Granny Geek

The Springfield News-Leader reports that the Board of Governors at Missouri State University here in Springfield has finally voted to include sexual orientation in its non-discrimination policy.

This struggle has been going on for years. The University and its President, Dr. Michael Nietzel, deserve credit for taking this action today, even though they waited for an out-of-town meeting.

Congratulations to the LGBT community here in Springfield, and to their allies, for their untiring efforts over the years.

ST. LOUIS � The fight to add the words �sexual orientation� to Missouri State University�s non-discrimination policy ended in a brief discussion held more than 200 miles from the school�s main campus.

Meeting for the first time in St. Louis, the Board of Governors voted 5-3 to add a parenthetical phrase to a sentence in the policy noting MSU doesn�t discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

The current policy:

“Missouri State University is a community of people with respect for diversity. The University emphasizes the dignity and equality common to all persons and adheres to a strict nondiscrimination policy regarding the treatment of individual faculty, staff, and students. In accord with federal law and applicable Missouri statutes, the University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, or veteran status in employment or in any program or activity offered or sponsored by the University. In addition, the University does not discriminate on any basis not related to the applicable educational requirements for students or the applicable job requirements for employees.”

The last sentence would now read: �In addition, the University does not discriminate on any basis (including, but not limited to, political affiliation and sexual orientation) not related to the applicable educational requirements for students or the applicable job requirements for employees.�

Political affiliation is new to the policy, too, and would not allow discrimination on the basis of what political beliefs or party a person associates with, an issue that has been raised nationally on some college campuses as the rhetoric over the war in Iraq has increased.

“The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism.”

The ACLU recently filed a lawsuit in Missouri challenging the state’s new “Voter ID” law.

The ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri claimed that

…thousands of Missouri voters will be unable to secure the extensive documentation to qualify for the newly required ID card, and any associated fees will prohibit these same people from meeting the new requirement to vote.

“Our overall concern is that the new law will exclude people who want to vote, who deserve to vote, and are qualified to vote,” said Brett Shirk, the Executive Director of the ACLU for Kansas and Western Missouri. “The Supreme Court has held that a state cannot value one persons’ vote over another,” Shirk continued, “and, unfortunately, that is exactly what this law will do.”

Well, guess what!

Today:

Judge strikes down Missouri voter ID law (Note: subscription may be required).

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A judge struck down Missouri’s new voter identification law Thursday as an unconstitutional infringement on the right to vote.

Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan was considering two combined lawsuits claiming the requirement that voters show a federal or Missouri-issued photo ID at the polls was an unconstitutional burden on voters.

Callahan said the requirement is a particular burden to women and the poor. That’s because a separate Missouri law requires those getting or renewing a driver’s license to show they are lawfully in the country, generally with a birth certificate or passport.

Those whose name has changed, such as some married women, also must provide documents showing those changes. While the ID to vote would be free, underlying paperwork has a cost, and the judge said that’s unacceptable.

“While a license to drive may be just that: a license and not a right. The right to vote is also just that: a right and not a license,” the judge wrote.

Callahan said a photo ID requirement is not a burden for most of society. Supporters have said that 95 percent of Missourians already have the ID they would need.

“However, for the elderly, the poor, the under-educated, or otherwise disadvantaged, the burden can be great if not insurmountable, and it is those very people outside the mainstream of society who are the least equipped to bear the costs or navigate the many bureaucracies necessary to obtain the required documentation,” the judge wrote in his ruling.

Today has been a good day in Missouri. The Good Guys—the ACLU, and YOU—have won.

This one’s going up across the street from Boston Market.

Granny’s taking the rest of the week off, folks. Y’all behave, y’hear?

Just what we need. Another fast food place on Glenstone. Taco Bueno is fairly common throughout Texas and Oklahoma. Supposedly, their salsa is good; they make it fresh every day in each store. We’ll see. Gran and Co. gave up on Taco Bell twelve years ago.

Doc Larry gets it!

(Graphic by Doc Larry himself!)

ABC is airing this piece of fiction, tonight and tomorrow night. According to Tom Shales of the Washington Post:

Factually shaky, politically inflammatory and photographically a mess, “The Path to 9/11″ — ABC’s two-part, five-hour miniseries tracing events leading up to the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon — has something not just to offend everyone but also to depress them.

Gran and Co. will be too busy to watch.

Dave at Ozarks Yin Yang has a thing for Rachael Ray, the chef on steroids at Food Network who posed a few years ago for FHM magazine.

She’s quite the dish, isn’t she?

Not everyone is fond of Rachael. But Granny is fascinated by the speed at which she cooks. Rachael whips up a 4-course meal for 12 people in 30 minutes, minus time for commercials. In addition, she can roll her eyes and slam the refrigerator door shut with one foot while yelling, “Yum-O.” Try THAT in your kitchen!

Her cooking techniques are astounding. On a recent show, she wet and squeezed out a cloth for wiping mushrooms in a pot of water that was going to be used for cooking pasta. Granny was agog.

She’s a real merchandising maven, though.
Get a Yum-O bib for your baby

or a T-shirt for your dog.

Dave, it’s not too early to start your Christmas shopping!