Seasonal Thanks and Thoughts

This is the first time since doing my last show of the year that I could get in a few thoughts.

First of all, I want to apologize for not giving you enough notice about the special live broadcast. This was something that we had in the works for a couple of weeks, but we could not say with any certainty that this WAS something we could do. RJ and his wife did everything in their power to make this happen, but they couldn't say with certainty that it WOULD happen until two days before flight time. Believe me, if we knew with certainty that this was going to happen I would have given you guys plenty of notice and would have been advertising it to the hilt that it was going to happen.

To that end, I had two different formats in mind for my last show of the year. The first format was the same kind of show I did last year, which was my final rant on politics, followed by some archived holiday specials, and then my special thanks before calling it a year. The second format was pretty much what you heard on the air, although I also didn't have a guest in mind either until the night of the Friday special. You can thank RJ for arranging Chuck's guest appearance.

Clearly doing a live show isn't the same as a pre-recorded one, and, um, it, um, showed... If, um, it seems... um... if it seems, um, like I did a lot of... um... you know... that's because that part was all ad-libbing.

But the first segment of the show... the rant on politics... was something that really shocked both RJ and Chuck. Neither of them have really heard my show, and especially concerning the subject matter, so when I really went off on a rant, they were impressed.

So first and foremost I do want to thank RJ and his wife for not only making the arrangements for me to fly out to Oklahoma City, but also for giving me the forum for the show and recognizing the talent that goes with the show.

Second, thanks to Dr. Charles A. Doswell III (aka 2BuckChuck) for agreeing to be my guest at the last minute. I hope everyone tunes in come January for his first-ever late-night blues show called "Hard Luck Chuck's Juke Joint" as well the (returning) regular weather-related "High Instability" show.

I also want to thank Carrie Kube (aka Yaoi-Huntress Earth) for all of her feedback over the past year. I wish I could have been able to read all of the feedback she's sent me, but I just didn't have the time to do that. I had to keep an eye on the clock, and I actually had to pare down the second commercial break because of the time spent in that segment.

If you missed out on the show... first, you suck... second, PLEASE listen to the archive, because it explains the rationality for the new "nickname" for the White House under Barack Obama's tenure. This will be the new reference for the White House from this point on.




A few other subjects have popped up since my last show, and since I may not have the time to discuss them, I'll give a few thoughts on them now.

DATA Repealed: This was a surprise move by the Dems, and one that the GOP didn't consider. I don't have a stake on this subject, other than it being a matter of freedom, but I'm curious that with all of the fear rhetoric about "openly gay and lesbian" soldiers, I was wondering if they can point to one off-hand if they can't identify themselves as one beyond their military attire. Go ahead Field Marshall Torquemada; go ferret out an "openly gay or lesbian" soldier in the platoon just on sight alone! I DARE YOU! By the way, isn't an "openly straight" soldier equally frowned upon?

Wow... next thing you know, you'll try to convince me that there aren't foxhole atheists... oh, wait, have I introduced you to RJ Evans? Or how about Ernesto Haibi? Boy those assumptions of yours are just making total ASSES out of you neo-cons, huh?

9/11 Responders Aid: Another surprise deal, especially after a certain Senator from Oklahoma practically vowed to kill it by any means necessary. It is absolutely disgusting that the SAME PEOPLE who in 2003 and 2004 stood on the floor of the Senate and said that 9/11 Responders deserve all the help they can get for their acts of heroism, then turned around in 2010 and went back on their word. THEY ARE SCUM! And they KNOW it!

Tax Cuts for Unemployment Aid: I had a feeling the neo-cons were going to relent on the unemployment aid, but I have to call BS on the terms. $300 BILLION in tax cuts for TWO YEARS, but they want to haggle over ONE PERCENT of that number for unemployment benefits for ONE YEAR? ONE!?! By the way, you Neo-Con ass-clowns, since you sold this idea on the PROMISE that the tax cuts would "create jobs", it's now on YOUR HEADS TO CREATE THEM! Oh, and see this neat little sharp object? I got it from Damocles. Guess where it's going to be displayed? (Here's a hint: don't look up.)

Finally... January's schedule. ShockNet Radio is going to be down a few days as we get brand new equipment in. When I was in OKC, the tentative date for this equipment was pushed back to the end of January, but now I've found out that it actually showed up EARLY. As in, as of this blog post. That means that ShockNet Radio's returning schedule is back on track.

January 14th: American Heathen® with RJ Evans, David 2, John Mill, 2 Buck Chuck, and Linda D.

January 15th: Brutally Honest with David 2

January 17th: Brutally Honest Column for 2011
January 17th: Rock and Roll Diner with C.A. Wood and RJ Evans

January 19th: High Instability with Gene Rhoden and Dr. Charles A. Doswell III (aka "2 Buck Chuck")

January 21st: Hard-Luck Chuck's Juke Joint with 2 Buck Chuck (an hour after AH)

So there you have it! Oh, and I'm also working hard on promos for 2011, PLUS my work with "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" #20 (which will be released January 3rd), and a special "City of Comics Creator Compendium" #6. So I'm certainly NOT taking it easy this holiday season!

WHEW! Okay, back to work... lots to do and Father Time is NOT on my side here!

Seasonal LIES

With the HOLIDAY (F.O.A.D. O'REILLY) Season in full swing, now is the time we start to get barraged with emails from "well-intentioned" friends and family members.

Some of these emails will be cute little cheesy messages offering well-wishes. Others will be smarky stories about the season. Still more will interject pseudo-patriotic guilt, reminding people that we have soldiers in harm's way, oh, and bad guys still want to do harm (never mind that the REALLY bad guys are the ones inside the United States who dream up ways to keep us afraid and get itty-bitty Yule logs in their pants when they can get us to tremble).

But then we have the ones that send seasonal LIES. The continual retelling of history that is more fiction than fact.

And to combat the LIES, I turn to a group that spend its time doing what CERTAIN news groups (*coughFOX*) fail to do, namely fact-check! (Hey Rupert: your employees find any more breaking news stories from THE ONION?) That fact-checking group is SNOPES.

So the next time someone you know forwards some "seasonal secrets" about the HOLIDAY (F.O.A.D. Neo-Cons!) season, just direct your browser to this address...

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/christmas.asp

And YOU find out if it's the truth or just another Neo-Con fantasy.

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 12/11/10 - Show Notes

Normally I don't post the show notes this early, but I really won't be able to post the notes AFTER I record the show, because I won't be PRE-recording my last show of 2010.

This Saturday, December 11th, the FINAL show of the year...

WILL BE LIVE!

Yes, this Saturday's broadcast will be coming to you LIVE from Studio B in ShockNet Studios in Norman, Oklahoma! That means I will have RJ not only as my producer, but also as my wingman. It also means we WILL have phone lines!

The toll-free number: 866-400-6684 - but remember, it will only be on when I announce it, not before.

So... what's on tap for this Saturday? Well it's the end of the year, so I will have some final thoughts on the state of where we are at, and given the news this past week, you can imagine it won't be nice. I'll also have some reflections on the HOLIDAY season, and especially on the attitudes of late. I've been going over some of the previous articles I've done over the years and there were quite a few things that I'll be bringing up about those sentiments.

Also, you know at the end of the show when I say that the best feedback that I get will be read on the air? Well this coming Saturday, I WILL be reading some of them!

Whew! LOT of stuff. But I think with RJ as my producer and wingman I should keep the party going right up to the end.

So tune in one more time THIS SATURDAY (12/11) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I'll be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show! I won't be able to be as chatty as I usually am in there, but I'm sure you can understand why.

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... IT IS LIVE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 12/04/10 - Show Notes

Sorry folks, I really don't have time to do notes this week. It's been a long day for me and I've been pressed to get the show done.

BUT I do have something brewing right now that I need for you to keep checking the blog site for updates concerning this coming weekend.

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 11/27/10 - Show Notes

Hope you haven't overdosed on Tryptophan yet. We still have a show to go through!

First we have a little advisory from the not-so-far future concerning YOUR travel arrangements.

Then we have a blast from the Brutally Honest past concerning the season and what has become a seasonal thing.

And then we talk about RECENT travel arrangements and something that was supposed to happen and pretty much didn't. What is it and why did it fail? And what could have been done differently? You'll find out. And if you think it's no big deal, then you haven't been to the airport lately.

So load up on leftovers, get your antacids, and tune in THIS SATURDAY (11/27) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I'll be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 11/20/10 - Show Notes

Sooooo... my birthday is this Sunday.

What do I want? Well it's not hard to figure that out.

Unfortunately what I want for my birthday is over in California having fun with a bunch of dudes with the last name of Hefner.

But you can still wish me a happy birthday by listening to tonight's show. I'm pretty talkative this week. I don't even default over to the archives!

First, some distractions... then a little rant about the lack of justice... and then it's story time about a big billboard and what it spells out. It's not going to be nice, but you'll know what it is soon enough!

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (11/20) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I'll be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 11/13/10 - Show Notes

Post-Election, Pre-Holidays... yup, it's time for a little public introspection.

WE ARE getting close to the end of the year hiatus... which this year should be the weekend of December 11th. Plenty of things to look back on, and some of them a bit unpleasant.

For instance, I have an update on last week's rant concerning MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. I have a challenge for the so-called "deficit hawks" that needs to be repeated. I have a look at the worst possible kind of torment from the Brutally Honest Archives. And then I have the story of a salesman and of a sales tactic that you probably HAVE heard being used someplace else. It'll all make sense when you hear it.

PLUS... during the breaks you'll hear a new seasonal promo. If you like it, PLEASE sound off about it! I'd like to have it a part of the normal ShockNet Radio rotation from now until January.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (11/13) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I'll be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 11/06/10 - Show Notes

Sorry, but I have to be quick again...

My thoughts about the mid-term election... a Brutally Honest rant from four years ago (for those of you who don't remember what happened the last time around)... and my thoughts on something that hit the news just last night.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (11/06) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I'll be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 10/30/10 - Show Notes

Sorry, but I have to be quick and say that some of this stuff WILL surprise you!

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (10/30) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I'll be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 10/23/10 - Show Notes

Sorry folks, but this show is going to be a little short, not to mention a little softer than last week.

Oh I still have a few zingers for ya... including NPR, Juan Williams, Bill-O-Fraud, and the answer to a question that I was asked the other week...

But it it seems shorter than normal, and if it sounds like my voice goes soft, sorry. It's just been a really long week for me.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (10/23) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I'll be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

The sprit of a hero

Normally this would be reserved for the "Battlerock X Chronicles", but since we're talking DC and not NCSoft, I figured this would be better.

"Smallville: Homecoming", which aired this past Friday on the CW network, was the show's 200th episode. As such it had some of the biggest pieces to it, including a look at the past, the return of Brainiac (now Brainiac 5 of the Legion of Superheroes), Clark seeing how his adopted father died, finding out what the "darkness" is that is corrupting him (besides bad writers and stubborn producers), and a look at the future, where Clark and Lois are married, and Clark sees his future self... both as "nerdy reporter" and as Superman.

But this scene was one of the best. It's Oliver Queen, fresh from his big reveal as being Green Arrow, being grilled by the media and suddenly turning it into his advantage after seeing Clark supporting him. This is the spirit of a hero.



I've long since had issues with the show's lack of direction, their endless refusal to put Clark in the tights and cape, and their refusal to have him fly. Clark may have been more Slackerman than Superman, but it's refreshing to finally get a hint that the writers still know what the ultimate goal is with the character.

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 10/16/10 - Show Notes

Did you miss me?

Ok, I know I didn't exactly hype my return as much as I should, but it's been a pretty hectic time for me and my return sort of came up quickly for me.

Anyway, now that I AM back on ShockNet Radio, I have a few things that I need to discuss... such as some helpful tips on how to deal with talk radio hosts... and about a certain political catchphrase that really got me fired up. Oh, and while I was at it, I had an old political rant that I decided to bring back up too. What is it? Well, you'll just have to listen in and find out.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (10/16) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I'll be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

My Challenge To CNN

Okay, I have two messages really quick...

First, to Rick Sanchez, now FORMERLY of CNN... welcome to struggling Americans. A quick word of advice... next time you start in on a nutcase rant about who owns what in this country, be very careful you don't lump in the people who sign your paychecks. Oh, and good luck getting another job after that very public comment now that it's gone viral.

Second, to CNN... I suppose now you're looking for a late-afternoon host. Well I have a challenge for you:

HIRE ME!

Why waste your time with either a liberal or conservative media personality when you can get someone who is a little more attune to the rest of America? Someone who has a better understanding of the problems in this nation?

You want a blogger? I am one. You want someone familiar with broadcasting? I've been doing online radio off-and-on for the past decade. You want someone who can cut through the BS and get to the meat of the matter? I'm that person.

So go ahead CNN... I DARE you to be different! I DARE you to try something different! I CHALLENGE you to not play the same games as the other cable news channels and instead take the path not followed! Now is the time to be different.

Good Riddance Rahm

So the good news is that Rahm Emanuel, the so-called "bulldog" Chief of Staff, is leaving the Obama Administration to pursue his lifelong dream of being the Mayor of Chicago.

Goodbye Rahm. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Unfortunately this move should have happened about a year ago.

This is what I really despise about politics... the people in power are able to actually dictate WHEN they will leave and under what conditions. And Rahm's departure is certainly no exception.

Rahm is leaving after the damage has pretty much already been done to the Obama Administration. In fact, you could pretty much follow the growing failure of the Obama Administration all the way back to the moment he was tapped to be Chief of Staff.

Rahm pretty much set the tone for the White House, and that one was one of appeasement, compromise, and keep the status quo going at all costs. Fix the economy? Just pass a bill and then move on. Fix healthcare? Just pass a bill by any means necessary and move on. Fix the financial sector? Ditto.

His departure comes as Obama's so-called "financial experts" are also abandoning ship. These are the same people that kept the status quo going. Don't make waves, don't rock the boat, don't ruin a good thing... all of which would be sound advice FIFTEEN YEARS AGO! But certainly not now. Not when the economy is still sinking and millions of Americans are struggling to make ends meet. Status quo today means the continual economic DEATH SPIRAL of this nation!

Damage done, country in ruins, mission accomplished.

So I know I'm a little premature about this, but good-bye Rahm, you "F-n R-tard". Take your "experts" with you, and I hope that you LOSE in your bid to become Mayor of Chicago so you can know what it's like for the rest of us to go on in this world.

Radio Show Updates

Okay folks... you've probably noticed that it's the end of September and I'm not talking about the return of either American Heathen or Brutally Honest to ShockNet Radio.

Well initially both shows have been on hiatus because RJ was enjoying himself in Mouseworld. And the original plan was to come back at the last weekend of September.

Unfortunately there have been a few other things that have popped up while he was away that I cannot avoid at this point. I cannot go into detail with them, but sufficient to say technical problems are preventing me from going through with the radio shows for at least a few more weeks. Yes, I've been talking with RJ about this, and while it is frustrating for us both, I really have no choice in the matter.

So the INITIAL estimate is that AH and BH will be on hiatus until at least mid-October. This is subject to change, so please keep checking in here for updates when they are available. And also check out our pages on Facebook.

In the meantime, please continue to tune in with ShockNet Radio as the "Rock & Roll Diner" is back on the air, and of course we still have plenty of great classic rock music to enjoy. And the weekly columns are still going on as well as the other projects that I'm working with. So it's not like I've completely fallen off the face of the earth.

Again, I'm sorry we have to do this. As I am continually told over and over and over again... "this to shall pass"... I just wish it wasn't like a kidney stone wrapped in acid-tipped barbed wire.

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 08/28/10 - Show Notes

Okay, this is going to come as a big shock to some people, but I'm going to be going on hiatus for a few weeks.

Sorry folks, this pretty much snuck up on me. RJ and his wife will be away from the studio which means nobody will be there if the computers go down. So rather than risk doing the work and not having a show, I'm going to just take a break and be back around the end of September.

BUT that means I still have one more show to do before then and that means I'm going to go into the break STRONG! I am calling out the conservatives and neo-conservatives on their biggest LIES concerning the business world and jobs and politics in general. I'm also going to be talking about the biggest delusion of them all... the ones that you'll hear in email junk passed by your friends and regurgitated in talk radio.

This is the show that you SHOULD be listening to! If you've never listened to my show before, THIS is the one you need to!

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (08/28) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I'll be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 08/21/10 - Show Notes

I finally found figured it out, boys and girls... the thing that kings, gods, and demigods have sought after...

I finally figured out... JACK KIRBY'S ANTI-LIFE EQUATION!

The problem is that I don't know how to make it work for me, but at least I'll be willing to share it with you on this week's show! Well, hopefully there will still be a world around once I reveal the equation.

There are a few other things that I'll be talking about too... such as the update on a certain commercial that insults human intelligence... offensive words... and an archive rant from 2007 that really show just how far we HAVEN'T progressed.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (08/21) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I'll be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show!

Oh, and if you hear hoards of people chanting "Anti-Life justifies my hate"... shut down your computer and HIDE!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 08/14/10 - Show Notes

Okay, I'm back on the air... in case you didn't hear me on AH last night... and I have quite a bit to say. For starters, what happened that caused me to take a week off. That's important. Then it's all-business... as in the economy.

Then there's a Brutally Honest archive rant from 2007 that might get a few people annoyed...

And then I give a name for my pain. What is it and why should it matter? Well you'll just have to tune in tonight to find out.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (08/14) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I'll be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 08/07/10 - Show Notes

For those who do not know, I lost my best friend of sixteen years this past Saturday. He's been on the air a few times, even if I never introduced him. Anytime that you would hear a soft "meow", that was him.

Anyway, with all that has been going on here, I really cannot get a show going this weekend. So I'm going to play a "best of" for you. Which one? You'll just have to tune in and find out.

I really need things to get a whole lot better really soon. Really, REALLY soon! (Oh, and Facebook folks, PLEASE do not ask where the "dislike" button is, because I'm not happy about this as any of you are.)

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (08/07) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category to hear which "best of" makes it on the air.

And while normally I have the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show, it won't be online this week because it'll be a repeat.

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 07/31/10 - Show Notes

Sorry folks, but I have a lot on my mind today... so I'll make this short and sweet.

There's a TV show that sucks... and I mean REALLY sucks, and you'll find out why it sucks.

Then there's a rant from 2006 about a certain kind of fatalistic mindset that has been sinking on.

And then I REALLY go off on something concerning the economy that actually has roots almost fifty years ago.

What is it? And what could REALLY get me set off? You'll just have to tune in and find out!

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (07/31) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I have the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show, so feel free to join in the discussions.

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 07/24/10 - Show Notes

For once, I FINALLY have something to be happy about!

No, it's nothing about the big issues. It's really a small issue.

You see, when I do this show, I have a few dozen programs running, and one of them is the old staple for Brutally Honest... RealPlayer. Even though I've switched things over to MP3 format, I STILL use RealPlayer for their automatic playlist creation, which I haven't been able to duplicate on Windows Media Player or any other free player I could get my hands on. The problem is that for the past few versions, RealPlayer's playing capacity was CRAP! It could create playlists, but when it tried to play them, the player would skip like it was an old record player. This only applied to RealPlayer, though, NOT to WMP or any other media player. And of course RealPlayer developers are in full denial of the problem. They want to blame it on the hard drive or the files themselves.

So for the past year or so, I've had to keep a watchful eye on my playlists that run on RealPlayer, and often having to replay and edit out the skips. And it's a REAL pain in the butt to do that.

But now I have a workaround. I create the automatic playlist in RealPlayer, I convert the whole list to MP3 format in specific folders, and then set up those playlists in WMP and play them there. No skips. No hassles.

It's just a pity I couldn't make the subject of this week's program hassle-free.

What are they? You'll just have to tune in and find out!

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (07/24) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I have the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show, so feel free to join in the discussions.

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 07/17/10 - Show Notes

Okay, after a week off from doing my show, I obviously have a little catching up to do, so right off the bat, it's time to burst a few blood vessels.

Plus I have something a little more cerebral to discuss. It's something that should make you seriously ponder yourself and the things that you believe in.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (07/17) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I have the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show, so feel free to join in the discussions.

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 07/10/10 - News and Notes

I normally don't get to plug the show this early, but this time around I have no choice.

This Friday, American Heathen® will be a special FOUR-HOUR LONG show. That means a lot of work going into this show that I'll have to spend some time doing. Between this and some of the other projects I've been busy with of late (and a few other things), it was suggested to me that I should take the weekend off and air a repeat.

I don't normally do this! People know I'm pretty consistent about doing these shows. I am more dedicated to Internet radio than the overpaid talk show hosts on radio and Cable TV ever could be! That is not an exaggeration either... that is THE TRUTH!

So, my apologies to everyone who normally listens on Saturday nights (yes I REALLY DO have regular listeners) but this weekend's show will have to be entirely from the Archives! If you want to hear me LIVE, you'll have to tune in on Friday. Otherwise, you'll be hearing the best of previous shows.

Which show? You'll just have to tune in and find out.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (07/10) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And while normally I have the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com open during the show, obviously I won't be in there this weekend, so you'll just have to get your chat fix on Friday or wait until the following Saturday.

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Few snippets of frustration...

Just a few random thoughts of things that are bothering me...

* Why is it that best add-ons for Mozilla programs (Firefox/Thunderbird) are the slowest to be updated? I am tired of seeing applications suddenly not work because there is an upgrade to the main program and these developers don't want to keep up with the versions. Or better yet, how about a little reverse-compatibility here, Mozilla devs?

* To all the women who complain that centerfold models give guys an "unrealistic expectation"... why aren't you stepping up and speaking out when it comes to the teen girls and their obsession over this whole "Twilight" hysteria? Do you REALLY think that young girls that are pining for brooding vampires and obsessive-possessive shirt-challenged sexually-questionable werewolves are doing themselves any kind of favors down the line? At least the main characters in the "Harry Potter" series look REALISTIC, even if they're dealing with magic.

* Can the folks at SyFy at least make an EFFORT to pick movies that don't pathetically suck? Last night's airing of "2012: Supernova" was so pathetic that I would rather spend two hours watching YouTube videos of people vomiting. I know Saturdays normally suck, but for those of us who do not have a life on Saturday nights, you're really not doing anyone any favors! There are 15 million Americans out of work, so there are 15 million people that can probably do a much better job coming up with quality movies than the regurgitated horsecrap you spew that are full of bad stereotypes and plot holes so big they could be mistaken for dark matter if not for the rancid smell of rotted food.

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 07/03/10 Show Notes

I normally don't get to plug the show this early, but this time I know EXACTLY what the subject will be.

This weekend is Independence Day Weekend. As has been tradition, the subject is about something we pretty much take for granted. Longtime listeners know what this subject is, but this time around I'm NOT going to be recycling the archives. This will be a FRESH look on the subject.  What subject? You can probably guess what it is, but if not, you'll just have to WAIT until Saturday!

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (07/03) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 06/26/10 Show Notes

Sorry folks, I'm running really late getting this show together, so you're just going to have to tune in to hear what I have to say!

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (06/26) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Two quick thoughts...

First from Neal Boortz, formerly a libertarian, currently neo-con...

Dirty little secret: Boortz has a handler who does his website. Some of it is his, but the rest is by his handler who speaks for him. The handler usually posts the "Reading Assignments"... or did you REALLY think that Boortz spent that time going through news stories?

So on Monday morning, his handler posts this on his behalf:

Al Qaida is warning us about more attacks on America .. .and that the new attacks will kill even more Americans than 9/11. Oh thank God for Barack Obama! I just know he is the best man to protect us out there.

Now if this came across his desk three years ago the jerk-jerk reaction would be something along the lines of... Now do you understand why we need to fight two wars and kill them over there?

Ladies and Gentlemen... here is the walking, talking, online definition of smarky.

Oh, by the way, I have a prediction for Gen. Stanley McChrystal. I predict that following his departure from the military (be it sooner or later) he will be courted by FoxNews media personalities. He will be lionized, defended, and praised. Sarah Palin may wink at him. Glenn Beck could even honor him by saying McChrystal's departure was part of some master plan whipped up by ACORN, George Soros, and Barack Obama and stick a picture of him on his blackboard.

And then, a few months later, the now-former general would become the newest military consultant for FoxNews. He'll probably get a book deal and speaking tour out of it as well.

Hell of a scam you got there, guys. Hell of a scam indeed.

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 06/19/10 Show Notes

For the past few weeks, the folks at Facebook have provided the inspirations for my ramblings and rants. But this time around I need to look at a couple of blog posts on the Huffington Post that really got under my skin.

PLUS... defusing the "next big bailout"... and a blast from the Brutally Honest past on the nature of the way things are.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (06/19) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 06/12/10 Show Notes

People wonder about my blood pressure when I go off on a subject. When I get really riled up about something...

Well my question isn't one of "why not" but rather it's "why am I the only one who is?"

We certainly have plenty of reasons to get pissed off right now, and I explain why we need to.

PLUS... my take on RJ's editorial from last night's AH program... and a classic example of Faux Patriotism from 2006.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (06/12) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

Just don't expect this to be a "Made for TV" program. This is NOT one of those weeks!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 06/05/10 Show Notes

FAIL! Get used to hearing it. And get used to hearing me lose my temper. In fact at some points I even almost lose my voice. Ongoing frustrations. Ongoing exasperations. Ongoing FAILURES.

Sometimes cutting through BS is painful. Sometimes I have get people pissed off so they can understand just how pissed off I AM on the subject. That's what you're going to have to deal with tonight.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (06/05) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

Just don't expect this to be a "Made for TV" program. This is NOT one of those weeks!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 05/29/10 Show Notes

I'm just going to put this email out there...

This is in regards to my online column from May 24th, which discusses the lack of any real REFORMERS in the political system, especially from the Tea Party crowd.

To be sure David's article touches on lots of things, but I will take a stab at some of it.

My guess is, when the Tea Partier’s are saying we want a return to constitutional government, which means limited government, and that means a lot. To begin with the Rule of 545 would end. By that I mean that every aspect of every Americans’ life is controlled to some extend by the Federal Government, which is controlled by 435 US representatives, 100 US Senators, 9 Supreme Court Justices, and the President. Those 545 people, in some cases a simple majority thereof, control the 300 million of US. If it seems a little absurd, it is because it is. The founders envisioned a system of governance were power was dispersed and defused through out the land, not concentrated in the hand of a relative few. This gave a lot more people in put into running things and insured true and meaningful diversity in the US. This Rule by 545 has implications in most problems we face as a nation. Most of our problems did not arise over night, nor did the rule of 545.

It is absurd the 5 of nine members of the court, could legally choose to create or ignore, amendments to the constitution. How did it happen? It all started with Marbury vs Madison, a case from 1803 where by the Supreme Court began to assert itself as the ultimate of the “co-equal branches”. If we are to remain a free people we must rediscover our constitution.

As for the Taxed Enough Already portion of the protest: In the beginning, the constitution prohibited direct taxation. The federal government was small and with in its constitutional limits in part because there simply was not the money to do other wise. Well all that has changed, with federal tax rates on individuals in the US reaching has high 97%, during WWII. That is nearly slavery, no one should suffer that. The argument that only the wealthy slaves had to pay that much is hollow. Thanks to politicians of both parties, we now have debts that are beyond comprehension. How will those debts be dealt with?

I and the Tea Partiers, suspect it will be a combination of higher tax rates, the devaluing our currency and the forcing of future generations to pay for it. That is if the system does not just collapse out right. You know, there is a reason Ponzi schemes are illegal, at some point there is no longer the ever increasing amounts of money needed to keep the game going. The result is game over. This is exact model we have for Social Security. Why is the US government allowed to run systems like that while and you or I would go to jail for it? Can the US government somehow change the laws of geometric progression? I don’t think so. This can mean one and only one thing in the end; system failure. What will happen then? Is that the crisis the Rahm Emanuel does not want to waste? I and the TEA Partier s suspect a change in the rules. What kind of change? I also suspect the candidate Obama tipped his hand when he told Joe the plumber...’ we will all benefit when we spread your wealth around.” Hmm. Is he hoping for a return to the 97 % rate?

I have spoken with liberals with much more money than I who think is it a good think for the government to spread wealth around. While at the same time they are unable to explain why the US is the worlds wealthiest nation. When I ask, them should the Gates' and Buffets be required to share their vast wealth with you? The answer is a quick “yes”. When I asked, should you be required to share what you have with the vast penny less populations of the third world? I just get a stare. Show how their vision of social justice did not include that. But for the globalist from Kenya, they are included. If you think wealth is the result of luck, or cheating, being able to talk quick on your feet and speak in platitudes, or something other than hard work dedication and deferred gratification (saving for the future), sometimes for generations, then you probably do think it is unfair that some should have more than others.

Studies have shown a nearly surefire way to retire comfortably. Got to school, study hard, acquire useful skills, don’t abuse drugs or alcohol, get married for the right reasons, stay married, don’t party too much, and save some regularly, invest wisely. It is the same formula for a nation. Have we been living that way as a nation, or is it more like a TV series based on “Animal House”.

The Tea Partiers are saying is “this is unsustainable, lets return to the path the country was on for it first two hundred years “. Our great grand parents saw some dark times, but there was a bright future, what do you see in our future?

My response will take up most of the show. It won't be the ONLY thing that I'll talk about, but it will be the dominant subject.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (05/29) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

And now a word from our producer...

You've probably noticed a new little seal on my blog sites...


This is, of course, MY seal... or at least the seal of my production company.

If you heard my radio show, then you would hear me mention "Get Brutal Productions" at the end of every show. Some of my articles would mention these come from "Get Brutal Productions" as well.

But when it came to doing comic books, that was a different subject. Not to mention a little tricky... because as a fan-made series using material owned by NCSoft, I couldn't claim to own the material myself. But then again GBP doesn't OWN the material that the series is based on... only the story itself.

Okay, let's get the big stuff out of the way... GBP does not mean that I've sold out or been bought out. GBP is me, and I am GBP, just like Oprah is HARPO. This just ties all of my work and resources so I can tell people "I did this" or "I created this". Get it?

Plus, hey, on the comic cover it looks really good... or at least you'll find out when "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" #13 comes out in a few days bearing the new seal.

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 05/22/10 Show Notes

Lot of stuff to discuss tonight... but I'm sure this will get you thinking...

What do "putty bricks" have to do with the economy? And what IS a "putty brick"?

It won't be the only thing I'll be talking about, though. I'll be talking about a guy named Dick, another named Rand, recycled movies, and something to do with a movie that has the words "Thr0bbing" and "Justice" in the title.

But I think the whole "putty brick" thing will really stick in the back of your mind until the show.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (05/22) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 05/15/10 Show Notes

Okay, I'll make this simple... lots of stuff to discuss, including a graduation speech, Net Neutrality, and I get to verbally berate cons and neo-cons again.

And to answer your question now before you ask it, YES I AM ANGRY! But that's a long story.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (05/15) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 05/08/10 Show Notes

I wanted to take the week off. RJ and CA both took the week off. I was about to as well... but then I couldn't.

You want to know why? Well you'll just have to listen in to find out why. But you won't have to wait for very long, because the culprits will be discussed right there in the first segment.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (05/08) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category.

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Guessing the Chickenhawks

Okay... big story over the weekend... it was Amateur Terrorism weekend in New York City. Someone wanted to turn an SUV into a frag grenade. Wasn't that good, though. Only managed to set off some smoke, which alerted the police and they got the whole thing diffused before it could blow up.

Good job NYPD.

NOW... the fun part comes in. Who tried and failed?

A terrorist group has CLAIMED responsibility. But that doesn't mean they really did it. A Shiite group claimed they did the Oklahoma City bombing fifteen years ago, but they clearly didn't do it. So keep that in mind when we start hearing the news reports dealing with the progress of this investigation.

But this is not going to be about my speculation about WHO really did the deed... rather it will be on the REACTION of our most vocal extremists... the conservative and neo-conservative chickenhawks. The same ones who pushed us into two wars that we are now having to deal with. How THEY will react will depend entirely on WHO is discovered to have done this.

IF the bad guys are Muslims... Expect the chickenhawks to be pounding their chests and strutting up and down like peacocks proclaiming that their fear-mongering rhetoric was right all along. They will declare this to be nothing less than the complete and total vindication of EVERYTHING that George W. Bush and his Neo-Roman Imperium did for eight years, and they will immediately crucify President Obama and the Democrats in Congress for "endangering" the nation.

IF the bad guys are conservative extremists... Expect the chickenhawks to immediately pound their chests and scream "PERSECUTION" at the top of their lungs. Expect them to scream that President Obama and the Democrats in Congress will use this to enact the Fairness Doctrine to "shut down talk radio" and to persecute Fox News and the conservative/neo-conservative websites.

IF the bad guys are any other group... Expect the chickenhawks to blame it all on liberals. Expect them to proudly strut around like peacocks and beat their chests and proclaim "Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity were RIGHT ALL ALONG! These liberals are a THREAT to America and they have to be STOPPED!" Expect them to immediately call for a "War on Liberals" and to defeat any Democrat that is running for election or re-election in November.

Oh, and for the record, I am a LIBERTARIAN and longtime political outsider. Don't think for a microsecond that I have any appreciation for the Do-Nothing crowd. The only difference is they don't have a track record of shooting first and not-apologizing later.

---

Update: Turns out the bad guy is from Pakistan.

Okay chickenhawks! Prove me right! Start strutting around like you always do and beat your chest and scream at the top of your lungs about it.

Update #2: The chickenhawks are strutting!!

SQUAWK! SQUAWK! Eric Cantor!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 05/01/10 Show Notes

A lot of stuff to go over this week...

We have TV channels telling to pretend they're better than they are; we have more commercials that insult our intelligence; websites that presume we'll accept anything they shove us; we have the REAL reason for Congressional hearings; and then we have broken promises and what to do then.

Lot of stuff. Oh, and I also have some programming announcements to make concerning next week. You don't want to miss out on those.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (05/01) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category to see what kind of "stuff" I'll be talking about!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 04/24/10 Show Notes

Wow... two weeks full of Tax Reform and I'm out of stuff to talk about...

Oh just kidding, I always have "stuff" to discuss... even if it's weird "stuff".

Like... "The Rules". Well, not MY rules, but they are SOMEONE'S rules. And how about my take on how certain people in government aren't doing their jobs? SOMEONE asked me about it, and I get to explain it in detail. Who? You'll just have to tune in to find out. Oh, and I came up with some more "stuff" from the Brutally Honest Archives as well. Some really interesting "stuff" that I'm sure will have you guys thinking about them.

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (04/24) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category to see what kind of "stuff" I'll be talking about!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 04/17/10 Show Notes

Last week I did a special hour-long look at taxes... and those that joined me in the chatroom wanted more. They wanted to know what my solution would be.

Be careful what you wish for... because tonight you're going to hear my idea of what the system SHOULD be.

That and this coming Monday is a certain anniversary that some people don't want remembered. What anniversary is it? Well you'll find out.

That and, as promised, I have some more listener feedback!

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (04/17) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 04/10/10 Show Notes

Tonight's show is going to be about one general subject only... TAXES!

We're always complaining about them. We want to change the system, make it work FOR us instead of AGAINST us, and get rid of this stupid TAX DAY crap once and for all, right?

So why don't we? Well, a few years ago I explained WHY we can't seem to fix this system... but I don't think too many people caught on about that. SOooooo... I'm pulling up a whole month's full of Brutally Honest Archives to explain it to you, because I really couldn't say it any better than the way I did back then!

So tune in THIS SATURDAY (04/10) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

The Religion Cheat Code

(The following is a transcript to the April 3rd broadcast of "Brutally Honest on ShockNet Radio". This transcript is being provided for the 2010 Blog Against Theocracy Blogswarm Weekend and is done with permission of the author.)

I love to play video games. This is something that goes back for THIRTY YEARS now. But computer games can also get very frustrating at times… especially when they involve a random number generator, because it sometimes seems like no matter how many times you run that, you’ll always lose. It’s like playing blackjack with the computer and the computer will ALWAYS give you two fours while it always gives itself blackjack. After a while you begin to think that the game is rigged and that you’re NEVER supposed to win.

That’s when you bring in… the cheat code.

Oh cheat codes are FUN!

Now cheat codes are not hacked codes. You’re not actually hacking into the computer and making these changes yourself. These are cheats that are INTENTIONALLY written in by the game developers so they can test certain features without wasting a lot of time going through the game from start to finish.

SO… let’s suppose that you’re a programmer for the new Final Fantasy game that just came out on PlayStation 3 last month. You want to test out a change that you made to the final stage of the game, but you don’t want to waste your time going from the beginning all the way to the end. SO you write in a code that allows you to skip scenes. And because you don’t want to get killed all the time, you write in another code that allows you to keep your character’s health. And you don’t want to run out of abilities or resources while you’re testing out this game, so you write in another code to keep that plentiful.

By the way, this is what is known as a GOD MODE. You’re unstoppable and all-powerful. And sometimes you’re considered invisible as well.

Now a programmer is SUPPOSED to write those codes out before the game is released. But quite often they will either forget about that or they’ll leave them in on the off-chance that they would have to fix a problem they didn’t already take into account. And because they don’t want people to accidentally trigger God Mode, they sometimes can’t be triggered until you put in some conditions. Like if you pause the game, go to the menu screen, THEN trigger the codes.

And of course there are plenty of people who will figure out what those cheat codes are and how to access them, and then they will post those cheats out on the Internet for others to use. And I won’t deny that I’ve used them on occasion… because sometimes it beats tearing up the apartment in frustration.

Now… wouldn’t it be great if there was a cheat code for LIFE? To be able to pick up some short-cuts and get an advantage in life?

Some people certainly come into this game that we call reality with a few advantages over the rest of us. Money, looks, charisma, connections… and sometimes people end up getting a few disadvantages, and not necessarily through any fault of their own. Those with those advantages certainly would like to keep them, and the people with disadvantages certainly would like to level the playing field. But how can you do that? Real life, of course, isn’t as simple as a computer game… as much as we would wish otherwise.

Well, to some extent, we have something of a cheat code to life. It’s not really an ACTUAL cheat; it doesn’t REALLY give you a “God Mode”. You can’t turn yourself invisible or be invulnerable or have infinite resources if you use it. But we certainly ACT as though it is a cheat code to life.

Of course I’m talking about… religion. And I’m sure some of you are scratching your heads on this and wondering where I’m going with this. Well, bear with me and should all be crystal clear.

Now in the course of normal human affairs in a supposedly free society, my opinions SHOULD carry no greater weight than would your opinions or those of anyone else’s. If I like the color red, then that doesn’t mean that everyone else should also like red. If I - hypothetically - think that the world was created by a big glob of snot sneezed out from the Greek God Zeus, then that’s fine. That idea of how the world came about should be no different than yours or of anyone else’s, even if science and reason could prove otherwise.

BUT… what if I wasn’t happy with that? What if I didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t convince a lot of people that the world was created by a chunk of snot sneezed out from Zeus? It gets a little tiring to have to continually go back and remind people that this is what I - hypothetically - believe in. And I may not like the fact that I don’t have too many people who agree with me. I may want MORE people to agree with me. I may want EVERYONE to agree with that idea; that the world was - hypothetically - created out of a huge chunk of snot sneezed out from Zeus.

If all things are equal then my view carries no more weight than anyone else’s… UNLESS I cheat. Unless I invoke RELIGION. Now this is no longer about what *I* believe in. This is now about what *GOD* believes in. And in this hypothetical case, *GOD* is Zeus. So now if you insult me, or if you belittle my view, or if you criticize what I believe in, then you’re really insulting *GOD*… or Zeus, in this case. All-knowing, all-powerful, invisible, works in mysterious ways… and you’re not supposed to mess with a being like that.

So let’s suppose you ask for PROOF that Zeus created the Earth out of a ball of snot. Well I don’t HAVE to prove it to you. That’s my religion. That’s my BELIEF. You’re supposed to simply ACCEPT that what I said is the truth. Remember: all-knowing, all-powerful, invisible, works in mysterious ways and all that other stuff… we’re not SUPPOSED to know all those secrets, we’re just supposed to ACCEPT them as the way things are.

So you then follow-up with some proof all you own. You pull out science studies and geology reports and theories from noted astronomers about how the universe came to be. And all of that is utterly WORTHLESS, because I have already invoked the RELIGION cheat code, and now all your facts and theories and evidence are meaningless. ZEUS trumps man, end of story.

Now let’s take this to the next level, because if we just left it at that you’d just write me off as a hypothetical loon.

Let’s suppose that I somehow manage to get some people to believe with me that the world was hypothetically created by a chunk of snot sneezed by Zeus. Housewives and business people, police officers and firemen, a few doctors, and a couple of elected officials. They also agree with my hypothetical belief that the world was created by a divine chunk of Zeus-snot. And they’re also hedging towards liking red as their color. And WE… because it’s not just MY belief anymore… WE now want this to be an accepted TRUTH in society. Because WE now have influence in government, and therefore WE want that government… and thus society itself… to be reflective of OUR beliefs. After all, that is what ZEUS reportedly wants us to do… or so we hypothetically believe.

Now in a truly free society, we’d have a problem with that. Because in a truly free society, it doesn’t really matter HOW many people agree with you. All religious beliefs are SUPPOSED to be on an equal footing.

Ahhh… but that was BEFORE I invoked the religion cheat code. Sure all religions are SUPPOSED to be on equal footing. But I have NUMBERS on my side. I have key people of influence in society on my side. They will vouch for the benefits of believing that Zeus sneezed the world into being…and also on the benefits of wearing red-colored clothing. You can believe what you want to… but since WE have influence in government, and thus influence in society itself, OUR beliefs now carry more weight than yours.
Oh, and you might want to be careful about what you say about our beliefs now… because, you know, Zeus is all-knowing, all-powerful, invisible, works in mysterious ways… and you never know when an accident could happen. Oh, we won’t WANT that accident to happen, but it’s not really in OUR hands is it? It’s in Zeus’ divine hands, and he works wonders, and sometimes he works through other people. Hint-hint.

That sounds a little scary doesn’t it? Now substitute Greek Pantheism with Christianity. Or Islam. Or any other religious belief. It’s all pretty interchangeable at that point.

Oh but wait! I’m sure some of you are hemming and hawing and saying that it’s not reflective of what YOU believe. You don’t believe in threatening people. Your belief is a religion of PEACE.

Yeah, it’s peaceful… as long as nobody tries to question your position. As long as nobody tries to challenge your dominance. As long as nobody tries to interject doubt. Then all of a sudden you start hearing talk about “God Warriors”. Or in this hypothetical case… “Zeus Warriors!”

Ahhh… but then the OTHER side of the cheat code comes in! The one that absolves you of such “rash thinking”!

You see, thanks to that cheat code we call religion, you can talk about WAR all you want to. You can talk about violence and mayhem and chaos and anarchy and death and destruction. You can talk about wanting warriors for your faith, soldiers for your army, crusaders for your cause… but the minute someone actually DOES what you’re talking about, you can just write them off as not being a “true follower”.

And what about if you catch me wearing something other than red? What if I’m wearing blue? You know, after all that hypothetical talk about the benefits of wearing red and telling people they NEED to wear red to appease Zeus. Well there’s a cheat code for that as well. You see, I can beg forgiveness and be expected to just let the whole thing go away. You know why? Because Zeus is supposedly a forgiving deity, like ALL deities somehow end up being. Never mind the bit about unleashing the Kraken. Ancient history, right?

Do you guys see it yet? It is becoming clear yet?

Let’s get brutally honest here… even though cheat codes really don’t exist for the real world, we are still guilty of using our beliefs as though they ARE a cheat code! We use it to give us an ADVANTAGE over other people, especially those that don’t share in what we believe in.

And then we compound that problem when we use that cheat code so often and so frequently and for so many years that our government institutions essentially PROCLAIM it to be real! When you have judges and politicians look at the abuses of faith and they actually say “yeah, it’s a cheat, but you know what? This has been going on for so long that we’re just going to allow it to keep going on.” There have been SEVERAL court decisions this past decade that have said essentially that.

If you were a marathon runner and you found out that the person who just beat you really didn’t RUN the whole course, you’d get pissed off about it right? You’d want that person punished. They CHEATED!

But what if you find out that other people did that as well? What if, instead of running the full twenty-six miles, half the runners boarded busses and cabs and raced on out to the finish line and then ran that last mile? You’d feel sort of stupid wasting your time running the whole twenty-six miles, right? I mean, what’s the use of rewarding training and good health if all you have to do in order to reach the finish line is to just board a cab to cut twenty-five miles and then run the last mile to the finish line?

Well that is what we, in general, are doing with religion. We are using religion as a CHEAT. We are using religion not to guide us, not to help explain the unexplainable, not to help explain some of the things going on in the world, but rather as a way to justify that we are somehow BETTER than other people. That we are SUPERIOR to other people. That our beliefs give us the power, even if in our minds only, of a GOD-MODE. And in a supposedly free society, where all are SUPPOSED to be on equal footing in terms of what we believe in, that cheat SUBVERTS the very nature of a free society.

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 04/03/10 Show Notes

Okay, the SHOW hasn't been on the air for fourteen years, but yours truly has been putting his thoughts out there for the past fourteen years now. So tonight's a great night to reflect on that.

THEN after a trip through the archives to set the story straight about our Founding Fathers, I give you an interesting look at how religion has been abused in society. How do video games fit in with this? Well you'll just have to tune in and find out!

All that is THIS SATURDAY (04/03) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Fourteen Years Ago...

Fourteen years ago I started a little website...

It's not there anymore. AOL arbitrarily decided a year or so ago that they didn't want to mess with the old websites.

But it was on this day fourteen years ago that I decided to start a weekly online column. That column continues to this day... albeit at its new location.

This is not a joke. In fact I didn't realize that it WAS April Fool's Day when I first put up the column. It was only AFTER it went online did I realize that I was doing it on April Fool's Day.

Fourteen years later... I'm running not one but SEVERAL websites. I'm the host of one Internet Radio show and the co-host of another. I'm the author of an ongoing comic book series, with a shocking new issue almost ready to be released.

I guess you can say I've come a LONG way from those simple AOL pages.

Happy 14th anniversary BRUTALLY HONEST.

No jokes... but no cake either.

If you want to read the ORIGINAL column that started it all... here it is.

If you want to extend anniversary wishes, please feel free to leave a comment.

This says it all...

I really don't have to add anything to this.

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 03/27/10 Show Notes

Liars and Frauds, the common theme, has resurfaced again this week.

First, time to chide the cons and neo-cons and tea party people for their actions this week. No ice cream for you guys. Then we go back in time for an insightful Brutally Honest rant from 2005. And then it's right back to the present and a look at certain a political MYTH.

All that is THIS SATURDAY (03/27) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 03/20/10 Show Notes

It's been a pretty stressful week for me... so I'm sorry if it seems I don't have too much to add to the discussion of tonight's program. You'll just have to tune in and find out.

Join me THIS SATURDAY (03/20) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 03/13/10 Show Notes

Okay, tonight's show is going to be weird.

First, we have some things that simply insult our intelligence. They don't challenge us, they INSULT us! What are they? You'll just have to find out.

Then we have a little problem on the other side of the world. Yeah, normally I stick to the stuff going on in the US of A, but we're also throwing millions of dollars at this problem and if we're doing that then we need to make sure we're getting our money's worth, so I'm going to be talking about it.

And then a little talk about stereotypes, and how they are used in government and how you can use them to also deter the government from stuff.

Fun stuff! Oh, and I have a little reminder for those of you who DO listen to my show, so you may want to pay attention this week.

Join me THIS SATURDAY (03/13) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 03/06/10 Show Notes

Weird collection of stuff for this Saturday's show...

First, DOGS... or a specific "dog". What kind of "dog" are we talking about? You'll have to listen in to find out.

Then, stories. Yes, I AM a published writer, and I'm going to let you in on a dirty little secret to one of the longest-running forms of daytime entertainment in recent history. What is it? Tune in.

Then... DO-NOTHINGS! The new nickname for a certain long-term entrenched political party. Which one? You'll have to find out!

Join me THIS SATURDAY (02/27) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 02/27/10 Show Notes

A trifecta of "BAD" is on tap for tonight.

First, BAD words. I have a follow-up to last week's special comment about the Austin terrorist attack. A ShockNet listener had a follow-up question concerning that rant that needed some clarification. I hope it makes sense by the time I go to break.

Next, BAD dreams... or bad decisions concerning dreams. And why should dreams matter? You'll find out.

And then BAD salesmen. REALLY bad salesmen. If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome, you have to wonder who is truly insane: the people who are doing the same thing, or the ones selling the idea that something WOULD be different.

Oh, I've mentioned this before and I probably should mention it here... this show won't be going the full hour. I can't always guarantee that they will, but I will say that by the time the show finishes you will have much to think about.

Join me THIS SATURDAY (02/27) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Austin rant on AH

Just in case you missed it... the first rant for tonight's show is online at the American Heathen blogsite. Normally I'd have you guys wait until the archives are up, but this was an important issue, so obviously I wanted to get my two cents up.

By the way folks, if you like what you hear/read, then please TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 02/20/10 Show Notes

Tonight I break from the usual routine and give you THREE actual rants!

Yes, THREE of them.

One of them hit the news this week and it was needless and it's not something anyone would want to advocate. One of them is something that hasn't really been going on of late, and we need more OF it. And third is something that has been getting a really bad rap of late, especially when it snows, and that really needs to change. What are these three things? You'll just have to tune in and hear them yourself!

Join me THIS SATURDAY (02/20) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

BIG NEWS for ShockNet Radio!

A VERY SPECIAL American Heathen® This Friday Night!

Join RJ Evans and David2 as they talk with Keith Kimmel. Keith is a college student... and gay. And, he's suing the State of Oklahoma Tax Commision for denying him a vanity license plate that reads "IM GAY". What makes this case so special? Because RJ has a vanity plate issued by Oklahoma that reads "ATHEIST" and this affects him in the same way.

This story is about to go national!

ShockNet Radio - 7pm CT, 8pm ET

Just in time for V-Day!

Thanks again to the folks at Current.com for providing this little nugget of info.

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 02/13/10 Show Notes

Love and Money. Money can't buy me love... no, but it CAN buy me a really nice time in Nevada. If only I HAD some! And a way to get to Nevada.

Well, first the LOVE part... tomorrow IS Valentine's Day, and Brutally Honest supporters know that I have a few choice WORDS about that day. But if you're new to the show you'll probably find my thoughts about this day to be... well let's just say unique. Someone asked me if I'm a V-Day scrooge... well, to be brutally honest, I AM one, but not your ordinary "bah humbug" variety. You'll just have to tune in to find out...

THEN the MONEY part. Last week I said something rather profound about money and I really explain in detail, and I think that by the end of the show you'll understand just WHERE I STAND on this issue.

That and... a Tea Party leader doesn't FEEL THE LOVE when it comes to Caribou Quitter. Who? How? Why? Find out!

Join me THIS SATURDAY (02/13) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 02/06/10 Show Notes

Last week I gave a rare and somewhat calm, cool, and collected show. And I going into tonight's show I kept on saying that I WOULD LOVE to do the same thing this week.

Unfortunately, I can't. And there is a reason why. And that reason DOES have to do with current events. In fact you might say it's a two-pronged approach to current events. What is it? Well, you'll just have to TUNE IN to find out!

Oh, there is something that I do need to clarify because I did have some people ask about this... sometimes I don't have a full-hour's worth of programming. This happens sometimes. Sometimes the show ends a little earlier than usual. Sometimes I just don't have anything more to add to the subject. I wish I could fill that empty space, but sometimes I can't. I hope that makes sense.

Join me THIS SATURDAY (02/06) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 01/30/10 Show Notes

You know, I've been back on the air for a couple of weeks and folks are already concerned about some of the spirited positions I make on my show. It sometimes seems like I'm about to burst a blood vessel.

Well don't worry... this time I promise you I'll have a more reserved tone tonight. I'm still going to tell it to you like it is, but on this week's overall subject I'll be a little more cerebral. What subject? Well if you heard last night's AH show you'd know... otherwise you'll just have to wait until tonight.

Join me THIS SATURDAY (01/30) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 01/23/10 Show Notes

I'm sure when people will be listening to tonight's show they'll be asking themselves whether my blood pressure is spiking.

Well I'm sorry folks, but it's hard to keep my temper in check when it comes to what's been going on. I've got bad news and sad news to cover, and I can't help but express my anger at those who still DO NOT GET IT!

What sort of news will I be bringing up? Well you'll just have to tune in to find out.

Join me THIS SATURDAY (01/16) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern (6pm Central and 4pm Pacific) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Doing Nothing For Something

Nice idea but I think this should be other way around...

Brutally Honest on ShockNet - 01/16/10 Show Notes

Yes it's 2010 and I'm BACK ON THE AIR!

Well actually I've been back since last night, but it's the first time in over a month for THIS program.

And I really have some catching up to do. Some stuff happened during the month hiatus, and not all of it good... well, more like A LOT of it wasn't good. Terrorists, fear-mongers, corporate screw-jobs, political screw-jobs, even a TV screw-job. And I even have the kind of online screw-job we give to our friends and relatives.

Lot of screw-jobs. You can understand why I have something of an edge in tonight's returning show.

Oh and I also actually have the answer to a funky riddle that you may have heard about as a child. Something about two guys and falling off a fence. Sound familiar? Then find out how I addressed that problem.

Join me THIS SATURDAY (01/16) right here on ShockNet Radio at 7pm Eastern Time (6pm Norman time and 4pm Hefner Time) over at www.shocknetradio.com and also at Apple's iTunes Radio Player under the "Classic Rock" category!

And don't forget that I will also be in the "Brutally Honest" chatroom at www.shocknetradio.com during the show, so I hope to see you there!

It's Social... It's Political... It's IN-YOUR-FACE... it's BRUTALLY HONEST!

Supernews gets it right!