This has been a very tumultuous year which is ending much better for me than when it began. I have much to be thankful for and many to thank for helping me along the long and difficult road to recovery from a crippling physical injury, which I have accepted and am learning daily to live with.

These last three months have been particularly refreshing. The beginning of October saw me able, for the first time in over a year and a half, to provide for my daily needs over the course of a week, establishing a "homestead" at an Intown Suites that allowed me access to doctor visits via taxi. Two weeks after that acquisition of a power chair gave me freedom from the taxis and access to the entire city via the Dallas transit system. And on the fourth week God created a Walmart next door! The wound-vac canisters that filled in two days are now half full after nine. God willing I will shed that "ball and chain" soon.

The laptop Foy and Wynetta gave me after my second hospital stay continues to be the gift that keeps on giving. I've even had my interest in Flight Simulator as a hobby rekindled. Having recently graduated to Flight Simulator X (FSX), I modified the Supercar instrument panel and am beginning to grasp the fundamentals of FS design. I have two scenery creation projects underway for inclusion in the program: the Lakewood Yacht Club, and my own "fantasy island."

And, I'm happy to report that I've again started writing fiction. I've been reading a lot of fiction lately and a couple of weeks ago, after finishing a Clive Cussler novel, I was hit with inspiration on with a sequel to A Journeyman's Rite. After all these years, the path became clear and I knew where to take the story. Yes, I'm feeling encouraged. 2009 is pregnant with promiss.

As the line goes in the theme from Enterprise, "It's been a long road, getting from there to here." At last I have arrived. Believing in "the hope of the heart" pays off. My "Payday, Someday" has arrived (thank you, R.G. Lee). The interest continues to compound and confound. Cheryl came to visit this past weekend. The broken circle is complete again, and in to the future it will roll. Power chairs are good for that too, especially in my case. My vehicular utilization curve is limited right now but I'm making the most of what I have--be it a motorized wheelchair on the physical level, or virtual aircraft via Flight Simulator on the imaginary plane. Flights of fancy can yield tangible rewards. I recently purchased Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Ten), or FSX. It had been a while since I'd gone "simming," and what skills I had were rusty, to say the least, but I had missed the challenge. As soon as I learned, via an online test, that my laptop could run the program I took the plunge. After a few days of experimenting I discovered, quite by accident, that there is a flight simulator in Google Earth. It is rather simplistic, compared to the Microsoft product, but it is interesting. It can be found in Earth View, under "Tools." Caution: Can Be Habbit Forming. Diversions can be good. As Spock once said, "The more complex the mind, the greater the need for simple play." I allowed myself to go too long without. No more. As John Fogarty said, "I'm ready to play." It will take some time for me to get back up to speed, but my reluctance to resume activity has been overcome. I'm back, with a vengence! Stay tuned...

Now is the summer of my discontent (actually my second in a row) grown cautiously optimistic by the slow healing of my recently installed new hip. Yes, I've been idle from posting for some time, but I have been physically immobilized for much longer. It has taken a family intervention and a trip to more qualified healt care professionals in Dallas, but at long last I am regaining functionality of my left leg. I am a long way from being able to walk without a walker or cane (if ever), but I can get around somewhat on my own, and the outlook is better than at anytime since my accident in March of 2007. It's been a tough road back, but I am encouraged and have been receiving great encouragement and assistance from my family (particularly my sister, Debbie, and her two daughers, Misty [husband, Patrick] and Melody [husband, Danny]). My friends Foy, Ken and Ray have also given great support, and it is nice to have the prayers of many others, including my parents and Cheryl. I have lots of catching up to do here, so much so that it's hard to know how to proceed. At least this is a start.

Mission Statement, Part 2:

Socially Liberal. Point and counterpoint. It took long enough to get here, but I will now tackle this absurdly rhetorical word play without getting carried away in some high faulting' sounding essay. "Conservative vs. Liberal" are linchpins that, by definition, appear diametrically opposed in day-to-day punditry. Since I've already explained my politically conservative agenda, I can cut straight to what I consider the obvious liberal "exceptions." I have always objected to the conventional "pigeon holing" of policy as either "Republican" or "Democrat." Unfortunately, our brief national history has not yet led us to a viable "third way." Nevertheless, idealistic and radical as I thought of myself when I was a young man, I sought to avoid the "Brand Names" and identified more with the "Libertarian" label. We've all heard the line "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." Google attributes the line to Groucho Marx (though I doubt it). That makes sense, and pretty well summarizes my attitude about most sub-sets of society. I accept that government is necessary, for the principals stated in the preamble to the US Constitution, the Constitution's structure itself and the Bill of Rights. That's it. Kept simple, I can live with that. We (our proxy signers) collectively agreed to defense from external threats, and certain other things. And it makes sense to combine efforts in certain other matters. Building roads, for example. Rather than have everyone in Houston build his own road to Dallas, coorporation can be a good idea. Limited coorporation, for the good of the signing neighbors, outside, for everyone's good.

Government should have no say in what I do with my property. If I found a million pounds of gold in my back yard I should have a right to defend that property from theft--including theft by the government, even if they make up a term for the theft like "taxes." If I run a lucrative business from my house, that's my business, not the business of the government. The government has no right to know if I succeed or, if so, by how much. The government has no right to the fruits of my labor. Government needs revenue, but it should be from usages and tariffs. But if we are to get into the "General Theory of Income Taxes," we open a whole nother can if worms. Starting with the newly invented "right to privacy" the hallmark of the pro-abortion lobby. Fasten your seatbelts. This can get dicey. I for one favor privacy, therefore my argument against the income tax, but it goes farther. Go way back to that bane of free men as opposed to free women and the contradictions built around right decision for the wrong reasons. Go back to a curse America has not been able to shake: prohibition. I offer a quote from Abraham Lincoln, when he was in the Illinois house in 1840. I've quoted it before, but I'm going to use it again as a springboard to my summation.

“Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.”

Abraham Lincoln

December 18, 1840.
Speech to the Illinois House of Representatives.

Let's go to the old saw that liberals (i.e. Democrats) are so good at: sloganeering. Semantics, word games. Take, for example: "Pro-Choice." How ingenious. How can one be an American, in favor of democracy and be "anti-choice?" That's obfuscation at its best. The issue is not and has never been about "a woman's right to choose." It's about "a woman's right to CHANGE HER MIND, after having made the wrong choice." I'm all for a woman being able to choose what she puts into her body, if only a man had the same right. Just as I think it is an invasion of privacy for the government to know how much money I have, I think drug tests are a violation of the Fourth Amendment against unlawful search and seizure. If I want to put powerful drugs in my body, that should be my choice. I can think of few drugs that more dramatically affect the human body that the pills women get to take that totally alter their natural reproductive processes.

Generally, I'm in favor of decriminalization of victimless crimes. I find nothing in the Bible that forbids drinking, on the contrary, Solomon has some nice things to say about certain benefits of wine. We all have been told that it is not what goes in to the mouth that defiles, but what comes out. It is, as always, the excess--gluttony to which the real sin is inexplicably attached. I believe we are placed here to enjoy what The Lord has provided, but discretion is important. There has always been one passage that has bothered me a lot. Without quoting exactly, I'm sure you know that to which I refer. It goes something like "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." I want to tackle that in more detail at a later date. For now I want to make clear that I see far too much restriction placed by man's "legislation" regarding matters that are foolishly regulated as political matters which when left to the spiritual realm are much more "liberal" when viewed through the lens of The One who cares not one whot about our stupid papers. I realize I'm shooting broadly when I include Roe within the contexts of governmental intervention, but I think there is a valid point there. Please feel free to challenge me or prove me wrong. If you can't, perhaps at least you can give me a new slant. This was a tough entry, and already I feel I need to start reediting. I've put it off long and will no doubt revisit the issue, but that's what this is all about. I know you can't wait till I get to Christianity! OK. That's two Mission Statements out of 4. Maybe as I get healthier, my expression will become clearer. In the meantime, we bees marchin' on. Oh, and about the Libertarian matter, I'm really disappointed in what I view as missed opportunity. Unfortunately, they don't really have that much to offer. If you are interested in where they stand now, you can take a look at this.

This begins my 10th day home alone with no Cheryl, and the loneliness and boredom are reaching new levels. There's no telling how much longer she is going to be hospitalized. Her blood pressure remains dangerously low. Her grand kids, Marcus, Demetrius, Robert and Rozzi come by around 5PM-6PM daily to see that I have plenty of water, and something to eat. One of the kids will microwave me a dinner. Marcus is the eldest boy at 13. Rozzi is about 16 and comes with them sometimes. Turkey and cheese sandwiches serve as a mid-afternoon holdover. Cheryl's daughters, Kita and Deloris, have also been helpful. Deloris has changed my bandage twice, to my great appreciation, though that is something foreign to her. Still, without her I don't know what I'd do. After many weeks of calling so-called health care agencies, I seem to have found one that will help. I had in house interviews yesterday and today, and I signed lots of papers. They offer in home help 11AM-3PM, Monday thru Saturday to feed me, clean me, clean the apartment, change linens, do laundry and shop. And all of that with no cost to me! It sounds great, but there's no word on when the service will begin. I hope it comes through by the time Cheryl gets home.

I've always been a solitary sort of guy (waiting 51 years to marry), but I am experiencing a new level of isolation now. I've managed to occupy some chunks of time on the phone seeking solutions to the home care problem, but I'm not accustomed to this degree of helplessness. I'll spend time online, watch TV, and get very bored. I nap a lot, and no matter how early I go to bed, or what pills I take (of the pain or Valium variety), I wake up after midnight and can't find anything worth watching, reading or writing. At least, last weekend, I had my blog book project, but with that completed, I am starved for something new to do. Oh, yeah, there are all the original Star Trek episodes available online at any time, but I generally watch only one a day--maybe two. And I'm smoking way too many cigarettes. After I figure my income taxes, later, I may actually try my hand at resuming one of my discarded fiction files. Incidentally, if you'd like to see how far I got with posting my si-fi novella, look to the left of this page below the Archives and click on A Journeyman's Rite. I'm not happy that the indentations didn't transfer, and I still have some "sidebar" work to do, but, HEY! It wasn't easy. The next time I arrive fresh at this site I will try to make good on a brief essay about the second part of my "Mission Statement." "Socially Liberal" should require a certain amount of sober objectivity. I have several points I want to make, so maybe I should start honing my writing skills with a little fiction.

I am happy to report that my wife, Cheryl's, surgeries both went well this week. Monday was cardiovascular in preparation for yesterday's removal of a spinal tumor--reportedly, thank God, benign. I must also thank my niece Misty Faircloth for her heartfelt support and all the additional prayers during this grueling week. I never spent so many hours in a wheelchair. My heart goes out to all those who suffer so much more than I. I certainly reached my mobility limit this week. I was also happy to learn that while Memorial Hermann's IT department claims to not have Wi-Fi (they say they are working on it), it is there. That helped a lot with the waiting time. Cheryl's family has been very supportive in keeping me supplied with food and water, but I've been unable to find anyone to help change my bandage. I've tried every so-called charity organization and several churches. They always wished me the best of luck.

Though I've fallen behind in what I'd hoped to be a blogging discussion of things philosophical and controversial, I have found a new avenue of pursuit using Blogger's setup. It sounds simple to begin with; I wanted to get more of a Website experience from the available formats, and I seem to have found one. It began with my desire to publish an old sci-fi story of mine, but I figured I'd need a genuine Website to host the text and link to that. That ain't necessarily so. Blogger isn't designed to publish books, but there is a way. The initial instructions seem simple enough (there is even a sample template), but it is much, much more complicated than it first appears. I've invested about 20 hours this week exploring the potential and have suffered lots of frustration. Sometimes you just have to improvise, and sometimes you have to take leaps of faith in tinkering with the provided HTML. Fortunately I have 15 chapters to work with. I have 3 down and 12 to go. Each chapter is a post, so by project's end I'll have the basics figured out. Getting rid of the timestamps was tricky. Then there's the cross-links between chapters and the table of contents. The author of the how-to article makes a big deal about permalinks. Permalinks are written about everywhere, but I still don't grok 'em. I get the eebie-geebies every time I delete a line of code, and totally don't get it when I do that and nothing changes. Sometimes you get lucky. I got lucky tonight. I'm excited about the possibility of linking several Blogger modifications into a true Website. Btw, the novella I'm attempting to publish is no great shakes, but it's a good chunk of material to practice with. Oh, and one more thing about HTML, in case you didn't know, or are just curious. Right click on any Website and go down to and select "View Source" That is the raw data version of what the page looks like. Tim Berners-Lee, take a bow.

As a quick look at the header shows, my Mission Statement has increased by two items. Consequently, there will be further delay in my explaining Part 2. Parts 2 and 3 will present me with a considerable challenge, while Part 4 will likely never have an adequate explanation. In the meantime, let me say something I've recently learned about the reasons for "enhancing" this blog experience. Since I was 20 I have maintained a very detailed personal record of my life's events. I envisioned something like a "Captain's Log," and it pretty much started out that way; though with pen and paper, rather than audio recording. Still, I kept it faithfully for years. I always referred to those often worthlesself self indulgent writings as "Letters to my Future Self." In retrospect that has pretty much turned out to be the case. With the advent of word processing my journal grew exponentially, and reading those old missives seemed to take on a therapeutic property, sometimes giving an anchor to my "self psychoanalysis." It is amazing to go back a year or few to the exact dates one is passing through again and see how memory shuffles the deck regarding the order of events. The perspective can be often enlightening, and sometimes disturbing. It's funny how we tend to remember things in the light that most favors our preferred recollection. When I discovered and dove in to the Blogosphere, back in 2002, I wanted to separate the exercise in to more than just an online journal. I wanted to do commentary, but soon learned I had nothing to say. I have found it interesting to see how others use this medium very successfully to maintain networks of friends and to share experiences, photos, videos, music and personal trials and growth. As I learn more, perhaps I can fit in better. I'm still learning. For example, just the other day, I found out I can post my old science fiction story, and perhaps other writings as well. But I as much as I would like to keep my private life from interfering with this project, that is clearly impossible. I mentioned before that I missed most of last year due to a disability. I broke my hip, and there were complications that still have me bed bound. My very day to day existence has been made possible by my soul mate, my lovely wife, Cheryl. Alas, she will enter the hospital tomorrow for removal of a tumor from her spine. She is understandably a nervous wreck, as am I. I have no insurance and depend on her for everything. The suddenness of this news and its impact have us both scared. I had planned to wait for Part 3 to get into the discussion of faith, but fate forces my hand. I must ask, if you believe in prayer, please pray for her. This will be a trying week. Her son will check on me daily for food and water, but I haven't a clue how I'm going to change my wound dressing. I guess I'll try it myself. So there, I've taken the first step in opening myself up. I intend to continue filling this expanding space with interesting links, and articles of note. But before I leave this session I'd like to comment on how this whole journal thing began. Back in the summer of 1971, I was going through a tough breakup with a long time girlfriend. We still saw each other frequently, and she was much more level-headed about the facts of life than I. One day I was talking to the Youth Minister at my church and told him of my dilemma. I said that after she and I talked I would go home like a wounded puppy and feel sorry for myself. He suggested I try a technique he'd learned in college psychology. He said it was called a "verbatim." He said that after each disturbing conversation, I should go home and immediately write down, as best I could remember, every line of our talk." The goal was to be objective. It seemed to me that my hero at the time, Mr. Spock, would have thought such an approach, "logical." It didn't take me long at all to notice that in my transcription small subjective comments began finding their way into my "analysis." I became more discerning, and I soon found myself on the road to recovery. Seeing the bias that I was automatically adding to what was to have been "objective" writing changed forever the way I viewed events, particularly in retrospect. I think the change was for the better. The journal I started that day, June 12, 1971, continues to evolve, and I still am amazed to look back a year, or five, or twenty and see that same guy writing to me. I enjoy reading the letters I wrote to myself then. Sometimes I feel sorry for the pain he expressed in his heartbreak and foolishness. Sometimes I find myself saying, "Way to go, kid, you got that right!" Finally, I'm just glad he's still around.

Before I get carried away with elaborating on my so-called "mission statement," I am becoming increasingly aware that an expansion of of my overall commitment here bears a bit of "fleshing out." I don't want to put too fine a point on matters, as my interests are far broader than the simplistic initial opening phrase seems to indicate. I can think of three things that occurred this past week which forced me to face exactly how much I immediately need to broaden my scope. The first was that in looking around at what some relatives and friends have been able to accomplish with their Blog*Spot experience has given me pause to realize my own inadequacy in taking full advantage of Blogger's potential, starting with my bland, mundane and totally under utilization of the tools available to me, from Template and beyond. As a Website, this will suffice, but I need to do more with it. Secondly there was all the flap about Obama's "minister." Beyond the politics of the matter I found myself crossing over into the theological. Some of my family members' blogs are very strong in the usage of their sites to expound on such matters and I'd like to contribute to the discussion, though I'm sure my take on the subjects put forth will present me with a considerable challenge, for I don't want to be "off-putting," and my comments will no doubt come across at times as logical gymnastics. Third (but probably not last) I found myself revisiting Michael Crichton's Website and being reminded of just how difficult (and rewarding) it can be to go to great lengths to make a proper point. I consider him one of the most brilliant and well-balanced authors currently writing. "The hottest brand going," to borrow a commercial phrase. His sometimes circuitous path toward making a point can often be very persuasive. As evidence, I submit this speech, currently posted on his site. Not only does he write good books, but the man has a lot to say and I consider him a standard of achievement worth emulating. Yes, I think it is safe to say I will be expanding on my objectives. If you have any feedback, please let me know. In the meantime, I'll be plodding along as best I can.

Mission Statement, Part 1:

Politically Conservative. In the broad spectrum of American politics I tend to think of myself as falling somewhere to the right of the so-called "center right." I set my iconic philosophical standard as William F. Buckley, Jr., who shed his mortal coil just last week. The movement he started with the founding of National Review in 1955 survives as the cornerstone of a living memorial to his vision. I didn't know of him so much from the magazine, as I was never a subscriber to any magazine, but I became familiar with his unique style of punditry and humor through the television program Firing Line, one of the few programs on PBS that I found worth watching. However, with the advent of the World Wide Web, I started beginning my morning update with Drudge and became a daily reader of National Review Online. Below the banner on NRO's Home Page there is a tab for "Blog Row." One of those blogs, The Corner, has become my first stop for all things freshly current, newsworhty and political. It is updated throughout the day, and not all of it is wonkery. I find some of my favorite writers there, notably Jonah Goldberg, Mark Steyn and the incomparable Victor Davis Hansen. The sheer word output from those guys is mindboggling; not just in their posts on The Corner, but in the articles they write for other publications. Jonah is clever and often flat-out funny, and I also like his contemporary cultural references, especially when they relate to Star Trek, which he works in whenever he can. I look forward to reading his new book, Liberal Fascism. Mark brings a particularly interesting slant on things, having become naturalized from some other British colony (Canada). I don't know how Victor finds time to share his wisdom on a blog, what with all the other truly amazing scholarly work he produces. He frequently shows up to give expert commentary on History Channel programs, especially things relating to ancient Grecian warfare. There are many interesting pundits contributing to The Corner. The discussion is often lively, and not always limited to partisan politics. Another place I go for a good sampling of daily columns is Townhall.com. Many contribute there, and on Thursdays one can find Ann Coulter's latest. Ann is a little over the top for me sometimes, but I always find her worth a laugh or two--and what a babe! The Web is a wonderful place to gather information. But this little bibliography cannot be complete without my mentioning the "Doctor of Democracy," Rush Limbaugh. I don't always agree with anyone, but I must say I am a regular listener (as well as a subscriber to Rush 24/7, in case I miss a day), and he does often articulate things I wish I could--and perhaps someday I can--say. Now that I've announced my daily thought feeding troughs, as a reader one can gather where I come by some of the raw materials from which I hope to produce fresh contributions of my own to our ongoing discussion of the American experiment.

So, I guess that pretty well sums up part 1 of my "mission statement." Part 2 is going to be a bit more difficult. Before I get to that point I would like to make a political statement, of sorts, to start things off, but I really don't want to subject anyone who hasn't seen it to the Obama "Dip Dive" video; (spoiler alert: don't click if you have a weak stomach). I find it creepy and somewhat frightening. Somehow I think it should more appropriately include these lyrics, by Kerry J.S. (Hat Tip: Lisa Schiffren of The Corner):

(It should probably be performed just as earnestly and with the same array of multi-racial talent, plus, probably a few old people.)

I want to live in an America where ants and rain never bother my picnic.

I want to live in an America where ice cream and beer help you take off the pounds.

I want to live in an America that is only visited by friendly space aliens like ET and Spock,

not bad ones like Predator and the body snatchers.

I want to live in an America where it's never too hot in the summertime and winter always has enough snow to be pretty but not enough to make the roads dangerous.

I want to live in an America with tangerine trees and marmalade skies.

I want to live in an America where cellophane flowers of yellow and green are towering over your head.

I want to live in an America where newspaper taxis appear on the shore, waiting to take you away.
I want an America where you can get your dirty deeds done dirt cheap.

I want to live in an America where you get your money for nothing and your chicks for free.
Obama! Obama! Obama!!!! (swinging arms above head as if this
is dancing, and managing to ooze sincerity out of every pore).

Anyway, I guess by now one might know what to expect from my "Politically Conservative" side.

After my initial post, last night, I spent some time on the cosmetics of this site. I updated my profile and relearned a couple of things about editing, including management of the font size. At times during that process I was met with great frustration, but I'm catching on. Furthermore, as it turned out, the timing of my resurrecting this forum was most fortuitous. My morning email check informed me of Google's final decision to abandon my appeal to reclaim Netblogger. So this "Son of Netblogger" arrived right on time. I'm looking forward to taking full advantage of this new lease on Web life. For one thing I have the advantage of learning from my previous endeavor, so it shouldn't take long for me to begin adding substantive and perhaps even entertaining content. I'm already looking for a picture to post with my profile, and I'm very anxious to start posting links. Political and theological commentary will surely follow in due course.

Moving the torch forward!

After a year of inactivity and seemingly insurmountable obstacles in dealing with Blogger, my urge to carry on in the tradition I began in 2002 has finally culminated in carrying on with this reincarnation of my still existing, but somehow maddeningly inaccessible original blog, netblogger. After spending much of 2007 disabled and hospitalized, I was released to find myself denied access to my old friend, which is still posted, by the way, and can be accessed by clicking this link: http://netblogger.blogspot.com/. I even switched to the new Blogger last summer, before my last hospital stay, which makes it all the more mysterious to me that Blog*Spot/Google has found it somehow beyond their ability to restore it to my possession. I have filled out and submitted at least 50 of their robot forms and read all their HELP files. I did get two email responses. One writer had completely missed the point of my complaint, while the other seemed interested and had me answer several questions. Nevertheless, I have decided to "move on" in this way, for now. Btw, the "move on" reference does not in anyway suggest anything but sarcazm with regards to the Democrat political organization, as further postings should make abundantly clear. Nevertheless, it is good to be back online after such a long absense. I've lots of catching up to do, and I look forward to posting outlandish comments and, perhaps, occasionally entertaining links. You can refer to my original blog for a quick idea of where I'm coming from as I tinker with getting this site in shape. Of course I'll have to create a new profile, some method for readers to post comments, and I'm going to have to reeducate myself about the HTML script for inserting links with text.