Saturday, August 29, 2026

On Why People of Color Also Love Dolly Parton ...


First off, I have Dolly-fied my blog wallpaper in her honor! 😂

Secondly, have you noticed the outpouring of love from the black community for Dolly Parton equal to that of white people?

I mean, what other Southern white country singer would be equally mourned by people of color, right? 

I noticed it and was thinking about that the other day, and you should too - what did she do right that other white folks aren't?

Then this video popped up in my feed, which breaks down why for you. Some of it I knew, some of it I didn't.



Most people know by now that although she refused Elvis recording her song "I Will Always Love You," she did allow Whitney Houston to record it.


But did you also know she used the royalties on it to support an impoverished black community in Tennessee?


And, fellow Christians - pay very close attention to what she says around the 5-minute mark about her support of Black Lives Matter and the right to protest.

She says she prays about it and just goes with her heart and  what she believes God would want, and doesn't care what anybody else thinks about it.



This is when she said "Do we think our little white asses are the only things that matter?" that I mentioned earlier.

Also, Dolly knows struggle - she never forgot where she came from and she understands better than anybody the way this messed-up socioeconomic American system works from both sides, poor and rich  - and did what she could to compensate for it. 

Somehow, Dolly could get away with it despite being a country music legend.


And do you know how she did it? 

Because she never criticized actual politicians themselves, just supported causes she believed in - because she felt action meant more than empty words, and because she wanted to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. 


The closest she ever came to criticism was in the 2016 election, when asked about Trump VS. Hillary -  "I think they're both nuts." 😂



Though I'm sure she had her flaws, Dolly did something right, for everybody.

IMO, Dolly was the closest to my personal definition of what being a Christian really means, versus the definition demanded by most Christians today, especially now that the Republican Party has tried to stake their exclusive claim on it.


Dolly did it right - let's do our best to emulate it. 😊


Thursday, August 27, 2026

Lunar Eclipse ...

 Taken with my neighbor's iPhone 17 ...





Taken with mine, an iPhone 13. 




Though no iPhone gets great pics of eclipses, clearly, iPhone 17 does the best job!

The video on mine is a little bit better than the still photo though ... 











Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Governor Beshear Orders Flags at Half Staff for Dolly, Trump Follows Suit - Empire State Building Lights Pink

 

This is an extremely rare honor for a non-governmental/political figure ... 



Because although Dolly was from the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Tennessee, Dolly's personal donations, investments, and charity projects such as "Imagination Library" made a huge impact in Appalachian Kentucky. 




For which Dolly officially became a Kentucky Colonel in 2024. 




Since Beshear made the half-staff order at state building yesterday, surrounding states have followed suit - particularly those in Appalachia. 


As of this morning, President Trump also ordered flags to be at half-staff for one week.




THAT is especially remarkable - because although Dolly never openly said her political party, as mentioned in the below post, she made it clear that she was a Christian liberal - but she never criticized Trump himself or any other politician - just supported liberal policy.


Even the Empire State Building in NYC lit up pink in Dolly's honor, last night ...



Taylor Swift and Beyonce on Dolly's passing, which as per their usual, succinctly summing up how we feel.

Taylor Swift ... 




Beyonce ...





Even rapper Eminem chimed in with a note Dolly wrote him ... 








Though a trite phrase often said when people pass, in Dolly's case, it's true - the world just isn't the same without her in it, her loss is almost palpable - the world needed her.

But there will never be another Dolly.



We will always love you, Dolly 😢



Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Oh, No! Not Dolly ...

 




Nope, can't handle it. 

No, no, NO! 

She was so full of life and so active - I thought she was one of those people who would live to be 100!

Other than Johnny Cash (whom I knew personally for a few years), I have seriously never shed an actual tear over a celebrity dying - until today.


Who didn't love Dolly Parton?


Though she never outright said it, she gave us enough hints, donations, and and even names changes (removing "Dixie" off of her venues)  that let us know she was a liberal Christian Democrat.

In fact, she is literally the only country music singer/musician who could still get away with that, in this day and age, because she was so beloved as a person. 

She even came out publicly supporting Black Lives Matter, saying "Of course our little white asses aren't the only lives that matter." 

And she embraced LGBTQ, the Queens especially adored her.


Even when she invested in Moderna's COVID vaccine and was among the first to get vaccinated, MAGA didn't bat an eye, they still loved her and Trump never said a freaking word.

(Likely because she never criticized him or actualy politicians, just supported policies.)


In fact, she may be the one celebrity in general who, despite her own politics, had the amazing ability to unite us all.


Who else could get away with that in this day and age?

Only Dolly - because she was a national treasure.

Oh, this makes me so sad!

Thank you, Dolly, for your music, your compassion, your business savvy as a woman in earlier times, and your wisdom, delivered with your stereotypical down-home humility and self-deprecating sense of humor - you were the walking embodiment of a Steel Magnolia - we will miss you 💔😭



Thursday, August 20, 2026

Breaking News: Superintendent Liggins Is Outta Here!





Yesterday, the Lexington Herald Leader published the conclusion to an independent legal firm's investigation into who wrote the printed email impersonating an attorney threatening FCPS and Kentucky State Representative, Adrielle Camuel - and slipped it under her door.

Liggins was caught on video slipping it under her door, but tried to say that he distributed "encouraging letters" to those left after the mass firings the week before and all the press.

Just after she wrote a public letter regarding her concerns with him, signed by her fellow Democrat lawmakers? 

(Dohkay, sure you did.)Clearly, the intent was to intimidate not just Camuel, but also meant as a cautionary tale with anyone else who chose to speak up.


Just one problem with that - the attorney letter was fake - it was impersonation of a well-known Kentucky attorney.

Also, if you knew Adrielle, she's not scared of sh*t - and you would also know that she is not somebody you'd ever want to F with. 😂


They also found searches on Liggins computer for "best law firms in Kentucky" the day before the letter was dispersed, and he also texted 2 people in IT, asking if the printers kept a log trace of from where and what was printed?

One IT person responded, 
"Yes, sir. Got a meeting tomorrow morning to do some investigating."



Liggins printer went offline immediate afterwards.

A preliminary search of Liggins computer found no print history at all for 1 year, which of course is impossible.

Thus, as of yet, they are unable to find which computer was used to create or print the letter as of yet.


Liggins announced his retirement on Monday, before the LHL published the results, and the board accepted it.


It is unclear whether Adrielle will take further legal action, or if the attorney or the law firm that was impersonated will.


But as we know, no leader does this alone - they always have crony enablers that would help them bury a body, if need be lol.

So what I haved wanted to know from Day 1 is - who was the IT person that helped him "doctor" and generate that fake email?


In fact, I think I actually wrote that in previous posts on this subject when the news first broke.

Helping my suspicions along, due to those texts, we now know for certain that Liggins himself didn't have enough IT knowledge to know what was traceable. 


So who was it? 

Well, let's take a look at the evidence.

That reply text to him from someone in IT that said "Yes, sir. Got a meeting tomorrow morning to do some investigating."



Ye-e-es -  I know EXACTLY who that is - and it's the person I suspected. 

Could it be the unqualified crony -  the former gym teacher with no IT education or experience - running both IT and data departments?  😁


This person's father was military - thus, he always responds to higher-ups with "Yes, sir."

Also, when he doesn't know the answer to something IT-related - which is often - he relies on HIS little crony (who is female), so he just says "Having a meeting about it " 😂

(This is codespeak for "I don't know, let me ask my little side-piece lapdog in IT.")


In fact, I've seen printed emails from this person with those exact words on it before.

And I know this person because this person was merciless to my family member after stroke - he's why my husband stepped down into menial labor.

And damn, even I know the answer to Liggins' IT question ...

YES, there IS a print log trace of what you print - that's how they caught the BTK killer, the print log signature on the letter he wrote and printed up from his church printer.


God, I hope his cronies/enablers all go down with him. 

It'd be really nice to see justice against power-abusers return in our society, for a change, right?

However, I wouldn't call still allowing Liggins his retirement instead of firing him as justice for power abusers - it's actually letting him get off easy (likely because School Board Chair, Tyler Murphy, was his BFF). 


FYI - Liggins is a fellow Democrat, by the way - and he's also a person of color and LGBTQ.

We initially thought the backlash was racism and homophobia - until people at Central Office, including my family member, could no longer deny he was a snake.

Unfortunately, his behavior did not do any favors for perception of those demographics, right?

There are bad apples in every demographic, folks - and it has nothing to do with the color of their skin, faith, gender, or sexual orientation.

Never blind yourself to this behavior or excuse it from someone just because they share your politics or are part of your demographic - there's always a few bad apples in every bunch. 

In fact, there's never just one - Trump himself would be nothing without his cronies/enablers- he's just the charismatic front man, good at manipulating people and controlling public perception. .


Some of you will continue to back him until doomsday.

Others of you have blinded yourself over those things, but finally just woke up.

To those, I say - you know it's okay to admit you made a mistake, right?

You're a big enough person, brave and strong enough to do that, right? 

Because it doesn't mean you're a bad person, too, at least not usually - it usually just means you were duped by a good manipulator and made a bad choice.

Admitting your mistake later is proof of not only growth, but your overall good character - it's proof that you're NOT a bad person, too. 😊

______________________________________

PS - 

Damn, I think I missed my calling as an investigative journalist lol. 

People have told me that before, and I briefly considered it while in college after writing 2 articles for UKs newspaper, being encouraged to enter Journalism school.

However, I lacked the confidence - and worse, I'm not so good at taking backlash, whether I stumble into something accidentally or I just notice it when others don't - I nixed the idea.  

I mean, if you can't stand the heat, get out the kitchen, right? 😂

It's not because I'm that smart, it's hypervigilance - the blessing-curse side effect of PTSD - and believe me, sometimes I wish I could turn it off lol.

But Go LHL reporters Valarie Honeycutt-Spears and Beth Musgraves! 

Go Ann Sampson-Grimes,  the Budget Director put on retaliatory leave after doing the initial whistleblowing over the budget!

Go FCPS employee and KY State Rep, Adrielle Camuel for having the bravery to speak out against a fellow Democrat!

Bravery and intelligence - making the women of Kentucky proud, Ladies!😍


Tuesday, August 18, 2026

The Soundtrack

 

... to my own little personal "Knives Out" story written out in posts below lol.


For context, the song was written by The (Dixie) Chicks, 4 years after lead singer, Natalie Maines, said the following onstage at their concert in France on March 10, 2003:


 "Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."


There was a huge public backlash in the U.S. Because at the time, then President Bush was trying to garner Congressional financial support to declare a "pre-emptive strike" on Iraq, claiming they had WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) - but showed us no evidence of that.

Also, the last intel we had on Osama bin Laden was that he was hidden in  the Afghanistan/Pakistan border mountain range, NOT in Iraq - which is, in fact, where he was found and killed in 2011 under the Obama administration.

Lastly, the brand-new Homeland Security created after 9/11 told us to go buy trash bags and duck tape to tape over our windows due to Anthrax threat - also bogus - because it was just one nut sending them to congress members at the time - the public at large was never at risk.

(Also, Anthrax is most potent in water and thus would most likely be distributed in water systems - and when powder-dusted, as IF trash bags and duct tape would protect us!?!)


President Bush has since claimed he received "bad intel" and even MAGA has acknowledged this was a bogus claim.


Regardless, at the time, President Bush told her to "Shut up and sing" which became the mantra against her/them.

Radio stations refused to play The Chicks music anymore.

People had burning parties of their CDs.

There was even news footage of a steamroller rolling over a pile of their CDs.

They received death threats.


All this, despite the fact that many music of the late 60s was in protest of the Vietnam War? 


Considering the mild nature of what she said comparatively, did she deserve it?

And artists and musicians are expressive - that's what they do.

So to ask them not to - or order them not to - is essentially asking them to divorce themselves the part of them that made them successful at what they do and they can't - it's who they are.

Ah, the Republican Party - the "freedom of speech" party - except when its criticism or even jokes about them😜



What happened to The Chicks became a cautionary tale signalling the era of protest songs in the 60s was over - thus why there are very few now, when they are perhaps needed most.

Thus, in 2007, Natalie Maines wrote this song and The Chicks released it on a new album, which many didn't hear/see because radio stations were still refusing to play their songs even 5 years later.

At the time, she wrote it while regretting saying it, but only because  of how saying so also affected her bandmates -  and yet she still felt the same way and that she had the right to say it - but most importantly, she felt the punishment they received didn't fit the crime.

 ...

"Not Ready to Make Nice" - The (Dixie) Chicks 




Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I'm not sure I could.
They say time heals everything,
But I'm still waiting

I'm through, with doubt,
There's nothing left for me to figure out,
I've paid a price, and I'll keep paying

I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round

It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should

I know you said
"Can't you just get over it?"
It turned my whole world around
.... and I kind of like it

I made my bed and I sleep like a baby,
With no regrets and I don't mind saying,
It's a sad sad story
That a mother will teach her daughter
that she ought to hate a perfect stranger.

And how in the world
Can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they'd write me a letter
Saying that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over!

I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should

I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round

It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should

Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I'm not sure I could.
They say time heals everything,
But I'm still waiting


Despite the fact that most Americans (including MAGA) have acknowledged the Iraq War as a mistake based on bad intel - and  Osama bin Laden was Afghanistan from the start - virtually no one has acknowledged that Natalie was right to raise a red flag - and their reputation continues to be tarnished.

Why?

Because nobody likes to admit they were wrong or that they were duped and that their mob-mentality mistreatment of others was neither warranted or justified.




Saturday, August 15, 2026

Quick Lighter Note


Just to prove that I'm okay after writing all of that out stream-of-consciousness (which I'll thus be editing for a while) and that my sense of humor is still intact - which you need as a coping skill to deal with this sh*t  😂

So we are getting gas after dashing, dropping off food from a popular local sports bar full of affluent white people. 

The “band” was shout-singing “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol in a 1000 square-foot  room - on acoustic guitars.


"With a Rebel Yell ... (strum, strum) .... she cried, 'More (strum), more (strum) more' ... (strum strum, strum)."

???

Um, No. 

Just ... no.


Rebel Yell is NOT a folk song - the lyrics sound even more ridiculous that way. 😂


And 60-year-olds, fist-pumping the air -  to Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell  - on acoustic guitars. 😂

I thought I was in a Saturday Night Live parody. 

I had to weave through about 20 drunken old white men in Ralph Lauren and Tommy  Hilfiger, shouting their golf games at each other in order to be heard over the millennial Billy Idol folk singer, to get the food.

I guess this is what passes for getting crazy on a Saturday night to aging Trumpers? 😂

I barely made it out alive or without hurting anyone myself lol. Thank you. That is all.




On Why People of Color Also Love Dolly Parton ...

First off, I have Dolly-fied my blog wallpaper in her honor! 😂 Secondly, have you noticed the outpouring of love from the black community f...