Belated Introduction

This is going to be sort of a mix of things which are important to me. Some of it will be political. Some of it will be personal. All of it will be taken from the context of my perspective on things both local and global. Me, a 38-year-old unmarried-but-in-a-committed-relationship caucasion (Norwegian) Minnesotan gal who comes from a great and diverse (well, okay, in Minnesota, our version of diverse is that we have a couple of red-heads in the family, mixed in with the blondes and the sandy blondes - - which just makes them easier to find at the Lutheran pot-luck dinner) family. Diversity applies to us in some ways, though. We count Artists and Teachers and Sculptors and Communications Directors and Human Rights Advocates and Stockbrokers and Architects and Builders and Public Policy Makers and Mechanics and Lawyers among our family. Oh, and we can't forget our token gay male (my cousin, Jake). He's amazing, and his calling in life has been to open up minds and hearts with dialogue and persistence. So, on that platform, we all unite. It seems odd to say that, I guess. To me, and to us as a family, it seems like there could be no alternative, no "other side" to the story. Why would there be anything other than acceptance of a person based on who they were born to be? But, alas, there are people in this great world of ours who don't see things the Klefstad way. Too bad, really, for them. Think of all of the people they just completely miss out on knowing. All of the experiences they never have. All of the growing they never do. All the light they never see.

So, I started thinking about "blogging" after following Rosie O'Donnell on her wild ride this year. We are all well aware of Rosie O'Donnell's ability to hold her own in a verbal sparring match. She certainly doesn't feel the need to back down when confronted. I respect her for not being afraid to speak her mind on any topic. What really pisses me off is the overblown media reactions to her comments - - any comment she makes, at any time, in any context is guaranteed to be edited, misinterpreted, and applied in whatever way will make the biggest "boom".

One example involves a recent post on Rosie's blog. Apparently, she and Kelli were confronted by a not-so-nice motorcyclist while out in South Beach. Sites that call themselves "news sources" displayed headlines such as: "Rosie O'Donnell throws down with a biker" and "Rosie O'Donnell stands up to hostile biker." Based on these headlines, I knew I had to read her version of the story to know what really happened.

What I read on Rosie's blog was a story of bigotry and Rosie's (fill in the blank: appropriate, poetic, perfect) response. Seems the biker-boy was a tad bit concerned about the proximity of the O'Donnell's vehicle to his precious hog. Rosie had made certain to avoid said hog by assisting Kelli in backing out of their parking spot. Bald biker-man apparently saw only a lesbian woman and her car near his beloved bike and blew a gasket. Insults were hurled by cycle dude and Rosie delivered a parting shot as she and Kelli drove off into the sunset.

Here is her post about this event:

tonight dinner in so beach a very gay city kel and i in r pt cruiser - top down
we had just finished eating about to head home 2 2 many people when
along came a bald screaming infuriated man it’s always a man i tell ya
i stood next to his hog when kel backed out so as not to hit it - i ride
as i buckled my belt he ran towards r car angry“MY MOTORCYCLE BLAH BLAH !!!”
“chill dude -we didn’t touch it” his eyes were wild stretched open wide
he got madder pupils big - snorting like a dragon FUCKING LESBIANS he screamed
the trump card always
and we r supposed to cower to fall 2 r knees ashamed not good enough unworthy
not tonight mr bald muscle man with a pimped out hog not tonight
i stood up in the front seat hands above my head smiled and yelled CORRECT SIR - FUCKING LESBIAN!!!
he stormed back to his table right there in the lincoln mall
sun is setting it is beautiful here in miami dolphins and dreams
peace out

Even when Rosie's actions are in response to whatever vileness was directed at her, there are some in the media who automatically make her out to be the loud-mouthed, off-center one. (Look, it's an out of control lesbian!) Based on what happened, I would have preferred headlines that read something like this:"Rosie and Kelli accosted by bigoted biker" or "Biased biker screams his bald head off at Rosie and Kelli."

These so-called "news stories" should have focused on the newsworthy element of the reported event; the intolerance displayed by the biker's callous disrespect for a fellow human being.