Ferguson...

What was on the news last night was disturbing. It was worse than disturbing, it was horrific. The implications of it were horrific and scary. They were also embarrassing. A race riot in the very heart of America. The prosecutor spent about an hour delivering his announcement that no charges would be brought against the officer that shot Michael Brown. In doing so he succintly summarized the facts that were presented that led to the decision. The rule of law was followed and due process was performed.

Without doubt, this was a tragedy. A life was lost and another life has been critically marred. In a better world, not perfect, there is no such thing and never will be, so let's settle for just slightly better, this would not have happened. Michael Brown would not have robbed a liquor store, stole some cigars and walked down the middle of a busy street blocking traffic, requiring a police officer to respond to a call and ask him to please walk on the sidewalk. Michael Brown would not have promptly told the officer to go fuck yourself and proceed to pummel him and attempt to take his gun.  Yes, in a better world Michael Brown would not have done these things and this wouldn't have happened. The protesters who commenced looting, rioting, vandalizing wanted to hold the officer responsible and punish him. Screw the facts and the evidence, we've got our own facts and evidence. In a better world Michael Brown's parents would have done a better job of parenting him. He wouldn't have been robbing a liquor store and telling a policeman to go fuck himself. And reaching into his waist as he charges the officer with clear intent to inflict bodily harm? Come on man.


Don't get me wrong, I'm not pro-police. I'm not really fond of the bastards myself. I grew up in a house with an abusive stepfather who happened to be a police officer. And all of his fucking police friends were the same kind of shithead he was. A good majority of them are no more than half-cocked bubbas with a badge and a gun. They should be avoided at all costs.

Things aren't exactly great in this country at present, but one of the things we have going for us is we are a nation that lives and works within a framework of laws. For over two hundred years that has served us pretty well for maintaining order and justice. Far from perfect, very far. Not everyone receives justice when they are trespassed upon. Facts are often ignored and some do indeed go unpunished. And sometimes the innocent are punished. But for the most part it serves us well. We enjoy freedom here that most others in the world do not. That freedom isn't only from the oppression of foreign aggressors, it's often from those who would do us harm and steal our property right here at home. Our rules of law facilitates and provides our freedom. As our prescient forefathers stated, everyone is equal under the law. No special treatment for anyone, it doesn't matter if you are black, white, red, yellow or any other color. If Michael Brown had been white and did what he did that fateful night in Ferguson Missouri, he still would have been shot. It was not about his skin color when  he was shot. But it became about skin color afterwards by a lot of other people. The problem, my fellow Americans, was not his skin color, it was the content of his character. And nothing else.

I haven't posted anything for awhile, truth is I've been overwhelmed. Life has a habit of doing that every now and then. It gives me a break sometimes, thank goodness, but as the old saying goes, "When it rains, it pours." I just haven't been able to get my mind in the right frame for writing for some time now. My sweet little angel granddaughter has been the only thing I can think about. She finishes her proton therapy treatment this week, for that we are all excited and so glad. We are hoping and praying that this six week treatment she has been through will get the job done, but time will tell. It's been exhausting, for her certainly and for us. But when one of us goes through something like this, we all go through it. May God bless our little Kaitlin and take good care of her.
In the mean time I must find the time and the frame of mind to do some writing. I have found that writing is difficult when you try to do it in intermittent one hour blocks. It takes a little time just to unwind yourself and get your head right. It's sort of like going into a trance. You have to get into the setting and the characters, your mind becomes their mind while you are writing the story. You, personally are living the story while you are writing it. You can't just pop in and pop out. At least I can't. However, when I wrote the El Morro Connection I wrote in two hour blocks. That seemed to work. I would get up at four each morning and write until six or six-thirty then shower and dress and go to work. And in about a year I had a pretty good novel ironed out. The BVP has been a work in progress for a little over three years now and I'm still not finished. This is different though in that this novel has a historical basis and there is copious research to do as I develop the story. It has still dragged on for much longer than it should have. I'll be honest too. There have been a couple of times, at least, that I have entertained a thought or two about abandoning the project. Giving it up and starting another. This whole historical thriller or historical anything I don't think is my bailiwick. But in spite of it all I like this story and I especially like who and what this story is about. I like what it stands for. These were great Americans. In spite of the way they were treated (abused...) they persevered and built an important part of American life and history. And I like writing about it. And I'm pretty sure you're going to like reading about it.

The battle continues...

We thought we had made it through the worst of it. Kaitlin had brain surgery that was successful by any standards. The recovery seemed to go remarkably well. A few weeks later, on the day radiation treatment was to begin, she became ill and had to be hospitalized. A simple blood test revealed something that made my blood boil. MRSA. A bacterial blood infection. A hospital-borne pathogen. Dirty surgical instruments to put it bluntly. I lived through the same hell myself about six months ago.  These little talked about things can kill you, and for some unlucky souls, they actually do. The maddening factor about these things is they are so easily preventable. Just follow the proper protocol in sterilization of the surgical instruments. Some lazy fucking hospital worker who is tired or just doesn't give a shit doesn't do their job and a poor helpless and very sick child who has cancer gets a serious infection. Whoever that person may be that is responsible for that, keep their identity away from me. Not that their worthless ass should be spared, it shouldn't.
But she is recovering from the malady. In spite of the pain that the scourge of the world inflicts on her, she is getting better. She'll recover from this and go back to fighting the cancer that no child should ever have to face. But this is a physical world that we mortals live in and this is an unfortunate part of that physical world. Thank God we have some really smart people who have chosen some very altruistic occupations. They do some wonderful things and we should never take them for granted. Add to that faith and the power of prayer and you have something more powerful than the destructive force of cancer.
She will win. Kaitlin will win. She is a precious little girl and hers is a precious life. All of us are so lucky and blessed to have her in ours. If grandparents could choose a beautiful, angelic, sweet and loving child as a granddaughter, it would be her.

Sometimes, nothing else matters.

When was the last time something happened in your life that made you stop thinking about or perhaps even caring about other things? This 'something', whatever it was, sort of took over as number one on your list of important stuff and all the other things became a distant second. It made you feel, at times like nothing else mattered. That would have to be something pretty big, pretty important I'm sure you'll agree. Unfortunately, that 'something' has happened to my family.
A few months ago my beautiful little granddaughter Kaitlin started having problems with headaches and she woke up each morning throwing up. Her mom and dad became quite concerned and took her to the doctor to try and find out what was causing this. I might add that her mom and dad are two of the best parents a child could possibly have. Several doctor visits later the problem is still there. Their pediatrician decides she should go to the emergency room where an MRI was ordered. A tumor was found, a brain tumor. A couple of months later another MRI and it was discovered that it had grown. A neurologist decided, after consulting with a bunch of other neurologists that it would have to come out. This little five year-old angel had brain surgery. It went well, the doctor said they were able to remove over 95% of the tumor. They thought up to this point that the tumor was benign, but a pathology report a couple of days after the surgery confirms that it's not; it's cancerous and it's malignant. They were able to get almost all of it out, which was of course a good thing, but there's still a little bit of it there. Even one cell of a cancerous brain tumor is cause for concern. So now she begins six weeks of daily radiation treatments to try and take care of the rest of it.
I could give you all the usual metaphors for how we feel after all this, like run over by a truck, hit by a freight train, had our legs chopped out from under us, but those don't really describe it. What do we really feel like? Like nothing else matters. Human nature causes  us to first ask ourselves why, why would something like this happen to such an innocent, beautiful being as this little girl? This sweet, little person is as close as a mortal can get to being an angel. Mother Teresa herself, no offense intended, was no closer to being an angel on earth than Kaitlin. I suppose about as good an explanation as any is we live in a physical world. Car wrecks, explosions, airplane crashes and tumors. They happen. God doesn't will things like that to happen to us but He is there to help us find the strength to get through them. We can wonder how and why these things happen till we drop but the important thing is to do whatever we have to do to get through it. First, get good doctors. She's in the care of doctors at Texas Childrens and M.D. Anderson, it doesn't get any better than that. In fact, the little lady who was the chief neurologist that performed the brain surgery on Kaitlin is now my hero. Dr. Lam, any human who can do what you did for Kaitlin or anyone else is a true hero. The world is lucky to have you. Second, pray. No more needs to be said. Pray. If there is anyone who can help get us all through this, it is God. Just pray and have faith.
As grandparents, the most valuable and precious thing we have ever had around our necks is Kaitlin's arms. Nothing compares to having that sweet, little angel hug our necks and say I love you. In fact, nothing else matters...

It's time for Walden again...

Ah yes, it's May, the time for my annual weeklong sabbatical. I look forward to this week each year when I get away for a solo trip to the farm. The purpose is to unwind and decompress, but also to write. My current project, as yet unnamed, I have code-named the BVP project. BVP simply stands for Buffalo Valley project. For the past year I have found it very difficult to find enough time to write. It has been sporadic and infrequent. I have about 60k words so it's getting toward completion but there is still a lot of work to be done. I think this is going to be a very good novel so I'm not about to abandon it. I have put a lot of work into this project. I have no plans to ever write a book like this again, but I think this one is going to turn out nicely. And my week at the farm is going to be my opportunity to get some work done on it. It's the perfect environment, I can see Mr. Thoreau's train of thinking now. If you want to get some serious writing done, get rid of people. All of them. Go and live off the land, deliberately. Oh I'm going to do some physical work too. I'll be doing some mowing, the place is growing over with grass, weeds and briars. I'll cut some firewood and stack it up, you can never have too much firewood. One of my favorite things to do to pass a little time in this world is to build a nice fire at the farm, sit back in a nice comfy chair and enjoy a glass or two of whiskey on the rocks. Yes. That's how to get your head right. Meditation and yoga can't touch the firewater for relaxation. And it just so happens that the moon is near full now. Have you ever experienced a full moon while you were alone in the woods at night with the sound of howling coyotes in the distance? I've even heard a cougar a few time out there. Now that's a real attention getter. Before we went and put up that stupid area light you could enjoy the magnificent storybook sight of fireflies by the hundreds twinkling in the darkness. There are few modern conveniences out there, like no running water, though there is an old abandoned farmhouse I have cleaned up and use to sleep in. It's actually pretty nice except for the occasional mouse running across the floor, a spider here and there and yes, I did encounter a snake in there once. It was just a little rat snake, harmless little fellow.
It's all those things that make it special. Buddy and I, my boxer, roam the place exploring. There's a lot of history there, hence the inspiration for the book project in progress. It's a fascinating place that I  thoroughly enjoy, especially for that special week each May.

These are strange times indeed...

Kind of an understatement really. They could arguably be called much more than strange times. Or might I say much worse than strange times. I don't like to consider myself a political commentator but I suppose Charles Krauthammer said the same thing at one time.  Don't get me wrong, I have no illusions that I'll ever be a Charles Krauthammer. But, I do have a few things to say.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way...

Recognize those words? Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. They seem to be so eerily relevant to all that's going on in our country now, don't you think? It depends on your perspective which of the contradictory phrases you like best. I consider myself a pragmatist. I'm optimistic, but I'm a pragmatist. Facts are facts. Period. One of my favorite expressions is "It is what it is..." Let's go to one of the most talked about events of our time. Benghazi. It has been revealed in the last few days that there are emails that have surfaced that gave the talking points for U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to say regarding the cause of the Benghazi attack on the embassy. And of course we all recall that she said the attack was the result of protests to a You Tube video. Ben Rhoades, a White House communications advisor wrote that one "goal" for Rice was to "underscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure or policy." If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck; well this looks like a bunch of ducks trying to distort the truth to me. Or to put it in simple terms, fabricating a lie. The White House knew this had nothing to do with an internet video. So why did they decide to lie about it? I'll put that in simple terms as well. This happened in September and Obama was facing re-election in November. A policy failure would not have bode well for him right before the election. But now we know that the script for Susan Rice to talk about the situation came from inside the White House. Because that's what they wanted the public to hear. So a black woman in a high office who should have been able to think for herself simply read what they told her to read. Yet once again, Obama and his slackers lied to the people of the United States. In the Senate inquiry Hillary Clinton said the talking points came from the IC, Intelligence Community. No, Hillary, they did not. And you know they didn't. They came from the White House. A close aide to the president to be more specific. In context, she made light of the situation by saying, "whether it was a protest or a bunch of guys out for a walk and deciding to go kill some Americans, what difference does it make?" What difference does it make you ask? I'll tell you what difference it makes. It was neither. Not a protest or a bunch of guys out for a walk you idiot. It was a terrorist attack. And boots on the ground at the time it happened told you all as much. But you chose to ignore them and make up some bullshit about a You Tube video. What difference does it make? Four good Americans serving their country died. And you and the president don't even have the decency to tell the truth about the circumstances of their death. And you knew the truth. 

That's but one case of the president and his slackers lying to the people. There are more. The IRS scandal, Fast and Furious, "If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor. Period." I don't know about you but I feel embarrassed. In front of the world our president is lying to us. Repeatedly. And he is dumb enough to think that we're dumb enough to believe him. You don't need to be a political scholar to see that the government is growing. It is expanding it's role and it's authority in the details of Americans' lives. Do you need evidence of that? You shouldn't. It's more than obvious. Take Obamacare. Federal law now dictates that you will buy and keep health insurance. If you don't you will be fined. That choice has been taken from you. Oh, you HAD health insurance you say. No problem, Mr. Obama said if you like your plan you can keep your plan. Period. No, you can't. Most of those plans no longer meet the federally mandated requirements. Like providing condoms to idiots who can't keep their zippers up and dresses down. 

Yes, these are strange times. But I don't think strange is the best adjective. It was the age of wisdom it was the age of foolishness... Need I say more.

A writer's secret...

Everybody likes secrets, right? Especially other people's secrets. In this post I'm going to reveal one of mine. It's not some sordid characteristic  that carries over into my stories and no, I don't have a concubine. I love my wife and I like to keep my life simple. This secret reveals a little about me as a writer. And for me personally, it's exciting. Every year for the past six to eight years (time flies and who's counting anyway...) I make my way up to our place in Oklahoma. We have a couple of hundred acres in southeast Oklahoma near the little town of Talihina. You've heard of the contemporary rock band called "Kings of Leon" for sure. Well, they're from Talihina. It's hard to imagine a rock band, especially a really good one being from Talihina.
Our place is about eight to ten miles from town and in the middle of it there's an old farmhouse. I stay in that farmhouse whenever I go there. My wife's grandfather built it back in the sixties just before he passed away. There's something very peaceful and relaxing about being in that farmhouse, I love it. Of course, it's old and old farmhouses have mice and spiders and even an occasional snake. Rat snakes, nothing to be afraid of. My wife refuses to stay in it, she says too many spiders and critters for her. I've never been bitten by a spider or a mouse or a snake and I've slept really close to all of them before. I did get bitten by a tick while I was there once and got Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. I think a snakebite may have been easier to deal with... This farmhouse is a respite, a temple of peacefulness. There's a few ponds on the place, I used to fish them before the drought a few years ago caused them to get really low and killed off all the fish. And the place is big. A couple of hundred acres. Lots of trees, open meadows, as you walk around you're sure to flush out a herd or two of deer and some turkeys. To the north towers the modestly high Buffalo Mountain. No majestic, craggy peaks like the Tetons, and certainly not high enough to have a timberline. Just a beautifully wooded, verdant mountain that was once roamed by Choctaws, Chickasaws and the James Gang. As in Jesse and Frank James. On the other side of Buffalo Mountain is Robber's Cave, the infamous hideout used by myriad marauders back in the 1800's.
This place is called "The Farm". Has been ever since I can remember. It was once a working farm and probably will be again someday. But for now it's just a quiet, peaceful and inspiring place. As a writer if you come here and aren't inspired you probably need to be embalmed pretty soon. It inspired me to write a book that I'm working on now and should be published sometime this year. I call it a 'historical thriller'. It's fiction of course, but based on a real place, real events and real people. Some of the characters were real, the main characters weren't. I got the idea for the book while I was there several years ago and have written much of the story sitting in the old farmhouse. I am, in fact headed up there this morning to spend Easter weekend there. Early spring is an absolutely wonderful time of the year to be there.
I suppose you could say The Farm is my Walden Pond. I choose to go there and live deliberately, as Thoreau would say, but I take plenty of food with me. And unlike Thoreau, I have to return to civilization pretty often. But while I'm there, sitting around the campfire listening to the coyotes and the occasional cougar (that's no joke, I've heard them), gets me as close to God and nature as I've ever been. God doesn't even mind the glass of whiskey as I sit around the fire. He told me so. Really.

Malaysian Air Flight 370

About a month has passed and Flight 370 still hasn't been found. The Australians have picked up on the pings form the black box, but they haven't located, or found anything yet. Very sad for the victims and especially the families of the passengers. And in the squalor and ineptitude of their helplessness the Malaysian authorities claim that every passenger remains a suspect. How nice, these families have lost loved ones in a tragic and mysterious lost plane and the authorities insult them by claiming all of them are suspects. Possible perpetrators of what has happened. It can't be called an accident yet, because no one knows or has evidence that it actually was an accident. Could a passenger be responsible for what happened? It's possible. Could a pilot have been responsible? Of course. In fact that scenario is a lot more likely since they were driving the damn thing. Given the level of sophistication the world intelligence community has reached, one would think it would be known if there were a terrorist on board. But those slimy little bastards seem to crawl in and out of places before the spooks can catch up to them. But they also like to claim responsibility for their vileness. They want the world to know they killed infidels before they go off to enjoy their 72 virgins or however many it is... I think it would be safe to say it wasn't the work of a terrorist. Could it have been a mechanical malfunction. Once again, it's possible. But airplanes don't have a habit of turning around and flying the other direction unless someone with a pulse takes the controls and turns it around. Again, I think it's safe to say, no mechanical malfunction. So, we are left with the arrow of guilt pointing at the pilots. Was it just one of them? Big jets have at least three in the cockpit. Did all three conspire to ditch their own jet? Probably not. Radical thinking capable of something like that usually doesn't come in triplet form. Could the perp have 'disabled' the other two somehow then executed his plan and 270 people alone? Now we're really getting into the field of likely scenarios.
But, there's always a big but in every story. But, we don't know that for sure, and the sad thing is we never will. We can figure out some likely scenarios but we'll never know which one it was. There's certainly no survivors and any and all evidence is lost at the bottom of a very big and very deep ocean. It's really hard to find stuff in a place like that. But, there's another one. The last thing anyone needs to do is say that 270 passengers are suspects. Or, is it maybe 269...

Google

Yes, Google. Interesting subject for a blog post by a writer, huh? I think it is. If you think about some things that have really significant influence on our lives these days, Google has to be on that list. Technology in general is changing and shaping our lives in big ways, huge ways but Google in particular is leading the way. Think about it, if you're  a boomer when you were in college and had to do research you went to the library and spent long hours ensconced in the stacks. That's just the way it was done. If you're a Millineum you don't even know what the stacks are. But you sure know your way around the internet and it's not likely that you're going to log on without going to Google at some point. However, Google is no ordinary company. They are a technology company, for sure. But 97% of their revenue comes from advertising. And their revenues last year were in the order of $33B. That's one hell of a lot of advertising. They are a tech company but not really in the business of making and selling computers or software. They do make and sell computers, Chrome Book, Google Glass among them. What little they do produce and sell is highly innovative, out on the edge stuff. They employ some of the best code writers on the planet. And you can bet the code that makes their stuff work is as highly guarded as the formula to Coca-Cola. The two fellows that founded this company are two bright visionaries who found the intersection of luck, fate and hard work and took advantage of everything it had to offer. And of course, they're still there running the company. As far as building a search engine, they hit it out of the park. Practically everyone who uses a computer uses Google. So when you have that many people using your product, if you stick some advertisements on there, literally hundreds of millions of people are going to see them. Ask anyone in the business if advertising works. And if the audience is hundreds of millions around the globe, everyday, need I say more.
As a corporation though, the way it's organized, the way it's run they're probably not any better than the average American company. The two founders who are high level functional managers in the corporation now, are by training programmers. They're not business men trained in finance or marketing or management. They have those types on the payroll but those two just sit around and dream up the wild and crazy stuff the corporation is going to do. And that company does a lot of wild and crazy stuff. They have plenty of money to afford to do wild and crazy stuff. That's a good thing though. We need companies to do wild and crazy stuff. That's the way cool, new things that make life better are created. But in the background they're just an ordinary company with a bunch of jerk-off mid-level managers plodding along. What makes them so successful is not their proficiency and organizational effectiveness. They've got some really good, top-tier people and they're got some muttonheads, just like every other corporation. What makes them different and unique is they came up with something that everyone needs and uses, and it's free. Now tell me, how many companies have done that? You can jump on the internet and find anything, literally, and find it fast with Google. And it's completely free. Yeah, those annoying ads are there but you learn to ignore them. Or at least you think you are ignoring them. Those ads are the vehicle that help sell trillions in goods and services around the world. As long as they keep that search engine out there, keep improving it where they can, and keep it free, the money river will remain at flood stage.
They're coming up with some cutting edge innovation and ideas. I just watched a TED video interview with Larry Page. He talked about bicycles running on wires above the street, automatic cars that drive themselves, and computers that are artificially intelligent. That can think, sort of like people do. And I'm sure some of his wild and crazy ideas will eventually come to fruition. Not one word from him about shareholder value, acquisitions, shedding assets, market share or stock splits. Things you often hear CEO's talk about. He doesn't really know about stuff like that nor does he give a shit. He's busy trying to make the world better and improve life and all that stuff. Do you think the CEO of American General Life Insurance is thinking about the same things Larry Page and Sergei Brin are? If you do you probably also think there is ocean-front property in Arizona. Being the CEO of one of the worlds largest and most innovative companies and your job is to dream up wild and crazy things to make the world better?... All of this made possible by selling ads.

Where does it end?...

OK. I said last time I posted that I was going to get away from politics on here. And I am, really. But like that diet that you're always going to start 'tomorrow', I'll start getting away from politics next time. Every time I read about some asinine, egregious stunt our ass-hat president pulls I can't help myself. Does this make me an activist? I don't know and I really don't care. I don't go around looking for opportunities to engage in political discussions but hey, this is my blog and my stage to sound off. I think most of you will agree with me anyway.
I read in the news this morning that Barry has decide to use executive fiat (once again) to force business to pay more in overtime wages. Any true American who understands that the Constitution is the basis of law and order in our great country would (and should) be outraged at this. For two very big reasons. One, the constitution does not allow him or give him the authority to do this. This authority appears to be entirely self-granted. The president is part of the executive branch of government. Congress is part of the legislative. Congress shall make or change the laws of the country, not the president. Once again, he is assuming the role of a despot, unilaterally making or changing laws. My fellow Americans, we are a democratic republic. We have laws and our constitution provides a legislative body to make and change those laws. And that legislative body does not include the president. Unfortunately, I think most Americans do not comprehend the gravity and the implications of what he is doing.
The second big reason is we are a free-market, capitalist society. That means the market sets prices and wages. Both are determined by the forces of supply and demand. We even have laws that encourage and support this. We have anti-trust laws to prevent companies from colluding and fixing prices. To prevent enterprises from stifling free-trade and competition. We have labor laws that protect workers. We have minimum wage and overtime laws. And my fellow patriots, all of these laws were passed by majority votes of both houses of Congress. ALL OF THEM.  Are we  now to break the law and precedent of 238 years as a nation and allow the president to make or change laws and bypass our law-making body, with impunity?
Where does it stop? When does someone stand up and say, "Mr. President, you can't do that. You have broken the law." What are the implications? They are vast. This is heresy. While it is true that business is regulated, the regulations are designed to ensure that business does not ignore the considerations of health and safety. And that monopolies do not form and quash competition. That workers are not discriminated against. They are not designed to force business to operate in a way that is counter to the forces of the free-market. Specifically, if the demand for a good or service is such that a company needs to have it's workers work overtime to produce the good or service, then they will adjust their operations to do that. If the demand is not there, they won't. For the president to force them to pay more overtime that is not supported by demand, will also force many businesses to cease operations. Which will lead to lost jobs for many.
So, where does it end. And what will be next? Will he force companies to hire more people, so more people will have jobs? Even if they don't need them? Our free-market system and our current government regulations are designed to foster economic growth. From economic growth we all prosper. Jobs are created and wages increase from economic growth. Profits generated from economic growth provide dividends for stockholders. Wages for workers. Taxes for the government to provide services. Most responsible corporations give back to their communities, generously. I don't care who you are and how powerful you may consider yourself, you can't dictate profits. Want an example? Ask doctors in England if working for the National Health System is profitable. Ask  Norway. Ask the citizens of both countries if their income taxes are reasonable and fair.
What could be worse than having a president who would dictate laws to free-market enterprises unlawfully? Having a populace that would allow him to do it...

Checkin 'In...

I don't get over here often enough, some of you who check my blog now and then have noticed that. It isnt for lack of desire, this damn day job gets in the way, like it gets in the way of all of my fun. But I'll work on that. Some of my recent posts have been about current political topics. That's what's in the news and it's what affects our lives. And a lot of people are very passionate about that subject. It's a shame because the leadership of this country and politics in general is a sad state of affairs at present. I don't care what the libtards say, that idiot in the white house is doing a terrible job.

But I need to get off politics because this is a blog about writing and books. Current politics, I mean. If you're writing a thriller it's hard not to involve politics in some way. My first novel had a political current in it. And the one I'm working on now does as well. The difference is mine are made up, they are pure fiction. I got the ideas from real events but it's all made up. I wish all that was going on now like the national debt going into the stratosphere was fiction. Damn, there I go again. Who knows, maybe my next novel will be about an inept president, boy, I could do a number with that subject...
A huge part of writing is coming up with ideas. You can't come up with good ideas by anal extraction alone. Dont get me wrong, there's a lot of good ideas that have come from anal extractions, but there has to be other sources. (Probably better sources...) You need inspiration, and you get that from people you meet, places you go, things going on around you, things going on in the world. You take that idea and mix it up with a good batch of imagination and viola! You are on you're way to spinning a good story.

What's strange though is this inspiration. It seems to come and go. Sometimes the ideas are flowing like a rain-swollen hill-country river. Others times it's more like a bone-dry West-Texas creekbed in August. Lately, my imagination has more resembled the creekbed. I envy the professional writers, the guys who get up about say, seven or eight, have some coffee for an hour or so then mosey into their office (the one in their house...) and sit down to write. Ahh, yes. If only I could do that. I'm not quite there yet but that day is coming. But when you have to get up at four, drive across town and work for nine hours, drive back across town, it's hard to crank out best-sellers. But we all have to start somewhere. And agents won't even talk to you until you have a best-seller under your belt. You can write a great novel but unless you can sell it, not many people are going to know it's great. I wrote one but I don't know much about marketing. Even if I did, I don't have the time to do it. John Grisham said, "Writing books is the easy part, selling them is the hard part." So very true.

In a few years though I'm going to have the time to work on the part I dont know much about. Or at least find someone to do it for me. And, I'm going to crank out some more best-sellers, too.