Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Halloween

Yes, it's that time for witches, ghosts and goblins once again. Trick or treat and things that go 'bump' in the night will be the call of the day. Houston will be experiencing lovely weather for it, and my sign that will be on the front door is ready. It says, "Knock on my door and I call the police!!!"

I don't need a bunch of little kids bothering me. I'm not only the Thanksgiving scrooge and the Christmas scrooge, I'm also the Halloween scrooge. Bah humbug.

One thing I find interesting is that Halloween is the only holiday that has never been successfully 'Christianized'. By that, I mean that some of our other holidays have a mixture of paganism in them. Back in the day, people lived for their festivals. It was the only time they were able to enjoy their lives. The rest of the time was spent simply trying to survive. When the early Christian church arrived, they realized that no one would listen to them if they preached against their godless festivals. So, a compromise was made.

For example, the Christmas tree is pagan in its origin. The druids of northern Europe and the UK would bring a tree down from the hills during the winter solstice and prop it up in the village center. All the villagers would decorate it and worship the tree. When the church came along, they adopted the Christmas tree as a sign of worshipping Christ and celebrating his birth. We know, or have a very good idea, that Christ was not born in December. When the Bible says the shepherds were in the fields, watching over their flock by night, this was not done in the dead of winter. Rather, it was during the spring. However, the church moved the celebration of his birth to coincide with the festival and the Christmas tree/Pagan worship festivals were combined.

Then you have Easter. In the middle east, particularly those who worshipped the old Babylonian gods, their main god died every year and was reborn, hatching from a beautifully adorned egg. A great festival was molded around this rebirth and people exchanged decorated eggs in celebration of their god being reborn. The church said...hmmmmm...and chose to continue the use of decorated eggs as a way of continuing the festival, but changing it to be a celebration of Christ's resurrection.

However, Halloween has not been so changed. It is still about scary things and goblins and ghosts and the undead and things wicked. For some reason, this holiday has withstood the influence of the church and has more or less kept its historical past. I fear it is dying out, though, because many people are, rightfully, fearful of sending their children out to stranger's homes. There is so much evil in the world and so many sick in the mind people that even I wouldn't want to knock on a stranger's door in these times. So much the pity. When I was growing up, there wasn't near the danger as you see today. Many things could be attributed to it, but I won't go into that. I'll just say for all to have fun, be careful, and remember there's no such thing as ghosts. There are such things as monsters...human monsters...so keep an eye out.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Keeper's Dare is Doing Well

My book, The Keeper's Dare, is doing better and better. I have to thank KJCE Austin Radio for the boost. My four month long radio campaign to promote the book has increased sales. I'm still in the red with the cost, but the campaign was mainly to get the word out, and that it has done.

My horror story, Evil Most Holy, has seen an increase in sales in the UK. I guess since the story is based in southern England, that might have something to do with it.

The Grove of Akkadia and The Last Medal are not being picked up right now. The Last Medal has the edge on 'Grove', with only one copy of it selling.

I don't guess July, 2013 will ever get here. That's when my Western, Hell's Gunman, comes out. We will soon begin the editing process and I can't wait.

On the 'writing' board are two books I'm working on simultaneously. I'm 64,000 words into the Murder Mystery and 36,000 words into the Science Fiction story. I'm more excited about the sci-fi as it is really taking shape. I was reading some excerpts to my daughter the other day and she told me to stop and not tell her anymore. She said she wanted to read the whole thing and didn't want me to ruin it. That's a good sign, as she is one of my harshest critics.

Check out my new video on YouTube. Type Robert Coward: Each Book a New Genre in the search engine and hit enter. It's only 48 seconds, and I'd appreciate it if you gave it some hits.

You can also check me out on Twitter @RobertCowardAuthor and on my website, www.robertcoward.com.

Well, that's it for now. Have a great week.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

If I Were Running For President in 2016

I'm thinking about announcing my candidacy for President of the United States concerning the 2016 elections. If I do, I will be running as an independent. Since our presidential campaigns last about 3.9 years...almost right after the inauguration...I'll have to announce sometime in March, 2013. I would like to know who would be willing to donate to my effort early on, to see what kind of chance I could have to put up blistering TV, Radio, and Newspaper attack ads on whoever wins this November. So, feel free to let me know if you're on board.

Now, I know that first you will have to be informed about my platform. You, the voter, should have every right to know where I stand on the issues. Unlike all other potential candidates before me, I will offer specifics about my position on several, important questions that need answers as our nation continues its march as the greatest country that has ever existed on the planet....bar none. So, here goes with my top 25 platform planks.

First, the economy. I support it.
Second, the military. I support our troops.
Third, jobs. Yes.
Fourth, taxes. I'll get back to you.
Fifth, the poor. We need the poor so we can have a scale with which to compare the rich.
Sixth, crime. It's bad.
Seventh, infrastructure. I need to study that. I don't know what it means.
Eighth, foreign policy. All foreigners should be policed.
Ninth, trade. I believe, as our forefathers, that we should continue our trade with the Indians.
Tenth, women's rights. Since they already believe they are right...all the time...I have no stance.
Eleventh, equal pay. Are you kidding?
Twelfth, energy. I fully support 5-Hour Energy and will subsidize it with your tax dollars.
Thirteenth, health care. I will import more doctors from India so each of you will have your own personal physician living with you 24 hours a day.
Fourteenth, immigration. All fences in existence on our borders will be electrified with 1 million volts. Further, a fence will be built around California to keep them in. Those that have already escaped we will round up and deport back to California.
Fifteenth, gun control. Are you serious?
Sixteenth, legalization of marijuana. Like...WOW man. Of course.
Seventeenth, prostitution. A time honored profession that needs to be taxed.
Eighteenth, labor laws. I'm against laws that force people into labor. We need less labored people!
Nineteenth, teachers. All teachers must become conservative or die.
Twentieth, entitlements. All Hollywood movies must have Government approved movie titles.
Twenty-first, education. I'm all for it.
Twenty-second, environment. I have a plan for Global cooling and for the lifetime incarceration of Al Gore.
Twenty-third, the Supreme Court. I will appoint only good looking women, regardless of political ideology, and make them wear mini-robes. Red ones. With slits up to their hip. And garters...can't forget the garters...WITH fishnet stockings and spike heels. As you can tell, I put a lot of thought into this one.
Twenty-fourth, agriculture. DDT! DDT! DDT!
Twenty-fifth, terrorism. It terrifies me and I will do all I can to not hide under the desk in the Oval Office while terrorism still exists.

So, there you have it. My top 25 platform planks to initiate my run for the White House. I would appreciate your vote and...most importantly...your tax deductible campaign donations.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Things I Used To Enjoy

I used to enjoy drive-in movies. You don't see them like in the olden days. I hear there are a few still out there, but none around where I live...or at least I haven't seen any. They sure beat the Cineplex's of today. You could sit in the privacy of your own car and light the little swirly mosquito repellant on your dash and choke on the smoke while trying to kiss your girl without someone tapping you on the shoulder and telling you to get a room.

I used to enjoy Saturday morning cartoons. Foghorn Leghorn, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Roadrunner, and Johnny Quest. Funny how the old 'violent' cartoons didn't turn me into a psychopathic killer.

I used to enjoy going to Houston Oiler football games. My dad had season tickets when they were created and we watched them at Jeppeson Stadium, Rice Stadium and then the Astrodome. Eventually, the tickets got too pricey and dad couldn't afford them anymore.

I used to enjoy hiking, camping and hunting on my uncles' 4000 acre lease in the Big Thicket. Many great memories were created there. It's a wonder I was never snakebitten or ravaged by poison ivy or killed by a wild boar. One night I was camping out by myself and put my pack where I could rest my head up against an old, dead tree. Around midnight, a screech owl perched on it and let out its hideous sound right above me. I never knew I could run so fast. It took me over half an hour to find my campsite again. I couldn't go back to sleep once I did.

I used to enjoy being involved in tournament chess. I was a member of the United States Chess Federation for twelve years and played in many tournaments. The best I ever did was place second at the Fifth Houston Classic Tournament. I think it was in '81. I finally got burned out on competitive play and now rarely set up a board.

I used to enjoy playing football in High School. I wasn't very good at it, but I loved suiting up on Friday nights and getting out on the field. I didn't enjoy practice, but I enjoyed playing the game.

I used to enjoy going to Menard Creek on the hottest of summer days and splashing in its ice cold water. There were no cares or real responsibilities back in those days.

I used to enjoy sitting out on my parents' front porch swing. You could be out there at night and hear the frogs and the crickets and the occasional hoot owl. It was a peaceful time.

I used to enjoy the friendships I had with my college friends. They all enriched me in ways they will never know. Now, all grown up with families and lives of their own, we live hundreds of miles apart; only rarely touching base.

I used to enjoy marijuana. Boy...did I EVER enjoy marijuana. Whether rolled up, bonged, shotgunned, sneaky toked, nose hit, or in brownies...I enjoyed it to the extreme. Drug testing at the work place stopped all that. When I retire, I think the first thing I'm going to do is build a greenhouse. You know...for vegetables and flowers.

I used to enjoy riding motorcycles. My first was a Suzuki 500 two stroke. Then I had a Suzuki 800 that was supercharged and had a drive shaft. It was awesome. Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha rounded out my experience with them. My old bones are too brittle for those things now. I would rather be surrounded by armor these days.

I used to enjoy riding in the back of pick-ups, helping pull corn, taking my horse Peanut out for some exercise, driving my first car, rabbit hunting in the old oil field, playing pool at the Oiler Cafe', hearing Smokey Robinson's 'Tears of a Clown' on the juke box, and dating my way through the high school cheerleaders.

I used to enjoy a lot of things.

Some I have mentioned, others I never will.



Friday, October 26, 2012

Smorgasbord Friday

Ever since I grew up and learned to appreciate the physical wiles of women, I've always said there ain't nothin' sexier than a woman with a gun. I had no idea that anyone would take it to another level. Hernando County, Florida deputies were confronted by a woman with a gun...and she was naked. Buck naked. For some reason they believed she was 'irrational'. In fact, the sheriff said it was obvious that just by being naked, in public, meant she was not in her right mind and was acting irrational. So, as any reasonable officer would do...they shot her. She did not survive.


From the time I was 12 years old, I've been taught how to handle a gun and that when you are in the woods you don't shoot at anything unless you're absolutely certain you know what it is. Obviously, this lesson was never taught to a particular male individual in Freedom, Pennsylvania.  Seems there was a 9 year old girl wearing a black costume and a black hat with a white tassel. A male relative, who the police said had not been drinking, shot her. He told authorities he thought she was a skunk. Now, I've seen skunks before, but I've never seen one as big as a nine year old girl. Maybe they grow 'em pretty big in Freedom, Pennsylvania than they do in Texas. The girl's condition was unavailable.


On the other end of the spectrum, a 12 year old girl in Oklahoma was home alone when a man started breaking into the house. As her mother had taught her, she grabbed the pistol, ran upstairs, hid in the closet and called 911 on her cell phone. The 6th grader told the emergency operator what was going on and that she was armed. The 12 year old was armed with a .40 caliber Glock, semi-auto. She told the dispatcher she had it, and to that person's credit, she told the little girl to hang on to it. The man came upstairs, heard the girl talking on the phone, and started to open the door. The girl, named Kendra, fired one round through the door, striking the subject in the shoulder. A funny thing happened right after that. He ran like a scalded dog on meth. 32 year old Stacey Jones was able to run a few blocks before loss of blood forced him to take a breather. The cops arrested him. Kendra was not traumatized that she had shot a bad guy. Nor should she be. She said, "I think it's going to change me a whole lot, knowing that I can hold my head up high and nothing can hurt me anymore." I should say not. As long as you're packin' a .40 caliber Glock, I'd say you're pretty safe.


Some folks in Ketchikan, Alaska committed the unpardonable sin when living in bear country. They left some exposed garbage in the vestibule of their home. A large, black bear pushed the door open and while rummaging around it wedged a trash can against the door, locking itself in. Of course, when the bear decided to leave, it got quite riled up that it couldn't and began to take it's displeasure out on the homeowner's vestibule. An Alaska wildlife trooper took a ten foot board and pushed the door open enough for the bear to get out. The bruiser took off into the woods, leaving the homeowner with over a thousand dollars worth of damage to his home.


Leave it up to North Korea to find a new way to execute somebody. One of their army ministers was accused of drinking and carousing during the official mourning period following the demise of Kim Jong-il's death. Kim Jong-un, the new leader, quickly decided the man's fate. He gave orders that he was to be put to death and further...there was nothing to be left of the poor man, even down to the hair. Those who are in charge of such matters had to think fast. So, they executed him by use of a mortar round. Yep, that should do it.


Ladies, if you happen to find yourself in Vienna, Austria and you wish to dine in a cafe', please ask them if there is a two way mirror installed in the ladies' room. Seems an artist has installed one so men can watch you 'wash up'. Only the view of the women's lavatory's can be seen, but never fear. In a month the artist will turn it around so the ladies can look at the men's faces while they stand at the urinal. I swear, you can't make this stuff up.


Finally, I saved the worst for last. Piedmont High School in Piedmont, California (where else?), discovered that their athlete students had taken Fantasy Football, Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Hockey to a whole new level. Seems they created the Fantasy Slut League. Male students would 'draft' female students (most without their knowledge) and earned points for successfully completing certain sexual encounters with them. This is where it's gotten to, people. The typical liberal response?
Asst. Superintendent Randall Booker said, "It always comes back to how do we educate students and to have further conversations with the community."


And that's it for this edition of Smorgasbord Friday. Have a great weekend.

 








 


Thursday, October 25, 2012

I'm Going to Win the Lottery

That's right. Saturday night. All the numbers. Squillions of dollars. The reason I'm going to win is because it's due me. I have a right to win. I've worked all my life and it's time for my ship to come in. I'm tired of working.  I want to write. Just write. Write write write write write. On my boat. A big boat. With a captain and a butler. All the amenities. AND a personal secretary. She must be young, curvaceous, and unable to scream loud, run fast, or fight back. I'm too old for all that.

I think I'll dock somewhere in Oregon. Sail up to Alaska and back down the Canadian coast, flying a an old Soviet Union flag...just to make 'em wonder. Then, I'll go on down the Washington coast, the Orgegon coast (again), the California coast (flying a flag with a picture of Pelosi, a circle around her head with a slash through it...like Ghostbusters) and then on down the Baja peninsula to get my 100 pounds of marijuana. Not to sell...it would be for personal use.

After that, I think I'll dock in the Catalinas. Take a break, make some new friends that are filthy rich like me (so they will have no need to ask me for money), drink a few mai-tais and watch the sun set about 365 times before I leave.

Pulling up anchor, I'll sail down to the Panama Canal and come out on the other side. Have to make a stop in Brazil and see what all the fuss is about concerning Brazilian women. Back up to Venezuela to shoot the bird at Chavez, then on to the Caymans. I'll swing by the western tip of Cuba and shoot the bird at Castro, if he's still alive, and into the Gulf of Mexico. I'll pass by the coast of Texas and pretend I never came from there. I'll have my nose stuck in the air and take on a stupid sounding English accent and say, "How boorish those Americans are!". Skirting Lousiana, Mississippi and Alabama, I'll hug the coast of Florida and wave at my good friends there...then forget I ever knew them, too. Curving around Florida's tip, I'll stop at the Keys and have a few more mai-tais (I love those little umbrellas) and make some new rich friends. Then, it's off to the Bahamas at Staniel Cay where I will drop anchor and enjoy the beauty of the Caribbean for a while.

Then I...I...what? I'm dreaming? Oh well. Can't a man dream every now and then?

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The REAL Face of Liberalism

Birds of a feather flock together. I first heard that from my grandmother. And I have found it to be true in the vast majority of cases. If you want to see the true face of liberalism and what it's really about, you need look no further than the photo below.




This is one of the most offensive characters on TV today. Chris Matthews is vile, intemperate, haughty, megolomaniacal, and possibly insane. Here is a direct quote from him after last night's debate:

“I think they hate Obama. They want him out of the White House more than they want to destroy Al Qaeda. Their No. 1 enemy in the world right now, on the right, is their hatred, hatred for Obama. And we can go into that about the white working class in the South and looking at these numbers we're getting the last couple days about racial hatred in many cases … this isn't about being a better president, they want to get rid of this president,’ he said.”

Did you read that? Did you get that? If you're a white working class individual in the South...you hate black people. How strange. I haven't met any conservative yet that said they would support only white folk down here. In fact, we are in perfect agreement that we would vote for Colin Powell, Condi Rice, Herman Cain, Allen West et al, before we would vote for a tax and spend white Democrat. In fact, I was an ardent Herman Cain supporter before the media destroyed him and he dropped out of the race. I liked his style, the fact he wasn't a Washington insider (and that's what killed him), a successful businessman, and his 9-9-9 plan sounded pretty darned good to me.

The cold, hard fact is that Matthews is anti-American, anti-family, anti-decency, anti-wholesome, anti anti anti anything that is above the sewer where he resides. To claim an entire geographical area of our country is so racist we all would hate someone strictly on race is nothing less than a delusion born from a sick mind.

And, this is where liberals go for their news. These are the types of people they listen to. They deride other news channels who, by the way, never say these kinds of things, and dub them as Satan's spawn. Take a look at the blurry face in the photo...which I did on purpose. He's a person undone. I don't hate Obama, and I don't know anybody that 'hates' him. Hate is to want him dead. What a ludicrous thing to say. But, sadly, I have come to realize that most of what comes out of a liberal's pie hole meets that definition...ludicrous. Especially when it comes to the mainstream media. Birds of a feather flock together. If they didn't, then where is the outcry from liberals that he retract such a statement that all white, working class people in the South are racist and hate the president. It's too absurd to allow it to stand. Even by liberal standards. We'll see what happens. And I bet it's nothing.























The Final Debate...AT LAST

First, I'd like to go on record that Bob Schieffer did a good job as moderator. At least...he was better than the last three, by far. I don't like Schieffer. I don't like his liberalistic ideals and I don't like his politics and I don't like what he stands for. But he put on his objectivity hat last night and verbally showed no preference for either candidate. I think a few of his questions were lightweight, but overall I give him a B+.

A lot of people are wondering why Romney came out with powder puff gloves on and had what some have called a 'hugfest' with the president. I didn't see it that way, but that's just me. A lot of reasons have been thrown out in the ring. But, there is one reason I don't think anyone wants to talk about. It's his Mormonism. Now, I've never been a Mormon. Never went to a Mormon church. I've talked to Mormons and done battle with young Mormon missionaries who have regrettably (for them) knocked on my door. I have had the good fortune of being married to a woman who's grandparents on her father's side were devout Mormons. She lived with them for almost two years in the hill country of Texas and was made to attend Mormon services and events. She saw firsthand what the Mormon psyche entails and has related her knowledge about them to me. I have also read the Book of Mormon and studied its contents. When I was in the ministry, I felt it my duty to read other 'holy' books besides the Bible to understand what these other beliefs were about. I have read the Quran, the New World Edition of the Jehovah's Witness, the Baghavad Gita, among others. I didn't just read them, I studied them so I could put up more than just a good defense of my faith.

Mitt Romney is a devout Mormon. He eats, sleeps and breathes his faith. In many ways, that is a good thing. In others, not so much. But in the political arena I think it has been a detriment to him. Last night was a good example. His campaign manager revealed, after the debate, that the strategy was all Romney's. He did not want to get into another brawl with Obama and wished to stick to the talking points. In one way, this made the debate turn out to be a yawner. In another, it placed him above the fray. On two occasions he told Obama that attacking him personally wasn't a policy agenda. I agree with some of the talking heads that Romney was trying not to look like George W, and trying not to look like a warhawk. In so doing, he allowed Obama to take the advantage and charge into his attacks. Romney held his own, getting in a couple of good zingers, but on the whole remained passive and supported the president's actions in many areas. This was his Mormonism coming out. In my humble opinion. Don't get me wrong, Mormons will fight when it becomes necessary. But Romney is seeing the same polls we are, and he didn't think he needed a decisive win last night to win this election. Only time will tell if he was correct.

Obama isn't a devout anything, other than believing in himself. He looked angry last night, and so he should. He's losing. I couldn't help but smile as he was talking about his leadership. I had to shake my head at the millions who throng around him like he's some kind of demi-god, nodding their heads in agreement as to his great leadership. How easily and quickly they forget his 57 States remark. How easily they forget him bowing before foreign kings and dignitaries. How quickly they forget him speaking in France in 2009 saying how America, in the past, had been arrogant, dictatorial to its allies and derisive. Romney had the best line where that was concerned, telling Obama that America doesn't dictate, it rescues countries from dictators. With all of Obama's bluster last night, and his hard speech and iron look, he failed as a debater, he failed in his attempt to portray himself as a leader, and he failed to look presidential. He looked like a man who knew he was in the fight of his life and that he might not have the flexibility to give Putin what he wants come January.

Neither man won last night. Only one of them had to. As the experts say, foreign policy isn't what wins or loses elections unless someone doesn't know that Turkey is a country and not a Thanksgiving bird to be served with dressing stuffed up its butt. Romney didn't hurt his campaign, and Obama didn't help his. Fortunately, we don't have to suffer through these anymore.

Here is where I hope the American voter places their focus. Our country is broke. B-R-O-K-E. The debt we have looking at us right now reminds me of the John Wayne movie, Big Jake. Wayne has a double barreled shotgun trained at Richard Boone. He tells Boone..."Anything goes wrong, anything at all... your fault, my fault, nobody's fault... it won't matter - I'm gonna blow your head off." The debt we have facing us has the potential of blowing our economic head off, regardless of who's fault it is.

I want a president who will take office and take responsibility on the first day. Even last night, Obama is still whining about Bush. Obama wasn't forced to be president. He exhaustively ran to be placed in the White House. He WANTED it. But he has yet to take responsibility for anything in the last four years, blaming all his woes on past presidents and past policies. He has to. His record is so abysmal he can't realistically run a campaign on it.  That's not leadership. America deserves better. He needs to go.

The looming fiscal cliff, or Wayne's double barreled shotgun, doesn't care who's fault it is. If our government doesn't get a handle on spending, it's going to blow our collective head off. Instead of assigning who is at fault, and pointing fingers, and whining about Congress, and whining about Bush, and whining about anything else he can think of to whine about...let's put somebody in there who will try to straighten this mess out...at least 'try'.

I hope the majority of the American voters, in the right places, will see it the way I do.

Monday, October 22, 2012

There Should be a Law....

Against putting a presidential debate on at the same time as Monday Night Football.

For making it a capital crime if friends discuss politics.

Against the existence of anyone named Kardashian.

For allowing dads to have one minute alone with their child's molester.

Against women having the right to refuse a first date request.

For the right to tell your boss what you think of him once a year without getting fired.

Against alarm clocks.

For 11 months paid vacation, 2 weeks sick leave, and 2 weeks of working.

Against everyone who disagrees with me.

For the parents to kill their children before they become teenagers and ruin everything for everybody.

Against getting old.

For one 'Go To Work Naked' day every year. Just to gross people out.

Against present and any possibility of future 'reality' shows.

For Jeff Probst to retire...NOW.

Against celebrities opening their pie holes unless it's reading from a script for our entertainment.

For everyone to receive a lifetime supply of Snicker's bars. (or the chocolate of your choice)

Against  Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Chris Matthews, Rachael Maddow and all other opinion hacks wiht their own political agenda to vomit at us.

And finally,

For the NFL to be on year round with a 48 week season and a four week playoff tourney w/Super Bowl.




Sunday, October 21, 2012

Don't You Just WISH?

One of my Facebook friends put on his page yesterday the following:

"Wish there was no smoking in Katy Restaurants!"

Katy, Texas is where he and I live, and there are many restaurants in this town that allow smoking. They have sections for the patrons who participate in that activity and sections for those who don't. To read the comment, one would think that EVERY restaurant in Katy allows smoking. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are many that don't. Far more than those that do.

The comment goes a lot deeper than one man's opinion about what he would personally like to see. Last time I checked, tobacco use is a legal activity. It is also legal for people who OWN and RUN restaurants to CHOOSE what kind of LEGAL activity can occur in THEIR establishments. It is equally true that if one does not like what kind of activity goes on in a certain establishment, he or she can CHOOSE not to go in and patronize the place.

But NOOOOO. A person that feels the way he does places his wants and desires above all others. Why should he have to go somewhere else and eat simply because those peasant tobacco smoking lepers are in there stinking up the place? Soon, an anti-tobacco crusader like him will rise up with a sword of civil duty in one hand and a Bible in the other and charge into the fray of the Katy Town Hall and demand that all must conform to his likes, dislikes, beliefs and non-beliefs. After all, smokers are the dregs of society and if they want to smoke, they can bloody well do it outside after they've finished eating.

In England, it is against the law to smoke in any building. It is a proven fact that when the government outlawed smoking in pubs, business fall off was one of the immediate impacts. Pubs, which are more than just bars, are closing down across Great Britain at an alarming rate. So, while all the do-gooders and civil rights preventers can sleep well knowing they've done their duty, people who relied on these businesses for their livelihood are left holding the bag.

Who are these people who believe they have a right to tell a business owner what they can or cannot allow in their place of business if it's a legal activity? Now, I realize this is just a comment. I doubt this person is going to raise the battle flag. But it is a comment with poison in it that can one day affect him as much as it does anyone else.

Which one of you can rightfully say that you saw Bloomberg's law against the Big Gulp coming? Which one of you can rightfully say that you saw Bloomberg's law against new mother's using baby formula coming? There is a litany of laws and civic rules across our country that restrict or outright ban legitimate and lawful activities just because some liberal or some do-gooder has decided that it personally doesn't fit their lifestyle. What this does is erode the foundation of all our civil liberties and makes local, state and national governments think they can impose even more sanctions upon us to make us less fat, less sick, less energy consuming, less vocal, less free.

Let me tell you something. Your liberty ends where mine begins, and vice versa. You know what I do when I go into a place and I don't like what's going on there? I leave. And, I don't go back. I have no problem with the owner, the patrons or the activity (if it's legal). If that's what they want to do in that place, then that's THEIR business. My liberty ends where theirs begins. What I do is then find a place that adheres to my personal taste and is full of people that are of a like mind. But to say that you wish that ALL places of business adhere to what YOU want, is a selfish, self absorbed, impudent, holier than thou statement of proportions that may well one day affect us all in other areas of freedom and liberty losses.

So, if you don't like restaurants in Katy that allow smoking, hit 'em where it hurts. In the pocket book. Don't go there. And when you don't go there, don't whine about what's being allowed like you're in grade school and didn't get your lollipop. Grow up.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Sci-Fi? Murder Mystery? Decisions, Decisions.....

Just a short writer's update today.

I was full blown into my murder mystery when disaster struck. A humongous case of writer's block slammed into my keyboard, bounced off and hit the monitor, ricocheted and struck me square between the eyes. It wasn't a sight for the squeamish, let me tell you. It was hard to believe since I was 67,000 words into it and my fingers were moving like Data's on Next Generation.

Then, it happened. It was sudden and total. I was staring at the monitor like a calf looking at a new gate. What was I to do? To whom was I to turn? The decision to set it aside was like putting my kid in an orphanage, but I had to move on.

In my non-writing time, I had been putting together a premise for a science fiction story. The synopsis was complete and the characters formed, even down to age, race, personality, and bad guys/good guys with a couple of plot twists. It was waiting in the wings for when I typed 'THE END' on the murder mystery novel.

So, I did the only thing I could. I blew the dust off of it and started writing. I finished chapter two last night and it's going well. I think. I read a few excerpts to my daughter and she told me to not read any more of it to her. She liked it so much she didn't want me to spoil the story for her. That made me feel good about the direction I was heading. The little snot hates everything I write.

I was doing study on theoretical concepts of sub-space communications. When you're talking about interstellar travel, there can't be this hours' long delay between messages. To my surprise, there are a lot of theories out there and I chose the one that sounded best for my story line. I wrote the guy who posed it and asked if I could use it in my novel. He wrote back...surprisingly...and told me to feel free. The funny thing he said was that many other scientists had refuted the theory and told him flat out it would never work. Yeah, well...they told Columbus he was going to fall off the edge of a flat earth, too. Anyway, that's why they call it science fiction. I liked the sound of the theory so much, I kept it in there.

There were other problems I faced. For example, propulsion. I didn't want it to be the stock 'warp engine' like in Star Trek. I decided on gravito-electromagnetic power. For this to work, the ship has to be shaped kind of like a big turd...tapered on both ends. It had to be light in weight, so the hull is made out of reinforced, thick plastic. Another reason I chose gravito-electromagnetic power is that, theoretically, the magnetic shield would also act as its own inertial dampener. In other words, when a craft that large suddenly accelerates, the inertia of its mass will cause it to disintegrate. With the type of propulsion I selected, it produces its own dampening field, allowing the craft to suddenly accelerate with no effect on the structural integrity. During my studies, I also discovered how difficult it would be to leave our solar system in a large craft. Voyager and Viking are very small, but a large craft would have to be extremely careful. First, you have the asteroid belt. Then you have the Kuiper Belt, then you have the Oort Cloud to get through before reaching open space. Theoretically, once there, the danger of accelerating to light speed is in that area there are approximately two atoms per square centimeter. If a ship were to reach the speed of light, it would be like condensing the atoms. The ship would, in effect, turn into a particle accelerator, only in reverse. Eventually, the atoms would come through the hull...no matter what it was made of...becoming radiated upon entry, and killing the crew in seconds. This is why an atomic particle deflector is absolutely necessary. This would push the atoms out of the way as the vessel glides through space. I studied oxygen supply for deep space travel, food supply, electrical energy supply, etc. It's all very complicated, but quite interesting. Even though its a fictional story, I want it to be plausible and believable at the same time.

Alas, the murder mystery is gathering dust now. I'll return to it later. I suppose my plan is to finish both at the same time. More news on progress as it develops.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Smorgasbord Friday

It was really a slow week for Smorgasbord Friday. The nuts in our country must be too busy preparing for Halloween. Anyway, here's what I got....

You might want to think twice about buying any Bumble Bee tuna products for a few weeks, if ever again. Espcially if they come from Santa Fe Springs, California. Seems a 62 year old employee fell into a 'steamer machine' which is a cooking device for the tuna. Nobody found him for...a while...and he was cooked to death. Yuck, yuck, double yuck.

Most of the time, you hear about big time musicians dying from drug overdoses, plane crashes, alcoholism and suicide. But, rarely do you hear about one being killed in a no-holds-barred honest to goodness shootout. B.B. Cunningham Jr., a member of the Jerry Lee Lewis' band, was shot to death in Memphis. He was working as a security guard at an apartment complex when he heard a gunshot around 2AM. He went to investigate and allegedly encountered a 16 yeard old with a pistol. After the smoke cleared, both Cunningham and the 16 year old were dead. Cunningham was 70.

A four months pregnant woman in Seattle boarded a bus with her 1 year old baby. Upon entering the bus, the 1 year old decided to display his ability at taking a nasty poop inside his diaper. You know, just to show off in front of the other passengers. The driver and his other guests recoiled from the foul odor, and there was only one thing to do. The driver threw her off the bus. He told her, allegedly, "Your baby smells really bad and it's not fair that we all have to smell that." Now, I don't like little kids. Can't stand to be around 'em. I've paid my dues and done my diaper duty. But, to throw a pregnant woman off a public bus because a baby does what comes natural is beyond the pale. The driver gets an F as a human being, and the passengers get an F for not coming to her defense.

Check out my YouTube video by typing Robert Coward: Each Book a New Genre.

Have a great weekend.



 

Major Hadal "Idiot" Nasan

Three years ago....THREE years ago, this muslim nut job army major killed thirteen people and wounded 29 in a ten minute rampage, shouting in arabic, God is great, until he was finally gunned down.

Now, here we are...waiting to see if he has to shave or not before he goes to trial. Are you kidding me?


Looks like he had no problem shaving while he was in the army before. I don't even see a 5 O'clock shadow there. Technically, this evil animal is still in the U.S. Army and must abide by Army regulations. He is making a mockery of the U.S. military and the U.S. justice system and our military courts are allowing him to do it.

Just today, the news is out that a military appeals court voted 4-2 that he has to be shaved in court and could be forcibly shaved if he continues to refuse. My question is, who are the 2 nutballs who voted against it? This guy was born in America to muslim parents. He's been a muslim all his life. ALL his life. And never not once has there been an issue about him having a bad case of xyrophobia. Not once did his muslim faith keep him from shaving...until now.

What the U.S. Military courts are doing here is an abomination not only to the memory of our soldiers who were killed and wounded during this ambush, but it is an abomination to the family's of those killed who are still waiting, and most probably mentally suffering, to see justice done. It's an abomination because the delay is all about 'facial hair'. WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME A BREAK???!!!!! It's not about religion. The reason is because, as I've stated, he's been a muslim ALLLLLLLL his life and never had an issue with it before now. It's a delay tactic, plain and simple. They need to send five burly marines in their and shave him with no amount of civility or tenderness. And, no...that wouldn't make us just like him. He would still be alive to go to court.

Common sense is so far and away from us, existing on some extra-dimensional plane in a black hole never to be found again, that we might as well just let the bastard go. Send him to Tehran and let them clean out his poopy pants and drain his urine bag and take care of the jerk. All we're doing by going through this process is showing how ridiculous our country and its leadership has become.

Too bad the officer on the scene that shot him didn't kill him then and there. What a waste of time this has become.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Hollywood Remakes

Well, it looks like Hollywood is out of ideas again. Now comes the remake of 'Carrie'. Oh, and the spinsters are saying it's the BEST remake EVER. Yeah. I'm sure it is.

They stepped over the line when the Coen brothers remade True Grit. Now, I've heard it was a good movie, and I do not doubt it. The Coen brothers are two of the best movie makers in the business. But, it is absolute sacrilege to remake a John Wayne movie. Especially the only movie where he won an Academy Award. To remake a John Wayne movie is almost like selling your soul to the devil. They can do remakes all they want to...just leave the Duke alone. His movies are sacred as far as I'm concerned. I didn't go see it in the theatre and I won't watch it on Pay Per View or on DVD. I just won't watch it...EVER.

The remake of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, with Donald Sutherland, was pretty good. But most remakes are done because Generation X wasn't around to see the first ones. To them, it's all new stuff. If they ever decide to do a remake of Gone With The Wind, I think we should all march to LA and burn down the studio. All of us. There are some movies that transcend the notion of 'doing it better'.

It's fair to say that Hollywood has run out of fresh ideas, but the sheeple continue to flood the ticket booths to watch these rehashed and not-so-well re-done re-redos. You think I'm exaggerating? Take a look at the list below of planned remakes that Hollywood is either thinking about or have in production. I've only included the most inane.

Dredd, Evil Dead, Red Dawn, Robocop, All Quiet on the Western Front, Annie, A Star is Born, Mad Max: Fury Road, Pet Sematary, Point Break, The Crow, An American Werewolf in London, Barbarella, Dirty Dancing, The Never Ending Story, The Seven Samurai, War Games, Time Bandits, The Birds (remake Hitchcock? Hitchcock????), Death Wish, Escape from New York (gotta love Snake Pliskin), Highlander, Lethal Weapon (didn't they have 42 sequels to this one?), My Fair Lady (You've GOT to be kidding), Little Shop of Horrors, Romancing the Stone, Porky's, Scarface, Short Circuit, The Warriors (NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!), The Wild Bunch (remake a Peckinpah? Peckinpah????), and Westworld....just to name a few....that ain't all of 'em.

I have a screenplay that doesn't look like, taste like, smell like any of those. It's fresh, new, based on actual events, which I thought people loved, and what's more...I'll sell it cheap.  All a producer has to do is go to my website....www.robertcoward.com...send me an e-mail, and I'll be willing to talk turkey and smoke peace pipe.

Admittedly, some of the movies in the list above were bad the first time around. But several of them should be regarded as timeless classics and left the hell alone. But, when you have a gazillion dollars, I've found out, it also means that you lose all comprehension of what common sense even means. I've known a lot of rich people and the vast majority can't tie their own shoelaces. Oh, they can make money hand over fist. Yet, they can't see beyond their noses when it comes to practical matters.

I rarely go to the movies these days, anyway. But when I sit down in front of my TV and scan the pay per view movies on Comcast, I guarantee I won't be watching any remakes. They'll just have to make money without my nickel.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Who Are These 'Undecided' Voters?

Every presidential election comes down to the dreaded 'undecideds'. Right now on the news, that's all we're hearing about. The undecided independent voter allegedly holds the fate of our nation in their wishy-washy hands, unable to make a decision with less than three weeks to go until the election itself. So, I began to ponder on just who these people may be. From what I've seen they come from all walks of life and include both male and female of all ages. However, I believe they share many common traits.

First...they're buffoons. Anyone who hasn't decided YET on who they are going to vote for doesn't have the sense God gave to an amoeba. What is it about either candidate that they can't possibly understand at this particular time in the campaign? It is obvious to me they haven't understood what Obama has done or hasn't done in the last four years and that they haven't performed their due diligence to see what Romney's track record is and then made an intelligent comparison. If they have waited until the debates to make a decision, what more information do they expect to glean from them? I have watched both presidential debates and the Veep debate and can affirm that 'deciding' information is not what's offered by these men. There are no specifics coming from either side, and understandably so. How can you be specific about major economic plans when you have two minutes to speak? I heard one of the 'undecided' voters today talk about how Romney made 'snarky' comments that didn't sit well with him. Snarky? Snarky??!! Someone needs to take his man card away for even using that word.

Secondly...they're hermits. These people must not have access to newspapers, radio, TV, magazines or internet. They must live way out in the woods or in the mountains, living off the land, trapping their food and fishing from the rivers for subsistence. They only come out into the public eye every four years to wield their enormous power over the rest of us. "Yes! We are the Undecideds, back to shape the future of the world! Bow to us, and put us on your news shows so we may spread our vast, unequivocal knowledge about all things politic and finally decide on who will be the next supreme leader! Bow to our undecideness, and feel the power of indecision!"

Thirdly...they're bi-polar. One of the symptoms of manic depression is difficulty concentrating, remembering, and making decisions. Anyone who hasn't made up their mind by now needs to go see a shrink. YOU'RE BI-POLAR!!!!

Fourth...they have low self esteem and use this as a way to look important to others. "Oh, well...I just don't know yet. Romney is snarky and Obama is persnickety. I like what both say, but the substance isn't there. You know?" No, I don't know. I know that if you're undecided at this point there's a reason for it other than the candidates themselves. It has to do with YOU. How much information do you need? What further convincing is there? Either way, decide to vote for somebody!!! Make a freakin' decision, already.

And finally, fifth...they think it makes them look intelligent. In fact, more intelligent than those of us who have already made up our minds. However, sadly, it doesn't make them look intelligent. It makes them look like hand-wringers, Nervous Nellies, worry warts, and outright schmucks. They would no doubt counter with, "But this is the most important election of our lifetime. Our vote should not be given haphazardly or nonchalantly. Every vote is important and should be cast only after considerably deep thought and trepidation." I would agree with that statement if this were June or July, 2012. But it's mid-October and there have been three debates. There has been ample opportunity to investigate, ponder, masticate, combobulate and then DECIDE. And, if they have done that already, and still haven't made up their minds, it's not intelligence that's keeping them from doing so. It's a mental disconnect that can probably be traced back to their childhood when they couldn't decide what color of socks to wear.

Too much importance is being placed on these people and they thrive on it. Take away the bottle of attention and they'll quit sucking on it and make a decision. Or, they might not vote at all. And that possibility is what excites me the most. Who needs 'em?

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Obama Gets the Edge...Barely

What a fight! Fifteen rounds, no holds barred, in YO face octagon brawl. Wow. I haven't had this much fun since me and the missus went skinny dippin' in the clay pit back in 1978.

As everybody expected, Obama came out swinging and didn't stop punching until it was over. Romney held his own and had a few good roundhouses before the final bell rung.

Obama may have won this debate, but it wasn't the resounding victory he needed to change the dynamic of the swing that Romney has been experiencing since the first one. In order to do that, he needed a knockout, and he didn't get it.

Romney stuck to the plan which is the best plan to have against this administration. Slam Obama's record over the last four years. It's abysmal and even the Democrats know it. That's why Obama spent most of his time defending the last four years and demonizing Romney. Notice I didn't say Romney was slamming Obama...he was slamming the record, laying out where it got us, and what it will take to get us out of the mess we're in.

The governor missed a beautiful opportunity when Libya came up and the question was turned to who knew what when and why. Candy The Usurper Crowley, who had mainly stayed neutral until then, jumped to the president's defense about what he said in the Rose Garden on September 12. Immediately after the debate, she crawfished and admitted she was wrong and that Romney had indeed been correct. Still, Romney could have driven the point home by unleashing a litany of evidence to refute everything Obama said about it. However, the good news is that it opened up a door that will be talked about for days and the White House will have to continue to batten down the hatches and try to weather the upcoming storm.

Once, during the debate, I almost got up and shouted at Obama when he flatly denied cutting drilling permits and hooted that oil production was up during his term. I'm in that industry and I can tell you that his statement was an outright, bald faced lie. Offshore permits for drilling have been cut 62% from when Bush was in office and almost 33% for the onshore permits. How can you have more production with less discovery?

Still, Obama gets points for style, agressiveness, hammering his view of the issues and coming off as a man who is still in this fight to win. He garnered three more minutes of speaking time over Romney, and as the president he's entitled.

The CBS insta-poll after the debate had Romney winning 65% to 34%. Amazing how people see politics differently. Of course, CNN had Obama kicking butt.

They have one more to go and this one will focus on foreign policy. That will give the Benghazi issue more time to sizzle, and you can bet your bottom dollar that both men will be ready. I look for fireworks aplenty in the last one, and then it's a sprint to the finish line.

So, I score Obama the winner by decision; 139 to 137. But boy did he open a can of worms that will come back to bite him in the next one. I can't wait.

Candy Crowley...Hit 'Man'?

The only thing worse than getting a scorching case of chicken pox and then eaten by a bear is having to look at Candy Crowley for 90 minutes. The liberal TV news media has some of the scariest looking women alive. Even when they are pleasant to look at (Soledad O'Brien for example), the stuff that comes out of their pie hole makes one wonder how they ever rose to that level in their career. Fox News trots their ugly woman out every night (Greta van Susteren), but she's the only throw back in the bunch. And, in a beauty contest between her and Candy, I'd vote for Greta every time.

However, this is not a 'sexist' post....even though it's reading like one. Candy Crowley is a die-hard Democrat believing, socialist lovin', Obama worshippin' liberal of the highest order and has no business as a moderator in the Presidential debate tonight. A moderator in this kind of stage should be seen, if not actually, as an independent and non-committed bi-partisan referee between the parties involved.

Even both campaigns have complained about her recent remarks that she will inject her voice into the debate for 'clarification' purposes. She believes her presence is to make sure the candidates speak of 'apples' when there is an apple question and 'oranges' when there is an orange question. The last part strongly suggests that Candy lives in some kind of utopian dream world on Strattafax Five, a planet fifty galaxies away where ugly is beautiful and idiocy is deemed genius.

These are politicians, for crying out loud. Both men are going to disgorge the party line and the campaign rhetoric with as little real information as possible. That's why BOTH campaigns have sent letters to the Debate Commission about her recent comments. Obama has no record to run on, except for a bad one...and Romney is flying too high without getting into specifics to start now and give ammo to the opposition.

I believe this debate will be immensely more interesting to watch than the last one, and it will mainly be to see how Candy conducts herself. It is this writer's opinion that she will focus more on derailing Romney than seeing to it she remain objective and fair to both. I hope I'm right and that her efforts are obvious. If so, that will only make Obama look worse than he already does, and give conservative voices even more of a reason to cry foul and make hay about the double standard that exists in the media.

If I were to make a movie about a woman assassin, Candy would be perfect for the part. Can you just see that face when she grimaces in anger?  Obama won't be the only one tonight expecting to get aggressive. Crowley the Hit Man will, too. I would say Hit Woman...but she doesn't fit the look. It could be two against one. I can't wait to see how it plays out.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

My Parents Raised Me Wrong

As I look back on my life I have to lay most of my failures directly at my parent's feet. They were idealists with a skewed look on life and made sure that their views were instilled into me as my own. As Job, I look around me and see what he saw. The wicked prosper, while the just wither.

My mother was a devout Baptist who taught Sunday School for as long as she was able to to stand at a lectern. She was a woman of prayer, but little faith in it. I say that because she was a constant hand-wringer...a 'worry wart' if you will. Yet, she had callouses on her knees when she died.

My father was a working man who had little time to play catch with his sons. He was too busy putting a roof over our heads, clothes on our back and food in our stomachs. I can count on both hands how many times he verbalized that he loved me and have several fingers left over to count something else with. However, I never doubted that he did.

My brother and I were not sent to church, we were taken to church. Every...blessed...Sunday. It was a rule. Part of life was going to church. Don't go, and it was a one way ticket to the fiery flames of an eternal, blistering, flesh-melting, bone charring and demon infested hell.

I never saw my parents fight. Not once can I recall them having an argument in front of me or my brother. I know they did have disagreements that resulted in a terse word or two at the dinner table, but nothing that would ever make me doubt we had a stable and happy home. We were never mistreated by either of them. Even though by today's standards my dad might have been arrested for abuse after taking the belt to us, but there was never any lasting harm done and the red marks were gone after about thirty minutes. Believe me, when he spoke, we listened.

My brother and I were raised to be respectful of others. We were told that color does not make the person. The Bible was our codebook of conduct. Dad was our example at working hard and doing a good job for a decent pay. He told us that if we worked hard and did our best, we would be rewarded. We were taught to play by the rules. Don't steal, don't lie, don't covet, etc etc. Share and share alike was their mantra.

Throughout my adult life I have tried to live the way I was brought up. And what has it gotten me? A wife who cheated on me in less than eight months of marriage. People who have mistreated me, lied to me, stabbed me in the back, thrown me out on the street, fired me, hired me and fired me again, betrayal by best friends, victories over me by worst enemies, a handicapped child, bankruptcy, foreclosure, open heart surgery, homelessness, lawsuits, a spouse's nervous breakdown and subsequent attempted suicide, two dead children and I could go on and on.

So, I look around and see people living their narcissistic, pandering, lying, thieving, self absorbed lives who don't care who they have to step on and brush aside as long as they get theirs and conclude that Mom and Dad did me no great service by raising me as they did. At least, not as the world sees it.

From the world's perspective I'm a chump, a loser, a crybaby and probably not too smart. I don't own a business and still work for the man. I am climbing out of a more than half million dollar hole, and have surrendered to the fact I won't ever be able to retire. There will be nothing to leave my remaining child but a place full of 34 years plus of accumulated stuff.

But, from my parent's perspective, I'm a survivor, a fighter with no quit, a dreamer, a helper, a good son, a good father, good husband and one who knows how to be a good friend. Some may chide me when I complain about my past or my present. When they do that, they have no more respect for Job than they do me. Who doesn't lament from time to time about their present condition? If you don't, then I envy you for being blissfully ignorant.

My parents raised me wrong if I were meant to be a worldly man seeking only worldly things. They raised me right if I were meant to be a man with character who would be able to stand on his own two feet in the midst of life's storms. They raised me right to know that even when the storms were too much for me, there was a strong tower that I could run into and be safe.

I am glad that I have had a fleeting moment in time to experience the world, travel to exotic places, meet different cultures, taste the finer things in this temporal life and be blessed with a little more money than most. But, life is summed up thusly. You are either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or heading into a storm. I have been storm free for almost two years. The last storm was when my chest was cut open and my diseased heart was repaired. I am now headed into another storm. The winds are picking up and my sails are not as strong as they once were. This could be a fierce one, and I wonder if I have the strength for it. I grow tired, but I have not lost my sense of defiance. If this one should prove to be the greatest of storms I have yet to face, then let it come. As I weigh the world's view of wealth in one hand, and my self worth in the other, I have no doubt...no doubt...the world would agree my parent's raised me wrong. And while the wind and rain lash my face and tear the sails of my life's ship, blowing her to the deadly rocks that may split her hull...I laugh at what the world thinks. The hand that holds my sense of self worth far outweighs the wealth of the world. True value was instilled in me, and my parents....raised me right.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Sour Grapes and Hacks

I can't stand Fox News. Literally can't stand 'em. I don't mind the actual 'news' stuff, but the Opinion guys make me sick. Now, I fully realize a lot of this is sour grapes on my part...and I admit it. But I can't stomach Sean Hannity or Bill O'Reilly or most of their constantly reoccuring guests. Of all the people they have on, Charles Krauthammer is one of the few I like to listen to. But, I digress.

The two that are the focus of my angst I have already mentioned. It seems like every time I turn the channel to see who they have as guests it's always Ann Coulter, the Skeletor of our time, or Dick Morris. Ann Coulter needs to eat a few Big Macs and Dick needs to back away from the table more often. Can't they find a happy medium somewhere in their dietary habits? As far as substance, I like to hear what Dick Morris has to say about current political events. Other than that, he should stop typing and shut up.

If you don't watch these two shows, try it for about a week. One thing you'll notice is these guys and their guests shoot out books like a hippo on Ex-Lax. And it's all garbage. All of it. Morris is hawking his new book, Here Come the Black Helicopters. Ooooooo. I'm so scared. Oooooo. Thank you Dick for warning me. Ooooooo. Where's my cave???? "Hey Martha! Grab the ammo and the MRE's. The Black choppers are comin'!" Whenever I tune in, it's like I'm on Bourbon Street with the guys outside the sex show bars saying, "We got the best women, the best prices, the best booze, yadda yadda yadda." But all it is is crap. I hear.

O'Reilly has made almost 30 million dollars on his book sales alone. What has he written that's actually entertaining? What has he written that helps people escape into another world, another time, another place and just sit back and enjoy a story? He hasn't. What he writes is political gobble-dee-gook that is meant to scare, divide, disturb and paint a dark picture for our future.

Tell me. Do you not already know it's bad? Do you not already know that the whole world is in turmoil? And, do you not already know that as an individual there isn't a whole helluva lot you can do about it? I am fully aware that our government, whether run by Democrats or Republicans, is out of control and will probably remain that way. We have been and are being reduced to nothing more than cattle for the power elite to feed off of. Okay, I know it. I don't need regurgitated upon regurgitated books by Hannity, O'Reilly, Coulter, Morris, et al to tell me what I already know.

They all are a bunch of hacks. All of 'em. "Welcome Mr. Guest, to the Sean Hannity show, glad to have you with us today so we can tell everybody about your new book, "Why Obama Won't Tell You He's From Mars", and so I can have the chance to plug my new book, "Obama's Not From Mars, He's From Uranus".  And be sure and tune in tomorrow when Ann Coulter will be here to whore her new book, "We're All Dead if Obama Gets Re-Elected", where I will also prostitute my latest book, that I'm finishing tonight, "We're All Dead No Matter What...So Read This Book to Know Why". We finish the week with Dick Morris, who will drool over his upcoming profits for the book, "I Was Wrong...They're Not Black Helicopters, They're Pink Helicopters, And Why the Color of the Helicopters Make a Difference in How You're All Going to Die". By then, I will have finished with my next book, "Pink Helicopters Won't Kill You, But Liberalism Will". Well, that's all the time we have for today.  I want to apologize to Mr. Guest for not giving him a chance to say one single solitary word, but at least we mentioned the title of his book. After all, that's what we're here for. Good night, and good luck."

They're laughing at YOU, the purchaser of their bilgewater, all the way to the bank. Now, I know that some people will say, "But, they're just trying to inform us!" "They're on our side!" Or, "Better than the crap you write!" First, they're not just trying to inform us. They are trying to make money and doing a great job at it because of idiots that shell it out. Secondly, they are on THEIR side of filling their pockets. Thirdly, they have the position, title and money from their celebrity to gain the attention of any publisher, agent or publicist to make sure they have the best editors and best ad programs money can buy. If my stuff is crap, it's because all I have is me to write it. I have been told, however, by those who have actually purchased my work, that I'm a pretty damned good writer. Since my mother is dead, you can't place my accolades on her.

I'm about to finish a four month long radio campaign for one of my books. I took a big chance and laid down 5000 dollars to promote it. Have I seen an increase in sales? Yes, I have. But it did not meet my expectations. And I have the book selling at .99 cents for Pete's sake. I've looked into hiring a publicist. Do you know how much that costs? Only someone who has a lot of money, and I mean a LOT of money, can hire a publicist. I finally had a publisher pick up my Western and will soon have a professional editor to assist me in fine tuning it. It won't be out until July next year and I can't wait. Yet, without the ability to get the word out on a grand scale, it has little hope of helping me to just retire, much less become filthy rich.

 I don't write political books. Maybe I should start. But, first I have to get my own TV opinion show on Fox News and become a hack. I just don't think I could do what they do. I don't have enough hair on top of my head. Excuse me while I go eat a bowl of sour grapes.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Smorgasbord Friday

It was reported that a pet store in Miami held a roach eating contest. The participants were vying to win a python. The 'winner' of the contestant, out of about thirty people, was a man named Edward Archbold, 32. The reason I say he 'was' the winner, is that shortly after he fell ill and subsequently died. None of the other contestants became sick. I don't know about you, but I'll stick to steak and taters, thank you.

In Great Britain, a place I dearly love, an 18 year old woman named Gaby Scanlon partook of a type of drink that is enhanced by the addition of liquid nitrogen. The nitrogen creates 'smoke' and 'fizzles' in the drink and is considered exotic. Well, in this case, Gaby must have guzzled the drink, consuming the nitrogen while it was still liquid. What happens in the stomach is that it soon turns to gas and rapidly expands, turning one's stomach into an oversized balloon. In Gaby's case, it burst her stomach and doctors had to remove it to save her life. Police are investigating the incident.

Albert Einstein was one of the most brilliant men in the 20th century. He wrote a letter to a friend that has been dubbed 'The God Letter', and was put up on eBay for auction. The initial bid was three million dollars. In the letter, Einstein calls belief in religion and God "pretty childish" and ridicules the idea that the Jews are a chosen people. I wonder what he's thinking now?

The U.S. is still sticking it to the natives that were here before the rest of us. North Dakota is seeing a huge oil boom. Millions of barrels of reserves have been found on Indian land. The Fort Berthold reservation is smack dab in the middle of this black gold rush. Four years ago, the tribe and state signed an agreement to split up the tax revenue...right down the middle. Tribal tax director Mark Fox says the oil taxes from the reservation have totaled $346 million since the signing of the agreement, but the reservation has only gotten a third of that. The State has taken over 2/3's. When the tribe protested and took their grievance to the North Dakota State Legislature, their idea was rejected. One would think we still live in the 1870's the way we treat these people. We give them land and say, "Here you shall live if you wish to keep your nation intact and be your own people. This land is your sovereign territory, set apart from the United States so you can rule yourselves. Only...the oil ain't yours, the uranium ain't yours, we keep the lion's share of any casino proceeds, and if you have a legitimate grievance we'll just add it to this huge pile of broken treaties and promises over the last four hundred  years." But, we make sure they have plent of firewater.

In Pennsylvania, a dastardly and evil criminal walked into a bank to rob it. Jeffrey McMullen, a 50 year old regular customer of the bank, handed notes to two tellers demanding money. When they looked at the notes, they thought it was a joke. How much was he demanding? One dollar. Jeffrey was obviously tired of working for a living and wanted to be prosecuted for a federal offense so he could be sent to a plushy Federal Prison to be fed three squares a day and lounge about on the taxpayer's nickel. One note given to tellers said, "FBI custody. Preferbly (sic) Loretto Pa. No press. Seal all files," according to the complaint. Police took that to be a request that McMullen hoped authorities would not publicize his case. The other said, "Federal bank robbery. Please hand over $1.00." Hmmm. Lounging about on the taxpayer's nickel. Come to think of it, that's not such a bad idea.

A man in Spain, who was serving time in jail, had repeatedly asked for authorities to go to his home and check on his wife that he had not heard from for more than a year. A judge had refused on several occasions to allow anyone into the home. Even when residents, who lived close by, were complaining of a foul odor coming from the home, the judge denied many requests from the town police and the civil guard to enter the home. His reasoning was there had been many complaints over the year's about the woman's total lack of 'hygeine' inside the home so he was not willing to infringe on her privacy with no more to go on than that. Eventually, the man was released on furlough and went to his house. He had to break down the door to find the mummified remains of his wife lying in bed. You can't make this stuff up.

 

Thursday, October 11, 2012

And the Debate Winner is????

As I predicted, Joe Biden was polished, prepared and came out swinging. Paul Ryan was also everything I thought he would be.

I liked what Charles Krauthammer said after it was over. If you were to look only at the transcript, it was even. If you listened to it on the radio, Biden won. If you watched it on TV, Ryan won.

Joe Biden did as he was supposed to. He protected the ball. There were no major gaffes, he was on point with the Democratic Party Line and the Administration Party Line. He made a mistake, I think, when he threw the U.S. Intelligence Service under the bus regarding Benghazi and he wasn't as strong where he should have been, which was foreign policy. His other job was to lay the groundwork for Obama in the second debate with Romney. He opened the 47% door, the Bain Capital door (even though he didn't specifically mention Bain), and set the tone for the two future Presidential debates.

Where Biden went wrong tonight was in his mannerisms. Remember, even though most of the polls show Romney as being the better candidate when it comes to the economy, Obama beats him every time in 'likability'. Perception and impression mean a lot to many voters. Biden was extremely condescending by his smirks, laughs, head shaking, blowing, and derisive smiling while it was Ryan's turn to speak. He interrupted Ryan several times, not wishing to take his turn for rebuttal and attempting, in my opinion, to get Ryan off his game. In the last respect, he failed miserably.  He came off as rude, arrogant, overbearing and as a bully.

Paul Ryan was just as prepared as Biden and I think was just as skillful in stating his ticket's position. He was respectful to Biden the vast majority of the time and rarely interrupted him, except for near the end of the debate it increased in frequency. I think I would have done the same thing since he had to show he was up to the task of facing the VP down. Otherwise he would have come off as being weak or timid.

The closing statement contest goes overwhelmingly to Ryan. Even his 'thank you' to Biden was met with a smirk. He was clear, concise and stuck to the points he wanted to make. Biden's closing statement seemed to be more 'off the cuff' and didn't resound well.

It might have just been me, but Biden came out with more energy and pizzazz than Ryan did. In fact, I looked over at my daughter and told her that Biden was winning after the first ten minutes. But as the debate went on, it seemed to me he tired. If you'll watch the last fifteen minutes again, Biden was more subdued and low-key. Actually, I think he ran out of steam. Or, maybe I was seeing things.

In the end, I have to give the edge to Ryan...but just barely. Ryan came off way better in the mannerism department, and that's the only place where I push him into the lead. Even though I don't agree with the Administration's position on anything but killing terrorists with drones, the substance is not where I grade. I grade on how the substance of both sides was portrayed by the participants. In that regard, they were pretty much even.

The best line of the night HAS to go to Ryan. When Biden brought up Romney's 47% remark, Ryan countered with, "As the vice president very well knows, sometimes the words don't come out of your mouth the right way."

Classic.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Jessica Ridgeway

News reports are that a body of a young girl has been found in a Colorado park. Authorities believe it is the body of 10 year old Jessica Ridgeway; a little girl who was going to meet friends so they could walk to school together.

If it is indeed this little girl, my heart and prayers go out to her family. My prayers also go out to the detectives working on the case and that God will allow them to find the murderer post haste, before he has a chance to kill again.

I'm an ID freak. My wife claims that I'm a morbid individual for continuing to watch what she refers to as 'The Murder Channel'. What I find fascinating is how they end up catching some of these people. One night I saw that they caught a murderer by matching the DNA of the victim's dog poop on the shoe of the man who did it. That's right, he stepped in some dog doo-doo after he killed the person and left the imprint of his sneakers in it. I like to imagine the guy in prison when his cell mate looks over and asks, "So...how'd they ketch yew?"

We read and watch these stories all too often about little girls being abducted and killed. Usually, they are horrifically treated before having their lives taken from them. One can only imagine the terror and agony they go through before they die. It sends chills over me to think about it.

It takes a pure evil to commit any crime against another. I remember how violated I felt when two burglars tried to break into my home while I was there. At the time, I only owned a pistol. It was a small, .38 caliber snubnose that only held five rounds. I looked at it after the incident was over and even with it in my hand I didn't feel safe anymore. I went to Academy and bought a .12 gauge pump riot gun and felt a lot better about my chances in defending home, possessions and family should it ever happen again.

But, to abduct, torture and kill a child? That is an evil that surpasses pure. It is an unadulterated, unabashed, unmitigated, heartless and soulless evil of unknown proportions except to the devil himself. It is an evil that no decent person can fathom, much less begin to understand. You don't have to be a Christian to be repelled by the mind set, much less the actions, of such monsters. And, yes...they ARE monsters. Do not approach me with any platitudes about grace, forgiveness, love or understanding about the ilk that perpetrate such a crime. They are not in my theology for such actions. And, what's more, I don't believe they should be in anyone's theology.

When a person sinks so low into the mire and the muck and the vacuous den of sin infected filth as to kill a child by abducting her for their own sick pleasures and/or purposes, they are beyond even the reach of God. They have sold themselves out to the deepest pits of sin and cannot be reached.

Someone asked me one time why the demons could not be saved. I have heard some preachers and scholars say it is because they were once angels and had walked in God's presence and therefore had no excuse for rebellion. I disagree. The reason why demons can't be saved is because they LOVE sin, and HATE righteousness. They're love for evil is so strong it permeates and seeps in to their very core. This is where these human monsters have gone that kill children in such a manner. They love their sickness more than they could ever just merely want help. It isn't that God can't reach them as much as they have removed themselves from his reach. It was their choice.

There is no salvation for these. None. I have sometimes thought about how I would react if someone were to kill the only child I have left out of three. My oldest died from complications of Spina Bifida after nearly seventeen years. My son died four months into pregnancy. If some piece of offal were to take the life of my last living child for his own evil and perverse pleasures, I've wondered how I would react to him. I have thought about my 'Victim Statement' before he was to be sentenced and how I would not waste one breath on him. Rather, I would turn to the judge and beg for the man to be released. I would plead for the monster to be set free, and to make sure I knew the time and place. If it were to happen, which I know it would not, he would know the true meaning of fear. He would know what terror truly was. And before he died, he would know the hell awaiting him was far worse than what he had just been put through by my hand.

Poor Jessica Ridgeway. So young, so innocent and with her whole life in front of her. Snuffed out by a sick piece of flesh that is only taking up good air. Find him, Colorado. Find him and let him go free in front of her father. Then turn around and leave them be. Justice will be swift.

The Vice Presidential Debate

Tomorrow night, Congressman Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden will square off for their first and only debate. After Obama got his head handed to him the other day by Mitt Romney in their initial debate, I expect Biden to come out swinging, and to be sufficiently prepared.

Known as the perennial 'gaffmeister', don't expect Biden to have any slip-ups tomorrow night. In fact, I am fully prepared to see a polished Biden who will stick close to the script. He will be like former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer who led the Ravens to a victory in the Super Bowl. Dilfer wasn't a gunslinger like Favre, or an excellent field general like Montana, or even a master of deception like Peyton Manning. What Dilfer brought to his team was a man who didn't make mistakes, protected the ball, and let his defense, under command of Ray Lewis, do all the winning. That is what is expected of Joe Biden by Obama and Gang when he takes the stage Thursday.

Paul Ryan, on the other hand, knows all too well what is coming. If he doesn't, then he's not as smart as everyone on the right says he is. Ryan better have his helmet on, his chin strap strapped and his shoulder pads tight. As in the next Presidential debate, I expect the Vice President to go on the attack and not slow up until the moderator says it is time to end the debate. Paul Ryan must not allow that to happen. Unlike Obama, Biden will not be taken by surprise. Therefore, Ryan has to strike hard and fast at the fact that the present administration has nothing of substance on their table and keep plugging the better alternative. It's the only way he is going to win. Ryan doesn't have to win decisively, he only has to win. The decisive victory was won by Romney. All he has to do is bloody Biden and send him packing to wherever he came from.

The pressure is on Biden and Obama. The polls are showing that Romney has surged ahead of or even with, Obama. In some cases, Romney has picked up eight percentage points. In the crucial swing state of Ohio it is still looking bad for the Red ticket, but if these two men can continue to 'best' their opponents in these debates, even that could change by election day.

Ryan has to push the fact that America is broke. He has to push the fact that we presently have no foreign policy. He has to push the idea for America's energy needs to be met in America, not Venezuela or Nigeria. He has to talk about the lack of good jobs. In fact, I could go on and on about all the things positive he could discuss and leave Biden with nothing to say but, "Doh!".

In the end, I have no doubt that Biden is not even close to Ryan's intellectual capacity. Joe Biden will be nothing more than a drone harping the party line...speaking only what he's been programmed to talk about. At the other podium will be a man of vision and one who actually has an  honest to goodness plan of direction for the country. It won't be to apologize for America and bow to foreign kings. The plan won't be to continue to bankrupt our country until our global presence is nothing more than a blonde joke. Their plan will not be structured to let anyone in this country illegally and then to allow them to vote illegally. The plan won't include taxing us even more so the unions in this country can dictate domestic policy to the ruin of us all. No, the plan is to rein in government, relieve the tax burden on us all, allow the oil to run through the Keystone Pipeline into our country and not be shipped to China; unleash the potential for small businesses and those who run and own them, and to keep the Supreme Court conservative for the next twenty-five to thirty years so liberal ideology will be stopped in its tracks and their socialistic tendencies will die a quiet, sustainable death.

Good luck to Paul Ryan. Good luck to Mitt Romney. Good luck to conservatism and Good luck to capitalism and Good luck to America and what she once, and still could, stand for.

RIP Mongo

Sad to hear about Alex Karras today. He was 77 years old and had been suffering from dementia for the last 12 years of his life. He was a rugged defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions for several years and wreaked havoc on offenses during his career. Reportedly, his dementia was due to his years in the NFL.

I remember seeing him act for the first time in Paper Lion, a 1968 movie based on George Plimpton's time with the Lions as a reporter writing about what it was like in an NFL training camp. Karras played himself, but showed acumen in front of the camera.

The best acting performance I think he did was not mentioned in any of the reports I read. It was in the 1975 movie 'Babe'. Karras played the husband of Babe Didrickson Zaharias, one of the greatest American female athletes of the 20th century. His acting ability in that movie was never surpassed in any of the other roles he played, in my opinion.

Of course, the most hilarious role he ever landed was in Blazing Saddles as the brute, Mongo. Mongo was so bad he rode into town on a brahma bull and punched a horse, knocking its lights out. He was seen crushing several men with a saloon piano. When he lit his cigar, Mongo had it clenched between his teeth, thrusting his whole face into a campfire with smoke billowing up from the brim of his hat. The most famous line in the movie was when he said, "Mongo only pawn in game of life." I honestly have never laughed so hard during the course of a single movie than I did that one.

The difference in the two roles revealed the range in his acting ability. He was that good.

I grew up with Alex Karras playing football on my TV screen. He was Webster's dad in the television series of the same name and drew critical acclaim. He was a color commentator for the NFL, even appearing on Monday Night Football. We used to see him all the time on television, and I never heard a bad thing about him. The only smudge on his career was when he had to sit out for one season due to gambling allegations, back in 1963.

Karras was a professional wrestler for six months before signing with the Lions. During his one year banishment from the NFL, he returned to wrestling and became quite the ticket, taking on some of the more famous wrestlers of his day, notably Dick the Bruiser. When he came back to the Lions, he was made one of their captains. A story goes that a referee asked Karras to call the coin toss. He refused by saying, "I'm sorry, sir. I'm not allowed to gamble." Classic.

By all accounts, Alex Karras was a decent man and a family man. He was a good role model for us all. Our country is poorer without him. Mainly because he wasn't a 'celebrity' like you see today. He was private and kept his personal views off the front page and out of view of the papparazzi. Alex Karras realized what his role was. He knew it wasn't to tell us how to feel, who to vote for, or what charity to be involved in. His role was to entertain us. And he did that with style.

Rest in Peace, Mongo. You did your job and you will be missed.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

J.K. Rowling 'Gilliganized'

The Harry Potter author delved into another genre and got her booty spanked by the critics. She now proclaims that she is headed back into her stereotypical closet and will not venture forth into the adult realm again. I feel sorry for her. Not in the fact that she is rich to the tenth degree of vulgarity. Harry Potter was her pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and I salute her. I feel sorry for her in that she has been placed into a box of limited creativity by the public. If I were Ms. Rowling, I would snub my nose at the critics and write what I wanted to write. Lord knows she doesn’t have to worry about it affecting her bottom line. In one way, I am glad my writings have not become famous, much less actually read by the public at large. Too many people on the public stage are what I call ‘Gilliganized’. Bob Denver was the slapstick, maniacal first mate on the show Gilligan’s Island. It was very popular and made Denver a star. That is, until the show ended. From then on, he was Gilligan. From that time until his death, he was Gilligan. There are many more examples of people being typecast and after their ‘famous’ run is over, they can’t get gigs doing anything else. Some have been able to jump over that hurdle, but they are the exception. Before Gilligan, Denver was also known as the beatnik, Maynard G. Krebs, but who remembers that anymore? Louis LaMour was known for his westerns. Stephen King is known for his horror. Christina Abbey is known for Romance. Personally, I shudder to think that the majority of what I write would be restrained into one genre. While I readily admit I am no Harold Robbins (would be that I were), my anonymity allows me to write about different things. My western comes out in July and I have four e-books on Amazon.com. One is an action/adventure novel set in the Brazilian Rainforest. One is a true crime novel about my uncle who killed a deputy sheriff in 1939 and never saw a trial. The third is a detective/crime drama based in Houston. The fourth is a horror novel set in 1590 England where I lived for almost four years. I am presently writing a murder mystery, circa 1965 in a place where I grew up. I plan on a science fiction and a Zombie story in the future. If I should ever be fortunate enough. I have written a biography about my deceased daughter and a non-fiction and a fantasy/adventure novel of wizards, warriors and dragons. I also have a collection of poems on the market. Should I be a hundredth as lucky as J.K. Rowling and hit it big with one of my novels, it will not matter if I am then ‘Gilliganized’. I was able to write stories of different things in different genres and explore my inner psyche in them all. If I ever am boxed in, it will be too late to repress my desire to write of other things. J.K. Rowling should write to her heart’s content. Her bank account is contented enough.
www.robertcoward.com

Monday, October 8, 2012

Tongue in Cheek Post

I'm very angry. Very very very angry. In the news today, a former Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader is taking a plea deal for having sexual relations with a student. A few years ago, there was the teacher in Florida who posed seductively on a motorcyle wearing a skimpy bikini that was having sex with a student. More recently was a teacher who was having a five way with her students. All over the country we are having story after story of fine looking, good looking, HOT teachers having sex with their male students.

WHERE WERE THESE TEACHERS WHEN I WAS GOING TO SCHOOL??!!!

First, I don't remember being taught by any fine looking teachers. We had a girl's basketball coach in high school named Miss Davis. She wore very short dresses to school and had a perfect hourglass figure, nice legs and a firm 'bum'...as they call it in England. Us boys loved for her to write things high on the blackboard, because it made the hem of her dress rise up to almost giving us a 'panty sighting'. The problem with Miss Davis was her teeth. They were all rotting out of her head. She was also mean. Very mean. My english teacher was an old maid named Miss Martin. She was the librarian when my mother went to high school. No thoughts of hanky panky with her. No sir.

I can't recall any story, during my school years, when a teacher was disrobing for her students to give them an added education. Especially those on the order of having the looks of an NFL cheerleader. Can you imagine...as I often do...what it would have been like if we, as a 17 year old with hormones running through our bodies like a runaway freight train, had been alone with a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader type and she got naked for us and said, "Hey big boy...is that a frog in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" It would have blown way more than our mind.

There are many experts..ahem..that say this kind of sexual abuse is just as bad on the boys as it is on the girls. I beg to differ. I was raised in an era where sex was taboo as a subject in my house. The 'Birds and the Bees' were never discussed with me. Whatever I learned, I learned on my own. The first time I got naked with a girl it was a total disaster. I honestly didn't know what to do. When I look back on the incident, I still flush with embarrassment. It was such a stupid moment for me. How I recovered is due only to my sincere desire to see what the fuss was all about. It would have been much easier on me for a HOT woman nearly twice my age to gently 'guide' me into the experience and show me the 'ropes', if you will. She would have explained to me the proper needs and wants of a female companion and how to take the time to make sure my female partner was satisfied first. Not only that, she would have shown me how to accomplish that. I could have been a much better lover at a much earlier time than I was. I honestly don't think I would have been mentally or emotionally ruined. But, who knows? I certainly don't. All of my teachers were upright, chaste, loyal to their husbands, and never looked at us as sexual objects. We didn't have the slutty, sex driven, whorish, female predators in school as we do today. What a shame. What a dirt dog, bloody shame.

Oh sure, we had sex education in class, but it was textbook only. There weren't any teachers that were willing to take us to their 'lab' and actually experiment on us. Plus, I'm not too happy with the boys in these stories. They can't keep their mouths shut. All of them have to brag, or suddenly get this guilt ridden conscience to expose this woman who only wants to share her sexual experiences with them and broaden their horizons on how to treat women.

After all, I thought God had been removed from the classroom so our primal rage could take over. Instead of Tarzans, we have Janes. "Me Jane, you must do me now." In my time, we had to settle for being kids and playing football in the church yard and look at girls getting all lumpy in the right places and wondering what that was all about. It was an age of innocence that is long gone. Oh well, I can only look back and wonder why my appearance on the world stage didn't take place until 1995. Maybe I would have gotten 'lucky' and grown up faster than I was supposed to. Maybe I could have been part of a huge scandal and had a chance to write a book about it and be on Fox News at fifteen years old. Maybe I could have been the embarrassment of my family and eventually turned to a life in the porn industry, become addicted to drugs, catch AIDS and died way before my time. I look back and think...'Man, why couldn't we have had teachers like that back in the day.'

Saturday, October 6, 2012

The 'Christian' Left

I think...no...I KNOW...it would be a great thing if 'Christians' would study the entire Bible, link its consistencies, absorb the complete non-contradictory message it contains, and cease their attempts at politicizing its words and the God that is revealed within its pages. It saddens me to no end when I see intelligent, educated people...at least educated in some degree in some field...who try to push their political agenda and beliefs as if God is totally on their side and conforms into the tiny little box they try to put him in. They then hold it up...as in the picture below with its idiotic message...as they and they alone are the harbingers of truth and know the full mind of God as pertains to their politics.


The Jews tried to make Jesus the earthly king of Israel. He would have none of it. He told his disciples to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God, the things that are God's. In II Thessolanians 3:10, a verse inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, it says, "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him eat." When Judas reprimanded the woman who, in his mind, had wasted an expensive oil on Jesus, saying that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor, Jesus told him to leave her alone, and added that the poor you have with you always.

But, our liberal friends poo-poo those verses and those stories because they fly into the face of what they believe. Without any advanced and formal study of the Bible, they cherry-pick what to them sounds good and makes them feel better about themselves and also assists them in feeling superior to those on the opposite aisle. It allows them to be prideful and to scorn others for not being as caring and loving as the nasty right.

How sad. No thought is taken by them in the picture above as to what circumstances led to this man's condition. In many instances, a person's present condition is the product of their past choices. Make bad choices, bad things happen. There are times when life throws us a nasty curve ball. I have been dead broke. I have been homeless. Therefore, I know what I'm talking about.

I, as my friends on the left, see people standing on the street corner in the blazing sun for hours on end begging for money. I give them nothing. Even I am not physically able to do that. If they are physically fit enough to stand out there like that, then they are physically able enough to work. I was never too good to pick up a shovel for a low wage. It was honest work and I earned whatever I could.

It is not society's responsibility to house, clothe and feed the greedy lazy who are more than capable of going to work. It is not society's responsibility to feed a woman who has thirteen children because she doesn't have enough energy to do anything but have sex. It is society's responsibility to take the children away and every one after and find good homes for them until she finds enough self respect to take care of herself.

The liberals would have us believe that it is the working man, the taxpaying man, the law abiding man, the responsible man who takes care of his own who should sacrifice more and more to help those who have no intention of helping themselves. They would have us believe that it is a holy thing, a righteous thing, an honorable thing and Godly thing to take from the haves and simply give it to the have nots and expect nothing in return but the good feeling that we have done something.

Our country will soon be so far in debt that the economical house of cards it is presently built upon will crumble. And it won't be the conservative ideals that did it. It will be the ideals of liberalism that everyone must be cared for by the government until our economy implodes and crashes in upon itself.

I do not pretend to know the full mind of God. That's the difference between me and this supposed 'Christian Left' message. Their Christian God is so small they think they have him completely figured out and have already separated themselves from their conservative brothers and sisters in Christ by the posting of such a picture and created a divide of hurt and a type of second class Christian.

It would be the betterment of us all if such comparisons were left out of the political arena. Perhaps we should all step back and read the words of the Apostle Paul when he said, "We should esteem others better than ourselves." If we all lived by those words, and I mean all of us on a planetary scale, what an immediate difference there would be. But, people don't live like that. We cannot possess a mindset that people are like that. Therefore, we have to view people as they really are. I think those who truly need help should get it. That's another difference about liberals. They think people should get help even if they don't need and even if they have the wherewithal to help themselves.