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There's no such thing as a born writer. It's a skill you've got to learn. You've got to write X number of words, before you can write anything that can be published, but nobody is able to tell you how many words that is. You will know when you get there, but you don't know how long it will take.
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Blog Posts for February 2008
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So I'm watching this debate over John McCain among the right, and while I think it's moot anyway because if he is the nominee, he'll go down in flames because he can't control his temper, I did see the one reason I might pull the lever for him in the comments thread of Rachel Lucas' site: I’m a FredHead, but with my brother having his boots on the ground, I’m more inclined to support McCain over either of them. I want someone who is going to help him do his job. For our guys in the military, I'd vote McCain. |
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I'll give you an oxymoron... the Republican marcher. If you step outside of religious causes, it's hard to find any incident where Republicans will gather together and march/protest - except for doing so in support of the military. But that's about it. Conservatives don't come together to protest government expansion. Or tax hikes. Or First Amendment infringement. It just doesn't happen. Democrats? Hell, protest and march are long traditions among them. They do a fantastic job of gathering together and speaking out in one voice. Name the cause... Republicans? We outsource that sort of thing, via our representatives in Congress and via talk radio. Otherwise, Republicans are pretty busy about their lives. Rush Limbaugh captialized on this and became the biggest single media influence of the past two decades. Republicans tend not to step out in concert to protest. It's not the cultural mien of the right. Reminds me of the old joke about how you can recognize an extroverted accountant... he stares at your shoes. Right-leaning folk fell in love with blogs because reading and writing blogs are individual activities, not group activities. Works just fine from the comfort of the desk chair at home. What's weird though is that for a group who esteems the founding fathers, they eschew publicity for their right-leaning views today. Somehow, the Boston Tea Party would never happen today is it were up to Republicans. (You can offer that Ron Paul supporters did this very thing recently - yes they did - but they number in the range of 4% at the polls. So in fairness, a few Republicans would do this. You get the point, though...) The sad truth is that Republicans have outsourced their freedom. Hence, we have the candidates that we have today. Reagan tried not once, not twice, but three times to secure the Republican nomination, and that was only after the presidential disasater that was Jimmy Carter. He did it on his own great way - the Great Communicator - but we don't have that today in the party. Fred Thompson comes close in his communication of principles, but that's about it. Rush does a good job educating his audience, but Rush will never run for office. The truth is that conservatives have to take back the party. Locally, involved, vocally, resolved... and that's a culture change. The leaders of the right encourage those of the right to sit at home/work and listen to the radio, not get outside and talk to folks. In fact, a lot of people are kind of embarrassed to show their right-leaning views. Those that do speak out often choose pseudonyms and blog that way. They're concerned about their appearance and the effect of their opinions on their lifestyle and work. I would ask those folks: if freedom means that much to you, and you believe this stuff, are you willing to put your money where your mouth is? Are you willing to sacrifice for the country in which you believe? All of us have passions that matter deeply to us. Would I do anything for my family? You betcha. Would I do anything to make a project at work succeed? For the most part, yes. I've burned 80-hour weeks on projects in the past to hit a deadline. What would you do to do what's necessary to bring America back to its foundational roots? Limited government... low taxes... no curbs on speech or press... strong defense... and so on. I don't think it will take angry mobs assaulting the capital steps. But it does start with a willingness to be known, to take part, and to lend the gifts you have in selfless employ to the cause of our country's direction. Enough with outsourcing. |
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My two favorite attorneys, Brett and Rush, have tagged me on the meme "7 Things You Never Knew About Me." Here goes: - I once had a shotgun leveled at my head at about 10 PM at a rest area along I-5 near Yreka, California. Thankfully, no trigger was pulled.
- The only time in my life that I attempted hang gliding was on a windy day, and before I could step into the harness - but was standing on the bar to stabilize it while my friend screwed tight the last wingnut - the hang glider tilted upward, caught air and lifted quite fast. I jumped to the ground, but not before I was nearly 20 feet into the air. The hang glider flew about a quarter mile and tumbled harshly into a fabric and metal heap.
- At the age of 17, I rode through the streets of Sioux City, Iowa, on top of a white Catalina station wagon while being chased by the police. Sioux City is mighty hilly, and those hills are, um, best experienced at 60 mph outside the car.
- Miles from a friend's house and with no way to get there but walk, I once jumped onto a slow-moving train that I knew would pass near my friend's home. The train sped up. I managed to only sprain my ankle as I got off the train.
- My son, Nick, would have been named Reni has he been a girl. Reni Erk was a friend of ours when I lived in Corvallis, Oregon, a place I consider "home" more than any other city.
- My sergeant when I was in the Army was nicknamed Yibba Yabba for his difficulty with the English language. Sergeant Yibba looked every bit like Gary Coleman. He married a German woman who spoke almost no English for the lone reason that her near six foot frame would give his kids a fighting chance at above-average height. She married him because she wanted desperately to be an American. They had twin boys, whom she typically carried like footballs under each arm.
- I've never taken a single computer class, and, in fact, never graduated from college. Come to think of it, I nearly dropped out of high school twice, and certainly would have were it not for the night class in world history I was able to take as a junior to gain the single credit I needed to graduate high school as a junior. If I were to go back to college today, my major would probably be economics.
I tag Sherry, Chad, Annette, and Janet. |
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Posting is gonna be light for a while, I think. My political animus is lightened by the American right's half-hearted choice of John McCain. Oh well... My work on the 247Toolset is moving fast and crowding my free time. The good news: every business that has seen this relationship enhancement tool wants to use it. No exception. Currently, there are three businesses that will definitely use it, and maybe soon to be a fourth. And I haven't shown it that much. The marketing is coming, though... maybe April, when I have all three existing customers installed and using it. The second "business" that wanted to use it is a portal for non-profits. I'm keenly interested to see what 247Toolset can do for that... if you want to see a prototype of it, let me know and I'll send you a link. I'm donating the engine for local use. If it causes waves and gets bigger, I'll monetize the use, but for right now, it's fun to see it used in this way. And I believe in the person running it. More about that when it nears launch. So, my brain is a-whir and busy and posts will come stingy. Back to coding... |
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At this moment in my life, everything moves as though it were made to move just as it is. It's the most sensational and delicious feeling. I want to take its picture, capture its fragrance in a bottle, dust its fingerprint and preserve it for future view... evidence of the summation of all my life's choices and efforts and fortuitous timing. I'm in hot pursuit of my dreams, and my legs have never travelled faster.  How good it is to be happy like this, when everything is possible. |
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Some days, you have to manage your to-don't list. That's my job later today. I get to determine what I can't do in building out 247Toolset right now. Sherry is all excited about the use of 247Toolset for her non-profit venture. Which is way cool, and I think that my tool will scoot her well along in her desires for her project. But since 247Toolset is my after-hours gig, I have to build smartly, knowing what I can adequately do right now. The coming brainstorm will no doubt bring more to the wishlist. Sometimes, as an entrepreneur, I want to jump into the pool feet first and focus solely on that. But I can't do that yet. And oh the dreams in my head of what I could do if I had the time. But it's not time, despite the pull I feel. That's coming. I need patience, and wisdom, in doing what I can do - right now. |
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247Toolset's initial flyer, this being the rough draft of a tri-fold brochure - with the right third being the front, the middle third being the back, and the left third being the fold-in.  And the inside...  I'll purchase a bunch of those in March. |
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It's a pity, but Michelle Obama, who attended Princeton and Harvard, learned nothing about the economy in all her years of schooling. "We left corporate America, which is a lot of what we're asking young people to do," she tells the women. "Don't go into corporate America. You know, become teachers. Work for the community. Be social workers. Be a nurse. Those are the careers that we need, and we're encouraging our young people to do that. But if you make that choice, as we did, to move out of the money-making industry into the helping industry, then your salaries respond." Barak Obama (part of the "we" in "what we're asking") and his wife evidently think an economy can thrive on teachers, nurses, and social workers. No corporations, you know. Bad, those greedy companies.Here's an education for her and those who think like her. - An entrepreneur takes the risk of starting a business.
- The business finds its market and grows and hires employees, creating jobs.
- The employees pay taxes.
- Government jobs, like teachers and social workers, are paid with the tax revenue earned within the corporate sector.
I guess Econ 101 wasn't part of her curriculum.Another fun fact evidently missed: socialism has failed miserably in terms of positive salary growth every time it's been tried. Anyone heard of the thriving economy of the Soviet Union? Cuba? Socialist Germany? China had to move toward capitalism to make its economy grow. I guess she missed that too. Hope? Nah... |
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