What Makes a Person Start Writing?

In a recent writers' discussion about interview questions that catch you unprepared, the question, "What made you start writing?" seemed to stump several writers. Many couldn't remember why because they started writing at such an early age they couldn't recall when they started yet alone why.

For many, I'm sure it was the encouragement of a teacher during their schooling or a family member who advised them to write down something they found entertaining so they could share it. In later life, it might have been a friend saying something they did would make a great story thus the seed was planted. In any case, recognition of a worthiness of a person to write or a story to be told is the beginning. Then there are people like me.

What made me start writing? My writing usually starts with an idea that grows into characters, and those characters start interacting in my head. The jerks won't shut up until I get them on paper. They keep me awake at all hours of the night. He should do this, or she should do that. Until, I work on the story to finish and flush them out of my head for other ideas, their name is legion for they're many, to possess my thoughts.

So, the quick answer is to stop the voices in my head.

Enough Negativity Happy Holidays

Enough is enough when it comes to negativity from the politicians during the holidays. I'm pretty sure it was a bonehead error to give the super committee a Thanksgiving Day deadline and not done intentionally to ruin our holidays, but I don't think it helped our confidence in opening our wallets and purses as consumers. So, they start another economic sky-is-falling the day before the Black Friday sales. We may not be rocket scientists, but I think we all know why consumers aren't spending as hoped. Personally, I would have liked them to set the arbitrary deadline they were never going to meet toward the end of January about the time we recover from all the holiday food and beverages.

We took our two grandsons around to look at lights the other night. They both loved it, but I had to search for decorated houses. I guess I'm getting old because I caught myself saying back in the day, but it was true. Back in the day, almost all the houses on every street were decorated and maybe 1 or 2 dim. Sadly now, the opposite is true. So here is my wish this year, I hope our economy turns around so the holiday spirit gets going full blast. Merry Christmas everyone!

To Listen To My Interview From Australia On Mix It Up Radio

To listen to my interview on Mix It Up Radio in Queensland, Australia, and 48 countries around the world, you can download the podcast archive at  http://www.mixitupradio.net/ then clicking on the podcast link. Follow the instructions by clicking the listening icon, enter the username: talkback and password: radio1. The show archive you want to click on is In The World’s Corner the select the interview with Frank G. Poe, Jr. dated 12/01/2011. You really must want to hear the show interview. It was almost 1 hour and 40 minutes long and was originally only scheduled for 1 hour. I promised I’d post a link, but their archive requires the user name and password mentioned. It may take a little while to download depending on your internet speed. You'll need WinZip to unzip the compressed file.

Freedom of Speech Under Attack By Congress

Soon, Congress will be debating their power to shut down the internet, Twitter feeds, etc.

The internet has become too important to Americans' freedom of speech. By trying to remove that right from the American people because the public might not be saying or acting the way the government wants, congress is basically saying the US Constitution and Bill of Rights might as well be toilet paper because you're getting ready to wipe your collective butts with them.

For more information about how you can act to save our rights read the following letter from MoveOn.org and click on the link to sign the petition to let Congress know the American people will not stand for it.

Dear MoveOn member,

As soon as this week, Congress will start debating whether to give the government the power to turn off parts of the Internet. If that sounds like a terrible recipe for abuse of power, that's because it is.

If enacted, a new law would make it so a simple allegation of copyright infringement—with no review process—could lead to the shutdown of sites from YouTube to Wikipedia to MoveOn.org.¹ Any website, foreign or U.S.-based, could be wiped out on suspicion and made unavailable to everyone in the world.

For example, if you (or Justin Bieber) wanted to post a video to YouTube of yourself singing a Beatles song, a record company could force the Department of Justice to shut down YouTube. Really.²

But as you may have guessed, Congress didn't come up with this tragically terrible idea on their own. Lobbyists representing Comcast, Pfizer, record and movie companies, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce³ have been pushing Democrats and Republicans to pass bills to allow this new kind of Internet censorship. And they're close to getting their way.

But a small number of Democrats are standing strong and saying "No" to these powerful special interest groups. They need our help.

Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon is one of our champions. He has promised to start a historic filibuster of the Internet Censorship Act where he'll read the names of every person that signs a petition against Internet censorship.⁴ It's the perfect opportunity for 5 million Internet-connected progressives to visibly add their voice to a Senate debate. The more of us that sign, the stronger this effort to block this terrible law will be.

Click here to add your name and say NO to Internet Censorship.

We know that the Internet's openness, freedom, and lack of censorship are what make it a bastion of infinite possibility, continued innovation, and job creation. Innovative companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Mozilla, and Yahoo have spoken out against this law, saying:

We should not jeopardize a foundational structure that has worked for content owners and Internet companies alike and provides certainty to innovators with new ideas for how people create, find, discuss, and share information lawfully online.⁵

Internet venture capitalists say that the legislation is "ripe for abuse,"⁶ and leading law professors reject it because it will "allow the government to block Internet access to websites."⁷

We condemn censorship overseas when it happens in China or Iran. But today, we need to stand up for freedom of speech on the Internet here at home.

Click here to add your name and say NO to Internet Censorship.

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Garlin, Elena, Stefanie, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "House Version of Rogue Websites Bill Adds DMCA Bypass, Penalties for DNS Workarounds," Public Knowledge, October 26, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268060&id=33343-19316290-mw1PNvx&t=5

2. "Why Is Justin Bieber So Hackin Mad?" SaveTheInternet.com, November 2, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268061&id=33343-19316290-mw1PNvx&t=6

3. "Five things to know about SOPA," The Washington Post, November 16, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268062&id=33343-19316290-mw1PNvx&t=7

4. "Wyden to read petition names during copyright filibuster," The Hill, November 21, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268065&id=33343-19316290-mw1PNvx&t=8

5. "SOPA opposition from tech heavyweights Google, Facebook," CBS News, November 17, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268063&id=33343-19316290-mw1PNvx&t=9

6. "The PROTECT IP Act Will Slow Startup Innovation," Union Square Ventures, June 23, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268064&id=33343-19316290-mw1PNvx&t=10

7. "Law Professors' Letter on SOPA," Electronic Frontier Foundation, November 15, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268067&id=33343-19316290-mw1PNvx&t=11

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Unreal But Perfect Example of How They Use the 99% Taxpayer Dollars

I don't even want to think about where this is going, and for people who have read my books they know I can think of some twisted stuff to write. It is a perfect example how our public taxpayer dollars are being used to pay for research then handed over to big business. They claim we don't contribute to their wealth, but the 99% do.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alternet.org%2Fstory%2F153203%2Fcorporations_are_patenting_human_genes_and_tissues_--_here's_why_that's_terrifying%3Fakid%3D7907.285366.kM62so%26rd%3D1%26t%3D3&h=zAQEq9oufAQELq0bnGBNK9u9O3qYCtctL-ZD-2tbf7gp6xA

Thank a Vet on Veterans' Day and Big Business It Applies to You Too

I'd like to remind everyone to thank a vet this Veterans' Day. Give them a hug or a handshake, but you need to make sure they are okay with it first. Believe me, you don't want to surprise a vet.

After hearing the Pentagon's forecast of how long it will take the average vet reentering the workforce to find a job, I'd like to remind the top 20 corporations sitting on record amounts of capital thanking a vet applies to you, too. If it weren't for those vets protecting your right to make profits, all that capital you kept might belong to the party or state. Get my drift? The best way for big business to show vets thanks is to make sure they have jobs when they return home. So Top 20, part with some of that capital you're sitting on, and create some jobs for the vets who served.

BE HEARD!!!!!!!!! GO VOTE!!!!!!!!!

Tired of being ignored by the people who are representing you? Want to be heard? Today is election day. Go vote!!!!