Chris James

Cole, I think a flash mob in Flan, Norway occurs when two residents meet up for a beer at the local tavern. Although the tour guides say that the village has 450,000 visitors a year, I think those were the only teenagers in town. Send me a bill for the time if you want...I was just enjoying the local flavor since I have never been to Europe.

Delightful, Des...and I don't mean the cake. There have been times when I wished for some frosting like that to speed things along. Glad to see you posting even a short story and look forward to whatever else you have working. Now if you don't mind...may I have the name of that apothecary?

Thank you, Cole...an eye opening event for those passengers in the train. I could do without all the hip-hop flash mobs posted all over the internet because the music is meaningless to me. But could you ever imagine seeing a major orchestra in this country without paying through the nose? That looked like so much fun, gotta love those Copenhagen musicians. So your post sent me looking around on the internet and for fun I managed to come up with three accordian players in Norway: http://youtu.be/bZIDrPwujg8

I still think the Borg have finally managed to slip one of their own into American politics. The man is a robot with about as much feeling as this machine I am on.

Sometimes the commentary by the readers of a news story have a lot more on the ball than the story itself. Here is one from a story about Mitt Romney speaking at Liberty University. In this twenty minute speech Romney said nothing vital about what he would do as President and hammered away about "marriage between a man and a woman" and used the word God a dozen times. My, how predictable. "If these people like Romney are really serious about protecting marriage, then why don't they just outlaw divorce? Marriage is not threatened by gays or anyone else wanting to get married; it is threatened by the married not wanting to stay married; not wanting to live up to their commitment to a partner. That's why our divorce rate in around 50% compared to something like 2% in 1960. But I already know the reason: it is because their so-called pro-marriage stance is nothing more than a thinly disguised form of anti-gay bigotry that really has nothing to do with marriage at all. It's only a pretense." Amen!!!

So now we have this avalanche of dissent about the bully story, and even the family of the alleged victim doubting it ever happened: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Romney-bully-hair-Lauber/2012/05/11/id/438800 Somehow I still find a great deal of credibility in the story since Romney "doesn't remember" anything about it. Every time I see him all I can think is that he is such a robot, do we even know if he's human?

I have always been stunned by how insensitive Black America is to the gay rights movement. What gay people want is civil rights, you know, something due each and every citizen in this country...unless you are LGBT. Here in Florida we have the tea party answer to the gay question in the form of Alan West. I would venture to say that he sits at the right hand of that other idiot state politician, Gov. Scott. Between them, big business and the Republican agenda are first and formost. It almost seems absurd that West speaks about civil rights as he and Scott go about infringing on those rights for state employees, and a whole litany of groups they are targeting for extinction. http://brodylevesque...vative-tea.html That Black America doesn't see gay rights as part of the struggle they fought sixty years ago seems just as absurd. Do they think the Civil Rights Act is immune from tampering by our less than stalwart Supreme Court? If the right wingnuts have their way, any and all forms of civil union, defined or otherwise outside of a church marriage might just be considered criminal. This marry or otherwise we will lock you up for living together doesn't seem too far fetched in this state of Christian fervor. If Black Americans fail to recognize that the threat against LGBT folks ought to be a part of their fight then they have only themselves to blame when the whole civil rights issue blows up. All that shouting and praying in black churches, and the rants against unholy, unnatural gay people, will turn to screams of anguish when the rug gets pulled out from under them. http://www.time.com/...1121811,00.html

I don't believe a word this man says...he would lie to save a penny and get elected. This is what the rich upper class offers us as the next president? Move over GW, half of America will be headed north if this ass gets elected. I am beginning to believe that voting Republican would be like supporting the Taliban. At least they don't smile when they f**k you over and lop off your head.

The wingnuts are already jumping on the issue....no suprise there: http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2012/05/09/not-everyone-thrilled-obama-move

And now we have Mitt Romney making comments about how he has never changed his mind on gay marriage, he has always been against it. Wow, Romney, Mr. Flip Flop sticking to his guns? I have to respect the President for the long careful consideration he gave to this issue before declaring his postion in favor of gay marriage. My personal position is that every citizen deserves the same rights and so any law against that postiton is wrong. The GOP will now make this the only issue in the election.

I agree GW, after you make that million dollar sale you can write anything you want. Look at the Beatles who admitted writing pop music for years just to make the money, but after the White Album everything changed and the money still kept rolling in. Too many authors to name who did pretty much the same thing. Wish I was one of them

...though perhaps his gay identity was not as well known as his work. Maurice Sendak died at 83 after a long and well received career as a children's author. Best known for Where the Wild Things Are, Sendack had a wonderful sense of humor and a marvelous ability to understand childhood. He will be missed. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47335950

After reading this quote from Mr. Card (provided by BL News Service) I am more confused about this man's ideals than I was before: "Heterosexual pair-bonding has been at the heart of human evolution from the time we divided off from the chimps. Normalizing a dysfunction will only make ours into a society that corrodes any loyalty to it. Legalizing gay marriage is about driving all contrary evidence or argument out of the public discussion. That's why the gay-marriage lobby tries to stifle discussion – they have no arguments that stand up to serious investigation. They brand their opponents' arguments as religious, and therefore illegitimate; but in fact their own arguments are just as faith-based, just as lacking in evidence, as any Bible-based argument." Did he really attribute heterosexual bonding to evolution? I wonder what the creationists on his side of the fence will have to say about that? So humans evolved from chimps and I imagine there are some extreme right wing Christianists in convulsions about now that their trained monkey isn't following the religious script. The last line in this quote really gets me because Mr. Card only saved his neck with the use of a comma. Remove the comma in the underlined portion and you get my point: "They brand their opponents' arguments as religious, and therefore illegitimate; but in fact their own arguments are just as faith-based, just as lacking in evidence, as any Bible-based argument." They have some nice mental health facilities in Greensboro, North Carolina which is Mr. Card's current home. I think he needs to check himself in for a long stay.

Hmm, like Cole I am aghast...this doesn't leave me any room to write my stuff!

Yes, I became aware of Card's twisted politics a few years back and thought what a jerk. Not being a particular sci-fi reader anymore it took me a while to discover his authorship and like many I was stunned by the disparity and duality of his thinking. Yeah, he's still a jerk. Remember Battlefield Earth? I remember reading that series of books in my younger days back when I though L. Ron Hubbard was cool. But the establishment of Scientology changed all that and I figured he'd lost his mind somewhere along the way. Is there a correlation between the two, I doubt it unless we are talking about severely demented people. I guess the argument by straight people against gay marriage is a demented move on their part. It paints certain religious groups as haters and bigots, allowing their real prejudice to shine through. I call this bunch the false Christians because they have no idea that their prejudice only allows the rest of us to wonder if they ought to have so much religious freedom in the first place. The whole argument in favor of gay marriage was never an attack on the established religions but that is the concept they have grasped. It was always about equality of gay couples, and the rights of any married person to share tax relief or property rights. If some religions are so against gay marriages I doubt if a gay couple would choose to have their wedding in such an atmosphere. It is really a shame because I don't want to prevent people from worshiping a non-existant diety of their choice. The American constitution allows such freedom of delusional choice. I have always thought Jesus to be the original hippie, and more than a little gay in his choice of followers. But hey, I am granted my own delusions, and that is what religious freedom means to me.

Discovering a shard of pottery is like finding a piece of yourself. Marveling at such a small thing, imagining the whole and wondering if you will ever discover the rest. I think bi_janus is onto something here well beyond the stanzas of his poem. In each response to his posting I see the seeds of thought planted in the writer. Well done.

http://brodylevesque...-lawmakers.html Another city, another ordinance, law...whatever, it almost seems absurd. Why is it we have to codify behavior that any normal, right thinking person would understand ought to be unthinkable. Everyone who lives in this country has rights. Born here? You have even more rights as a citizen. So why is it we have to spell out what should be obvious? Is it that judges and courts have made it so necessary? Discrimination is a wilful act of some kind against another person, do we have to list everyone that might be the object of some form of discrimination? LBGT is the current focus, fifty years ago it was black people...and yes, Native Americans never seemed to get a fair shake at anything. But what about people with one green eye and one blue eye. If no one spells it out is it okay to discriminate against them? How long will the list be if we have to put each and every category of person into some form of law? Absurd notion, but then there is probably a lawyer out there working on it...for a fee of course. "We believe a just society is a society that creates an environment of fairness and tolerance for all its citizens, not just some of its citizens." Yes, isn't that the truth. So how did we end up having to pass laws to protect LBGT people in the first place? Rather than pass protection laws I think we need to pass intolerance laws that spell out the illegality of any religious persecution of people for who they are, especially if they are not members of that religion. Let's also include bullies in schools because they deny other kids their lawful right to a decent education. Anyone who is intolerant needs to face prosecution for shameful behavior.

This story ought to be a huge headline since someone has finally stepped up to the plate and slapped the bullies with a major lawsuit: http://gma.yahoo.com...topstories.html It may not bring much in the way of monetary reward, but it sends the right message. I am going to try and keep track of this case because it has national implications. Now as for those assholes at Facebook, they should have taken the false pages down and did not...for a year! Perhaps a judge will have something to say to them. We can only hope.

I deem short stories like this to be the most difficult pieces for an author to write, especially one so young. I think it is wonderful that the Dude chose to post this work and give us a glimpse of a new author, even if the story is but a diamond in the rough. Richard Brown seems to have poured his heart out on the page and gives the reader much to think about. If this is a first effort then he has done well to present characters in conflict and give us an intense story line that ends too soon. Much of the discussion among AD authors is about what keeps the readers focus and I think Richard has done a good job there. The story begins and ends with violent thoughts, and yet I feel there may be more truth in Richard's prose than fiction, and that would be unfortunate. But authors who write about the world around them leave their characters well grounded and believeable. The story ends abruptly, as if Richard was shutting off the thoughts that possessed him to write in the first place. I would hope we all reach out and encourage Richard to write more stories. He needs the chance to expand his thoughts beyond the short story category. Given time, and a good editor, I can see Richard developing his writing skills and using the stories as an outlet for his emotions. Rainbow town and Jesus land is an interesting choice for a title, although the story did not give us much of a chance to understand why he named in this fashion. If this was submitted for a school competition then I think that took some courage considering the subject matter. I would like to see more from this young man. Thank you, Richard.

Hmm, Colin, I went to a Catholic elementary school as well. Taught by Christian brothers who gave quite a good education. But we were studying French by third grade and Latin by the fifth grade, none of which I recall. The diagramming days were in public school and so as you can imagine they were by rote, rather dry lessons in comprehension for a thirteen year old, and that is how I remember them.

Following up on what Des has posted, the lawyers are in it now to muddy the water: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/27/11426322-lawyer-autistic-boys-teacher-didnt-call-him-bastard?lite/ Of course no one mentions that this recording was made on only one of this child's days in the classroom with these ignorant teachers and aides. If he was acting out enough to get the attention of the administration and his father you would think the verbal assaults had been going on for some time. There is no way any of the staff in that classroom are guilt free. If they had seen the others doing something reprehensible and not reported it then they are just as guilty. Fire them all! And for goodness sake, take them to court for damages.

Right on, Cole! Can you believe it, my seventh grade English teacher was named...Mrs. English. Her version of hell was making us diagram sentences...such an evil chore. But she was a nice lady and we all did what we were told. No corporal punishment in that classroom.

Don't listen to them, Ben...it won't do any good to try and silence your aunt. We all have someone like her in the family. I have Ralph, and his relationship to me is dubious at best. He is the ex-husband of my now deceased first cousin, but his daughters are still my family. Ralph is an internet junkie and forwards everything he reads to a bunch of us. If he finds it interesting I suppose he assumes we should as well. It's become a family joke. His forward button has sent me all that flag nonsense, some pretty crude gay jokes of the straight kind, and oh so much political commentary. I put him on my spam list and if anything gets through I just hit delete. Sure he's a bother, but he might be family. My latest ploy with him is that my very expensive anti-virus program will not accept anything with attachments. That cut his email in half...

A well written piece, grammatical errors and all. The point being that language evolves, or in the case of internet usage, devolves. After about twenty more years of texting I imagine several things will happen: Either we will mutate as a species with odd looking thumbs, or the English language will no longer resemble anything like we use today. Dongtacular indeed! Like most people over the age of fifty, I was crammed full of grammar lessons in school and once graduated promptly forgot all I was taught. But this nagging little voice in my head still keeps popping up with a timely "Uh no, bad grammar, you idiot" on occasion. I wish it would just go away and leave me in peace. I think most writers have a similar viewpoint: I fancy myself a communicator. Like an artist with a paint brush, I choose words to create a picture that is satisfactory in my mind. No one tells the artist that he/she/it used too much sienna in the color mix. (The latter is in tribute to all the animals now making millions in the art world, go figure) Why shouldn't the writer be able to pick and choose their own words and present them as a work of art? Communicate, that is all we are required to do, the hell with the rest. If you understand what I am saying, and hopefully enjoy what I write, then I have succeeded. Not like you paid for this bucket full of words. I suppose if my/our/its work survives another twenty years no one will be able to read this silly rant. Maybe I should take up painting.

This the kind of real life story that inspires great fiction. Thank you for sharing.