Low Brow By Choice

There's a little issue I feel like I need to put to rest. As it's something that seems to cause some amount of confusion, I want this to serve as the definitive answer to the really annoying questions I often get asked by people who think they sniff a more refined air.

Pretty sure I've made it clear in the past how I feel about people like that.

The question, though it usually varies a bit, comes down to this: “Why aren't you trying to be more upscale?”

Now, let me take a moment to explain what they mean by upscale. In a nutshell, they are asking why I'm not a snob. The answer is usually pretty simple, to whit, cause I fucking hate snobs. I mean, seriously, who actually wants to be such a stuck up asshat? Where is the fun in that?

As I've said many times, I'm a pretty simple guy for the most part. I like simple things. I don't see this as a character flaw, as it is by choice that I like these things. It is, for lack of a better way of saying it, my preferred lifestyle.

Because I need to explain things to my betters very slowly, that does not mean I have not read the works of the great literary masters. Hemingway, Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolstoy, and on and on do, in fact, decorate my bookshelves. I've got them sandwiched right in there with Douglas Adams, my complete Robotech novel series, R. A. Salvatore, Stephen King, and more.

Yes, I do actually listen to classical music. I have the complete works of Beethoven, Wagner, Mozart, and pretty much all of them. I keep them on the same CD rack as my collection of Faith No More, Queensryche, AC/DC, and if you just must know, B. B. King.

I own a copy of Casablanca. It's sitting next to my copy of Transformers. I know how to prepare filet mignon, but I'd rather cook a really good cheeseburger. I've been in stage plays, been to the opera, and have my favorite playwrights, such as Phillip King. I actually got to perform in See How They Run at one point in my life, as Reverend Humphries. I just happen to really enjoy playing D&D with a good group of friends as well.

I enjoy a good documentary as much as anyone else, or perhaps, a small group of people who have come to mistake it for the only form of television that deserves to be called artistic, like the overinflated douchebags they are. I'll pass on them, unless they are just really good, or I have some free time, to watch an anime.

Personally, Fairy Tail is my favorite of all time, but I own copies of El Cazador de la Brujah, Haibane Renmei, Hell Girl, Fruits Basket and more. I have them sitting right beside my copy of NatGeo's Leopard Queen, and consider them just as potent, moving, and emotionally resonant.

You see, I believe that you can enjoy all the wonderful things life has to offer without being a shrill, harping, dick. Why choose between things you like for the sake of other people? If you enjoy something, then enjoy it, and to hell with those who want to move about a more refined crowd. Let them. I'd rather sit around a coffee table with some dice than go to some lame ass party where everyone is just there to see and be seen.

I don't want to limit my experiences in my life to just the things other people think are worthwhile. I like to explore things for myself, make up my own mind about what I like and don't, and live as someone I can be cool with. I like looking at myself in the mirror and thinking, hey, that's a pretty okay guy there.

I chose to be what is often called low brow, because frankly, considering the high brow people I've met, I'd just rather not be associated with them. Not all, but most, are so wrapped up in their own self image, in keeping up with everyone else, in liking what is popular and disliking what isn't at any given moment.

Actually, I kinda feel sorry for them. It must be exhausting to have to stay so on top of every minute change in the raging ocean of popular. I can't imagine that any of them are ever having any fun.

Am I a low brow kinda guy? Hell yeah. I'm also pretty proud of that fact. Cause here's the real kicker that those super cool dickwaffels don't get. Just because I enjoy the 'common man' stuff, doesn't mean I can't enjoy the upper crust crap, too. I can, and do.

Which is more than I can say for them. They're too scared of one of their stratosphere friends seeing them enjoying something from down here on Earth. To worried about what people will say, or think. So wrapped up in their tiny little world, they are petrified by the idea of stepping outside of it.

That's sad, if you think about it. There's so much in this world that is artistic, creative, imaginative, and just plain beautiful, and they are missing it in the name of being better than everyone else. I can't think of a more empty, hollow and pointless existence than that.

So, when reading my work, or just talking to me, remember this. I'm low brow by choice. Don't mistake that for being stupid, lazy, or uneducated. Odds are, I've had more experience with art and creativity than you ever will living in your little bubble of special. What's more, I can totally get anything you chose to talk about, but you wouldn't be able to keep up with me if you tried.

So, to all the people who look down their nose and call me and my work low brow, I'd just like to say, thanks. Yes I am, and yes it is. Just the way I want it to be.

Oh, and fuck off, cause you're an ass ferret.

Chose to experience things, folks. There's a sea of wonder out there, just waiting for you to take a swim in it.

Just Cause

I'm sure I could take this time to ramble endlessly about one or more of my books, characters, or some other weird thing that has crawled out of my very strange brain. I'm equally sure I could spend some time talking about just how fucked up the world has gotten, why, and where it is taking us all.

But, today, as I look around at the news and scratch my head in wonder and sadness, I think I'd just rather not get into it all. Instead, I think I'd rather just say one simple thing, and call it done.

For all the pain, misery, fear, and sorrow, life also offers an infinite number of reasons to smile. Like this.

Smile more. It pisses off the people who are trying to ruin your life.

Back To Being Generally Squirrelly

Over the last couple weeks, I've talked about a lot of stuff. I think the main reason was because I wanted anyone reading this to actually know me, the real me, not the persona I often adopt when dealing with people. I wanted, and in a way, needed people to understand who I am, how I see the world, and what goes on in my head, as best I could present it.

There is a reason why, which I will get to right now.

There's this saying about writers. Basically, it's that we put some aspect of ourselves into our characters. Once, long ago, I considered that to be philosophical bullshit. These days, I think it may be right on the money. I think that every character we create is symbolic of how we see ourselves, or who we wish to be, fear we are, or maybe just fills in the role of what we think is missing from ourselves.

Of all the characters I have created and worked with, there are two that are closest to me. The first is Bunny Beckman. More than just about any other, Bunny is my avatar. She has lived a life of being knocked down, drug about, and fought against a world that wanted to bend her to its whim.

Unlike me, when she finds herself in a world where the laws and rules no longer apply, it doesn't take long for her to start taking her anger out on anything and everything around her. I'd like to believe I wouldn't be like that in her shoes, which means that Bunny is, in many ways, my fear of what I could become.

The other character that is closest to me is Dean Rannick. Unlike Bunny, I think Dean represents me, as I truly see myself, and stands in for the kind of person I wish I could be, or hope to become. While he is in no way a hero, or even all that noble, Dean is still the kind of guy I hope I end up being as I get older.

Make no mistake, he's a foul mouthed, bitter, jaded, and sarcastic asshole. Kind of like me. Exactly like me, really. Unlike me, he does something worth while with it. I write weird stories, while Dean protects people. I'm sure you can get where I'm going here, but I'm going to say it anyway.

Despite being me, I still want to help make the world a better place. I'm sure there are those who think I need to be a pastel wearing, always smiling, skipping to a happy tune, commercial for Easter, polite as the day is long, super swell happy person in order to help make the world a better place. To them, I say this.

What the fuck are you on?

Just because I'm bitter, jaded, sarcastic, foul mouthed, and in most ways, generally unpleasant, doesn't mean I don't have anything to contribute to society. I live in the same world you do, after all. You may not like the way I contribute, but that doesn't mean you have to run around shoving my face into some goofy ass, Joker style smile in order for you to feel it matters.

Seriously, go sniff some glue or something. Just stay away from me. I'm doing my part over here to make your world a better place. I don't have to do it on your terms as well.

Now, let's talk about Dean.

Dean Rannick is a private investigator in San Francisco, specializing in matters of a paranormal nature. At least, that's what the few people who know what he does think he does. What he really is, on the other hand, is one of the Chosen, a Champion for humanity against the forces of darkness. Basically, he fights demons and other things that go bump in the night.

There are two actual problems involved in this.

The first is that Dean has bee actively doing this for over twenty years when we first meet him. Night after night of facing off against and dealing with monsters belched up from all manner of hellish dimensions has turned him into the bitter guy we first meet. He's a lost soul, trying to remember what it is he's even fighting for, in a world that has left him behind.

The second real problem is that some of the demons and monsters are actually pretty nice people he gets along with. In the first few installments of the story, we see Dean spending more time with creatures than we do people. Mostly because he's lost touch with humanity, which he is suppose to be defending.

Dean's struggles with these things form the backbone of the entire character and his story arc through the series. He's a man abandoned by Heaven, who has lost his faith in humanity, walking the streets among demons on a nightly basis. There is nothing well adjusted about him.

Couple that with some dark secret from his past, and he's the perfect anti-hero.

Part of what I wanted to do with Dean over the entire series, which looks to run about four books or so, if things go as planned, is to show his transformation from an anti-hero, into a hero. It's the kind of thing that attracts me as a writer, the ability to tell a story about how a man changes, what causes it, and why he does it.

I've said before, several times, that I love to write about people more than plots. Plots should exist only to allow the character to interact with the world them. They should never drive the character. The character should drive the plot. Dean is my testament to this belief.

He's a guy that's looking for a miracle. He wants to believe in something, but he can't find anything to hang on to. The story of Dean Rannick is the story of his miracle, and how it isn't what he expects, or what he's prepared for. It's something altogether different. At first, he doesn't even see it for what it is, but it changes him, in small ways, all the same.

As I go forward the series, Dean will change and grow. He'll become a different person, slowly, and steadily. He'll find his miracle, remember what it is he fights for, and become the hero he was always meant to be. However, it will be hard, painful, and he will struggle along the way, because I think that's how life works.

Nothing worth doing is ever easy. Turning a man from a bitter anti-hero into a hero should not be either.

In the first book, Hungry Nights, I'm just setting the stage. It is the laying of the foundation, and Dean only changes a little by the end. The first book is dedicated more to allowing the readers to see just what kinds of hard choices he often has to make in order to fulfill his duty. The purpose is for people to be able to understand why he is the man he is when we start his journey. Otherwise, the journey loses all meaning.

There is a colorful cast of characters that circle Dean. From Gino, the werewolf mafia heavy, to Mama Bruno, the cross dressing voodoo troll, to Ernie, the demon weasel. They are just plain fun to write about, I won't lie. My love of exotic, bizarre characters really shines in Dean Rannick. As far as my twisted imagination goes, Hungry Nights is some of my better work.

For now, at least.

Dean Rannick: Hungry Nights will be out the week of May 15^th, which is a month away now. It's kind of wild to me, knowing that Dean is about to step out into the world, and insult the hell out of it. Feels right, on so many levels.

Until then, here's a first look at the book. Take a minute and meet Dean Rannick. Visit his strange world. It's a trip you aren't likely to forget.

Dean Rannick: Hungry Nights excerpt TheDance of the Dead is up as of right now.

See you soon!

An Objectivist Lesson

So, a few days ago I talked a bit about the hypocrisy of those who use morality as a shield to hide their own bigotry. During the post, I twice made comments about things that would need to be discussed later, such as why the so called conservative Christians aren't making a fuss over the way the seven things God hates becoming our morality, and religion no longer being religion.

What was I talking about? Quite simply, the bastardization of Christianity and Objectivism into a single entity that serves the actual purpose of neither.

For those who do not know what Objectivism is, it would take a while to explain. The short version is that it is the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged. In a nutshell, it is the argument that the only true morality is that of selfishness. It's a lot more than that, but that's the quick and dirty explanation.

Over the last fifty years or so, the founding principles of Christianity have been interwoven with those of Objectivism, creating something new and rather unholy to my mind. Mostly because the two things have nothing in common, and in fact are petty much opposites of each other. The purpose behind this I cannot guess at, but if I was to, I'd say it's some sort of misguided attempt to blend two separate ways of life into something stupid.

First off, let me just say that I have no problem with either philosophy. What people want to believe is up to them. I could care less. However, when others begin pushing their beliefs onto me, I tend to get a little testy about it. Of late, this has become a big deal for me, and is often the source of much of my anger.

Now, for the part that is going to pretty well piss off everyone. Or at least, I hope so. So long as it gets them thinking, I could care less if they are pissed.

I'm going to start with the Republicans, because they are the ones most guilty of this. Democrats are guilty of other, equally bad, things. Just not the things I'm focusing on right this minute. We'll get to those assholes in a bit though.

My best for instance would be Paul Ryan, Americas leading cocksucker. This guy is one of the people who seems to think there is no conflict between Christianity and Objectivism, which only shows how stupid he actually is. When you cherry pick the parts you like and ignore the parts you don't from a set of ideals it doesn't mean you are smart. It means you are lazy.

In general, Republicans push the idea of deregulation, which is a guiding principle of Objectivism. Adherents of the philosophy oppose anti-trust laws, minimum wage laws, child labor laws, and public education. On the first three, it's because they endorse laissez-faire capitalism, or at least, that's the easy explanation.

The more complex reasoning is that part of Rand's belief was that thinking, rational, intelligent people would logically conclude that these laws were unnecessary, due to other thinking, rational, intelligent people not doing things that would require it. The entire argument is based on the theory that business leaders would deduce the best possible means of building a strong work force was to treat them fairly and equitably.

It is a naive argument, based on idealism. Greed is good has become the motto of the business leaders, and they are not thinking, rational, intelligent people. They are stupid, greedy people who care not for logic, and think nothing of of using people as a resource. Not as a human resource, but just as a resource, expended and discarded when no longer of use.

The reason those laws exist is because that has always been the way of things. It is to prevent those practices, which rob people of the opportunity to progress and become successful as well, limiting wealth and power to the hands of a small few.

In fact, those laws are based in the Christian philosophy of how the less fortunate are to be treated. Don't believe me? Let's look at a quote from the sacred holy book, shall we?

Deuteronomy 15:7 ~ If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.

Psalm 82:3 ~ Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Proverbs 14:21 ~ He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.

Proverbs 17:5 ~ He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.

I'm not going to tear into Pat Robertson on that last one right now. Maybe later, but for now the fuckface can go about his vile business.

This could go on for a while. The Bible is pretty clear on how the fortunate should treat the less fortunate. Actually, it's very damn exact in it. So, then, why do we see people who claim to be Christians endorsing ideology that is in direct contradiction to this, ideas that are pure naive Objectivism?

Easy answer, because they make money off it. Complex answer, because they are neither true Christians nor true Objectivists. They are taking bits and pieces from both philosophies in order to create a new outlook that makes no sense to the reasoning individual.

Funny part of this? Rand herself would have been outraged. As would Christ.

Speaking of Rand, she was also against abortion laws. Makes you wonder how they reconcile the person they often quote and look up to with the laws they pass. Of course, when you get down to it, the Bible doesn't say much about abortion either. Actually, most of the arguments against abortion that invoke the Bible do so indirectly, because there is nothing direct about it.

So why the giant push? Why the pro-life crowd? I mean, morally, sure, I can get their argument. However, what I can't get is how the same people who espouse a limited government, individual liberty argument, as Rand put forward, can turn around and misquote the Bible in support for legislating an entire country of womens uterus’s. I mean, come on, talk about conflicting arguments!

That's the whole thing though. The entire Republican argument, every aspect of it, is built on conflicting principles that when exposed to logic, don't hold up for a second. The fact that they say the government should not be involved in peoples business, but then turn around and try to pass laws that invade womens bodies, and gays bedrooms, makes the exact opposite statement of their intent.

The first half of their argument comes from a warped view of Objectivism, but the actions they take come from a perverted form of Christianity. They are neither one, nor the other. Which is what makes them dangerous, as they have actually abandoned the morals of both philosophies.

I might not agree with Rand's view of morality, but at least it was still considerate towards peoples rights. The same could be said of Christian morals. Modern Republicans show no consideration towards the rights of anyone, because they have completely abandoned all moral standing in the two opposing philosophies they have adopted.

The best example of this I can think of is that Rand taught opposition towards censorship of any kind, including worship. Not just Christian worship, but ALL worship. She honestly believed that even people who held different views from her had the right to express and follow their beliefs. This same idea is even enshrined in the Constitution of the United States, long before Rand came along, proving that this idea is not only far from new, but pretty much a basic tenant of freedom.

Yet, every time I turn around, I'm seeing attempts to turn Christianity into the sole allowed religion of the US. Again, by the same people who hold Rand up as their idol! How in the world do you do that? How to warp your thinking to the point that you can accept that kind of contradiction of thought?

How, as John Stewart once asked, do you live with that kind of cognitive dissonance?

The answer is actually very simple, and to me at least, frightening. All morality, and even pretext to it, has been abandoned. This is the only explanation for how people can cherry pick the aspects of two disparate ideologies in the manner they have.

Limited government, unless you are a minority, gay, non-Christian, or a woman, then we are all up in your business in every possible way.

When words and actions contradict, that is the definition of hypocrisy. Any time you hear someone claim to be a devout Christian, then endorse ideas that are pure Objectivism, you can rest assured, they have no morality, and as such, are liars and hypocrites. Take it to the bank, boys and girls.

Meanwhile, Democrats are the alleged socialist, the nanny state manufactures, who are going to take away all our rights and condemn us to some sort of collectivist nightmare dystopia. Please. Don't make me laugh. These guys are all pinheaded idiots who are so busy worrying about who they may have upset, they couldn't possibly be planning a world coup.

No, seriously, look, these guys, they like to talk, but when it comes time to act, all they can do is sit around and worry. They are spineless cowards. They aren't some fearsome machine of communism. They can't even get all their little cogs to mesh long enough to accomplish a single blessed thing.

This is the problem with Democrats, and by proxy, liberals and progressives. They are all too worried about hurting peoples feelings, about making sure they have convinced every single mother loving person that they are right, to actually DO anything. They are the people that form committees to see if they need to form to committees to advise committees on what committees need to be formed.

In other words, they are fucking pansies. Stop worrying about what they are doing, because they aren't doing a damn thing. That's the problem. All their little touchy feely politically correct, everybody is special in their own way bullshit won't let them actually do anything.

Not until they make sure every single person feels good about themselves, and about what they are all going to do.

I mean, why else do you think the Republicans have had such an easy time of dominating the political scene, when they only control a freaking third of the government? Because they know all they have to do is be sullen and disagreeable, and the fucking liberals will fall apart trying to appease them. And hey, look, it works too.

Say no, and watch the Democrats turn themselves inside out, sell out every principle they hold, every moral they cherish, every value they have, to make the Republicans like them, and agree with them.

Seriously, what the hell are you people worried about?

Here's what you should be worried about. Our nation, which holds influence over the world as a whole, is run by crybaby pansies, and immoral hypocrites. How the fuck are you not concerned about that?

Oh, cause your a Libertarian? Go fuck yourself. Those guys are even worse than the immoral Republicans. They'll sacrifice the rights of every single person in the country if it means they get what they want. Selfish cocksucking traitors is what they are. Don't give me your crap about the Constitution either. The Amendment process was created specifically to update the Constitution as times changed, to address issues of the future that the founding fathers could not foresee. They put into our guiding principles the ability to adapt to a changing world for a reason.

Saying we should just stick with what they wrote is the same as saying we should all still be living in the late 1700's, which in case you missed it, is the stupidest idea ever. Besides, I'll take you back to the part, earlier in this post, where I pointed out how ruthless and greedy corporations abused their rights, forcing the government to get involved.

What Libertarians, who are true Objectivists, and I applaud them for at least being that, are missing is that every time the government has gotten involved, it was because it had no choice. We didn't end up where we are because the government is evil. Government is an idea, a theoretical construct. It is the people running it who are the problem, not the institution.

By the way, the Constitution was pretty clear that this was the governments job to see to the well being of the public, which is the only right it needs to pass laws that you think are nanny state over reach. Allow me to refresh your obviously limited, idiotic memories.

U.S. Constitution - Article 1 Section 8 ~ The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.

Don't argue it. Don't tell me what it really means. General fucking welfare is pretty fucking clear. Now stop being a pedantic ass ferrat.

So, what are we to do? If the whole of our governing officials is made up of immoral hypocrites, spineless wimps, and idiots, where does that leave us, we the people?

Simple answer? Fucked, that's where.

Complex answer? Beats the hell out of me. I'm just an madman with a keyboard, pointing out whats wrong. I never said I had any answers. I don't.

Though, I suspect, that ultimately, the answer will lie in how we chose to deal with these people. After all, we have the ability to vote them out of office. It's easy to do. We just have to stop and think. Which, by the way, is one spot where I do agree whole heatedly with Ayn Rand.

Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them. Leave them alone. ~ Ayn Rand

The Audacity of Bigotry

Fair warning, there will likely be profanity ahead.

Big in the news of late is the U.S. Supreme Court taking up the matter of marriage equality, which is what they are calling it while they try to decide if gay people are, in fact, people. Make no mistake, that is what they are deciding. This isn't just about marriage equality, no matter what they say.

See, at the heart of this discussion is the debate over whether or not homosexuals have the fundamental human right to be fundamentally treated as humans with rights. The most bizarre aspect of this entire debate is that we are even having it all.

Important thing to point out here is that no, I am not gay. I am, on the other hand, human. That's what's important, so remember it. I'm human, okay?

The part of this that pisses me off is that we've already had this debate. We went through all this bullshit before. Civil rights marches were had, and the fundamental rights of humans were agreed to be, in fact, fundamental. So why in the ever loving fuck are we doing this again?

Oh, right. Cause this time, it's gays. In America, nobody is considered equal until they've proven they are human. Until they've fought, cried, bled, and prostrated themselves before the self appointed demigods of the highest court and elected office. Never mind that land of the free bullshit. Never mind that land of opportunity bullshit. Have you fed us the blood and tears we demand as sacrifice to deem you worthy of walking among us like a mother fucking person.

Fucking ZYGOTES are having their rights protected! Fucking ZYGOTES!!!!

Adult, working, tax paying, law abiding, gay people? Yeah, not so much.

What the ever loving fuck????

And no, I am not interested in hearing religion thrown at me to excuse it. If we based our laws on religion, we'd still be a nation that endorses human slavery. Don't believe me? Okay.

Leviticus 25:44-46 ~ However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way.

Yeah, that's from Leviticus, the same fucking book of the Bible that vaguely condemns homosexuality. How vaguely? Let's look.

Leviticus 20:13 ~ If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them.

Please note, it is not actually possible for two men to lie with one another as a man would with a woman. Unless the chick is into anal. But that's another issue entirely. It also makes no mention of lesbians. I can only guess that God likes watching girls get freaky with each other.

My point being, it's kinda vague about the whole thing, really. It doesn't really make much sense. None of the other passages regarding homosexuality do either.

So, in one book of the Bible, we promote slavery and sorta condemn homosexuality. So, here's my question. Why aren't Christians railing against having their God given right to own other people taken from them?

How about this:

Exodus 31:15 ~ For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death.

Not seeing a lot of death row inmates going to the chair for working on Sunday. How about where you live? I'm guessing that number would be right about zero.

Leviticus 19:19 ~ Keep my decrees. Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.

Here we are back in Leviticus again. Apparently this is the part of the Bible where God got drunk and just started rambling off crazy shit to see if anyone was paying attention. Rest assured, oh Lord, they are paying very close attention to at least ONE fucking line from that book.

Exodus 21:7 ~ When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are.

Oh, goody! More promotion of slavery!

Now, here's the part that really fucking pisses me off. I mean, sets my brain on fire with rampant fucking rage. Pay attention, cause were getting to the deep end of this shit.

Proverbs 6:16-19 ~ There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Hebrews 13:5 ~ Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Matthew 6:24 ~ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

That first one, let's make clear. We are talking about wrath, greed, sloth, pride, envy and gluttony in that first one from Proverbs. Those are the things God himself says he hates. Yet, for some reason, I'm not seeing a lot of outcry about how these things have become confused with morals in our world.

Greed is good. Sex sells. You can never be too skinny. War of retribution. American exceptionalism. And seriously, how many fucking food shows are on tv? I mean, not just on the whole fucking networks dedicated to food, but in all. How many?

Where is the fucking outcry over the seven fucking things God hates becoming the moral center of our society? WHERE? No fucking where, that's where. I'll tell you why, but not right now. I'll get into that in another post.

Right now, we have politicians in this country trying to deregulate every fucking thing they can, so we'll be friendly to business. The same businesses that line those politicians pockets with campaign cash, by the way. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but that looks a LOT like love of money to me. The thing that sets me to a rage is when those same fucking cash grabbing mother fuckers turn around and try to fucking preach to me and everybody fucking else from the pulpit of their elected office.

FUCKING HYPOCRITES!

So, what's all that got to do with gay rights?

First, I want to say that the so called moral and religious reasons for opposing it are horseshit. Pure, unadulterated horseshit. If Biblical passages meant so much to these cocksuckers (a term I use with no irony whatsoever), then they would sure as hell be a little more interested in literally ANY of the others I've shared here. They aren't though, because of the audacity of bigotry.

See, it's not cool to hate black people anymore cause they are black. Everybody wants the Latino vote, so we can't hate on them. Asians own our asses, so we gotta be nice to them. That just leaves the only publicly accepted form of open bigotry as gay people. If you take that away, the who the hell we gonna discriminate against in this country? Who will we step on to know we're better than them?

Make no mistake, that's what this is really about. The right to be a bigoted ass ferret. The attempt to enshrine as law the right to be a fucking bigot.

Welcome to the 21^st Century, ladies and gentlemen! It's just like all the fucking previous ones, except it still has new century smell!

The opposition to this has nothing to do with religion, but then again, religion has little to do with religion these days. It's all about people who want to protect their right to hate other people for the most idiotic reasons possible. Cause they're a little bit different.

Black people. Latino people. Asian people. Gay people. Guess what they all have in common?

They're people. They're human fucking beings. These are not some sort of alien race from outer space we're talking about. It's people. Just like you and me. And, as a fellow people, a human fucking being, I feel a little insulted when I see my fellow human beings being oppressed, being vilified, being treated as less than equal by the very country that is suppose to be a shining fucking beacon to the rest of the world in terms of freedom, liberty, equality, and opportunity.

Just so a bunch of tight ass mother fuckers can have someone, anyone, to look down their nose at.

I often incorporate gay characters into my work. Because somebody the fuck should be. Being gay isn't a fucking illness. It isn't a damn disease. There isn't a single God fucking damn thing wrong with it, and frankly, I'm a little sick of everybody being so hesitant to treat gay people the way they have a fucking right to be treated. Like human fucking beings!

The thing that set this rant off today was an article I read over at Tor.com, where Apple shut down Image comics running one of their titles, Saga, on the iPad. Guess why? Gay sex scene. Guess what they didn't shut it down for? All the copious amounts of straight sex featured in the comic up to that point.

Oh, what the ever loving fuck? Really? Fornication abounds, and we don't blink, but two dudes kiss and the whole fucking world loses its fucking mind! What utter stupidity.

So, here we go. I'll make it easy for you fucking anal retentive ass ferrets out there. Don't buy my fucking books. You will encounter people who are of color, and oriented differently sexually. Let me help you with what to fucking avoid.

Bunnypocalypse: Lead character is a lesbian anti-hero. Don't read that! Might warp your fragile little fucking minds.

Divine Agents: The openly bi-sexual Rumilla, and decidedly gay Angel are in the first book. Future installments will keep right on having openly gay characters, such as the promiscuously bi-sexual Oubliette Stonewell, the very gay Daniel Fass, and many more with each book.

Dean Rannick: Yup. Gay characters there too. Including a cross dressing character.

Azure Dawn: Bisexual aliens! Scary!

The list will go on and mother fucking on, too. I'm not gonna back down from shit on this. People are people, and all of them deserve to be treated with the dignity and respect that should be inherent in being born human. That isn't hard. You don't have to pray about it. You don't have to look it up in your holy book. It's just the way things should be, especially now, when we live in the fucking 21^st century!

I'm not doing that to be edgy, either, or to try and attract an audience for my daring work. At no point in the entire series of Bunnypocalypse do I ever even use the words gay or lesbian. I'm doing it because people are people. The color of their skin and who they love shouldn't fucking matter, not in real life, nor in fiction. It shouldn't even be the sort of thing that makes you bat an eye, much less get the fucking vapors.

Grow up, people. Remember how to look past the fucking surface and see your fellow human beings for what they really are.

The same as you.

I'll be back in the next few days to explain why religion is no longer really religion. Until then, stop being such bigoted assfucks. If you already have, then congratulations.

You've discovered what it means to actually be a human being. You should be proud of that.

We Need To Talk About Ass Ferrets

So, last week I went on something of a tirade about ass ferrets. If you haven't read it, you probably should. This will make a lot more sense.

No, I'm not planning on another profanity laced rant. I've actually started this blog post several times over the last week, but soon realized it was turning into another profanity laced rant, and had to back off. I want to be a little more reasonable here, and while I am prone to profanity laced rants, I try to keep them as non-public as possible.

I may be a foul mouthed jerk, but I am, at least, considerate of others.

What I have been trying to find the right way to say here every since last week is something that I have, over the last few years, come to realize is a universal problem. I know this, because I spend a good bit of time online, chatting with and exchanging emails with people from all over the world. There are some pretty basic things I've come to learn from that.

Couple of things first. I've been actively using the internet to talk with people from everywhere since the very tail end of the 90's. I've managed to cultivate friends, and I do consider them friends, from a wide variety of walks of life. I have friends that are devout Christians, and not so devout Christians. I have friends that are Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Satanist, Pagan, atheist, agnostic, and a few religions that I'm not entirely clear as to what they actually are. I know people from Japan, all the way west to India, with stops at all points in between.

Here is what I have learned from cultivating these friendships. People are people. Your nation of origin and religious point of view have absolutely squat to do with the quality of person you are. This is what has lead me, ultimately, to understand that there are actually only two kinds of people in the world. Assholes, and good people. Guess which one I avoid making friends with? Now re-read my list of people I consider friends. Get the picture?

If you are nice to me, I'll be nice to you. It's just that simple. I'm a pretty basic person. I don't hold things against people based on stupid things like where they from, who they pray to, who they sleep with, or any of that other garbage. If you are nice to me, I'll be nice to you. Simple. Basic. Easy.

Here's something else I've learned. Life sucks everywhere.

Now, I hear a lot of opinions from co-workers here in the U.S. about the state of things in the world at large, and the weird part is, when I talk to my friends from elsewhere, I hear pretty much the exact same things. Everyone, regardless of where you go, has the same basic concerns. They worry about the same basic things. They are angry over the same basic crap.

Let me give you an example. I am friends with this guy in Iraq. He and I have been shooting emails and chats back and forth for about the last eight years. He's Muslim, a husband and a father. You know what his biggest worries are? His biggest concerns?

If you said, how to take down the capitalist pig that is America, shame on you, for you are an ass ferret, and have no place here. There's the door, please use it.

His biggest concern is making a living wage to provide for his family. He worries about the future, and the world his children will live in. He worries about corruption in the government, religious zealotry overtaking his homeland, and how much he can speak out against it without being punished in the form of job loss or other intimidation methods. He worries his voice will not be heard, and his family will suffer. He is concerned about corporate ruthlessness squashing his rights in the mad trample for profit.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Pretty much anywhere you go, these are the concerns people have. Nationality and religion are equal in this. Work a day people, like me, all worry about the same things, all over the world. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that terrifying?

Why terrifying? Because, it means that no matter where you go, the ass ferrets are in charge.

They tell us to fear each other, even though we are all actually worried about the same things. They tell us we are all out to get each other, even though we're all too busy just trying to hold it all together to be worried about people half way around the world. They tell us they will help us all, while doing nothing but providing for themselves.

Here in the U.S., I can lay out a list of the things I hear on pretty much a daily basis. All the stuff I am suppose to be worried about, suppose to be afraid of. I'm sure that, wherever you live, it's pretty much the same list, with a few things traded out to tailor it to your corner of the world. Let's look at it, shall we?

Fear the liberals! Fear the conservatives! Fear the gays! Fear the Muslims! Fear the Mexicans! Fear the government! Fear the NRA! Fear the police! Fear the gangs! Fear the blacks! Fear the Chinese! Fear the scientists!

Okay, I'm tired of this game. The list goes on for a while. I'm sure that, wherever you are, you hear similar. It's always someone telling you what to fear. It's always something different than you, or in some cases, you that is the problem that should be feared.

I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is to hear that, in my own nation, I am the very thing I am suppose to be afraid of. It's hysterical.

I know people from all over the world, from many walks of life. I fear none of them. They are people, just like me, trying to make ends meet, while all around them, is the shrill noise of what they should fear. It's idiotic that in this day and age, with the means to communicate with each other like never before, that we have to live with the constant alarm siren of fear going off. It's not just idiotic, it's insulting.

That is my problem. It's the thing that enrages me to the point I take to my blog making long profanity laced rants. Because it is all so very unnecessary.

In case you are wondering, I stand by what I said, apologize for none of it, and will in all likelihood, repeat similar profanity laced rants in the future. I'm not making this post to atone for the last. I'm making this point to have it clear from this moment forward how I see things.

I don't care where you are from. I don't care what you believe in. I don't care how rich or poor you are. If you are nice to me, I'll be nice to you.

In other words, don't be an ass ferret.

Part of me wants to go on a long diatribe about my views on religion, politicians, gay rights, and a mess of other topics, but that can all wait. It's been a long day. I'm tired. My shoulder, which is worn, hurts. I have arthritis in my feet, and stand a lot during the day. I'm an old man before my time, and I have come to see things the way they really are, and it makes me even more tired than the constant pain I am in.

So, understand this. If you are nice to me, I'll be nice to you. Because, from my own personal experience, here's the one real thing I have learned. We are all human, no matter where we are from, no matter what we believe, no matter who we sleep with. We are all human. These petty divisions that are forced on us by others with a profitable stake in keeping us divided are not real. It's an illusion of difference, foisted on us by those who stand to gain from our animosity towards one another.

Those people, they are the ass ferrets. If you want to be angry, direct it where it belongs. Take back your life, your homeland, and your world, from them. In all the talk of rights, here's the one that never gets mentioned.

Our right, as human beings, to live without fear.

Goodnight, and remember, there is no monster under your bed. It's holding an office of power.

This Is My Mind. Take A Piece.

I had intended to make a post talking a little more about my May release, but life got away from me and it ended up not happening. I'm sure everyone can relate.

This is not about that. This is about something else. Something that has been eating at me for a while. Something I really feel like I need to say.

First off, I'm sure any regular visitors here have noticed I don't generally talk about myself very much. There's been a few posts where I mention my life, but in general, I tend to shy from me and talk about what I write, as in my mind, that's way more interesting than I am. Still, this is going to be one of those times where I talk about me, because I really need to say all this and get it out of me.

I feel like it's burning a hole in me. I'm sure some of you can relate.

In general, as I've worked on this blog, and developed my books, and used other social networking sites to try and establish a reader base, I've tried very hard to build an image of myself as a fun loving, happy kind of person. You know what I mean, I'm sure. The kind of silly attitude, the joking around, the self depreciating comments, etc, etc.

That's not really me. It's an image I put forward. More to the point, it's the person I'd like to be. The real me is a bitter, jaded, foul tempered, foul mouthed, anti-social asshat. I keep everyone around me at arms length, even the people I consider my friends. The only person in the world I'm actually close to is my long time girlfriend of eighteen years and fellow writer, Storm DeVille.

Don't confuse the above with me being a narcissist. I'm not. I actually hate people who are, which is why I'm most of the above mentioned things. I'm also not pretentious. That irritates me beyond words. I'd rather eat a good cheeseburger than filet mignon. I love anime, D&D, video games, and obviously, dicking about on the internet. I appreciate opera and classical music, as well as the classic works of literature, but I don't think the world ended with them.

The rest of this is probably going to piss off some people. I don't really care. Actually, I couldn't give two flying fucking rats. I'm fed up with trying to be nice to people who shit on me in return. If you find yourself displeased after this, go fuck yourself. Maybe it'll make you feel better. Maybe it'll fill that hole in your damn soul you've been trying to complete by treating other people like garbage. Either way, piss off and don't come back.

I've mentioned before that I had a less than ideal childhood. Pretty much, I feel like I've dealt with it, and managed to move on, but there are still things that haunt me. Things that I have a hard time getting past. One of them was how my family pretty much ignored my very existence. The two words I was most accustomed to hearing was shut up.

My folks, they were flawed people. My mom, for the most part, really wished I would just stop existing at all. I was a creative, imaginative child, but any attempt to express that was met with, literally, shut up and go in the other room. My dad was... not really there. He's not a bad guy, but he never knew me, and still doesn't. He wasn't invested, and often chided me for being imaginative.

The funny part is, they left me nowhere to go but into my own head. They weren't there, and I had few friends. I grew up very poor, and yet, for some reason, my dad felt it necessary to send me to private school, around the kids of families who lived in upper tax brackets. They had no interest in me either, as I was beneath them, and I can't count the times my fellow students would simply talk over me, or walk away from me in the middle of me saying something. Between school and home, I learned a lesson it's been hard for me to unlearn.

Nobody gives a shit that I am alive. They'd rather I wasn't.

My teenage years saw a lot of suicidal thoughts. By then, I was an insanely introverted kid. If I started to say something, and someone interrupted, I shut up, cause I was suppose to. It was just the way things were. I didn't have a right to a voice. I didn't have a right to express myself at all.

It took a lot of years, and a lot of patience from Storm, for me to finally start to get over this. Yet, still, even now, I fight it. Even now, at 40 years old, people will treat me the same way. I cannot begin to express how much it angers me.

Which is sort of the reason I'm typing this. Because I'm pissed, and I'm tired of it.

Everyday, I listen to people as they talk all about the shit they like. I stand there while people shove their views, opinions, likes and dislikes, in my face, with zero regard for me. If I say something, they absently nod their head, talk over me, or just straight walk away and start talking to someone else. It's rude, condescending, arrogant, and frankly, the behavior of a pathetic excuse for a human being.

The really shocking part is how many of them are self professed Christians. All about love and that shit, while treating their fellow man like garbage. Fuck those people. I'd rather hang out with a Buddhist. At least they know how to be polite.

Seriously, fuck those guys. Jesus is love, huh? Funny, cause you people never fucking live the word you preach so fervently, never mind if I want to hear your bullshit. I see more hate from that bunch than I do anyone else in the world. Don't even get me started on their anti gay rights bullshit. The kindest, most supportive, compassionate, caring people I've ever known, the best friends I've ever had, were all gay, so take you abomination shit and shove it up your fucking ass. Those are my friends you're bad mouthing in the name of your so called god of love, you ass ferrets.

Political types are even worse, regardless of party. All they want to do is make you believe their side is right. Fuck you guys. Neither side is 100% guys in white hats to the evil mustache twirling villains of the other side. Cause they are all people, and most of them are selfish, greedy whores that'll sell all of us out for a extra five bucks in their wallet. Stop with your better than thou bullshit, cause you are all wrong, you dumb douche canoes.

Every time I turn around, I've got holy rollers shoving their ideas in my face, political junkies shoving their shit in my face, my fellow writers sitting up on their high horses looking down at me cause I'm not trying to channel the spirit of Hemingway. I open my mouth, and they lose their shit in a frenzy of noise to cover me up. They are telling me, as loudly as they can, to shut up and go in the other room. Fuck all of you.

Still, despite all this, I try to cultivate this persona of a nice guy, quick with a joke, happy go lucky, always smiling. Why do I do that?

No, seriously. Why do I do that? Cause I have no fucking idea. I feel like I'm still trying to appease people by being what they want, instead of who I am. I'm trying to show them I'm not a threat to their monumental ego. I'm being passive, letting them walk on me.

A while back, when I first joined the writers site, Scribd, I seemed to instantly attract every pedantic assfuck on the site. I casually comment one day that I always was a fan of the old radio serials. I get told, in a roundabout way, that I don't know shit. I share a fifty page short. I get told it's far too long to be bothered with, and probably not that good to begin with, by someone who writes rambling, plotless, self congratulatory tripe and expects, no, demands, to be congratulated even further.

Well, fuck you people, too.

I'm not sure what it is about me that make people think they have a right to make me eat their shit and get pissed that I don't smile about it. I'm not even sure if it is me that makes them think that, or just because they are worthless, soulless, shambling shitballs passing themselves off as human beings. I kinda think it may be the latter, though. Cause, really, there's nothing about me these days that suggests I'm a door mat.

Still, I wonder why I try so hard to be nice. I think it's because I want to be a nice person. I like how I feel about myself when I am. It makes me feel good to be nice to others. Why others think me being nice is an excuse to wipe their ass on my head is beyond me, but I think it may be the soulless shitball thing.

There are a lot of people in this world that are just soulless shitballs.

The thing is, despite being a bitter, jaded asshat with all the etc etc, I'm not a bad person. I'm really a pretty nice guy, so long as you aren't a dickwaffle to me. It's just that, after a lifetime of being treated as if my life was worthless, I'm not really able to make that connection with other people that lets me be close to them. It's really hard to do.

I've got some good friends. People I really like, and feel like I'm pretty close to. Amber, Tori, Aniruddha, Nate, Joe, Quinn, and more. All good people, who treat me with respect, and restore my faith in humanity. I am so grateful for them, and their friendship. They have supported me more than my own family has.

Seriously. My own family doesn't even realize that I have books on the market, much less what they are about. Now, if I start making money off it, I'm sure they'll be there with a smile and an open hand, but you know what? Fuck that. I know who my real family is, and it's got not a god fucking damn thing to do with blood.

Yeah, I'm an angry guy, with good reason. I'm jaded, bitter, and use sarcasm to shield myself from people that, when I'm honest, scare me. I'm afraid of people, and hide behind my words, because it keeps them away. I put up a front, as a sarcastic jackass, and a nice guy, to hold out a world that I am afraid of, and only ever tells me to shut up and go to the other room.

However.

I love that word.

However, I am a writer now. Despite my mothers attempts to tell me it was stupid profession compared to being a shade-tree mechanic, and my fathers general disinterest, I am a writer. I have a voice.

I have a mother fucking voice.

Sure, I write about zombie slaying lesbian strippers, mythical worlds of heroes and villains, crotchety supernatural private eyes, and other assorted madness. But I have a mother fucking voice now, and nobody can tell me to shut up and go to the other fucking room anymore.

I can be a nice guy if I want to be. Do not ever, for one god damn second, mistake that for me being a fucking doormat though. Cause that will be on your as if you do. I may not be 'somebody' by the definition of all the sorry ass shitfuckers in their little ivory towers, but you know what? Fuck those people.

I'm somebody cause I'm here. I'm alive. That makes me somebody. You can take all your preaching, all your makers/takers, all your political correctness and the rest of that assorted bullshit and shove it right up your big, flapping lip, asshole. Shove it deep, you pedantic, pretentious, sipping $100 coffee from a fucking tea cup, dickweasels. Shove it really deep, and keep it there, cause I do not give one unholy or otherwise, fuck about your shit.

You know what else I've come to realize lately?

You don't have to give a shit about their dumb fucking asses either. Nobody fucking does.

Yeah. I'm an angry guy. I'm angry cause I'm trying to be nice, and people are too fucking stupid, lazy, selfish, and self absorbed to notice, much less be nice back. Let me give you sad little posers a clue, cause you sure as shit can't seem to get one for yourselves. Probably because you got your head too far up your ass.

When someone is nice to you, be nice back. It isn't hard. It doesn't destroy a part of your shriveled up little soul. It's just common fucking courtesy. Try it sometime. You might find you like it, though all things considered, since you can't wave it around it peoples faces and brag about how much it cost you, I doubt it strongly.

Do me a favor. Shut the fuck up and go in the other room. I'm tired of your shit.

Don't like it? Here's my middle fucking finger. I'm sure you can figure out what to do next.

How ya like my voice now?

End mother fucking rant.