Stop Shoving Your Agenda in my Face

Why do the NHL and the NFL have to come out with a policy supporting the gay athlete?  What’s the whole deal with having a policy in support of a specific lifestyle?

Here’s the whole problem I have with that: LGBTs make up an estimated 4-percent of the population (Wikipedia.)  Their problem with this LGBT society, as a whole, is that they don’t want to be treated differently than anybody else.  They just want to be accepted.  Enacting legislation, or a policy, to prove to the rest of us that an organization, club or team supports the LGBT’s right to be treated just like everyone else is oxymoronic from inception.

See, here’s the thing:  I don’t care whose penis you’re sucking; whose vagina you’re licking; what you’re wearing; or, who you’re doing of either sex.  I know it’s hard to believe.  But seriously; I don’t care.  Most people don’t give a rat’s ass what you do with your privates in private.  I’d say, and this is just my estimate based on my 50 years of interaction with the rest of the planet, but I’d say 90-percent of the people in this country could give less than one tiny turd of a crap about LGBTs and their private or public lives.  So here’s 4-percent of the people who keep shoving their junk in our faces, telling us we have to stop treating them differently.

Now, that still leaves about 6-percent of the population.  These would be the extreme, bible-pounding, judgmental, so-called Christians who truly and fully believe that gays, lesbians, bis and transgenders are a boatload of depraved, demon-possessed, hell spawn all of whom should be locked up, killed or deported -- if they can’t be converted.  I’m not even saying those people are wrong about their opinions -- as everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. But if they claim to be Christians, then they’re doing it wrong.  Sure, most of this country is Christian, but not all Christians are as retarded as the Westboro Baptist Church.  If the WBC, and most of the country, were real bible readers, they’d know they are only to pass judgment on members of their own congregations and leave the rest up to Him. Unfortunately, for everyone, those kinds of people only adhere to the parts of the book that support their agendas, ignoring the rest. Imagine that.

That pretty much covers the whole population.  Sure there are fringe and splinter groups from all walks, but generally, that should sum it up.

Now, let’s recap:  4-percent wanting special treatment so they’re not treated differently; 6-percent wanting to banish them to hell; the rest of us not giving one tiny mouse poop about either group’s agenda, rather just wanting to be left the hell alone and stop being bombarded with super-spin propaganda and being told that if we don't agree with their lifestyle then we're bad people.

Did anybody catch that earlier?  I don’t care -- we don’t care -- what any LGBT is consensually doing to whomever may chose to have it done.  Let me restate that:  We do not care.  Now, please stop telling me that I have to. Because I don’t.  Really.  Don’t care.

Now, having said all that, I will now say this as succinctly, but as loudly, as I can:  STOP SHOVING YOUR JUNK IN MY FACE!

When They Come for My Guns

     (Author's note, February 2013: I wrote this about six weeks ago.  I did not put it out for public consumption because I'd recently applied for a concealed carry permit and didn't want to affect my consideration for approval.  However, the more I've thought about it, I feel like if I toe the line and not say what I believe so I can be "granted" a license by the government to carry a weapon, that makes me part of the problem.  I'd rather be part of the solution.  But our First and Second Amendment rights as a U.S. citizens are already so eroded and watered down that it may already be too late.)

By John P. Smith
Freelance Writer

     When they come for my guns; I’m saying no.

     According to an article in Forbes online, the United States has about 80 million documented gun owners and approximately 270 million guns.  That’s right: Probably one-third of all the guns on the planet are owned by private individuals in this country.  That’s documented gun owners.  Estimates of undocumented guns and owners vary depending on the source.  But that’s a lot of guns and owners.

     Making a rough estimate of undocumented gun owners at 20 million, we can say there are an estimated 100 million gun owners in this country.  The government fields and about 1.5 million active, 1.5 million reserve military members and 800,000 police officers.  Let’s just make that a nice round total of about 3 million people available to come to your house and ask for your guns. I round down because many of the military and police won’t ever leave their offices to try to take my guns.  In addition, some may not agree with the government policy and refuse to participate in a roundup of guns from citizens in clear violation of the Constitution they've sworn to protect.

     Remember:  Our military is not sworn to protect the government.  When we swear in, it is to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.  That Constitution still affords us the right to bear arms.  Believe you me, the cowards lobbying for “gun control” and the government absolutely hate that.  And I believe that should it come down to it, we as citizens, have not only a right, but a responsibility to protect our Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.  The right to own firearms is the Second amendment to he Constitution.  Second only to our right to free speech, press and religion.  Does it seem like the framers had a premonition that the Second would be necessary to ensure the First?  (A First which is rapidly deteriorating: Our government-run schools are now so retarded that a child can't point his finger and say "bang" without being suspended.)

     Rest assured, if we turn our guns over to the government, we will sooner, rather than later, be forced to comply to some kind of persecution when they’re the only ones who have weapons.  Once they have all the weapons, they can pretty much decide what they want us to do.  And when they say, “they’ll do it because we told them to,” they will be correct.  How many times do we have to see this happen before we will believe it?   If there’s anything we should have learned from the invention of the firearm, it is that those who have the guns, have the power.  Take a look at a hundred other governments around the world and see just who gets the short end of the stick when only the government can have guns.

     I found this on the internet while researching this article.  It makes some valid points. 

• In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated
• In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
• Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
• China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated
• Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
• Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
• Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million educated people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

     For those who fear the coming of the soldiers or police to confiscate your firearms, the solution is simple:  Just say no.  We must take a stand.  Don’t be afraid.   I’m 49 years old.  As far as I’m concerned, that’s enough.  Imagine 100 years ago; 49 was an old man.  Every day I continue to live is a gift.

     So when they come for my weapons, I’m taking one of them with me.  That’s all.  At least one.  More if I can, but at least one.  Why?  Because if just one of every 100 gun owners believes as I do, the rest of you will get to keep your weapons because there won’t be anybody to take them away.  Do I feel bad for the poor enlisted puke I may have to kill to fulfill my part of this bargain?  Yes I do.  Afterall, I was once one of those enlisted grunts.  He’s just doing his job, as he’s ordered to do.  I don’t want to ever have to kill anybody.  However, on the other side of the coin is the question of exactly why he’s with them.  When any military person comes down on the side of the government and not the side of the Constitution, maybe he’s just another bad guy.

     What if they single us out?  For instance, if the government makes it impossible for gun owners to buy food?  Would our government starve our families because we refuse to give up our weapons?  Of course they will.   Will that work?  Only if we let it work.  I can’t imagine the government really wanting to deal with millions of hungry, angry people with guns.   We can take our weapons and march to where the food is and demand our share.  But, wouldn’t that be civil war?  Yep.  It sure would.  And let’s face it; nobody wants civil war.  Especially a government outnumbered 100 to 1.

     So the next logical step would be to threaten our families:  Do you really believe our government would hold our families hostage to force us to give up our weapons?  Damn right they would.  As in any war, sacrifices will have to be made.  You can count on your government using every dirty trick in the book to force compliance.  We will be starved, threatened, held hostage, have our utilities cut off, refused service by businesses, refused medical treatment and access to medicine, not only for us, but also for our families.  This sounds somewhat fatalistic, but let’s face it, any or all of it can happen.  And when the time comes, it will happen.  

    Still, if the government actually tries to take our firearms, they really can’t do it unless we let them.  Once we’ve killed a million of them and they’ve killed a million of us, you can bet those tasked with the job of picking up our guns will have noticed that the odds really aren’t in their favor, seeing how one-third of them is already dead and the population still has 200 million weapons.

    Seriously.  Think about it.  There’s no way in hell the government can take our weapons if we decide they don’t have the right -- which they don’t.  The key is, we have to decide not to let them and we have to decide right now.   Let the gun control lobby whine about how awful and evil and criminal guns are; these people are such cowards, they can’t see beyond their own fear.  I say let them blubber and snivel from their hiding places. Let them cower in fear and hatred of those of us who are not afraid. 

     I reiterate: If we don’t want to give up our guns, we don’t have to.  We have to take a stand.  When my time comes, I will take a stand.  I will say, “No, you may not have my weapons.”  And then I will do whatever becomes necessary to back up my conviction.  And undoubtedly, I will lose.  I will lose one small battle.  But every time someone else takes a stand and fights back, we will all be one step closer to winning the war. 

     When your time comes; take a stand.   It’s a small price to pay for our children to live in a country where the government fears the people rather than the other way around.

Guns and Games: Some Thoughts

By John P. Smith

Freelance Writer

I recently read an article on guns and video games on the internet. This article.  (And for those who don’t take a well-written article by Cracked.com seriously, study their user demographic and web hit statistics and get back to me.)  I actually agree with some of the things the author said:  If modern video games are contributing to the mental deterioration of those who would perpetrate an act of violence such as Sandy Hook or Aurora, then we, as gamers, are part of the problem. We, then,  need to find out how we're part of the problem, stop being part of it and start being part of the solution.

Of course, the major target of the government and our never-ending supply of cowardly liberals is gun control.  I’ve written a separate article about that.

As for video games, the first step in finding out how we're part of the problem is research.  This association to video games remains, at this point,  nothing more than marketing spin, hearsay and modern accusations of witchcraft.  The terrible people who killed dozens of people played these games.  While that may be true, it actually explains nothing.  These awful people probably also watched reruns Friends every day and FOX News every night.  What does that tell you?  Nothing.  We know nothing of the relationship between violent games and homicidal, suicidal sociopathic idiots.

Once we understand our contribution to the overall problem, then we can start working on it.  And no, this is not a stall tactic.  When your car stops because you've run out of fuel, there's no point in raising the hood and jiggling crap around when you know the problem is under the trunk.  If you don't know why the car stopped, mucking about under the hood is as likely to make things worse as it is to help.  That's what the government is doing right now; mucking about looking for a solution when they don't understand the basic problem.  So, while they know nothing of the root cause of the problem, they at least, by damn, appear to be doing something.  That is, of course, making a spurious connection to a fairly recent phenomena: video games.

If there is a connection, as is pointed out by Robert Brockway’s article on Cracked.com, then it is our responsibility as gamers to defend our chosen pass-time.  The video game industry and gamers cannot, and should not, bear the brunt of the blame for attacks that amount to individual acts of terrorism.

At the same time, if video games, violent or otherwise, contribute any at all to pushing a mind to the point where it would snap and compel an individual to take the lives of innocent moviegoers or elementary school children, then it’s also our responsibility -- our duty in fact -- to do whatever we can to fix it.  As a recovering alcoholic, I can tell you from experience that denial will not make the problem go away.  And in many ways, what we're seeing here is denial.  Mr. Brockway has some interesting, and in my opinion viable, suggestions on how to begin.

I suggest we begin with education.  As a martial artist trained with sticks (combat cane), staves (bo staff), my bare hands (jujitsu), and a gun owner professionally trained on care and use of firearms (8 years military service, concealed carry,) I can tell you that the common thread between all these potentially violent activities is education and understanding.  In all my years of training, the one thing that has always been of paramount importance is that violence is never the desired outcome of any confrontation, it does not by itself solve problems and, as such, should always be the last option.

What educational options do we offer that teach the consequences of violence?

And, at what point did we become unable to defend our selves?

Edgefest VIII!

Once again, Edgefest has set the bar high for quality metal music.  I watched every band and I didn't see or hear anything I didn't like.  The whole show turned out fantastic, as Edgefests tend to be.

But there was mud.  Mud everywhere.  On the ground, in the air, underfoot and overhead; there was mud.  At the main stage, pits of mud a foot deep and big as half a basketball court provided ample ammo for dirty mud slinging and the filthiest moshing ever seen. The whole thing looked like the physical manifestation of a political debate.

Some highlights:

The first band, Switchpin, opened the show with a bang.  What a killer kickstart!  Then the members spent the next several hours schmoozing with rockers at the merchandise tent. That's how you do it!  The band members were friendly, outgoing and happy to take photos and sign autographs. Front man Jimmy Trigger, worked the crowd like a seasoned professional. These guys are going places; keep an eye on them!

Mindset Evolution, one of the early opening bands, had a small mishap when bassist, Josh Bodeen, dislocated his knee and had to be carried off stage by paramedics.  In the back, the medics popped his knee back into place and he demanded they carry him back out onto the stage, where he sat on a monitor and finished the set.  Those guys earned some serious stage cred.

Veteran performers P.O.D. really had the crowd moving near the end of the openers.  It's good to see those stalwart, seasoned rockers getting the respect they deserve.

Adelitas Way ended up on the small stage for reasons unexplained.  It didn't matter.  They were off the chain! Lead singer, Rick DeJesus, told the crowd that they could have not played and still got paid, but they chose to hit the small stage and put on their show. That’s how you get fans and keep fans.  Their set was short, but energetic. This band is moving in the right direction.

Main attraction acts started with Papa Roach. These guys are veterans of festival stage music performance and they did not disappoint.  Front man Jacoby Shaddix clearly loves playing for Arkansas, and clearly, Arkansas loves Papa Roach.  For me, this band joins only REO Speedwagon in the list of rock acts I've seen three times.  Papa Roach rocks.

Staind lead singer Aaron Lewis nearly got nailed by a huge mud ball and stopped the show to call out the idiot who threw it.  He pointed him out specifically and, in what turned out to be an example of clear and effective communication, explained what a moron that guy was and why such a thing should not happen.  It worked.  The idiot in question slinked away, hopefully to hide and know never to do such a stupid thing again.  No one else threw another wad of mud at the stage. Staind played a great set.

Godsmack owned the crowd and practically blew up the stage. These guys know how to put on a rock show.  They did.  Two years ago, Sully and the boys convinced me that I should buy my first ever concert shirt: Godsmack.  If I hadn’t been wearing it, I’d have bought me another.  These guys are so good.

I've been wanting to see Shinedown for a long time. They did not disappoint.  I'd like to have seen a longer set, but all-in-all, they are serious about the live show and they know how to lay it down. Most impressive aspect: Shinedown lead singer, Brent Smith, did not ever use a swear word during the Shinedown portion of the show . No F this and MF that and GD the other.  Their whole show from start to finish was family friendly contemporary metal. That's another example of clear and effective communication.

What a great show!

(John P. Smith is a freelance writer from Bee Branch, Ark.  Check out his book, Ordinary Man, at Amazon.com)

New Book Published!

My newest book, Ordinary Man: Writings, Ramblings and Rants is now for sale at Amazon as a paperback for $6.99 and at a discounted price of $3.99 for the Kindle version.  The book is under exclusive contract to Amazon for the Kindle until Oct. 11, 2012.  After that date, it will be released as an e-book on other platforms, such as the Nook.  The Kindle version will be available to anyone with an Android, IPhone, IPad or Android Tablet, all of which have the Kindle reader apps available free.

This is a semi-autobiographical collection of 35 short stories and articles.  I recount some adventures in rural northern Japan in a series of tales involving a beat up old Toyota and a group of obnoxious gaijins (foreigners) with no fear of "skirting the fringes of legal and moral."  I take a humorous look at religion, factory work, and growing up in rural Arkansas. Those of you who went to school at South Side High School will no doubt recall some of these stories.  Interspersed in among the laughs, I include some insightful and thought-provoking stories of self-help, self-awareness and self-discipline.  Topping it all off:  My well-known, often frightening obsession with 80's hair metal.


Get the paperback from Amazon here for $6.99.

Get the Kindle version from Amazon here for $3.99.

Here is my Author Page.

My Fishing Book

We're going into the third summer of sales for our book on fly fishing.

Fly Fishing on the Red

  You can buy it from Amazon.  It is now available on Kindle.

The Hollywood Kills

Mikayla, Stephanie and The Hollywood Kills.

                It was hot.   I do believe that fits so well that, though it’s been used before, (I'm sure I've read it somewhere...) I’m going to use it again.

                We finally arrived at Magic Springs theme part, near Hot Springs, Ark., on a steamy southern Saturday afternoon. My wife, Teri, and I brought our daughter, Stephanie, niece Mikayla and nephew Skylior for a day of roller coasters, water park coolness and over-priced theme park food. 

                More importantly, we were there for a show featuring power-house rockers 3 Doors Down.  We are all more than casual fans of this great band, so despite the temperatures reaching above 37 C (100 F – go metric or get left behind), we anticipated a good show.

               A good show we got.

              The band was as good as expected and better than advertised; 3 Doors Down established themselves as a great band that can put on a good show more than 15 years ago.   Today, they have a nice portfolio of rock standards that are, or a destined to become, classics.  (Whenever the so-called “classics” stations finally get over the Beatles…but don’t get me started on that.)

                Before 3 Doors Down, however, we experienced a serendipity that really made the whole evening:  They are called The Hollywood Kills.  We were unaware they were scheduled to play Saturday.  When they hit the stage and knocked off their first couple of songs, I was asking around to find out who they were.

Nobody I asked knew.  They introduced themselves as The Hollywood Kills, a 4-man band out of Nashville, Tenn.  They'd already peaked my interest.

I’m tired of the same old stuff -- hearing Zeppelin, the Eagles, Skynyrd and the Beatles over and over is just...redundant.  Because of that, I try to support our new music makers.   Bands like The Hollywood Kills are the future of our genre of music.  They are a rock band. They weren’t over-the-top screamo or, lord help us, eighties-retro techno crap.  These guys make solid rock and roll, put on a good show and didn’t take themselves too seriously (which obviously should be left to REM and U2.)  So while we all secretly yearn for the triumphant return of Eighties Hair Metal (or is that just me?), it appears that’s not going to happen anytime soon.

Therefore, we must make do with what we have.  Right now, we have The Hollywood Kills.

            They rock.  Saturday night, they rocked the whole stage.  Their music is good, vocals tight and the drummer does a great job with, what appears to be, the minimum necessary equipment.  Not only that, but when it became clear to them, and to us, that nobody knew who they were or why they suddenly appeared on stage, they just made the best of it.  By the end of their set, they had the crowd engaged and digging the jams.  That was accomplished with an authentic, friendly, happy-to-be-here attitude – and some damn good original music.   

                The Hollywood Kills are a good band.  Seemingly, based on what I saw at their Hot Springs concert, a good bunch of guys, too.  Perceptive and public relations savvy, they were happy to spend a lot of post-concert time at their merchandise booth signing CDs and taking photos with newly acquired fans.  This face-to-face time is the key to a long-term fan base:  They know that.  I took a photo of Stephanie and Mikayla with the band.  (Sorry about the evil red-eye and blurry image...it's a phone photo...best I could do under the circumstances.) The girls were ecstatic.  I thanked the band personally and made the comment to them:  “You guys are good.  It was a great show. " 

            I didn't have to tell them those two girls will never forget.

            These guys are doing it right.  Watch them.

            I think The Hollywood Kills are going places.

(John P. Smith is a freelance writer living in Bee Branch, Ark.)

Dungeon Siege 3

This may sound funny, but my Mom, who is 71, is an FRPG freak.  As am I.  (I got her addicted to Diablo slightly before the turn of the millennium.)  She pre-paid Obsidian and Square-Enix $50 for DS3 months before it actually arrived.  As did I.  That’s Dungeon Siege 3 for the PC.

 What’s she doing right now in all her copious free time?  Playing a third-party remake of Diablo II.   Why?  Because she has to take out her frustrations with DS3 on something!  

                Here’s the deal, Square-Enix:  You folks have made some pretty good games in the past with Dungeon Siege 2 topping that list.  But on Number 3, you blew it.  You guys clearly set out to reinvent the wheel and instead ended up with…the wheel.  Same old snot, with chrome.

                DS3 is a pretty game and has a great story line.  Maybe a little too much story line, but I always like the idea that my character is starring in a movie. 

                What I was expecting, and I don’t think I’m alone in this expectation, was a continuance of the awesomeness of Dungeon Siege 2.  I expected Square-Enix and Obsidian, two of the best game-makers out there today, to take what was clearly a superb game and make it better, faster, more powerful than before.  The fact that they did not do that disturbs me greatly. 

                DS2 was one of the most re-playable games ever.  I’ve been PC gaming since 1980, when I bought my first TRS-80 Model I, and in those years, I have enjoyed few games more than DS2.  Doom, of course, along with the original Wizardry games for the Apple //e.  However, for single play or multi-play, DS2 was the bomb.  The combat and stats system was easy to understand and the skill tree easily negotiated.   Square-Enix completely failed in this area.  DS3’s skills and stats are one click and done deals.  That may be okay for newbies, or console players, but for we who like a good RPG, we want to see numbers and to have more detail as we evaluate stats and weaponry.    (It’s one of the ideals of role playing games:  My character stands by a looted chest or in a magic shop holding two swords side by side, testing weight, balance, quality of the steel and asking the mage behind the desk for details of the enchantments and enchantments of both…and then making a decision.) 

             Finally, as a PC Gamer, I feel completely disrespected.

I know Square-Enix, Eidos, Taito, et al, primarily make console games, but come on people!  You didn’t even bother to give us the basic ability to remap our controls?  Seriously? 

                I am depressed.  And so is Mom.

The Clamity in Japan

Watching video and news feeds from Japan -- it breaks my heart.  I loved living there and constantly tell people I'd go back in a heartbeat.  I'm wondering if there's some way I can join the relief efforts.  If I find something I'll post it here.

Meanwhile, my prayers are with the people of Japan, especially those on the east coast.

New Year...New Post

That seems to be the way it works.  I can't keep up.  I did miss my first day of work this year due to some snow and icy roads.  I'm going to try to make it in tomorrow, but it may be a close thing.  I really can't afford to miss too much.  Anyway.  Happy Freaking New Year.

I'll be back.

Gaming My Time Away

I'm a computer gamer and have been since the early '80s.  It's what I do...or some of what I do.  My good friend Brad just recently posted on Facebook that he's dropping all his FB app games because they're taking too much of his time.  I applaud Brad's action because it's what he needed to do.  It can happen. I know how easy it is to lose focus on what is NEEDED and go mouse around a virtual city or farm for hours.

However, sometimes, that is exactly what a mind needs--an exercise program for mental dexterity and acuity that also takes the focus, temporarily, off all our daily duties, responsibilities and issues.  Some people exercise, some people read, some study the scriptures, others watch TV--I play games. I also exercise and read, but my preference is to sit and play.  Being mildly OCD on most everything I get involved in, I've had to learn the hard way that work and responsibility must come first--games and play second.  It's really no different than fishing or ping pong.

My son, raised as a gamer, recently purchased a t-shirt with a picture of a game console controller and lettering that says, "Contrary to popular belief, this doesn't make me a killer."  That's right on target.  The news media and, lord help them, religious organizations, have come down hard on gaming as a stepping stone to real violence.  This idea was especially hit hard after the Columbine shootings. That was a tragedy, no one argues that.  But news media and police and practically everyone else was up in arms about the games these kids were playing; mainly  DOOM. Why would that matter any more than what television shows they watched?  What movies they'd gone and seen?  What books they'd read?  For that matter, what clothes they chose to wear.  DOOM is one of the most popular PC games EVER (meaning in the past 30 years) and has likely been played by more than a billion (that's a one with NINE zeros behind it) people on this planet.  (PC-MAG)  Even the gaming industry itself is missing the boat on their own demographic, still assuming that the typical gamer is a stay-at-home geek boy with no prospects of ever seeing a live girl naked and they design their (mostly female) characters with those guys in mind.  If they would bother to look...  OOPS -- I digress -- that is a rant for another time. Cracked.com has actually done a pretty good job with this one.  GAMERS MANIFESTO

Just doing a quick add on my Steam account, I have put in more than 400 hours on games just this year.  Does that seem excessive?  That's 10 weeks of actual work.  Now, in my defense, I have worked 50 hours each week, driving at least an hour, making it 11 hours a day, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week.  I have completed 16 hours of college in five courses.  I have completed the Fly Fishing book and made significant progress on the Clouds of Heaven book and made a good start on my third book.  I still teach Jujitsu every Monday and some Thursdays.  I've maintained upkeep on my aunt's place of which I am custodian.  I keep the yard mowed.

My fishing license is expired.

My ping pong table is put away.

I play computer games.

I don't sleep much.

How the Internet Makes Life Better

There are definite indicators that having the internet has taken a lot of the boredom out of being on the planet with nothing else to do.

For instance, this short blurb below from News of the Weird:

In May, Britain's Norfolk District Council banned the traditional barroom game of "dwile flonking" just as the inaugural "world championships" were to take place at the Dog Inn pub in Ludham, Great Yarmouth. The game, which some believe has been played since "medieval times," calls on players to fling a beer-soaked rag from the end of a small stick toward the face of an opponent, and in the event the tosser misses the target two straight times, he must quickly down a half-pint of ale. The council called the game a "health and safety" problem. [Daily Telegraph, 5-29-10] 

Imagine, if you will, being so bored and looking for something to do that you become involved in inventing, or even just participating in. "dwile flonking" as a way to relieve the monotony.

I can see the need for drinking games.  Seriously, it's more fun with other people.  Where's the fun in quaffing oneself into a blackout if there aren't other people around to enjoy it? It's just more fun with friends.  


Can you imagine how many of us would be consumed by games such as "dwile flonking" or "Bocce" if we didn't have the internet to relieve to interminable pointlessness of our miserable lives?

First Book Out

The book I've been working on for three years is finally done!  We'll be selling copies in the next week or so.  I'm co-author and editor!  I think it turned out great!

Working on books 2 and 3 ... while I attend school full time and work full time. Dang, I'm just busy!

Felonious Gardening

I just love News of the Weird:

Veteran Dallas attorney Sandra McFeeley, 67, was arrested in April after refusing to stop pruning the excess vegetation and dead tree limbs at her neighborhood's Wynnewood Parkway Park, which she had been doing regularly for three years, thus violating a municipal trespass ordinance. McFeeley remained upbeat. "I met some neat people (at the police station). I'd never been in a perp walk before. It was cool." Said a supporter, "It's hard enough to keep that neighborhood nice without having the police haul people off for felonious gardening." [Dallas Morning News, 4-20-10] 

Westboro Baptist Assholes

     I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion -- as is the Westboro Baptist Church.  My opinion is the Westboro Baptist Church is a group of giant assholes who'd be doing a much better service helping the widows and orphans of fallen soldiers -- as the bible says.

     Instead these idiots protest at the funerals of men or women who've given their lives so dumbasses like the members of the Westboro Baptist Church can stand around with signs saying such tripe as, "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."

    They make me sick.

     The WBC street protest ministry started in 1991.  They've staged more than 43,000 "peacful" demonstrations, to date, (which I believe shows admirable restraint on the part of citizens subjected to such) opposing the fag lifestyle and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  They blame "America" for bombing and burning their church in 2008.  "America bombed WBC and burned WBC on 8-2-2008. (From the WBC website)"  Yet they also believe in what they call Absolute Predestination:  "POSITION 6. -Whatever comes to pass, comes to pass by virtue of this absolute omnipotent will of God, which is the primary and supreme cause of all things."

    This is the kind of irony I really enjoy.  Listen WBC assholes: According to your own belief system, you were supposed to get what you got.  And my opinion is, again, you deserved no less.

    By this same set of "Positions" taken up by the WBC, you idiots are protesting situations ordained by God to come to pass.  Why would you protest what you say you believe is supposed to happen?  What a bunch of morons!

EdgeFest VI

EdgeFest VI

By John P. Smith

            In the end, metal super giant Godsmack seized the day and brought down the house.

EdgeFest VI, held at the state fair grounds in Little Rock and sponsored by Little Rock radio station 100.3 The Edge, featured a diverse lineup of 13 hard rocking bands.  It was co-headlined by veteran metal artists Rob Zombie and Godsmack.

            Rob Zombie appeared to have won the day at the end of his hour-long multimedia, audio-visual, mechanized assault.  Zombie rocked the blow-out crowd of wall-to-wall metal heads nearly to their knees with hard, head-banging classics such as “Living Dead Girl” and “Dragula.”  His bass-laced metal core establishes a bone-shaking foundation for some awesome in-your-face guitar work by John 5.  Just using this proven music formula would be enough for most metal fans.

Zombie, however, heaps on top of his musical nucleus five huge screens of seemingly incoherent visual distraction along with a parade of mechanical what-the-hells, at least one of which appears to be fashioned after a Martian as described in the early 20^th Century “Red Planet” books by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

            Rob Zombie’s show was worth the price of admission by itself.  So when Godsmack, hit their first note, the stage was set for a serious metal let down.   Sully Erna, multi-talented front for the four-man band from Massachusetts, would have none of it.   With nothing more than a background banner emblazoned with their sun symbol and name, Godsmack delivered a set fans will remember for decades.

            After dropping a couple of tracks from their new CD on the crowd to “wake everybody up” the band threw down some classic Godsmack, complete with bone-jarring drums and ear-throbbing bass lines topped by Erna vocals and Tony Rombola guitar licks.  As one sweat-dripping, arm-pumping, multi-pierced, tattooed patron was wont to say, “Just hearing VooDoo live is worth the price of admission.”  No argument here.

            After about an hour of basic rock metal showmanship at its finest, while the band took a short intermission, fans began to trickle out to leave.  Those poor bastards who left early! They missed the coolest part of the act.  When the band took the stage again, it was with Sully Erna on a drum set opposite band drummer Shannon Larkin for a drum duel-duet as spectacular as has ever been performed before a live audience.  Amid this thundering, rumbling, rhythmic overload, one fan noted that, “Sully is just an all-around bad ass.”  Again, no argument here.

            Godsmack ended their stage time with the crowd-pleasing classic “I Stand Alone” that had everyone singing along.   What the crowed ended up with was straight-up rock show versus blinding light show.  Rock show wins every time.

            Prior to the major headlining acts, 11 other bands performed.  Papa Roach and Five Finger Death Punch played respectable sets.  And Seether…played, too–right over a band on the small stage called Shaman’s Harvest.  Rob Zombie played on the big stage over the top of Lacuna Coil on the small stage.  This sucked and whoever was working the timing on this screwed up very badly.

            Band’s missed due to being stuck in traffic:

            Bullet For My Valentine

            Drowning Pool

            Hell Yeah

            All the small stage bands before Shaman’s Harvest.

            (Personal Note:  I took my daughter to this concert for her 16^th Birthday.  Her single purpose in going was to see Bullet For My Valentine.  All those other bands were just a bonus.   Bullet played just before we got there because we were in traffic for more than two hours.  I’m still not sure who screwed this up the most.  Basing my timing on previous EdgeFest attendance, I left home in time to get to the fair grounds by 2 p.m., anticipating some minor traffic flow problems.  I, along with concert promoters, state and local police, did not anticipate the huge crowd that converged on the music festival and snarled up traffic as far away as the river bridge (about five miles.)  It also appears that the shows started early or played shorter sets than expected.  I suspect I will not hear the end of this until she gets to see Bullet For My Valentine in concert.  Maybe never…)

(Editor’s Note:  John P. Smith is a freelance writer currently living in Bee Branch, Ark.)

Jet -- In Concert

Monday night, March 15, we went to The Village to see the rock band Jet live.  It was a great show.  The Village is a small venue, but Jet came out and did their show like it was Madison Square Garden. 

The opening act was a local Little Rock band called Kingsdown.  They laid the groundwork for a fantastic show with some good, heavy original tunes and were then followed by the touring opener The Crash Kings. 

The Crash Kings were different if nothing else. A three-man band with no lead guitarist ... only a bass guitar, drums and a keyboardist who handled all the other work.  It was, at first, an odd arrangement and I didn't see how it would work.  Turns out they sound like a fusion of The White Stripes and Chicago.  Very interesting, and very good to listen to.

Then came Jet.  They rocked the place, and good.  This band didn't worry that there were only maybe 500-600 people at the show.  Their show was as solid a rock concert as I've seen since Sammy Hagar went back out on his own.  Good music, well presented and sounding almost studio quality.  Just a good show.

And the band did one thing that totally tripped my head.  When they first arrived on stage, they all had 70's and 80's metal band hair.  As that's pretty much what I'm used to seeing at a rock show, I didn't think much of it other than they didn't look like their album cover.  The did the usual stop the show and run off the stage, getting ready for the encore.  And when they came back for the final songs -- the didn't have their hair any more!  They looked like the album cover again!  So they were wearing these hair band wigs to make fun of, or as a salute to, (I'm not sure which) 70's and 80's metal bands. 

It was interesting if nothing else.

Jet and the Crash Kings put on a great show.

More Examples of the Fall of Our Civilization

Below is a good example of several Fall of Civilization How To's:


How to lower the bar and make it sound like a good thing:
How to discriminate against above average people and make it sound like it's their fault:
How to show the minorities you're looking out for their interests when what you're really doing is removing opportunities for everybody:
How to throw more money at a problem money won't solve:
How to show the lazy underachievers that it's ok to be a burden on society:





In January, the Berkeley (Calif.) School Board began consideration of a near-unanimous recommendation of Berkeley High School's Governance Council to eliminate science labs from its curriculum, reasoning that the classes mostly serve white students, leaving less money for programs for underperforming minorities. Berkeley High's white students do far better academically than the state average; black and Latino students do worse than average. Five science teachers would be dismissed. [East Bay Express, 12-23-09]  

Chainsaw massacre

Last time I went out to cut fire wood (yes I heat my house with wood) both my chainsaws broke... Since that time, I've had some friends cut me some wood so I've had plenty but now I have to take action.  I have to get them fixed.  I keep two running saws in case one breaks.  Never have both gone south on the same day.  It was a new and exciting happening and all the peasants rejoiced.

I think the old Poulan is already back in working order thanks to Dad, who knows something about chainsaws.  But the Echo...the most expensive saw I ever owned...is still just locked up.  I'm afraid it's going to get expensive.  I hate expensive...

Update at a later time...

Ready for Daytona!

Last August I wrote an article about how I was tired of NASCAR and was ready for football.  I take it back!  Daytona is in the offing and I'm excited!  Let's go racing!

   -- Mordekai --

Pre-Game Prediction

This is posted before the game:  Check the times if you don't believe it:

Superbowl Prediction:  Saints 34, Colts 31

New Orleans will have to work hard to take it from the Colts.  But they're also hungry and ready.  Indianapolis will be complacent and confident.  It will cost them.  They will be brutalized in the first half and then play real football the second half -- but it won't be enough to catch the Saints.

There. I said it.

Let's see what happens.


   Mordekai, 3:30 p.m. CST, 7 Feb 2010

Update 20 FEB 2010: I missed on the score.  But the Saint's won!  Go Superbowl Saints!

A cold start

  I started writing a note about how cold it is:  But you don't care.  You're either in a place where it's way colder so you have no sympathy at all. Or you're in a place where it's warmer and will only say it's our own damn fault for living where it can get that cold.  And if you live here: You already know how cold it is.  So why bother?
  
 

Our Government in Action

We're one full day into 2010 and we're still living with impending economic collapse, near revolt over health care reform and unemployment nearly as high as it's ever been in this country. You'd think our Congress could find something better to do than censure a representative for speaking his mind (Joe Wilson) but not for being drunk at the podium (Max Baucus.)  I think this clearly identifies one of the major malfunctions with our government.  It's more important to appear to be doing something -- regardless of how inane it might be -- than to actually take action.  They're all so afraid of actually committing to something. You and I can't do that.  We have to, you know, pick a lane and get in it. Congress is like a bunch of rubberneckers at the scene of a particularly gruesome auto accident.  They're going to slow to a crawl as they drive by, make noises about how awful it is and how sad and they'll talk about what they are going to do to make it all better. The reality is: They can't do a damn thing to make it all better because they're a large part of the problem.  But they'll look REALLY busy.  They're not actually going to do anything constructive, other than, perhaps, vote themselves another pay raise. (Did you know that they AUTOMATICALLY get an annual raise unless they vote NOT to give themselves one?  Yep.  That's the way the legislation is set up.  Pretty neat, huh?)  And then they'll congratulate each other on passing yet another law to continue to suck the life out of the American Taxpayer.

Bastards.

This year, I'll try to do better.

I like posting on my blog. I also like killing zombies. So you can guess which activity wins when I have a choice. Left4Dead for sure! But this year, I'll try to do better. I've got the zombies down to where they're not a danger to the remainder of society. (You didn't see any over the Holidays? Right. You know who to thank...)

So, to make things interesting, I'll start out with a rant: This is straight from my Facebook profile.

It's 2010? How the hell did that happen? Why don't we have a colony on the moon declaring independence from the earth? Why aren't we colonizing Titan? Why are we still stuck HERE? Clarke, Asimov and Heinlein are rolling over in their virtual graves.

 

No. I am not content to stay here. There's got to be a better way. Those who refuse to believe that and refuse to look for the solution are part of the problem.

(Note: The last post to this blog said that I was going to quit teaching Jujitsu.  And I did.  For a whole six weeks.  Since that time, I've had about 10 people ask me to reopen the class so ... I'm going to do it.  I'll be committing myself to at least another two years of Mondays to get the newbies through the curriculum.  But, if they're committed, so am I.  I really do love teaching it.  I'm just getting too old for it.  It's a younger man's art, that's for sure.  Maybe I'll be able to quit before I'm 50.)