The World as IE Sees It

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...

Every so often, I enjoy store-bought breakfast cookies with my morning coffee. When I was growing up, my parents would occasionally buy a certain brand of Italian-style breakfast treats. How I loved them. The soft anise flavored sponges and the S-shaped cookies were my favorites. They still are. Today, I decided to indulge in these cookies. Earlier than usual this morning, I headed out to my local really big super duper store to fill my tummy with some of the cookies I knew since childhood. After only finding four types of cookies made by that certain brand, they came home with me. As the cookies rested on the table, coffee beans whirred in the grinder. Hot water mingled with the oils, filling my kitchen with that warm, intoxicating coffee aroma. Wanting to satiate my Italian-style cookie craving, I began to cut the plastic coverings. When I grabbed the anise flavored sponges, my heart sank. Short of time and without thinking, I had put my trust in my really big super duper s...

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 ...

I was going to do pros and cons of each of the big three running for President as I see them. However, on this day before the election, I thought it best to keep it simple. We need integrity . Integrity to do what is right instead of what is ideological. We need responsibility . One who will take responsibility for his actions and his rhetoric. We need courage . Courage to buck the party to do what is right for our country. We need patience . Patience to refrain from ramming through legislation without giving people time to read it. We need confidence . The confidence to go through each day without a cult of celebrity. We need restraint . Practicing monetary restraint before there is nothing ahead of us but collapse. We need humility . The humility to know that not all the answers to our problems lie at the Federal level. We need understanding . Understanding of how the country works from all levels of government to the private sector. We nee...