Montag ...

Live the probabilities

2009-11-16T07:57:00.004-05:00

"Most things I worry about never happen anyway." — Tom Petty.

You could die from swine flu. But you probably won't.

You might get killed this morning when a drunken idiot runs a red light or cuts you off on the highway. But you'll probably make it home safely tonight.

A terrorist might be on board the plane you're taking today. But probably not.

You might be laid off and replaced by an illegal immigrant. But the chances are almost zero.

In fact, the world might come to an end in 2012. But most of us very likely will live to see 2013 — and those of us who don't won't perish in a planetwide catastrophe.

Every intrusion on our freedom begins with politicians planting the seed of an improbable fear, and then cultivating it until it becomes so irrational a majority is ready to surrender a piece of liberty.

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." — H.L. Mencken.

As you peruse your newspaper or Web sites, as you listen to and watch newscasts, be mindful of the percentages. Remember the truth of Petty and Mencken. Refuse to be afraid, refuse to be led to the safety of a cage — in other words, free yourself.

Life is what happens to you ...

2009-11-15T08:10:00.003-05:00

Many of us who gather here had a friend named kyfho, who died at the end of April 2008 after a life of thoughtful reflection in the name of liberty. He comes to mind of late as I kick-start projects that I originally intended to complete in time for him to read them.

Kyfho said it's important to have a philosophy of life — perhaps paraphrasing what Shepherd Book says in his exit lines of the brilliant film Serenity: "I don't care what you believe — just believe!" I haven't necessarily completely embraced his urgency — I don't mind a little fuzziness and uncertainty — but his point was, in part, that your life will reflect the principles you believe, so it's probably important to know what those principles are.

Refuse To Be Afraid, a book based on the themes of this blog, and The Imaginary Revolution, a novel that embraces the Zero Aggression Principle as its theme, are the creations that will scream "This is what I believe. This is how I try to live my life." As such, I have embued them with too much significance; I have been reluctant to pull them together, for the same primal fear we all share: What if we were to say "This is true and important," and the vast mass of folks out there sniffed at it and said, "No, it's not. You're a lunatic. Worse: You're irrelevant."

Maybe I am. But you know, books that are never published touch no one. So I plow ahead. I've provided a taste of RTBA in an ebook (go ahead, click over there), but there's much more to say. I've gotten a podcast of the first two chapters of I-Rev done only to turn around and start over, but the arc of the tale is now in my mind and it only needs to be written down. They were going to be ready by Christmas 2008, and now I expect to offer them up in 2010. Two years too late, or right on time.

And wherever kyfho is, I hope he'll somehow enjoy the final products.

The art of doing it

2009-11-09T06:03:00.002-05:00

Gems that caught my eye today while browsing Do It! Let's Get Off Our Buts, the best book I've ever read about getting stuff done and following dreams:

... the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.

- Harry Emerson Fosdick

Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done and why. Then do it.

- Robert Heinlein

Quit now, you'll never make it. If you disregard this advice, you'll be halfway there.

- David Zucker

Stan, Ollie and Carlos

2009-11-06T07:04:00.002-05:00

The footage is a delightful interlude from Way Out West. The soundtrack reinvents the sequence nicely.

Remember, remember

2009-11-05T07:57:00.002-05:00

Happy Guy Fawkes Day.

The joy of making books

2009-11-03T07:32:00.007-05:00

At this stage in its existence, Richardson & Bluhm book publishers is not doing well enough to allow its principals, or anyone else, to quit the day job. But it's sure fun making books, and fun has something to say for itself.

Given a choice of things to do Monday, I spent part of it tinkering with the existing product. I added a couple of introductory essays to our edition of Tom Paine's Letters to the Citizens of the United States, letters from 1802-1805 that are surprisingly relevant, as the young republic struggled with the pull between individual liberty and federal power.

Next I fiddled with the book that started it all, The Imaginary Bomb, a short novel that has drawn nice reviews both as a free podcast and as a stand-alone book. I've punched the package up with the (in)complete text of the unfinished sequel, The Imaginary Lover, and a sneak preview of the new novel of freedom and nonviolent resistance, The Imaginary Revolution. The revised I-Bomb becomes a great way to get up-to-date on the events of the Imaginary Era and whet your appetite for things to come. And folks who enjoyed the podcasts of the first draft of the first two chapters may be intrigued by the changes — especially the identity of the new narrator.

In the last month or so, I've branched off into the realm of classic science fiction, with an edition of Arthur Conan Doyle's immortal tale of exploration and dinosaurs, The Lost World. The plan is to whip together two more editions that collect the other four stories of Professor George Edward Challenger. Sure, it's been done before, but not by people as nice as the Richardson & Bluhm menagerie.

The newest addition is 6 Monsters, a half-dozen of the scariest tales conjured by the great literary minds of the 19th century, including "Frankenstein," "Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and Henry James' intriguing ghost story/psychological drama "The Turn of the Screw." You might find these out there, but not under one roof.

The marvelous folks at Lulu are standing by to print these gems on demand for you, whether you want to buy single copies or stock up and get all of your Christmas shopping done in one place. Thanks for clicking through and taking a look and, if you find something you like, snatching it right up. When Richardson & Bluhm becomes a name to be reckoned with, you'll be able to say you have some of its earliest editions. Imagine that!

Links

2009-11-02T08:35:00.004-05:00

I've written before about how each of us is a time machine from the past. Here's another one.

It's the afternoon of Nov. 22, 1963. Our fifth-grade class has a substitute teacher that day. She's a very old lady from my 10-year-old perspective. It's a sunny fall day and we're not concentrating very hard on whatever the day's lesson is. (Oh, and half a world away in Great Britain, kids are checking out the newly released, second LP from that nifty new guitar band The Beatles. It won't be long ... but I digress.)

The principal sticks his nose in and announces that President Kennedy has been shot. Now, this part is fuzzy in my brain because I didn't know what the word "fatal" meant at the time - but my memory insists that the principal said the president had been fatally shot, and the old substitute teacher said, "Well, let's certainly pray that he lives ..."

In any case, after we'd settled down a bit, the old teacher started talking about the day when she was a little girl, and she was passing the train water tower when someone called down, "President McKinley has been shot!" Perhaps that's where my memory's circuits have been scrambled - perhaps the old teacher went on to talk about how everyone was praying that McKinley would survive. As it was, he lingered for eight days after being shot in Buffalo, N.Y., and then passed to the ages. President Kennedy, of course, died that afternoon. We were released early — I remember the sun shining off the face of the old Little Falls, N.J., library as I biked away from the school.

And now I pass these images secured somewhat faultily from one time machine to another — images of a New Jersey fifth-grade classroom, a railroad water tower 62 years earlier, and a feeling of children's shock and surprise to link them together. One image survives 108 years later, the other a mere 46. What intriguing time machines we are.

Norman and Merle — Happily ever after?

2009-10-29T07:07:00.002-04:00

A long time ago in eastern Wisconsin, I purchased a ragged copy of a book called The Life of William McKinley, which was compiled not long after the 25th president of the US of A was assassinated in 1901. During my brief sabbatical the other day, I started paging through the book. What I learned about McKinley is a tale for another day. This is about a small discovery.

Between page 303 and the adjacent photo of "sailors from the battleship Illinois in the funeral procession, Washington," I found a note, written — in pencil, I think — on a piece of small notepad paper:

Sawyer, Wis.
April 9, 1926

Dear Merle:
Am writing you a few lines
to let you know, I might
come down Sunday with my
old bus. There isn't any news
around here, so I will close.
As Ever,
Norman

I presume Merle was a woman. Was she thrilled to receive these short words from Norman? Otherwise why did she keep the note? Did he and his old bus arrive with a marriage proposal? Or was the little slip of paper merely a handy bookmark, long forgotten (much as Sawyer is today — I understand it merged into Sturgeon Bay a few years later.)

What stories could be told from this little note, a bit of mysterious poetry from eight decades past: What went through Norman's mind and heart as he composed — how long did his emotions tarry after he wrote, "my old bus," and before he decided "There isn't any news around here, so I will close"? Did the postman who carried the note call out, "Hey Merle, you have a letter from Sawyer here"? What did Merle think as she saw she had a letter from Norman, and as she opened the envelope?

And how did Sunday afternoon go? If, as I suspect, preserving the note had more meaning than as a bookmark, I imagine it may have been a magical day, the lives of Merle and Norman were henceforth intertwined, and they lived ever after — happily, we would hope.

There isn't any more for me to add, so I will close.

Give more than you take

2009-10-28T06:15:00.004-04:00

A man named Wallace D. Wattles once wrote a book called The Science of Getting Rich. It's filled with much wisdom and good advice. To read it well is to skew your world viewpoint a bit. When I read it, a few things fell into place — some of which I codified here and collected in the ebook Preserve the Embers; Stoke the Fire. (Click on its picture over there on the right to get the ebook — then click the Richardson & Bluhm box to have someone print you a handy-dandy copy for a modest fee.)

Here is a thought that helped the tumblers fall into place and unlock my brain: "Give to every person more than you take from him," Wattles wrote. A corollary is the famous (I think) Zig Ziglar promise, "You can have anything you want in life if you will help enough other people get what they want."

Much has been written and spoken about finding happiness and fulfillment. Most of it boils down to: Locate your passions, then follow the dreams they give you. Cast aside negative emotions, or rather recast them in a positive way. Peter McWilliams writes about moving out of your comfort zone and channeling the fear into an excitement for the new adventures.

Once you've brought the fear under control, which begins the process of freeing yourself, Wattles' principle is a sound one for following your dreams: Give to every person more than you take from him. Make sure you have created something of value and quality that satisfies beyond the investment. The other person will notice and be grateful, and some will express their gratitude with more business, or by giving back, in whatever coin you gave to them. Consistently give more than you take, and eventually you will have enough — and sooner than you think.

Creativity break

2009-10-24T05:39:00.003-04:00

Not that you'd notice from the amount of activity on this page recently, but I'm going to do something now that makes me a little nervous and tentative. I'm turning off the computer and walking away for a few days.

I spend a large portion of my day sitting in a chair staring at a computer screen as part of my deal to sell a certain corporation 40-50 hours of my life every week. Before work and after work, I come home and spend time sitting in a chair staring at a computer screen.

I noticed something months ago: Many of my most creative moments involve sitting in a chair, or on a park bench, with a pencil and pad of paper in my hands. And I enjoy being creative.

If my creative well has run dry sitting in front of the computer screen, it's time to turn off the 'pooter and recharge. See ya Wednesday.

Talk amongst yourselves. Download an ebook or two. Browse the Richardson & Bluhm box; I can always use the FRNs and you could use some of the new and vintage literature in there.

Above all, of course, refuse to be afraid. Free yourself. Dream.

B.W.'s Shameless Book Plug: 6 Monsters

2009-10-15T23:42:00.004-04:00

Getting a degree in English can be tedious at times. The classics of literature do not always make the most compelling reading. But every so often you'll come across a terrific bit of writing that is still a page-turner after a century or two.

For the scary season, the vast staff of Richardson & Bluhm print-on-demand books has compiled a half-dozen of the best page-turners in literature, from names you might have caught a time or two before like Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson and such.

Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" is a matter-of-fact tale told by a fellow who'd had enough and decided to bury a (presumably) former friend alive behind a brick wall. Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter" is about a man who builds himself, well, a daughter. "The Turn of the Screw" is a ghost (?) story that leaves readers guessing 100+ years after Henry James wrote it.

Anchored by "Frankenstein" and "Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," 6 Monsters is a lovely little pile of classics. Click here to learn more and be among the first to order your very own copy. Act now — it's only two weeks to Halloween! And feel free to explore where it says "More from B.W. Richardson and Warren Bluhm, editors."

They wait to change the world

2009-10-12T09:32:00.003-04:00

An abandoned book cries out to be read. From time to time I'll find a book at an antique store that I never heard of, and it speaks to me:

"I have the idea the world needs now. I tell the story that could change someone's life. And in changing that person, I change the lives around him/her. In changing those lives, I change the world and alter time. Read me ... please read me ..."

I'll often take them home, and sometimes dive in and read. But many still wait on my shelves, calling, pleading ...

Housecleaning

2009-10-08T06:51:00.003-04:00

"A piece of paper defines my rights. My acts of defiance enforce them."

OK, let's get a few things straightened out here. A couple of things have fallen off the shelf, and I ought to pick them up, do some vacuuming, straighten this place up a little.

First off, a stopped clock is right a couple of times a day. Glenn Beck appears to be a fraud, but I like what he wrote that I quoted. I really get the feeling that he is like many Obama supporters: An administration I dislike cannot violate the Constitution with impunity, but I am blind to the violations done in my guy's name.

He did write, "Our collective experience since the Founding has taught us that all governments of every stripe are fascist in nature. They will gobble up as much money, resources, and people as possible unless adequately checked ... All these 'isms' simply reflect the mistaken belief that progressively larger governments are needed to address our problems." Whether he understands that this was true prior to Jan. 20, 2009, is unclear. But at least he appears to grasp truth at the moment. Sadly, I expect he will rediscover his blind spot the day a Republican president is inaugurated, just as most Democrats will have the scales fall from their eyes that day.

A number of simple truths here. The vast majority of US of A citizens are comfortable with "progressively larger governments," as they know of nothing else in their lifetimes. The federal government, however, long ago passed the point where it can sustain its sheer bulk with the ~~seized assets~~ resources available at its command. Its fiscal and moral bankruptcy are obvious to an increasing number of people; sadly, most of these people are pinning their hopes on some sort of revived Republican Party.

"... We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness ..."

A number of things are clear. Much about the U.S. government and its subsidiaries is destructive to the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — beginning with the notion that the smaller units of government serve the federal government, and not vice versa. Or perhaps beginning with the notion that the governed have consented to all of this. Or perhaps beginning with the notion that the powers being exercised by the government are just.

In any case, an altering or abolition is in order. However, in the immortal words of Macolm Reynolds, "I got no need to beat you, I just want to go my way." How does one go about altering or abolishing a tyrannical government while adhering to the principle of non-initiation of force?

A housecleaning is in order. But you do not clean a house by demolishing it with explosives and other implements of force. Nor, recent history shows, do you clean the house by clearing it of one sort of vermin and allowing another sort to move in.

Wednesday morning I indulged in a writing exercise recommended by the legendary Ray Bradbury: I compiled a list. As ideas and fragments of ideas and images came to my mind, I wrote them down. It began with simple ideas: "The generous thief. The dinosaur lover." Then I progressed to concepts: "Mudslides as weapons. Sacrificing for an ideal. Future events, seen now in past tense."

And then this:

"A piece of paper defines my rights — my acts of defiance enforce them."

I believe that Thoreauvian statement contains the seeds of how one goes about altering or abolishing a tyrannical form of government while clinging to the Zero Aggression Principle.

More on this as the cobwebs clear from my mind. Your own insights are always welcome; click on the word "comments." See it? Right down here:

Successful capitalist Michael Moore: 'Capitalism did nothing for me'

2009-10-02T06:03:00.005-04:00

The irony of film entrepreneur Michael Moore is that he seems to have trouble recognizing that his skills at playing the game of capitalism would be useless in the heavy-handed totalitarian system he advocates.

In this interview with CNSNews.com, Moore talks about how his fellow capitalists tried to fight his previous works ...

“In fact, in Fahrenheit 9/11 if you remember, capitalism, the Disney Corporation, tried to kill that film--tried to make it so that people couldn’t see it,” said Moore. “My book Stupid White Men--Harper Collins tried to kill that book so that people couldn’t see it. It's only because I put the light of day on it and told people what was going on did people get the chance to see these things.”

Does he understand that there is no light of day to shine in systems where something resembling the free market and capitalism don't exist? There, if the Powers That Be want to kill a film or a book, it gets killed and that's the end of it.

The system Moore detests, of course, is not a free market; we live under more of an amalgam of capitalism and government force, where political and corporate types do favors for each other with our cash. To that extent Moore does a service by shining his light. It's just a shame his proposed solutions all seem to end with the government types crushing the corporate types and taking full control.

In Michael Moore's perfect world, Michael Moore doesn't exist. He misses the point.

'Your favorite Beatles song'

2009-09-28T07:26:00.003-04:00

Better late than never - I wish I'd thought of this suggestion before all the big Beatles hype surrounding their video game and discography re-release earlier this month:

If you consider yourself someone who believes governments in general are too intrusive, consider answering as follows should anyone ever ask you what your favorite Beatles song is:

TAXMAN

Let me tell you how it will be,
There’s one for you, nineteen for me,
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don’t take it all.
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah yeah, I’m the Taxman.

(If you drive a car car), I’ll tax the street,
(If you try to sit sit), I’ll tax your seat,
(If you get too cold cold), I’ll tax the heat,
(If you take a walk walk), I’ll tax your feet.
Taxman.

‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Don’t ask me what I want it for
(Ah Ah! Mister Wilson!)
If you don’t want to pay some more
(Ah Ah! Mister Heath!),
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeeeah, I’m the Taxman.

Now my advice for those who die, (Taxman!)
Declare the pennies on your eyes, (Taxman!)
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
And you’re working for no-one but me,
(Taxman).

'All government of every stripe'

2009-09-25T05:33:00.003-04:00

I'm not that familiar with Glenn Beck the radio/TV host, but if the stuff he's quoted as writing in here is any indication, not wonder TPTB are working to destroy him.

Our collective experience since the Founding has taught us that all governments of every stripe are fascist in nature. They will gobble up as much money, resources, and people as possible unless adequately checked. Governments are never static; they always grow. Communism, fascism, socialism, imperialism, and statism are all different ends accomplished through the same means: totalitarian, absolute government control over the individual. All these 'isms' simply reflect the mistaken belief that progressively larger governments are needed to address our problems.

Thoughtful insights.

Mortgage on my life

2009-09-24T08:15:00.000-04:00

"Ramble Tamble" is such a great rock song that I never bothered to look up the words until this morning. I mean, its purpose was to blow out your speakers, get the juices flowing and otherwise dive headlong into the best album Creedence Clearwater Revival ever delivered.

It's full-bore rock and roll for seven minutes, jangly guitars and John Fogerty shouts and all, wrapped around an extended slowed-down instrumental bit in which Fogerty wrung every inch of pathos out of his guitar. Who cared what he was shouting?

Got curious this morning after I clicked on the "Play" arrow to get my juices flowing. Googled "Ramble Tamble lyrics."

Move! Down the road I go. Move! Down the road I go.

There's mud in the water, roach in the cellar, bugs in the sugar, mortgage on the home, mortgage on the home.

There's garbage on the sidewalk, highways in the back yard, police on the corner, mortgage on the car, mortgage on the car.

Move! Down the road I go. Move! Down the road I go.

They're selling independence, actors in the White House, Acid indigestion, Mortgage on my life, mortgage on my life.

Move! Down the road I go. Move! Down the road I go - ramble tamble, ramble tamble, ramble tamble.

Now here's the thing: It's not great poetry, but the words fit the music perfectly. For 40 years I've been listening to this song, and the jangly guitars convey a pent-up frustration that needs to be released, a conviction that there has to be more to life than this. Now, I realize, that was the point.

Most men live lives of quiet desperation, the man said. Fogerty said the same thing in seven minutes of abandon. Ramble tamble, indeed.

B.W.'s Book Report: The Lost World

2009-09-21T06:42:00.004-04:00

If Professor George Edward Challenger was the only memorable character he ever created, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle still would be a mighty figure in the field of adventure literature. Instead, of course, Challenger is — rather than being the main achievement of Doyle’s career — simply further evidence that the man who invented Sherlock Holmes was a creative genius.

The Lost World introduces this remarkable amalgamation of bombast, persistence and confidence and conceit with a flair: He engages the narrator, reporter Ed Malone, in a fistfight, largely for no other reason but that Malone is a reporter. The altercation leads to the street, where a police officer breaks up the fight. When Malone chooses not to press charges, a friendship of sorts begins. Doyle brings Challenger, Malone and two other adventurers — Lord John Roxton and Professor Summerlee — to South America in this first and most well-known of five tales about G.E.C.

Creators of the film versions of this tale usually feel the need to introduce a woman into the cast of four men in pursuit of Challenger’s fantastic tale of dinosaurs living in the South American jungle. In the fabulous 1925 film we are introduced to Paula White, daughter of the late Maple, played by the charming Bessie Love. She adds a point of conflict, as both Roxton and Malone have their eyes on her. But as you’ll see if you’re encountering the story for the first time, there’s hardly time in this lost world for such matters.

The scenes of a brontosaurus walking the streets of London and creating general havoc have inspired countless films ever since, but the filmmaker’s reinterpretation of a brief moment in the story’s climax marks another departure from Doyle’s original vision. That one might have been necessitated by technical realities, as the group’s return to England does have a lot of talking in it, and “talkies” were a couple to three years away.

The modern reader needs to make a few accommodations to Doyle’s era, as the author introduces a supporting cast that includes a loyal, friendly and simple-minded “negro,” as well as shady and “swarthy” foreigners. These references date the narrative a tad, but there’s a good reason The Lost World has remained a legendary tale for nearly a century now, generating at least three more film versions and even a television series: It’s a wonderfully rousing adventure story.

You may have noticed that the book cover pictured does not match any of the editions that have been available over the years. That's because I've been reading The Lost World as I prepare it to take a place next to the other print-on-demand publications in the growing Richardson & Bluhm stable. It will be available within a few days.

The other side of 'Refuse to be Afraid'

2009-09-18T08:45:00.001-04:00

I admit it, I laughed.

More of this demotivation at Despair.com. Where else?

A better dream of freedom

2009-09-16T07:58:00.004-04:00

It's amazing how often you'll hear an idea for a new law from someone who claims to be in favor of freedom. Of course, usually these self-proclaimed sons and daughters of liberty have already been elected to office, so they've already made some adjustments to their views of what freedom is.

It's still true that the US of A is a place where you can criticize The Powers That Be without being shot or imprisoned — most of the time. Of course, you can't do it in the presence of the Big Boss. Yikes, shouting "You lie!" to the emperor while he was giving a speech. That sort of thing just isn't done.

America is the place where your rights are fully protected as long as you don't infringe on other people's rights — like the right to smoke-free air, the right to free health care, and the right not to be exposed to someone else's religious beliefs. Your property is your own to do as you please with it — as long as you get the proper permits and inspections and pay the property tax. You can travel at will all over this great nation — after your person and luggage have been examined and ransacked. Unlike past empires, we have no ambitions to impose our will on conquered territories — pay no attention to the hundreds of military bases established all over the world.

Some of us have a better dream of freedom: "No one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being for any reason whatever; nor ... advocate the initiation of force, or delegate it to anyone else." I know, good luck with that. I still think a society based on that principle would be a lovely one to live in. The tricky part? By definition no one can be forced to live that way.

For some time I've been working, in fits and starts, on a novel about the creation of such a society — even put out a couple of chapters I have since set aside. The novel is starting to come together at last. No promises, though — I've done that before and missed the target.

That's not my main point today, anyway. Rather, it's just a reminder to beware of anyone who proclaims a devotion to liberty while advocating for a new restriction on liberty. Yes, I know I'm reminding you to beware of people you encounter pretty much every day. That's how pervasive the assault on freedom is. That stuff about "eternal vigilance" isn't far from the truth.

But in the end, the Zero Aggression Principle is about a very personal kind of freedom. You don't have to wait until some utopian society is created. You simply live it. And no one can take that away from you.

Information is freedom

2009-09-14T06:37:00.002-04:00

In the opening pages of our eBook Refuse to Be Afraid (Why haven't you downloaded it yet? Just click on the little blue cover and it's yours), we tell the story of a "big cliff" along Lake Champlain and a little boy who went over the edge screaming with fear, only to collapse in laughter at the bottom because he discovered the drop, invisible through thick brush, was only a few feet. He landed, unharmed, on the shore below.

Information is freedom. Fear kept little Warren from simply relaxing his grip on the side of the hill and sliding to safety. He'd have been off that cliff very quickly and avoided several minutes of sheer terror. Of course, he wouldn't have a lesson that has stayed with him for 50 years, either.

Fear of the unknown keeps us paralyzed. It makes little drops seem like huge cliffs. It turns an annoying little speedbump into an unclimbable mountain.

Afraid because you don't know what might happen? Educate yourself. Find out all you can about the path ahead, or the potential obstacles, and they will shrink in your mind — more important, you will discover ways to get around or plow through the obstacles. That's because information is freedom. The truth will ease your fear and set you free.

Still free, eight years later

2009-09-11T07:35:00.004-04:00

"They can take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom." - William Wallace, in Braveheart.

You can give away your freedom by acquiescing to draconian security measures and other personal intrusions like those that have been added to our lives over the past eight years. Actually treating everyone as a potential criminal or terrorist was nothing new in the US of A; the events of Sept. 11, 2001, merely provided an excuse to accelerate the process.

I always found it ironic that these anti-liberty measures were enthusiastically implemented by those who, with a straight face, said the attacks were staged "because they hate our freedom." If crushing freedom was the motive, the attackers succeeded to a point.

But your freedom is so hardwired into you that no one can take it from you without taking your life.

"If they give you ruled paper, write the other way," Juan Ramón Jiménez wrote, memorably quoted in the opening of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. When everything else is in restraints, you can still think free.

"You can't take the sky from me." - Joss Whedon, "Ballad of Serenity."

5 step plan to help America's youth deal with the real world

2009-09-10T06:45:00.003-04:00

1. Go to the medicine cabinet.
2. Grab the Ritalin and any other mood-altering medicine.
3. Dump pills into toilet.
4. Flush.
5. Deal.

The last president

2009-09-09T20:53:00.003-04:00

So his agenda is finally made clear ...

"I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last."

For some time it's been clear this guy is hellbent on steering the U.S. of A. into bankruptcy, and now he says it out loud: He's determined to be the last president of the U.S. of A.

At least now we know what we're dealing with.

The first hour

2009-09-08T07:09:00.006-04:00

From Dan Miller's 48 Days to the Work You Love:

Be very careful how you start your morning. You are planting the seeds for what the day will hold. If you get up late, grab a cup of coffee and a cigarette, fume at the idiots in traffic in your rush to work, and drop down exhausted at your desk at 8:10, you have set the tone for the day. Everything will feel like pressure, and your best efforts will be greatly diluted.

Miller writes about getting a good night's sleep, spending the first 30 minutes of the day on reading and reflection, then working out while listening to an audio book that involves "mental input and expansion." "I carefully protect that first hour of the day, making sure that all input is positive, creative and inspirational. Many of my most creative ideas have come from this protected hour of the day, often when I am in a full sweat."

You may have a different way to clear the day out in your mind and get started. But get the first hour down, when the mind is newly clear and a blank slate, and the rest of the day will flow more smoothly.