The World as IE Sees It

With all that is going on in the country scandal wise, it is hard to just choose one on which to focus. But, I will try. This lack of privacy we’ve been joking about for years has become truth. Unbelievably, some are okay with it. They say it is necessary and all that rot. Fighting terror... blah, blah, blah. I have two words: Downward Spiral. Well, I do have more than just two, but I digress. There are those who say, “I have nothing to hide.” Is that the point? Do we need something to hide to want to keep our lives private? People do not install fences around their properties because they want to do something nefarious in their backyards. We want to choose what we share with others, not be forced to stand naked in town square. Well, at least that way we would know that we were naked in town square. The problem is that all of us are being treated like criminals. Unless we go to the airport, we do not know that every inch of our lives is being scrutinized. Our C...

When I do research for my books, sure, I turn to internet sources and books for information. I also interview people who have experience with certain things and do or learn things for myself. One of my works in progress is the first book of a mystery series where an injured homicide detective turned PI has to relearn how to shoot. Recently, I went to a local pistol range to take a private lesson on shooting a handgun. It was my first time shooting any kind of gun. The instructor was surprised that I had never even shot a bb gun. I learned on a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol. The former Vietnam Marine started with basic gun safety. Although I wore a turtleneck, he warned me about wearing open necked shirts for future shooting. The empty shell casings are hot when they fly out of the gun and if you are wearing a shirt with an open neck, there is a possibility that the casing can hit your skin and burn you. (Always good to know.) At the shooting bay, he went over grip, stanc...

As of this typing, Senator Rand Paul has been filibustering for seven hours so that Brennan will not be confirmed as CIA director. Texas Senator Ted Cruz and others have now joined him. There is something inherently wrong with the government being allowed to drone strike its own people on its own soil (let alone elsewhere). We should not fear our government. We should not be afraid or punished for speaking the truth, no matter how ugly it may be. We should not have to fear having our right to defend ourselves taken away. We should not have to fear that our privacy is a thing of the past. We should not have to live in fear. I applaud Doctor Paul and his efforts. I applaud Senator Cruz. Someone needs to say no. Actually, many more than one or two need to say no. No to this insanity. No to all this spending. No to eroding our rights. No to destroying our country. I may not be a lawmaker or hold any public office, but I, too, will stand and say no. Because of the fili...

2012 is almost over. We’re supposedly going to dive off the so-called fiscal cliff. There is a discussion about taking away certain guns and more gun control. The America we know, or think we know, is slipping away from us. Before the ball drops and the bungee cordless cliff diving begins, I wanted to share a few factual tidbits combined with my overactive imagination. I am a writer, after all. Let me set the scene: The year is 20NE (2075CE). The cities in what remains of the U.S. have been razed. Eco-friendly Pod Cities have been built in their place. A 17 year-old boy and his 14 year-old sister, Xavier and Nickie, escape from Pod City one-five, finding a settlement of people that should not exist. From Chapter 14 of my dystopian novel, Tricentennial : I wanted to sink in my chair wallowing in hopelessness until Nickie asked, “How did all this happen? I mean, why are we out here, all alone, without the comforts that the people in the Pod Cities enjoy?” “That’s a long...

Unmanned flying machines that are typically operated by a person using a game controller often fly over places such as Pakistan. For the most part, they watch and attack. Drone strikes happen much more frequently since Obama has been living in the White House. According to the New American Foundation , there has been 339 total number of drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004. Of those, 293 were since 2009. In 2009, only 2 strikes happened under Bush. Let’s break down the numbers. Under 8 years of Bush, there were 48 drone strikes in Pakistan. In 4 years of Obama, there have been 291. The latest was just the 29th of November. I shudder to think what another 4 years will bring. Troops will still remain after the 2014 end date. Now, these drone attacks do not happen on their own. The President must authorize each and every attack. That’s a lot of drone strikes for a guy who said that he was bringing the troops home and ending our wars. And let’s not forget the drone strike in Y...

Everywhere you look, someone is talking about why the Republicans lost the Presidential election and only gained one seat in the House and lost two in the Senate. I haven’t been listening to anyone. Ruminating over the past few days, I have come up with my own theory—the Republican Party itself. If you are a regular reader of my opinions, then you will know that I am not a proponent of the two party system or an any number party system for that matter. However, I feel the Republican message is not what voters really want to hear. The Republicans think they have this large conservative base that they need to appease. That is why Romney picked Ryan as his running mate, which was a huge mistake. Ryan is too far right, although left of Santorum. This “base” is not as big as the pundits would lead us to believe. These people are the ultra conservative fringe of the party. People such as myself are where the party’s focus should be if they wish to survive. Unfortunately, they ...

Gary Johnson is not allowed to participate in the debate tonight. I honestly think that both parties are afraid of his political allure. I don’t think the debates between Obama and Romney are that important. It’ll be the same ol’ same old crap we’ve been hearing over and over from both of them. However, if Gary Johnson were included, then the debates would matter. Different ideas would be heard. Discourse might actually happen in this country. We need to change the dialogue. The media gatekeepers perpetuate this stale rhetoric. Our ears are tired of being filled with the load of nothingness. Too many of us have turned our backs. Too many of us have said that there is nothing we can do. This is simply not true. We can do something. The Constitution gives us the right of peaceful assembly. In this digital age, assembly may need to take place on the internet. Open a dialogue in which everyone can participate. It is time we no longer feel powerless. Our votes do cou...

I want an end to our “wars” and for our troops to come home as soon as possible. I want the government to protect us by protecting our borders not by preemptive strikes or monitoring its law-abiding citizens. I want the government to stop regulating us excessively. I want to stop the “Federalization” of life’s every aspect. Government is best on smaller scales. I want sovereignty to be returned to the states. I want the government to stop pushing any kind of social agenda on the people. I want the Internet to be free of regulation and without a “kill switch.” I want the Constitution to be the rule of law, not some old document. I want the balance of power to return to the constitutionally granted checks and balances. I want the government to stop spending so much money. I want the government to stop interfering in the economy so that it can run its natural course. I want simplified taxes. I want an end to the divisiveness of the two party system. I want the government to leave us alo...