Intro to newcomers:
Wow, what a turnout! Thank you for stopping by! I realize your time is valuable, and things are a little crowded, so let me start with a few disclaimers so those who wish to can leave right away.
First, there is no punch and pie. Sorry 'bout the mixup.
Second, I used to be a cop. If you want to write about the injustice of your anarchist friend getting arrested for arson, or about how you had to go to the hospital 'cause the dope you bought last weekend had some bad cut in it, or about how cops are all nazis if they don't just stand there and let criminals beat them to death, don't look for any sympathy here. It won't be forthcoming.
My, this place is getting emptier already. Now, you Young Republicans there smiling so big and thinking you've got the right place, listen up. I am not a social conservative. I am neither a Christian nor a Jew and I have no interest in being converted. I am not a hawk. I am not a homophobe. I am neither a racist nor a misogynist. I think most drugs should be decriminalized. I think people who are different than you--and different from me--have as much right to openly exist and speak their minds and influence the course of society as we do. I believe that anyone who kills a restrained, defenseless person after capturing him and rendering him harmless is a murderer, plain and simple; and it matters not one iota that the victim is wearing an orange jumpsuit and the uniformed murderer has twelve conspirators and a judge backing him up. If it's wrong for some psycho to bind and kill people, it's that much worse for our government to do it when they're supposed to be setting the example of legitimate behavior. I think if you and your company take advantage of government services, you ought to pay for them and not shift your tax burden onto the people least able to pay for it. I believe in the Bill of Rights; I think that without it, all that is good in this country would be in jeopardy. And while I agree with you that the Democrats are trying to eliminate the Second Amendment, it seems you guys are working just as feverishly to eliminate the other nine. If we get to a point where we have no free speech, no free press, no freedom of religion, no right to assemble or protest, no right to be secure against warrantless searches and seizures, no right against self-incrimination, no right to due process, no right to counsel, no right to trial by an impartial jury, none of the freedoms that make this America, then the only thing a gun is good for is a quick suicide or shooting the bastards who created the situation. As you toil to create such a situation, keep that in mind. Furthermore, I do not "support our troops"; I pity them, I wish them comfort and a safe return, but if someone will volunteer to kill unarmed civilians to earn college tuition and not feel the least bit of shame or reservation when they actually do it, I feel I have to hold them morally accountable for their actions.
Wow. Still a few people left. Alright, listen. I'm not "down with" your drug habit. I've known people who were crippled. I've known people with mood disorders. I've known people with really fucked up body chemistry. I know what it's like to be tired, to have a hard time concentrating, and to not be able to stand up because the room is spinning violently. I also know what it's like to feel manic, to be really wired and irritable and unable to sleep. I can't imagine anyone putting themselves through any of this intentionally. Though I often fall short, I always try to be the best I can be. To deliberately debilitate yourself for anything short of medical necessity--especially if it affects others around you, especially if it's just for recreational purposes--is really fucked up, from my point of view, no different from breaking your own legs "to expand your consciousness" or because all your friends think it's cool. That said, I respect your right to do it. I don't think you should go to prison or lose government benefits or anything else like that. Substance abuse is its own punishment. If you do it, I'm not turning you in, and I'm not gonna dog you about it, but I'm not gonna stick around and pretend to be comfortable with it, either.
Anyone left? Ah, yes, you there in the corner. You must be both tolerant and level-headed, an unusual combination these days. But if you're extremes of either of those, you may find yourself uncomfortable here nonetheless. As far as tolerance, I'm not so PC as to be blind to the faults of individuals who happen to be minorities, nor am I unable to see when someone is "working the system" of fraudulently claiming harassment or discrimination.
On the other end of it, as far as the level-headedness, if you're too stodgy, you may find my journal pretty freaky. (edit: I've since added a "Wizard's Scrapbook" filter for the freakier stuff. Let me know if you'd like to be on it.) I've danced with witches and seduced vampires. I've used tarot cards to make accurate predictions of the future. One of my favorite memories is sailing under the stars in a deflating raft with a tablecloth sail. I traveled far away to an elven sanctuary to meet my wife. I've been shot at but never shot, stabbed at but never stabbed, strangled but never knocked out. I believe in fairies, though I've lost touch with them since leaving the hills. I think magick is as real as Newtonian physics, if not as well understood. I used to be on welfare and I'm not ashamed of it. I've been held against my will on an American military base where I was repeatedly interrogated and threatened. I used to work unarmed as a professional gunfighter. I've earned money as a fur trapper, a forager, and a woodcarver. I've traded with Indians for venison. The book that most shaped my adolescence was Ninja Secrets of Invisibility. I was once in a witch coven where I was studying to be a priest--I did that for about three years. I used to be a fairly proficient hypnotist. I was raised among the dead. A ghost once saved me. I've seen a UFO. I live on a small farm in a large city. I love all three four of my children and haven't seen the oldest two in over eleven years. My life is..."unconventional". So if you're here to hear about going to the mall or watching sports every weekend, you've come to the wrong place.
If you want to read my friends-only stuff, I've either got to know you and trust you, or be certain that you live really far away and don't care enough to meddle in my life.
First, there is no punch and pie. Sorry 'bout the mixup.
Second, I used to be a cop. If you want to write about the injustice of your anarchist friend getting arrested for arson, or about how you had to go to the hospital 'cause the dope you bought last weekend had some bad cut in it, or about how cops are all nazis if they don't just stand there and let criminals beat them to death, don't look for any sympathy here. It won't be forthcoming.
My, this place is getting emptier already. Now, you Young Republicans there smiling so big and thinking you've got the right place, listen up. I am not a social conservative. I am neither a Christian nor a Jew and I have no interest in being converted. I am not a hawk. I am not a homophobe. I am neither a racist nor a misogynist. I think most drugs should be decriminalized. I think people who are different than you--and different from me--have as much right to openly exist and speak their minds and influence the course of society as we do. I believe that anyone who kills a restrained, defenseless person after capturing him and rendering him harmless is a murderer, plain and simple; and it matters not one iota that the victim is wearing an orange jumpsuit and the uniformed murderer has twelve conspirators and a judge backing him up. If it's wrong for some psycho to bind and kill people, it's that much worse for our government to do it when they're supposed to be setting the example of legitimate behavior. I think if you and your company take advantage of government services, you ought to pay for them and not shift your tax burden onto the people least able to pay for it. I believe in the Bill of Rights; I think that without it, all that is good in this country would be in jeopardy. And while I agree with you that the Democrats are trying to eliminate the Second Amendment, it seems you guys are working just as feverishly to eliminate the other nine. If we get to a point where we have no free speech, no free press, no freedom of religion, no right to assemble or protest, no right to be secure against warrantless searches and seizures, no right against self-incrimination, no right to due process, no right to counsel, no right to trial by an impartial jury, none of the freedoms that make this America, then the only thing a gun is good for is a quick suicide or shooting the bastards who created the situation. As you toil to create such a situation, keep that in mind. Furthermore, I do not "support our troops"; I pity them, I wish them comfort and a safe return, but if someone will volunteer to kill unarmed civilians to earn college tuition and not feel the least bit of shame or reservation when they actually do it, I feel I have to hold them morally accountable for their actions.
Wow. Still a few people left. Alright, listen. I'm not "down with" your drug habit. I've known people who were crippled. I've known people with mood disorders. I've known people with really fucked up body chemistry. I know what it's like to be tired, to have a hard time concentrating, and to not be able to stand up because the room is spinning violently. I also know what it's like to feel manic, to be really wired and irritable and unable to sleep. I can't imagine anyone putting themselves through any of this intentionally. Though I often fall short, I always try to be the best I can be. To deliberately debilitate yourself for anything short of medical necessity--especially if it affects others around you, especially if it's just for recreational purposes--is really fucked up, from my point of view, no different from breaking your own legs "to expand your consciousness" or because all your friends think it's cool. That said, I respect your right to do it. I don't think you should go to prison or lose government benefits or anything else like that. Substance abuse is its own punishment. If you do it, I'm not turning you in, and I'm not gonna dog you about it, but I'm not gonna stick around and pretend to be comfortable with it, either.
Anyone left? Ah, yes, you there in the corner. You must be both tolerant and level-headed, an unusual combination these days. But if you're extremes of either of those, you may find yourself uncomfortable here nonetheless. As far as tolerance, I'm not so PC as to be blind to the faults of individuals who happen to be minorities, nor am I unable to see when someone is "working the system" of fraudulently claiming harassment or discrimination.
On the other end of it, as far as the level-headedness, if you're too stodgy, you may find my journal pretty freaky. (edit: I've since added a "Wizard's Scrapbook" filter for the freakier stuff. Let me know if you'd like to be on it.) I've danced with witches and seduced vampires. I've used tarot cards to make accurate predictions of the future. One of my favorite memories is sailing under the stars in a deflating raft with a tablecloth sail. I traveled far away to an elven sanctuary to meet my wife. I've been shot at but never shot, stabbed at but never stabbed, strangled but never knocked out. I believe in fairies, though I've lost touch with them since leaving the hills. I think magick is as real as Newtonian physics, if not as well understood. I used to be on welfare and I'm not ashamed of it. I've been held against my will on an American military base where I was repeatedly interrogated and threatened. I used to work unarmed as a professional gunfighter. I've earned money as a fur trapper, a forager, and a woodcarver. I've traded with Indians for venison. The book that most shaped my adolescence was Ninja Secrets of Invisibility. I was once in a witch coven where I was studying to be a priest--I did that for about three years. I used to be a fairly proficient hypnotist. I was raised among the dead. A ghost once saved me. I've seen a UFO. I live on a small farm in a large city. I love all three four of my children and haven't seen the oldest two in over eleven years. My life is..."unconventional". So if you're here to hear about going to the mall or watching sports every weekend, you've come to the wrong place.
If you want to read my friends-only stuff, I've either got to know you and trust you, or be certain that you live really far away and don't care enough to meddle in my life.