river shrimps (and crabs, lobsters etc.). White shrimps and other penaeid shrimps don’t brood their eggs before hatching like those other crustaceans I mentioned. They spawn their fertilized eggs directly into the water where they hatch into larvae abouta day later.
I hope this answers your question. Thanks for your interest,
Kind regards,
Not to take away from the horrors of contamination… But the orange goo is just good ole mamma nature in action. And thankfully I got this info before those girls went bad cause they were hmmmm delicious!
Thanks for the info, and good to know. I’ve heard that before … but I’m still not eating it! It looks nasty.
Well dang it all. I had one h—-of- a time trying to find the appropiate place to type. So, I so, hope, yes that is redundant on purpose, that you might get a notice to approve this message/comment. I have one or two questions. I saw that you moved form Blogger-ville over to WordPress-.uppitty-ville. WP is not exactly user friendly but then I am not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree due to never having been properly schooled in computer usage. Anyway, I found you via Texas Trailer Park Trash and so I am will be back another time to “look around.”
Love your take on many things. Almost as good as Molly Ivins. And waiting impatiently for comments on William Blakely.
I grew up in middle Tennessee and ran out like a bat outta hell at 24, finally settling in the Pacific NW where folks think a little more and go to church a lot less. However, since our roots follow us everywhere I found you googling Marsha Blackburn, can’t get that woman out of the dark side of my brain as she just keeps embararssing me with her stupidity. Thrilled to read your words and share your thoughts.
hiya, SB…I’m EriktheRed from the Cole’s place.
Ms. Beale:
While you are a “Volunteer Lady”, I anxiously await your comments about the attempt in Florida to expand the “Stand Your Ground” law to “Wave Your Gun Around And/Or Fire a Warning Shot”.
What could go wrong?
Faithfully, etc…
Yeah another ALEC written bill soon to find safe harbor in Tennessee, no doubt. All I can say is, I stay as far away from Florida as I can. I do not plan to exit this world by being shot accidentally by some gun loon.
So far the VW deal looks good. Congratulations! Next will be running water, education pat the eight grade and shoes for women!
LOL .. baby steps, my friend.
While other red states have recurring themes, TN has some really bright spots of creativity: Trying to gun down a code enforcement officer and having your barely coherent mam talk to the press. Or driving your car into a church and stabbing your husband because he is worshiping NASCAR. Indeed, a bloggers paradise.
I thought the NASCAR stabbing story happened in Kentucky. Dang.
It’s hard to tell where they stop being each other. You are probably right since I wrote that while the espresso machine was struggling to make my much needed coffee.
Howdy SB,
Was driving home from school yesterday and heard this on the radio and thought it would pique your interest,
“Melissa Block speaks with Allan Levene, a candidate for Congress who is based in Georgia. Levene is running in four different states to increase his odds of winning.”
http://www.npr.org/2014/02/03/271128055/a-candidate-for-congress-in-georgia-and-michigan-and-hawaii-and
Yeah I heard about it him back in the winter. He shouldn’t be allowed to do that. If the idea is that you’re representing your district than fucking pick one, already.
I agree SB.
Hey, “all y’all” liberals living in Red States-if you hate being in a conservative area why’n’t you go back to your Blue States? What’samattah? No jobs?
What an assinine thing to say. I suppose all of the conservatives living in Blue States should just move to Mississippi. Whassamatter, too much like Somalia? #stupid
Man, you are really stupid. Guess that’s why you’re a blue voter. Doesn’t take much intellect to know a knuckledragging redneck when you read one. And yes, our blue states have lots of jobs that pay well. Because we have higher levels of education than you do. And more teeth. Our smiles get us better jobs.
Your an idiot, that is all.
17 States Where You’re More Likely To Die From Guns Than Car Crashes
More evidence of America’s out-of-control gun culture.
In one-third of America, you are more likely to be killed by a gun than in a car crash, a new Violence Policy Center (VPC) analysis has found.
“Firearm-related fatalities exceeded motor vehicle fatalities in 17 states and the District of Columbia in 2013,” VPC’s report said, citing the most recent federal data. “That year, gun deaths (including gun suicide, homicide, and fatal unintentional shootings) outpaced motor vehicle deaths in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.”
In those 17 states, there were 12,730 gun deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 11,256 car-related fatalities. The states with the most gun deaths were Alaska, Louisiana, Wyoming, Tennessee and Missouri, where the death rate was 50 percent higher—or more—than the national average of 10.64 gun deaths per 100,000 people.
The reason why guns are killing more people than cars in these states is due to two simultaneous trends. The first is gun nuts have undermined sensible government efforts to require life-saving controls, the study said, such as features that prevent guns from mistakenly firing to limiting firearm accesss to people with violent histories. The second trend is that manufacturers have militarized the domestic market in recent years with semi-automatic features that were never on traditional sporting and hunting arms.
“Firearms remain the last consumer product manufactured in the United States not subject to federal health and safety regulation,” VPN said, whereas cars have been subject to safety requirements for decades—such as installing seat belts, head rests, energy-absorbing steering wheels, shatter-proof windows, as roadway features have become safter and penalities for driving while intoxicated have increased.
“As Dr. David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center, notes in his 2004 book Private Guns, Public Health: “[T]he time Americans spend using their cars is orders of magnitudes greater than the time spent using their guns,” VPN said. “More than 90 percent of American households own a car, while a little less than a third of American households contain a gun.”
The report contrasts how car makers have taken steps to prevent injury and death, while gun makers and gun lobbyists have fought off many sensible safety regulations.
“We have lots of safety regulations concerning the manufacture of motor vehicles; there are virtually no safety regulations for domestic firearms manufacture,” VPN said. “And as is the case with motor vehicles, health and safety regulation could reduce deaths and injuries associated with firearms.”
It continued, “Comprehensive regulation of the firearms industry and its products could include: minimum safety standards (i.e., specific design standards and the requirement of safety devices); bans on certain types of firearms such as “junk guns” and military-style assault weapons; limits on firepower; restrictions on gun possession by those convicted of a violent misdemeanor; expanded prohibitions on possession by persons with a history of domestic violence and better enforcement of existing prohibitions; heightened restrictions on the carrying of loaded guns in public; more detailed and timely data collection on gun production, sales, use in crime, as well as involvement in injury and death; and, public education about the extreme risks associated with exposure to firearms.”
Moreover, the U.S. gun industry has militarized the civilian market, where increasingly lethal semiautomatic firing pistols and rifles have become the top-selling products. That trrend is documented in gun-control expert Tom Diaz’s latest book, The Last Gun: How Changes in the Gun Industry Are Killing Americans and What It Will Take To Stop It.
On Friday, the National Rifle Association will hold its annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, a state where more people were killed by guns in 2013 than car crashes.
“It will include the largest firearms industry trade show of new weaponry open to the public, where gun companies will prominently feature military-style, semiautomatic weapons with high-capacity ammunition magazines,” VPN said. “The NRA website promises ‘the most spectacular displays of firearms, shooting and hunting accessories in the world’ and encourages attendees to ‘bring your whole family.’”
“The NRA is planning a big party in Nashville this weekend, but in reality there is nothing to celebrate,” VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann said. “Our analysis exposes the shameful fact that you are more likely to be killed with a gun than in a motor vehicle crash in Tennessee and 16 other states.”
“The time has come to stand up to the NRA and its corporate sponsors in the gun industry and regulate firearms for health and safety, just as we regulate motor vehicles and all other consumer products,” he said.
Are you aware of this fine organization? unitewomen.org and its TN chapter? It’s on facebook.
You had me at “I hate guns.” I’m in.
Living in peace and harmony within the liberal sanctuary city of Nashville deep within the borders of the wing-nuttiest state in the old confederacy, the hot-tempered and sometimes foul-mouthed mad housewife Mrs. Beale brought comfort and succor to the ultra-left in the words of her celebrated blog Southern Beale. Then the unthinkable happened. Because the American electorate revelled in their unthinking. We saw it unfold in microcosm right here on the venerated blog. Asked who they would vote for, uncaring millennials said something like, “Oh, I dunno. I’ll probably vote for Jill Stein.” Bernie Bots openly flouted their hatred of Hillary Clinton whilst claiming true liberal cred out of the other side of their mouths. When asked if their boy lost the primary, would they cast their votes for HRC? “We won’t!” they proudly proclaimed.
Now like Commissioner Gordon in Gotham City desperately lit the Bat-Signal in the hopes of calling Batman, a confused and baffled blogger in California cries out, ‘What just happened? Who are the good guys? Who can we trust? We thought Jill Stein was a crunchy progressive? Turns out she actually campaigned on the concept of principled collaboration with Russia, spouting the pseudo-liberal line of bullshit, “The United States is now embarking on a $1 trillion program to update its nuclear weaponry while we are slashing programs to fight hunger, address homelessness, and provide economic security for our people,” And the full-on crock-of-shit, “Solutions to problems such as jihadi terrorism will require Russia and the United States to work together, shedding outdated cold war attitudes that prevented collaboration on problems facing both nations.” And even the reprehensible, “The Obama Administration’s obsession with toppling the government in Damascus is fundamentally inconsistent with winning the fight against ISIS,” Stein asserted. “US pursuit of regime change in Libya, Iraq, and Syria created the chaos that promotes power grabs by extremist militias. Many of the weapons we are sending into Syria to arm anti-government militias are winding up in the hands of ISIS. This isn’t a clever foreign policy – it’s disastrous militarism.”
On another topic, I’m sure you were as dumbfounded as I was when Rand Paul said it was time to get busy repealing Obamacare instead of investigating. They trying to pull young minds into the abyss.
Is this where we go now? I am sad. I know that everybody is still trying to figure out how that dayglo dipshit did what he did, but, wtf, life goes on.
I am certainly happy to see that Milo got edited by Breitbart–wrong reason, right outcome.
Southern Beale:
I sent you an e-mail and it’s okay if you don’t get back to me, but wiggle a limb, so I’ll know you got it. {;>)
Are Corker’s boosters Corkbaggerz?
Where are you? We are missing being mad as hell with you.
I’m taking a break. There’s just nothing more that can be said.
Sorry that the atheists are as purity-conscous as the religious folks!
Seconded!
I’m so sorry. I’ve been so busy and I just don’t have the energy to blog. It’s like everything that could be said has been said. I’ll post something later tonight and let you guys talk, tho.
Seen this, yet?
Just when you think you’ve heard every gun loon absurdity…..http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-found-with-gun-during-strip-search-pleads-guilty/article_0aadc946-03e4-5282-9b00-7c4fd5ed18c1.html
Happens a lot more than you’d think. We had a woman in TN do that in 2014. Also found stories out of Oklahoma and Texas.
*pokpokpokpok* ~:D
…didja give up on us?
Never on you but on the blog … sorta. Life is crazy!!!
Meh. Blogs are sooooooooooo 2000s anyway; FaceyCrooks is Where Itz At!!1
[/snark], *goes back to soaking in the acetone vat*
lol
Ms. Beale; sorry for missing your query of 7-20-18.
I am comfortable but still enervated and my chronic pain issues are doing what they always do when unmediated, making me make choices about whether I want to endure the discomfort of getting up and walking to the mailbox or just waiting until it overflows enough that it reaches me!
I’m cooking, Bud’s getting his feedings and patrolling schedule as per and I work for periods of an hour or so, slowly and gingerly. I then rest for a while. I need this whole pain/fatigue thing solved before it DOES make me crazy.
My rheumatologist is back in 2 weeks or so. I will be sending her a note around the 4th of August and hoping that we can have a brief conversation tete-a-tete about where to go from here. She is not my pcp but I almost trust her and I don’t have an issue with a P.A. that works for her, unlike the one who works for my pcp.
Be well. I have no experience in this issue so I have no advice to give but I’m sure you know what is best for you.
I have lots of experience with pain, stiffness and weakness–over at least the last six or so years. None of the experience has led to any solutions.
I am a crybaby, I’m aware of that. I am also ill-tempered and, at times, as childish as a three year old. What I am NOT is delusional about the pain and weakness.
I have a lot of stuff to do and not a lot of energy to do it. So, I nibble away at the edges while the pile grows higher.
Without my warped sense of humor, I’d be completely fucked. As is, I’m glad I can still type.
I’m in far better shape than billions of people around the planet, so there’s that.
*poke*
🙂
I’m still alive!
‘k. 🙂
*pok* 😛 🙂
Still here!
aight, jus’ checkin’. 🙂
We have moved! It’s been a crazy couple of weeks.
Where’d you move – California? 😀
No, just a new place in Nashville.
…I think yer fibbin’. 😛 🙂
It has been a really tough month, what with the move and selling our old place. But I am still here!
…I tink yer ded again. 🙂
Sorry. Blog is finito. Follow me on Twitter. @Litzz11