 With the current labor strife of the NFL it has become crystal clear to me that we miss Gene Upshaw more than I could have ever speculated. Since 1987 the NFL has been without a labor dispute. Football has been played seamlessly for 24 years, many of which Gene Upshaw was the president of the NFL Players Association. By working together with the NFL Mr Upshaw saw player salaries quadrupled over that time. Concessions for retired players, health care, retirement and overall player well-being improved immensely as well. It was a perfect union, the NFL and the Players, because Mr. Upshaw understood the big picture and how to make it all work. Now, that vision has dissolved. The new Player Association management has lost sight of the goal and exposed themselves as having single agenda that serves their purpose more than the players they represent. It's going to be a long and ugly journey before this is done and it will come down to the players taking control of their own destiny and telling their management how to represent them, not allow management to dictate to them what they are going to do. The players are employees in a business that has an entry salary close to $350,000 a year. In addition the owners gave the players nearly 60% of the profits. If the players only get 45% of the profits, how is this a bad thing. No one is working for .25 cents a day and dying from black lung disease. The players have to control their representation and keep the big picture in view. I call out now to all NFL Players to take their union back from the greedy and destructive force they elected and use common sense. It's what Gene Upshaw would have done.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/12052
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Out With The Old...
The era of self-publishing has arrived. With the advent of the Kindle, the Nook, the iPad and other e-reader devices, authors all around the world have the opportunity to get their work out into the public eye. At last, there is a functional way to be published without the scrutiny of publishing houses, agents and paid-by-the-hour readers.
Self-publishing has long been an option for authors but the realities of it were often too difficult to overcome. Self-publishing meant printing and binding and boxes in your dining room. It meant schlepping from bookstore to bookstore in an attempt to market your work. It came with a significant financial investment with little guarantee of recovery. But those days are gone. E-books and print on demand have changed the publishing industry and metamorphosed the entire literary world.
As authors, no longer are we held to the whim of a faceless agent or unreachable publisher. No longer are we writing clever queries to capture the attention of an underpaid and bored screener. No longer do we send our work off only to get a rejection letter six months later. No one is going to be able to tell us that we aren't good enough, that our work isn't ready or they are just not interested.
No! We now can publish whenever and wherever we want.
OMG! Do you realize what that means?
No, really, think about it. Do you realize what this means? It means that we alone are responsible for what we publish. We alone are responsible to maintain the professionalism and integrity of the literary industry. We alone must take total responsibility for the whole enchilada.
Think about it. No one in the history of publishing has ever published a book alone. There have always been the guardians at the gate, the faceless agents, the unreachable publishers, the meticulous editors. It has always been their charge to maintain the professional integrity of the publishing world. Now, they have been eliminated, cut out, cast aside; well, almost. While the publisher is out of this picture and the agent has little or no power in a self-publishing world, the editor becomes king. The editor must become our best friend.
With the advent of the electronic age of publishing all authors who deserve to be published can see their work out in the real world, but, that also means that anyone who has ever written sixty pages about their summer vacation can also be published. What stands between us as professional writers and those that feel people will be interested in their aunt's gall bladder operation?
I can tell you, professionalism. We now own the responsibility to maintain the integrity of this industry and must NEVER publish a work that has not been professionally edited and proofed. And I stress the word, professionally. Your sister, the sixth grade English teacher, does not count as a professional editor. This is the only real area of self-publication that will cost the self-published author. You must pay for this service. No one can self-edit. When you get the stage where it is time to kill your babies, you need outside help in doing so. Do not think otherwise.
The arena of self-publishing can become a rich and bountiful place for us to thrive and flourish but only if we treat it with the utmost respect and reject ourselves more often than we accept what we have written. Ask yourself time and time again, would Doubleday take this? Would McMillian publish this? Is this ready to be sent out into the world. Only when you are one hundred percent certain and only when you have done everything humanly possible to assure that you have the most professional product possible do you submit your work for the world to see.
I promise you, professionalism will rise to the top of the self-publishing world and we will be building a reputation that is sturdy and secure.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/12052
Self-publishing has long been an option for authors but the realities of it were often too difficult to overcome. Self-publishing meant printing and binding and boxes in your dining room. It meant schlepping from bookstore to bookstore in an attempt to market your work. It came with a significant financial investment with little guarantee of recovery. But those days are gone. E-books and print on demand have changed the publishing industry and metamorphosed the entire literary world.
As authors, no longer are we held to the whim of a faceless agent or unreachable publisher. No longer are we writing clever queries to capture the attention of an underpaid and bored screener. No longer do we send our work off only to get a rejection letter six months later. No one is going to be able to tell us that we aren't good enough, that our work isn't ready or they are just not interested.
No! We now can publish whenever and wherever we want.
OMG! Do you realize what that means?
No, really, think about it. Do you realize what this means? It means that we alone are responsible for what we publish. We alone are responsible to maintain the professionalism and integrity of the literary industry. We alone must take total responsibility for the whole enchilada.
Think about it. No one in the history of publishing has ever published a book alone. There have always been the guardians at the gate, the faceless agents, the unreachable publishers, the meticulous editors. It has always been their charge to maintain the professional integrity of the publishing world. Now, they have been eliminated, cut out, cast aside; well, almost. While the publisher is out of this picture and the agent has little or no power in a self-publishing world, the editor becomes king. The editor must become our best friend.
With the advent of the electronic age of publishing all authors who deserve to be published can see their work out in the real world, but, that also means that anyone who has ever written sixty pages about their summer vacation can also be published. What stands between us as professional writers and those that feel people will be interested in their aunt's gall bladder operation?
I can tell you, professionalism. We now own the responsibility to maintain the integrity of this industry and must NEVER publish a work that has not been professionally edited and proofed. And I stress the word, professionally. Your sister, the sixth grade English teacher, does not count as a professional editor. This is the only real area of self-publication that will cost the self-published author. You must pay for this service. No one can self-edit. When you get the stage where it is time to kill your babies, you need outside help in doing so. Do not think otherwise.
The arena of self-publishing can become a rich and bountiful place for us to thrive and flourish but only if we treat it with the utmost respect and reject ourselves more often than we accept what we have written. Ask yourself time and time again, would Doubleday take this? Would McMillian publish this? Is this ready to be sent out into the world. Only when you are one hundred percent certain and only when you have done everything humanly possible to assure that you have the most professional product possible do you submit your work for the world to see.
I promise you, professionalism will rise to the top of the self-publishing world and we will be building a reputation that is sturdy and secure.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/12052
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Second Thoughts About Tucson
Yesterday I wrote about my feelings concerning the death of Christina Taylor-Green. When I did, I did not have all of the facts. I re-read my posting thinking that I had gone to far with certain assumptions but actually feel that the post holds together well.
One part needs more discussion however. In yesterday’s post I mentioned that my Right Wing FB friend accused me of believing the shooter to be a Tea Party member. I did not say that then or at any other time. However, I did believe it. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was a madman, right wing wacko taking “justice” into his own hands. I was wrong. Although it is turning out that he did hold far right beliefs, he is also a very ill man with severe schizophrenic tendencies. He is a crazy man, in short. I heard a wonderful monologue from Jon Stewart that turned my thinking around on this matter. (http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/01/11/jon-stewarts-moving-monologue-on-the-tucson-shootings/) In this monologue he talks a lot about the perpetrator. He talks a lot about the media’s involvement. He did make one statement however, that I did not totally agree with, “I can no more blame Fox News for this tragedy than I can blame heavy metal music for Columbine.” I can see his point but I don’t think this is a good example. Heavy metal music wasn’t the catalyst for Columbine, bullying was the culprit. Heavy metal music was the escape for those two boys. In Tucson, the man was mentally ill and paranoid. He turned within himself and found the hate and dogma perpetrated on him each time he watched the news or listened to the radio.
Now, to make the case that the right wing media is responsible for this action would be a tough road to hoe and I have to back off that statement. My friend on FB would now be calling me a flip-flopper and denouncing me as unreliable. I, however, believe that new information must be considered and can alter opinions. But I do hold to the belief that the right wing media, along with the left wing extremists, all shout the same crap from different view points. And I stand by my belief that when you send out nothing but negative energy and hate you will get nothing in return but negative energy and hate. Both parties have to stop attacking each other as though they were fighting over the last can of beans on a deserted island. Dialogue and cooperation will accomplish more and do something that is sorely needed in this country, solve problems. And its about time.
On a side note, my dear friend Dot, lives in Tucson and is extremely involved in the local political scene. She new four or five of the people shot including the congresswoman and the judge that was killed. My heart goes out to her and her family and I am just grateful that she was not at the event because there seems to be every reason in the world that she could have been.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/12052
One part needs more discussion however. In yesterday’s post I mentioned that my Right Wing FB friend accused me of believing the shooter to be a Tea Party member. I did not say that then or at any other time. However, I did believe it. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was a madman, right wing wacko taking “justice” into his own hands. I was wrong. Although it is turning out that he did hold far right beliefs, he is also a very ill man with severe schizophrenic tendencies. He is a crazy man, in short. I heard a wonderful monologue from Jon Stewart that turned my thinking around on this matter. (http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/01/11/jon-stewarts-moving-monologue-on-the-tucson-shootings/) In this monologue he talks a lot about the perpetrator. He talks a lot about the media’s involvement. He did make one statement however, that I did not totally agree with, “I can no more blame Fox News for this tragedy than I can blame heavy metal music for Columbine.” I can see his point but I don’t think this is a good example. Heavy metal music wasn’t the catalyst for Columbine, bullying was the culprit. Heavy metal music was the escape for those two boys. In Tucson, the man was mentally ill and paranoid. He turned within himself and found the hate and dogma perpetrated on him each time he watched the news or listened to the radio.
Now, to make the case that the right wing media is responsible for this action would be a tough road to hoe and I have to back off that statement. My friend on FB would now be calling me a flip-flopper and denouncing me as unreliable. I, however, believe that new information must be considered and can alter opinions. But I do hold to the belief that the right wing media, along with the left wing extremists, all shout the same crap from different view points. And I stand by my belief that when you send out nothing but negative energy and hate you will get nothing in return but negative energy and hate. Both parties have to stop attacking each other as though they were fighting over the last can of beans on a deserted island. Dialogue and cooperation will accomplish more and do something that is sorely needed in this country, solve problems. And its about time.
On a side note, my dear friend Dot, lives in Tucson and is extremely involved in the local political scene. She new four or five of the people shot including the congresswoman and the judge that was killed. My heart goes out to her and her family and I am just grateful that she was not at the event because there seems to be every reason in the world that she could have been.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/12052
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
THrowing Blame? Really?
I can’t seem to get this image out of my head. Imagine, you take your daughter to a grocery store and she is shot by some deluded madman attempting to make a political statement? It crushes my heart to think about it.
The pain must be unbearable. I hope I never know what it is like. There is a part of the human brain that protects us, that doesn’t allow us to go to that place and feel what this little girl’s parents are feeling, and for that I am grateful. I have two daughters. I can only imagine the utter horror of such a situation.
But what disgusts me almost as much is the political backlash of this tragedy. The Fox News contingent, Beck, Hannity et al and the radio mouths all seem more concerned about shucking blame than dealing with the issue. It seems that it is more important to them that this madman was not a Tea Party member, not a conservative, not a follower than the fact he murdered a 9 year old girl. The spin machine is working overtime to prove that this man was not “one of them.” It is a travesty.
But, that is what happens when you spew hatred and prejudice on a daily basis. When you broadcast nothing but negative thoughts and energy you create this type of person.
I have been in a discussion with an extreme right wing conservative via Facebook for several weeks now. It was my intention to try to understand his point of view and learn what I could from his opinions. It has been a total failure. In pages and pages of discussion we have not exchanged a single idea. He preaches and condemns and rants and raves all the while doing nothing but rehashing what Rush and O’Reilly tell him. This man vehemently denies evolution and global warming. He considers both Left wing plots to undermine the country. And yet while he denies science with one statement he endorses medicine with the next. When I accused him of being a sheep who follows the crowd he responded as follows:
".....Nobody tells me to do anything. Rush to me is common sense and Gods word is a warning written years in advance...
B- Basic
I - Instructions
B- Before
L - Leaving
E - Earth
He is so deluded that he can’t see the dichotomy of his own words. It is this mentality that leads to picking up a gun to solve an argument.
I have to say, I have never been one to join or announce my allegiance to any one group. I consider myself a liberal thinker but not a left wing zealot. But I am beginning to think that I need to do that. I need to tell people that I do not believe in violence as an answer, “Whatever the next war is about, I’m against it.” And as much as the left wing zealots abhor the right wing wacko’s not a one of them would pick up a gun, stalk them and shoot them in a crowded public place to prove their points. They might talk them to death or shout them down, but they would never shoot. I shared that with my right wing friend on FB yesterday and he informed me today that John Wilkes Booth was a liberal. In his mind there is a connection there, somewhere. Again, he is so deluded that he can’t see the difference between a 19th Century assassin and the murder of a 9 year old innocent girl.
But he did bring up an interesting point. He accused me of saying that the murderer was a Tea Party Member. I had not done that but I guess the writing on the wall is so clear that even he can read it. Why is it that when something like this tragedy in Tucson happens everyone knows which side of the fence this perpetrator sits on? Why is it that the Timothy McVie’s and the Freeway shooters all share a conservative frame of mind? Regardless of their political party affiliations, they all reside on the far right and believe that they can find an answer by stomping on the Constitution and forcing their point.
All of this is a round about way for me to say that enough is enough. We have to stop the hate. We have to communicate with each other and not be afraid of holding a differing opinion. Hearing a contradictory opinion is not a bad or hurtful thing, it is the basis for human communication. Had this young man realized that he could express himself without violence then maybe there would be a 9 year old girl sitting at her desk in school this morning instead of being lain to rest.
www.justice-rules.com
The pain must be unbearable. I hope I never know what it is like. There is a part of the human brain that protects us, that doesn’t allow us to go to that place and feel what this little girl’s parents are feeling, and for that I am grateful. I have two daughters. I can only imagine the utter horror of such a situation.
But what disgusts me almost as much is the political backlash of this tragedy. The Fox News contingent, Beck, Hannity et al and the radio mouths all seem more concerned about shucking blame than dealing with the issue. It seems that it is more important to them that this madman was not a Tea Party member, not a conservative, not a follower than the fact he murdered a 9 year old girl. The spin machine is working overtime to prove that this man was not “one of them.” It is a travesty.
But, that is what happens when you spew hatred and prejudice on a daily basis. When you broadcast nothing but negative thoughts and energy you create this type of person.
I have been in a discussion with an extreme right wing conservative via Facebook for several weeks now. It was my intention to try to understand his point of view and learn what I could from his opinions. It has been a total failure. In pages and pages of discussion we have not exchanged a single idea. He preaches and condemns and rants and raves all the while doing nothing but rehashing what Rush and O’Reilly tell him. This man vehemently denies evolution and global warming. He considers both Left wing plots to undermine the country. And yet while he denies science with one statement he endorses medicine with the next. When I accused him of being a sheep who follows the crowd he responded as follows:
".....Nobody tells me to do anything. Rush to me is common sense and Gods word is a warning written years in advance...
B- Basic
I - Instructions
B- Before
L - Leaving
E - Earth
He is so deluded that he can’t see the dichotomy of his own words. It is this mentality that leads to picking up a gun to solve an argument.
I have to say, I have never been one to join or announce my allegiance to any one group. I consider myself a liberal thinker but not a left wing zealot. But I am beginning to think that I need to do that. I need to tell people that I do not believe in violence as an answer, “Whatever the next war is about, I’m against it.” And as much as the left wing zealots abhor the right wing wacko’s not a one of them would pick up a gun, stalk them and shoot them in a crowded public place to prove their points. They might talk them to death or shout them down, but they would never shoot. I shared that with my right wing friend on FB yesterday and he informed me today that John Wilkes Booth was a liberal. In his mind there is a connection there, somewhere. Again, he is so deluded that he can’t see the difference between a 19th Century assassin and the murder of a 9 year old innocent girl.
But he did bring up an interesting point. He accused me of saying that the murderer was a Tea Party Member. I had not done that but I guess the writing on the wall is so clear that even he can read it. Why is it that when something like this tragedy in Tucson happens everyone knows which side of the fence this perpetrator sits on? Why is it that the Timothy McVie’s and the Freeway shooters all share a conservative frame of mind? Regardless of their political party affiliations, they all reside on the far right and believe that they can find an answer by stomping on the Constitution and forcing their point.
All of this is a round about way for me to say that enough is enough. We have to stop the hate. We have to communicate with each other and not be afraid of holding a differing opinion. Hearing a contradictory opinion is not a bad or hurtful thing, it is the basis for human communication. Had this young man realized that he could express himself without violence then maybe there would be a 9 year old girl sitting at her desk in school this morning instead of being lain to rest.
www.justice-rules.com
Self Published and Loving It.
I am a self-published author.
It feels very good to say that. The road I took to get there was long, arduous and in the end, gratifying.
Originally I had no intention of self-publishing. To me that meant a living room full of boxes of books, that I paid for, sitting there with the hope of selling them to someone, somewhere. A big financial investment along with a lot of leg work; I was not interested.
I worked for several years to write a novel, Justice Rules, and when it finally got to the stage that I thought it was ready I took it out into the world. I then waited, with great expectations, for my door to be kicked in and the world to come running to me. To my surprise, nothing happened.
I started down the traditional publication path. I searched for many months to find an agent, who in turn would find a publisher who in turn would publish my work. Finally, I found an agent who was willing to represent me and thought that this was the step I needed to take to find success. To my great disappointment, the relationship ended shortly after when she got married and retired from the business. Not to be deterred, I set out in search once again, and again, I was successful in finding an agent, the person who would take me over the hump and I would get to see my work in print on a book store shelf. Well, she got divorced and left the business to pursue other interests. (What is it with agents and matrimony?) About this time a good friend sent me an article he read about a site called Smashwords.com. Smashwords.com had just signed an agreement with Apple to supply content for the iPad. My eyes opened.
The iPad and the Kindle are the two top selling products in the world. After researching the site it occurred to me that I could, in fact, self publish. There was no cost involved, the book would be available through Amazon.com as well as the Apple bookstore. There was nothing standing in my way. I suddenly realized that I had been waiting for someone else to tell me that it was okay for people to read my book. I was allowing my success to be determined by other people who functioned in an institution that was changing faster than they could comprehend. A Springsteen lyric came to mind.
“My soul checked out missing
As I sat there listening
To the hours and minutes ticking away.
I was sitting around waiting for my life to begin
While it was all just ticking away.”
I made the decision to take control of my own success or failure and go for it. I signed up with Smashwords.com, published the novel and started my journey.
To date, I have had over 40 tremendous reviews from a wide range of people. Many customer reviews on Amazon as well as several professional reviews on web sites, blog sites and from other authors. I was a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association 2010 Literary Contest. I was listed on the Top 25 Self Published Novels of 2010 at a very popular blog site, http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com. It is incredibly gratifying to have people read your work, recommend it to their friends, and write nice things about it. I would have been denied that experience had I allowed the old world publishing guru’s to dictate to me what I can and cannot do.
Take control, that is my advice for the day. You control your own destiny and you can succeed with hard work and perseverance.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003K16TCY
It feels very good to say that. The road I took to get there was long, arduous and in the end, gratifying.
Originally I had no intention of self-publishing. To me that meant a living room full of boxes of books, that I paid for, sitting there with the hope of selling them to someone, somewhere. A big financial investment along with a lot of leg work; I was not interested.
I worked for several years to write a novel, Justice Rules, and when it finally got to the stage that I thought it was ready I took it out into the world. I then waited, with great expectations, for my door to be kicked in and the world to come running to me. To my surprise, nothing happened.
I started down the traditional publication path. I searched for many months to find an agent, who in turn would find a publisher who in turn would publish my work. Finally, I found an agent who was willing to represent me and thought that this was the step I needed to take to find success. To my great disappointment, the relationship ended shortly after when she got married and retired from the business. Not to be deterred, I set out in search once again, and again, I was successful in finding an agent, the person who would take me over the hump and I would get to see my work in print on a book store shelf. Well, she got divorced and left the business to pursue other interests. (What is it with agents and matrimony?) About this time a good friend sent me an article he read about a site called Smashwords.com. Smashwords.com had just signed an agreement with Apple to supply content for the iPad. My eyes opened.
The iPad and the Kindle are the two top selling products in the world. After researching the site it occurred to me that I could, in fact, self publish. There was no cost involved, the book would be available through Amazon.com as well as the Apple bookstore. There was nothing standing in my way. I suddenly realized that I had been waiting for someone else to tell me that it was okay for people to read my book. I was allowing my success to be determined by other people who functioned in an institution that was changing faster than they could comprehend. A Springsteen lyric came to mind.
“My soul checked out missing
As I sat there listening
To the hours and minutes ticking away.
I was sitting around waiting for my life to begin
While it was all just ticking away.”
I made the decision to take control of my own success or failure and go for it. I signed up with Smashwords.com, published the novel and started my journey.
To date, I have had over 40 tremendous reviews from a wide range of people. Many customer reviews on Amazon as well as several professional reviews on web sites, blog sites and from other authors. I was a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association 2010 Literary Contest. I was listed on the Top 25 Self Published Novels of 2010 at a very popular blog site, http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com. It is incredibly gratifying to have people read your work, recommend it to their friends, and write nice things about it. I would have been denied that experience had I allowed the old world publishing guru’s to dictate to me what I can and cannot do.
Take control, that is my advice for the day. You control your own destiny and you can succeed with hard work and perseverance.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003K16TCY
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Be Careful What You Wish For
11/4/10
"Be careful what you wish for, you just may get it."
Hello all. I know I haven't written anything in a while. No particular reason, I just don't feel that my every thought is that engaging. However, with the events of the past few days I have managed to formulate a thought or two that I want to share.
I am a registered Democrat but have views that differ from the party line. I am only a Democrat because of the two choices I have, without throwing my vote away on a misguided principle, I find they are more closely aligned with my way of thinking. After this election I find myself even more in tune with that side of the fence. Not because of what they stand for but for because of how they are reacting.
Two years ago this country made me more proud to be an American than I have even been. With the election of President Obama we broke barriers that I thought would take years to overcome. I was excited and filled with anticipation at the possibilities. Then the other side raised its head and cried "Armageddon" "End of our country as we know it", "Its the start of Socialism, Marxism and every other 'ism," they could find.
And now the worm has turned. The Republicans won the House and displaced many Democratic offices. Since the election on Tuesday though, I have heard no cries of despair, no tearing of lapels or ripping out of hair from the left. I have not seen anyone putting up hateful, racist, signs or threatening violence.
On the news however, I do hear the Republicans and their red-headed step child, The Tea Party, crying out once again. "This election has sent a message to this country!" They are dancing in the streets, fist bumping and hugging, it is as though they have been stranded in an Arctic wasteland and rescue has just arrived. It is as though suddenly, overnight, the world has changed.
Well, here's some news for those newly elected officials on both sides of the fence; nothing has changed. You have not accomplished anything except get elected, and if memory serves me correctly a dead man managed to do that a few years back. If I were a newly elected member of Congress I would be pissing my pants, not glad-handing everyone I see. By winning the election you also win the right to bear responsibility for the woes of this nation. You have won the right to face the challenge of finding solutions to the problems that were created during the eight long years of George W Bush. You have won the right to stand in front of this nation and explain yourself when you fail. You all made some very loud and very bold proclamations about what was wrong with this country and how to fix it. You know how quickly public opinion can be swayed. Better take heed and do what you said you would do.
In my eyes, this election did not send a message to America, this election brought a message from America to you, Mr/Mrs Newly Elected Official. The message is clear, stop the crap, stop the in-fighting and back-stabbing, recognize that a victory only occurs when a problem is solved, not when you block your opponent from being successful. Your job is to solve the problems of this country, not to get elected next time around or to squash any legitimate attempt at a solution simply because it did not originate in your party.
This is my plea to the entire Congress and particularly The House of Representatives. You fought and you won. Congratulations. Now, go do your job. And to clarify, your job is not to enhance your parties political power, your job is to solve the problems of this country and you can only do that by working together, by encouraging new ideas and embracing the good ones, no matter where they originate. Your job is to see to it that EVERY one of your campaign promises is fulfilled.
For me, the '08 election was about two things. I wanted some kind of health care reform. I knew we wouldn't get everything that was needed with health care, but I wanted a foothold, I wanted a start at fixing this problem. I recently saw Jimmy Carter and he spoke about his health care reform attempt in the late '70's. I remembered when Bill Clinton took office, Hillary's main focus was health care reform. Over thirty years and NOTHING had been done because of the powerful lobby of the pharmaceutical industry and the insurance industry. President Obama promised a health care reform bill and he got one passed. Is it the best one, no? The bill was disemboweled on the floor and a watered down version was passed. But it was passed.
The second issue for me was the war. I wanted our men and women out of Iraq. I saw no reason for any America to die in that God-forsaken wasteland. President Obama has removed the troops.
If this new Congress can live up to that standard, we are all in for some very good years ahead. Even if you don't believe that the standard is very high, it is still a standard and if they can live up to it, we are in good shape. Only by working together and leaving our party affiliations at the door can we truthfully and successfully solve the issues we face.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003K16TC
"Be careful what you wish for, you just may get it."
Hello all. I know I haven't written anything in a while. No particular reason, I just don't feel that my every thought is that engaging. However, with the events of the past few days I have managed to formulate a thought or two that I want to share.
I am a registered Democrat but have views that differ from the party line. I am only a Democrat because of the two choices I have, without throwing my vote away on a misguided principle, I find they are more closely aligned with my way of thinking. After this election I find myself even more in tune with that side of the fence. Not because of what they stand for but for because of how they are reacting.
Two years ago this country made me more proud to be an American than I have even been. With the election of President Obama we broke barriers that I thought would take years to overcome. I was excited and filled with anticipation at the possibilities. Then the other side raised its head and cried "Armageddon" "End of our country as we know it", "Its the start of Socialism, Marxism and every other 'ism," they could find.
And now the worm has turned. The Republicans won the House and displaced many Democratic offices. Since the election on Tuesday though, I have heard no cries of despair, no tearing of lapels or ripping out of hair from the left. I have not seen anyone putting up hateful, racist, signs or threatening violence.
On the news however, I do hear the Republicans and their red-headed step child, The Tea Party, crying out once again. "This election has sent a message to this country!" They are dancing in the streets, fist bumping and hugging, it is as though they have been stranded in an Arctic wasteland and rescue has just arrived. It is as though suddenly, overnight, the world has changed.
Well, here's some news for those newly elected officials on both sides of the fence; nothing has changed. You have not accomplished anything except get elected, and if memory serves me correctly a dead man managed to do that a few years back. If I were a newly elected member of Congress I would be pissing my pants, not glad-handing everyone I see. By winning the election you also win the right to bear responsibility for the woes of this nation. You have won the right to face the challenge of finding solutions to the problems that were created during the eight long years of George W Bush. You have won the right to stand in front of this nation and explain yourself when you fail. You all made some very loud and very bold proclamations about what was wrong with this country and how to fix it. You know how quickly public opinion can be swayed. Better take heed and do what you said you would do.
In my eyes, this election did not send a message to America, this election brought a message from America to you, Mr/Mrs Newly Elected Official. The message is clear, stop the crap, stop the in-fighting and back-stabbing, recognize that a victory only occurs when a problem is solved, not when you block your opponent from being successful. Your job is to solve the problems of this country, not to get elected next time around or to squash any legitimate attempt at a solution simply because it did not originate in your party.
This is my plea to the entire Congress and particularly The House of Representatives. You fought and you won. Congratulations. Now, go do your job. And to clarify, your job is not to enhance your parties political power, your job is to solve the problems of this country and you can only do that by working together, by encouraging new ideas and embracing the good ones, no matter where they originate. Your job is to see to it that EVERY one of your campaign promises is fulfilled.
For me, the '08 election was about two things. I wanted some kind of health care reform. I knew we wouldn't get everything that was needed with health care, but I wanted a foothold, I wanted a start at fixing this problem. I recently saw Jimmy Carter and he spoke about his health care reform attempt in the late '70's. I remembered when Bill Clinton took office, Hillary's main focus was health care reform. Over thirty years and NOTHING had been done because of the powerful lobby of the pharmaceutical industry and the insurance industry. President Obama promised a health care reform bill and he got one passed. Is it the best one, no? The bill was disemboweled on the floor and a watered down version was passed. But it was passed.
The second issue for me was the war. I wanted our men and women out of Iraq. I saw no reason for any America to die in that God-forsaken wasteland. President Obama has removed the troops.
If this new Congress can live up to that standard, we are all in for some very good years ahead. Even if you don't believe that the standard is very high, it is still a standard and if they can live up to it, we are in good shape. Only by working together and leaving our party affiliations at the door can we truthfully and successfully solve the issues we face.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003K16TC
Thursday, June 17, 2010
A Step Forward
I was laying in bed this morning contemplating getting up when the phone rang; the universe reaching out and making my decision for me, no doubt. To my surprise it was a woman from the Pacific Northwest Writer's Association calling to inform me that of the 1200 submissions that were made to their 2010 Literary Contest, my novel, Justice Rules, had made the cut. I was literally speechless. Trying to cut through the fog of waking and process this piece of information was too much for me. I ask her to repeat herself and she chuckled saying, "I know it's exciting news but I am not kidding. Your novel is in the finals."
It took me a few more seconds before I began to clue in. I had a distant memory of submitting my work to them but had long ago forgotten about it. I often will submit a screenplay to a contest or competition just because, well, one never knows, but I had completely forgotten about submitting the novel to PNWA. I am a member of this organization and attended their annual writer's conference in Seattle last year. The submission was made in February of this year. It was the first time I had received this type of reenforcement and I have to admit, it felt pretty damn good. Final winners will be announced at their conference in July. Naturally, my wife and I had planned a vacation without checking the dates of the conference so I will not be able to attend this year. I was told that is not a problem, you need not be present to win. I am hoping however, that this is the continuation of some type of momentum that began when I published the novel as an ebook two months ago. Here's hoping something monumental comes of this.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003K16TCY
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/12052
It took me a few more seconds before I began to clue in. I had a distant memory of submitting my work to them but had long ago forgotten about it. I often will submit a screenplay to a contest or competition just because, well, one never knows, but I had completely forgotten about submitting the novel to PNWA. I am a member of this organization and attended their annual writer's conference in Seattle last year. The submission was made in February of this year. It was the first time I had received this type of reenforcement and I have to admit, it felt pretty damn good. Final winners will be announced at their conference in July. Naturally, my wife and I had planned a vacation without checking the dates of the conference so I will not be able to attend this year. I was told that is not a problem, you need not be present to win. I am hoping however, that this is the continuation of some type of momentum that began when I published the novel as an ebook two months ago. Here's hoping something monumental comes of this.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003K16TCY
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/12052
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