tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64859182883475977382024-03-13T08:09:25.921-07:00The Assembly AreaThe occasionally updated blog of author R.A. Mathis.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-3182427414867050822017-04-21T12:35:00.002-07:002017-04-21T12:35:59.573-07:00Every Blade of Grass Now Live<span style="font-size: large;">Hi Everybody,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Every Blade of Grass is now live on Amazon.com.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You can get it <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Every-Blade-Grass-Part-Homeland-ebook/dp/B06XV6BZ7D/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">here</a>!</span>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-19710102729265266912017-03-26T12:28:00.001-07:002017-03-26T12:28:32.460-07:00HOMELAND: BOOK 3 PRE-ORDER!<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>Get your copy </strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XV6BZ7D/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1490555913&sr=8-2&keywords=every+blade+of+grass" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a><strong>!</strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XV6BZ7D/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1490555913&sr=8-2&keywords=every+blade+of+grass" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XV6BZ7D/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1490555913&sr=8-2&keywords=every+blade+of+grass" border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ng5tcJ5CoqI/WNgVnk75kQI/AAAAAAAAAY4/o5TYbK3BPeYewQy21VhhmGzHpcfDGt33wCLcB/s640/EBoG%2BFinal%2BCover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They thought we wouldn’t fight back. They were wrong.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now that the truth is revealed, it is clear that America’s Second Founding is not what it was promised to be.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The grid is still down, food is scarce and each day grows colder than the last.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The fruited plain is now dotted with work camps, refugees, and extermination centers.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is up to the few surviving patriots to band together and take action.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The odds are long, but they have to try.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The stage is set when Tennessee declares independence—a decision that can only end in liberty or death.</span></div>
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It’s time to learn what fate has in store next for the characters you love and those you love to hate in book four of the Homeland Series: Every Blade of Grass.</span></span><br />Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-16088026925731488272017-03-25T16:00:00.000-07:002017-03-25T16:00:29.994-07:00Book 3 Finished!<span style="font-size: large;">I just finished book three of the Homeland Series, Every Blade of Grass.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We will soon find out what fate has next in store for the characters you love and the ones you love to hate.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The alpha copy will go out to the Advanced Reader Team in the next few days. Preorders should open very soon, I'm shooting for Monday at the latest.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But for now...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J2HWN2OlMmQ/WNb1rQPNgOI/AAAAAAAAAYM/BRFDXdLbWS0lDmsb6MVPsOjrTneo_hGuQCLcB/s1600/20161218_201102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J2HWN2OlMmQ/WNb1rQPNgOI/AAAAAAAAAYM/BRFDXdLbWS0lDmsb6MVPsOjrTneo_hGuQCLcB/s320/20161218_201102.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm going to celebrate with a tasty treat.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to everyone for your great feedback and encouragement.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You are what keeps me writing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Sincerely,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Rob</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-78189507078777107992017-02-10T07:28:00.000-08:002017-02-10T07:28:36.858-08:00Update! (finally)
<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After foolishly squandering most of the second half of 2016
on work and family, I’m back to writing every day. It’s going well and I hope
to have book three of the Homeland Series out next month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’m sorry for taking so long to continue the story of
Eduardo, Amber, Martha, and the Sexton family, but I hope you find it worth the
wait.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The struggle for America's future continues...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Tophet regime and its minions continue to commit atrocities and trample freedom in the name of the Greater Good. They aren’t letting up, but
neither is the resistance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A new American Revolution is about to begin.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The forces of The Second Founding will soon see what it’s like to see rifles
behind every blade of grass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uz1e6aVrJnQ/WJ3a0FNRufI/AAAAAAAAAVs/WiX5EP1VpFYXpGc5SGVkBGzeJJq789fDQCLcB/s1600/we-want-you-stellenanzeige.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uz1e6aVrJnQ/WJ3a0FNRufI/AAAAAAAAAVs/WiX5EP1VpFYXpGc5SGVkBGzeJJq789fDQCLcB/s320/we-want-you-stellenanzeige.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do you want exclusive updates, news, and content?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">Do you have what it takes to fight for freedom?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">If so, <a href="http://eepurl.com/bRUh6D" target="_blank">join the resistance here!</a></span></span></div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-34139407083317389812016-10-27T12:27:00.000-07:002016-10-28T05:19:30.569-07:00Cover Reveal: Every Blade of Grass<span style="font-size: large;">Hi Everyone,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's been a while since the last post and hope this one finds you all well.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Writing was slow this summer, but it's getting back on track. I'm actually working on two projects right now.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">One of them is the third book in the Homeland series. This installment is titled 'Every Blade of Grass' and is proving to be very enjoyable to write.</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Why? If the title sounds familiar, you can guess what's in store...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'll post a preview soon. But first, here's a look at the cover idea I like best so far.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gLhuyQXaonM/WBJUsdrEHUI/AAAAAAAAAUo/9tA-e_-YvMIjshpLSLPudnFDvbFr6OnVwCLcB/s1600/EBoG%2BNew%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gLhuyQXaonM/WBJUsdrEHUI/AAAAAAAAAUo/9tA-e_-YvMIjshpLSLPudnFDvbFr6OnVwCLcB/s640/EBoG%2BNew%2BCover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What do you think?</span><br />
<br />Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-11272206004399490802016-07-06T06:00:00.000-07:002016-07-06T06:00:12.168-07:00'Executive Orders' is live on Amazon.com!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>Executive Orders: Part 2 of the Homeland Series is live on Amazon.com.</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Executive-Orders-Part-2-Homeland-ebook/dp/B01H0SJM8K?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc" target="_blank">Buy it here!</a></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></strong> </div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Executive-Orders-Part-2-Homeland-ebook/dp/B01H0SJM8K?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc" target="_blank"><img alt="Order Executive Orders here." border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y-cxI4--FMY/V3wjNXzxkiI/AAAAAAAAATs/D6MudUr4KjwyDC7tyHXlXbBNrnzDX_YuACLcB/s640/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We thought it could never happen in America. We were wrong. <br /><br />The second installment of the Homeland series begins as America reels from economic collapse, terrorist attacks, and the loss of the power grid. For some, these hardships bring out the best qualities of the human spirit. Neighbors help neighbors as Freeport pulls together to feed the hungry and maintain rule of law. <br />But there are others determined not to let this crisis go to waste. The new regime enacts currently existing executive orders to seize control of the population and fundamentally change the country. Patriotism is labeled terrorism. Dissent is deemed treason. Citizens must register and turn over their firearms in order to eat. To resist is to die. To disagree is to disappear. The American people are soon plunged into a hellish, collectivist nightmare that grows worse each day. Something must be done before all hope is lost. <br /><br />Thematically, Executive Orders lies at the intersection of Jericho, Red Dawn, and Schindler’s List.</span></div>
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Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-80834121330908002792016-06-24T03:00:00.000-07:002016-06-24T07:47:34.377-07:00On Brexit
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8iEFcdimkcI/V21HCH0bK-I/AAAAAAAAATQ/Gj-dYz5rGWQGgMyX_i2SX1I6a6w-i8W5QCLcB/s1600/Brexit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a> </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8iEFcdimkcI/V21HCH0bK-I/AAAAAAAAATQ/ciWT--JiposEqOY2c3cXbqMF-x9B3vt6QCKgB/s1600/Brexit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8iEFcdimkcI/V21HCH0bK-I/AAAAAAAAATQ/ciWT--JiposEqOY2c3cXbqMF-x9B3vt6QCKgB/s320/Brexit.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Is June 23rd, 2016 one of the most
important dates in this century thus far, possibly on par with 9-11 in
historical significance? I think so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Citizens of Great Britain
voted yesterday to leave the European Union by a margin of 51.9% (17,410,742
votes) to 48.1% (16,141,241 votes). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think this was a good move on their part. Here’s why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Economics</u></b>: The European Union
never lived up to expectations. It was sold to Europeans as the means to band
together to create an economic super power which could compete with Asian and
North American rivals, much the same as five small lion robots combined to form
one giant robot, Voltron, Defender of the Universe. In practice, it became more
of a European wealth redistribution program. The taxpayers of donor states like
Germany and Britain were forced to turn their hard-earned tax dollars over to
Brussels bureaucrats who then gave it to receiver states such as Greece and
others. After the Greek economy crashed, their government was bailed out by the
E.U., whose only request was that Greece adopt austerity measures to ease the
burden on the people paying their tab. Greece promptly refused. The first
cracks in European unity appeared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Immigration</u></b>: This was the game
changer. As I understand, it was this issue that really forced yesterday’s
vote. A key facet of the E.U. system is open borders among member states. An
open border in Germany constitutes open access to France, Belgium, Italy, and
the rest of Europe. The Syrian immigrant crisis of 2015, which saw millions of
Muslim refugees flood into Europe and continues as of this writing, exposed a
key flaw in the open border system. If Britain can’t control German immigration,
it can’t control its own immigration. I realize that some countries have
enacted border security, but these are temporary measures and go against the
spirit of the E.U. fraternal intent. In effect, no E.U. member state has the
right to control its national borders on a permanent basis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></o:p></u></b> </div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Politics</u></b>: The best government is
closest to the people. The idea of super states like a European Union, North
American Union, or African Union, etc. is in direct opposition to this idea.
When the E.U. decided a few years ago that European construction workers were
no longer allowed to work with their shirts off due to skin cancer concerns,
what recourse did these workers have? What if British workers and their E.U.
representatives opposed the idea? Too bad. Majority rules. Now shut up and put
your shirts or pay the fine. The fine goes directly to Brussels by the way. This
does not take into account the rights and recourse of the individual citizen.
What if a person’s property was adversely affected by an E.U. decree? If you
can’t fight city hall, how can you fight all of Europe? Good luck with that,
Nigel Six-pack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></o:p></u></b> </div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>National Sovereignty</u></b>: It all
comes to this. Britain was wise to keep the pound and not adopt the Euro. I
believe the same instincts of self-preservation are what led to Brexit. Brits
knew that the longer they remained in the E.U., the harder it would be to
leave. After all, is a country which loses control of its borders and currency
still a country? I don’t think so. According to yesterday’s vote, neither do
the Brits. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Good on ‘em.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-30746185703509842202016-06-15T12:35:00.001-07:002016-06-15T12:35:37.983-07:00Executive Orders is now available for Preorder!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Executive-Orders-Part-2-Homeland-ebook/dp/B01H0SJM8K?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc" target="_blank"><img alt="Order Here!" border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FstaCGqw3X0/V2Grl501JaI/AAAAAAAAAS0/72CDiLY0CqAlGMAIuOAoYNj7-89oUJ8swCLcB/s400/EO%2BCover.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Eager to find out will happen next to Sheriff Hank Sexton as he tries to hold the town of Freeport together in the face of overwhelming odds? Maybe you stay awake at night, wondering if Hank's son, Army Sergeant Cole Sexton, will ever make it home. And where in the heck is Eduardo going? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Go <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Executive-Orders-Part-2-Homeland-ebook/dp/B01H0SJM8K?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc" target="_blank">here</a> to preorder Executive Orders, the second chapter in the Homeland Saga and be among the first to find out!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Executive-Orders-Part-2-Homeland-ebook/dp/B01H0SJM8K?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc" target="_blank">Order now</a> to get the early reader appreciation price of only $0.99!</span>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-38322921579218126382016-05-31T07:41:00.000-07:002016-05-31T11:19:01.059-07:00The Political Spectrum: Right vs Left or Citizen vs State?<span style="font-size: large;">I have always loved history. In conducting research for the
Homeland series, I have had to go back and reexamine some of the things I thought
I knew about history, politics, and the way the world works. This post is
dedicated to a long-held paradigm that was challenged and ultimately changed by
this research.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Conventional wisdom places communism on the extreme left of the
political spectrum and fascism on the far right, but is that really true?</span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TKo2jLNjfZA/V02gpuqOIXI/AAAAAAAAAR8/e5VXkUCQ8-EvmNbEhY4TVd9u-XEV4mpuQCKgB/s1600/Political-Spectrum_MM.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TKo2jLNjfZA/V02gpuqOIXI/AAAAAAAAAR8/e5VXkUCQ8-EvmNbEhY4TVd9u-XEV4mpuQCKgB/s640/Political-Spectrum_MM.gif" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I submit that it is not.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The mutual fanatical hatred and savagery toward each other
by the Nazis and the Soviets in World War II is usually pointed out as the
prime example of the opposing natures of the two systems. But this point of
view overlooks the fact that Hitler and Stalin were allies at the outbreak of
the war. Stalin watched with glee for years as Germany consumed much of Europe.
He even helped, invading Poland from the east shortly after Germany blitzed the
country from the west. Those arrangements were made between the two dictators before
the first panzer rolled. This mutual admiration society lasted until Adolf
screwed his neighbor to the east in 1941 via surprise invasion. Stalin was so
shocked by the betrayal of his ‘friend’ that it literally took him days to regain
his senses and put up a defense. Thus, the hatred toward the evil fascists was
born of betrayal and brutality more than from philosophical differences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The similarities of communism and fascism are brought into
focus when we consider the life at the ground level of each government. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Both fascist and communist regimes have centrally planned
economies. Both control the internal movements of their people (papers,
please). Both spy on their own citizens. Both have secret police (Gestapo vs
KGB) to quell dissent. Both imprison or execute those who dare criticize the
regime. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both have government-controlled
healthcare. Both control the media. Both systems claim to promote ‘the greater
good for the greater number.’ Both populations live in perpetual fear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I could go on, but you get the point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Is life appreciably different for citizens living under
these supposedly opposite systems? If you found yourself in 1938 Berlin, would
your thank your lucky stars you weren’t living in Stalin’s Russia? Would the
opposite be true? The truth is, life under both states would be pretty similar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In both systems, the rights of the individual are trampled
by the needs (or whims) of the all-powerful state. Additionally, said individual
has no recourse to correct harm to himself, his rights, or his property. He is
powerless to resist, thus the individual has no rights save those arbitrarily
granted by the State. It should be noted that what the State giveth, the State
also taketh away. As such, communism and fascism are merely different breeds of
the same animal. That animal is Statism, also known as collectivism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ilEwrq2CQ6k/V02g4RnHurI/AAAAAAAAASA/n3ah7P6WtcEP0F1cySiKQiuvhQ4oC96zwCKgB/s1600/TheTruePoliticalSpectrum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ilEwrq2CQ6k/V02g4RnHurI/AAAAAAAAASA/n3ah7P6WtcEP0F1cySiKQiuvhQ4oC96zwCKgB/s640/TheTruePoliticalSpectrum.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">When we adjust our view to see fascism and communism less as
</span><span style="font-size: large;">opposing ideologies and more as estranged siblings, we see that they are just
two of the most recent forms of statism to join socialism, despotism, monarchy,
and others among the ranks of collectivist systems which crush the individual
under the weight of centralized governmental authority.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This is why The United States was designed to be a Republic
and not a democracy. Democracy may appear on the surface to be the best defense
against State tyranny. In reality, it is also a form of collectivism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">But that is for another post.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This false paradigm may also help explain why many people don't believe their vote matters. If your choices are between two flavors of the same tyranny, how could your vote matter?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Voters sense this false dichotomy at some level, though may not be able to put their finger on why it doesn't make sense. I was in that spot for a long time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The popularity of candidates like Sanders and Trump demonstrate voters' desire to break free of 'the Establishment' by electing people they see as outsiders. But as long as we are still operating (and voting) under false assumptions, little will change aside from the natural growth of the State.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-30120802467231797152016-05-25T06:24:00.001-07:002016-06-02T13:20:51.916-07:00The Martin Paradox: Has G.R.R. Martin Written Himself into a Corner?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BZv3sP9dunk/V0WmaSSC0mI/AAAAAAAAARc/PtZ8SHIVQTIohN6qGJrf0ikfJlnYmFMmQCKgB/s1600/game-of-thrones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BZv3sP9dunk/V0WmaSSC0mI/AAAAAAAAARc/PtZ8SHIVQTIohN6qGJrf0ikfJlnYmFMmQCKgB/s320/game-of-thrones.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I love the Game of Thrones series
on HBO. I also enjoyed the books it was based on…mostly (they move painfully
slow, but that’s for another time.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>G.R.R.
Martin is five books into his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Song of
Ice and Fire </i>series, the first of which was published in 1996. He has since
published a new volume every five years or so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The TV
series began in March of 2010 and is now in its sixth season. Each season
roughly follows a book in the series. As a result, plot of the TV show has now
caught up with the plot of the books. The sixth book is due this year (maybe).
The next book (which I believe is set to be the series finale) will likely be
published around 2021.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So here is
Martin’s dilemma:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->At
this rate, the TV show will be the ultimate spoiler for his last one or two books
if they follow the same plot. The remaining books will just be a rehash of the
TV show (which would be an interesting reversal of the usual pattern).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So he can’t do that, can he?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If
the books follow a different story arc, fans’ heads will explode, the Ice and
Fire universe will be torn asunder. I’m talking biblical proportions here: Human
sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So he can’t do that either, can he?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JmzuRXLzqKk" style="height: 365px; width: 536px;" width="854"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So
what is Martin to do? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We'll just have to wait and see. He's a very smart guy. I'm sure he'll figure something out.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-33919019840964300822016-05-20T05:35:00.003-07:002016-05-20T19:34:49.489-07:00WE'RE ON TV!<iframe height="360" src="https://interactive.tegna-media.com/video/embed/embed.html?id=2196792&type=video&title=Service%20%26%20Sacrifice%3A%20ROTC%20tradition&site=51&playerid=6918249996581&dfpid=32805352&dfpposition=Video_prestream_external§ion=home" style="border-width: 0px; height: 364px; width: 567px;" width="640">
</iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My oldest son, Robbie, and I were recently interviewed by the local NBC TV affiliate to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the University of Tennessee ROTC program.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I graduated from UT ROTC in the 90s and Robbie just finished his freshman year in the same program. It was an honor for us to be asked to speak for this outstanding program and to be a part of its rich history.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This was a great experience for us and we are very thankful for the opportunity to do this as father and son.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Special thanks go out from us to John Becker of WBIR and Lee Dalton of University of Tennessee ROTC.</span>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-68555156686956174832016-05-05T05:44:00.000-07:002016-05-05T05:50:33.179-07:00New Worlds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IC8p_qM-n90/VytBPBYrAXI/AAAAAAAAARI/5WlLibWNEhUpc3z-07B3Rt5YCyPO3mpQQCLcB/s1600/Torus_Interior_AC75-2621_900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IC8p_qM-n90/VytBPBYrAXI/AAAAAAAAARI/5WlLibWNEhUpc3z-07B3Rt5YCyPO3mpQQCLcB/s400/Torus_Interior_AC75-2621_900.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Homeland: Executive Orders, the second installment in the Homeland
series is about 50% complete. I originally committed to writing a minimum of
three books in the series, so that puts me at the halfway mark for the whole shebang,
which means it’s time to start planning the next project. That being said, if Homeland gains a large readership, there will certainly be more than three books.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ideas about what
to write after the Homeland have been marinating in my mind for a while now. I’ve
all but decided that it will be sci-fi. I can’t give much away at this point,
but believe it will involve the new Age of Exploration that will ensue once
humanity is capable of harvesting the vast resources of the solar system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will we repeat
the mistakes of the first Age of Discovery? Will we war over territorial claims
and access to vast wealth and resources?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Or will we all get along and share nature’s bounty as one
big human family this time?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Of course not. What fun would that be?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p> In the mean while, here is the trailer for what looks to be a great indie sci-fi movie currently being crowd-funded on indiegogo.com</o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7bROoW_REpY" style="height: 454px; width: 550px;" width="854"></iframe><br /></div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-52277291316734299142016-04-25T13:00:00.000-07:002016-05-02T08:13:57.728-07:00Blade Runner Sequel Set for 2017<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_NuweVfIyq0/Vx4UxPlQiZI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/QZjqkisOE7YhMv7GPqFtYUHADRzkWDjHACLcB/s1600/bladerunner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_NuweVfIyq0/Vx4UxPlQiZI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/QZjqkisOE7YhMv7GPqFtYUHADRzkWDjHACLcB/s400/bladerunner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Alcon Entertainment </span><a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-04/21/blade-runner-sequel-set-for-2017" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">recently announced</span></a> <span style="font-size: large;">a 06 October, 2017 release date for its sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/" target="_blank"><em>Blade Runner</em></a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Harrison Ford has been signed to reprise his role as Rick Deckard. Several other big names are also on board. Ridley Scott is also coming back, but as executive producer this time. Filming is set to begin this this summer.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The original movie was based on the Philip K. Dick novel, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Androids_Dream_of_Electric_Sheep%3F" target="_blank"><em>Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?</em></a><em> </em>It was dark. It was gritty. It was futuristic, yet familiar. It was awesome. It was also a film classic that went on to eclipse the book upon which it was based<em>.</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eogpIG53Cis" style="height: 465px; width: 556px;" width="854"></iframe>
<em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><em> </em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Ironically, the sequel's release date is just two years shy of the 2019 setting of the original movie. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I love the feel of the original. Like I said above, it was futuristic, but so familiar that it was easy to imagine your self in that world, at least for a time. Will the sequel stay true to the best qualities of the original, or will it go the way of Ghostbusters II? That's the real question: Is this a true sequel, or is it an original project with the Blade Runner stamp slapped on it to take advantage of an existing fan base? Let's hope not. But if they start calling it a 'reboot' of the original, then we have our sad, sad answer.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> On the other hand, this could be a worthy return to the gravely, greasy, shady world of the 1982 classic. I sure hope so.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I want to get excited about this one, but we've been burned before. I'll buy my ticket either way.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> What do you think?</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-91280929763746337612016-03-25T01:00:00.000-07:002016-05-02T07:48:44.945-07:00Author Spotlight: Nathan Wall<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Good Friday everyone!</span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today's Author Spotlight shines on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nathan-Wall/e/B00R51LKR4/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1458674986&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Nathan Wall</a>, author of the Evolution of Angels series.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX_iASz1Si8" target="_blank">Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice</a> now showing, we are switching gears a bit to venture into the world of super heroes, their alter egos, and why nobody in the comics/movies can figure them out.</span> </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16pt;">Why no one can figure
out Clark Kent is Superman;</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16pt;">
</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">a writer’s journey into
meaningless research</span></b><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "georgia";">by Nathan Wall</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span></strong> </div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">How
many of you know who Eric Lipton is? No takers? Don’t worry; you’ll see what he
has to do with this article in a bit.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Batman
v. Superman comes out soon and there’s a question that has always plagued my
mind. Why can no one can figure out Clark Kent is Superman? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
comic lore, there’s no short of weird or fantastical explanations—from Clark’s
ability to alter facial muscles to his perception altering glasses. However,
none of the reasons </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGg85QbPC-U"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">given
in the comics are depicted</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> on the silver screen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">So
we’re going to analyze this quandary from as close to a real world perspective as
we can. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll use plausible explanations
(because someone who absorbs solar radiation and turns it into energy to fly is
plausible).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
Man of Steel, Smallville, and briefly in the 1978 film, we begin with Clark in his
hometown interacting with fellow citizens without his trademark glasses, before
eventually growing into the most iconic superhero of all time. If you grow up
around someone, you’re going to remember what they look like. Wouldn’t you? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">We’re
familiar with the tale. A teenage Clark goes on a journey after Pa Kent dies to
learn about his Kyrptonian heritage and train to become Superman. He eventually
returns to civilization in his early 30’s. In the movies, it’s never really
said HOW long Clark is gone, but given his apparent age difference in Donner
film number one, it’s safe to assume 10-12 years has past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Man
of Steel would support this theory. Clark holds many jobs ranging from bus boy
to a deep sea fisherman. He walks from Kansas to somewhere well north of the
Yukon. We never see him do it at supersonic speeds, and it’s likely he never
uses his powers since his whole life was spent trying to blend in. For the sake
of argument, we’ll say 12 years has passed from his time as a teenager to when
he first wears the red cape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now,
you tell me, how many people from high school would you recognize today? I’m
not talking about the one’s you kept up with. I’m talking about the random ones
who send you Facebook requests and you have to verify a connection through
mutual friends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
if you saw these former classmates from a long distance, moving super fast? You
probably wouldn’t recognize many, if any, of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
world has north of 7 billion people. The chances any one person would run into
Superman is low, much less see him moving at less than the speed of a bullet. If
Superman stayed in just one city all the time (Metropolis) with the population
of 8 million, and saw 100 people a day, what are the chances he would randomly
see the same person twice? For our case, this is a purely random experiment, and
the 100 people are always different until he’s seen them all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well,
it would take him about 220 years to see every single person just once, moving
at supersonic speeds at times. Damn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">You’re
probably going to cry foul. “Clark Kent runs into more than 100 people on his
way to work each day, and those people are often going to be familiar faces
after a while.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s
true, but you have to consider that the regular citizen of Metropolis is going
to assume Superman could be anyone. So we must separate those <u>Clark</u> sees
every day from the number <u>Superman</u> sees every day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">But
wait, there’s more. The average person gets a surge of adrenaline when
something catastrophic happens—like their plane falling out of a sky—and their
memory as a result is jaded or warped. It’s moments like this when someone is most
likely to run into Superman. How much are you going to remember of Superman, other
than he’s tall, muscular, and washes himself with Old Spice? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This
factor is called acute stress and chronic stress. Saving the super-scientific
details like glands and hormones for Film Theory, just know chronic and acute
stress have very powerful affects on memory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">If
you’re randomly running into Superman, you’re using short term memory.
According to Miller’s Law, most people only remember about 5-9 details when
shown a list of items or an event. So how would a clash with Zod in the
financial district affect that number? Well, we’d have to look at Acute Stress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Acute
Stress is the reaction to an immediate perceived threat. There have been mixed
findings which show acute stress can have both negative effects on short term
memory or actually enhance it. However, in order for it to enhance memory, the <u>part
of the brain being affected by stress</u> needs to align with the <u>part of
the brain recording the memory</u>. The stress induction must come BEFORE the
memory starts recording. In other words, for Acute Stress to positively affect
short term memory, many things must happen. Yet, there’s another form of stress
which would trump Acute Stress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chronic
stress affecting the population of Metropolis is an entirely different animal.
Chronic stress is the constant subjection to (you guessed it) stressful events.
Essentially, it puts your body in a continuous state of fight-or-flight,
negatively affecting your ability to learn and remember details. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yikes!
Those poor people of Metropolis. They always have to worry about Darkseid
invading, Braniac infiltrating their power grid, or even massive super
continents built of kryptonite popping up a few miles off shore. </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXdViWVgHq4"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">Wait, we want to forget
that one ever happened?</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Ok. I can’t blame you. Anyway, I’d
certainly say Metropolis lives in a constant state of stress. Simply put, many
people have a </span><a href="http://lifehacker.com/why-your-memory-sucks-and-what-you-can-do-about-it-596782066"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">hard
time remembering the orders and details</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> of a shared event even
if they <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">aren’t</i></b> stressed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For
instance, when police gather information on a child abduction or a store
robbery, they’ll gather info from a large group of bystanders. It’s rare any
two people have the exact same recollection of the event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Consider
when Superman was originally created. Compare it to the last 15-30 years. It
used to be most people stayed close to their hometown after high school. The
media available to us 24/7 wasn’t anything like it is now. That means the
Superman of George Reeves’ era wasn’t dealing with people from Smallville
showing up in Metropolis to see him strut around in blue tights. It’s most
likely no one outside of Metropolis would’ve ever seen video or pictures of him
during that era.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Obviously,
Superman must now account for things like Social Media, the world being more
mobile, facial recognition software and so forth, but at the time of his
creation none of that was an issue. The people from the Daily Planet and
Smallville would know Clark Kent as a bumbling nerd who probably has premature
issues in bed, not some suave muscular god destroying giant robots with his
bare hands. In fact, Superman’s best mask is Clark Kent and those normal glasses.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
can’t help but feel this isn’t done yet. After all, none of this answers why
Lois (outside of MOS) never figured him out, or why Lex Luthor couldn’t put
2&2 together. Maybe there is something else I am missing. Something right
in front of us all in the many different theatrical versions of Superman. Wait
a minute. That’s it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Each
version of Superman is completely different because we’re not looking into a
continuous story. We’re looking into snapshots of multiple realities! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Think
about it. How many super villains is Superman really going to come across in
his career? How many times is it going to be required for him to fight in the
open while hundreds of snapshots are being uploaded to Twitter? It’s likely
only a fraction of a percent of the times Superman is needed to save the day actually
involve a super-powered being. While certainly enough to induce chronic stress,
it’s rare enough that most of his interactions are still going to be him
swooping by too fast to see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">You
can’t identify what you don’t see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s
likely the version of Metropolis we see in the movies is actually a glimpse
into several other realities. Viewers of CW series The Flash know what I mean. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
my opinion, any one Superman from any given version of earth only has one
interaction with Lex Luthor and not multiple, giving him less of a chance to be
identified. Any one Superman is probably only fighting one of Bizaro, Doomsday or
Braniac, and not all of them. How do I come to that conclusion? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well,
in the Dark Knight Saga, Christopher Nolan took a realistic view into the world
of Batman. Over the course of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne
was Batman for six years. I figure that based on the age of Gordon’s kids in BB
vs. TDK. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Over
the span of those six years, Batman only fought two world class villains (Ra’s
al Ghul and The Joker). The rest of the time he took on petty and organized
crime, away from the lights and spectacle of City Surveillance, Police, Eyes of
the Press and Social Media coverage. It was then another 8 years until Bane
showed up, and his 3-4 month rule over Gotham. That’s three super villains in
14 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">So
let’s assume some of the 100 completely random, chronically stressed people who
do get to see Superman up close do so in a situation that doesn’t involve a
villain like Metallo. </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4Q9DEDKZx8"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">We’ll say Superman saves
a kitten from a tree for a little girl</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Surely those people
would remember Superman’s face and figure out he’s Clark Kent! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Um,
no. Remember Eric Lipton? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Clark
Kent is a news reporter for the Daily Planet, not an on air personality. He
also does his research all over the globe. How many investigative journalists
who do pieces on Mayan ruins do you know of, much less would recognize on the
street? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
2015, </span><a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/eric_lipton/index.html"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">Eric
Lipton of the New York Times won the Pulitzer Prize</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">.
This is the most prestigious award in Clark Kent’s field of business. I had to
Google Lipton’s picture to know who he was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Holy
CRAP! Look at Eric’s picture! If it weren’t for those geeky glasses and
haircut, he could be…No. No f*cking way! Ladies and gentleman, have we found
Superman? Can’t be. Superman doesn’t NEED a secret identity. He’s always
Superman! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the exact mentality of the
people in Metropolis. They just don’t believe a guy like Superman is doing anything
other than being Super. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
conclusion, let’s examine the facts. Most encounters with Superman will involve
him moving too fast to be noticed. Even if Superman runs into 300 random people
a day, it’s going to take more than the average American lifespan to see them
all more than once. Factors like chronic and acute stress are going to warp
people’s already fragile memory. Furthermore, not many people would know what
Clark Kent looks like in order to compare his appearance with Superman, if they
even thought Superman had a secret identity at all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">When
factoring in all these modifiers, it’s pretty amazing Lois was able to figure
out Clark’s identity in Man of Steel. In order to avoid future detection, all
Superman has to do is not fly into highly populated areas and stand reverently
with a sad expression on his face while hundreds of people touch him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/26/henry-cavill-explains-superhero-beef-batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">Oh
balls.</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
hope you enjoyed the article. If you did, please give it a share with the
hashtags #EricLiptonIsClarkKent<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>#WhoIsSuperman #BatmanvSuperman #IndieAuthorsRule #DoThisFilmTheory
#DawnofJustice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Perhaps
y’all will check out my book series “Evolution of Angels.” The latest book in
the series “Artificial Light” was released on February 10, 2016. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please follow me on Twitter @NathanKnwSports
and at Facebook.com/evolutionofangels<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Thank you for that thought provoking piece, Nathan. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask a few questions about writing and such...</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Firstly,
thank you for appearing on the blog to talk about your writing, research, and
some intriguing thoughts on Superman’s alter ego.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
I’m very appreciative of this opportunity.
Any chance I can have to reach a new audience, I’ll happily take it. I want to
also use this opportunity to let everyone know that my latest novel,
“Artificial Light” will be available for a free Kindle download on April 1<sup>st</sup>.
It is part of the Goodreads group “<a href="file:///C:/Users/Rob/Documents/Rob/Writing/Blogs/events.supportindieauthors.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0563c1;">SupportFor Indie Authors</span></a>,” larger giveaway. If my book isn’t exactly up your
aisle, you’ll probably find something that fascinates you. Please check it out
and support aspiring writers, even if it isn’t me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It’s
obvious that you have done some very in-depth thought and analysis as to why
nobody in Metropolis can figure it out that Clark Kent and Superman are one and
the same. What motivated you to go the extra mile to find this answer?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
For one the movie Batman v. Superman is
coming out. I thought the subject timely. A lot of people might be searching
Google for details on Superman, and perhaps scouring the Twittersphere for
anything related to the Man of Steel. Also, it’s a question you hear asked often
along with “how does Superman shave?” Superman was the first modern day
superhero and by far and away the most iconic, which hurts a little given my
affinity for Batman. Yet, aside from his red undies being outside his pants
(which has recently been changed) everyone always makes fun of his disguise. In
fact, as Henry Cavil recently showed, the glasses are actually more than
enough.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It
sounds like you enjoy learning the psychology (as in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i>) of characters’ behaviors and thoughts. Does this research
affect your own writing? How?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
I’m not as far into psychology as you
might think. I’m no expert on Freud. I tend to believe too much research can
hinder creativity. However, I do like dissecting the “why” characters do what
they do. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
Humans are naturally motivated. Even the
slacker at home, playing Xbox while stuffing his face with cheetos is motivated
by something. Motivations, more so than religion, politics, ethnicity, gender,
or whatever have you, define who we are and what we become. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
For fiction to be entertaining, you need
well established motivations that clash. The most popular series going right
now is Game of Thrones. The interesting characters have complex motivations.
It’s not just them being humble, sarcastic, or pious, but what fuels their
drive. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">At
the beginning of your post, you also mention the large amount of research you
conduct as a part of your writing. How much research do you perform on an
average book?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
Would “a lot” be an acceptable answer?
Haha. For my latest book, I did research on Hindu and Egpytian Mythology, along
with Time Dilation, the different forces (Gravity, both Nuclear, etc) and the
Fermi Paradox. I added this to research from the previous novels. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
As I said earlier, too much research can
be a bad thing. After all, how silly does the original Independence Day movie
look now? Basically, what amounts to MSdos took down an advanced alien warship.
That same computer would have a hard time affecting any of our current day
technology, yet it disabled a civilization that’s far beyond what we currently
have today? <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
The best thing is to do basic fact
research and build your fiction in the plausible, but so far advanced that
current technology never outpaces it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
worst thing would be to base my world firmly in string theory and have that
disproven 10 years from now. That’s my thought, anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It
sounds like you write hard sci-fi but also enjoy the lighter stuff such as
comic books and pulp fiction. What do you read? Why?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
I wouldn’t say I write hard SF. As the
books go on, they certainly incorporate more of those elements. There are still
plenty of explosions, breaking arms and betrayal for the average reader. I’m
not busting unintelligible techno babble. I want to appeal to a wide range of
readers. So far, from my reviews, I appear to have done that. Certainly if you
like SF details, this series will have that for you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
I’ll read anything. For the first book in
my series, I wanted to have something a little more militaristic. So I read
thrillers and books dealing with military espionage. For book two, I went in a
paranormal mystery direction, so the Dresden Files was a handy reference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
The next book in my series is a mix of
Spartacus (the tv show) and Stargate, but with Angels and characters from
Norse, Mayan, Yoruba and other mythologies. So, the first Hunger Games is
coming in useful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tell
us about the world of your Evolution of Angels books.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
The series title can be taken literally.
It’s an Evolution of what we expect from Angels. The general premise is that
gods of ancient religions were one-time angels. Things like minotaurs and
werewolves exist, but they exist from science experimentation and not
supernatural means. Demigods (Zues and his ilk breeding with mankind) and
Nephilim (fallen angels fornicated with the daughters of man) become one and
the same. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
In Artificial Light, New Zion is a
garrison. Swarga Loka is a hidden planet. In book 4, Helheim is a gladiator
arena and Tartarus is a trading post for prisoners, slaves and gladiators. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
In book 1, Evolution of Angels, the series
title was a little more on the nose. The book dealt with soldiers undergoing
the “Double-Helix” project in order to activate latent angelic DNA. Because
this DNA is brought out, they can use special weapons that are only activated
when in contact with angel DNA. That idea was influenced by a paper I read stating
humans have genes passed on by Neanderthals, but in varying degrees. I figured,
well why not angels? So the story was really about the next wave of
angels—their evolution.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Is
there a recurring theme in your writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
Each book builds on the themes of the
last, but then focuses on something specific for its story. While Artificial
Light dealt with fate vs. free will (book 1 theme) and one’s sense of purpose
(book 2 theme), its primary directive was to explore how far someone would go
to fight for what they believe in. Sometimes you risk becoming a villain in
order to be the hero. At what point do you stop and take notice of what you’re
doing? When is your fight no longer worth it, or no longer what you thought
it’d be? <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
I don’t set out to write my books with a
particular theme in mind. Books that do that tend to be too heavy handed. I
also subscribe to the belief that themes and morals gleaned from texts aren’t always
what the author intended, but what the reader interprets. After all, we can’t
very well ask Robert Frost what he meant by his poem The Road Not Taken.
Whatever he intended doesn’t matter, he’s dead. What’s important is what it
means to us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Your
covers are well done. Do you compose them or hire it out?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
I like to draw, but I’m not nearly that
good. I suck it up and hire them out. I’m an indie writer, but I want to
compete with trads in every way possible. I hire beta readers, editors and
artists. I want my book professional. It needs to pass every test a big 5 (or
is it 4 now, can never keep up) publisher would put it through. That doesn’t
mean mistakes aren’t made, but I don’t want the fact I’m an indie to be an
excuse for lack of quality. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
Don’t take that as me putting down someone
with a lesser cover, or who self edits. Sometimes finances get in the way, and
other people are better at dissecting their own work. For me, to get it where I
feel proud of it, I seek professional help. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What
inspired you to start writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
I’m a naturally artistic and creative
person. I write music and play many instruments. I do video and film. From a
young age, though, I was always a story teller. When I’d play with action
figures, I’d perform epic storylines. Most boys would just take Batman and slam
him into the Joker. Not with me. There needed to be a purpose. That eventually
morphed into writing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
I like writing the most out of my hobbies
because I can do it anytime, and I can control every aspect of it. I tried
working on scripts with other writers and directors, or compose a song
collectively with a band, but ultimately their influence just got in the way
and worked against whatever vision I had. Being a lone wolf works great for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lastly, what do you hope to accomplish as a
writer?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
At this point, I’d settle for consistent
reviews. Haha.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
I used to have dreams of being a Richard
Castle, or the next GRRM and converting my series into an HBO show, but now I
just hope to leave something behind for my descendants to look at and go “wow,
I’m related to him!” <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
My father is really big into Ancestry.com.
He did the DNA test and traced our heritage back quite a ways. I’ve got two
ancestors from the Mayflower, many who fought in the revolutionary war, others settled
Texas before it was popular, and even some involved in the crusades. William
the Conqueror is in my bloodline. I’m related to the guy that Mel Gibson’s
character in the Patriot was based off of. How freaking awesome is that?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
Yet, the more he finds out, the more I’m enamored
with just seemingly anonymous individuals who settled Alabama, or migrated from
Scandinavia to England and Ireland. These are people who were just living their
lives and never thought someone 500 years down the line would be learning about
them, or taking an interest. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
I love the Marcus Aurelius quote “What we
do now echoes in eternity.” That’s so true. When I’m long gone, and my
grandkids eight generations from now on some Moon colony in another galaxy swab
their DNA, and find out they have an ancestor from what was once called Texas,
I want them to be able to pull up my stories and have a connection (because
humanity deemed it one of the 100 texts worthy of saving from global annihilation).
I want them to be able to read into my soul and get an understanding of where they
came from. This is my chance to speak to them through history. My thoughts,
dreams and words are time traveling!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">
When you think about it, it’s kind of
appropriate that my book deals with Angels, humans, history and bloodlines. In
a way, my books are a manifestation of my story ideas. Instead of leaving
behind prophecies and special abilities, I’m leaving behind the written word.
My father’s love for discovering our past is mirrored in my love for crafting
futuristic interpretations of it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks
again to you, Rob for the interview and allowing for the incredibly
long guest post.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks again for visiting the Assembly Area, Nathan and best of luck in your writing career. Please keep us posted!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: large;"></span><br />
</div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-32611762026241797982016-03-24T01:00:00.000-07:002016-05-03T06:16:14.254-07:00A Conversation about Writing, Dystopia, and the End of the World (Part 2)<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here’s the conclusion of </span><a href="http://ramathis.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="All This and Civil War Two"><span style="font-size: x-large;">our discussion</span></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"> of <em>Homeland: Falling Down</em>, and the trends which inspired it.</span></h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: So, whether faced with our own military or with modern-day Hessians under globalist command (assuming the 3 percenters have prepped adequately enough to avoid being simply starved to death) with no support from a foreign ally and probably without popular support, how viable do you consider a guerilla resistance effort to be?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: You mention in <em>False Flag</em> that no insurgency has ever won without foreign intervention and popular support, which I thought was a very good point. The two things America has to counter that are the 2nd Amendment and the 2008 election of the best gun salesman the country has ever seen. We have over 300 million citizens and about as many firearms in this country. We are also buying up ammo as fast as it can be produced (at least what is left over after DHS gets their share). Combine that with hundreds of thousands of highly trained combat veterans scattered to every part of the country, and the odds don’t look so long.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">(HENRY BROWN: What a coincidence that veterans, patriots and gun owners top the list of potential “domestic terrorists” the government is most worried about, eh?)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: This alludes to the working title of book three, “Every Blade of Grass.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: How appropriate–</span><a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120702102457AAZi51c" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">that very quote</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> (whoever said it) was just going through my mind as your words sunk in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: I think the success of a resistance would vary by region. Rural areas would be virtual no-go zones for regime forces. Some urban areas may just welcome them like the Vichy French.<br /> It seems to me that the biggest problem for the resistance would be the lack of electricity. If the regime restored power to each region as it was brought into compliance, it could make for effective deadly propaganda against the resistance. It’s the old “freedom vs security” dilemma on steroids. I’m not sure which way the populace would go in that case, especially in winter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Very good point. Most people take electricity for granted. Few of us have any concept of what a struggle life will be without it. And that’s even without somebody intentionally trying to kill you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: How would you go about establishing a resistance? Could it succeed?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: That endeavor would be a kettle of quandaries stuffed full of dilemmas and wrapped in Catch-22s. What I would encourage is a cellular structure perhaps similar to the French Underground or other successful resistance movements. But if it <strong>is</strong> successful, at some point it would have to take the offensive. And that would require somewhat centralized leadership–anathema to the principles hopefully held by those who constitute such a movement. That would require very rare leadership–willing to step down and surrender the reins of power when victory was secured–as George Washington did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Could it succeed? Yes. But it would be an uphill struggle from start to finish, with no room for mistakes at the strategic level. At a tactical level I like its chances a little better, partly because of the points you made.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In <em>Falling Down</em>, Cole’s father, Hank, is an honest cop. In my experience that’s a rare, dying breed. But now and then I come across memes regarding certain sheriffs who have gone on record stating they will not comply with unconstitutional orders from the Feds, including civilian disarmament. As with the military, I’m skeptical that many who wear the badge will honor their oaths at crunch time. How do you see it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: Again, I think this may be regional. I believe small town sheriffs would be more likely to resist the regime as they personally know most of the people they would be asked to arrest, kill, etc. The impersonal nature of bigger cities allows collaborators to see numbers rather than real people. </span><a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/josephstal137476.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Like Stalin said</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, “The death of one man is a tragedy…”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Of course, there would be exceptions on both sides of the spectrum. And we must always remember that power not only corrupts, it draws the corrupt.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">That last sentence ran through my mind as I read the McMillan scenes in <em>False Flag</em>. You mention window tint citations a few times in regard to this trooper. Was this character and situation inspired by actual events?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Actually, yes. I made friends with a state trooper a few years back. Unlikely, but true. Stories he shared fit with things I’ve heard from other cops and ex-cops. Basically, somebody with a badge can make your life hell now for any reason at all. Window tinting was one of the specific excuses he used to harass people and help eat out our substance. And that BS fits thematically so well, because the Surveillance State just <strong>HATES</strong> it when something impedes their invasion of our privacy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In <em>Homeland: Falling Down,</em> Cole strikes me as a character who’s just an honest soldier who wants to do his duty and avoids politics like the Plague. First of all, is this an accurate assessment?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: Yes. Like most people, he just wants to be left alone. But also like most people, politics affects him in huge ways, whether he likes it or not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Like the saying goes: You may not be interested in politics, but politics sure has a keen interest in you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: I found your character Adiur rather fascinating. His connection to Greeley, the secret government training program, the other members of his unit with equally unusual qualities and names. Can you go into detail about this character and your inspiration for him?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: This goes back to my research on the occult and mind control, again. There are documented cases of this kind of thing, including superhuman strength, drastic voice changes, change in spoken language, and being oblivious to pain. There’s other bizarre stuff like “remote viewing” and “automatic writing,” too, but I don’t know much about those phenomena yet. Anyway, molestation as a child is pretty common in these “sleeper agents” and sex acts are incorporated into the occultic rituals for adults, too. This is where Greely comes in.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It’s all pretty horrific stuff, which is why I left it behind closed doors, and only implied “vanilla” sex, at that.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Is Cole based to any degree on some particular individual?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: He is the personification of the dilemma faced by our troops in such a time. Hank is the same, but for civilian authorities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’ll ask you the same thing about Greeley and Adiur.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Greely and Handel are amalgam characters, based on different people I’ve known and met. I’ve never been involved in drugs or the occult, but I’ve rubbed elbows with others who were. Neither of these characters are what they seem to be on the surface. Greely appears to be the sultry cougar-type “strong independent woman.” She’s the object-of-every-schoolboy’s fantasy. But deep inside she’s a sick tool who is about as independent as a marionette.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Handel’s façade is perhaps just Joe Blow Normal Dude. He’s handsome, clean, in his prime, average intelligence, a “good person” on paper…but there’s more to him than superficial observation would ever indicate. He’s been horribly abused since childhood and doesn’t even know it. He’s fractured. At the risk of spoilers, he has been conditioned to surrender his will and his body over to be used as a vehicle by Adiur–a malicious personality given access to Handel when his psyche was fractured.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I don’t know for sure that anyone I’ve ever met was a bona fide MPD. But I’ve known some guys who were blank slates like Handel, susceptible to that sort of conditioning in my opinion. Such a person has a hole in their soul, and nature abhors a vacuum.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">When you first introduced Eduardo in <em>Falling Down</em>, I couldn’t help thinking of Geraldo Rivera. But as the story progressed, I shelved the connection. You really drew a 3-dimensional character in him. He’s a disingenuous self-promoting media whore on the one hand, but he proves to have streaks of decency as well. Congrats on that, BTW. What were your thoughts when you conceived the character, and did he wind up like you first envisioned him?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: He actually was inspired partly by Rivera, especially after I saw how Geraldo behaved on Celebrity Apprentice (not a good look for him). He represents exactly what you stated: the self-serving, headline-grabbing media. He doesnt care if his reporting is biased or disingenuous. The next step in his career is all that matter to him. Hes not an ideologue, but he will toe the line and support the narrative his superiors provide to get ahead. He is a tool (in more ways than one).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />It's interesting that you ask if he is winding up as I first imagined him. I like the question because it implies Eduardo has a life of his own and makes his own choices. As a writer, that's when I know I'm onto something . When I stop directing the characters and let them do their thing, writing down what I observe. That's when it's most fun. I don't know what Eduardo will do or how he will turn out. How will he react when he discovers the true nature of the regime? I don't know. He is a bit of a wild card.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Definitely onto something. He lives, breathes, sweats and stinks. Seriously: kudos. Very well-drawn character.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Will the presidential candidate from the prologue appear again in subsequent books?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: The candidate, Martha Jefferson, will have a big roll down the road. And that road is gonna be a rough one.<br /> The assassin’s “little green book” will be a factor going forward.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: How many books do you think the <em>Homeland</em> series will last?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: Right now I'm thinking at least three, maybe four. It really depends on where the characters take the story…and sales (You’re laughing–I’m not laughing).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Not laughing, really. Just smiling. But think of it as a smile of solidarity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Is there anything you’d like to share about <em>Executive Order</em>?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: Yes. President Tophet is just getting started. If you thought things are bad now, just wait.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Can you give a hint as to what is in store for the next <em>Retreads</em> book?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: I haven’t woven it all together completely yet in the cobweb of my mind, but there’s got to be a showdown between Adiur and Tommy Scarred Wolf. Also between McCallum and either Rennenkampf or Cannonball. The latter would be more dramatic. An EMP. Grid down. Starvation. Dissident extraction. Internment camps. The clergy response team. Jihadi terror cells completely unleashed. Texas secedes. Rocco and his crew take in some refugees. Clashes with occupation forces. And, oh yeah: World War Three. That’s a few off the top of my head.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Changing gears a bit, where did the idea for </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B009D4I902/twofistblog-20" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><em>Ghosts of Babylon</em></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> come from?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: A few months before deploying to Iraq, I found a picture of my grandfather taken in Germany during WW2. With the photo was a note written on the tissue paper issued to GIs to write home with in those days. He had just learned of Germany's surrender and was looking forward to coming home and not sleeping in a foxhole anymore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wished I had more. More of his experiences. More of his thoughts and feelings. More of him.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />So I kept a journal during my </span><span style="font-size: large;">Iraq deployment so my family would have more than a picture and a note decades from then. When I finally got back home, I started writing, using the journal as the basis for a memoir. It was partly self-therapy and partly out of a desire to pass my experiences down to my children while they were still fresh on my mind.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /> It eventually morphed into a novel. I still don't know why. Maybe there were things I needed to say that could only be said through fiction. In any case, it eventually turned into <em>Ghosts of Babylon</em>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We all begin writing for different reasons. I once read that no one writes because they are happy. What inspired you to start writing?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: First of all, that is a cool story unto itself. Thanks for sharing that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As for me and writing, I’ve always had an active imagination, for one. Also, from a very young age, no matter how much I liked a story (either on film or on paper) I saw room for improvement. “It would have been even better if this was changed, that was tweaked, if so-and-so would have said/done such and such…” At least that motivated me in my first creative efforts.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I kind of did that with real stuff throughout my life, too. “Hey, what just happened would make an intense scene in such-and-such type of story.” Or, “Oh wow–check that out! I’d love to be able to capture what I’m seeing/feeling right now and reproduce it.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There have been times when I really should have been completely focused on reality and my part of whatever task was at hand, but part of my mind was already busy plagiarizing the situation. Somebody once called me “a cultural scavenger.” I still have mixed emotions about that remark. Maybe he meant it as a compliment, but it still seems a bit insulting. Nevertheless, there must be some truth to it, since I’m constantly compelled to weave fragments of life experiences together into stories (which are much more exciting than real life).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In fact, that’s still at work today, in yarns like </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00X6B4RVS/twofistblog-20" target="_blank"><em><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">False Flag</span></em></a><span style="font-size: large;">. All these trends are converging toward a perfect storm that promises a bleak future and an end to life as we know it…so why not insert some guys like the Retreads, who won’t take it lying down, no matter the odds. Islands of integrity in a world of treachery. They’ve got the skills and wits to bring smoke on some scumbags in the process. And most important, they’re compelled to try to make a difference.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You strike me as a voracious reader. I sure used to be. When I was on active duty, when possible, I always had a paperback stashed in my cargo pocket or rucksack, for the inevitable “wait” phase of the old hurry-up-and-wait S.O.P. Did you keep a book stashed in your tank?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: I read a little of everything. I especially enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, history, philosophy, and even a little horror. Unfortunately, working and writing leave far less time for reading than I would like. I read as much as I can, but am frustratingly slow at it. I often supplement reading with audio books and YouTube.<br /> I usually had a book handy in the Army, but never got to read it on the tank as I was the platoon leader and barely found time to eat and sleep during operations. But I read constantly during after-operation downtime. Like you, there were also the times waiting on the tarmac for a flight, leaning on my rucksack, stealing a few pages here and there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Oh yeah, I got a lot of reading done sitting around Green Ramp in my lower enlisted days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: What do you enjoy reading most?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Excepting horror and philosophy, the same ones you listed, plus classic pulp; westerns; war (fiction and non); military history; and various & sundry fare from the blogosphere in the “neomasculine” genre.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Have you/do you read SHTF or TEOTWAWKI fiction from other authors? If so, which do you recommend? (Some authors I recently discovered, who have written some enjoyable books, are “Joe Nobody” and Mark Goodwin. I’m curious about “A. American” and some others, but haven’t taken a chance on them yet.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: Oddly enough, I haven’t read many other SHTF works other than <em>False Flag</em> (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and a bit of James Wesley Rawles first book, <em>Patriots</em>. I want to keep <em>Homeland</em> original as possible, so I’m avoiding similar works right now. I do plan to read them once I’m a little further into the <em>Homeland</em> series.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Interesting. It seems that it’s paying off–</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01BFF18YK/twofistblog-20" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-size: large;">Falling Down</span></em></a><span style="font-size: large;"> did not seem derivative or imitative of any other SHTF works I’ve read. And thanks for that!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /> I read </span><a href="http://twofistedblogger.blogspot.com/2010/11/james-wesley-rawles-survivalist-manual.html" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-size: large;">Patriots</span></em></a><span style="font-size: large;"> as well, and have considered trying more of Rawles’ fiction…but haven’t, yet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: Which authors do you recommend I start with?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Me, of course. But seriously, you might want to try “</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00H702R1G/twofistblog-20" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Joe Nobody</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">“–he blends prepping info into his narratives fairly well. The protagonist in the ones I read was easy to root for. The action was believable. Overall a good read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: Thank you again for having me, Hank. Your questions were enjoyable and thought provoking. I truly enjoyed them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Hey, same here. We should do this again some time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: That's a deal.</span>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-7535872814317393442016-03-23T01:00:00.000-07:002016-05-03T06:16:32.212-07:00A Conversation about Writing, Dystopia, and the End of the World (Part 1)<span style="font-size: x-large;">I was recently interviewed by author, Henry Brown for his blog, <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/" target="_blank">Virtual Pulp</a>. The interview turned into a running discussion about writing, dystopia, and worst-case scenarios.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here is part 1:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: First of all, thanks for agreeing to do the interview.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: Thank you for having me, Hank.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: After reading <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Babylon-R-Mathis-ebook/dp/B009D4I902/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Ghosts of Babylon</a></em>, I guess I assumed you might follow up with something similar, or possibly move on to more mainstream literature. What made you decide to spin a SHTF yarn?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: I wrote <em>Ghosts of Babylon</em> because I had to. It began as an effort to mentally sort out my Iraq experience. The <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/HOMELAND-Falling-Down-Part-ebook/dp/B01BFF18YK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Homeland</a></em> series is the same.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /> The seed was formed from the occasional news story of another general being fired for questionable reasons, a new executive order being announced, or the IRS being used as a weapon. That seed took root as these stories began to appear with alarming regularity. I thought it was just me being a bit paranoid, so put it aside and kept my mouth shut. But then I noticed others voicing the same concerns, both on the street and even in the popular media.<br /> The last straw dropped when a guy came to our house to work on the air conditioner. We struck up a conversation as he worked. He told me that he was mortally afraid of the government. That’s when I began to realize how widespread the concern really was. (As a side note, I believe this sentiment is a contributor to the current election cycle’s rebellion against all things establishment.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">(HENRY BROWN: I would have to agree. And on the one hand it’s about time. But on the other…it seems to me that the pent-up outrage, now that it’s finally loose, is proving to be misdirected in many quarters.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: <em>Homeland</em> is an attempt to test the thesis, to mentally sort it out as a kind of mental experiment. Unfortunately, the thesis is proving all too plausible.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On a similar note, I noticed your Retreads series has gone from pulpy men’s adventure to a more serious SHTF genre. Why the shift?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: I’m not sure I can answer that in a way that makes sense to others, but I’ll try. Some of the times I’ve been happiest in life were when I had my head stuck in the sand–either voluntarily or unintentionally. That applies to the writing partition of my life, too. My whole experiment in men’s fiction was partly an effort to relive the fun and the rush of adventure lived vicariously through characters in some of the novels I read as a kid and young man. Better yet: to pass that experience along to new readers. Such was my ambition. (And yet, I couldn’t go Full Ostrich all the way–in <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Henry-Brown/e/B004CC3LMG/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1" target="_blank">Hell & Gone</a></em> you can already see the government attitude–through the goons in their alphabet soup agencies–that certain law-abiding Americans are more dangerous than actual terrorists. In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Henry-Brown/e/B004CC3LMG/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1" target="_blank"><em>Tier Zero</em> </a>I sort of laid the ground work for <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Henry-Brown/e/B004CC3LMG/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1" target="_blank">False Flag</a></em> by introducing some ugly little secrets of black ops, and how, if Washington doesn’t have a convenient one to exploit, our would-be rulers are willing to manufacture a crisis as an excuse for the next power grab in their agenda.) But I got to the point where I just couldn’t swallow the blue pill anymore.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I see the world around me drowning in deception. People who recognize this must not let the truth be buried. We have to shout it from the rooftops as best we can, despite the odds. If those sound like the words of a maniac, well, so be it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I guess I should mention that I’ve had it in mind to write apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic fiction for a long time–but something a little less heavy, like the <em>Last Ranger</em> series or <em>Doomsday Warrior</em> before it (only without the mutants, the Zen philsophy and the weird psychodelic acid trip scenes). However, taking stock of the situation facing us in America, people need to wake up; not be somnambulized into maintaining their complacency.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Retreads were established characters, who I and some readers really liked. If I could choose anybody to guard my flanks when facing Armageddon, it would be guys like them. After all, they were staring down the barrel of WWIII from their very debut, and handled it pretty well. At the same time, I knew that pulling out all the stops politically would piss off some readers who liked the previous books. Oh well. Life is too short and freedom is too precious to lose sleep over whether I offended somebody or not. I get offended constantly in books and movies. Suck it up and drive on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aren’t you sorry you asked that question, now?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">When you introduced the DHS involvement with the regular army in <em>Falling Down</em>, it made perfect sense and I wondered why it hadn’t been done before (my own excuse is that I haven’t yet depicted conventional national military forces). After all, the Red Army had its political officers–military commisars or whatever, feared by all the regular soldiers. Same with the Soviet Navy. The Wermacht was, to an extent, gripped by terror due to the SS and Gestapo. Compared to me, your active duty experience is very up-to-date. Did you witness anything first-hand that confirmed for you this scenario will play out in a SHTF scenario?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: You are exactly right about the Soviet commissars being the basis for the DHS “advisors” assigned to active units in the book. In fact, an important parameter of my “thought experiment” mentioned above is that there must be historical precedence for the events in the book, especially in the actions taken by the government. Knowing that the new regime would be suspicious, or even hostile, toward the military, commissars assigned to keep the troops in line would be a top priority. If you put yourself in the regime’s shoes, the DHS seemed like a perfect fit.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /> My first-hand military experience ended in 2006, before our current President took office. At that time, the political correctness machine was already in full swing, but I never experienced blatant meddling by civilian agents. That being said, the amount and pace of social engineering forced upon our men and women in uniform since then is both staggering and alarming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is something I found interesting as I read <em>False Flag</em>. The occult ceremonies woven into the plot and connected with the tier-zero units and other operatives. Can you go into more detail about their purpose to the regime and why you included them in the story? Also, are these ceremonies simply mind control, or are they really colluding with unseen forces?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Well, now you’ve done it. If people didn’t believe me to be a tinfoil hat whack-job already…</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This angle came entirely from my research, which encompassed everything from MK Ultra and Monarch to “satanic ritual abuse.” I followed the leads where they led and was astonished to discover how interconnected it all is. It all sounds crazy on the surface–some of it as if inspired by a B-horror movie or bad sci-fi. And don’t get me wrong–there are a lot of cockamamie wive’s tales out there. Unfortunately, much of it is mixed up with things that happen to be true. I could go on at great length on this subject, but will try to pare it down to just a couple aspects.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the first bombshells to land on me was that multiple personality disorder (MPD) can be artificially created in people. And I’m understating the fact here, because some who have studied it much more than I have will tell you that EVERY case of MPD was manufactured by high level experts in cognitive sciences; and furthermore, that they do so with a common denominator of ulterior motives, and with government funding.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of those same folks will tell you that there absolutely are unseen forces at work. Certain spiritual beings are always looking for a body to occupy, and when a personality is split, they are given entry. This is stuff I don’t really want to believe. I’ve never been obsessed with UFOs, vampires, werewolves or witchcraft. I don’t watch “ghost hunter” shows or think zombies (as depicted in pop culture recently) are very credible. In most of the churches I’ve ever attended, great pains were made to downplay the supernatural in the Bible, and remove the paranormal/supernatural from the Christian worldview. Frankly, that tendency rubbed off on me, so I’ve never taken that stuff seriously most of my life. That is beginning to change. I’m at the point now that I do see a spiritual/occultic aspect to the postwar mind control efforts. But not many rational people can swallow that–which I certainly understand. What I tried to do was write that subplot in an ambiguous enough manner that the reader can take it whichever way they are most comfortable with–either just advanced brain-screwing built on the discoveries of the Nazi mind control pioneers with occultic trappings to make the victims believe they’re tapping into some ancient spiritual power; or human scientists carrying out the brain-screwing at the behest of the unseen beings they serve (knowingly or unknowingly). The bottom line for most readers, perhaps, is that it’s fiction. There are plenty of theories even more far out than this in other books or movies, and people suspend their disbelief for the sake of entertainment. Frankly, I’d love to be proven wrong about a lot of stuff I’ve said both on this blog and in my books.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As to what purpose our domestic enemies would have for such individuals…when you take stock of what they are doing and still intend to do, sleeper agents they can activate like flipping a switch can come in very handy. Especially in false flags. The cream of the crop could be held in reserve for really big jobs–high profile assassinations, for instance; while the unstable sleepers can be used as cannon fodder in the school-shooting-of-the-week. One investigator has discovered that many of the MPD cases are part of a “super soldier” program, which makes sense when you consider that the mind control endeavors in North America took over where the Nazi scientists left off. Pretty scary, if true.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You mentioned how the purge of the US high command partly inspired you to write </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01BFF18YK/twofistblog-20" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-size: large;">Falling Down</span></em></a><span style="font-size: large;">. In my own SHTF book, that purge of field grade officers (which began in earnest about 2009) also plays a part. First off, I’m curious how the average Joe in the ranks feels about this today, as well as the junior grade officers. Secondly, you wrote it in such a way as to suggest that Colonel Lee bugged out before being nabbed by the DHS. Are we going to see him again in future installments?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: On the purge subject: Like the old saying goes, you can’t fool the troops. I still have friends in uniform. They see the attack dogs ejected while the lapdogs are promoted. It has an adverse effect on morale across the width and breadth of the active force.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /> Yes, we will see more of Colonel Lee. Good catch on that one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: Considering those purges, among other things, what is your general gut feeling about whether the regular military will hesitate to make war on American citizens?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: That is why I included Cole in the book. I needed to see the situation through the eyes of a soldier. I don’t think they will obey that type of order, the outstanding conduct of our troops in the Middle East (with very few exceptions) over the last 13 years will testify to that. But what if extreme coercion is applied? In Homeland, all military families are brought on base when it hits the fan. This allows the soldiers to focus on their jobs, knowing that their wives and children are protected and cared for. However, this move also gives the regime leverage. If a soldier refuses to commit atrocities, his family may be forfeit. That kind of pressure is enough to make good men do very bad things. I do not envy our troops in such a situation. The same tactic can be used on just about anybody. This was a key tool of the totalitarian regimes in the last century. I don’t see why future regimes would stop using it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: I don’t envy them either. In fact, rarely does a day go by anymore that I don’t find myself opining that I couldn’t be a part of what the military has become. It is no place for a patriot, or even for a good soldier anymore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: What are your thoughts on the likelihood of the American military making war on its own citizens?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: No offense, but in my experience officers often have a perspective on situations and shared experience that is rosier than the grunts see it. I’ve been on the enlisted side and could write quite a hatchet-job on the rank-and-file, even back in my day and even in an elite unit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It boils down to this: kids growing up in the USA have no appreciation for how good we’ve had it here. They not only take our freedom and rights for granted, they are conditioned to have contempt for America. Very few of them resist that conditioning. Those people grow up and join the armed forces and, big surprise, the motivation is rarely patriotism. It’s for college money and job training. And that’s how the recruiting commercials pitch it. They throw bait out for mercenaries and that’s what they get. (But perhaps many did join in the months/years after 9/11 for a more altruistic motive).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Career soldiers would just as easily fight for any cause and as part of any army. That’s the impression I got of the average G.I.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">All officers have some generic pretense of honor, but when the rubber meets the road, most officers and NCOs are serving their career ambitions, not their country. Some are better than others, but those who rise to the top are nothing more than uniformed politicians.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/steuben.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Baron Von Steuben</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> gave us quite the compliment when he illustrated the uniqueness of the American soldier (unlike any other soldier who receives an order and automatically complies, Americans had to have confidence in the motive behind the order before they would comply). This is definitely no longer the case.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">All of this was bad enough when I wore the uniform; I’m sure it’s much worse now. Thank God there are exceptions. But what few good soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen remain are either being purged, or forced out by the increasingly hostile environment the military is being transformed into. So yes: I’m afraid most will fire on American civilians, and with little hesitation–especially with the added head games they are sure to get immediately prior. I would love to be proven wrong, but won’t hold my breath.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, whether faced with our own military or with modern-day Hessians under globalist command (assuming the 3 percenters have prepped adequately enough to avoid being simply starved to death) with no support from a foreign ally and probably without popular support, how viable do you consider a guerilla resistance effort to be?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: You mention in <em>False Flag</em> that no insurgency has ever won without foreign intervention and popular support, which I thought was a very good point. The two things America has to counter that are the 2nd Amendment and the 2008 election of the best gun salesman the country has ever seen. We have over 300 million citizens and about as many firearms in this country. We are also buying up ammo as fast as it can be produced (at least what is left over after DHS gets their share). Combine that with hundreds of thousands of highly trained combat veterans scattered to every part of the country, and the odds don’t look so long.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">(HENRY BROWN: What a coincidence that veterans, patriots and gun owners top the list of potential “domestic terrorists” the government is most worried about, eh?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: This alludes to the working title of Book Three, “Every Blade of Grass.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HENRY BROWN: How appropriate–</span><a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120702102457AAZi51c" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">that very quote</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> (whoever said it) was just going through my mind as your words sunk in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">R.A. MATHIS: I think the success of a resistance would vary by region. Rural areas would be virtual no-go zones for regime forces. Some urban areas may just welcome them like the Vichy French.<br /> It seems to me that the biggest problem for the resistance would be the lack of electricity. If the regime restored power to each region as it was brought into compliance, it could make for effective deadly propaganda against the resistance. It’s the old “freedom vs security” dilemma on steroids. I’m not sure which way the populace would go in that case, especially in winter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> That’s about the halfway mark. Look for the rest of the discussion tomorrow. – Rob</span></h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2016/03/15/falling-down-homeland-1/" target="_blank">Click here to read Hank's review of HOMELAND: Falling Down.</a></span>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-75615609057195306492016-03-22T05:00:00.000-07:002016-05-02T07:47:58.009-07:00Author Spotlight: Henry Brown<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Henry-Brown/e/B004CC3LMG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Henry Brown Amazon Author Page" border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mU6PJdVSzX4/Vu_0qJfjveI/AAAAAAAAAPo/MGKB1dmLxaMuyuf-cfUPL5Bd9q9ZIcUtg/s640/Henry%2BBrown%2Byoutube-banner.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> Today's Author Spotlight guest is Henry Brown. Henry (or Hank if he likes you) has recently completed the third installment of his 'Retreads' series. This latest book constitutes a new direction for the characters and the franchise in general, but I'll let Hank tell you more about that.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">According to his Amazon bio: "Henry Brown was born to a fierce Mongol chieftain and a mighty Viking warrior-queen who were promptly kidnapped by alien wargamers from another dimension, leaving him to be raised by wolves on the frozen steppes. <br /><br />Trapped in an avalanche caused by a tremendous meteor strike and frozen alive, he stood in suspended animation as the centuries passed until a team of nubile swimsuit model archaeologists rescued him in 2010, nursed him back to peak health, fell in love with him, bought him a state-of-the-art underground lair complete with mad scientist laboratory hidden on an uncharted subtropical island, and now cater to his every whim while he devises diabolical schemes of world domination. <br /><br />True story.<br /><br />Oh yeah: in his spare time, he writes fiction."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wow! With a bio like that, I have to hear what Henry has to saw about his writing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Take it Hank!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> Thanks, Rob.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> I don't think of myself as a morbid guy. I would prefer to be apolitical, and believe that peace and </span><span style="font-size: large;">freedom will endure in America for the rest of my days. But try as I might, I just can't keep my head </span><span style="font-size: large;">buried in the sand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> Big trouble is headed our way and you don't have to be a “tinfoil hat” type to see it. More and more people are waking up to this, but life <b><span style="font-family: LiberationSerif-Bold;">as we know it </span></b><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">is coming to an end soon regardless of how many believe or not.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"> It's a real chore to both stay informed </span><b><span style="font-family: LiberationSerif-Bold;">and </span></b><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">avoid being consumed by utter helplessness in times like these.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> The natural human instinct when everything looks bleak and there is no realistic hope to be found, is to escape. For some, temporary escape is found in beer, “reality” TV or the things money can buy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> Anything to distract you from the worry and fear. I have the same escape instinct, and sometimes I let it win.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I hope it's not a symptom of insanity that I sometimes escape by reading fictionalized predictions </span><span style="font-size: large;">about that same bleak future. I suppose it's got something to do with being an “observer.” It's other people who have to face catastrophe and make the incredibly tough decisions, when you're reading <span style="font-size: large;">about doomsday scenarios. Not only that, but the good guys usually win.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"> Now, writing about the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI)... </span><b><span style="font-family: LiberationSerif-Bold;">that's </span></b><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">easily explained.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> First of all, I'm a writer. Writing is what I do. Secondly, it's therapeutic.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> I've wanted to write apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic stories for many years. I've never been </span><span style="font-size: large;">completely satisfied with how it's been depicted in either film or fiction. But like any writer of the incorrect political convictions, striving to interest a publisher prior to the POD/E-Book revolution, I got <span style="font-size: large;">in the habit of self-censorship.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_jBxp1H-TuY/Vu_44sjdeZI/AAAAAAAAAP4/Wz_SUmCLu2c7CPvJK35jhVZvp7uzh5Bbg/s1600/Hell%2Band%2BGone.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_jBxp1H-TuY/Vu_44sjdeZI/AAAAAAAAAP4/Wz_SUmCLu2c7CPvJK35jhVZvp7uzh5Bbg/s320/Hell%2Band%2BGone.png" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"> My debut novel, </span><i><span style="color: #000081; font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;"><span style="color: #000081; font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hell-Gone-Retreads-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00M8JFP9M/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Hell & Gone</a></span></span></i><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">, was written during those days when traditional publishing was the only “legitimate” path for a writer to become an author. And though it was written in the span between 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq (when patriotism made a brief comeback), I still had to dial down the God-mom-and-apple-pie sentiments. Not all the way, mind you—just enough, I hoped, to get it past the leftist gatekeepers in publishing and into the hands of readers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Yeah, I was pretty naïve.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tier-Zero-Retreads-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00M8F8EV2/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><img alt="Tier Zero Cover" border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nZOysxjYaLQ/Vu_5Piav-vI/AAAAAAAAAP8/2FQlld-f1B4o0tRKCKCkxjPQwjUedn5SA/s320/Tier%2BZero.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"> Eventually, </span><span style="font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;"><em>Hell & Gone </em>made it into print (and E-Book) anyway. By the time I wrote its sequel, <em>Tier Zero</em><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">, I was slowly liberating myself from self-censorship. Where </span><span style="font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;"><em>Hell & Gone </em>was a fusion of modern military thriller and old-school pulpy action novel, <span style="color: #000081; font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;"><span style="color: #000081; font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;"><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tier-Zero-Retreads-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00M8F8EV2/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Tier Zero</a> </em><span style="color: black;">leaned harder to the pulp side. I wrote it in the style of an old post-Vietnam paramilitary adventure, and the book even has a cover to match. I allowed more truth, as I see it, to slip through—sometimes at the expense of a character's likability. But my quixotic goal was mostly to “bring back men's fiction,” not to hammer home a cautionary message. It turns out that reviving men's fiction (which necessitates that men actually read, rather than only watch sports/play video games) is possibly just as outlandish, or more so, than waking <span style="font-size: large;">up the ovine masses via a cautionary work of fiction.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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</span> Nevertheless, in the months following <i><span style="font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;">Tier Zero</span></i><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">'s release, I did some soul-searching and prioritizing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> The result was that I completely unleashed myself. I decided to take these characters I dubbed “the </span><span style="font-size: large;">Retreads” and usher them from pulpy men's adventure into a dark tale about the death of America. It </span><span style="font-size: large;">wasn't exactly the TEOTWAWKI story I wanted to tell. I would have had more fun spinning a yarn similar to <i><span style="font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;">The Road Warrior </span></i><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">or Craig Sargent's old </span><i><span style="font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;">Last Ranger </span></i><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">series. But doomsday has been hanging over the heads of the Retreads ever since I first introduced them. In a way I can't quite explain, it is somehow fitting that these guys face threats now so real as to be petrifying.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> I knew I would offend and alienate some of my readers. Furthermore, there were some aspects of</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> America's demise I just didn't want to deal with.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"> Racial conflict, for instance—what Jesus warned about when He said </span><i><span style="font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;">ethnos </span></i><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">will rise against </span><i><span style="font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;">ethnos</span></i><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;"> I didn't want to include it; but to not portray the deepening racial divisions and their likely c</span><span style="font-size: large;">onsequences would have been willfully ignorant—an attitude that drives me up the wall in other </span><span style="font-size: large;">people on other subjects.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/False-Flag-Retreads-Book-3-ebook/dp/B00X6B4RVS/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><img alt="False Flag Cover" border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--LoxRFDFeD4/Vu_5hub4CwI/AAAAAAAAAQA/mIhVFcnFwc05Mg-gz-Gd8zx4CxLFe3n5Q/s320/False%2BFlag%2BCover.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"> There are aspects of the perfect storm heading America's way that I did not deal with at all in </span><i><span style="color: #000081; font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;"><span style="color: #000081; font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/False-Flag-Retreads-Book-3-ebook/dp/B00X6B4RVS/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">False</a></span></span></i></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #000081; font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;"><span style="color: #000081; font-family: LiberationSerif-Italic;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/False-Flag-Retreads-Book-3-ebook/dp/B00X6B4RVS/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"> Flag</a></i></span></span><span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">; and some that barely get mentioned in passing. Maybe I'll have opportunity to incorporate them into future tales, but there just wasn't room for them in this already epic-length book.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> Obviously, most people are completely ignorant of what's going on and dismiss all warnings as </span><span style="font-size: large;">“conspiracy theory.” Of those who are aware, many Christians assume the rapture will save them from </span><span style="font-size: large;">any sort of inconvenience whatsoever. The rest are busy prepping as best they can.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
</span><div align="LEFT">
<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";"><span style="font-size: large;">That's the wise course to take. The survival of you and your loved ones is far, far more important </span><span style="font-size: large;">than entertainment of any variety. However, when you're preparing for, and stressing over, impending </span><span style="font-size: large;">catastrophe 24/7, sometimes you need to pause and take a few breaths. TEOTWAWKI fiction affords </span><span style="font-size: large;">some degree of “escape,” while still keeping you focused enough to not let normalcy bias and the </span><span style="font-size: large;">distractions of this world derail your awareness and purpose in the long term.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "liberationserif";">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="font-size: large;"> That's why I read apocalyptic fiction and will continue doing so while possible. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Whenever I have what is now the recurring argument with myself (why should I write </span><span style="font-size: large;">TEOTWAWKI fiction when I believe I am staring down the muzzle of TEOTWAWKI right now?), I </span><span style="font-size: large;">always wind up descending into a more basic question: why write fiction at all?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The answer, for me, is: because I can't help it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks again for visiting the assembly area, Hank. It was a real treat.</span></span><br />
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p>You can find Henry at:</o:p></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p>His blog, <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/" target="_blank">Virtual Pulp</a></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Henry-Brown/e/B004CC3LMG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">His Amazon Author page</a></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4388847.Henry_Brown" target="_blank">His Goodreads page</a></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-25151768028290133902016-03-21T06:02:00.000-07:002016-05-02T07:47:41.120-07:00Book Review: False Flag<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/False-Flag-Retreads-Book-3-ebook/dp/B00X6B4RVS/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1458564877&sr=1-6&keywords=false+flag" target="_blank"><img alt="False Flag Cover" border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G0DYfAa_jnk/Vu_u4T4gZdI/AAAAAAAAAPU/gEWQDfx_EmkhRLy847kv5d-dt8u0NDkwA/s640/False%2BFlag%2BCover.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/False-Flag-Retreads-Book-3-ebook/dp/B00X6B4RVS/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1458564877&sr=1-6&keywords=false+flag" target="_blank">Buy False Flag here!</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is a growing fear in the back
of the collective American consciousness—a fear that would have been laughable
a few short years ago, but has found purchase in the minds of enough rational
citizens that it is now in the main stream.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The fear of which I speak is that
of our own government. This is what Henry Brown examines in his book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">False Flag</i>. He does an outstanding job
of presenting the roots and rationale of the growing wariness of governmental
power and what its consequences could be if it continues to grow unchecked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Brown takes factual data such as
the MK Ultra program, Jade Helm, and recent purges of senior military leaders
and weaves them into a speculative narrative that, at times, seems all too
real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The story telling is well done
through the multiple points of view of ‘the Retreads,’ a group of retired special
operations veterans living in different parts of the country. I particularly
enjoyed that of Tom Scarred Wolf, a Native American sheriff who wants nothing
more than to live with his family in peace, but is forced into action when he
uncovers unbearable truths.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The multiple story lines can be a
bit confusing at first if one hasn’t read the first two books, but Brown does a
good enough job of bring new readers up to speed that it is not an issue once
the story gets rolling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Henry Brown has crafted an
action-packed romp that is both enjoyable and terrifying. He then ends this
book with the clear understanding that the action, terror, and tragedies have
only just begun. I, for one, eagerly anticipate the next installment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p>You can find Henry at:</o:p></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p>His blog, <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/" target="_blank">Virtual Pulp</a></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Henry-Brown/e/B004CC3LMG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">His Amazon Author page</a></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4388847.Henry_Brown" target="_blank">His Goodreads page</a></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-68547362680500558172016-03-01T09:32:00.001-08:002016-05-03T06:17:03.041-07:00The Next Step in E-Books?<span style="font-size: large;">A few years ago, I ran across a </span><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/statisticity/statisticity-dystopian-sci-fi-set-in-near-future-s?ref=search" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Kickstarer campaign for a sci-fi novel called Statisticity.</span></a> <span style="font-size: large;">This title was not your typical e-book. It was an <em>enhanced</em> e-book. I wasn't sure what that meant until I watched the video below. It opened my eyes to the potential of e-book technology. I have been very surprised since then not to see a boom of similar enhanced books hit the market. I still think enhanced e-books are the next step in the book market. Watch this video and let me know if you feel the same way:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E8hZYT8Xkgg" style="height: 477px; width: 654px;" width="854"></iframe><br />Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-11033615940373004912016-02-26T08:46:00.000-08:002016-05-02T07:55:05.983-07:00Snow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Warm winds and sunny days are close at hand. I love spring.
I also love winter. Here are a few favorite snowy scenes from this season here in Tennessee.</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz283Fu0Jaat47RACOr-ij6gPVNPW5jzdru51bYaolWZfs7VpTeyy4uJIa12XWw2mYBRlLswwHdt-AKysaFWA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-18969119237730575492016-02-25T06:57:00.001-08:002016-05-02T07:47:06.935-07:00Great News!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TDIFxv1Wa5s/VrNPSFXXTnI/AAAAAAAAAMk/rEd75MI4kuY/s1600/Homeland%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TDIFxv1Wa5s/VrNPSFXXTnI/AAAAAAAAAMk/rEd75MI4kuY/s320/Homeland%2BCover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The release date for </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homeland-Falling-Down-Part-ebook/dp/B01BFF18YK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><strong>Homeland: Falling</strong></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> down has been moved up to February 29th!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This date is especially meaningful for our family as it was on February 29th, 2004 that we received the phone call notifying us that my unit was deploying to Iraq. That was a VERY difficult day. I'm thankful to be celebrating the release of a new book this time around.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Leap Year, everybody.</span>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-39023606850001543992016-02-11T05:53:00.000-08:002016-05-02T07:46:44.156-07:00Sci-Fi Short Story: 4 A.M. at the Paradise Lost and Found<h2 style="text-align: center;">
</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Just in time for Valentines' Day. </h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
This story is very different than most of my other work. I wrote it a few years ago after my grandfather died of Alzheimer's. Watching him fade away was like watching a hard drive being erased a little at a time. It made me ponder the possibility of digitally preserving thoughts or even consciousness. That led to more questions.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
This short story explores those questions. Think of it as half Transcendence and half The Notebook. </h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
PS: I realize the title isn't the greatest, but it was the best I could think of at the time.</h3>
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<h2 align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
4 A.M. at the Paradise Lost
and Found</h2>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;">by R.A. Mathis</span></div>
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
sank into a chair by the crackling fireplace in his study. The flame’s warm
glow drew long, twirling shadows across the room. This was his favorite place. His
sanctuary. His prison.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
contemplated the substantial library that filled the case along the nearest
wall, a polyglot collection of tattered paperback novels.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">If you were stranded on a
desert island and could bring only one book…</span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">A
weathered paperback had a permanent place on his chair-side table. The title <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paradise Lost</i> adorned its cover in faded
letters. He picked his reading glasses from a pocket and pondered their smooth
glass lenses and fine silvery framework. He didn’t need them. He didn’t need
the book or the hands that held it either. Everything around him was a
collection of comforting illusions of days long gone.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
checked the grandfather clock standing sentry by the door. Only a few hours remained,
but he was ready.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">A
beautiful face stared down at him from a portrait over the fireplace, its
angelic gaze filling him with melancholy. The fireplace still shone brightly,
but Simon could no longer feel its warmth. Solitude’s smothering chill blocked
every sensation but grief and anguish. And bittersweet memories of her.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
opened the paperback to a yellowed page and read words he already knew by
heart.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Grace
was in all her steps,</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Heaven
in her eye, in every gesture dignity and love.</span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
closed his eyes, his thoughts returning to a warm spring day during his last
year of post graduate school.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">“It’s
going to work this time.” Simon slipped the scan-cap onto his head. Myriad
wires ran from sensors all over its surface to a supercomputer a few feet away.
He knew he was close. He crossed his arms and stared at the computer monitor on
the desk in front of him. Success was almost within his grasp. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It’s got to work.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">He’d
been cloistered in the virtual reality lab for two solid days with no sleep; his
only sustenance the nutrient deprived student fodder of the lab’s vending
machines. He stretched his tired limbs and shook the cobwebs from his head. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One more try.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
pictured a triangle in his mind’s eye as he stared at the blank computer screen.
He closed his weary eyes tightly and concentrated. The triangle became ten
triangles, then a hundred, then thousands. They swirled around him before
coming together to form a giant pyramid with him at the top. He was elated.
Simon felt as if all his dreams were about to come true. At the apex of his
reverie, he heard a voice say, “Simon!” Where did it come from? “Simon!” There
it was again, cold and severe. “Simon.” He suddenly felt sick. The pyramid shifted.
Pieces began falling away. Small ones at first, then huge then massive slabs
cracked loose and tumbled into the void below. It was slipping away. The
pyramid lurched as its disintegration accelerated. Simon lost his footing and
slid down the crumbling mass. He clawed at the air as he tumbled into
nothingness among a jumble of polygons. The voice called again, “Simon. Wake up.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
opened his eyes. He was face-down on the desk. It was a dream, the same one he
always had. A fellow grad student was poking his shoulder. “Dude! Wake up!
You’ve been out for an hour.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
wiped away his drool with his sleeve. “Sorry. Guess I dozed off.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Go
home and get some sleep.” The student said over his shoulder as he walked away,
“And take a shower. You stink.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon gave himself a whiff and recoiled from
his own stench. He removed the cap and closed his eyes again, once again willing
the image in his mind to the computer screen in front of him. He opened his
eyes slowly, expectantly.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Nothing.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He turn off the monitor with an irritated
flick and gathered his things.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
needed a drink—after a nap and some serious personal hygiene. Simon left the
lab and its fluorescent gloom behind, his steps slow under the weight of
failure. The sun assaulted his eyes as he stepped into the open air. He
shielded his face like a vampire caught in morning’s first light. He lowered
his guard as his eyes adjusted to the land of the living. Then he saw her. And
nothing else mattered.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
sat alone on a sunny spot of grass next to the university center reading an old
paperback novel and eating a brown-bag lunch. Between bites of a homemade ham
and cheese sandwich, she absently brushed a rebellious lock of nutmeg hair from
her sea blue eyes. She was the most beautiful thing Simon had ever seen.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
sat next to her and said the only thing he could think of. “Come here often?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
gave him an annoyed glance. “Has that ever worked?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“No.”
He smiled then blushed as he again realized how badly he needed a shave and a
shower. “How am I doing this time?” he asked, trying to fix his unkempt hair as
inconspicuously as possible.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Not
good.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
know I look a mess, but I’ve been working in the lab. It’s a huge project. I’m
going to change the world.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
rolled her eyes. “Am I supposed to be impressed?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
cringed. “That came out all wrong.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
put her book down. “You don’t talk to girls much do you?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">His
blush deepened. “No…But… I just had to talk to you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
smiled and held out the uneaten half of her sandwich. “Hungry?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Starving.”
He gladly took the ham and cheese. “Thanks. I’m Simon.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
brushed back her unruly hair again. “I’m Maggie.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
looked at the weathered softcover in her hand. “Where did you get that old
thing?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“It’s
an antique,” she said with a hint of annoyance.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“You
don’t like digital readers?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
held the book to Simon’s nose and flipped the pages. The oddly comforting aroma
of old paper filled his nostrils. The scent reminded him of the old stacks in
the library where the books waiting to be scanned into the mainframe were kept.
He decided that if knowledge had a smell, this would be it.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“You
can’t digitize that,” she said.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“What
are you reading?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Milton’s
Paradise Lost.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Heady
stuff.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“You’ve
read it?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“No.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Then
how do you know?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I’ve
heard…well…I mean…”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“How
are you going to do it?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Do
what?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"></span><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Change the world, of course. Please try to
keep up.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
was lovely, intelligent, and sweet. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One
in a million, </i>Simon thought.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
gathered up his nerve and asked, “Are you busy tonight?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Sorry.
I have a date.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon’s
face flushed again. He felt like a fool. Of course she had a date. A girl like
her probably had guys lined up just to be near her, but something inside him wouldn’t
give up so easily.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Is
it serious?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“No.
Not that it’s any of your business.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Good.
Cancel it and go out with me instead.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie
laughed. “You have some nerve. I’ll give you that.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I’ll
die if you don’t.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
doubt it.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“But
what if I did? Would you want that on your conscience?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie
gave him a perplexed look. “You’re a strange one, like a puzzle missing some of
its pieces.” She returned to her book.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
hung his head in defeat. His heart felt like a soaked sponge sagging in his
chest. “Okay.” He got to his feet. “It was nice meeting you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Eight
o’clock.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“What?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
shrugged. “I like puzzles.” She stood, plucked the pen from his shirt pocket, wrote
an address on Simon’s hand and said, “This is my dorm. I’ll see you at eight.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
arrived at Maggie’s dormitory an hour early. He spent the next forty-five
minutes pacing across the street in front of the old brick building working up
the nerve to go in. When he finally mustered the courage he squared himself and
marched across the quiet lane to find her sitting on the steps, smiling at him.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
got tired of watching you walk back and forth,” she said with a smile that
stirred his soul.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
reached to his back pocket and pulled out a tattered pulp science fiction
novel. He gave it to her and said, “For you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie’s
eyes widened. “Where did you get this?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“It’s
an antique. Do you like it?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
held the book to her nose and inhaled deeply. “I love it!” She kissed his
cheek. “Thank you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
blushed. “You’re welcome.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“What
do you want to do?” she asked.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Are
you hungry?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
just ate.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“How
about a movie?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
held up the novel. “I’m more of a book person.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Oh.”
Simon scrambled to think of something else, but his brain stalled. Nothing
would come. He tried to look cool in spite of the sweat beading on his flushed
forehead.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“How
about if we just go for a walk?” Maggie suggested.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Sounds
good.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
put her arm around his. “Lead the way.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Shadows
inched across the manicured landscape as they walked aimlessly around campus, talking
about everything and nothing. They strolled past gardens of solar panels whose
faces rotated automatically to catch last rays of twilight. Wind harvesters
creaked overhead on the warm breeze that heralded summer’s impending arrival.
The same breeze cooled Simon’s brow and swept his anxiety along on its journey to
parts unknown.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Around
dusk they found a small all-night café and went in for a snack.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“What
scares you?” she asked over coffee and scones.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
dunno. Failure, I guess.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie
wrinkled her nose in thought. “No. I don’t think so. A guy like you can handle
failure because you never give up. You’re driven.” She looked into Simon’s
eyes. “I bet you’re most afraid of being alone.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
squirmed in his chair. She’d hit the nail on the head. He cleared his throat.
“What scares you?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Clowns.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
laughed. “I’m serious.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">“So
am I! Have you ever tried to sleep in a room with a clown doll on the shelf?”
She <span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">shivered. “It’s terrifying.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Okay, what’s your favorite flower?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Red poppies. I just love how bright and
happy they are. So full of life. When I’m sad, I close my eyes and I pretend
I’m in a field of them that goes on forever.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">They talked till dawn, sharing each other’s hopes
dreams. I didn’t take Simon long to realize Maggie wasn’t one in a million. She
was one of a kind, the only person to ever truly understand him.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Days turned into weeks as they spent every
possible moment together, walking, talking, and falling for each other over
scones and coffee. She would always find him waiting in front of her dorm with red
poppies or another old book for her. She had no idea where he got either of them.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;">Simon sat alone in the lab late one night facing
his nemesis. The blank computer screen stared back at him, daring him to try
again. He had reviewed every line of code. Every connection had been checked
and double checked. This semester, his last semester, was almost over. </span><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;">It was now or never. <span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">He</span><span style="color: red;"> </span>made
one last adjustment to the scan-cap, slipped it onto his head and closed his
eyes.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie woke with a start an hour later. A
loud popping noise had pulled her back into her dark dorm room from bright dreams
of sunshine and poppies. She sat up and looked for her roommate. The girl was still
in bed, dead to the world. Then she heard it again. Something was tapping her
window. She crept out of bed and peeked through the curtain to see Simon
standing on the sidewalk three stories below. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She opened the window and said in a loud
semi-whisper, “It’s three-thirty in the morning!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon replied in an imitation of her husky
tone. “I know! Can you come down? I have something important to tell you!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Can’t it wait till tomorrow?’</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“No! Let’s go for a walk!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“A walk?” She stepped away from the window
then poked her head back out and said, “Okay, I’ll be right down. By the way, you
don’t have to throw rocks. I have a phone.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She met Simon on the front steps. He had a
bigger smile on his face than usual.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“What’s with the grin?” Maggie asked.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I did it.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Did what?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“The experiment finally worked, of course. It
just took a few adjustments. The computer can scan and interpret thoughts. I
did it!” He grinned. “Please try to keep up.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie took his hand. “Congratulations! I’m
so proud of you!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“There’s one other thing I want to tell you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Yes?” Her eyes sparkled in the street light.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You
know I’m not good with words,” he said. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Really?
I hadn’t noticed.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Very
funny.” He swallowed, his old anxiety returned. “I just wanted to say…I
mean…I’ve never said this to anybody else. Well, besides family, but that
doesn’t...”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
love you too, Simon.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
picked her up in his arms. “Marry me!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie
laughed. “Wow! You get right to business!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"></span><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Marry
me, Maggie. I can’t live without you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; tab-stops: 362.25pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Her
smile faded as she looked deep into his eyes. “Yes.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; tab-stops: 362.25pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">The campus clock tower struck four as they
kissed.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; tab-stops: 362.25pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
whispered, “I could never live without you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">After
graduation, Simon took a job with a biotech firm. It was a good job, but it
wasn’t his dream. After long days at the lab, he spent long nights in their
garage turning his vision into reality.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">*****</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Late
one summer night, Maggie was shaken awake.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"></span><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Come
down stairs! Hurry!” Simon said excitedly, “It’s done!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
checked the clock by her bed as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. It was four
A.M., but Maggie wasn’t upset. She knew this was what she’d signed on for when
she married an eccentric like Simon. She gave a drowsy smile and tried to hide her
amusement as he led her by the hand to the garage.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Once
there, Simon helped her put on a bulky headset and said, “This is just the
prototype. The final product will be much more compact.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“What’s
it do?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“You
see that?” He pointed to a robotic arm on his workbench. “Imagine it moving to
the left.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
did. It did. She looked wide-eye at Simon. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
was ecstatic. “Keep going. It’ll move anyway you want it to. Try the fingers!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">With
only her thoughts, she was able to manipulate the arm through any maneuver she
desired as smoothly and nimbly as if it were her own. “This is incredible!” She
hugged Simon’s neck. “You did it, baby!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
couldn’t have done it without you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“You’re
going to get a big promotion for this.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“No.
We’re going to start our own company. It’s time to change the world.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
always knew you would.” She smiled.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
can do anything as long as I have you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“There’s
only one thing missing.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“What’s
that?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“A
house full of kids to share it with.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
took her in his arms. “What do you say we start right now?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Over
the next ten years, Simon’s technology revolutionized fields from medicine and
commerce to manufacturing and communications. Billions around the world used
his thought-activated devices. Their business, Cognitech, grew beyond anyone’s
wildest expectations. But their happiness was incomplete. Their greatest<span style="color: #1f497d; mso-themecolor: text2;"> </span>dream had not come true.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"></span><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;"> *****</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">The
autumn sun dipped below the horizon as Simon drove home after a tough but
rewarding day at the helm of the corporation. With a thought, he activated a
prosthetic earpiece and called Maggie. No answer. Another thought brought up a holographic
map projected inches in front of his left eye. A red dot shone at his address.
She was home. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why doesn’t she answer?</i>
He remembered she had a doctor appointment earlier that day. More fertility test
results. More disappointment. His brow furled. He disengaged the car’s
autopilot and mashed the throttle.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
found her sitting alone in the dining room. “Hi, sweetheart!” He tried to sound
cheerful in spite of the look on her face. “What did the doctor say?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
shook her head. “I thought I was finally pregnant.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
held her hand and smiled. “It’s okay. We won’t give up. Medicine can do
anything these days.” He paused. “Did the doctor say why you haven’t…?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
nodded. “Cancer.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">The
color drained from Simon’s face as he fell into the chair next to her. “Where?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie’s
eyes welled with tears. “Everywhere.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“What…How
long…”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
sobbed. “Four months. Maybe six.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“No!
There’s got to be something we can do. We’ll go to the ends of the earth if we
have to. We can beat this!” </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
sank into his arms, heaving as she wept.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
held her and tenderly kissed her head. “It’s going to be okay.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Weeks
later they sat in a Vienna oncologist’s office. Maggie was pale and gaunt. Dark
circles ringed her eyes. She asked Simon, “Do you think he can help?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“He’s
the best in the world.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“That’s
not what I asked.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
stared at the floor. “We have to hope.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">The
door opened. The doctor entered. He shook his head. “I am sorry. There is
nothing I can do.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">More
test results. More disappointment. No cure. No hope. And precious little time.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
said, “This isn’t over. There are other doctors.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">The
doctor excused himself. “I am very sorry. Take as long as you need.” He left, closing
the door behind him.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“No,”
Maggie said sternly.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“What?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“No.”
She shook her head. “No more doctors.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“We’re
not giving up.” Simon sighed. “We’ll talk about it when you’re being rational.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I’m
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only </i>one being rational.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“How
can you say that?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“You’ve
spent the last ten years building Cognitech, working day and night. You missed
birthdays, holidays, anniversaries. I slept alone more nights than I can count”
She laughed softly. “But I never complained. I loved you enough to not stand in
the way of your dreams.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
know. I’m sorry.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“It’s
okay. That’s just who you are. I knew it when I married you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Then
let me help you. I have to do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">something</i>!
Please.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“You
can’t fix this. Nobody can.” She took his hand “Love me enough to let me make
this choice. No doctors. No drugs. No treatments. Just us. Can you do that for
me?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Yes,”
he whispered.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Good.”
Maggie reached out and tenderly touched his cheek. “Paris is beautiful this
time of year.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;">The next afternoon, Simon pushed her
wheelchair down brisk Parisian streets. He smil</span><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;">ed as she excitedly pointed out the buildings and
scenery to him. A gust of autumn gave Maggie a shiver. She pull her blanket
closer. Simon stopped, tucked her in and said, “It’s getting cold. We should
head back.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
answered, “No. I’m fine. Let’s go on.” </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
gave a doubting look then kissed her cheek and pushed on. He tried to capture
every moment, hiding every sight and sound deep in the safest part of his
memory where only his heart held the key. He soaked in her bright eyes and
giddy smile, burning them indelibly into his mind. This was the most alive
she’d been in a long time. He reached down to stroke her hair and realized the
same was true of him.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">A
small café caught Maggie’s eye. It looked warm and inviting in the late
afternoon chill. Simon asked, “Hungry?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
nodded. “Coffee sounds nice.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">They
found a small table by the widow and ordered an early dinner. Maggie barely touched
hers. <span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">They watched from their
cozy nook as pedestrians rushed to cover when a sudden downpour drove them
splashing from the street. Simon took her hand. “Looks like we’re stuck here.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Sounds
great to me.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">They
talked until streetlamps burned brightly against the night. It was the first
time in ages. No doctors. No treatments. No Cognitech. Just them.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">*****</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Winter’s
first snow fell outside as Simon sat alone in his study two months later. The
fireplace was dark and cold. A half-empty bottle of whisky warmed him instead. He’d
never felt so helpless. So useless. He took another swig. The grandfather clock
struck four. He watched with bleary eyes as the hands crept across its face.
The chimes softly marked the passing of another hour. Time was his enemy, the
clock its willing accomplice – mercilessly burning away every minute of every day.
Stealing her from him one second at a time. No matter what he did, he could
never hope to win.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">He
gripped the liquor bottle tightly and stood to face the timepiece. Simon raised
a trembling hand and hurled the container at the thief. Chimes clanged angrily
as the flagon shattered against the clock. Pungent spirits drenched the old
wooden watchman, but the pendulum still swung inexorably. The glass window
covering the face was spattered and cracked, but the hands marched on. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I can’t save her. </i>He fell to his knees
in defeat as bitter tears began to flow. It was the first time he’d allowed
himself to cry. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I can’t stop time.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">Simon
suddenly raised his head. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Or can I?</i>
If his technology could read brainwaves, why not copy them? He put on a pot of
coffee and got to work. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If I’m going to stop
time, there isn’t a moment to lose.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">When
all was ready, her time was almost gone. Their bedroom looked more like a hospital
ward than a master suite. A vase of red poppies was its only cheer.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
sat at her bedside and held her withered hand as the winter wind howled outside.
“It’s me, sweetheart.” He thought he was too late, but then half-closed eyes
drifted to his face. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Where’ve
you been?” she whispered.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Working
on a way to save you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
glanced at the strange looking equipment he’d placed by the bed.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
said, “It’s ready. I know you’re tired, but I need you to hang on for just a
few more days. Do you think you can?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
gave a barely perceptible nod. “As long as you’re with me.” </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I’ll
be right here.” He kissed her forehead and placed the neuro-topographer at the
head of her bed.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Begin mapping.</span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">Simon
spent the next three days at her side reminiscing about their life together. He
held her hand and gently stroked her hair as he talked. She listened peacefully
– squeezing his hand every so often to let him know she was still with him. All
the while, the topographer silently went about its work. Simon kept one eye on
the small data screen that reported its progress<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">. It was agonizingly slow. After twenty hours: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fourteen percent complete</i>. Two days: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Forty-eight percent complete</i>. Three
days: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eighty-six percent complete.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
awoke at four in the morning on the fourth day to the sound of electronic
beeping. At first, he thought it was her life support, but quickly realized
there was no emergency. Her respirator was humming and hissing normally. The beep
was coming from the topographer. He checked the data screen. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One hundred percent complete.</i> It was
then he noticed her looking at him.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
whispered, “Can I go now?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon’s
eyes filled with tears. He choked out, “Yes.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
mustered her strength and gently caressed his cheek. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She closed her eyes as Simon took her
hand in his. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Begin program.</span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Transfer initiated.</span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">It
didn’t take long – just a few minutes. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Transfer complete. </span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Her
vitals flat-lined as Simon softly kissed her forehead. He ran a hand over a
little black box attached to the topographer. She was in there now. Her body was
dead, but she still lived. Her consciousness, her being, was digitized and
preserved within its circuitry. He’d saved her. Time couldn’t claim her anymore.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
integrated her new existence into the Cognitech mainframe, sold their house,
and made a Spartan home for himself in the lab so he could always be with her.
His only luxury was an exact replica of his old study adjacent to his own
private lab in a quite section of his company’s headquarters.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;">Simon lost interest in the company and gave
up his duties as CEO. As the years crawled by, he</span><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"> became obsessed with finding a way to
communicate with her. He had high hopes for the first few years, but they faded
after more failures than he cared to count. Her programing was too primitive. Preservation
was its sole purpose. He hadn’t had time to incorporate communication. An
upgrade was out of the question. His computer models indicated that the
slightest change to any algorithm could ripple through her entire being. She’d
be corrupted. Her ‘mind’ torn to tatters.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
often starred at the powerful computer and pictured her in it. Alone. Trapped
in an electronic tomb. He could hold her in his hands, but she remained just
out of reach. Was she conscious or in some kind of digital coma? Was she really
in there or was he just fooling himself? All knew for certain was that he had
to be with her. To see her beautiful smile, feel her gentle touch, and hear her
sweet voice. He never gave up. Year after year. Decade after decade.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">*****</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon sat alone in his dimly lit study tucked
away in a corner of Cognitech. The entire building was empty. Tonight, Milton’s
masterwork shared the chair-side table with a small headset and a vase of wild red
poppies. He ran a weathered hand through his snow-white hair as he stared
longingly at the painting of her. “Happy fiftieth anniversary, sweetheart.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">The
clock struck four as he picked up the sleek headset – remembering the clunky
eyesore he’d presented to her decades before. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This is just the prototype. The final product will be much more
compact.</i> It seemed like yesterday<span style="color: #1f497d; mso-themecolor: text2;">. </span>He said to her portrait, “I’ll bet you’re wondering what this
one does.” He donned the device. “Let’s find out together.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Begin mapping.</span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">It
now took moments instead of days.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Mapping complete.</span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">This
was it. No going back. He hesitated as doubt took hold in his mind.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
picked up the book, hoping Milton could give him comfort. He pick up the old
book and flipped the pages in front of his face, inhaling deeply as he thought
of that spring day long ago. He put on his reading glasses and turned to a
passage he knew by heart:</span></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<em><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">The mind is its own place, and in itself</span></em></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<em><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Can make a heav’n of hell, a hell of heav’n.</span></em></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;">My mind</span></i><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;">,
he thought. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is that what I’m about to put
into that box? My soul? Or just a lifeless copy – the original lost forever.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
pondered the question, then decided to proceed. Whatever happened would be
better than going on any longer without her.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Begin program.</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Our
state cannot be severed, we are one.</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">One
flesh; to lose thee were to lose myself.</span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Transfer initiated.</span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">The
room faded. The ticking of the clock grew more and more distant until it, too
was gone. Nothingness overtook him.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Then
he felt something. A breeze – soft and warm on his face. Simon opened his eyes
to find himself standing in a field of the reddest poppies he’d ever seen. Their
rolling undulations in the gentle wind looked like wildfire.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Transfer complete.</span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Come
here often?” a familiar voice said from behind him. He wanted to turn, but was
afraid. Afraid it wasn’t real.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">A
hand touched his shoulder. He turned to see Maggie smiling at him. She wasn’t
withered and sick anymore. She was the young, healthy, beautiful girl he’d met
so many years ago. He caught sight of his hand as it reached for her. It was
young and strong again.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
said, “Welcome to Paradise.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
grabbed his wife and kissed her as tears rolled down his face.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie
whispered, “I’ve waited so long.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
know. We’re together now. Forever.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Forever.”
She nodded with a smile. “I have a surprise for you. Cover your eyes.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“No.
I want to look at you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Please?
I’ve been planning this a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very</i> long
time.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Okay.”
Simon did as she asked.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">It
only took a second. Maggie said, “You can look now.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
opened his eyes and stood speechless.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie
beamed. “Recognize it?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He stood in a small college coffee house. “Of
course I do. How did you?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“This
is Paradise. We can do anything here.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">They
found an empty table and talked for hours as rain pattered against the window.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
reached across the table for her hand. He wanted to take in every part of her.
He was studying the nape of her neck when it happened. So fast it was almost
imperceptible. She flickered. For the slightest moment her face fluttered like
a candle too close to an open window.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“What’s
wrong?” Maggie could always read him too well.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
forced a smile and convinced himself it was just his imagination. “Nothing. I’m
fine. Where to next? Tahiti?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Let’s
go home.” Maggie gave a sly smile.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">They
stepped from the café to their front door in a blink.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
paused before entering their home. He’d missed this place. This life.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Late
that night, Maggie lay in his arms amid the tangled, sweaty sheets of their bed.
She sighed. “I really missed that.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
laughed. “It’s nice to be appreciated.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Wanna
go again?” she said in her most mischievous voice.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
ran a hand down her back and grabbed her naked bottom. “Time to find out if
this really is Paradise.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
sat up suddenly. “I have a better idea!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
doubt it.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie
wrapped herself in a quilt and dashed from the bedroom. She returned with a
photo album, plopped into bed next to Simon, and excitedly opened the picture book.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
said dryly, “I like your first idea better.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Come
on. It’ll be fun.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Okay,
let’s have a look.” Simon pointed to a picture of them in sombreros and
laughed. “Ha! Mexico! I can’t believe you talked me into hiking that bug
infested jungle and climbing those pyramids. My legs ached for a week!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
looked confused.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“What’s
wrong?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
don’t remember that.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Sure
ya do. It was our honeymoon.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
shook her head. “I can’t remember any of it.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Of
course you can. We’re part of the mainframe now. We can do differential equations
in our sleep. We can recite the collected works of Shakespeare and Tolstoy off
the tops of our heads. We remember every second of every day.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie
just stared at him. “I don’t remember.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“We’ve
had a big day, that’s all. Let’s get some sleep.” Simon turned out the light.
He knew she’d see through his façade if he left it on. He pulled her to him and
stroked her hair until she fell asleep. He watched her for hours afterward;
feeling her warm breath against his chest.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
awoke the next morning alone. He called, “Maggie!” There was no reply.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
grabbed some pants and ran into the living room. Empty. He dashed to the
kitchen on the verge of panic and found her staring into the open refrigerator.
</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Thank
God! I thought I’d lost you again,” Simon said with relief.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maggie
looked upset. “I was going to surprise you.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Sorry.”
Simon smiled. “I’ll go back to bed. This never happened.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“No.
I was going to make your favorite breakfast, but I can’t remember what it is.”
Tears filled her eyes. She began to tremble. “What’s happening to me?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
don’t know, but I’ll fix it.” He held her tightly. “It’s going to be okay.” His
stomach knotted with the memory of the last time he told her that.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
went to his study and ran a diagnostic. He ran it again, then seven more times.
Each with the same result.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
entered before he started another. “Sorry, but I couldn’t wait. Did you find
anything?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
looked away and nodded – his jaw clinched.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“What
is it?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
looked into her frightened, trusting eyes. “Your program’s been corrupted. It’s
causing holes in your memory. And they’re getting bigger.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“But
how? I’ve been fine for years. Why now?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“When
I put myself in here with you, the newer coding caused compatibility errors. I
thought I’d found a way around it.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“How
bad is it?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“It’s
everywhere.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
sat next to him. “How long?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
choked out, “Four months. Maybe six.” He put his face in his hands. “It’s all
my fault.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
put her arms around him. “It’s nobody’s fault. It’s just life.” She cupped his
face in her hand and gently lifted till their eyes met. “Let’s make the most of
the time we’ve got.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">A
few weeks later, Maggie found herself in a strange place. She asked Simon, “Where
are we?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Home.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
don’t recognize it.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We’re in the living room. You had another
episode.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“How
long was I out this time?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“A
few hours.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“It’s
happening faster than we thought, isn’t it?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
nodded. “It’s just accelerating so much faster than I ever thought it could.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
can feel it. Just like last time. Pieces of myself falling away.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
just stared at her.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
smiled softly and took his hand. “I need you to do something for me.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
didn’t answer. He knew what was coming.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">But
it didn’t come. Nothing did. She was frozen—trapped in an endless loop of broken
algorithms. She stood there, flickering every few moments like a bad
fluorescent bulb. Simon held her hand. There was nothing else he could do.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">After
three days, Maggie finally awoke. She looked around the room in disorientation and
asked Simon. “Where are we?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Home.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
shook her head “I can’t do this. I can’t fade away again.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
know.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Let
me go,” she said, “while there’s still some of me left.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“I
can’t.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“You
have to. For me. Please.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
sat there a long moment – struggling to form the word and then to release it.
He finally said, “Okay.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Thank
you.” Maggie kissed him softly. “It’s going to be okay.” She took his hand. “I’m
ready.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Now?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Yes.
I want to be myself when it happens.” She asked again. “Please?”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
nodded, unable to speak.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“Thank
you.” She kissed him again.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
pulled her to him and embraced her.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">End program.</span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">“This
isn’t the end,” she whispered, “I’ll be waiting for you.” Maggie flickered and
vanished. She was gone, slipping just beyond his reach. Again.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Simon
fell into his chair. He neither moved nor ate nor slept for three months. He
just sat – paralyzed by the pain of her absence.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Milton’s
words echoed in his mind as he gazed at her portrait above the fireplace:</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Grace
was in all her steps…</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Guilt gnawed at
him. He pondered the curse of his self-imposed immortal isolation.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">O
sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams <br />
That bring to my remembrance from what state I fell, how glorious once above
thy sphere.</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"></span></i><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">It
may have been a fitting punishment, but it was more than he could bear.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">The
grandfather clock chimed four A.M. He watched the pendulum swing – back and
forth like the Reaper’s scythe. “You win,” he said.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">What comes next?</span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
said this wasn’t the end. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">She
said she’d wait for him. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Maybe
she was. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">Perhaps
there really was something more. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large;">He
hoped so.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">End program.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-77091778670260190452016-02-10T11:07:00.000-08:002016-05-02T07:45:31.797-07:00A Preview of Homeland: Falling Down<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 183.75pt; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homeland-Falling-Down-Part-ebook/dp/B01BFF18YK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/Homeland-Falling-Down-Part-ebook/dp/B01BFF18YK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ClC83UJK3nQ/VrunHPykSOI/AAAAAAAAAM0/Dxfhh3_c33U/s320/Homeland%2BCover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "abril fatface"; font-size: 24pt;"></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "abril fatface"; font-size: 24pt;">First Blood<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;">Monday,
October 26<sup>th</sup></span></b><br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;">Nashville,
Tennessee<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;">Eight
Days before the Presidential Election<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">The young man stood on the far left of the crowd
gathered in front of the State Capitol Building, as he was instructed to do. He
had been there for hours. Waiting. Preparing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;"> It was almost time.</span><br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
unseasonably frigid autumn air made him shiver in spite of the dirty military
surplus coat he wore. Unkempt hair poked from his woolen cap and ran down his cheeks
to form a scraggly beard. A boyish brow framed dark, merciless eyes.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;">His shaggy appearance contrasted that of the crowd
of typical bourgeoisie types, well dressed, middle-class, clean-cut. Some had their kids with them,
bundled up snuggly against the cold.</span> <span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;">Thousands of them filled the frigid Capitol
grounds. They were here to see one person, the person he came to kill.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">Cheers and campaign chants filled the icy air
as the excitement grew. Finally, an attractive woman in a thick coat and scarf stepped
up to the outdoor podium in front of the gathering. She droned on and on about
the Founding Fathers, tossing in a quote from one of them with every other
breath. She was Congresswoman Martha Jefferson, freshman member of the House of
Representatives on the newly formed Constitutional Party ticket.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">“We are being lulled to sleep,” she said, her
breath an ethereal vapor in the wintry air. “The media ignores injustice and
covers up scandals within our corrupt government. Instead, they serve us
stories about celebrities and sports teams disguised as real news and we eat it
up and ask for more.” The crowd was silent, hanging on her every word. “Our
nation is on the verge of bankruptcy, and we sleep. The educational system
turns our children against the heroes and virtues that made America great, and
we sleep. Government policies and pop culture destroy our families. The police
are militarized. Our communications are monitored. Our every move is watched as
our rights are stripped from us one by one. And we sleep. Our very civilization
is on the verge of collapse. And yet we sleep!” Her eyes locked onto her
audience. “But we cannot sleep anymore. We must wake up! Wake up to the
intentions of those who seek to destroy our republic. Wake up and halt our
nation’s drift into tyranny. Wake up before our children became slaves to the
State!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">The crowd cheered in agreement.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">The young man remained still.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">Jefferson’s delivery was polished and
charismatic. Her people were primed for the call to action.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">“Boycott the media. Stand up to the
educational system. Refuse to vote for establishment candidates. Educate your
friends and neighbors before it’s too late.” She paused. “But the biggest thing
I ask of you today is your help. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know
that we are leading in every poll, but Election Day is still more than a week
away. A lot can happen between now and then. Now is not a time to rest. It is a
time for action. It’s going to take every one of us to get the job done, but we
can do it together. And with your help, I am going to be the next President of
the United States!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">The crowd erupted into raucous applause.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">Jefferson raised a hand to still the multitude.
“In closing, I will defer once again to our founders. E Pluribus Unum. From
many, one. They knew that our greatest strength is and always will be our
unity. It is only when we come together as one that we are truly the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">United </i>States. Thank you. God bless you
all and God bless America.”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">More applause.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">Jefferson turned to her right and exited the
stage, shaking hands with exuberant supporters as she went.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">The young man elbowed his way through the devotees,
moving into Jefferson’s path until almost within arm’s reach. His hand slipped
into his coat.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">“Martha!” he yelled.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">Jefferson looked to him, still smiling. She
reached to shake his hand.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">“GUN!” Someone yelled.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">Crack! Crack! Crack!</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">Campaign cheers turned to primal screams as
people fought to escape the gunman.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">Blood spattered the congresswoman’s face. An aid
fell to the ground next to her, gore pouring from his chest and neck.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">A body guard shoved Jefferson to the ground
with violent urgency.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">Hands from the crowd clawed at the young
man’s arm as he tried to aim his revolver for another shot.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">Crack! Crack!</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">Another body fell—a woman in a ‘Jefferson for
President’ sweatshirt this time.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">The assassin hit the ground, tackled from behind
by a muscular state trooper.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">More body guards rushed Jefferson into a
nearby car, shut the door and pound the roof. Tires squealed as the vehicle
sped to safety.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">The shooter wrestled free of the trooper as more
police arrived. His quarry was gone. There was no escape. He had one bullet
left.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">He put the pistol to his head and said, “The revolution
has begun! There is nothing you can do to stop it!”</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">He pulled the trigger. His lifeless body
crumpled to the frozen ground, steam rising from the bloody hole in his temple.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">“Search him!” a senior policeman ordered.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Two officers rushed up and opened the killer's jacket.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;"> “No bombs!” one of the searchers called out.</span><br />
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;"> The other officer rifled through the
assassin’s pockets. All were empty except for one. In it he found a few
dollars, a Vanderbilt University student ID, and a little green book.</span><br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">The officer examined the book. It was about
the size of a pocket Testament and worn from heavy reading.
Handwritten notes and highlighted passages littered its thin dog-eared pages. A
rubber band marked a page with the underlined quote,</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There is only one
way to shorten the death rattles of the old world and hasten the bloody birth
pangs of the new—revolutionary terror.</i>’</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">The officer closed the booklet and examined
the cover. Faded letters across the stained, dingy, emerald cover spelled out
the title,</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; font-size: large; mso-themecolor: text1;">‘The World to Come.’</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face" , serif; mso-themecolor: text1;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homeland-Falling-Down-Part-ebook/dp/B01BFF18YK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Pre-order Homeland: Falling Down HERE!<o:p></o:p></span></a></span></div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-70119112634591632362016-02-04T05:18:00.000-08:002016-05-02T07:44:59.827-07:00HOMELAND: Falling Down is Now Available for Pre-Order!<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Preorder HOMELAND: Falling Down <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homeland-Falling-Down-Part-ebook/dp/B01BFF18YK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a>!</h2>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/R.A.-Mathis/e/B008MJYXBS/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/R.A.-Mathis/e/B008MJYXBS/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1" border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TDIFxv1Wa5s/VrNPSFXXTnI/AAAAAAAAAMg/wexoJi2Ri1E/s640/Homeland%2BCover.jpg" title="Homeland: Falling Down" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We thought America would last forever. We were wrong. <br />
<br />
Riots are daily occurrences in American cities. The dollar plummets when foreign governments refuse to buy American bonds. Coordinated terrorist attacks paralyze the country at every level. Then it gets worse. When a new regime rises to bring order from chaos, it soon becomes clear that peace and security will come at an unbearable price. <br />
<br />
Homeland: Falling Down is the first installment of a new series which chronicles the trials of Americans trying to survive the total collapse of everything they know and love. <br />
<br />
Eduardo Garcia just landed his dream job. He is finally promoted to network news anchor after years of paying his dues as a war correspondent. His first day on the job will mark the beginning of the end. <br />
<br />
Hank Sexton is a small town sheriff struggling to protect his family and community from starvation and the chaos lurking beyond the county line. <br />
<br />
Hank’s son, Cole, is an Army sergeant recently returned from a combat tour in Syria. He and his fellow soldiers will face hard choices when their fellow citizens are declared terrorists. Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6485918288347597738.post-27572720723454694832014-09-12T05:22:00.000-07:002016-05-03T06:17:20.519-07:00Will Bin Laden Have the Last Laugh?<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Su5hCUqlz8/VBbzNvu6PVI/AAAAAAAAAI0/aCMqti0ycM4/s1600/Political%2BCorrectness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Su5hCUqlz8/VBbzNvu6PVI/AAAAAAAAAI0/aCMqti0ycM4/s1600/Political%2BCorrectness.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<br />
Yesterday, on
the thirteenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I found myself once again
reflecting upon that day and the differences in the world before and after.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thankfully,
we haven’t experienced another attack on that scale since that day. Our
intelligence and military services have done an outstanding job in combating
Islamic threats. Many have sacrificed much to keep us safe and I am proud to
have played a small part in that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
But that isn’t the whole story… <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Remember
when metal detectors were the only security needed at the airport? I do. I also remember
when the people who feared their communications being monitored by the government
were kooks and the police didn’t drive MRAPs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I even remember
a time thirty years ago, during the Cold War, when the ‘commies’ were the bad
guys and we weren’t afraid to call them that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I remember a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-PSq2dy754&list=PLm8NfHPWTapNDpMupb4d772qE4BxBYeUM&index=7&noredirect=1" target="_blank">President</a> with the courage to refer to the Soviet Union as
the “Evil Empire” in the shadow of the Berlin Wall. I can still hear his
command, “Mr. Gorbachev, Tear. Down. This. Wall.” His words struck like hammer
blows.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We knew who
the bad guys were and weren’t afraid to admit it. It was a cold war, but war
nonetheless. We knew what it took to beat them and we did it with neither
excuse nor concession. Those were the days before political correctness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Those days
are gone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today, America’s
second longest war turns 13. In spite of continued attacks, aggression,
threats, and foiled terror plots, the media and Whitehouse policy are in
chronic denial about the threat we face from the ‘religion of peace.’ <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Terrorist
acts are now called ‘workplace violence’ or ‘man-caused disasters.’ 80 year-old
grannies are stopped at TSA checkpoints just as often as Middle Eastern males
between the ages of 16 and 45.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
narrative of the religion of peace is propagated in the media as well. When was
the last TV show or movie you saw in which the Muslim was a bad guy? When the
movie version of Tom Clancy’s The Sum of All Fears was made, the Muslim
terrorists were replaced by neo-Nazis. News outlets do all they can to deny
Islamic radicals too, warning instead of the threat of right-wing extremists. Last
night, the <a href="http://www.ijreview.com/2014/09/176744-instant-reaction-president-obamas-speech-isis/" target="_blank">President led his ISIS remarks by declaring the group is not Islamic</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Really? <br />
<br />
(Dr. Bill Warner has a presentation which shows how ISIS fits perfectly into Islamic philosophy and are no different than the prophet himself. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wugWj42pLI&index=5&list=PLm8NfHPWTapNDpMupb4d772qE4BxBYeUM" target="_blank">See it here</a>.)</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
For years, we have bent over
backwards to deny the savagery committed in the name of Allah. We have bowed to
the mandates of political correctness and we have paid the price. It must be
said that this President not the only one to do so, but he does seem to be the
most adamant about it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Here are just a very few examples
of the damage done while we buried our heads in the sand:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">2009<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The administration abandoned the T-word for the more
benign term “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7COk-wNPZxs" target="_blank">man-caused disasters</a>.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->13 unarmed soldiers were killed and over 30
wounded by a Muslim soldier shouting, “Allah uh Akbar!” on Fort Hood, Texas.
This was called “workplace violence” by the administration. The victims were
denied the purple, which meant that the survivors and families of the fallen
would not receive the benefits they deserved. (Berkowitz/World News, 2013) <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Citizens of Iran rise up against their
government in the wake of elections they believe to be corrupt. America offers
them no support. Many are arrested and killed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">2010<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Arab Spring begins in December in Tunisia and
soon spread to Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. The administration
choses to back the Muslim Brotherhood in spite of their radical, anti-western,
anti-Semitic, philosophies. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">2011<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We pulled out of a ‘stable’ Iraq, leaving a void
of power without having any idea who would fill it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Syrian uprising against President al-Assad.
America backs the rebels, many of whom are linked to Al-Qaida and other
terrorist organizations.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Libya revolts. America backs the Muslim
Brotherhood with supplies and air strikes. The rebels take over the country,
murder Khadafy, and install an ant-American Islamic government.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Egypt falls. Thousands of Christians are
murdered and hundreds of churches are destroyed. America does nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Iranian citizens rise again, attempting to shed
the yolk of radical Islam and are put down once again with an iron fist. Once
again, America does nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Iraq’s vice president is charged with murder and
flees the county. Iraq begins its spiral into civil war. America does nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The same year – The American ambassador to Libya
is murdered along with three other Americans in a well-planned and coordinated assault.
The attack is painted as a spontaneous response to a YouTube video. The maker
of that video is imprisoned. The attackers remain free.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Syrian government is accused of using chemical
weapons against rebel forces. The administration urges American to aid the
rebels, including U.S. troops on the ground. The initial claims are refuted by
many in the international community who say evidence points to the rebels being
the initiators of the chemical attack.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->ISIS grows out of the Syrian resistance and sets
its sights westward toward Iraq. Intelligence services inform the
administration of this development. Nothing happens.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Boston Marathon is hit with two homemade explosive
devises killing 3 and injuring 263 others. The two suspects are Muslim immigrants.
This aspect is downplayed by the media and administration.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Well, you get the point. Just turn on the TV.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
The
administration may deny the enemy, but they cannot deny the threat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
As such, they must
cast an ever wider net to catch ‘bad guys’ instead of focusing on the one group
that has conducted every attack since Oklahoma City 19 years ago. Our
reluctance to identify the bad guys has muddied the water, causing <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">every</i></b>
American to become a terror suspect.(At least I hope that's the reason, anything else is too terrible to go into here.)</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
Recent revelations
of governmental agencies spying on, targeting, harassing, or otherwise
molesting innocent Americans in the name of security have a lot of people
wondering if it’s gone too far.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
When two dudes
with explosive pressure cookers can shut down one of the city of Boston and cause
its residents to effectively be placed under martial law, we got problems.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
When the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoOljQAcRK4" target="_blank">IRS and other agencies are weaponized</a> and used to target citizens and groups based purely on political
beliefs, we got problems.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
When Americans
must censor their own speech out of fear that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whwc6lVZzl4" target="_blank">someone is listening</a>, we got BIG problems.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
When <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAygnB-xQCY" target="_blank">veterans,Christians, libertarians, Constitutionalists, soccer moms, and Tea Partiers </a>are
considered as big a threat as jihadists, we got HUGE problems.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
Are we moving
from a philosophy of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ to one of ‘<a href="http://news.msn.com/science-technology/us-threatened-yahoo-with-huge-fine-over-surveillance" target="_blank">if you havenothing to hide, you have nothing to fear</a>?’<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
If we treated radical
Islam today as we treated communism all those years ago, we could effectively
manage this threat both globally and domestically without turning every
American into a suspect.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
Between 1917 and
1991, we defeated imperialism, fascism, and communism in rapid succession. Those
adversaries had the military and economic might of nation states with millions
of troops and the latest military hardware. We faced annihilation at their
hands, but we still respected freedom at home and abroad (except for the
Japanese internment camps which were a disgrace). We didn’t militarize our
police. We didn’t restrict travel. We didn’t eavesdrop on every citizen and we
didn’t shred the Constitution. We faced the enemy head-on. We called it what it
was.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
And we were
victorious.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
Today, a few
scruffy savages are able to terrorize us into surrendering our rights for the
sake of a little imaginary security.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Al-Qaeda's goal 13 years ago
was to weaken America, to make us prisoners of our own fear. It didn't
work then, but, if we continue down our current path, the result
will be that same. We will succeed where they failed in bringing our own
country to its knees, so afraid of these boogeymen that we gladly give away
what's left of our rights, becoming prisoners in our own homeland. And in doing
so, we will invite tyranny the likes of which this country has never seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then Bin Laden's victory will
be complete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15131749504693357132noreply@blogger.com0