"If you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me." Clairee from Steel Magnolias.

This is one of my favorite quotes from Steel Magnolias.  Too often Southerners are guilty of saying nothing or simply blessing someone's heart to avoid offending someone.  Just so ya'll know, I bless with the best with 'em, but there are times when I'm gonna rise to the occasion and tick some people off.  It's a tough job, but I do it.  Ya'll it's time to stand up and say what everyone else is afraid to say.  Praise God there are those that are so inclined to share what others find offensive, otherwise known as truth.  Some Southerners refer to the truth fondly as the ugly truth.

Does it bring us joy to share the ugly truth? NO!  I'd much rather share happy good news that make me proud to be an American.  However, I am ashamed and disgusted by what those who are supposed to represent us in Washington and on the world's stage do.  It is infuriating.  So many Southerners are afraid to speak up and say they do not agree with what is happening.  The few that do become labeled with the new greatest slam, known as racist.  Since when did being frustrated with a politician's actions become racist?  The answer is approximately January of 2009.

Ya'll, right is right and wrong is wrong.  Your color is beside the point.  People should not be afraid to stand up against our country being destroyed by those that have a different pigmentation or ethnicity.  Quite frankly, I don't care if a mugger is purple.  He's still a mugger.  It's still illegal.  He should still be punished with the same standards of all other criminals committing the same crime.  In like manner, a politician that is corrupt and participating in illegal activities should also be held to the same standards as his peers.

Furthermore, there are those that say some things should be off limits.  Like I said, the truth can be ugly.  I'm guessing they're referring to the way Laura Bush, Jenna and Barbara Bush or maybe Chelsea Clinton were scrutinized and continue to be discussed as to whether our population agrees with their lifestyles and personal choices.  Oh wait.  It's OKAY to bash them.  Please explain why they can be scrutinized and vilified by the media, but others are off limits, like those politicians that attend church 18 times in six years.  Not to mention Oprah and her crowd are bitin' at the bit over Sterling making racist comments that were conveniently taped.  Yet, Sony's Amy Pascal is allowed to make racist comments, but everybody else has to keep it to themselves. What the crap is that about?  Can we say racism is a tool yet?  Use it when you need it Oprah.  

Yeah, I said it.  Come sit by me, sweetie.   Let's talk about the white elephant in the room.  It's time to stand up and be accounted for, ya'll.  And for those of you that may be offended, feel free to grab a bag of ice for your little piggies.
 

Well Bless Your Heart!
If you've ventured below the Mason Dixon, surely you've heard this beloved phrase.  It means different things depending on the circumstances of the person being blessed.  Sometimes it is truly meant as a way to convey sympathy, but for the most part, the intention is to allow the blesser to walk away gracefully from a situation where the other speaker is indeed a bonafide idiot  

It is common for a Southerner not to want to offend the other person.  However, as my mother has said a million and one times, just because somebody has the audacity to say something does not mean you have to validate their remark with a response.  Sadly, there are those among us that have not been taught this lesson, which most of us call tact.  Instead, they are abrasive and clumsily trample through conversations inserting their ethnocentric beliefs, thereby offending every Southerner in their presence.  In these instances, it is not uncommon for the Southerner to dismiss them with, "Bless your heart."  

What is being left off is of the utmost importance.  "Bless your heart, you're stupid."  The final piece of the sentence is offensive and so most Southerners will not finish the sentence.  Welcome to the South!