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...]
Archives for 2012
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...]
Djokovic pulls a Tebow
During a dramatic fifth set in the Australian Open final, I could not help but notice the world's number 1 tennis player, Novak Djokovic, as he fiddled with something he wore around his neck. Actually, he fished something tied to a cord hidden under his shirt and kissed it. I supported his opponent in the match, Rafael Nadal, for two reasons -- he was the slight underdog, and Nadal is left-handed. I feel it is important that we "lefties" stick together. Plus, it's harder to pull for the favorite, in my opinion. However, I do enjoy watching both men play the game and pull for both against different opponents. You can only pull for one in the final, though. Right? Clearly after five hours of tennis, these two men were as equal as you could get. In fact, Djokovic was losing the match, down a break. Then he seemed to catch a second wind. It also seemed the better he played, the more Djokovic played with the object around his neck. What exactly was Djokovic kissing? On closer observation, it was a simple wooden cross. Match commentator Patrick McEnroe helpfully described Djokovic as "kissing his necklace." But it was obviously a plain wooden cross. Not a crucifix, but a cross. To alleviate any possible confusion about the meaning of his gesture, Djokovic began to overtly make the sign of the cross over his entire upper torso after winning key points. Yesterday, the biggest points all seemed to go his way late in the fifth set. My atheist friends who watched the match probably got irritated by Djokovic's antics, quite possibly to the … [Read more...]
Reading eBooks without a Kindle or other reading device
A friend read the online sample of my eBook yesterday and commented that she would have to wait until a print copy was available. She doesn't own a Nook, Kindle or an iPad. However, those devices aren't necessary to read an eBook. All you really need is a computer. There is a free download available of a Kindle Reader application for the PC and one for the Mac. Simply follow the desired link above and click the big blue button to automatically download the latest version for your device of preference. Barnes and Noble also provides free Nook readers for the PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone and other devices. It's not going to be that easy to make excuses for not reading my first novel, Coastal Empire. … [Read more...]
