Terran Franklin

One of the main reasons behind writing Blood and Metal is what Eric would define as what America should be.  All along the story, he does random acts of kindness, rescue a cat from a tree, take down a Mechanoid, patch up a kid’s skinned knee, stand up for an misunderstood critter, all sorts of things.  And all the time he’ll say that he’s not doing anything anyone else couldn’t do.

“Eric, I heard what you said about it all, about all the claims about the heroics you’ve done. You merely shrugged your shoulders and say, ‘Pshaw, anybody would have done it.’ Eric, nobody had done it like you. I’ve haven’t heard of someone just jumping off his bike and saving anyone out of the goodness of his heart, has anyone?  —  Charles, BAM 01

If Eric would have any example on what an Un-American world would be like, he would point to this sad case in Connecticut not too long ago.  A near eighty year old Angel Arce Torres was run over by a perusing car, and just laid there unconscious, paralyzed, and silent.

Nobody fucking helped.

Cars just drive by.  A guy on motorcycle just circled him and rolled away.  Pedestrians just gawk and walk on by.  And I’m sure someone snapped the picture of the still-living body to post on the internet with “LAWLS!!!1111!!1!” plastered on it.  (And then the troll called 911, probably just to laugh over it.)  But that was it.  Nobody came to comfort the poor soul.  Nobody even bothered to stop traffic.  When a cop finally showed up, it was for an unrelated purpose; there was a chance that he’d be left to die.

There’s a good chance that nobody in the city or state would do a thing over it, despite the public outrage and the family’s cries.  (All of which would have been dismissed as butt-hurt.)

Angel Arce Torres was taken off life support earlier this year.  He wasn’t even eulogized.  Outside of some assholes that would drop a neck brace on his tombstone.  And yes, they did it for the lulz.  And they were the ones driving the cars that hit him.

This is not the kind of world Eric would want to live in, although Kentuckians have enough of a moral compass to help people they know have been, say, powned by a tornado.  And it’s definitely the kind of world anyone in the 9-12 movement would rail against.  BAM would show Eric inspiring the public in Vintanos to find their own ‘inner hero,’ saying that it is the highest in patriotism, in ether Vintanos or the strange, new, and in some places popular American philosophy, (You’ll find a lot of US flags and pins by Book 4) to not only strive for their own dreams and desires, getting educated, making inventions, starting businesses, making art and all that, but to also be aware that they’re a part of a community of like minded people and to help others in mean.  That includes scraping people off the ground when they’re run over.  Oh sure, make sure you bring the neck brace too, but for Gaia’s sake, at least bring the fucking neck brace!

Angel Torres didn’t even get that!

Yes yes, I might be big on big burgers, but like I said, I have my limits:

Whatever this image implies, I do not want to think about it when I’m having dinner.

Al Franken getting his senate seat wouldn’t’ve made me pause if he didn’t give the Dems a super majority in the senate.  This could pretty much neuter any serious ways to slow down wacko legistrations like Cap and Trade, which is about to enter that majority.

Why am I thinking that Ann Rand is becoming a prophet with each passing day?

I’m not going to say anything about this controversial bill that squeaked past the House than what’s already said.  Outside of the obvious; it’s just another hurdle in my job search.  Might as well promote Blood and Metal if I want to get off SSI, because there might not be a job available to me, green or otherwise, thanks to this bill no doubt.

But hold on, I remember my civics right.  The bill has to go through both houses of congress.  It just squeaked through the House, mostly because of Nancy Pelosi dropping a 3000 page bill on everyone’s lap and going “We have no time to debate about it.  Up or down vote, Right Now!  UP OR DOWN VOTE!”  And if that’s not enough, the Queen Bee dropped a 300 page amendment at the last second; there wasn’t even time to look at the Topic of Contents, much less the whole bill.

But now the bill is going to the Senate, where people take their time.  People will be mulling over this bill a lot before they vote on it, if at all; there was some talk about it dying in committees.  And there’s more than enough people who flat out don’t like this bill enough to put the breaks on the whole process.

That’s the tactic I think we as a people should go.  We made out presence known in the House, even though Nancy thumbed her nose at us.  We can produce the same amount of pressure on senators, and I’m sure that we’ll get a better response from them.

Most of these 9-12 people are doing these tea parties not because they don’t want to pay their fair share; they’re here because they’re paying way beyond their fair share.  They’re basically caught between taxes and rent.  They’re out here because they don’t want to work for anyone else, and I don’t blame them.  I’d refuse to go to a job that gives all my pay to someone else.  That’s why I’m here promoting this book (Blood and Metal), so that I can earn some money from the sales, that I can get off of Social Security and not have anyone else work for me.

I’m a picky guy when it comes to political topics.  Iran might not get me on my soap box outside of stating that Neda’s in paradise right now being waited on by, how many butlers, Seventy Eight of them?  Forget about being someone’s wifu, Allah Ackbar, that woman’s got a harem!

But this week, I experience another chapter in a topic that’s near to me.  It’s about a group I flat out hate.  Should be outlawed within 50 feet of a restaurant.  I can’t stand food cops.  Nothing pisses me off like a busy body who can’t think of anything better to do with their lives but nag on people over what they’re eating.  I think that if I get a coronary five seconds after I eat a Big Mac, it’s my own Radio Edit fault, but I don’t care because I’m going to eat it anyway.  Of course, I have to flick them one finger, because I’m going to be taking a huge bite out of that Big Mack right in their face with the total lack of manners.

Hardee’s had the same thought I had about the topic when they break out their deluxe burgers.  Personally, I thought they were just doing basic marketing until they came out with the Monster Burger:  Two third pound burgers, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese, and a buttered bun.  I looked at that sandwich ad along with my mother and I turned to her and said, “Mom, that’ ain’t lunch.  That is political speech on your plate.”

And it’s true.  If you order a burger like that, you’re saying a “FSK You!” to the Nanny State.  That, and they’re just plain tasty to boot.  While a decent slider fits well once and a while, there are times where nothing but a XXL burger would do.  Of course, I have my own limits.  Meet as a condiment burgers.  No Thank You.  I want actual condiments to go with my burger.

Which is why Mickey Dees finally listened to me during my part time job there and came out with The Angus Third Pounder, complete with three styles.  My personal favorite is the Deluxe, it’s the perfect burger to me.  It’s a perfect balance of constitutionally protected speech, (Your choice of eatery should be penciled under the first amendment.) with good taste, and I do hope you try it out.

Even if you have to cut that sucker in half and save part of it for later.  That’s one big burger.  I love’n it.

Here may be a prime example of the stand that while I’m a 9-12er, I’m also can say that I flat out like Obama:

That’s right Pressie, git that mutherfuckin fly!!

(Now while you’re at it, go pimp slap Nancy Pilosi and Harry Reed.)

It took me forever, but I managed to get through the second draft of Book 1. Talk about your uphill battles. It would have taken less time but I had other things to do, such as a job hunt and editing another book. (which should take less time now that this big chore’s out of the way.

After a bit, I’ll be running it through a grammar checker and doing the needing polishing, but in the meantime, I’ll accept requests for people to join the inner circle to help me proofread the book and give me feedback. If you could be civil enough to show me where all the typos are at without going into histrionics, E-mail me at davidgonterman@foxfirestudios.net and let me know you’re interested.

I have it as my life goal not to end my life in a way that would make the troll sites. The last thing I want to do is to give them that post-motem lul.

Here’s an prime example of letting the trolls have the last word: http://www.cracked.com/funny-303-autoerotic-asphyxiation/

Do. Not. Do. It. People. Unless you want to be eulogized like this — Caution: Link NSFW.

For those who’re waiting for the rest of Book 1, I just want to let you all know that I’m hammering the climatic chapters hard, making some major changes and all that. I should be able to get to the public beta of the book by July.

In the meanwhile, I’d like to show you this link, from The Fox Nation:

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/06/12/shuler_public_discourse/

Not only would this be a great help in public political discourse, but it would also be a well guildeline for online discourse, which is something I’m (and I’m guessing you) know more about, especially when trolls show up. And I know a lot about trolls.