Sassistas! Our dish on the social soup.

August 2012 Open Mic

The sassosphere microphone is open, sistas and mistas.

Please step up and dish whatever you like.

 The Sassistas! sponsor Open Mic the last Friday of every month.

 

Open RNC 2012

There's a lot to sass about, but not many of us are sassing these days.

If you're watching this convention (or not)

and want to share an opinion, please step up to the podium.

The Sassistas! are listening.

Botched Jesus

God bless Cecilia Gimenez.

She has brought hundreds and hundreds of visitors to the Sanctuary of Mercy Church after her attempts to spruce up the 19th-century fresco ended in a disfiguring fiasco. Without consulting authorities, Gimenez initiated her own guerilla restoration project by painting a crude rendition of Christ's face over a crumbling fresco on the wall of the church. The name of the fresco -- Ecco homo, or "behold the man" -- refers to an artistic motif that depicts Jesus, usually bound and with a crown of thorns, right before his crucifixion. With the best of intentions, Gimenez turned the 120-year-old fresco into a grotesque figure; what the Sassistas! are calling Ecco simianus. "Behold the pale monkey (with a half beard)".

News of the disfiguring prompted an internet copycat craze, some of which are posted here.

Cecilia -- what in God's name were you thinking?

By the way, the Sassistas! are curious: have any of you ever botched anything?

 

 

Smash!

 

The Sassistas! noticed that yesterday's Sunday New York Times magazine featured the Williams sisters, of American tennis fame. Click here to see the actual cover.

Exclusive to the sassosphere is this cover . . . thanks to Matissta . . . that depicts the REAL POWER behind Venus and Serena!

GO PEACEsista!  Happy Birthday and WE LOVE YOU!

Blessed

We were blessed by the minister who practiced what he preached
We were blessed by the poor man who said that heaven was within reach
We were blessed by the girl selling roses who showed us how to live
We were blessed by the neglected child who knew how to forgive

We were blessed by the battered woman who didn't seek revenge
We were blessed by the warrior who didn't need to win
We were blessed by the blind man who could see for miles and miles
We were blessed by the fighter who didn't fight for the prize

We were blessed by the mother who gave up the child
We were blessed by the soldier who gave up his life
We were blessed by the teacher who didn't have a degree
We were blessed by the prisoner who knew how to be free

We were blessed
Yeah, we were blessed

We were blessed by the mystic who turned water into wine
We were blessed by the watchmaker who gave up his time
We were blessed by the wounded man who felt no pain
We were blessed by the wayfaring stranger who knew our name

We were blessed by the homeless man who showed us the way home
We were blessed by the hungry man who filled us with love
By the little innocent baby who taught us the truth
We were blessed by the forlorn, foresaken, and abused

We were blessed
Yeah, we were blessed
Yeah, we were blessed
We were blessed.

-- "Blessed" by Lucinda Williams from her album, "Blessed"

 

Embrace Life

 

Several of us will be on the road today and tomorrow.

The Sassistas! post this video with love.

Buckle up!

 

Trash

As long as the Sassistas! are wading into controversy by tackling the abortion issue yesterday, why shouldn't they wade in a little deeper and introduce (above, from the left), Knighthawk; April Hanson; and her husband, Harley Hanson? Don't wave back because Knighthawk and the Hansons are raising their hands in a Ku Klux Klan salute along a portion of highway that want to "adopt" for litter removal near Blairsville, Georgia. Should they be permitted to do so?

Nearly a decade ago, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, was able to adopt an Arkansas highway without a fight, so what's the big deal about the KKK adopting a highway?  Some think a KKK Adopt-a-Road sign represents hate. A Grand Cyclops (we can't make up this stuff) for one KKK branch, counters, "We are a love group. We love our race." With the help of the ACLU, the KKK has won a number of legal battles over whether it has the right to participate in such programs. What do you think?

Flannista thinks the OTHER side of the highway ought to be adopted by the Black Panthers. Also, that KKK members might want to exchange their robes for orange safety vest when picking up the trash.

 

My Akin Body

Sigh.

The Sassistas! had a couple of conversations yesterday about whether or not to post about the explosive news story around the phrase "legitimate rape" used by Rep. Todd Akin in remarks about abortion and pregnancy last Sunday. "At this point it just seems like piling on," Flannista said. "He's getting beat up enough," Matissta said. Besides, Rep. Atkin released a television ad apologizing and asking for forgiveness. We viewed it. It seemed sincere.  Who are we to judge?

Then we learned that Rep. Steve King -- one of the most staunchly conservative members of the House -- might agree with parts of Akin's assertion. King told an Iowa reporter he's never heard of a child getting pregnant from statuatory rape or incest. (FYI, a 1996 review by the Guttmacher Institute found "at least half of all babies born to minor women are fathered by adult men.") Then we learned that leading Republicans and others were pressuring Akin to quit. "Congressman Akin's comments on rape are insulting, inexcusable, and frankly, wrong," Mitt Romney said. Then we learned that Akin was daring to state a position on choice that is exactly the same as that of Romney's own running mate. Rep. Paul Ryan not only opposes abortion rights for rape victims, he was a cosponsor of a so-called "personhood" amendment that would have classified abortion as first degree murder and outlawed common types of birth control. He also cosponsored legislation with Akin that would have limited federal services to victims of "forcible rape" -- a deliberate attempt to write out some victims of date rape and statutory rape.

The Sassistas! agree with President Obama that "rape is rape".  Further, we highly recommend that everyone click here to read a letter to Rep. Akin from Eve Ensler, Tony-award winning playwright, performer and activist; a letter she penned from Bukavu, Congo where she is serving, supporting and working "with hundreds, thousands of women who have been raped and violated and tortured from this ceaseless war for minerals fought on their bodies."

Our readers have undoubtedly noticed that the Sassistas! have not posted very often about politics this election year.  During the Presidential election four years ago, we published a political post at least weekly.  Flannista cannot speak for Matissta, but I'm so weary of this election season and can't wait until it's over. However, I cannot remain silent when some elected officials articulate and attempt to make narrow-minded, arrogant and hateful public policy.

Stop violating me.

 

Phyllis

 

PHYLLIS DILLER (1917-2012)

Inspiration for scores of female stand-up comics

and many of Flannista's hairstyles.

 

Shave La Vie

Last week, Flannista opened a new can of Satin Care -- the "Get More Glide for Sensitive Skin shave gel" from Gilette -- and the entire top came off, meaning the lid AND the plastic thingy that you depress to dispense the gel that promises to "reveal the goddess" in me.  The only thing it revealed was a mess. I tried to fix it, but the gel kept coming out like that time Lucy Ricardo tried to bake bread and added way too much yeast. I quickly put the lid back on tightly, but this morning discovered in my shower what you see in the photos at the top and left.

Needless to say, I'm afraid to go into my bathroom as I'm certain that green, soapy stuff is ALIEN GOO based on the photo (which must be from the Mars Rover) on the right.

What do you advise?