Today is Dan’s birthday. I promised I wouldn’t disclose what age he has reached. It wouldn’t be Southern.

Have a great day, my friend!

-Bruce

Council Submissions

• Simply Jews – Michael White: The Livingstone Formulation? Nope, the Seumas Milne’s formula.
• The Noisy Room – Marxism in Education – The Infiltration of Our School Systems by the Common Core Standards
• The Political Commentator – Elites Beware: The New York Liquor Limitation Law could be coming to a restaurant near you!
• The Colossus of Rhodey – Add Kurt Busiek to those comics creators who don’t get it
• Joshuapundit – ‘Killing Jews Is Worship’ Ad Campaign Rolled Out On SF Muni Buses
• The Razor – The EU: Stealing From The Poor And Giving To The Rich
• The Right Planet – Draconian Gun Laws Creating Black Market
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Unhooking The Alliance With Pakistan
• Rhymes With Right – Many Shocked To Find Out Pope Francis Is, In Fact, Catholic
• VA Right! - Do Republicans Even Deserve to be a Majority Party Any Longer?
• The Mellow Jihadi – Iran Launches Destroyer
• The Glittering Eye – Francis
• Gay Patriot – Was the “charm offensive” expected to achieve anything*?
• Bookworm Room – At CPAC, Dr. Ben Carson comes out swinging against President Obama (more…)

It seems that on one day for each of the past six or seven weeks, I have become convinced that I will return to my old dissertation return and start blogging more. I’ll scribble some notes, as I did yesterday, for a few blog posts, save a few links and consider a few titles.

But, then, I’ll find as soon as I start writing, the words that come out are not those for the blog, but from the novel. I’ve been sensing for a couple months now that I’ll have to devote even more time to the book than I have since I started writing seriously in December — and realized that this weekend when I, having committed to sharing Chapter Twelve with a friend who was coming over at 3:30 Sunday afternoon, devoted nearly every minute of my free time to editing that chapter, wanting to get it right even as I knew I’d have to revise it yet again when I finish the first draft of the book.

And starting tonight, I expect to begin my studies of the Basque language, given its similarities to Old Dwarvish. In short, I am just not finding the time to blog as I had hoped I would. I am beginning to wonder if this is more draining than writing a dissertation because it involves more creative energy. And if it takes more out of me when I dip into my own memory to pull out images and ideas which have been simmering there since even before I began graduate school. I made my first stab at writing this six months before I submitted my application.

It’s not so much that I’ve forgotten about politics, but perhaps that I recognize that politics is not the be-all and the end-all. It is not the reason for living, but for creating an environment where we can live freely and in (relative) harmony with our fellows.

Council Submissions

• The Colossus of Rhodey – Do We Need Overseers To Make Sure We Don’t Destroy Ourselves?
• The Noisy Room – Beware the Droids of March
• The Political Commentator – CPAC 2013 Has Been Cancelled!
• Simply Jews – North Korea: The mistake of Lieutenant Novichenko
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Leading From The Shadows
• Rhymes With Right – What The Real Question Is In The Voting Rights Act Case
• Bookworm Room – Porn, comedy, and an increasingly jaded culture (but don’t give up all hope)
• The Glittering Eye -Why Hybrids and EVs Are No Solution
• VA Right! - Sequestration Pain: Necessary Service Reductions or Obama Temper Tantrum?
• Joshuapundit-New Egyptian Law Allows Unrestricted ‘Citizen’s Arrests’ Of Foreign Tourists
• Gay Patriot – Why didn’’t Candy (Crowley) follow up with Nancy (Pelosi)?
• The Mellow Jihadi – A Navy Sailor Gets His Shots!
• The Razor – What If The Experts Are Wrong About North Korea?
• The Right Planet – 1.6 Billion Rounds of Ammo? 2,700 Armored Vehicles? For Homeland Security? Can We Talk? (more…)

Council Submissions

• The Colossus of Rhodey – Mark Waid — What a “Tolerant Progressive!”
• The Noisy Room – Prepping Idaho: Zombie Apocalypse – UFO Alien Invasion Exercises Conducted by FEMA
• Joshuapundit-“Yes We Can” – Al-Qaeda’s English Mag Publishes Wanted Dead or Alive List
• Simply Jews – Peter Beinart on Chuck Hagel: deterrence and involvement
• The Political Commentator – Cast your Vote: When Barack Obama speaks I…?
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Sino Drones
• The Razor – Conservative Proposals for New Taxes
• Rhymes With Right – Why Do Liberals Measure Obama By What They Believe To Be The Lowest Available Standard?
• The Glittering Eye -The Conclave
• VA Right! - Bumper Stickers Available $3 – ‘Bill Bolling – Terry McAuliffe’s Little Bitch’
• The Right Planet – One Year Later: Remembering Breitbart
• Gay Patriot – The president who prefers campaigning to governing
• The Mellow Jihadi – English and Svensk Jihadis
• Bookworm Room – Parents are good for children, and children are good for parents (especially selfish parents) (more…)

Council Submissions

• The Noisy Room – Obama and the Leftist Infiltration of Israeli Media
• Simply Jews – Guardian – confirming the obsession
• The Political Commentator – Another Obama snow-job: Sequestration = Republican-owned recession!
• The Colossus of Rhodey – Heaven forbid! A conservative comics writer is against gay “marriage”
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Mookie Redux – Return of al Sadr
• VA Right! - Gluttony – Big Government’s Deadly Sin
• The Razor – The Elephant In The Room -– Having Kids Out-of-Wedlock Culture
• The Right Planet – So, You Bought a Gun, Huh?
• Joshuapundit-State Of The Union?
• Gay Patriot – To the true conservative, politics is of secondary importance
• Bookworm Room – Dems are troglodytes about women and self-defense, and they’re selling this as a virtue for the next election
• The Mellow Jihadi – 1 Billion Rising and the Qu’ran
• The Glittering Eye - Multi-Tasking the 2013 State of the Union
• Rhymes With Right – Sen. Dan Patrick Moves To Dumb-Down Texas Graduation Requirements, Eliminate Government And Economics Requirement (more…)

I had thought that once I found my stride writing this novel, I would start blogging once again, perhaps not at the pace I did during the election, but at least more often than once every blue moon.

And yet, finding my stride (again) as a writer of fiction has changed me in ways that I had not even anticipated when I started writing.  I find that certain things, don’t bother me as once as they used to.  I take them more in stride.

Except when I feel the bite of bad government policies, I don’t feel the same rage at the arrogance of the liberal elites as I normally do, those who would dictate to us how we run our own lives.

Perhaps this is because for those of a truly conservative disposition, politics is not the primary focus of our lives.  By and large, we don’t see it as a source of meaning.  We find meanings in other endeavors.  We understand that government should serve, as Mr. Jefferson understood, to protect certain inalienable rights.

We often regret that we have to get involved in the messy business of politics to block policies which infringe upon our liberties and our ability to pursue happiness.

More on this anon.  Perhaps.

Dan did a post a few days ago, but I wanted to re-invite our friends in the Los Angeles area to join me and him for “Meatless Monday” by enjoying a hearty steak dinner at Outback Steakhouse in Glendale, Calif. The official event invite is here on Facebook.

And since I’m also new Vice Chair of GOProud, I’ll be talking about our new efforts at chapter development and outreach.

For those not familiar with “The Great Steak Dinner Bet,” here’s the video from CPAC 2010.

-Bruce (@GayPatriot)

Council Submissions

• The Colossus of Rhodey – Just Don’t Repeat What They Say …
• The Noisy Room – Year of the Political Snake
• Simply Jews – Bibis’ conundrum: a forecast attempted
• Joshuapundit-White House On Benghazi: ‘ No More Questions!! ‘
• The Political Commentator – If WWII ended today, would it still be called a ‘Surrender Table’?
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Drones Gone Wild!
• Rhymes With Right – The Problem With The ObamaCare Birth Control Regulation
• The Right Planet – I Want My Machine Guns Back
• The Glittering Eye -The Irony, It Burns
• The Razor – Pope Benedict XVI Resigns
• Bookworm Room – Explosive new book: Obama administration up to its neck in covert acts that caused Benghazi deaths
• VA Right! - The Commonalities Between Cop Killer Christopher Dorner Worship and Obama Worship
• Gay Patriot – Why doesn’t City of LA attend to its uneven sidewalks?
• The Mellow Jihadi – A Bigger Feminist: Beyoncé or Maggie Parker? (more…)

Council Submissions

• The Noisy Room – “Terror TV” Comes to America
• The Colossus of Rhodey – Gays are different, but not in the way you think
• The Political Commentator – Hurricane Sandy: View from the other side of the storm!
• Joshuapundit-Adolf Hitler-Progressive Pioneer
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Hagelicious!
• Rhymes With Right – Why Does She Neet An “Assault Rifle”?
• The Razor – Why Americans Need Assault Rifles
• Simply Jews – Alexander Prokhanov and Saint Koba (Joseph Dzhugashvili)
• Bookworm Room – To convince voters, conservatives need to learn that it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it
• The Glittering Eye -The Remotest Place in the Lower 48
• Gay Patriot – Why don’t advocates of global warming make weather forecasts?
• VA Right! - Naming Names: Virginia Republicans Supporting Agenda 21 Power Grab in the Commonwealth
• The Mellow Jihadi – Joining the World’s Finest Navy©
• The Right Planet – Facing the Worst-Case Scenario (more…)

Council Submissions

• The Colossus of Rhodey – Ah, a gun control Dopey WNJ Letter of the Week
• Joshuapundit-How The UK Sunday Times Observed Holocaust Memorial Day…
• The Political Commentator – What does our future hold: Jim DeMint and Heritage in New York City for the Presidents’ Tour!
• The Noisy Room – The Gathering Red Storm
• Simply Jews – North Korea: why sticks just might work, Charles Armstrong notwithstanding
• The Right Planet – Breaking Through the Right-Left Paradigm
• The Razor – Precious Moments Remembered
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – “What Difference Does It Make?”
• Bookworm Room – Conservatives need to create powerful, “sticky” messages that lead the electorate to a tipping point
• VA Right! - Meet the New Democrats: A Non-Compromising Unity of Hatred and Intolerance
• The Mellow Jihadi – Alleged Racism at American Idol?
• The Glittering Eye -Rise of the Apparatchiks
• Gay Patriot – A case for conservative optimism
• Rhymes With Right – Doesn’t This Court-Ordered Exile Implicate A Number Of Rights? (more…)

Now editing the sixth chapter of my fantasy epic, I am beginning to find the flow that should make it easier for me to write on a routine base — and have time for other pursuits.  Just last night instead of sketching out notes for the next chapter, as has been my wont while finishing one chapter up, I found myself mapping out the next four — and finally getting the main characters out of the fortress city of Nah-nathas and onto their adventure.

It has been an interesting process and I’ve been trying to take notes about it.  At first, it was kind of overwhelming to find a story that had been kicking around in my head coming together as a written narrative I can share with others and possibly publish.  And as I realize how much of a commitment I am undertaking as I begin to appreciate how much work is left to be done, even with the six chapters that are now “presentable.”

Unlike the time in the 1990s when I made the choice to write my first novel, this time I know that just following through on the inspiration, writing the story that just comes to you (and even manages to move others), is not enough to sell the book.  This time, I am aware that I could succeed at a writing a novel, but fail at earning a living from it.

Still, the story is there and continues to come to me, like old memories suddenly rediscovered when dipping a pastry into a cup of tea.  I finally understand why the dragon is not doing as the Dark Lord would have her do when he summoned her, why she threatens to frustrate his schemes to extend his domination over this imaginary world that exits within my mind — and now increasingly on my computer (and in the hands of friends).

As the novel emerges, as the characters find names and create relationships, I do find myself thinking again about politics — and expect to start blogging at a more regular pace, though perhaps not the same pace as I had before I started finding a means to share this story.

Council Submissions

• The Noisy Room – There’s No Truth In The News And No News In The Truth
• Simply Jews – What Jonathan Freedland doesn’t get
• Joshuapundit-Obama’s 2nd Inaugural – Darkness at Noon
• The Political Commentator – The hit and run President!
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Saudi Royal Stability
• The Colossus of Rhodey – Want a lower tax rate? You’re a “whiner”
• Bookworm Room – To win the future, conservatives need to give voters a positive image of a can-do America and a can-do Republican Party
  
• VA Right! - Is Bill Bolling Planning to Torpedo Republicans with Indy Run for Governor?
• The Razor – How Colin Powell is a Racist
• Gay Patriot – What President Obama Should (But Likely Won’’t) Say Today
• The Mellow Jihadi – A Wild Cristina Kirchner
• The Right Planet – The Left’s War on the Bill of Rights
• The Glittering Eye -Financial Report
• Rhymes With Right – What This Chinese Dissident Has To Say About America’s Second Amendment (more…)

Sometime later today, our frequent commenter Kurt will be posting a piece here at GayPatriot under his own name.

This past summer, shortly after meeting when I passed through his adopted hometown, he and I started up a correspondence.  I found myself seconding many of the observations he made .  From time to time, I did disagree with him, but always found he offered thoughtful insights.

I expect I will share many of the sentiments he offers here, but that doesn’t mean I will agree with his every post — or his every thought.  And I daresay, Bruce, Nick and Jeff will stand in similar stead.  :-)

Just a reminder about our brunch tomorrow, January 20 in South Beach.

Drop me a note to RSVP and for details

Council Winners

• *First place with 2 2/3 votes! The Right Planet –Disunity in the Republic
• Second place with 2 1/3 votes – The Mellow Jihadi – Suicide Curses the Navy, Again
• Third place  with 2 votes – The Noisy Room-Battered America Syndrome
• Fourth place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – Joshuapundit-U.S. Agrees To Allow Taliban To Open ‘Political Office’ In Qatar As Obama Declares War Lost
• Fourth place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – Rhymes With Right-Note To Anti-Gunnites
• Fifth place  with 1 1/3 votes – Gay Patriot-Addressing the GOP’s image problem (more…)

Council Submissions

• The Noisy Room – Battered America Syndrome
• The Political Commentator – Can the Obama administration be compared to the Taliban…
• Simply Jews – Chuck Hagel controversy and beyond
• Joshuapundit-U.S. Agrees To Allow Taliban To Open ‘Political Office’ In Qatar As Obama Declares War Lost
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – France Goes To War
• The Razor – What The Buddha Can Teach Democrats and Republicans
• The Colossus of Rhodey – Progressives” and their enemies
• The Right Planet – Disunity in the Republic
• Bookworm Room – Adam Carolla’s newest Prager U video about our ability to change is very, very important
• Rhymes With Right – Note To Anti-Gunnites
• VA Right! - Obama! If You Overreach We Must Impeach!
• The Glittering Eye -Why Is Chicago’s Murder Rate Higher?
• The Independent Sentinel – Obamahood’s Plan for the Middle Class
• The Mellow Jihadi – Suicide Curses the Navy, Again
• Gay Patriot – Addressing the GOP’s image problem (more…)

Just a reminder about our brunch in Miami this coming Sunday, January 20th.

And a Monday night steak dinner on the 28th in honor of the LA City Council’s declaration of Meatless Mondays.

Drop me a note to RSVP and for details.

Hey folks.  I haven’t talked about it much, but last year I made a career change to consulting & full-time blogging/conservative punditry.

So, unfortunately, that will require asking for donations throughout the year.   This is one of those times.

If you like the things we do here at the GayPatriot blog and enjoy my ridiculousness on Twitter, please DONATE to our GayPatriot PayPal Fund.

I should also mention I am available for speaking engagements and my official business website (political & social media consulting) is HERE.

Much appreciated.

-Bruce (@GayPatriot)

As I, in returning from my family vacation, return to work on my fantasy epic, I am trying to work out a schedule similar to that I “effected” when I was writing my dissertation, spending the early part of the day and into the afternoon, “dissertating” and the late afternoon and part of the evening “blogging.”

While the dissertation seemed to require more work than does the novel, it didn’t drain me as this sometimes does.

Perhaps, I just need to get used to writing fiction again — or perhaps I find this writing draining because I am drawing from images that have been stirring in my “subconscious” (and conscious) mind for over a decade.  And in the current chapter, I am providing much background information, notions and images that have been continuously simmering for sometime.

Or that creative writing is in itself more draining.  Or that my sense of being drained is just my psyche seeking rest to allow the images to settle and then emerge. . .

Not sure what it is — but to hope again to restore the balance I enjoyed when I was writing my dissertation.

Until then, I have encouraged ILoveCapitalism to blog a little more regularly than we had initially asked him to blog.  :-)