Archives for February 2012

Lying about Rick Santorum

Politics is an ugly business. I only had to remind myself of the numerous skeletons in my own closet to confirm it is not the right career choice for me. Democrat political strategist Paul Begala claimed to coin the phrase, Politics is nothing more than show business for ugly people. It doesn't really matter who first uttered those words. What matters is that the saying is true. Doubt me? No, I'm not talking about Henry Waxman or Olympia Snowe, nor judging anyone by any physical attribute. I'm more concerned about how politicians act. These days, elected officials routinely behave as if they think they are royalty. But we don't have kings in America. It is not a question these days of which party is good and which is bad, but which is the lesser of two evils. Remember Dorothy Parker said, Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes right to the bone. And here is the truly ugly side of politics, currently seen in the attempted character assassination of Rick Santorum. His political opposition, aided by zealots in the media, are deliberately trying for some bizarre reason to create the false impression that Santorum would ban all means of contraception. I guess the reason won't end up being considered bizarre if it ultimately works. Rick Santorum is a devout Catholic. He personally does not believe in using means of birth control within the dynamics of his own nuclear family. As a result, he has fathered eight children. As a lawyer, he can afford it. It's his personal business, only between him and his wife. Okay so far? Rick Santorum is also a … [Read more...]

Scott Patterson’s Celebrity Ghost Story

After landing the role of an Army captain in charge of the prison in the movie The Boys of Abu Ghraib, actor Scott Patterson (The Gilmore Girls) reached Albuquerque around midnight, arriving on a late night flight. A producer on the new film greeted him at the airport. Instead of heading for his hotel, Patterson accepted the producer’s offer to take him for a late night visit to the site selected for filming the interior prison scenes -- the abandoned, former maximum-security New Mexico State Penitentiary, located just outside of Santa Fe. Also at his producer's suggestion, Patterson decided to visit Death Row. He intended to sit in the chair inside the gas chamber itself for “the experience.” At this point in his story, I’m thinking to myself, Is this guy absolutely insane? As the two men made their way underground three levels toward the gas chamber, Patterson noted a spot on the floor where the concrete had been marred by what appeared to be hacking marks. Further along the way, he saw a blackened spot on the floor that he didn’t understand, uneasily noting it took the vague shape of a human form. When they reached the viewing room for the gas chamber, the two men found a lit small candle standing upright in a chair.  By Patterson's account, the producer looked terrified and claimed to have no knowledge of how the candle got there. He expressed an interest in leaving at that point, but Patterson said, “My training is such that I don’t back away from such experiences.” So he insisted on continuing on until he actually sat in the gas chamber chair. … [Read more...]

Captain Kudzu reviews Coastal Empire

David Thornton is a very busy man. He flies airplanes for a living. David also writes as the Atlanta Conservative Examiner, the National Aviation Examiner, and the Atlanta 2012 Elections Examiner. Recently, in his capacity as Examiner writer, David seized an opportunity to direct a question to the White House and received a direct response -- details of the exchange can be found here. In his spare time (amazingly, he seems to have some) David writes on his syndicated blog as Captain Kudzu. I'm flattered that he took the time to read and then post his review my novel, Coastal Empire. I'm beaming with pride, and appreciative of his kind words. … [Read more...]