Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen

Just so there's no doubt.
I love everybody, even those folks who attack, argue or do thinks to provoke ire. I have lots of friends who don't agree with me on things such as politics, religion, literature, etc. but as far as I'm concerned they are still and always will be friends.
Having said that, there are some things I probably need to post to clear any misunderstandings.

1. I'm a Christian, but I don't think you have to go to church to be saved, and I don't accept the conservative right wing litmus test (whatever it is this week, month, year, etc.) See Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised," summed up as "help others".
(And don't start about abortion. I'm pro-life, but we've had GOP Presidents galore since 1981 along with GOP controlled Congresses. Voting for them did nothing to lower the abortion rate. Voting for Democrats who help the poor did.

2. I voted for President Obama in 2008 and plan to do so again. I'm grateful every day to God that he is President. However I AM ASHAMED of my votes for Reagan in 80 and 84, and for Bush in 2000 and 2004. I know a bunch of my friends and former students and Facebook buddies who agree with me, and I know a bunch who don't. That's fine, but don't expect that telling me to listen to Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh or calling the President names will change my mind.

3. The Georgia Legislature should apologize for slavery and segregation. It really doesn't matter that much any more, but it would be a nice symbol and the right thing to do. Since it's the correct thing to do, I don't expect the Georgia Legislature to EVER do it, since they prefer to do the wrong thing as much as possible.

4. Our health care system is messed up and needs to be improved. It would be nice if what's left of the GOP could actually admit to this, but they won't.

5. I sometimes wish that the so called libertarians could get what they wish, and that we have no public schools, no publicly funded roads, no public police protection, no public fire departments, etc. After all, all that stuff is "Socialism" gasp, cough, gasp...I guess this would make them happy, you know, like living back in 1877 or 1859 when things were the "good ole days"...
Myself, I agree with the progressives like Theodore Roosevelt that some government is much better than the fantasy world of the Sara Palins and Joe the Plumbers...

6. I'm willing to debate anything, but what passes for debate on the web nowadays is simply name calling, usually juvenile, hateful, profane and racist (or "raciest" as a guy called me the other day).

7. I believe education is the key to a better world, and encourage everyone to read as much as possible, but read all viewpoints, not just a few. Having said that, education is not a panacea however. There will never be perfection in this world...

8. I don't believe we are anywhere near the "end times". I know loved ones who disagree, but since the world is a million times better off now than it was in, say 600 AD (CE) or 1348, or 999, or 1861 I'm just not convinced...

9. I don't think letting gay folks get married threatens my marriage in any way, shape, form or fashion. I'm a romantic at heart, and all for true love. Period.

10. If you don't agree with me on these, you can either (1) continue to be my friend and disagree with me (this is my preference) or (2) quit speaking to me or befriending me - I'm tender hearted, this will probably hurt my feelings for a minute or two, but then I'll survive. I'll still keep you in my prayers.

11. If you're a fan of Pulp magazines, adventure, fantasy, hard boiled mysteries, comedy, humor, good books, cats, dogs, movies, football, college and high school wrestling, track and field, music (especially the blues, rock, or classical), and life and other people in general, then we can probably find enough in common to continue to enjoy each other's real life and virtual (Facebook, etc.) company...

Best wishes regardless,
Steven

Flashman

I've recently started re-reading the Flashman books, in no particular order. Just finished "Flashman and the Mountain of Light" set during the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46). I enjoyed it, though of the twelve Flashman books I'd have to place in the bottom six as far as my favorites go. I've realized that all my favorite books have Elspeth in them, even if only for a short spell. If I had to rank the books in order of my favorites, it would probably be thus:

Flashman and the Angel of the Lord - no. 1. This is the book I'm currently re-reading, and it's just as good as I remembered, from the opening scene of Flashman playing with his great grandchildren and reminiscing with them about famed abolitionist John Brown, till the climax at Harper's Ferry, this is, imo, the best of all the Flashman books.

Flashman - no. 2. To me, the very first book in the series is still one of my favorite reads. I've lost count of how many times I've re-read it, but it has to be approaching double digits.

Flashman's Lady - no. 3 The excerpts from Elspeth's diary are priceless, and I wish Frasier had written more adventures with her in them or at least her viewpoints.

(to be continued)

Finally...Summer

Summer is finally here for the Hollywood household. The animal whisperer completed summer school, and we get to go on vacation for a few days...all I can say is "Yay!"

Analysis: Powell flap gets GOP to ask 'What kind of party ar

Colin Powell stirred up the Republican Party's very public internal debate about the direction of the party and asserted it's losing because it doesn't appeal to moderates like him.

read more | digg story

I think I've got it now...

I think I've finally got it now...after years of listening to talk radio and reading the right wing bloggers...

1. Everything is Obama's fault...conversely nothing is the fault of George Bush, except that he was just too damn liberal...(i.e. NOT a true conservative)...
2. Pure free market capitalism would solve everything. If you don't believe that then you must read Ayn Rand and F. A. Hayek followed by Neal Boortz...Repeat as often as necessary...
3. Affirmative Action is apparently much, Much worse racism than oh...say...the lynchings of the 20th century...
4. Huge deficits to fund foreign wars such as the one in Iraq will NOT have to be paid off by our grandchildren, but apparently any money spent now on education or infrastructure WILL have to be paid off by our grandchildren...I mention this because some are silly enough try to say that deficits run up under Republicans count, while it is obvious that ONLY deficits run up under evil Socialist Democrats count...
5. "Government" has NEVER accomplished anything...Moon landing - doesn't count; Federal Highway system - doesn't count; World War II effort - doesn't count; and so on...

And yes, for those of you who voted Republican in 2008 and think it was a good decision, I AM being sarcastic in all the above...

I could go on, but I think most folks will get my point. There is a mind set in this country that will never accept anything that doesn't square with their so called conservative beliefs. I say so called conservatives because the modern day right are not true conservatives in the sense of the word that Russell Kirk and William F. Buckley, Jr. ever were. No, today's right wingers want to undo most of the changes in this country since the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. A return to the "good old days" is what they claim will solve all our problems. For a realistic look at what America was like in the "good old days" of 1919 I suggest they (and everyone else) spend some time reading "Savage Peace: Hope and Fear in America, 1919" by Ann Hagedorn after reading the usual right wing gospels of Rand and Hayek and Limbaugh and Boortz. It might open some eyes.
My closing point, this is a great country not because it is perfect or anointed of God. It has been great to this point because of people who have loved it while still recognizing it's flaws and trying to correct them. People such as Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Frances Perkins, Ida B. Wells, and Martin Luther King, Jr. to name just a few...
As for the present cast of right wing "heroes" such as Tom Tancredo, Eric Johnson, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Sanford, and Rick Perry...I'd enjoy it if they all moved to a country more to their liking so that the remainder of us Americans can actually try to show our love for our country by trying to work to help it and to (yes) improve it. Just saying...

Another one down

Hard to believe that 2008 is almost over, and 2009 just days away. If you had predicted many of the year's events 12 months ago, I'm sure many folks (including yours truly) would have have scoffed. Barack Obama the new president elect? The Miami Dolphins division champs? The Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs, with a rookie quarterback no less? The worst economic scenario in years, possibly decades?

No, I wouldn't have predicted any of the above. Having said that though, I'm hopeful about the upcoming year. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, and I hope all of you have a Happy New Year.

Good bye November (personal asides)

Well, the month of November is almost over, along with it comes the end of my Thanksgiving holiday. Wish I could say I had been more productive, but overall it was a good month. Mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law came to visit for a short week the first of the month, and we had a good time with them, if they do destroy me at cards whenever we get together!

A good month at work, with some positive changes at school. Most important to me is that a new Counselor co worker came on board, and she's been a blessing.

On the work out line, both the teen age moralist vegetarian and myself have fallen off the wagon so to speak. Definitely need to hit the gym. In his defense I will say that he's taken several long distance walks lately, so at least one of us hasn't been a total loss.

The animal whisperer is surviving middle school, and like her sibling turning into a pretty good writer. I'm proud of both of them, perhaps they will have the self discipline their old man lacks.

The saint survived the month, but the stress of Christmas time is fast approaching. She both loves and dreads this month, perhaps I should actually help with the Christmas decorations this year...

On the personal indulgement side, I've watched some really good college football games (last night's Oklahoma - Oklahoma State contest was particularly good - even though I was kind of rooting for the underdog). I am very disappointed to see Sylvester Croom resign from Mississippi State though. He was (and is) a class act and I think something is wrong with college athletics when a good man like him has to resign while the Bobby Petrinos and Lou Sabans thrive - nothing against them personally - but I'd rather my child be coached by Croom or someone like him if he/she was in college sports.

It has been nice to see the Atlanta Falcons return to a competitive level in pro football. I think GM Thomas Dimitroff and Head Coach Mike Smith are class acts too, and I'm happy to root for the Birds this year.

On the writing side nothing to report of any substance. November was a good month for reading however. Read my first book by Christopher Buckley with the new "Supreme Courtship" and slso my first book by David Sedaris with "Me Talk Pretty One Day". Loved the first, thought the second was ok, although I'm willing to check out more by Sedaris, and definitely looking forward to reading more Buckley.

On the Pulp Magazine era retrospective personal list I've read most of the University of Nebraska Press Bison Books Frontiers of Imagination Series re-issue of Clark Ashton Smith's "Lost Worlds". I'd forgotten how much I really really like CAS, especially his Hyperborea and Averoigne stories.

Thanksgiving 2008

I'm really thankful for a vast number of things this year, foremost my family, followed by my good friends and co-workers (two groups that overlap a great deal). My health is a little better, I still have a job, a roof over my head, food to eat, and a few good books.
On a more mundane level, I'm really thankful for some small things, like:

Facebook - I really like this social network, even though it contributes to a lot of time wasting, but I keep telling myself I could be doing worse things...

Planet Stories publishers - Any group that prints old great stuff like the works of Robert E. Howard, C. L. Moore, Leigh Brackett, Henry Kuttner, Otis Adelbert Kline, and others is alright in my book. I really really love these guys...

My bosses - both the ones at home and the ones at work - I'm serious about this...cause I've lived through other principals and significant others who were much harder to please...

The Jonesboro branch of the Clayton County, Ga. library system, along with the interlibrary loan pines system that they use. A nicer bunch of people with a better selection of free books is impossible to find out there. I know...

The Atlanta Falcons are winning again!! Who'd a thunk it??

Dishnetwork tv, along with that little thingie that allows you to pause and / or record. Oh, and for my children who know how to work it...

A Good Week

Not a bad last 7 days in all.

Debate Thoughts

Interesting that the debate of Friday night seems to have changed few minds. I thought Obama was clearly the more Presidential of the two candidates, and in my mind won the debate, although it seemed to me that McCain did get in a few zingers along the way. Of course in corresponding with some of my friends who are McCain supporters they had a completely different take on things, feeling that McCain won. Probably what matters most are two things, first, how the undecideds perceived the debate and second, how the public/media/blogger etc. buzz puts a spin on things, cause there are few things I believe in more than self fulfilling prophecies.

With those points in mind, it seems that early results are tending in Obama's favor, but I think it's still too early to tell. Like most of those in the country who are interested in politics, I can't wait for the Biden-Palin debate coming up next week. I'm planning on making a point of watching that one as well.

New Blog for Book Reviews

I've decided to put all my future book and movie reviews on a seperate blog from this one, the new blog is entitled "Coach's Reviews" and the link is
http://coachhollywood67reviews.blogspot.com/
which can also be found on my profile on this blog.