I've had a certain amount of heartburn over the last couple of months over what I consider to be a ridiculous and ignorant stance taken by a few older white Somervell County males who I believe are lying about who runs this blog. I've pondered over what the fool would even lead them to spout this nonsense, especially since at least one of them knows better, and can only come to the conclusion that it's due to living in a deeply conservative, *red* area where women are not treated as full-fledged citizens with men. What's truly objectionable is that it's like these men are being thieves stealing my intellectual property and hard work and trying to attribute it to another man. Why? In the one case, I know for sure that the man knows better. Saying that I am not writing posts under my own screen name and with my own photo avatar is worse than insulting, it's dismissive, and treats me as if I am not capable and intelligent. Let me list why this is bulllchit and sexist.

• I have had this blog, Somervell County Salon for over 9 years.I started it as a way to talk politics. I did not start it as, say, a cooking blog. IT IS MINE!!!!!!
• I am INTERESTED in politics, like to discuss all levels, and enjoy doing so after collecting source documents and mulling around opinions regarding them. (Like, the GRMC SLUSH FUND!) 
• I am a computer nerd, I have had multiple network operating system certifications, have been a trainer, ran a users group at Infomart, taught a network operating system course at Brookhaven's (continuing ed) and worked for 5 different software companies that included spreadsheets, word processors, hardware, databases, graphics sofware and network operating systems. 
• My hub, who is only a POSTER on this site and not the owner,  and I both are nerds, both of us love technical stuff. Not surprising that I would marry someone that also has strong interests in computing. He does NOT run this site. 
• In fact, my hub and I EACH have our own computer(s) rather than sharing ONE. 
• My hub and I treat each other as adults who, while we have close discussions and interactions, are not each other bosses and do not have to get permission or approval to post our own individual opinions. 
• I own my own video camera that my husband has occasionally borrowed, but it is MY camera because FEMALES GET TO OWN CAMERAS TOO!!!! Imagine that! 
• Quite a few people in town know me personally, know that I am *salon* and that I post as salon on my site. That includes from one of these men who gave me local govt materials to post here.Those same people may also understand that as a female I am reluctant to put my real name on the internet. (There are a lotof misogynist trolls out there) 
• I am extremely literate and familiar with running software, used to train people on how to use various products, and know how to create video clips (Adobe Premiere and Photoshop), and post them to Youtube, have done it for years. 
• I have done open records requests, as well as gotten plenty of documents, video or audio from officials on my own.  Because I am a CAPABLE FEMALE and a citizen who CAN. 
• I program the blog, design the blog, and manage the blog. Yes. A female.
• I have always posted as *salon* and have NEVER posted as anyone else nor will I allow anyone else to impersonate someone else. ANY writing done as salon is done ONLY by me. You can tell who writes what by looking at the NAME of the poster and sometimes, if the person has an avatar, that too. 
• I created this as a *we*, *our* site, that is I programmed it to have multiple top level posters and unlimited commenters, within the scope of the basic philosophy of this site. Occasionally I have posted in the editorial *we* style as a way to ramp up inclusiveness and encourage others to participate, in the same way that newspapers, President Obama and others regularly do. 
• I have had around 30 distinct different top level posters (men AND women)  over the years, and over 1030 distinct different commenters (men AND women). (Meaning some of those 1030 comment more than once). That includes one of the old white men who I believe are lying about me and has himself posted numerous times on Somervell County Salon.
• If there is going to be criticism about one unelected woman posting about politics, then it ought to apply to ALL unelected political spouses, including Ron Hankins since his wife posts on Facebook. 

So, if one of these men attempts to spread these lies to you about me, please do correct them and tell them to grow up and have some ethics. I refuse to allow ANY man to steal my work as if I am invisible. It's really more than a shame that we can be in the year 2014 and have any man still act as if all the advances of the last years for women did not happen. 

P.S. One more thing on the Editorial We It is actually annoying to me that I should have to say this for the benefit of the uneducated, but when I use the *we* I am speaking for my blog Somervell County Salon; *I*  am the person writing this (see Salon and my avatar pic?) , MY opinion, at the behest of NO ONE ELSE. Anyone on this site who posts as either a top level poster or puts in a comment can discuss in the comments, but make no mistake that I am using the editorial "we" here in the same way, for example, that George Darrell Best or previous Judge Mike Ford or President Obama does. The editorial or royal "we" is a well known device that newpaper editors use. 

From the Free Dictionary

The first-person plural pronoun used by an editorialist in expressing the opinion or point of view of a publication's management.

4. Also called the royal we. (used by a sovereign or other high officials and dignitaries in place of I in formal speech.)

5. Also called the editorial we . (used by editors, writers, etc., to avoid the personal I or to represent a collectiveviewpoint.)

6. you (used familiarly, often with mild condescension or sarcasm): We know we've been naughty, don't we?