Bust the stigma once and for all. Bravely step out of the mental health closet and choose from 30 different slogans to make a statement. My personal favorite is Batshit Crazy but my kids would refuse to be seen with me, so I’m buying Meds Suck Less Than Crazy. Here’s just how aware the Crazy Meds people are — since psych meds are notorious for causing weight gain, the shirts are available up to size 5X.

Some shirts are suitable for allies, too. I suggest Brain Cooties Aren’t Contagious.

Proceeds benefit a very good cause: crazymeds.us, my go-to destination for drug info and support.

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A question: Be honest. What would your reaction be if you saw someone wearing one of these shirts? Would it make you curious, wary, or amused? Would you not want to explain it to your kids? I’d like to know what the normal world thinks of the effort to reclaim the word crazy and other derogatory references to mental illness.

But at least she doesn’t use a teleprompter like Obama.

Via Politicususa.com

UPDATE: (Huffpost Exclusive)

Closer inspection of a photo of Sarah Palin, during a speech in which she mocked President Obama for his use of a teleprompter, reveals several notes written on her left hand. The words “Energy”, “Tax” and “Lift American Spirits” are clearly visible.

Hot, with or without the flood. Just rescue a cat. An eagle works, too.

For reals. Murray Hill Incorporated has announced its intention to file as a candidate in the Republican primary for Maryland’s 8th Congressional District. Can’t wait to see how this plays out!

Via the New York Times Economix blog.

QUESTION: Should Barack Obama be impeached, or not?
YES NO NOT SURE
39 32 29

QUESTION: Do you believe Barack Obama was born in the United States, or not?
NO YES NOT SURE
36 42 22

QUESTION: Do you think Barack Obama is a socialist?
YES NO NOT SURE
63 21 16

QUESTION: Do you believe Barack Obama is a racist who hates White people?
YES NO NOT SURE
31 36 33

QUESTION: Do you believe Sarah Palin is more qualified to be President than Barack Obama?
YES NO NOT SURE
53   14    33

QUESTION: Should same sex couples be allowed to marry?
YES NO NOT SURE
7 77 16

QUESTION: Should gay couples receive any state or federal benefits?
YES NO NOT SURE
11 68 21

QUESTION: Should openly gay men and women be allowed to teach in public schools?
YES NO NOT SURE
8       73    19

QUESTION: Should public school students be taught that the book of Genesis in the Bible explains how God created the world?
YES NO NOT SURE
77 15 8

QUESTION: Should contraceptive use be outlawed?
YES NO NOT SURE
31 56 13

QUESTION: Do you consider abortion to be murder?
YES NO NOT SURE
76 8 16

QUESTION: Do you support the death penalty?
YES NO NOT SURE
91 4 5

In summary, less than half of these Republicans believe that our president was born in the USA, only a slim majority affirm that contraception should be legal, and worst of all, only 8% believe GLBT people should be allowed to teach in public schools.

This, folks, is the Foxification of our country. Try not to think about this while falling asleep tonight – it will give you nightmares.

I’ve reached the point where I don’t get hungry anymore, so I could do 500 calories indefinitely if that’s what it takes, but my kids repeatedly point out to  me that this isn’t healthy.  But what other option do I have?  I literally woke up this morning having panic attacks in my sleep over the idea of gaining the small amount I’ve lost back and looking like this for the rest of my life.

Then there’s the doctor factor.  If so much as 1 lb more comes back I’m going to go in next week and get yelled at for not losing enough.

I’m pretty discouraged right now.

Ponder that one for awhile ….

When one parent–just one–complained, the Menifee Union School District (a city of about 67,000 people 80 miles southeast of Los Angeles) ordered all copies of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (10th Edition) removed from the 4th and 5th grade classrooms. Stories differ, but either the mother or her 5th grade child ran across (looked up?) the entry “oral sex” and promptly came unglued. Mom went to the principal, who immediately responded by yanking the book.

The offending definition? “Oral stimulation of the genital.” No picture. No diagram. Just those 5 words. Pretty succinct and untitillating, I’d say. But instead of calmly asking why the student wanted to know and discussing it like a responsible parent, she clutched her pearls and ran to the nearest authority figure who, rather than laugh, panicked right along with her.

Now that the news has gotten out, the school district is in full ass-covering mode. When asked, Assistant Superintendent Karen Valdes acknowledged that the dictionary is a respected resource, but said district officials found that “a number of referenced words are age-inappropriate.”

How much you want to bet that anatomical words, like penis, vagina and anus, are on that list? You know, all those “naughty words” we looked up in grade school and giggled over? I wasn’t scarred for life; were you?

The district says it’s putting together a committee to read the dictionary and make a final decision on its fate. Free speech advocates aren’t rolling over, however. Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition says “common sense seems to be lacking in this school.”

Ya think?

There’s no record of it in the articles, but I’d be willing to wager that this district is a big proponent of Abstinence Only Uneducation, too.

Idjits.

KTLA.Com, Riverside CA
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I’ve decided that instead of doing these updates as posts and making people feel obligated to comment, I’m moving my tally into the sidebar. I’m only write a post for significant events.