Post Convention Caterwauling: Saturday Political Soap Box 137

The most affecting speech of both conventions was not delivered by a political professional, but by a grieving, loving father, the Pakistani-American immigrant letting us know about the incredible contribution and sacrifice that his son, Captain Humayun Khan,  made.  He powerfully waved a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution and asked if Donald Trump had ever read it.

Two conventions.  Two sharply different visions of America,  

One was filled with hate and anger, wanting us to build walls and restrict entry into the country by religious faith.  Their platform was the most extreme in history, endorsing conversion therapy for gays, eliminating obamacare and healthcare for millions, criminalizing abortion to the point that even miscarriages would be suspect. Of course, the only intervention into the platform by the Trump people was to endorse the idea that Russia should keep the parts of the Ukraine that they conquered and want to annex.  A strange part of the platform to care about, until you realize the almost blind affection Trump has for Putin, and for the country whose loans are most likely keeping his business interests afloat.

The other was filled with calls to American Exceptionalism, that celebrated our diversity, that respected and honored our military.  The speakers were, almost without exception, powerful and compelling.  Yes, it's true.  Celebrities like Elizabeth Banks, Katy Perry and Alicia Keys carried a thousand times more wattage and electricity than Scott Baio and Antonio Sabato, Jr.  It's also true that the political speakers were better, with dramatic and effectively delivered speeches by the likes of President Obama, Bill Clinton and Vice President Biden (in contrast to the Salem witch trial conducted by Chris Christie, the spittle infected racist rant delivered by Rudy Giuliani, or the 75 minute "I alone can save you" shout teleprompted by Drumpf.

But the greatest contrast was in the speeches by individuals, including Kzir Khan.  Speeches by Muslims, policemen and women, soldiers, mothers whose families have been victimized by violence, church members from the Charleston church attacked by a white supremacist.  It was diversity on display.  But it's not hard to be diverse when your party is the one that is tolerant and welcoming.  It was really the best of America that was on display.

One party emphasized how we were stronget together.

The other party emphasized how the only way to save us from the apocalypse was by handing over the country to an authoritarian strongman, one who will shred the U.S, Constitution that Khizr Khan has come to know and cherish.

The choice is the clearest it's ever been in my lifetime.

Whether you are the most committed Bernie supporter (as I am) or a Ted Cruz Christian dominionist, whether you loved the Clinton years of the 90s or hated them, whether you are a corporate Democrat or a mainstream Republican, whether you voted for Obama or McCain and Romney, no matter where you are on the political spectrum, you KNOW what you must do.  You cannot hand the world's oldest and greatest democracy over to this

Narcissistic

Misogynist

Racist

Bullying

Russian backed

Uninformed

Thin skinned

Six time bankrupt

Spoiled

Despicable

CON MAN

TRUMP MUST LOSE.  

He must lose by the biggest margin in American political history.

Now go!

Do your part!

Choose Your Adventure!

I am at a crossroads in my writing projects.  I have spent much of my writing time trying to figure out ways to promote my book, History of the Trap.  The biggest disadvantage in self-publishing is that the shy person (me), is in charge of marketing and promotion.  The horn I would rather have somebody else toot I have to grab and toot away.

I am figuring out those buttons and levers.  The ebook has done okay, the personal sales are pretty darn good, but the paperback sales on Amazon are languishing.  I am slowly springing out more ideas, and hopefully I can get that cranked up.

If you have read and/or are reading History of the Trap, or any of my other books (others exclusively in ebook or eshort format), please be sure to leave a review.  These books are often placed by number of purchases and number of reviews, so any help in that regards will be greatly appreciated!  I am on Goodreads as well, so you can also leave reviews there if you are a part of that community.

Where to go next?

Crowley Stories: Swamp's Edge is currently being edited, but is otherwise complete.  We are also in the process of setting up a new computer, and when that is complete, I hope to set up Crowley Stories in a program called Scrivener.  Crowley Stories was written over many months, in different formats using different computers, and Scrivener should help me even out and make uniform the formatting. I don't know how long this will take but it will be my next published novel-length project.

I am also working on a novella entitled My Europa.  It is my accepting of Jack McDevitt's challenge to write a futuristic story with a more optimistic point of view.  That does not mean there isn't drama and tension in the story.  But it does view a world some twenty years from now that has not descended into an apocalyptical hellhole. Translation:  Trump does not get elected.

So, my few but brave and wonderful fans, what should I focus on next?  Keep in mind that I am working towards retirement  from accounting, and the more success I have, the sooner that can happen.

Here are some of my choices:

1) Continue finishing My Europa.  The first few pages are published as a blog entry on The Strait Line.

2) Another Eric Reid story, continuing the characters of Eric Reid and the Time Team, this time focused on trying to stop an assassination in November 1963.  These can be combined and published as a Bookshot style paperback, for the low price of 5 to 6 dollars.

3)  Another Escape the Office romance, similar to Through the Closet and Into the Woods, and then combined to present a Bookshot style paperback, for the low price of 5 to 6 dollars.

4) Do not pass go, do not collect $200 (which would be nice), and go directly to the next book of the Trap series, History of the Trap: Revolution & Rebellion.

5) Concentrate on publishing an extending the collection of autobiographical stories, currently under the title Here Comes Tommy.

6) Collect poems, already written and news ones, and organize into a poetry collection.  Fake Poems Unite!

7)  Any other idea or interest you have, please let me know!

I wish my writing time was not as limited as it is.  So I do have to pick and choose.  Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Your favorite author (or hopefully somewhere in your top 525,600),

T. M. Strait

Sauer Summer Jobs!

Ah. yes!  The glories of your first jobs!  Transitioning from being a carefree teen, to one who slowly grasps the idea of beginning to pull his own economic weight.

I was a shy, introverted kid, one who was incapable of finding his own job, or as mother would say, going out and "pounding the pavement." Luckily my Dad,  school principal and community leader, was able to make the connections for me.  I started by my Junior year working at Dixie Tool & Dye, assisting with shipping.  I started at around 90 cents an hour and worked my way up to the glorious sum of $1.10 per hour.  I though I was doing fairly well, even if I was a tad slow, and that I was liked.  When I left for college, a neighbor friend two years younger than me took the job over, and he quickly doubled, than tripled the wage.  A titan of industry I was not.

After I returned from my Freshman year in college, my father was able to help me secure a job at the local pickle factory.  They made and packaged pickles, sweet relish, hot peppers and sauerkraut.  In fact, sauerkraut was so big in my hometown, we had an annual Sauerkraut Festival.  The central event at this celebration was the crowning of a Sauerkraut Queen.  It was a highly sought after honor.  One year, my sister, a grade younger than me, competed for the title.  She tried valiantly, but fell short.  What a colorful addition to her resume that would have been, to be able to proudly state that she was the 1973 Bridgeport Sauerkraut Queen!

I worked night shifts, long stretches that sometimes ran twelve hours.  I cleaned out the bottom of sweet relish vats, praying that the forklifts bringing in fresh pickles would remember that I was down there before they dumped their briny load on top of my head.  I cleaned out odd corners of the warehouse, where trust me - you haven't truly lived until you uncover a broken jar of pickles that have been laying there for months or years.  The hottest food my family ever used was black pepper, so I was unprepared for the night that it was my job to take the jars of hot peppers off the line whose lids did not seal right.  Even through gloves, my hands quickly stung with an inner heat I had never experienced before.  That next day the pain was so great, I had to sleep with both my hands soaking in warm water.  This created a different set of problems I'd rather not go into.

I started at the agricultural minimum wage of $1.30, but over a couple of summers, I was able to work my way up to the magnificent sum of $2.10 an hour.  I was well liked enough that I was offered a supervisory job if only I stayed on with them instead of completing my schooling.  I passed.  Besides not being my chosen career path, that factory, like many factories from the 70s, no longer exists.

As low as those wages were, I set aside the substantial portion of them to help with college.  And help I could, as combined tuition with room and board was only around $2,000.  My father was highly committed to education, so he and I did it together.  This was made easier by the fact that I did not own my own car until my Senior year of college, obtained largely through a summer job that paid closer to $8 an hour at a GM plant, helping to cover the staggering amount of the $3300 it took to buy a new Honda Civic.

And now my youngest son, Benjamin, is  approaching the age that he will work in the summers, and as is family tradition, that it will help earn towards college and not towards a car.  However, the frightening prospect is that even though wages may be as much four times higher now, college tuition with  room and board is easily ten to twelve times higher.  $2,000 may not even cover books. It's virtually impossible now for even the hardest working student to work his way through college.

And that is truly a sauer development.

Trumping Scott Baio

What a difference a week makes!

Last Monday, the "highlight" of the RNC was washed up actor hack Scott Baio.

This week, the DNC had first rate heavy hitters from top to bottom, including three of the best convention speeches since, well, a certain Senator Barack Obama was introduced to the big stage in 2004.

We start with one of the very best First Ladies this country has ever had the privilege of gracing our nation.  She was absolutely brilliantly toned, hitting all the right note, personal and policy, and reminding us of all the unnecessary and nasty venom that has been spewed at this family, and that "When they go low, we go high."  A distinguished preview of the speech that Republicans will probably steal in 2024. 

Then came Elizabeth Warren, a very bright woman and an intense fighter for the American people.  I think had she run, she would have beaten Hillary Clinton and then gone on to completely humiliate that demented narcissistic fascist clown, Trump, in an unprecedented landslide.

I LOVED her comment about Trump's campaign being an "infomercial" whose only goal was to prey upon the American people.

We wrapped things up for the evening with the most transformative politician of my lifetime, Senator Bernie Sanders.  A man who has awakened a whole generation of young people that politics can be so much more than it is, that great things can be accomplished when we work together, that it is okay and even desired to dream big and to fight for those dreams.

MSNBC, and I'm sure other media as well, seem obsessed with finding Bernie supporters who were reluctant to transfer their support to Hillary Clinton.  What a surprise that people who are new to politics, who passionately believe in their causes,  cannot turn their loyalty on a dime!

Commentator Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC was trying to give his fellow commentators a reality check - current polling show that 85% of Bernie supporters are already going to vote for Hillary Clinton.  That stat is likely to be 95% or more before the election.  Unless, of course, Hillary eschews the New Progressive Movement, and gallops further to the right instead.

Regardless, we are in a position where any vote not for Clinton is a vote to elect a true monster, the one who signals the death knell for democracy and the beginnings of an authoritarian nightmare, the rule of our Orange Mussolini, our final sayonara to the American Dream.

Thank you, DNC.  For all your heavy handed fingers trying to tilt the scales to Clinton (wow!  those leaked e-mails told me nothing I didn't know before, except for how far in bed Trump may be with the Russians), you delivered a first class convention that had more zing, pop, and power than all four nights of the RNC last week.  Bravo!

Flying Back to the Dragon

Emily Beck re-playing the role of the Scarecrow, that I had originally cast her in when I directed The Wizard of Oz some five years ago.

I had been away too long.

With Benjamin no longer actively participating, my involvement in the Flying Dragon Arts Center had receded.  I have been to a few shows, but was no longer the regular patron and occasional contributor that I was.

That was a mistake.

Their Broadway in Waycross performances this last weekend were amazing and reaffirmed their position as a major supporter and educator of the arts.

Act 1 presented songs from four different musicals, with young talent ranging from toddlers to early high school.

Emily Beck as Dorothy during a performance of Jitterbug, a number that was part of the original musical, but cut from the movie version.  Playing The Scarecrow is Tori Butler, an extraordinarily gifted singer, who shined in multiple singing numbers throughout the first act.

It is true that every young person is not a superstar,  They all are at different stages of their theatrical development.  But over the years, I have seen so many grow and mature into better and better performers. I am so grateful that a warm and loving teaching environment is available for them.  It is a true treasure of Waycross.

Marisa Williams playing the woman that anointed Jesus with oils in a powerful performance of songs from Jesus Christ Superstar.

Act 2 featured what I can only call The Millennial All-Stars.  It was the very best of your young adult performers, ranging from upper high school to twenty-somethings, delivering one knock-out performance after another.

They performed songs from four different musicals, including one of my all time favorites, Cabaret.  A high schooler named Noah Rouse was outstanding as the Cabaret leader named Noah in the opening number, and the dance sequence between Blake Kildow and Bella Motta was marvelous, mein herrs und frauleins!

Blake Kildow deserves the credit for helping assemble this amazing, diverse group of players, including some of our college students home for the summer.

Emily Beck as an impoverished character in Les Miz, singing in a way that showed rich emotion.  Emily contributed stellar performances to both acts.

Part of the cast (and my thumb) coming out for the final curtain call.  Seated in the french revolution/quasi-pirate outfit is Aaron Michael Carver, who gave some of the best performances I'd ever seen.  His performance in the number Jesus Christ Superstar was one for the record books.

I could go on and on about the great performances in this show.  I have never before seen such a an entertainment value, only eight bucks for four hours of theatrical good times.

Look for the next play or plays to be performed, and come out and support one of the best things about Waycross, the Flying Dragon Arts Center!

Changing of the Con

My son, Benjamin, dressed as McRee from the video game OverWatch.

Two of the many cosplayers at the convention, one dressed as Supergirl and the other as Rey from Star Wars.

Ah, it didn't used to be this way.  Conventions of this type were more often centered on comic books, illustrators, writers, and discussions of popular literature, movies and TV.  They were centered on getting the signatures of favorite writers, artists and creators; maybe even get the chance to talk to them.  There were many comic vendors, with people looking to fill in gaps of their collections, or find rare gems, like the first appearance of so-and-so.  And often, it was exciting to meet somebody new, somebody selling their own independent comic or book.

But times, they are a-changin', and so are the Cons. In the last decade or so, the largest growth area at conventions has been in the attendance and now domination of cosplayers.  These are people who meticulously dress up as a character from popular fiction.  And they range from characters in video games (like Benjamin as McRee), comic books (the young woman above as Supergirl, which also represent the very good recent TV show), and movies (the young woman above dressed as Rey form Star Wars).

Some cosplayers bring more than one costume to the convention, and change into different characters during the day.  I saw one woman start as a character from the Japanese anime Sailor Moon, and then later come back out as a character from Frozen.

This is not a terrible thing.  It never is when people are expressing themselves, meeting new people and having fun.  Benjamin had a blast meeting other characters from OverWatch, and in shouting his character's catch phrase, "It's High Noon!"

The cosplayers, however, are not readers, at least for the most part.  Many of them have read little about their own characters.  Often times, they are most interested in characters for their ability to display their uniqueness,  It may be what they have the materials for, how physically suited they are for that role, and how much they will stand up and be noticed for their portrayal.  This only requires a superficial knowledge to acquire the "look".

Some cosplayers are a little bit more serious about going beyond the look, and may improvise lines or interactions to show a greater depth of knowledge, and to immerse more into the world of their character.

But they don't really read.  There were only a couple of vendors, out of fifty or so, that had any depth of comics.  I saw some of them, but even I didn't buy, as I was trying not to go too much into the hole for the experience.

There were a few more than that, something between six and ten, that were authors selling their books.  I don't think any of them had a spectacular day.  Most of the attention at our own author's table was from middle-aged women, who might have been there with children or grand-children.  Others came by who wanted us to know they were budding authors and either hoped to publish soon, or had stuff they wanted us to consider.  But young readers, like I needed for my young adult novel, History of the Trap?  They were few and far between.

Overall, I got the impression that there were more people who wanted to write than wanted to read.  Not really a sustainable proposition.

I don't really mind the cosplayers.  They are expressing themselves, making friends, being creative in their own way.

But I do miss the days when the book and the art were the thing.  When writers and illustrators ruled the con.

Sigh.

Maybe for the next con, I'll try to attract attention by wearing my own costume.  Since there doesn't seem to be many popular manatee characters, I might try George R.R. Martin.  That way when people bombard me with questions about when I'm finishing Game of Thrones,  I can say, "Yes, I'm trying but I have writer's block,  I just had to get out this other story inside me, History of the Trap, written under a pen name, before I could concentrate on Westeros.  Check it out!"

Yeah!  There's a plan!

 

Discouraging Wednesday Wanderings

If you are one who doesn't like kvetching and prefer more positives posts, you may want to skip this one.

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For those of you on the general facebook feed, you may know that we lost our recent foster, Jessie.  She had gone with her new family, and slipped out of her harness on one of her first trips outside.  She had not bonded to the them yet, and ran off instead of staying near them.

My family and others have searched the area carefully.  We have spread the word.  But it is like the dog has completely vanished.  We could not find her and no one has seen her.

Jessie is very shy and scared...she may not seek people out, and may be in hiding.  If she is hiding nearby, she may eventually come out.  There are some busy streets nearby, but if she was run over, we could find no evidence of it.  If she went into the nearby woods, she may never be found.

I skipped large portions of my workday, searching the area on foot and by car.  I was joined by Alison and Benjamin in the late afternoon.  She loves Alison and if she was going to come to some one's voice, it would be hers.  She did not.

If you live in the Wacona area of Ware County, and you happen to see Jessie, please contact us or the Humane Society.

Jessie is a tiny dachshund/chihuahua mix, black/dark brown.  She was not wearing a collar when she ran off.

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To one degree, the RNC Convention is a joke, with lots of moments that are so extreme and ridiculous, it makes for great humor, with comedians and satirists having a field day (more like field week).  But it gives me no great joy.  Yes, the shouts of "Lock her up!"  and calling her a murderer are disturbing and over the top.  Yes, his super-model wife plagiarized parts of First Lady Michelle Obama's speech.  Yes, the Never Trump forces were steamrolled in a dictatorial matter (as will the Bernie people be next week).

Yet none of it gives me great satisfaction.  He should not be the Republican nominee.  He should have lost embarrassingly.  And he needs to lose the general election.  He not only needs to lose, he needs to lose by the greatest landslide in electoral history.  He and his ugly followers need to be excised from the body politic, and marginalized back into obscurity.

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And now, to make matters worse, Hilary is tipping her hand that she will indeed pick a Corporate Democrat as her running mate, with my prediction, Sen, Tim Kaine of Virginia, still the frontrunner.  She keeps misdiagnosing what she needs.  There is a hunger in the country to diminish the power held by the wealthy and corporate elites.  She is abandoning Progressives, and making the more naive of us either inclined not to vote or vote third party.  This will only increase Trump's chances.

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I have not found the right buttons to push to boost sales of my book.  I have only sold four paperback copies online, and so far, I am ZERO for July.  I will keep experimenting, but I would be lying to you if I told you I wasn't discouraged.  I am.

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There are many, many positives in my life, which I am extremely grateful for.  You just have to realize...with over 1200 blog posts, not all have them are going to have the fresh, flowery odor of Pollyanna.  Sorry, Hayley Mills.  It's just the way it is.

Wandering out for now,

T. M. Strait

OverWatch Corral at the Ancient City Con

Benjamin Strait, as the character McRee from the video game Overwatch, is watching over ,y portion of our vendor's table at Ancient City Con in Jacksonville.

It's High Noon!  Well, according to Benjamin's character.

We introduced History of the Trap at a convention, a first for me.  Sharing a table with Michael and April Lee, who had their own great books, it was also the first event for us as Swamp's Edge Publishing.

Saturday was a good day.  Everyone sold some books.  Even I sold two, which may not sound like much, but was actually more than I anticipated.  The goal was to get out there with my book and my business card, and start having a presence, maybe make some contacts.

Most people were fairly positive.  Those that engaged with us were pleased to see so much local writing, and in addition to those who bought, there were those that took our business cards and said they would check us out on Kindle. So far, that hasn't resulted in any Kindle sales, but I have high hopes.

I am still trying to perfect my pitch for the book.  If I say that they are students who are trapped at a high school for ten years, I get squeals of  "Now that's a NIGHTMARE!"  Sigh.  I'm still working on it.  I do strongly believe that it is a very good book, and that it's closed set premise, although a little extreme, is not that unfamiliar in literature.  I'll keep trying to articulate it better.

There was an author's panel discussion, and April and I were invited to go.  We weren't sure whether we were supposed to go up front on the dais or not.  That question became academic when all the seats were filled, and there was no room for us.  We sat in the front row.  I was poised to raise my hand and tell them they had two more authors in the room.

I squandered my opportunity to talk, as the dominant shy gene took over.  My worst problem with shyness is initiating conversation.  I have be to be explicitly invited.  I'm like a vampire who has to be invited in to your house to enter.  I came close when an author friend, Winfield Strock, took the time to invite April to talk about her recent experiences in publishing.  April did a great job, and I thought I would be invited next, but it didn't happen, and I wasn't aggressive enough to insert myself.  A great opportunity blown.

The most exciting opportunity I found out about was the world of audio books.  It appears to be easier to make audio versions of your books than I thought.  Not only that, but that it may be easier than I thought to get hired to record OTHER people's books.  This may be another way I can make money post-accounting retirement (or cutting back hours, or whatever it is I can eventually work out).  After all, some have said I'm a lot better speaker/actor/read-alouder than I am a writer.  So there you go.

Benjamin had a great time.  He made a number of friends and contacts, meeting others dressed from Over Watch, and playing in a tournament of his favorite video game, super Smash Brothers.  He didn't make it far, but he had a great sense of humor, and was funny and appealing.

We'll definitely have to do it again, and maybe at some point we can clear enough to cover our table costs, and if we get really well known, enough to cover our gas, food and money we spend buying other people's stuff.

Ten years, you say????  Boy, that's a NIGHTMARE!!!

Sigh.  

I'll keep working on that pitch!

Hobbies Under Attack

Proud memes and statements dominating Facebook right now:

Am I the only who's never seen an episode of Game of Thrones?

translation:  this is a stupid show and I'm tired of people talking about it.  I don't like fantasy shows anyways.

Guess who's not playing Pokemon?

translation:  this is a stupid game and I'm tired of people talking about it.  I don't like these kind of apps anyways.

I hate politics.

translation:  I hate politics.  Ok, that one's fairly easy.  It can mean you don't like to see your friends on opposite corners, or you can't stand hearing a diversity of opinion, or you've really abandoned your civic responsibilities.

I refuse to vote for the lesser of two evils.

translation:  you really have abandoned your civic responsibility.  Mostly, but not completely, it represents people who are smart enough to know that Trump is a horrible candidate and human being, but cannot bring themselves to vote for Clinton, pretending that she is some kind of evil equivalency.  Some brag about how they're not voting for either one, leaving it blank ,or how they're not going to vote at all.  If you can't bring yourself to vote to stop the greatest political evil this country has faced in a very long time, then at least vote third party - it's a throwaway vote, but it's better than not voting at all.


I could go on and on.  I see more and more memes and content that trash people's hobbies and interests, and also ones that discourage political discourse.  Stop it!  Why not celebrate your own hobbies and interests instead of dissing other people's?

Do I post stuff like this -


Am I the only one who's never seen an episode of NCIS?

Guess who's never gone hunting animals?

I hate gardening.

I refuse to pick a favorite 70s country-rock artist because they all suck.

No.  No, I don't post stuff like that.  I'm not perfect, and my wit is occasionally sarcastic. but I don't create memes and posts meant to belittle people's hobbies and interests.

Trump?

Now, that's a different story.

Like I said, I'm not perfect.

Don't You Wanna Be Jessie's Girl (or Boy)?

Want a sweet, wonderful dog that is a bundle of love and energy?  Look no further than our current foster, Jessie! Yes, you could be Jessie's girl (or boy)!

Jessie came to us a little shy and with a hurt leg.  But with the special love and attention of Alison (pictured above with our special foster), Jessie has come into her own.  Completely healed, housebroken, heartworm free and spayed, Jessie is a loving dog devoted to her family.  She likes the outdoors and other dogs, but she also likes to sit and cuddle with her humans.

Jessie is a dachshund/chihuahua mix and weighs about 7 lbs.  Unlike most dogs, she is not afraid of the vacuum cleaner, nor a broom.  She will attack them, defending her family from their terrible menace. 

She is a good eater, and loves to play with toys.  She may have an initial shy period, but if you are kind and patient, she will warm up to you. 

Most of our pictures of Jessie are like this one, as it is difficult to get her to stay still for a picture.  Her enthusiasm and energy make a boundlessly loving and friendly dog.

If you would like to be Jessie's person, please contact the Okefenokee Humane Society at 283-4214.  This little bundle of joy is ready to meet you.

Movie Twofer Monday Musing

It's Monday again.

That's the work world for you.  It always spins back to another work week.

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It seems common sensical to me.  you can be pro-police and for Black Lives Matters too.  There is clearly something going on that makes it more dangerous for a an African American in many police interactions than for other groups.

It isn't universal, not by any means.  But it happens often enough to be unsettling.

But there are also heroic moves.  The Dallas police put their own lives at risk, helping civilians get out of harm's way.  The Black Lives Matter people have demonstrated deep support and prayers for what happened to the Dallas police. Tens of thousands protest openly and peacefully throughout the country, often with police being in a positive role, supporting the right to protest.

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The open carry laws are sheer lunacy.  You can't tell a good guy from a bad guy...until it is too late. Concealed weapons aren't much better, especially when there is little or no regulation as to who qualifies to carry a concealed weapon.  Even the Second Amendment uses the phrase "well-regulated".  It's time to come back to some common sense sanity regarding guns.

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It was a twofer movie weekend for me!  Saw Legend of Tarzan with my son, Benjamin.  It wasn't too high on my list of must-see movies, but I remembered how much my Dad loved Tarzan.  So I took the opportunity to see it with Benjamin.  It wasn't a great film, but it was a good film, with a high-powered story that was formulaic but still action-packed and exciting to watch.  It was disappointing to see Margot Robbie as Jane have to play a damsel in distress so much, but she did it with a certain strength.  Samuel L Jackson was dynamic in his role as a companion to Tarzan, and provided a much needed level of boost of energy and humor.  They raised Tarzan's level of ability to control animals to that of Aquaman. I give it 7 rips out of 10.

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We also saw The Secret Life of Pets, this time including Alison.  The theatre was packed and we had to sit in the second row.  That made some of the chase scenes and NYC heights pretty dizzying.  But it was a great movie, with many of the pets carrying personality quirks that we were very familiar with.  I give it 9 rips out of 10.

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The History of the Trap sells well with personal sales, but is bombing in online sales, still with only four.  I am zero for July.  It is hard to be seen on Amazon when your book doesn't appear on peoples lists until about page 2,005.  I'll continue to work on it.

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Veeps?  I continue to see Tim Kaine as a frontrunner for Hilary Clinton.  I think Trump may pick a military figure for his running mate.  Drumpf is running more as a third party candidate than as a Republican, and that has been the tendency with authoritarians - Wallace picked General LeMay in 1968, and Ross Perot picked Admiral Stockdale in 1992. Qualms about him being pro-choice aside, look for retired General Michael Flynn.


Until nest time,

T. M. Strait

The Greatest Sin

What is considered the greatest sin?

Sin, in general, across all major religions, are transgressions against the deity, acts that separate you from God's divine love.  It is your willful decisions to do things that remove you from that spirit.

What can you do to separate yourself from God?  What shows your defiance of him?  Could it be the denial of his existence?  I suppose.  But there is wide discretion displayed in many holy works.  Jesus receives those who display love for him even their practises are not deemed proper by the pharisees.  The first followers of Jesus bring people into the fold even if they don't follow all of the Jewish customs, such as circumcision.  So it seems that love of God is not bound by cultural taboos, or by particular styles of worship.

Idolatry, the worship of things other than God, is considered the greatest sin against God.  Interestingly, the earlier parts of the Bible seems to imply that there were other gods (such as the household gods that are mentioned as part of early Jewish homes), but none of them rose to the level of the God." Thou shalt have no other gods before me"  makes it implicit that there are other gods one could potentially be put ahead of the God.  Later, as the other gods fade away, the new competitors to God are the worship of material things, or of self.

What is important is how we reflect that love of God.  And overwhelming it is through how we love our fellow man.  How we treat each other becomes paramount. As Rabbi Hillel said, who lived in the time of Jesus's early childhood, That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it."   (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a)

It's the Golden Rule, seen throughout the great religions, in one form or another.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Simple to say, and often so very difficult to follow.  And thus comes the predominance of sin, and our struggle with it.

What sin that is a violation of love of neighbor is most often mentioned in the Bible?  It is usury.  And by that is meant more than just the charging of interest for the use of money (although that should not be dismissed in importance).  It is the exploitation of the poor and disadvantaged by the well off.  Sodom and Gomorrah were taken out not because of homosexuality, but because their people had become inhospitable, turning their backs on strangers, and even their own poor.

The prophets rail against how society is treating the disadvantaged, and warn about God's judgment for such behavior. Jesus rails against the same things, and is angered by how we treat each other.

Everyone is a sinner.  It is hard to deal in the world and not fall short.  That does not mean one should stop trying.

Stop setting idols ahead of God.  In our society, that is overwhelmingly the love of money and material things.  It is dwelling more on the Kardashians than the Holy Spirit.  It is dreaming more of a new car than the grace of God.  The Prosperity Gospel is a heresy and a source of sin, not a blessing.

Start doing things that makes the world a better place for your fellow man.  Follow the Golden Rule.

Do not confuse cultural mores and taboos with sin.  Sin is not specific.  It is about love of God and man.  It doesn't matter, except to your own culture, whether or not you eat shellfish.  God and Jesus do not care. God does care when you try to beat you wife and children into submission.  That is male dominance, and whatever the cultural aspects of the Bible say about it, it is wrong and evil and sinful to treat people that way. It is a clear and grotesque violation of the Golden Rule.

Ask yourself this about the worship place you go to.  If a loving gay couple come to your worship doors, who are committed consensual adults, who in their actions and thoughts express and demonstrate love for their fellow man, would you let them in?  Would you be completely open, or would you embrace but with the idea of "love the sinner but hate the sin", and that they could be accepted if they stop sinning.  Well, if you kept them out, or allowed them in with the provision that stop "practicing", you would be wrong.  Being gay is not a sin.  It is a cultural taboo, and has nothing to do with sin or God.

If a man came in who made his living charging the poor ten times the normal rate of interest for goods and services, and pursued the repossession of goods when they fell behind, would you let them in?  Honestly, most modern places of worship would let him in without a second's thought.  And yet, he is the true sinner, clearly violating the Golden Rule, exploiting the disadvantaged in the most cruel fashion.  Most would let him without even thinking they were a sinner and in need of repentance.  Why?  Because in our society, what that are doing is culturally acceptable.  It is not taboo.  But just because it is not taboo, doesn't mean it is not a sin.  Idolizing money and excessive profit does not show love of God.  Exploiting your fellow man to enrich yourself does not show love of man.

Look beyond culture.  Look beyond the nation state.  Look to God.  Look to your fellow man.

So easy to say.  So difficult to do.

But we must try.  We must always try. 

Friends over the Edge: Saturday Political Soap Box 136

Yes, there is always Facebook frenzy over one fad or another.

Recently, I have seen where people are listing the number of friends they have that are supporting either Trump or Clinton, based on the likes on the candidate's page.  Many are gleefully reporting numbers like Trump 500 Clinton 12.  Now, you ask me, that is one scary a-- group of friends.

But you know me (well, many of my more constant readers do).  I can't just do it part way.  So I looked up my numbers for all the major candidates, even those who have dropped out.

Remember, I really believe most people are too apolitical to "like" candidate Facebook pages.  Some just want to be private, but I think most have checked out of the process.  And let me be clear - privacy I understand, checking out of the process I do not.  If you are truly dismissing what so many fought so hard for you to have, well, honestly, I have little respect for that.  You are part of the problem, not the cure.

Taking the rear are four of the more mainstream Republican candidates (mainstream only by Republican standards - still batcrap crazy by any other standard) - Jeb Bush 0, Chris Christie and John Kasich 1 each, and Marco Rubio a whopping 2.  Wow.  What does it say when the least insane candidates of an insane party generate so little support?  What a huge, huge mistake it was for the elites to put so much money and resources behind Jeb Bush, someone for whom it was quite clear early on that the Republican base was never going to support.

Next came Ted Cruz with 4.  It is a tribute to how nasty and unsuited Cruz was that even my Christian right wing friends failed to rally behind him.

Next was Mike Huckabee with 10.  Thanks, Christian right, for the likes.  Of course, it don't mean doodly squat IF YOU DON'T VOTE FOR HIM.  Some of those likes may actually be hangovers from 2012.  Who knows?

Then comes Trump with 14.  Many, many more than I am happy seeing, but at least it isn't the monstrous domination he has with some other people.  Those people must get tired of my constant barrage of anti-Trump stories on my feed, but too bad, so sad.  There is too much at stake for me to back off.

And then there's my Republican "like" leader, Dr. Ben Carson, carting off 17 likes.  Again, that's not reflected in the local vote.  Here, Trump was number One, Cruz fairly close at Number Two, and everyone else very far behind. Although Dr. Ben Carson can be an amiable guy, I found him particularly unsuited and unqualified to be the President of the United States.  But for those who liked him, thought he was the balm, why didn't you vote for him?  To be blunt, why did so many of you betray your faith and vote for a despicable narcissistic fascist clown like Trump, clearly the most anti-Christian candidate we've had in many, many a year?

And now the Democrats show up!  Leading all Republicans is Hillary Clinton with a mammoth...19 likes. Okay, given that Democrats are generally more comfortable being my friend than Republicans, that is not a very dominating number.  But it is what it is.  They may be few in number but they can be very vocal....wasting their time and effort blasting Bernie voters.  Why is this a waste and an error trashing the Bernie people?

Well, at least on my feed. that is because Bernie is King!  42 likes!  Far and away, my friend leader!  FEEL THE BERN!  Yes, Bernie is not going to be the nominee.  He is likely to endorse Clinton next week.  Why?  Because TRUMP MUST BE STOPPED!

In 1932, you had the aging Hindenburg facing the angry, hate`spewing Hitler.  Hitler didn't win, but he gained enough to get a foothold into power, enough to claw his way to control.  At 85, with the German economy failing, was the old bureaucrat a popular choice?  No, but he was all that was stopping the madness of Hitler.

So I am begging all my Bernie friends.  Don't dismiss Hillary because she is not what you want.  Yes, she is a corporate Democrat with many flaws, but how do you want to be remembered?  How do you want to explain to your children that you had a chance to stop the evil of Trump, but that you had a stick of perfection so far up your posterior that you couldn't see the bigger picture?  Stop Trump.  Vote for Hindenburg, whether you like it or not.  The future favors Bernie-style progressives.  The election of 2020 is ours for the taking.  Let's concentrate on down ballot and building that bridge to a progressive future. Warren/Gabbard 2020!

This is not a normal election.  Every friend I have that leans toward Trump breaks my heart. Especially when they come from my own progressive church, or from the cast of The Dairy of Anne Frank (all of whom should KNOW BETTER).  He should be a fringe candidate candidate pulling no more than 3 to 5% vote, most from the hard core racists and bigots.

So no, my few Trump fans.  I am not going to stop.  I will do everything I can to change your mind.  If you can't stand it, you'll have to unfriend or unfollow.  I'm not stopping.  Too much is at stake.


P. S,

For those wondering why I'm not addressing the horrible tragedies that happened this week, and the importance of Black Lives Matter, I refer you to my other blog story, We All Matter.

We All Matter

Black lives matter.

Do you cringe when you hear that?  Do you want to automatically snap back, "No! All lives matter!"  Or defensively shout, "Police lives matter!"

Well, you know what?  All lives do matter.  And especially in the wake of the  brutal killings in Dallas, who would not say that police lives matter?

As I write this, the Dallas situation is still in flux, and not all facts are known.  But what is clear is this - police were deliberately targeted.  And that is never justified, for any reason.

Rallies were held throughout the country, virtually everyone of them peaceful and incident free.  That was true in Dallas as well.  The outside sniper(s) were not part of the peaceful rally.  They came from outside of it.  Everyone in the rally, police and civilian alike, was horrified by what was happening.  And police officers, not knowing what was going on, rushed to aid the civilian protesters,  because for the overwhelming number of cops in this country, their instincts are to preserve and protect.  They know that every citizen is important, that every single life matters.

And yet....

There is warrant and purpose behind the phrase black lives matter. They are being killed at a higher rate than other ethnic groups.  They are being killed in situations that, clearly, if they were white, they would not be.    They are not being given the benefit of the doubt, and reactions to them are crueler and swifter,  It is clear to me that open carry and having a gun is a right only reserved for white people.  I'm supposed to be okay with a white person carrying a semi-automatic rifle into Walmart, but then call the police in if I see a black man with what turns out to be a toy gun.

Frankly, our whole culture is partly dependent on the idea that some lives matter less than others.  We operate within our set clan or clans and are more concerned with that than other outsiders. When a terrorist incident happens in Paris, all our facebook profiles are enshrouded in a French flag,  When a bombing happens in Istanbul or Baghdad,  and the attack kills mostly kills Muslims, we barely hear a blip.  Did I see facebook profiles covered with the flags of Turkey, Iraq or Bangladesh?  No, I did not.

Our international economic system is based on the idea that it is A-okay that some cultures or groups get paid significantly less in order to provide goods for the more well-off.  it matters not a whit to us that most of our goods are put together by people who may be paid only pennies an hour.  Because their lives are simply not as important as our own.

You can see it in the response to the killings of African Americans.  They wouldn't have been killed if they would've cooperated better.  They have a criminal record.  There is more black on black crime, and killing in urban centers, so why are we concentrated on this?  And on and on it goes.

But it keeps happening.  Over and over again.  Ant it doesn't seem to matter whether they cooperate or not, whether they have a record or not, whether they're dressed well or not.

The great religions and philosophies all teach the same thing - everyone matters, friend and foe alike.  Immigration is okay, but it's not okay to bring people in at substandard wages.  It is not okay that one group's median wealth is so much lower than others.  When one of us bleeds, all of us bleeds.

Hate is not the answer.  Fear is not the answer.  Indifference is not the answer.  You can accomplish more through love than hate.  Just ask the parishioners of  Emanuel AME church in Charleston, who accomplished more through love and forgiveness than would have ever been possible with hate and vengeance.  The shooting of the Dallas police officers makes things infinitely worse.

When the phrase black lives matter is used, it is not to supplant or supersede the idea that all lives matter.  It is to emphasize it's equality with that concept, that black lives matter as much as any other.

When I hear people complain and fuss about black lives matter, it makes me cringe.  They don't understand what they're saying.  They're not saying that black lives matter more than others.  They're saying they should matter the same.

Because in the end, we will not survive as a country or a planet if we do not understand this -

WE ALL MATTER.

A Child of Capitalist Impulses

You could be rich!

You could make money!

It's easy!  It takes hard work and a creative, entrepreneurial drive.

I knew that could be me!  Yes, I wasn't ten yet.  But isn't that how all the greats started out?  Start with nothing and then by grit, determination and good old ingenuity, you wind up with a fortune.

It worked for Scrooge McDuck.  I read all the Disney comics, and those amazing Donald Duck nephews - the schemes and dreams they could come up with!  And what about Theodore and Wally Cleaver on Leave It to Beaver - those kids always had great moneymaking plans.

It worked for kids in the movies and the books and the comics - why, it just had to work for me too!

But what to do?  What to do?

I didn't know how to make lemonade.  I asked my sister to help but she thought all my ideas were silly.

I was too young to use a push mower.  None of the driveways needed cleaning.  It wasn't winter, so there was no snow to shovel.

I sat on my front stoop, my desire high but my pathways limited.

And then I saw her.  Just two doors down, Mrs.  Callard was starting to get groceries out of her car.  I knew what to do!  I knew how to start my bigtime fortune, the very beginnings of filling my Scrooge McDuck style vault!

I cam rushing over to her and I told her I would help bring her groceries in.  I don't normally talk to people like that - I am incredibly shy, but this day I was on fire, spewing the flames of capitalism.  She told me it was kind of me to offer, but that she could get them herself.

Well, I knew enough of my business mantra that you didn't give up easily.  I grabbed a bag anyways and headed with her to her front door.

She very sweetly told me thank you, and instead of leaving, I stood my ground and said, "That'll be fifty cents, ma'am."  I had my hand out ready to receive the seed money that would start my grocery-carrying empire.

"Oh, no, Tommy," she said, with a sad shake of her head.  "I can't pay you for that.  What you did was an act of kindness, and I appreciate it, but you don't want to cheapen it by asking for money."

I held my ground.  This is what entrepreneurs do.  They persisted.  They didn't give up.  So I stood on the porch and insisted I should be paid for what I did for her.

She never paid me.  She finally shut the door on me, leaving me on her front porch, empty-handed,

What she did do was tell my Mom.  And I got a lecture about the differences between kindness and extortion.  After awhile of listening, and then thinking about it, it finally sunk in.  I cried and I was ashamed and mortified.

I don't approach people like that anymore.  I never participated in any of the money raising schemes form school and other civic organizations where you had to go door to door to sell something.  Each of my sons have had things they were required to sell, and I have never pushed them to sell beyond relatives and close friends.  Even for beloved politics, I only went door to door once....one block of houses for McGovern back in 1972 - and as much as I supported him (albeit I was too young to vote), I could never do another block of canvassing.

I remember the look in Mrs. Callard's eyes, a mixture of confusion, disgust and yes, even fear.  I see it every time now when I try to sell or promote myself.

I do the best I can to survive in a world of glad-handing salespersons.  I can sell behind a counter or a stationary place, but I cannot go out and seek others to sell to.  I will never be another Donald Trump.  I could never be that kind of menace.

And that might not be a bad thing.

Triumphant Tuesday Tidbits!

I am attempting to return to a normal schedule, but we will see.

The book is consuming a lot of the time I normally reserve for writing. The last few years, post tax season, I have usually gotten back into the swing of writing fiction, particularly on Fridays.  That has not been true yet this year.  Trying to perfect and publish History of the Trap has been my priority.

The result?

Kinda mixed.  Only four online sales so far.  I have sold about 15 locally, though.  WayGreen was very successful, selling 11 copies.

The cover is very attractive, and getting a lot of attention.  Thanks to the cover artist, Shardel!

I have created a facebook page for T. M. Strait the Author.  If you have not subscribed to that or liked it, and you are a blog follower, you may want to.  I will try to keep all the latest news on there.

For the first time, I read the book in print.  Yes, I had looked at it a lot on the computer.  But I had sat down and read it as a paperback this weekend.  I had somebody who bought it who had found a couple of typos, so I wanted to check it more carefully,

I did find a few things, enough to let you know that this was indeed a self-published book put out by a very human author.  I did not find anything that altered the story or the enjoyment of it.

But what I did find, reading it over  the weekend as if I was reading a novel written by somebody else was...that it's good.  Damn good.  I know.  I'm biased.  I'm the author.  But I was worried. I had gotten some feedback but not a lot.  And now I know - if nothing else, it's the type of book I enjoy reading.  The characters and what happened to them  meant a lot, and had great impact on me.  The scene where Diane and Lance comfort their father - caused me to cry uncontrollably for quite awhile.  It won't hit many that way.  But Principal Martin is based on my father, and now he's gone, and I could see him saying the things that the character said, and it just affected me deeply.

Well, this is supposed to be a Tuesday Tidbit, so let's see what else I can say....

..............I did not go to any fireworks this year.  And that's just fine with me.  Alison and Benjamin walked to the lakefront and watched some, while I stayed at home and tried to keep the dogs calm.

.............we did not see a movie at the theatre, although Benjamin saw Finding Dory with his MeeMaw, and really liked it.  Alison and I saw the movie Dark Places (starring Charlize Theron) at home.  Alison had read the book, and thought the book was better.  Ain't that almost always the case?  Although, if by some incredible miracle, History of the Trap is made into a major motion picture, I will not be fussing about the quality as I will be too busy purchasing a condo in Traverse City.

...............speaking of Traverse City, it was the highlight of our recent trip to Michigan.  I think, if we had money, Alison and I would become snowbirds, spending our summers in Traverse City and our winters in Blackshear.  Ya gotta have dreams, real or not.


...........the Tigers are starting to get beyond the 50-50 morass they were in, but not enough yet to be true playoff contenders.  You never know, though.  There still is a lot of season left.


.............I'm going to repeat this one a lot, so get used to it.......Is it possible for you to be a Christian and vote for Trump?  Yes.  Is it possible for you to say you're voting for Trump because you are a Christian? No.  No, you can't do that.


Tidbit over and out,

T. m. Strait

The Georgia Straits on the Mackinaw Strait

It may have been a mistake.

We waited until our last day in Michigan to see Mackinaw Island.

We had a long way to drive to get home, and we were anxious to get on our way.

But it was something I wanted Alison and Benjamin to see, and I could see most of our future trips to Michigan concentrating on the west side of the state instead of the east.

In September 2001, when Benjamin was not even a year old, we came this way to go onto the island with my parents.  Unfortunately, it snowed that day, and was bitter cold and windy, so we passed up the opportunity.  I've been thinking about getting a second chance for them to see it ever since.

The first shock was the cost of the ferry ride to get to the island.  Being near the end of the trip, we were already skating past our budgeted amount.  But I thought, fine.  We'll get to the island and see what we can see without spending a lot on admissions.  We'll just see what we can see, get some fudge, take some pictures, make some memories and move on.

The ferry ride that day was one of the few that would take a special trip under the Mackinaw Bridge. Lengthwise, this is a more impressive bridge than the Golden Gate.  I don't think it quite has the Golden Gate's style or scenery, but it is nevertheless an incredible and solid engineering achievement.

It's getting closer!  I got about 20 pictures of this on my phonal device, but I didn't want to make this blog story the equivalent of a flip-it book.

Finally on the island, we discover there are very many impressive things - most of which cost money.  This is Fort Mackinaw, and it would have cost us $12 a head to get a closer look.

We did find that some of the churches were free to go into.  Here Benjamin is giving thumbs up to the "Stone Church".

One of the "grandest" things on Mackinaw Island is the Grand Hotel.  We found it cost ten bucks a pop just to walk into.  Okay, fine.  We'll just walk in front of it and see what we can see that way.

No such luck.  As we got closer, a polite lady in a spiffy uniform that reminded me of a stewardess, told us to take even a step further (on the SIDEWALK in front of the hotel) would cost us $10 apiece.  We thanked her and slowly backed up.

Before we left the island, I took a picture of the main street.  There are no cars on Mackinaw Island (although I did see a riding lawn mower).  They do have a ton of bikes, and horse driven carriages and vehicles.  So there is no odor of gas fumes and other auto pollution.  Not that the island is odor free, though.  There is a distinct odor of something else.  Only having horses does have consequences.

We did buy some fudge.  I kept meaning to take a picture of it, but every time I got it out, I would end up eating it instead.  It was delicious, and very similar to the Mackinaw Island Fudge I make and sell at WayGreen.  I would say it was very close, but slightly creamier than mine.  I'll keep working on it.

We were only there about three hours, and then we were ready to start our long trip back home.  The ferry back was my third boat ride.  I had begun to feel from my first two trips that I no longer got seasick.  I was not so lucky with that last trip.  I didn't embarrass myself too much, although I did feel like I could upchuck a tuna bunwich. 

I would detail our long trip back, but trying to take pictures in the car makes me queasy.  And I wanted to keep that fudge down.