Troop levels

So, today is the anniversary of the attacks of 9/11 and all Americans' thoughts are on the victims of those attacks, and on the soldiers who have lost their lives since then in the "War on Terror."

Therefore, this would be the perfect time for our illustrious leader George W. Chimp to come out with a statement that he sees us being able to withdraw some of our troops from Iraq by next summer. In fact, he claims that we'll be able to pull out roughly 30,000 troops.

?????????????

I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but wasn't the troop surge somewhere around 30,000 troops, and wasn't that supposed to be a limited escalation, with most of them coming home after about a year...which would mean that we'd be able to bring home about 30,000 troops sometime next, oh, I don't know...next summer!!!

The sad thing about this is that a lot of the American people will see this as Bush doing something good for the soldiers. They'll think he's actually trying to play ball with the democrats. They'll think he actually gives a damn. This isn't the case. This is Bush just playing his usual games. He's playing off of our grief as a nation to try and score political points. Now people will start to think that the Democrats should back down from their efforts to get our troops home because dubya is actually trying.

Do I believe him? Hell no! A lot can change by next summer, and just because Bush says he's going to do something doesn't mean he will. In fact, next summer he'll probably deny ever having said it.

Don't fall for it, America. It's just the same old games from a president with his own agenda, who doesn't care what We The People say anymore...

Rendezvous With Rama

Sorry, Jim, I know how much you hate YouTube videos in blogs, but I just had to post this one.

For a long time, there's been talking of making Arthur C. Clarke's novel Rendezvous with Rama into a film. Morgan Freeman has been the one doing most of the work in trying to get this done, and I'd love to see it happen. I always thought that Clarke was a brilliant short story writer, but most of his novels were just good, but not great. Rendezvous with Rama was the one exception. It was an amazing novel.

If it's ever made into a film, it would be much like 2001: A Space Odyssey in that it would be a much more intellectual movie than most of what Hollywood makes. There are three reasons why I think that's great. 1) I'd actually like to see more intellectual films coming out of Hollywood. 2) Since I first read the book, I've always wanted to see a movie based on it. 3) If it were successful, Hollywood might want to make more movies of this ilk, and that might be just the motivation I need to finish the screenplay I've been working on off and on for a few months now.

Now, back to the whole YouTube video thing. Here is a short film made by a film student named Aaron Ross. It's great, and it just starts to capture the brilliance of the novel...

September 11th Remembered

Once again we've come up to the anniversary of September 11th. No matter what your political views and no matter how you feel about the war that quickly followed the events of September 11, 2001, I think the most important thing to remember is the victims of the senseless attacks.

Below is a video about the events of that day, put to the song Christmas Eve/Sarajevo by Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The video starts out with a strange advertisement for the group that put it together, which is completely incongruous with the rest of the video. It's then followed by phone calls from the planes and from the WTC. It even has Howard Stern interrupting his show to mention what's going on. Then the music starts...

I should warn you that the video contains some graphic material that might disturb you (in fact, it probably should disturb you.) One thing that is shown is the planes going into the buildings, which I know a lot of people have trouble seeing, so consider yourself forewarned...

Disturbing searches

Like many people who have their own websites, I like to check out how people are finding me, and with all of the sites I run, I often see some very disturbing things. Until today, the most disturbing search had been one that found its way to The Genre Mall. At The Mall, there's a publisher called Raw Dog Screaming Press (yeah, you can probably imagine where this is going), and about every two months I get a search that is "Raw sex with a screaming dog." Obviously there are some real sickos out there!

That's nothing compared to the search I found today. Someone had done a google image search for "Naked pictures of J Alan Erwine." As far as I know, and it seems quite likely, I am the only person in the world whose name is spelled like that. The spelling of my first and last name are not exactly common, so I would think that they'd have to be searching for me. That just really bothers me. I think I liked it more when I was getting the hits from the .gov and FBI sites...

WorldCon 2009

Montreal has announced their guest of honor list for 2009. Kind of makes we want to go even more...

Neil Gaiman - Guest of Honour
Elisabeth Vonarburg - Invitée d'honneur
Taral Wayne - Fan Guest of Honour
David Hartwell - Editor Guest of Honour
Tom Doherty - Publisher Guest of Honour
Julie Czerneda - Master of Ceremonies

Why I don't care about Sen. Craig

Idaho Senator Craig has resigned because of his alleged misdeeds in an airport bathroom. You know what? I really couldn't care less.

It doesn't seem like there's really much of a case other than his confession to a different crime. It almost looks like the GOP is serving him up as a sacrificial lamb to try to stave off all of their other problems. Maybe he's gay, and maybe he's not. Again, I don't care. Granted, it would be ironic if he turned out to be gay since he's been banging the anti-gay drum pretty loudly...but again, I don't care. If he's in the closet and ashamed of himself, then that just makes him a hypocrite. Are we going to go through Washington and remove every hypocrite in office? There won't be many people left...if anyone. It also may be true that he's an unethical individual. Again, are we going to go through Washington and remove anyone with questionable ethics? Now there really won't be anyone left.

The real reason I don't care about this is because the media is using the story to ignore other more pressing problems. As long as they report on this, they can devote less time to covering the fact that we still have young men and women dying in Iraq fighting an illegal war. Not only that, but last month more than 1800 civilians died in Iraq. As long as the media talks about Sen. Craig, they don't have to report on that. Then there's the illegal wire tapping, the departure of Rove and Gonzalez, the fact that New Orleans is still basically screwed after Katrina, and countless other debacles brought on by the Bush administration.

Sen. Craig serves as a diversion from the real problems we're facing in America. Let's face it, we're always going to have corrupt or immoral politicians. He wasn't the first, and he certainly won't be the last. More and more people in this country are facing foreclosure because of "borderline" illegal practices by the banks, which are getting the backing of the federal government, but the news devotes more time to a guy who may or may not have been horny while in the john.

"Nero plays while Rome burns."

That's what the media and the politicians in America remind me of these days...

Montreal anyone?

WorldCon 2009 is going to be in Montreal. I've always wanted to visit Quebec...maybe this would be the perfect opportunity for it. Of course, now we need a passport to get to Canada, and given how well the new passport system seems to be working, I may not get my passport in time...I do, after all, only have two years to wait...

I'm a little surprised...

What kind of extremist are you? Your Result: Rational Person   You consider these questions obvious straw men, designed to distract people from a meaningful investigation of facts and a serious discussion of relevant political issues. How boring.
Left-Wing Extremist
Moderate Extremist
Right-Wing Extremist
What kind of extremist are you? See All Our Quizzes

Iz in yer books, stealin yer wordz

Let's end this bullshit

As many of you may know, the boyfriend of one of my best friends is currently assigned to a stryker team in Baghdad. Ok, you may have known that he was there, but you probably didn't know what he did. For those of you not in the know, a stryker is one of those big ass armored vehicles they use over there.

Apparently, today he was able to call her, and he let it slip that his unit had been hit by an IED, and although he's ok, he's apparently very shaken up...especially given that one of his friends lost his leg in the attack. Granted, it could have been much worse, but again I have to ask...how many of our young people are going to be asked to give their lives and limbs in an illegal war?

If you don't think this is an illegal war, then you obviously don't know what an illegal war is. Simply put, it's any war that the UN doesn't approve, and no matter what the Fox "News" Network might try to tell you, the UN did not approve this war. If Russia were to invade Georgia, you can bet that the US would be pissed off about it, because it wouldn't be approved, and would therefore be illegal. Just being American doesn't give us the right to do whatever the hell we want, and it's time we get out of Iraq. We need to pursue a diplomatic solution with Iraq, and with Iran before things get out of hand. As long as we have soldiers on the ground in the Middle East, we'll continue to have problems...

Geek Meme

Yeah, I'm not too surprised...

67% GeekMingle² - Free Online Dating

Books you've probably never heard of, but should read just the same

This is a list at Amazon put together by book reviewer "Book of the Moment." It features quite a few books, many of which look interesting. I'm definitely interested in The Plot to Save Socrates by Paul Levinson...and yes, The Opium of the People is on this list.

Click on the title of this entry, and have a look around...

The Galton Principle

Since the idea of expanding my story into a novel has generated quite a bit of discussion, I thought I'd post it on my website for you to read...should you want to.

The writing's a bit rough, as it was roughly a decade ago that I wrote it, but there are some decent things in it...and a fascist state still seems very realistic to me as the future of America...although what form it would take to bring about this type of government is still a mystery to me.

Obviously, if I were to expand it, the main character's story would only be a portion of it...much as was the case with The Opium of the People. That story was originally just a short story. When I expanded it into a novel, Albert who became Edward, was just one of the stories. He was still the main story, but there were several other characters introduced...some of whom interacted with him, and others who didn't.

Now, I must leave you...keep talking amongst yourselves.

I'm not sure what to think of this...

Jay Lake linked to this in his LiveJournal, and I'm still trying to get over the sickening feeling I got from reading it...



Exclusive: Conquering the Drawbacks of Democracy
Philip Atkinson

Author: Philip Atkinson
Source: The Family Security Foundation, Inc.
Date: August 3, 2007

While democratic government is better than dictatorships and theocracies, it has its pitfalls. FSM Contributing Editor Philip Atkinson describes some of the difficulties facing President Bush today.


Conquering the Drawbacks of Democracy
By Philip Atkinson

President George W. Bush is the 43rd President of the United States. He was sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2005 after being chosen by the majority of citizens in America to be president.

Yet in 2007 he is generally despised, with many citizens of Western civilization expressing contempt for his person and his policies, sentiments which now abound on the Internet. This rage at President Bush is an inevitable result of the system of government demanded by the people, which is Democracy.

The inadequacy of Democracy, rule by the majority, is undeniable – for it demands adopting ideas because they are popular, rather than because they are wise. This means that any man chosen to act as an agent of the people is placed in an invidious position: if he commits folly because it is popular, then he will be held responsible for the inevitable result. If he refuses to commit folly, then he will be detested by most citizens because he is frustrating their demands.

When faced with the possible threat that the Iraqis might be amassing terrible weapons that could be used to slay millions of citizens of Western Civilization, President Bush took the only action prudence demanded and the electorate allowed: he conquered Iraq with an army.

This dangerous and expensive act did destroy the Iraqi regime, but left an American army without any clear purpose in a hostile country and subject to attack. If the Army merely returns to its home, then the threat it ended would simply return.

The wisest course would have been for President Bush to use his nuclear weapons to slaughter Iraqis until they complied with his demands, or until they were all dead. Then there would be little risk or expense and no American army would be left exposed. But if he did this, his cowardly electorate would have instantly ended his term of office, if not his freedom or his life.

The simple truth that modern weapons now mean a nation must practice genocide or commit suicide. Israel provides the perfect example. If the Israelis do not raze Iran, the Iranians will fulfill their boast and wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Yet Israel is not popular, and so is denied permission to defend itself. In the same vein, President Bush cannot do what is necessary for the survival of Americans. He cannot use the nation's powerful weapons. All he can do is try and discover a result that will be popular with Americans.

As there appears to be no sensible result of the invasion of Iraq that will be popular with his countrymen other than retreat, President Bush is reviled; he has become another victim of Democracy.

By elevating popular fancy over truth, Democracy is clearly an enemy of not just truth, but duty and justice, which makes it the worst form of government. President Bush must overcome not just the situation in Iraq, but democratic government.

However, President Bush has a valuable historical example that he could choose to follow.

When the ancient Roman general Julius Caesar was struggling to conquer ancient Gaul, he not only had to defeat the Gauls, but he also had to defeat his political enemies in Rome who would destroy him the moment his tenure as consul (president) ended.

Caesar pacified Gaul by mass slaughter; he then used his successful army to crush all political opposition at home and establish himself as permanent ruler of ancient Rome. This brilliant action not only ended the personal threat to Caesar, but ended the civil chaos that was threatening anarchy in ancient Rome – thus marking the start of the ancient Roman Empire that gave peace and prosperity to the known world.

If President Bush copied Julius Caesar by ordering his army to empty Iraq of Arabs and repopulate the country with Americans, he would achieve immediate results: popularity with his military; enrichment of America by converting an Arabian Iraq into an American Iraq (therefore turning it from a liability to an asset); and boost American prestiege while terrifying American enemies.

He could then follow Caesar's example and use his newfound popularity with the military to wield military power to become the first permanent president of America, and end the civil chaos caused by the continually squabbling Congress and the out-of-control Supreme Court.

President Bush can fail in his duty to himself, his country, and his God, by becoming “ex-president” Bush or he can become “President-for-Life” Bush: the conqueror of Iraq, who brings sense to the Congress and sanity to the Supreme Court. Then who would be able to stop Bush from emulating Augustus Caesar and becoming ruler of the world? For only an America united under one ruler has the power to save humanity from the threat of a new Dark Age wrought by terrorists armed with nuclear weapons.

To expand or not

Many years ago I wrote a short story called "The Galton Principle." The premise behind it was that a fascist US arises where eugenics is used to control the population. The story was almost 6000 words, and it was the only story I ever wrote in one sitting...non-stop 6,000 words. That's how much the story grabbed me. It was also the first story I wrote about a fascist US, a concept that has always fascinated me...and finally culminated in The Opium of the People.

For a long time now, Tyree Campbell at Sam's Dot has been trying to talk me into expanding the story into a novel, and I have been tempted, but I'm not sure if it would really be that good of an idea. For one thing, the plausibility of the idea worries me. Could this really happen? I'm not so sure anymore, especially given the state of science in the US now. Plus, I've had a few people tell me that the premise of Opium is hard to believe...which seems a bit naive to me. Maybe it wouldn't be as drastic as I what I painted, but it certainly is possible for the Christian Right to seize control of the US government.

Another concern I have is that I already have one novel out about fascists taking over America, do I really want to go back to that well again?

Still, I have a friend who keeps saying to me that people should have a certain IQ before they're allowed to breathe...so maybe eugenics is plausible, although I don't think IQ would be the criterion used to determine who can and can't reproduce.

Any thoughts?

Another Book Meme

I liked the result of this one, so I thought I'd post it. Let me know how the rest of you score...unless it's Spencer and The Great Gatsby...hated that book.

You're The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe!

by C.S. Lewis

You were just looking for some decent clothes when everything changed
quite dramatically. For the better or for the worse, it is still hard to tell. Now it
seems like winter will never end and you feel cursed. Soon there will be an epic
struggle between two forces in your life and you are very concerned about a betrayal
that could turn the balance. If this makes it sound like you're re-enacting Christian
theological events, that may or may not be coincidence. When in doubt, put your trust
in zoo animals.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Why I must see Henry again

In my last post, I mentioned that I would be going to see Henry Rollins again in October. For those of you unfamiliar with him, he was the lead singer for Black Flag (a pioneering punk band), and then later for The Rollins Band. I have to admit that I was never a big fan of their music, but they had a message that rang true.

Later, he would go on to write poetry, star in movies, and then he started doing spoken word tours. Basically, he stands before an audience and mouths off about his opinions on things for two to three hours, but he's a very smart man, and his opinions are backed up by good data...which is very important!!! He has a very in your face style that I like. He refuses to accept anything without a challenge, and for that I admire him. In some ways, I reflect his attitudes, but my actions don't always follow my attitudes. Perhaps I've been too beaten down by the system, or perhaps I haven't yet found the courage to really express myself as I would like. Of course, he also has some money...and that can go a long way in our society.

These days, a lot of punks think that he's sold out because he does Hollywood movies and has his own talk show on IFC...but being punk (or a rebel of any kind) is about more than dressing a certain way, or wearing your hair a certain way. It's about having the heart and courage to really stand up for the things that you believe in...and actually believing in them in your heart...not just believing them because the rest of your clique does.

So, here are some Henry excerpts...

Henry!!!!

I just bought my tickets for the Henry Rollins show. October 23rd at the Paramount here in Denver. I saw him a couple of years ago, and it was a great show. I'm definitely looking forward to this one!

Books, books, and more books

For some reason of late, I've been getting a lot of e-mails asking me about my books...not the ones I've written, but rather the ones I own. People have wanted to know what I've read, what subjects interest me, how many books I own...and so on.

So, rather than going into detailed answers, I figured I'd post pictures of my bookshelves. They're raw, and you can't read some of the titles, but I figured it was worth posting...

No more slush piles!!!!

I just replied to the last manuscript in the multitude of slush piles that I had to read through! That's such a great feeling. Granted, tomorrow morning when I open my e-mails, I'm sure there will be more stories to read, but for now, I'm telling myself that the piles are empty...

Where's the Ethanol???

We've been hearing a lot lately about ethanol. Prices on just about everything we buy have gone up as corn production is diverted to fuel production and farmers change over from wheat and other crops to produce corn. There is, of course, a "trickle down" in all of this as meat prices go up because farmers can't use corn to feed their livestock...

...so my question is, where is the ethanol? I haven't seen ethanol stations popping up, and I haven't seen ethanol at my corner gas station. Granted I don't get out much, and I'm sure ethanol is being pumped at some stations...but shouldn't we be seeing a lot more of it, given what we're spending on food items?

In some ways, the whole ethanol thing is a bit of a scam. Yes, it is a good alternative fuel, but when the scientists were first giving ideas for alternative fuel sources, they listed ethanol as one of many that used together could cut down on our oil dependence...but politicians simply ran with ethanol. I don't know for sure, but my best guess would be that it was politicians from corn states that really pushed ethanol through, basically ignoring the other natural fuel sources.

I can remember when I was a kid we had the energy crisis, and at that time, people were talking about alternative energy sources, but then we elected Reagan and Papa Bush, and senators and representatives that belonged to the oil companies, and the whole idea of alternative fuel sources became something associated with tree huggers and other smelly hippies. As a result of our short-sightedness (pretty typical of modern America) we now find ourselves facing rising fuel costs, catastrophic damage to the environment, and terrorists that have been funded by our insane need for oil.

We need to stop doing things the old way, and try to find a better way...for starters, we need to develop other alternative fuel sources in addition to ethanol. And if we're going to be paying higher prices for food, can we at least know where we can get ethanol????

More about vile atheists like me...

This is a pretty good video that shows just what a group of vile people atheists really are...



For those of you new to my blog...I tend to be a bit of a sarcastic SOB at times...

I'm going to Mars

Well, not really...but my name is. This weekend, NASA launched a new probe to the red planet. Included was a small optical disk that includes a number of stories and books about the red planet, including The Martian Chronicles and Green Mars. Also included on the disk were the names of every member of the Planetary Society, which includes me...so my name is going, even if I'm not. Now let's just hope that it's part of the 33% of probes that actually manage to land.

My hope is that by the next time they do something like this, I'll have a Mars story that's worthy of making the trip...it is, after all, one of my favorite subjects to write about.

American Dream

Update for August 4th

It's been a busy week, so sorry I haven't been around much. Obviously the crappy job has kept me busy, but this week I also had to get the updates posted on the Sam's Dot site, and I fell behind and had to do a rush job over the last couple of days of July. For those of you that have submitted to zines I edit, I hope to get through the slush piles in the next couple of days.

I had a conversation with a friend of mine yesterday morning about luck. Her boyfriend is currently serving in Baghdad in our "liberation" of the Iraqi people. Almost a week ago, she'd been talking to him when he suddenly told her he had to get off the phone...and of course, no, he couldn't tell her why. He was finally able to call her yesterday to let her know that several guys in his company had been killed by an IED. So she was understandably upset about this, but being the good girlfriend that she is, she wouldn't let him know. He has enough to worry about without having to worry about her...so of course, as one of her best friends, I was left to try to help hold her together.

We ended up talking about the roll luck plays in our lives. I'm a huge believer that things don't happen for a reason, rather, they just happen. It was just his luck that he wasn't the one out there when the IED went off. I couldn't have asked for a better illustration of my view then what happened last night. Several of us went out to eat, and then we went to the local Barnes & Noble. As she and I were headed back towards my place, we found the road being blocked off by the police because of what was obviously a serious accident. There were several police cars, an ambulance, and several firetrucks. Obviously something big had happened.

I found out this morning that an SUV had been broadsided by a drunk driver. As the SUV rolled, a ten year old boy was thrown to his death. Ten minutes earlier, and we would have been right there as it happened. Was it fate that we avoided the accident? No, just stupid luck.

As we took the long way home, we got to talking about the idea of predicting people's behavior, and I of course brought up Asimov's psychohistory, which I really think is a possible science of the future. Of course, I think it will be able to predict the futures of humanity, but not necessarily of a single human...because the plain and simple truth is that the individual doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

Had Hitler been killed, would the Nazi movement have fizzled? I don't think so. Instead, we would be reading about similar events in history, but maybe it would be Himmler, or one of the other Nazis we'd be reading about. German society was ripe for the picking of the Nazi movement, and I think things would have been the same with or without Hitler. Sure, the actual events of World War II wouldn't be exactly the same, but they would be very similar.

By the same token, I think that had Dubya not been running for president, we still probably would have ended up with a neocon in office, with the same agenda that Bush has. Maybe it would have been Cheney, or maybe it would have been someone else, but we would still find ourselves in the same screwed up situation we're in right now. Again the names and events might be slightly different, but the situation would be very much the same.

I've rambled enough...

Getting away from it all

One of my friends and I decided we'd had enough of the news, enough of mundane jobs, and enough of the crap of the "real" world, so we decided to get away from it all today and go to Mt. Evans.

For those of you unfamiliar with Mt. Evans...it's one of our bigger fourteeners here in Colorado, and it has the highest road in America. We didn't actually make it to the summit because it was pretty well clouded over, and the road up had scared the hell out of her. There are a few places where the road drops off right at the edge and falls several hundred feet. The road from Summit Lake to the actual summit is even worse, so we decided to forgo the final few miles, but I did get some good pictures...


Echo Lake


A cool tree stump


The road to the summit


Some lower lakes


A great shot of Summit Lake


A great cascade


Some flowers by the cascade

Not all terrorists are Muslims

If you listen to the Bush administration, it would seem that all terrorists in the world are Muslims, and this simply isn't the case. There are countless little groups throughout the world with their own religious or political agendas that are willing to use terrorism to get their point across. Terrorism is usually the only means of expression for an oppressed people...at least that's the logic I used in Opium to justify the use of terrorism by the heroes of the story.

Today, one group, ETA, used the Tour de France to get their point across. ETA is a Basque movement in Spain that wants their own homeland in the Pyrenees. Since today's Tour stage ventured into Spain, they chose this as an opportunity to commit a terrorist act. They planted a couple of small bombs on hillsides on both sides of the Tour route. However, their goal was not to kill people, but rather to get some recognition, so they blew them up after the Tour caravan (a publicity parade) passed and before the riders actually arrived. No one was hurt, and it was obvious that ETA didn't want to hurt anyone. If this had happened in America, there probably would have been mass panic, and the stage probably would have been cancelled, but the Tour went on without being re-routed. There are so many Basque cycling fans that it would be counterproductive to ETA's goals to actually attack the race. The title of this entry links to a Yahoo article about the "attack."

Still, our "War on Terror" continues to be waged only against Islamic groups. When someone blows up an abortion clinic here in America, they aren't usually charged with terrorism, although that certainly sounds like terrorism to me. I don't care what your opinion of abortion is, killing other people is wrong. The Bush administration has also never addressed other terrorist groups throughout the world...sure, maybe they haven't attacked us, but if we're really going to stamp out terror, shouldn't we be going after it wherever it is?

The plain and simple truth is that terrorism will always be with us, no matter how many wars we "wage" on it. Terrorism can be an effective tool, and although I certainly don't agree with it, I can certainly see why some people might use it. And as far as our current war on terror, I still think it has more to do with religion than anything else...

Tour de France Geekery

One of the top riders in the world was tossed out of the Tour today for blood doping. If it's true, then I say good riddance. Unfortunately, here in this country, the only way the Tour can get coverage is if there is a doping scandal. People seem to like to point their fingers at the sport and talk about how dirty it is, but at least cycling is doing something to clean itself up. What other sport would throw one of its top participants out because of doping? Certainly not football or baseball. This rider, Alexander Vinoukorov, if found guilty will face an automatic two year suspension, plus he won't be allowed to rider for a top team for another two years after that. In addition, he will be fined his entire 2007 salary. Given that the guy is 33, his career is over if he really did blood dope.

Now, back to the stupid American sports casters who keep saying that the sport, and especially the Tour have died. To them, I say watch this video...



The guy in the white jersey that keeps attacking is Alberto Contador of Spain. He's 24 years old, and he's beating up on one of the best climbers in the world, Michael Rasmussen. Not only is Contador young, but a few years ago he crashed heavily, causing a massive brain hemorhage that almost killed him. He now rides with a steel plate in his head, and he's amazing to watch.

I would like to ask those sports casters, if the Tour has died, why are there so many fans at the top of this mountain...and they sure as hell seem passionate about the sport. Attendance hasn't dropped off in the Tour, and some even estimate that it's now higher than it was during the days of Lance Armstrong...and that's because the race is a lot more exciting.

You also have to love the commentators on the video...you can certainly tell who they're cheering for...even if you don't speak Spanish...

He can't really think we're this stupid, can he?

I just read an article that said our Imperious Leader George Dubya has stated that Al-qaeda in Iraq poses a direct threat to the United States, and that is a justification for why we're at war in Iraq. Is that not the most circutous and asinine argument any of us has ever heard?

Al-Qaeda in Iraq is only a threat because we invaded Iraq, and our presence there has led directly to the rise of insurgency and terrorists using Iraq. Al-Qaeda was not in Iraq before we went there...at least not in large numbers. In truth, there were probably fewer members there than there were in the US at that time.

If we're going to follow this guy's flawed logic, then there can only be one solution...we have to invade the United States! Follow me on this. The United States is directly responsible for giving rise to an increase in terrorism world wide. The United States has been the one to implement policies that foster terrorism both over seas and here in the Mother Land...sorry, Home Land...er, whatever the hell we're supposed to call this place. Therefore, the United States is a threat to the United States, and we have to protect oursleves against any and all terrorist threats worldwide...

Does anyone really think we're going to survive another 18 months with these morons destroying our country?

Update

I haven't been around much, so I thought I'd at least drop in with a brief update to let you all know that I am indeed still alive. Contrary to Keith's theories, I was not the gunman at the capital here in Denver who claimed to be the Emperor of the World. Although it is true that I sometimes think I should be the Emperor of the World, I never actually have delusions that I am...somehow I think I could do a better job than the current nitwits running various countries...including our own.

The gunman who wanted to "meet" with Governor Ritter actually did live just a couple of miles from me, and he bought the tuxedo he was wearing just a couple of blocks from my apartment. I would never harm Governor Ritter...he's an old friend of my dad's...so that wouldn't be good for familial relations. I think it is important to note that the guy thought he was on a mission from God...religion at work once again.

As for me, nothing much is really going on. I'm still working a lot, and I'm still having trouble adapting. Plus the pain in my ribs is only getting worse. So, I haven't done any writing in a while...although part of the reason why I'm not writing is because I can't find the time, and that's mostly my fault. I have a couple of friends who are going through a rough spot, and I'm the kind of person who tries to be there for people...but in all honesty, one of the main reasons I can't find time is because the Tour de France has been such a damn great race this year! It will be over in a week, and hopefully I won't come up with another excuse for writing, because that's really all it is. Or is it writer's block...not really sure. I just know that I can't seem to string words together right now to form stories...hell, I don't even blog as much as I'd like.

There's not much more to report. I'm just hoping the re-release of A Problem in Translation by Sam's Dot will sell some more copies.

Bush to have brain surgery

That's right folks, tomorrow our beloved president is having a colonoscopy. So, for roughly two and a half hours tomorrow, Cheney will be president. Is that enough time for him to nuke Iran like he always seems to want to do?

Really, why are these idiots still running this country?

A Problem in Translation

Sam's Dot Publishing has announced the re-release of my illustrated short story chapbook A Problem in Translation.

Understanding aliens will be difficult, but what if those aliens use a language that involves more than the spoken world, and what if the other aliens you meet bow down to the difficult to understand aliens. Originally published in Alternate Realities, A Problem in Translation is now available as an illustrated storybook from Sam's Dot Publishing. With wonderful illustrations from Teri Santitoro and Janis Marshall.


This chapbook is one of the best selling fiction chapbooks Sam's Dot has ever released, and now it has much better cover art. This is also an early version of the first chapter of the book I recently finished...and that is now looking for a home.

If you enjoy alien contact stories, then I think you'll like this one, as I tried to do something a little different than what is traditional for SF.

Click on the title of this entry to order...

Jon Stewart on Cheney

Every time I watch this video, I laugh my ass off, so I figured I had to share it with all of you. This is from The Daily Show talking about Cheney and how he tries to not belong to the executive or legislative branches, while claiming that he's actually in both.

I talked about this a while back, and I saw this when I came home from work last night, so I thought I'd share...

Dick Move

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Day off

After seven straight days, I have today and tomorrow off. I basically feel like someone took a baseball bat to my ribs, but I guess I'll survive. I suppose I shouldn't complain too much...there's a guy in the Tour de France who crashed yesterday, fracturing his coccyx. He finished the stage, and proceeded to ride today's 200km stage. I can't even imagine what it would be like to sit on a super hard racing saddle with a broken coccyx. The pain has to be unbelievable, and tomorrow they ride into the Alps, so I'm sure that's going to hurt even more.

I'll try to come up with some more interesting posts later...I just wanted to make sure you all knew I was still alive...

Jealousy

Recently one of my best friends had to say goodbye to her boyfriend as he was sent off to Baghdad to fight in the stupid chimp's war. As a result, she has been a bit, shall we say emotional of late. So, she and I have spent a lot of time on the phone while she tries to learn to adjust to this. Why anyone should have to adjust to this is beyond me (since we shouldn't be there in the first place), but that's not the point of this entry.

You see, all of this talking to her has made the number one lady in my life quite jealous. So, while I'm on the phone, I've had to endure things like this...

Happy 100th

Today would have been Robert Heinlein's 100th birthday. Heinlein was a huge influence on me as a young writer, probably second only to Isaac Asimov. Even though some of his later works got a little strange, I still think he was one of the best ever. It's too bad he died "young." I would have liked to have seen what he might have come up with had he lived.

Opium Reviewed again

From Book of the Moment:

"The Opium of the People" is a realistic albeit horrifying example of what the world would be like if the government were overthrown, and authority were assumed by religious zealots. The book itself is an incredible story, yet left me feeling disgusted and mortified, similar to the way I felt after reading Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaids Tale." While the stories really don't have much in common, they evoked similar feelings from me.

"The Opium of the People" also reminded me of the "Left Behind" series...If you've never read any of those books, they are marketed (and rightly so) as Christian Literature, and detail the Apolcolypse, and the world of aftermath. This story reminded me of the series in that it detailed an equally unforgiving and cruel world, left in the hands of the faithfully religious who were carrying out the work of God. "The Opium of the People" though, is much less preachy, and focuses much less on the religion aspect than it does on the characters who are trying to survive.

The story alternates perspectives; from members of an underground revolutionist movement, to former literary scholars who have a hard time accepting this new way of life, to the actual religious leaders in charge. Through the alternating perspectives the reader is given the opportunity to understand the story from multiple angles, which leaves little hope of not getting drawn in.

It's a fairly quick read, not much over a hundred pages, but its a hundred intense pages that really will make you ponder the what ifs. My only complaint was the ending, which seemed abrupt and somewhat rushed; without giving it away, I wasn't satisfied with the resolution of two of the characters...though in the author's defense, he did the right thing...going into anymore detail really would have been wandering from the focus of the story.

If you're looking for something different to read or if you like politics vs. religion, snag yourself a copy of this book...you'll enjoy it.



Now, click on the title, and order a copy...

Olbermann rips into Bush over the Scooter "pardon"

It's Tour Time!!!

That's right folks, the Tour de France starts this Saturday in London, and they're expecting between a quarter and a half million people for the first day alone. I know a lot of people have been down on cycling because of all of the doping problems they've been having, but I think the truth of the matter is that all sports have major drug problems, and cycling is just the one that's really going after the problem. Plus, cycling is a hard ass sport, and that's probably why so many of the riders have turned to drugs.

Granted, we still don't actually know who won last year's Tour, and as a result, the race has decided to not give out a number 1 this year. Normally the previous winner, or the top rider from the previous year wears the number 1, but this time they've decided to start the numbering with 11, which I think is fair.

If you're interested in watching a video that shows some of what I like about cycling, you can go to...YouTube, and watch some highlights from 2005.

Also, although I don't think anyone will take me up on this, if you're interested in challenging me in the Fantasy Tour (it's like fantasy football), you can go to Velogames and pick a team.

Sadly, this will probably be the final Tour for Bobby Julich, who I used to race against here in Colorado. He'll probably retire at the end of this year...and that makes me feel old...

Fred Saberhagen

SF and fantasy author Fred Saberhagen has passed away. I met him at MileHiCon in 2004, and he was very gracious. He really seemed to love talking to his fans.

Yet another creative voice has been silenced...

It was one year ago today...

...that I said good bye to Subway, thinking I would never again go back...and we all know how well that worked out.

I wish I'd had a camera with me today on my walk home. I walk through a field that is right behind a car lot. Apparently in an effort to deter birds, the dealership has installed these large plastic or ceramic owls on top of the light posts. Today there was a big black crow sitting on the head of one of the owls. It just struck me as funny...now I most go try to sleep. I'm in a lot of pain, and I have to be back to work in 11 hours...

Afraid to Shoot Strangers

I've been an Iron Maiden fan for years, especially their more "progressive" music, so when I found this video on YouTube today, I just had to share it...since I still think that the war in Iraq is absolutely insane, and has been since before we went in...

After all, the people in Iraq (most of them) are just ordinary people like you and me that want nothing more than to live the best life they possibly can. Most of us don't want to be dragged into the insanity that we all now find ourselves in, and yet that's exactly where we are, and sadly, I don't really see anything getting better in the future unless we as people stand up to our governments, and tell them that enough is enough!!!

Enjoy the video...

Silly, silly me...

It was always my understanding that Article 2 of the US Constitution clearly showed that the Vice-President is a member of the Executive Branch. Apparently, because VP Cheney casts the deciding vote in the Senate, he thinks he's not a member of the Executive Branch, and therefore doesn't have to give up information that's required of members of the EB.

And when questioned by the Senate, he's answered that it's inappropriate of the Legislative Branch to ask questions about secrecy of anyone in the Executive Branch.

What? Did I miss something? So, apparently, Cheney is in both branches, and in neither...does that make him like an electron? So, if he's like an electron, does that mean that if we don't measure him, he doesn't exist? Could we possibly ignore him out of existence?

It's ridiculous that this administration thinks it can say and do whatever it wants without any repercussions...but even more ridiculous is the fact that basically nobody is willing to do anything about it. The Dems in Congress just seem to be happy to have some power, and don't want to risk losing it.

Maybe it's time for a revolution...not the violent military type, but maybe it's time we as Americans let our government know that we want change, and we want accountability...

But, there's probably a reality show on TV tonight, so maybe we should just try to ignore him out of existence...but acknowledging that we're ignoring him will probably mean that he continues to exist...

Guess I don't have the answers...