My Inner Author

As I listen to people talk on the news, in the media, online and in person about health care one thing has become abundantly clear: Far too many Americans have forgotten what it is to BE an American, they now resemble something like a couch potato watching reality TV every day. They look to Oprah and the government to just fix the problem, preferably before the next commercial break and certainly before tomorrow’s episode. And sadly, many of them actually believe they can do it. Are Oprah’s guests today Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter? Shute, you would think Barrack Obama is wielding a magic wand the way so many people think he can magically solve not only America’s woes, but all the world’s problems. So many Americans want things wrapped up all nice and neat, and quickly. It seems "closure" is now the goal, not a dogged determination to find the best solutions to the problems of the world today. Too many people lack the motivation to educate themselves on the issue or lack...

Okay, here is a good topic to discuss, and well outside my usual zone: Black Friday. Most Americans know this as the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the biggest shopping day of the year. It got its name from the idea that most stores became profitable for the year with their huge volume of sales that day (and everyday thereafter was gravy). You know the deal: Thanksgiving Day these "top secret" (yes, that is sarcasm) deals are revealed to the world, and dedicated shoppers can stage their pre-dawn war plans to obliterate Christmas shopping lists and drop a thermonuclear bomb on the family credit card debt. Where as once the stores opened at 7am, the frenzy now begins at 4am (maybe earlier in some cases). Well, I have an idea to offer the retail world: "Change" is a nice buzzword these days, so maybe you can get with the program; change the rules for Black Friday. I cannot count the number of horror stories of rude behavior, of people running over others, or knocking p...

Okay, like so many in Bulldog Nation, I share the frustration of the 2009 football season to date. Our beloved Dawgs look more undisciplined than a band of fresh Army recruits on the first day of basic training, they give the football away so much the United Way has given them the donor of the year award already and the defense is so friendly to the opposition (and so averse to takeaways) Amnesty International and the United Nations have nominated them for pacifists of the year. All of that said, I think all the naysayers screaming to fire Martinez, fire Bobo and even some who have questioned Mark Richt’s leadership need to sit down, take a deep breath and have some patience. Coach Richt, if he were listening out there, would likely quote the old saying, "if you listen to the fans, soon you'll be sitting up there with them." I don’t think Mark reached the highest levels of the football coaching profession by listening to sports talk radio, making crucial decisions by pol...

This is still not finalized I think.... As my friends know, I am a huge fan of the science fiction genre. For me it all began with Star Trek, despite William Shatner’s overly dramatic Captain Kirk. By the time Star Wars debuted in 1978, I had been hooked. To me the real power of Science Fiction is the ability of the writer to craft his or her story in whatever “world” or “universe” they want. Not all fiction writers can take advantage of such a powerful tool. Your average legal drama today requires a setting in today’s society (or a well documented past one) where there are certain rules in place. For example, you can’t have a story today where you can probe the suspect’s memories for the truth with a machine. You can’t have a chase scene that spans a continent. You have to use a judge, a jury, and follow the norms of today. In SciFi, the author can have all sorts of possibilities. Want a chase scene across galaxies? Sure. Want a truly invisible stalker? Alright. Time Travel? Okay. But...

This will not be one of my usual blogs. I just had a thought about something and decided to jot it down quickly before it got washed away by an afternoon of college football. Why are we Conservative, Tea Party types so upset over the Health Care debate and runaway spending? There are many reasons, but here is one very large one to consider. Why are people inside Washington so clueless? Do you know George Bush (41) had no idea about bar code scanners in checkout lines at grocery and other retail stores? He had absolutely no idea such a thing existed. Do you think Bill Clinton ever had to run out at 9pm to get Chelsea some cold medicine because they had run out of Nyquil? Has Nancy Pelosi ever had to check a bag through when she has flown on an airplane? When was the last time "W" went to the grocery store and saw the prices of food? Do you really think Harry Reid pumps his own gas? When was the last time Barrack Obama actually bought a car at a dealership? Think about nearly a...

Recently, I had the interesting experience of watching the political debates of the day mushroom into epic verbal battles here on the pages of Facebook. I know for many, this is why they stay far away from the political discussions altogether. Very few desire confrontation in general, and certainly not over something like Health Care Reform, the Nobel Peace Prize or government spending. I don’t welcome a war of words. However, I am not willing to sit on the sidelines and allow others to censor my thoughts or my voice. Somewhere there is a happy medium. This past week, I had a “Facebook friend” who decided to throw down over the role of government. Facebook friend? We attended the same high school, where we were never really friends, but one of my other friends knew them, so I accepted their Facebook request when they invited. I guess I thought I might expand my circle. I don’t know. Well, I did learn from this: I will never accept any future invites for people I did not “friend" w...

Well, I have been waiting for the right motivation to pen another socially relevant blog, but there haven’t been any major political debates to ignite the passion within. So, how can I still be interesting? What sensational or taboo topic could I come up with to stir the pot? I know a topic sure to be quite thought provoking and emotional: the subject of sex. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big time supporter and proponent of sex. Honestly, I think one of the failings of many churches, indeed even many families, is the “taboo” of talking openly about sex. There are so many topics and viewpoints on sex this could turn into a series of blogs. But, first I will begin by writing about the stigma the topic gets today from so many in the religious community and how many academics and educators are ruining our society (with their treatment of sex) as well. There needs to be balance on the topic given its elevated importance in our culture, and much like the political arena today, it is a topic...