Citizen Phil

Kindle Edition - Cry for the Shadows

My short novel Cry for the Shadows is now available for Amazon's new Kindle, the e-book reader. It was a little bit tricky formatting it for the device, but it turned out pretty good in the end. This device is cool; although, it is also a bit pricey at $400. You buy books right from the device, wirelessly... sort of like a cell phone, and you pay nothing for the wireless service.

Check out the PC Magazine Review of Amazon's Kindle e-Book Reader.

Here is the Kindle link for Cry for the Shadows.

Download my Free Short Story collection, Vol. 1 - PDF format. Right click and choose Save as... or click it and save it from the Adobe Reader.

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Abortion and the U.S. Constitution

Published at TownHall.com on Nov. 22, 2007

I am thankful for my constitutional scholar hat, which I am wearing at this very moment. It is a magic hat, of course, because I am not a constitutional scholar. To make it work, I sprinkle a bit of common sense powder and a dash of logical thinking on the inside of it. Then when I put it on, …BAM!!!

For all of you front-end baby boomers, the answer is no. Common sense powder is not a hallucinogen, and no, I do not buy my logical thinking in a bottle imported from Mexico. I realize that many of today's social realities were conceived in that manner, and that our liberal politicians lost far too many brain cells during their period of enlightenment, otherwise known as attending college in the '60s.

Unfortunately, those were the brain cells that contained wisdom, passed down from parents, grandparents, and educators; not yet infected by the viral scourge of hedonism. Even in the poorest of communities, a fierce pride was maintained in the fight to provide for the family. Values and character were instilled in children by parents with as much urgency as the struggle to provide food for their bellies.

My last column was addressed to Fed Thompson, a candidate for the Republican nomination to run for President in 2008. I suggested that his desire to place the question of abortion in the hands of individual states was unwise, and that the result would be the perpetuation of abortion in a handful of liberal states.

Memo to Fred - Infanticide is Not a State's Right

Published on TownHall.com on Nov. 19, 2007

For some, it is a feeling in the gut, while others call it common sense. Give it whatever name you wish, but it is that God given inner voice that whispers advice whether we want it or not. The louder the little voice gets, the more likely it is correct. So often, we ignore the little voice, and then stand in amazement as misfortune runs over us like a runaway freight train.

Now I am going to address someone directly, which is a bit unusual. Normally, when I have something to say about a political figure, my ulterior motive is to speak to my fellow underlings ( a.k.a. citizens like me who vote). In this case; however, Fred Thompson is a candidate in whom I find a lot of comfort.

The "I'm tired of hearing about it..." Phenomenon

There used to be some unmentionable taboos in society. You know... like saying the word "pregnant" on television. Those same sensibilities prevented Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore from sitting, much less lying on the same bed, and thus, husband and wife were forced to sleep in separate twin beds.

Veteran's Day After

(Previously Published on TownHall: Nov 12, 2007)

It is wonderful that we have a special day to commemorate our Veterans. It is fantastic to honor those who have passed on and those who are still with us. In fact, it may be better to have a Veteran’s day every month, such as Veteran’s Tuesday or some such variation.

I think that we should swap out some of our lesser holidays, such as President’s Day and even Columbus Day and make those Veteran’s Days too. After all, those old President’s are long gone, and are mostly irrelevant now, and gee whiz, even if Columbus knew he was the subject of such an honor in this country, he would have no idea who we are. It may just get him riled up, because he might wonder how the Queen of Spain managed to screw up all of his hard work.

I find it somewhat distressing, that the ranks our Greatest Generation are dwindling so quickly now. These men and women knew without question the value of their service, and they are rightly proud to this very day of what they accomplished. They will all be gone one day, and no longer available to share their stories of courage in the face of fear, and determination in the face of unreasonable odds.

An Insightful Bug Story for 2008

(This has been circulating via eMail. The Ant and the Grasshopper: 2 Scenarios.)

*OLD VERSION*

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The lazy grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Work Hard and Be Responsible For Yourself!

(Continue to see the Modern Version)

The Culling of Humanity is Necessary?

(Previously Published on TownHall as: "The Liberal Conscience" on Nov 8, 2007)

What exactly is a Liberal anyway? He is the bleeding heart; the champion for the underdog, who is ever concerned about “the man” having too much authority over individuals. That definition must then contrast with the fat cat, money grubbing, and (nose always in my business) definition for the Conservative… right?

Nature has been the unwitting recipient of liberal, smothering-mother instincts. Global warming may be the equivalent of a child who is running a fever of 98.9 degrees. Doctor Gore’s advice to all of the fretting mother hens is that an ambulance must be called immediately.

Cry for the Shadows - If Properly Funded

Some have wondered what exactly I would do if funding for the Cry for the Shadows project were adequately received. With that in mind, I have prepared a page to discuss this question: Please click on the link that says: With Funding I Would... that is under the Pages heading in the next column over. Please read it and consider the possibilities.

Thanks.

Pro-Life, but Parsimonious... Is this you?

( IF I HAD FUNDING... ? )

With reluctance, I am beginning to believe that many who profess to be pro-life and anti-abortion are also just plain stingy. I just cannot put my finger on it, but the anecdotal evidence is heaping up in that direction. If you have not yet looked it up, parsimonious is an adjective that means: "Excessively unwilling to spend; (parsimonious thrift relieved by few generous impulses)."

Here are two current example of why this is becoming evident. Please contrast this with the fact that the two wealthiest men in the world, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, have contributed a sizable portion of their vast wealth to support Planned Parenthood here in the United States, and to support "Family Planning" a.k.a. abortion services in the third world.

((( continue reading please )))

Robot Meat and Abortion ?!@+#

Okay... my column today on TownHall titled: Abortion and Robot Meat, may leave some folks scratching their heads. Nevertheless, people have become desensitized to many things in life, and certainly there is no urgency in the minds of many regarding the practice of abortion.

No one wants to talk about abortion... or see the remnants of an abortion... or read about abortion... or tell anyone not to have an abortion, because if it is not on your plate, then you don't want to put it there. Abortion for many is now just an abstract political ideology; no longer viewed as the act of brutality that it really is. Kind of an "out of sight, out of mind" concept in action.

If you have never purchased my book, Cry for the shadows, it is now available as an eBook for Microsoft Reader or Mobipocket Reader. Both are only $4.99 and may be purchased here.

Think about "it".

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