Da Frizzy

Often animals come into our lives in different ways.

Frizzy is a little white fluffy dog, kinda cute, in that lapdog way.

He's the only dog in the bunch who is utterly clueless. I've got two Jack Russel Terriers and a JRT, Mini-pin, Chihuahua and Beagle mix. All three are much smarter than Frizzy.

For instance - Mocha the Mutt wants on my lap, but Trouble is already there. She goes looking for his favorite toy, or a chewy, gets up on the couch, plays with it to get his interest, then drops it to the floor.

Trouble knows better than to fall for it.

Frizzy never figured it out. Poor dog.

Rand Paul & GOP #Think-Fail

I got another of those infuriating Emails from the GOP today. So I'm replying to it

 here on my blog.

Senator Rand Paul -

Your utter lack of compassion for women and family issues infuriates intelligent women.

You would gladly spread lies and propaganda instead of facing the historical facts of 'back-alley' abortions and the deaths and misery caused by illegal abortions instead of promoting FREE BIRTH CONTROL that would end the need for abortions. (And cost a lot less.)

Like the rest of the GOP you would rather create divisions with propaganda instead of creating solutions that would benefit the State you represent.

I detest the GOP War on Women. It will NOT gain any political power for anyone who perpetrates it - instead I expect to see many 1 term Senators and Representatives.

If you expect to gain re-election I suggest you moderate your position on Women's Rights. More than half the US population is female - they vote more frequently than men and are more likely to vote Independent or for the best candidate.

Kathleen Jordan - Voter and Democrat

 

This is an excerpt from the Office of Rand Paul - who sits next to Mitch McConnell. I'm ashamed to say these two blithering idiots represent the beautiful state of Kentucky where I make my home. 

Neither one appears to comprehend the difficulties that women face every day - married or single and especially not the special needs of single parents of either gender. Both appear to be as racist as they are sexist and anti-family.

When I see them on TV, I cringe.

"Now the time to grovel before the Supreme Court is over.... (UNLESS they rule against Health Insurance Reform then the GOP will grovel nicely.)

Working from what the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade, pro-life lawmakers can pass a Life at Conception Act and end abortion using the Constitution instead of amending it...
If you and other pro-life activists pour on enough pressure, pro-lifers can force politicians from both parties who were elected on pro-life platforms to make good on their promises and ultimately win passage of this bill.

But even if a Life at Conception Act doesn't pass immediately, the public attention will send another crew of radical abortionists down to defeat in the next election.

(Why stop there? Why not say that life begins with sperm? There is a bill that would make 'self-abuse' murder. I must say, it would be interesting to see it enforced since much of what Congress does is mental masturbation.)

 I know - getting my knickers in a twist over these things doesn't do me any good. But just as I had to file an FCC complaint against Rush Lumbaugh - I can't stop myself from firing back at GOP idiots. 

The GOP (Grand Old Patriarchs) haven't a clue about what it means to be middle-class and female. I have nothing but compassion for a woman whose choice of birth control has failed and is facing that terrible choice. I've seen the tears and the agonizing that women go through when they face an un-expected pregnancy.

But not only is the GOP trying to make abortion illegal - they are also trying to make ALL birth-control illegal. Which makes NO SENSE at all. This planet is already staggering under the load of over-population and exploitation of resources.

This is the WORST time in the world for a woman to be forced to have a child she can't afford to take care of. All social services in the safety net have been gutted already. We KNOW what the GOP thinks of 'welfare mothers' even as they force more women onto welfare by their short-sighted refusal to pass economic stimulus packages that might just get women back in the workforce.

This is one huge '#Think-Fail' on the part of politicians. 

Unfortunately - I don't think Senator Rand Paul is capable of anything else.

"Swallow the Moon" is Free

Just a quick note - I was able to get the 'price match' function on Amazon US to make "Swallow the Moon" free. So the books is free on Smashwords, Sony, and Barnes and Noble was supposed to make it free via Smashwords but hasn't for some reason.

While on the subject of Barnes & Noble - I gifted a copy of 'Swallow the Moon' to someone on B&N yet my royalty statement doesn't show the sale.

I'm concerned about that.

Especially in light of these posts on The Business Rusch post on Royalty Statements and The Passive Voice post about Harlequin contracts (via Joe Konrath) I'm not sure I should trust B&N. (Amazon is fully automated - with tested and true software. B&N's site is new and full of bugs.)

It appears to me that the Trade Publishing industry is corrupt beyond all redemption. The light at the end of the tunnel is that the Department of Justice agrees.

A Department of Justice (DoJ) audit may or may not bring the shady business practices of the Publishing Defendants Five to light. I know that Kris Rusch thinks it will and Passive Guy agrees. I trust their judgement as they have been right more often that not, but I can't see how 20 years of corruption is going to be put right.

Are the Defendants Five going to correct their errors and pay back royalties? This will be to the tune of millions, if not billions, of dollars. A crushing amount of money in a good economy - which we do not have.

Most likely these 1% elites will get a slap on the wrist and a public scolding.

After all - who of the 1% has more social standing than the publishing industry? Snobbery being what it its (a social ladder that the elites must also climb) one-upmanship puts the publishing industry just under Royalty and Wall Street moguls.

I've been watching for years as the current social/political battle unfolds. It is about the 1% - the human social hierarchy that we can't explain or fight because it is written in our DNA. Writers are on the bottom of the Publishing heap - though certain ones are elevated for the masses to worship - as long as they starve like good little tin-gods. Money is the tool used to keep score - not the only tool, but a powerful one.

Fortunately (or not) I have never believed in the caste system. I'm surely too old to start now. And I have digressed enough for one day.

"Swallow the Moon" will remain free for the rest of the week. Currently people are picking up about 100 copies a day. "Badlands Rescue" and "Let's Do Lunch" will go free over the weekend. After that we'll see how long it takes the prices to reset. Most likely another week or two.

After that I'm planning on taking a very long vacation - I've got a few things to do but I'm still planning on  being a part-time farmer for the summer and camping a lot.