A popular line used in the media and social networks frequently rears its ugly head and today (December 1st) is one of those days for me.
Reasons why the use of the phrase "breaking news" annoys the crap out of me. (1) that #****%#! Nancy Grace says it all the time so you know it's an ignorant thing to say.
Read this blog long enough and you'll know why I have no love for that wan.
And (b) THE NEWS MEDIA!!! Along with some news reporter wannabes on Facebook some how think it's special to use that insipid phrase whenever something happens. But often they have broken no news that the rest of us with a pulse didnt already know or witness our damn selves!
Like tonight when most people breathing in the South just finished watching or listening to the Alabama and Georgia college football game. Alabama won the game. Now three news outlets and individuals have posted the results starting off with "breaking" or "breaking news" like we didn't know already!
What needs to break is your keyboards so you wouldn't use that "breaking news" phrase. TED BAXTER would have told us this "news" faster than you could post about what we just watched and he's been dead for decades.
Do us all a favor and retire that "Breaking News" phrase!
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
The real jive turkeys of Thanksgiving!
At 2:00 AM Thanksgiving morning I saw CRAZY PEOPLE! People camping since Wednesday morning in front of Best Buy so they could buy cheap crap on Friday.
These are people who believe in materialistic crap for Christmas rather than spending Thanksgiving with family. And probably don't care to bathe either. At least not while camping in front of a store for two days!
These are people who believe in materialistic crap for Christmas rather than spending Thanksgiving with family. And probably don't care to bathe either. At least not while camping in front of a store for two days!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
I changed again, back to blogging for ME!
So I got the idea that I would start a blog when it was this new trend several years ago. The first one was "The E Blog, Yeah I said it" and I said whatever I felt with no shame or apology. That same trend moved on to MySpace where I did my most blogging from my account. Had lots of readers/followers there. But we all know that died as Facebook grew.
On Facebook you are most known for your status updates and as the allowed number of characters grew, status updates often became RANTS and for some of us that replaced blogging as a form of expressing themselves. Sure there is also the Facebook notes option but it isn't always easy to find and unless you post it frequently or tag people who likely didn't want to be tagged, your "notes" weren't easily read. So that at least for me didn't work.
But one thing I always kept was my blogger account. And I thought I would try different formats and ideas and changed the name of the blog a few times. I even created a logo for one of the concepts I had. All of them failed. Failed because I lost interest or life's circumstances didn't allow me to have the passion I needed to make it work. And so I will try again and make another change, almost back to where I started.
This change in my blog account did come with a few roadblocks. Changing the URL didn't allow me to return to my original web address, so I added a word and you can find my blog at THEEdricfloyd.blogspot.com . Now that might seem a bit bold and self promoting of me but I don't really care.
The new theme is EDRIC FLOYD: TELLING IT LIKE IT IS! and that is exactly what I plan to do, tell it like it is, or at least like I think it is. This will be a blog of honestly, integrity, openminded consideration and a serious look at ALL sides of a story. Somewhere along the way there will be a suggestion of common sense. Possibly there will be some humor, and surely I am likely to upset some with my expression of the painful truth. I did that before when talking about religion, sexuality and stereotypical discrimination.
So, I hope I am going to finally find the right groove here and blog away. You'll never know what you'll get but I hope to give you the best that I got.
Thank you to those who have stuck with me over the years and through the many changes. And welcome to everyone about to experience me, Edric Floyd telling it like (I think) it is.
On Facebook you are most known for your status updates and as the allowed number of characters grew, status updates often became RANTS and for some of us that replaced blogging as a form of expressing themselves. Sure there is also the Facebook notes option but it isn't always easy to find and unless you post it frequently or tag people who likely didn't want to be tagged, your "notes" weren't easily read. So that at least for me didn't work.
But one thing I always kept was my blogger account. And I thought I would try different formats and ideas and changed the name of the blog a few times. I even created a logo for one of the concepts I had. All of them failed. Failed because I lost interest or life's circumstances didn't allow me to have the passion I needed to make it work. And so I will try again and make another change, almost back to where I started.
This change in my blog account did come with a few roadblocks. Changing the URL didn't allow me to return to my original web address, so I added a word and you can find my blog at THEEdricfloyd.blogspot.com . Now that might seem a bit bold and self promoting of me but I don't really care.
The new theme is EDRIC FLOYD: TELLING IT LIKE IT IS! and that is exactly what I plan to do, tell it like it is, or at least like I think it is. This will be a blog of honestly, integrity, openminded consideration and a serious look at ALL sides of a story. Somewhere along the way there will be a suggestion of common sense. Possibly there will be some humor, and surely I am likely to upset some with my expression of the painful truth. I did that before when talking about religion, sexuality and stereotypical discrimination.
So, I hope I am going to finally find the right groove here and blog away. You'll never know what you'll get but I hope to give you the best that I got.
Thank you to those who have stuck with me over the years and through the many changes. And welcome to everyone about to experience me, Edric Floyd telling it like (I think) it is.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
What to say?
I know this was intended to be a daily blog. I was hoping to talk about current events especially politics. The bulk of those events have now passed and things will remain the same. There is a lot that can be said. But I haven't found the right time and place to say it.
My Facebook friends have heard a lot of my rants. I should have expressed then here. Maybe I could go back in my timeline and share some of the best rants here? That might be entertaining.
I think one of the reasons I have neglected to blog as I wanted is a lack of focus fueled by the frustration I have from a lacking of certain things in life. Sometimes I want to rant about those frustrations but that would be revealing too much I the personal and most people will only see and scorn that as a weakness. And that is not a good place to be.
So who know what the future of blogging for me will be. I could go ahead and rant about some of the personal issues and wish that the outlet would lead toward a resolution. Or I could make a fool out of myself.
But we shall see. The rantings of a man who drinks a lot of sweet tea.
My Facebook friends have heard a lot of my rants. I should have expressed then here. Maybe I could go back in my timeline and share some of the best rants here? That might be entertaining.
I think one of the reasons I have neglected to blog as I wanted is a lack of focus fueled by the frustration I have from a lacking of certain things in life. Sometimes I want to rant about those frustrations but that would be revealing too much I the personal and most people will only see and scorn that as a weakness. And that is not a good place to be.
So who know what the future of blogging for me will be. I could go ahead and rant about some of the personal issues and wish that the outlet would lead toward a resolution. Or I could make a fool out of myself.
But we shall see. The rantings of a man who drinks a lot of sweet tea.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
National Coming Out day special
October 11th is National Coming out Day, a designated day to celebrate the opportunity for people who are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender to COME OUT to others.
Seriously, it is a struggle for some to come out to others with the fear of being accepted by their family, friends and community. If you are LGBT and need to find a good resource to help you with coming out to your family or others, I suggest you seek out a P-FLAG chapter. P-FLAG is Parents, Families, Friends and Gays, a wonderful supportive resource with the friendliest people you will ever know. To find a local chapter near you go to www.pflag.org
Now on a lighter note, I found a video posted on YouTube of a FULL LENGTH movie from 1976 that involves a coming out of a son to his parents. It was a controversial comedy starring Redd Foxx and Pearl Bailey. Also included in this movie is the late Waylon Flowers and Madame. This movie to me is a 70's gay iconic film. It's really a horrible movie in the days when political correctness didn't exist which makes this blogger actually love the movie. Yes I saw this when it was new and I was young and church folk would cringe at the fact that my mother took us to see this.
Ironically I came across this while looking for something to post on Facebook in honor of the anniversary of the death of Redd Foxx, who died on October 11, 1991 at the age of 69.
Enjoy while it lasts on YouTube, the movie "Norman Is That You" and feel free to discuss in the comments below. :)
Monday, October 08, 2012
I plan to blog about The Amazing Race 21
Greetings fellow Amazing Race fans. We are now in season 21 of the American edition on CBS and I am hoping to maintain my weekly blog comments about The Amazing Race as I watch the broadcast every week. I started blogging about the show several years ago but failed to do so over the past couple years due to personal conflicts, frustration with the show, scheduling or teams. Basically I lost interest in blogging. So once again I will try to do this. I tried last season and have many drafts ready but things didn’t work out.
As for the last couple seasons, the selection of teams often left me cold. There are a few standouts like season 20’s “Bopper and Mark” who were a great team to watch and even though they probably never had a chance to make the final three, their success and friendship was an example of strength and courage. But generally those who won the last few seasons were the strongest competitors physically and mentally, even if the husband and wife team who won season 20 were also quite annoying. Not as annoying as some of the younger dating couples were in recent seasons, but annoying nonetheless.
Now for the ground rules of my blogging about the Amazing Race. First, these are MY impressions documented AS I am watching. My first impressions of a teams attitude and ability will be heard more than the impressions of their travel. Later in the season I may predict who will be eliminated or make it to the final three. I may even predict who will win. I will also express who I WISH to win or be eliminated and I wont be shy about why I feel as I do.
I generally don’t like whiners on the Amazing Race. I don’t like people on ego trips. I am not politically correct so I may address teams by what seems to be the tradition on the show. By tradition I mean the token selection of teams every season in an attempt to be DIVERSE in their selection and including as many ethnic or social groups as possible.
There is always an all female team of what I call blonde bimbos and or beauty queens and they often play the part. There is always the GAY couple and usually it’s a couple who appears to be more on vacation than in competition for a race. I’m gay and I am calling it like it is! Doesn’t mean I will always root for the token gay team. There is also always the token married couples, dating couples hoping this race will somehow prove they are ready for marriage. Usually there is a parent -child team and a “best friends” team that will either annoy or totally impress you throughout the season.
I may have my own names for the teams and some of those names may not be kind. Don’t take it personal. Its just my passion for The Amazing Race.
Finally, expect me to bitch about the constant problem we viewers on the East Coast with the delay of scheduled TV programs on Sunday nights because of late running Football games, college football’s March Madness and other events. They make it a nightmare to schedule recording on a DVR and often make me have to stay up later than necessary to watch and blog at the same time.
And so there are the ground rules for my blogging about The Amazing Race. I hope this time I can keep up with it.
As for the last couple seasons, the selection of teams often left me cold. There are a few standouts like season 20’s “Bopper and Mark” who were a great team to watch and even though they probably never had a chance to make the final three, their success and friendship was an example of strength and courage. But generally those who won the last few seasons were the strongest competitors physically and mentally, even if the husband and wife team who won season 20 were also quite annoying. Not as annoying as some of the younger dating couples were in recent seasons, but annoying nonetheless.
Now for the ground rules of my blogging about the Amazing Race. First, these are MY impressions documented AS I am watching. My first impressions of a teams attitude and ability will be heard more than the impressions of their travel. Later in the season I may predict who will be eliminated or make it to the final three. I may even predict who will win. I will also express who I WISH to win or be eliminated and I wont be shy about why I feel as I do.
I generally don’t like whiners on the Amazing Race. I don’t like people on ego trips. I am not politically correct so I may address teams by what seems to be the tradition on the show. By tradition I mean the token selection of teams every season in an attempt to be DIVERSE in their selection and including as many ethnic or social groups as possible.
There is always an all female team of what I call blonde bimbos and or beauty queens and they often play the part. There is always the GAY couple and usually it’s a couple who appears to be more on vacation than in competition for a race. I’m gay and I am calling it like it is! Doesn’t mean I will always root for the token gay team. There is also always the token married couples, dating couples hoping this race will somehow prove they are ready for marriage. Usually there is a parent -child team and a “best friends” team that will either annoy or totally impress you throughout the season.
I may have my own names for the teams and some of those names may not be kind. Don’t take it personal. Its just my passion for The Amazing Race.
Finally, expect me to bitch about the constant problem we viewers on the East Coast with the delay of scheduled TV programs on Sunday nights because of late running Football games, college football’s March Madness and other events. They make it a nightmare to schedule recording on a DVR and often make me have to stay up later than necessary to watch and blog at the same time.
And so there are the ground rules for my blogging about The Amazing Race. I hope this time I can keep up with it.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Not afraid to be out in the south!
The 3rd "South Georgia Pride" in Valdosta Georgia on September 15th is an event organized by and for the LGBT community in south Georgia and North Florida.
Attendance may reach a couple thousand and that's a big deal for an area where being OUT is a challenge for many reasons.
This is an annual event and a welcoming event for LGBT family right in their own backyard.
It's OK to be OUT in the South!
www.southgeorgiapride.org
Attendance may reach a couple thousand and that's a big deal for an area where being OUT is a challenge for many reasons.
This is an annual event and a welcoming event for LGBT family right in their own backyard.
It's OK to be OUT in the South!
www.southgeorgiapride.org
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Happy September
Greetings readers. I slipped again. I keep trying to get into the blogging habit and I get sidetracked by a few things like life and responsibilities. But I still hope to make this a responsibility. I now have the app that will make it easier to post blogs while out and about.
One of the many great things about the I phone.
Happy September!
One of the many great things about the I phone.
Happy September!
Thursday, August 09, 2012
OH DEER!
So I stopped at a truck stop in Butler Georgia (Taylor County) to use the rest room and get a coke to drink (So I can pee again an hour later) and while sitting in my car in front came this guy who drove up, ran into the store, came out with a pack of cigarettes and drove away.....quickly. I guess he was in a hurry.
Oh and he carried a dead deer on the hood...OF A HONDA CIVIC!!
You could see the bullet hole and blood dripping. Guess he recently hunted dinner.
Oh DEER!
Thursday, August 02, 2012
Subway stands with Chick-Fil-A ?
On Wednesday August 1st, an overwhelming amount of the citizens of America celebrated "Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day", a day declared by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in response to the public stance taken by Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy a couple weeks earlier.
Dan Cathy affirmed in an interview with the Baptist Press his support for "traditional marriage" and his pledge to run his restaurant business with "biblical principles" most of which are a smack in the face of LGBT people. So the LGBT community responded with calls for a boycott of the chain. However the heterosexual community and its religious zealots and as many conservative opinion peddlers you can shake a chicken strip at banded together in support of the restaurant chain by lining up for hours for a chance to buy a meal at Chick-Fil-A. The record breaking day of sales for the restaurant chain is like having all of society respond to a minority with a resounding "Fuck You"! We don't give a crap about your rights, we officially declare you gay people SECOND CLASS CITIZENS!
Well in the days leading up to this Chick-fil-A appreciation day photos surfaced showing other restaurant chains with their message boards that said they were in support of their competitor. Many of those signs appeared to be photoshopped creations but this blogger is here to tell you about one sign that was honest and true.
(Click to view LIVE VIDEO of this sign taken to prove this is not photoshopped. video posted via I-Phone on Facebook)
The SUBWAY located at 20 East Cruselle Street in Roberta Georgia posted on both sides of their street sign that they "stand with Dan Cathy and Chick Fil A".
The restaurant is located about 25 miles west of the closest Chick-Fil-A in Macon Georgia. This Subway franchise promoted another restaurant and likely shares the same "Christian" values. Or more honestly, they have an anti-gay point of view.
Perhaps fair minded people, if there are any left after the massive showing of "support" for the hateful Chick-Fil-A company, may want to contact Subway and ask why any of their restaurants would want to support discrimination by publicly supporting Chick-Fil-A.
Or you could choose to get your cheap sandwiches somewhere else.
Dan Cathy affirmed in an interview with the Baptist Press his support for "traditional marriage" and his pledge to run his restaurant business with "biblical principles" most of which are a smack in the face of LGBT people. So the LGBT community responded with calls for a boycott of the chain. However the heterosexual community and its religious zealots and as many conservative opinion peddlers you can shake a chicken strip at banded together in support of the restaurant chain by lining up for hours for a chance to buy a meal at Chick-Fil-A. The record breaking day of sales for the restaurant chain is like having all of society respond to a minority with a resounding "Fuck You"! We don't give a crap about your rights, we officially declare you gay people SECOND CLASS CITIZENS!
Well in the days leading up to this Chick-fil-A appreciation day photos surfaced showing other restaurant chains with their message boards that said they were in support of their competitor. Many of those signs appeared to be photoshopped creations but this blogger is here to tell you about one sign that was honest and true.
(Click to view LIVE VIDEO of this sign taken to prove this is not photoshopped. video posted via I-Phone on Facebook)
The SUBWAY located at 20 East Cruselle Street in Roberta Georgia posted on both sides of their street sign that they "stand with Dan Cathy and Chick Fil A".
The restaurant is located about 25 miles west of the closest Chick-Fil-A in Macon Georgia. This Subway franchise promoted another restaurant and likely shares the same "Christian" values. Or more honestly, they have an anti-gay point of view.
Perhaps fair minded people, if there are any left after the massive showing of "support" for the hateful Chick-Fil-A company, may want to contact Subway and ask why any of their restaurants would want to support discrimination by publicly supporting Chick-Fil-A.
Or you could choose to get your cheap sandwiches somewhere else.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Chris L. Hough of Atlanta, you are a WIMP!
Hey Atlanta folks on Facebook! I am posting this on my blog so it can easily be shared.
Some of you are friends with a Chris L.Hough on Facebook. According to his profile he is an Atlanta area real estate agent.
Well he is a punk ass wimp! That is what I call people who block me on Facebook because they are incapable of having a conversation where there may be a disagreement.
He seems to support a CHILDISH and misleading video that runs OFF TOPIC to the Facebook group where the video was posted. (Screen caps of conversation below)
On my personal Facebook account Chris L. Hough's posts disappeared. That is the result of his BLOCKING me on Facebook. His last post addressing me said "I rest my case,another asshole to block I think". Well Chris L. Hough, you are the ASSHOLE for sure and blocking me was a PUNK ASS WIMPY move on your part!
So these screen captures were done through another undisclosed Facebook account. Yeah CHRIS L. HOUGH, I had a way to see what you said. Your "asshole" comment was done AFTER you blocked me! If not for the other FB account access to the group I would never have seen it.
I probably shouldn't use my blog for a personal anger from some asshole on Facebook but what the hell. This is my way of exposing what some people will do when they cannot handle a disagreement like an ADULT! And this is my way of getting the last word. If you block me on Facebook or Twitter I am very likely to expose you here!
There is a lot of emotion over Chick-Fil-A and the homophobic stance of its CEO Dan Cathy. I am on the side of LGBT EQUALITY but it's dealing with crap like this and people like CHRIS HOUGH that are pushing me away from the Chick-Fil-A debate. I have a low tolerance for immaturity and misinformation. There is plenty of that coming from the GAY side of the debate. I feel we can behave BETTER than that and sometimes I might be called a "prude" for my stance.
Well I could use all of the sources I have to support LGBT equality as it also supports ME. But I will NOT be associated with immaturity and misinformation. I will call it out regardless of which side it comes from. I don't feel that the playground bully tactic and getting cheap laughs at the expense of the opponent are EVER going to solve the problems at hand.
And I won't play that game.
Some of you are friends with a Chris L.Hough on Facebook. According to his profile he is an Atlanta area real estate agent.
Well he is a punk ass wimp! That is what I call people who block me on Facebook because they are incapable of having a conversation where there may be a disagreement.
He seems to support a CHILDISH and misleading video that runs OFF TOPIC to the Facebook group where the video was posted. (Screen caps of conversation below)
On my personal Facebook account Chris L. Hough's posts disappeared. That is the result of his BLOCKING me on Facebook. His last post addressing me said "I rest my case,another asshole to block I think". Well Chris L. Hough, you are the ASSHOLE for sure and blocking me was a PUNK ASS WIMPY move on your part!
So these screen captures were done through another undisclosed Facebook account. Yeah CHRIS L. HOUGH, I had a way to see what you said. Your "asshole" comment was done AFTER you blocked me! If not for the other FB account access to the group I would never have seen it.
I probably shouldn't use my blog for a personal anger from some asshole on Facebook but what the hell. This is my way of exposing what some people will do when they cannot handle a disagreement like an ADULT! And this is my way of getting the last word. If you block me on Facebook or Twitter I am very likely to expose you here!
There is a lot of emotion over Chick-Fil-A and the homophobic stance of its CEO Dan Cathy. I am on the side of LGBT EQUALITY but it's dealing with crap like this and people like CHRIS HOUGH that are pushing me away from the Chick-Fil-A debate. I have a low tolerance for immaturity and misinformation. There is plenty of that coming from the GAY side of the debate. I feel we can behave BETTER than that and sometimes I might be called a "prude" for my stance.
Well I could use all of the sources I have to support LGBT equality as it also supports ME. But I will NOT be associated with immaturity and misinformation. I will call it out regardless of which side it comes from. I don't feel that the playground bully tactic and getting cheap laughs at the expense of the opponent are EVER going to solve the problems at hand.
And I won't play that game.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Chicken Sandwiches Served with Hate?
In July 2012, the fast food chain Chick-Fil-A faced additional opposition from the Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender community (LGBT) over public comments by CEO Dan Cathy expressing his support for "traditional" and "bibical" values in regards to marriage. This is seen in the LGBT community as being against same-sex marriage. This backs up earlier news of the chain's financial support of organizations for marriage between one man and one woman. This is seen mostly as "hate" by the LGBT community and is frequently expressed in opposition to Chick-Fil-A. There are calls for boycotting the chain and efforts exist to prevent the chain from expanding into new areas or to have them removed from some locations.
As a member of the LGBT community and a customer of Chick-Fil-A for decades I am certainly concerned about the issues with the chain and this blog will address those issues in many posts over time. But this is the first of many posts talking about Chick-Fil-A and its alternatives. This is a comparison of my average experiences that include Chick-Fil-A
Sunday, July 22, 2012: Well it's Sunday and Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sunday so IF I wanted to eat something out that wouldn't be an option today. But I was out and about and facing an hour of driving on the interstate I stopped by a KFC drive-thru and ordered one of their chicken sandwiches. Something that can be easily eaten while driving. I ordered a combo of 2 KFC "Stackers", a side order of their potato wedges and a medium drink. I always prefer a sweetened Ice Tea but getting that from KFC is always a crap shoot. Either its too sweet, too warm because they just made a batch or getting spoiled because the batch they made is several hours old. So my drink of choice was a Sierra Mist and it was a disappointment.
And so I placed my order, spent less than $5 dollars and continued on my drive. 90 minutes later I am at a supermarket close to my home and just before I reached the checkout I felt a VERY sudden urge to use the restroom. I hate using public bathrooms but luckily I was at a supermarket that is known to have VERY clean restrooms. So I pushed my shopping cart aside and quickly made my way to the restroom. And not to get graphic, lets just say I was in the right place at the right time. Had I been anywhere else I would have been in pain or in fear of messing myself. I did what I had to do and resumed my shopping. This was less than 90 minutes AFTER consuming food from a KFC and it is not the first time experience for me. Any time I eat something from Kentucky Fried Chicken usually requires a bathroom visit within 2 hours. If it is a sandwich I have eaten by KFC, the need for a restroom comes much sooner with slightly extreme results pending.
Compare to earlier this month (Before Dan Cathy's confirmation of anti-gay policies), I went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. I ordered a deluxe chicken club sandwich combo that came with their famous waffle fries and I ordered a large sweet Ice tea. The Tea was just right. Perfectly chilled and on ice and when I asked for lemon in my tea I got what I ordered.
My Chick-Fil-A order was at lunchtime and I continued with my day feeling great and no issues were had. There was no rush to find a restroom and no ill feelings at all.
For me a gay man in 2012 to admit that I ate at Chick-Fil-A can be seen by some as my supporting hate. Well here is a comparison of "hate". One sandwich tasted horrible and forced me to interrupt what I was doing to go to the rest room. The other tasted pretty good and I suffered no effects after eating it.
One chain is known for anti-gay donations and we don't know anything about KFC, its franchise operators or its CEO's donations for or against LGBT concerns. But some of my fellow LGBT community members would suggest I purchase food from KFC over Chick-Fil-A.
But in this case, the physical HATE came from eating the KFC sandwich. Something I have never experienced at a Chick-Fil-A.
I had an even worse experience after eating a KFC "double down" sandwich. I had to rush to find a rest room only 45 minutes after eating and almost didn't make it. That means I experienced a little more direct "hate" from KFC than Chick-Fil-A
I'm just being honest about it.
As a member of the LGBT community and a customer of Chick-Fil-A for decades I am certainly concerned about the issues with the chain and this blog will address those issues in many posts over time. But this is the first of many posts talking about Chick-Fil-A and its alternatives. This is a comparison of my average experiences that include Chick-Fil-A
Sunday, July 22, 2012: Well it's Sunday and Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sunday so IF I wanted to eat something out that wouldn't be an option today. But I was out and about and facing an hour of driving on the interstate I stopped by a KFC drive-thru and ordered one of their chicken sandwiches. Something that can be easily eaten while driving. I ordered a combo of 2 KFC "Stackers", a side order of their potato wedges and a medium drink. I always prefer a sweetened Ice Tea but getting that from KFC is always a crap shoot. Either its too sweet, too warm because they just made a batch or getting spoiled because the batch they made is several hours old. So my drink of choice was a Sierra Mist and it was a disappointment.
And so I placed my order, spent less than $5 dollars and continued on my drive. 90 minutes later I am at a supermarket close to my home and just before I reached the checkout I felt a VERY sudden urge to use the restroom. I hate using public bathrooms but luckily I was at a supermarket that is known to have VERY clean restrooms. So I pushed my shopping cart aside and quickly made my way to the restroom. And not to get graphic, lets just say I was in the right place at the right time. Had I been anywhere else I would have been in pain or in fear of messing myself. I did what I had to do and resumed my shopping. This was less than 90 minutes AFTER consuming food from a KFC and it is not the first time experience for me. Any time I eat something from Kentucky Fried Chicken usually requires a bathroom visit within 2 hours. If it is a sandwich I have eaten by KFC, the need for a restroom comes much sooner with slightly extreme results pending.
Compare to earlier this month (Before Dan Cathy's confirmation of anti-gay policies), I went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. I ordered a deluxe chicken club sandwich combo that came with their famous waffle fries and I ordered a large sweet Ice tea. The Tea was just right. Perfectly chilled and on ice and when I asked for lemon in my tea I got what I ordered.
My Chick-Fil-A order was at lunchtime and I continued with my day feeling great and no issues were had. There was no rush to find a restroom and no ill feelings at all.
For me a gay man in 2012 to admit that I ate at Chick-Fil-A can be seen by some as my supporting hate. Well here is a comparison of "hate". One sandwich tasted horrible and forced me to interrupt what I was doing to go to the rest room. The other tasted pretty good and I suffered no effects after eating it.
One chain is known for anti-gay donations and we don't know anything about KFC, its franchise operators or its CEO's donations for or against LGBT concerns. But some of my fellow LGBT community members would suggest I purchase food from KFC over Chick-Fil-A.
But in this case, the physical HATE came from eating the KFC sandwich. Something I have never experienced at a Chick-Fil-A.
I had an even worse experience after eating a KFC "double down" sandwich. I had to rush to find a rest room only 45 minutes after eating and almost didn't make it. That means I experienced a little more direct "hate" from KFC than Chick-Fil-A
I'm just being honest about it.
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Mark and Beau want to get married and Texas says no!
The Daily Sweet Tea Toast Salute on July 7th 2012 goes to Mark "Major" Jiminez and Beau Chandler, the Texas couple who decided to protest their state's ban of same-sex marriages.
On Thursday July 5th, they went to the Dallas County clerk's office to apply for a marriage license and were denied because Texas law only allows marriages that are between one man and one woman. Not accepting this form of discrimination, Mark and Beau handcuffed themselves in the county clerk's office and refused to leave until they either granted the marriage license or were forcibly removed. They were arrested and now face possible fines and jail time.
Video of their sit-in and arrest courtesy of The Dallas Voice.
What Mark and Beau did was STAND UP FOR THEIR RIGHTS! They took action and sacrificed to bring attention to the inequality that exists in America. For that The Daily Sweet Tea lifts up our glass in a toast to the Texas couple and hopes that we see more people standing up and fighting for equality.
For more information about this you should reference GET EQUAL TEXAS for the best local updates and perhaps show your support for Mark and Beau as they face their legal challenges.
On Thursday July 5th, they went to the Dallas County clerk's office to apply for a marriage license and were denied because Texas law only allows marriages that are between one man and one woman. Not accepting this form of discrimination, Mark and Beau handcuffed themselves in the county clerk's office and refused to leave until they either granted the marriage license or were forcibly removed. They were arrested and now face possible fines and jail time.
Video of their sit-in and arrest courtesy of The Dallas Voice.
What Mark and Beau did was STAND UP FOR THEIR RIGHTS! They took action and sacrificed to bring attention to the inequality that exists in America. For that The Daily Sweet Tea lifts up our glass in a toast to the Texas couple and hopes that we see more people standing up and fighting for equality.
For more information about this you should reference GET EQUAL TEXAS for the best local updates and perhaps show your support for Mark and Beau as they face their legal challenges.
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Tea Toast Salute: Happy Anniversary Pam & Kate (Spaulding)
Here is a Daily Sweet Tea Toast salute to Pam Spaulding and her wife Kate on the 8th anniversary of their marriage in Canada on July 1, 2004. The lesbian couple were legally married in Canada where same-sex marriages are legal but they are residents of North Carolina which recently became the 32nd state in the USA to approve a constitutional amendment that bans legalization of their relationship. Pam Spaulding is one of the legends of the blogisphere and known affectionately as the "Blogmistress". And if you aren't reading her blog at PAM'S HOUSE BLEND then this must be your first time on the internet! All hail to the Blogmistress and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Pam Spaulding and her WIFE Kate! This weekend happens to be the birthday of BILLY BROWN, of the R&B group Ray, Goodman & Brown. And today I share their 1980 hit "Happy Anniversary"
Hot Tea!!!!
 | ||||||||
| It's hot as hell this weekend! |
So what are you doing to cope with the record breaking heat? Some cities in Georgia and The Carolinas reached all-time record temperature highs as high as 108 with a heat index of 120 in some cases. Sure this is the south and it does get hot here but this is a big deal. And you folks in places like Arizona who may be laughing at us. Remember the old phrase "its a dry heat"...FOR YOU! But here it is a humid and downright uncomfortable experience. Looking forward to slightly cooler temperatures in the 90's in coming days.
7.1.12: Another new name!
July 1, 2012 and the blogging history of Edric Floyd has entered another new phase through a new name.
Gone is the short lived "Collard Greens and Sweet Tea" to "The Daily Sweet Tea". And it is a renewed hope that I will present a daily entry and keep up with current events and opinion. Also a simpler name but still keeping a regional reference so as to distinguish and highlight the part of the United States that I proudly call home in a world and community where there is more disparagement toward the region where I live than there is praise and honest documentation.
And so be it, this is the beginning of the "Daily Sweet Tea" by Edric Floyd. I hope this time I can actually keep focused and make it work.
Thank you in advance for reading and I hope you enjoy a daily dosage of my "Sweet Tea". Brewed and sweetened fresh daily for your blog reading pleasure. (Yeah right.)
Gone is the short lived "Collard Greens and Sweet Tea" to "The Daily Sweet Tea". And it is a renewed hope that I will present a daily entry and keep up with current events and opinion. Also a simpler name but still keeping a regional reference so as to distinguish and highlight the part of the United States that I proudly call home in a world and community where there is more disparagement toward the region where I live than there is praise and honest documentation.
And so be it, this is the beginning of the "Daily Sweet Tea" by Edric Floyd. I hope this time I can actually keep focused and make it work.
Thank you in advance for reading and I hope you enjoy a daily dosage of my "Sweet Tea". Brewed and sweetened fresh daily for your blog reading pleasure. (Yeah right.)
Monday, June 11, 2012
Netroots notes: More than Marriage and don't abandon the south
Last week there was a convention called "Netroots Nation" held in Providence Rhode Island. It is mostly made up of Liberal and Progressive political bloggers and activists and just before the conference was "Netroots Connect" targeting the Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community and thanks to modern technology you could follow almost everything from these events online. And I did just that.
Of the Netroots connect conference of LGBT activists there were some great topics of interest to those of us who live in "red states" including mostly conservative rural and southern regions. One, the matter "Marriage Equality" or same-sex marriage dominating the so-called "gay agenda" politically.
While marriage equality is an important concern it was FINALLY mentioned in a public forum that for many of us, economic and other social issues take president to whether one can legally get married or not. To quote one of the attendees via twitter (not exact wording) "Getting married isn't all that when I can be fired from my job for talking about it". That was in reference to the possibility of someone who is LGBT losing their job simply because of who they are and having no legal recourse. And there are other primary issues of concern that effect singles as well as LGBT couples. Tax concerns. National security. JOB security! Crime and government corruption. These are issues that concern most anyone in any segment of our society and are often compounded for the LGBT community but take a backseat to marriage equality for most of the attention given by the LGBT community politically.
We need to start focusing on many other issues, especially local issues in our community that also effect our straight relatives and neighbors.
And another issue that was brought up is one that is close to home for me and my neighbors. The fact that the national LGBT community and our national organizations frequently discard its community that lives in what is considered a "red state", especially states in the Southern United States. So questions were asked as to what can the national LGBT community do to help its rural, southern and "red state" members of the family. Many in the LGBT and so-called "progressive" community have simply abandoned and written off places that are not urban or in the Northeast or Western areas of our country. So the easy answer is to COME to our red states, our rural areas, our southern states and walk with us as we work to educate and make ALL of our homes a better place.
Many disparage our areas, especially the South for our negative education statistics and the higher domination of conservative politics and religion and if you are LGBT living in these areas it is often suggested to us that we move to other areas, to LEAVE our hometowns for places that appear to be more open minded, welcoming or "safe". But the reality is that those places are no more safer or open minded than many small towns in the rural south. There are many instances of gay bashings and police harassment in urban areas and "blue states". Places we are supposed to believe are safe. While there are things that happen in all areas of our world that are often undocumented, the problems of being LGBT in American society have no boundaries. Even if you can marry your same-sex partner in the few states that allow it, you still don't have all of your rights. You are just like us who live down here in the red states.
I had a good twitter conversation with blog mistress (and North Carolina resident) Pam Spaulding as was told by some that she should pack up and leave NC and consider it a lost cause. But because of the hard work of the citizens of NC the results of their recent constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage were actually more who voted IN FAVOR of marriage equality compared to other states. The amendment passed with only 60% of the vote. In other states where similar amendment votes were held, those who wanted to see marriage limited to one man-one woman won by as much as 75-85%. My point is, thanks to the hard work of the citizens of North Carolina, nearly 40% voted with the right intentions. That is so much more than what happened in the neighboring states. So the amendment vote failed for our side. But progress was made because people didn't give up. And North Carolina proved that you can't just pack up and move away we need our LGBT community to stand with our family regardless of where we live and build progress one step at a time.
I have experienced other instances where it was suggested by the LGBT community to run away from our southern home towns and don't look back like Blacks did during the civil rights movement. But think about it! The Blacks who stayed in the south marched and sacrificed AT HOME while those who moved away may have lived a happier life but in retrospect haven't done or achieved that much. Take a good look at our inner cities of the North and Midwest and their decades of decay. Many of my own relatives who left the south in the 1940's through the 1960's eventually retired back in their original home states to find places that were made better because of the people who worked hard to make it a better place. They didn't have to work to make it a better place, somebody else did it for them. And that is the mindset of the LGBT community in too many cases. Those who live in "safe" urban areas and the North and West where life is happy and there are many things to do don't realize that all of that comes at a price. You have to work for it and can make it happen anywhere.
Martin Luther King didn't run away to New York or Detroit, he stayed close to his home and helped fight to make a difference. And if the LGBT community loves to latch onto the history of the civil rights movement as so many of us within the LGBT community do, then you should take heed from Dr. King. He didn't abandon the small town, the "red states" of the time or the South. And the LGBT community shouldn't abandon US either.
Of the Netroots connect conference of LGBT activists there were some great topics of interest to those of us who live in "red states" including mostly conservative rural and southern regions. One, the matter "Marriage Equality" or same-sex marriage dominating the so-called "gay agenda" politically.
While marriage equality is an important concern it was FINALLY mentioned in a public forum that for many of us, economic and other social issues take president to whether one can legally get married or not. To quote one of the attendees via twitter (not exact wording) "Getting married isn't all that when I can be fired from my job for talking about it". That was in reference to the possibility of someone who is LGBT losing their job simply because of who they are and having no legal recourse. And there are other primary issues of concern that effect singles as well as LGBT couples. Tax concerns. National security. JOB security! Crime and government corruption. These are issues that concern most anyone in any segment of our society and are often compounded for the LGBT community but take a backseat to marriage equality for most of the attention given by the LGBT community politically.
We need to start focusing on many other issues, especially local issues in our community that also effect our straight relatives and neighbors.
And another issue that was brought up is one that is close to home for me and my neighbors. The fact that the national LGBT community and our national organizations frequently discard its community that lives in what is considered a "red state", especially states in the Southern United States. So questions were asked as to what can the national LGBT community do to help its rural, southern and "red state" members of the family. Many in the LGBT and so-called "progressive" community have simply abandoned and written off places that are not urban or in the Northeast or Western areas of our country. So the easy answer is to COME to our red states, our rural areas, our southern states and walk with us as we work to educate and make ALL of our homes a better place.
Many disparage our areas, especially the South for our negative education statistics and the higher domination of conservative politics and religion and if you are LGBT living in these areas it is often suggested to us that we move to other areas, to LEAVE our hometowns for places that appear to be more open minded, welcoming or "safe". But the reality is that those places are no more safer or open minded than many small towns in the rural south. There are many instances of gay bashings and police harassment in urban areas and "blue states". Places we are supposed to believe are safe. While there are things that happen in all areas of our world that are often undocumented, the problems of being LGBT in American society have no boundaries. Even if you can marry your same-sex partner in the few states that allow it, you still don't have all of your rights. You are just like us who live down here in the red states.
I had a good twitter conversation with blog mistress (and North Carolina resident) Pam Spaulding as was told by some that she should pack up and leave NC and consider it a lost cause. But because of the hard work of the citizens of NC the results of their recent constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage were actually more who voted IN FAVOR of marriage equality compared to other states. The amendment passed with only 60% of the vote. In other states where similar amendment votes were held, those who wanted to see marriage limited to one man-one woman won by as much as 75-85%. My point is, thanks to the hard work of the citizens of North Carolina, nearly 40% voted with the right intentions. That is so much more than what happened in the neighboring states. So the amendment vote failed for our side. But progress was made because people didn't give up. And North Carolina proved that you can't just pack up and move away we need our LGBT community to stand with our family regardless of where we live and build progress one step at a time.
I have experienced other instances where it was suggested by the LGBT community to run away from our southern home towns and don't look back like Blacks did during the civil rights movement. But think about it! The Blacks who stayed in the south marched and sacrificed AT HOME while those who moved away may have lived a happier life but in retrospect haven't done or achieved that much. Take a good look at our inner cities of the North and Midwest and their decades of decay. Many of my own relatives who left the south in the 1940's through the 1960's eventually retired back in their original home states to find places that were made better because of the people who worked hard to make it a better place. They didn't have to work to make it a better place, somebody else did it for them. And that is the mindset of the LGBT community in too many cases. Those who live in "safe" urban areas and the North and West where life is happy and there are many things to do don't realize that all of that comes at a price. You have to work for it and can make it happen anywhere.
Martin Luther King didn't run away to New York or Detroit, he stayed close to his home and helped fight to make a difference. And if the LGBT community loves to latch onto the history of the civil rights movement as so many of us within the LGBT community do, then you should take heed from Dr. King. He didn't abandon the small town, the "red states" of the time or the South. And the LGBT community shouldn't abandon US either.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
WIMP of the Day: Caiden Cowger of West Virginia
The WIMP of the day for June 6, 2012 is 14 year old Caiden Cowger of West Virginia.
The host of "The Caiden Cowger Program" as a young Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck wannabe recently posted a rather insane homophobic video rant saying that the President was making children gay. Then when he started getting comments and taking heat for his video rant, he little boy CLOSED his YouTube account basically running and hiding from the results of his own making.
Hey Caiden, here is some advice from some old guy in his mid 40s. GROW UP! If you want to play in the grown up game of public commentary then you have to have the nerve to accept both the praise AND the scorn. You'll never be taken seriously, not because of your youth and proven ignorance but because of your cowardly running away by removing the videos you wanted everyone to hear so you can impress the big boys you hoped to be when you grow up.
You are forever marked as a wimp.
Go away little boy!
The host of "The Caiden Cowger Program" as a young Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck wannabe recently posted a rather insane homophobic video rant saying that the President was making children gay. Then when he started getting comments and taking heat for his video rant, he little boy CLOSED his YouTube account basically running and hiding from the results of his own making.
Hey Caiden, here is some advice from some old guy in his mid 40s. GROW UP! If you want to play in the grown up game of public commentary then you have to have the nerve to accept both the praise AND the scorn. You'll never be taken seriously, not because of your youth and proven ignorance but because of your cowardly running away by removing the videos you wanted everyone to hear so you can impress the big boys you hoped to be when you grow up.
You are forever marked as a wimp.
Go away little boy!
President Barack Obama is making kids GAY!
President Barack Obama is making kids GAY!
So said a 14 year old with too much spare time on his hands!- AND AFTER HE POSTED THIS VIDEO, IT WENT VIRAL AND HE RECIEVED COMMENTS, THE LITTLE PUNK CLOSED HIS YOUTUBE ACCOUNT!! (update 7:30pm, a few hours after the video was posted)
If I find another link to this I will share it! He basically went on a rant about how he felt that homosexuality was a "belief" and the traditional rant that it is a sin against god and that the president was making kids gay.
Update 6/7/2012 @ 2:41am, here is a "mirrored" copy of the video saved and reposted after Caiden took down his original YouTube account!
You know, my elders used to believe in a philosophy that children should be seen and not heard. THIS KID HAS HIS OWN RADIO TALK SHOW, A Facebook "fan" page and a YouTube channel! He is seen AND heard by at least a few!
And who is it they say is going to hell? Well if there are any more Caiden Cowger's out there we're ALL going to hell in a hurry. Beware world! This kid is eligible for a driver's license in a couple years and perhaps more dangerously, eligible to VOTE by 2016!
So said a 14 year old with too much spare time on his hands!- AND AFTER HE POSTED THIS VIDEO, IT WENT VIRAL AND HE RECIEVED COMMENTS, THE LITTLE PUNK CLOSED HIS YOUTUBE ACCOUNT!! (update 7:30pm, a few hours after the video was posted)
If I find another link to this I will share it! He basically went on a rant about how he felt that homosexuality was a "belief" and the traditional rant that it is a sin against god and that the president was making kids gay.
Update 6/7/2012 @ 2:41am, here is a "mirrored" copy of the video saved and reposted after Caiden took down his original YouTube account!
You know, my elders used to believe in a philosophy that children should be seen and not heard. THIS KID HAS HIS OWN RADIO TALK SHOW, A Facebook "fan" page and a YouTube channel! He is seen AND heard by at least a few!
And who is it they say is going to hell? Well if there are any more Caiden Cowger's out there we're ALL going to hell in a hurry. Beware world! This kid is eligible for a driver's license in a couple years and perhaps more dangerously, eligible to VOTE by 2016!
Cleaning house: Putting old records away
As I am trying to get back into the blogging habit I must take care of some issues within my blogging past.
One of my favorite interests is the music that I grew up with and most of the posts in the year 2011 included YouTube videos of the music I blogged about. Well so many of those video links are no longer valid as so many of them were pulled from YouTube. Also, posting them has caused a great problem with the blog posts and sometimes the entire blog from loading on many browsers and computers. So I may have to delete most of my blog posts from the year 2011. Or at least change or remove the video links.
I hate to remove entire blog posts but I guess I should have known that eventually it could be a problem and a waste of cyberspace. The blog posts that remain will be edited and will have an asterisk (*) on the blog title and some will have an explanation of changes.
I will continue to enjoy and post/share music. But in the future you'll have to be a subscriber of my Facebook and Twitter pages to enjoy them.
One of my favorite interests is the music that I grew up with and most of the posts in the year 2011 included YouTube videos of the music I blogged about. Well so many of those video links are no longer valid as so many of them were pulled from YouTube. Also, posting them has caused a great problem with the blog posts and sometimes the entire blog from loading on many browsers and computers. So I may have to delete most of my blog posts from the year 2011. Or at least change or remove the video links.
I hate to remove entire blog posts but I guess I should have known that eventually it could be a problem and a waste of cyberspace. The blog posts that remain will be edited and will have an asterisk (*) on the blog title and some will have an explanation of changes.
I will continue to enjoy and post/share music. But in the future you'll have to be a subscriber of my Facebook and Twitter pages to enjoy them.
Saturday, April 07, 2012
What the hell am I going to do with this blog?
There are lots of things I could have blogged about in recent months but somehow haven't found the time or energy to post about it here with the appropriate quality and information. I wanted to make this a blog worthy of reading whether you'll disagree with the presentation or not.
Where I have posted my opinions covering current events I have met with some great disagreements but presented good arguments and a view that I hope made some people think and develop a more open view of the situation. Some are too bull headed to achieve that and even one of those people suggested that I "get a blog". Well I have had THIS blog for many years. I just haven't quite figured out how I wanted to manage it. I don't think I will ever be as big or able to put as much effort into this to become a blog of destination. But I suddenly feel like trying to at least make it a habit again.
So here I go.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Protesting in West Georgia
A conference promoting failed teachings that people could be "cured" of their homosexuality was protested by more than 50. And I was one of the protesters. On Saturday February 18, 2012 several groups from Atlanta, Macon, Athens and Savannah Georgia representing The Queer Justice League, Get Equal, Georgia Equality, PFLAG, Macon State College GSA and even folks from Ohio traveled to participate in this protest.
Wayne Besen, founder of Truth Wins Out was there and wrote the best summary of the event LINKED HERE!
Please visit www.truthwinsout.org for a more educated view on the subject and understand why we were there to protest.
A blog Re-Introduction: Serving Collard Greens and Sweet Tea
I have made changes again! The Blog that originally started as "The E Blog" and changed a few times in just the past three years has changed again. So ladies and gentlemen I present the new "Collard Greens and Sweet Tea" by Edric Floyd. A blend of the Old School with LGBT Activism that is politically INDEPENDENT and non politically correct.
Why the reference to food? Well I love Collard Greens and I love Sweet Tea for one! I can't indulge in either as much as I did in the past but I still love them none the less. And Collard Greens and Sweet Ice Tea are staples of the South where I live. I wanted to call it Grits and Sweet Tea but I searched for that and others use references to grits. But the real reason for the new name and image is that for a long while I have grown tired of people disparaging the South especially those within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community (LGBT) though various blogs and websites. We need a voice from the perspective of someone born, raised and living in the South. Not just by living in a southern state but away from the big city as well.
The feelings and experiences that I plan to share here are as much personal as they will be for the benefit, support and advocacy of others. Personal as I will share my opinion without sugarcoating. Personal fun as I may share my taste in music or other things. And more importantly this blog will be used to share news and information in the spirit of activism for the LGBT community for which I am a proud member having myself come out GAY in my late 20's after years of hiding from the fear of my peers and family's expected homophobia.
There will be a lot of references to the "Old school" for I believe that if not for the old, there would be no new! I believe in that for music and in life. I love the old school. I love history and believe we all should learn from it. I love music so I recognize old school music frequently in my online life. And I will acknowledge various points in history and when time permits will share important points in LGBT history.
My politics have always been INDEPENDENT. If you are expecting the traditional gay blogger here you will be disappointed. I am not a bed wetting liberal nor am I a "neocon" or "homocon". I LOATHE political parties and I refer to a political "party" as a political CULT as often the people who follow a specific political "Party" behave as if it is a cult and the flock follows their cult leaders as they lead them to their own destruction. And yes, political partisanship does lead to destruction. I challenge you, my readers how many few or many to prove to me that political partisanship is helping the United States of America in ANY way. You may have to work hard on that one as you will be able to tell through my posts.
One thing about me through my many attempts at blogging whether her on Blogspot or on MySpace and later the comments and rants I have imposed on my Facebook friends is that I don't do political correctness. And I expect that to be a major part of this blog. Honestly and integrity that is sometimes blunt and bold. A couple times my comments have offended a few people. While that isn't my intention I can't honestly say that I care too much when something I post does offend. I often believe that the truth hurts and if my opinion offends then I must have made my point. So be prepared for the occasional rant.
And finally in this re-introduction to my blogging I say this. Whether you think I am right or wrong I will never intentionally offend or defame anyone. If there is anything that appears personal against anyone it will be after careful thought and only the proven TRUTH will be shared with documentation. I fully believe in the spirit of "The truth shall set you free" even if the truth may embarrass someone. THIS IS MY SOUNDING BOARD and I will never be ashamed and will seldom apologize for my expressions. Actually I never apologize for my expressions. And I don't hide from them. My name is EDRIC FLOYD and what I post will be as they always have been, my honest expressions without shame but with full honestly and integrity.
Having laid out the ground rules for my end, I say to everyone welcome to the new COLLARD GREENS AND SWEET TEA blog. And I plan to cook and brew an interesting read for you daily.
Why the reference to food? Well I love Collard Greens and I love Sweet Tea for one! I can't indulge in either as much as I did in the past but I still love them none the less. And Collard Greens and Sweet Ice Tea are staples of the South where I live. I wanted to call it Grits and Sweet Tea but I searched for that and others use references to grits. But the real reason for the new name and image is that for a long while I have grown tired of people disparaging the South especially those within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community (LGBT) though various blogs and websites. We need a voice from the perspective of someone born, raised and living in the South. Not just by living in a southern state but away from the big city as well.
The feelings and experiences that I plan to share here are as much personal as they will be for the benefit, support and advocacy of others. Personal as I will share my opinion without sugarcoating. Personal fun as I may share my taste in music or other things. And more importantly this blog will be used to share news and information in the spirit of activism for the LGBT community for which I am a proud member having myself come out GAY in my late 20's after years of hiding from the fear of my peers and family's expected homophobia.
There will be a lot of references to the "Old school" for I believe that if not for the old, there would be no new! I believe in that for music and in life. I love the old school. I love history and believe we all should learn from it. I love music so I recognize old school music frequently in my online life. And I will acknowledge various points in history and when time permits will share important points in LGBT history.
My politics have always been INDEPENDENT. If you are expecting the traditional gay blogger here you will be disappointed. I am not a bed wetting liberal nor am I a "neocon" or "homocon". I LOATHE political parties and I refer to a political "party" as a political CULT as often the people who follow a specific political "Party" behave as if it is a cult and the flock follows their cult leaders as they lead them to their own destruction. And yes, political partisanship does lead to destruction. I challenge you, my readers how many few or many to prove to me that political partisanship is helping the United States of America in ANY way. You may have to work hard on that one as you will be able to tell through my posts.
One thing about me through my many attempts at blogging whether her on Blogspot or on MySpace and later the comments and rants I have imposed on my Facebook friends is that I don't do political correctness. And I expect that to be a major part of this blog. Honestly and integrity that is sometimes blunt and bold. A couple times my comments have offended a few people. While that isn't my intention I can't honestly say that I care too much when something I post does offend. I often believe that the truth hurts and if my opinion offends then I must have made my point. So be prepared for the occasional rant.
And finally in this re-introduction to my blogging I say this. Whether you think I am right or wrong I will never intentionally offend or defame anyone. If there is anything that appears personal against anyone it will be after careful thought and only the proven TRUTH will be shared with documentation. I fully believe in the spirit of "The truth shall set you free" even if the truth may embarrass someone. THIS IS MY SOUNDING BOARD and I will never be ashamed and will seldom apologize for my expressions. Actually I never apologize for my expressions. And I don't hide from them. My name is EDRIC FLOYD and what I post will be as they always have been, my honest expressions without shame but with full honestly and integrity.
Having laid out the ground rules for my end, I say to everyone welcome to the new COLLARD GREENS AND SWEET TEA blog. And I plan to cook and brew an interesting read for you daily.
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Respect the Lady Bird!
I think its a damn shame that some people have HIJACKED the name "Ladybird" and applied it to the husband of a now former 2012 presidential candidate. Members of the gay community mainly fueled by blogger Joe Jervis constantly tweet and blog about the husband of the former candidate who dropped out of the 2012 Presidential race after a dismal showing in the Iowa Caucus. People assume he is gay because of his mannerisms and staunch anti-gay campaign. And now there are calls for him to "come out". But for me as a member of the gay community I can honestly say I DON'T WANT HIM ON MY TEAM.
I also hate that people call this "man" "Ladybird"! What an insult this is to the memory of Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson (December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) the former first lady who actually did some good in her life. Read the biography of the REAL and ONE AND ONLY "Lady bird".
Oh and now that that 2012 presidential candidate has dropped/suspended her campaign I think they deserve absolutely NO further attention. Not even a name mention.
Please let them crawl back under their rock!
I also hate that people call this "man" "Ladybird"! What an insult this is to the memory of Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson (December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) the former first lady who actually did some good in her life. Read the biography of the REAL and ONE AND ONLY "Lady bird".
Oh and now that that 2012 presidential candidate has dropped/suspended her campaign I think they deserve absolutely NO further attention. Not even a name mention.
Please let them crawl back under their rock!
Monday, January 02, 2012
Jan 2nd: I like Warm Weather
Like old school smooth jazz and R&B, I like warm weather! Which means I am not going to like the next few days at all. Brrrrr!
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Happy New Year!
For the record, I like many am glad to see the year 2011 come to an end. I have no desire to remember the past year and the many trials and tribulations it put me through. Many of them forced me to neglect this blog thing I always wanted to do. But it is a new year now. Welcome 2012 and 2011 can kiss my ass and forever be flushed down the drain of history. Gone and hopefully forgotten.
Look for me to make The EF Huddle Blog a habit in 2012. Hopefully it will be interesting enough for you so that it will become part of your daily habit. I thank you in advance for your support and I appreciate if you offer feedback.
Happy New Year!
Look for me to make The EF Huddle Blog a habit in 2012. Hopefully it will be interesting enough for you so that it will become part of your daily habit. I thank you in advance for your support and I appreciate if you offer feedback.
Happy New Year!
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