I can remember someone telling me, years ago when a child, that the universe was infinite. I didn’t know what that word meant and my parents (and brothers!) luckily had lots of books about — including a large dictionary. I looked up the word. It wasn’t until I began to read voraciously at 12 or 13 that the word “infinite” began to take on meaning for me.

My brothers had a few science fiction paperbacks laying around in the early 60s and that, good readers, was my introduction to SF. One of the first books I ever remember reading was the compilation of stories published by Ballantine Books in 1962 (I had the second printing; the first was in 1955), entitled STAR Science Fiction Stories No. 3 (50-cents!). I absolutely devoured these wondrous stories, such as:

These, dear readers, are absolute bottom line stone blue all-star classic science fiction short stories written by geniuses in the art. I still have that paperback. It is kept in a glass case.

From there I can recall reading (and the copy of which I stole from my brother and possess to this very day — and I am looking at now) the first paperback edition of the ground-breaking novel Dune by a little known author called Frank Herbert. This thick ACE paperback book, going for $1.25 in 1965, changed science fiction forever. Say what you will about the subsequent books, Dune was a benchmark in SF.

From there I was hooked. Any spare cash I spent on Matchbox cars (55-cents each at Bob’s Toyland in Town & Country Village, Sacramento), monster models (Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Mummy, all readily available for 98-cents — plus tax = $1.02) and SF paperbacks. Star Trek became my favorite series. I owned every James Blish adaptation of the TV shows. I snatched the very last paperback copy of The Making of Star Trek by Stephen E. Whitfield from the hands of my (then) best friend Rick Back when his attention was momentarily diverted from the book rack.

I reveled in the Harry Harrison stories of The Stainless Steel Rat and The Deathworld Trilogy. I read every Asimov I, Robot story. I enjoyed Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers but failed to grok his Stranger In A Strange Land for quite some time.

That led me into what some would call harder military SF, such as Joe Haldeman’s Forever Wars and thence into two of my all-time favorite SF books:

I went so far as to purchase a private printing of Martin’s Tuf Voyaging compilation that cost me — well, let’s just say it cost me.

Along the way I’ve enjoyed the Phaid the Gambler, Citizen Phaid and The Song of Phaid the Gambler series by Mick Farren, as well as When Gravity Fails and A Fire In the Sun, both by George Alec Effinger. The absolute toughest series to find (I defy you!) involves a horrible life form known as The Vang: The Military Form and The Vang: The Battlemaster, both by Christopher Rowley. Excellent, frightening books. Good luck.

Recently, I’ve read some SF novels that I would highly recommend:

Best current SF going: Death’s Head by David Gunn. Wow. Wotta ride!

Which brings me back to my original rambling thought for this Sunday’s post:

The answer then and now is: no. I cannot.

In my late teens and early 20s I would posit this inside my mind: Infinity. Never stops. Keeps going. Imagine there was a massive reach, a huge distance. Then there was a brick wall. Then what was BEYOND the brick wall?

How could this BE? How could there be something that goes and goes and goes and NEVER STOPS? It engaged my mind and then it exceeded my mind. Just as it does today.

Then there is the so-called “UFO” issue.

Photos tarted and maligned; clearly cheapened and staged. Obvious and poorly done. Then there is the Area 51 issue. And the Groom Lake issue.

And even now, this week:

One of the largest UFOs ever seen has been observed by the crew and passengers of an airliner over the Channel Islands.

An official air-miss report on the incident several weeks ago appears in Pilot magazine. Aurigny Airlines captain Ray Bowyer, 50, flying close to Alderney first spotted the object, described as “a cigar-shaped brilliant white light”.

My question:

Trent Lott has entered the Fairness Doctrine arena by saying, essentially, that having an informed electorate is a death knell for the immigration bill; to wit:

Comments by Republican senators on Thursday suggested that they were feeling the heat from conservative critics of the bill, who object to provisions offering legal status. The Republican whip, Trent Lott of Mississippi, who supports the bill, said: “Talk radio is running America. We have to deal with that problem.”

Talk radio is “running America.” Per Trent Lott. Republican.

Which means, by the logical extension, that blogs are running America, as are various publications. More focused, it really means:

CONSERVATIVE talk radio is running America;

CONSERVATIVE blogs are running America;

Translated further, it means (not unlike McCain’s early-on comments following the bill’s initial introduction): shut the fuck up. You’re interfering with my attempt and McCain’s attempt to shove this bill down the electorate’s throat.

That’s what Trent Lott means.

Thanks Senator Lott. Thanks for helping to ensure that the return of the Fairness Doctrine (see my prior posts on the FD, here and here) is coming closer to reality (see this post on Broadcast Law Blog).

Boxer and Hillary were overheard complaining about talk radio, by GOP Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma:

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Senate colleague Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., want to “fix” talk radio because of its conservative influence on America, according to Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla.

Appearing on John Ziegler’s evening show on KFI 640 AM radio in Los Angeles, Inhofe reported hearing Clinton and Boxer discussing plans for a “legislative fix” and
confronting them about it. Inhofe told Ziegler he’d been walking to a vote “with two liberal gals” who were outraged over something a conservative radio talk show host had said, according to the Breitbart.tv recording.

So go ahead, Senator Lott. Trash conservative talk radio and conservative blogs — your finger is pointing directly at me.

You clearly can’t see farther than a few inches from your face.

P.S.

Good news: Oregon Public Broadcasting has agreed to air the PBS-funded documentary “Islam vs. Islamists” next month. “Muslims Against Jihad” is being aired by Fox tomorrow night, 9 PM Eastern time, a second film made by these producers. Good news indeed for freedom of information and your federal tax dollars allegedly at work, stifled as best the CPB and PBS possibly could.

More news items are dovetailing, and not well either:

1. The Bush Administration To Close Guantanamo Bay:

The advisers will consider a proposal to shut the center and transfer detainees to one or more Defense Department facilities, including the maximum security military prison at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, where they could face trial, said the officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing internal deliberations.

Not just a bad decision, just about the worst decision that could be made at this point. And this decision has absolutely NOTHING to do with efficiency or cash — it is completely a “public relations” decision. Gitmo needs to be OPEN now, more than ever — and it does NOT need to move to Leavenworth, Kansas. This is a horrible decision and sends the message: America will not hold the line and public opinion can fold American tactics like a house of cards. Please President Bush, do NOT be this gullible and stupid!

2. The Un-Dead Immigration Bill Will Essentially Guarantee Amnesty:

The top priority in this bill is extending amnesty as quickly and easily as possible to as many illegal aliens as possible,” writes Kris W. Kobach, professor of law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. “The cost of doing so is to jeopardize national security.”

Kobach, former chief adviser on immigration law to Attorney General John Ashcroft, contends it’s a “certainty that many more illegal alien terrorists are quietly at work in the United States.”

There is NOTHING in this bill as written that proscribes people from terrorist countries entering the United States. The enforcement segment is woefully lacking.

The former bill would levy back taxes and a $5,000 fine. WHO would track these back taxes, and decide what the taxes would be? Who would enforce the tax levies? Who would level the $5,000 fine? Is that per person or per family? Who would enforce the fine? From WHERE would one TAKE the fine? From the individual? The family? Those two aspects, even to the most dimwitted of Americans, is recognized as entirely UNENFORCEABLE. Gang members and absconders could acquire a Z visa. Who does all this? What bureau? How MANY bureaus?

What does our federal government do (absent the military) that is beneficial, well-run and a model of efficiency, quality and innovation? I would answer: nothing. What makes us think a so-called “comprehensive” bill would change history? I would answer: nothing.

This needs to be done in stages:

Without a fence, our deportations are worthless. Some MS-13 gang members turn themselves in on holidays so they can be with their families, at US taxpayer expense. Then they come back when it suits them.

If it were up to me, after a built wall, I would FIRST put those American employers who hire illegal immigrants in PRISON.

3. Eliminate Incentives: Jobs, Benefits and Anchor Babies:

A woman died in an LA emergency room after having called 911 FROM that ER — because emergency rooms are grossly overcrowded — because ERs are being USED by ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS for standard doctor visits.

4. The Fundamental Problem: Enforcement:

How can our Senate wish to pass more laws when it refuses to enforce laws already on the books? The American public is left tattered and wanting, because it realizes its very own government will not enforce laws already extant. How can its government hope to maintain credibility and veracity when true educated Americans have already expressed, 95-to1, their displeasure with the current bill.

We don’t have to deport; illegal immigrants will “self-deport” if we but determine to enable the above bullet points.

Additionally, the OTM (Other Than Mexican) list at our borders is growing exponentially. More Islamic bullshit:

MUSLIM WOMEN IN BRITAIN, WEARING HEAD-TO-TOE VEILS WITH EYESLITS ONLY, defy British convention:

Some who wear the niqab, particularly younger women who have taken it up recently, concede that it is a frontal expression of Islamic identity, which they have embraced since Sept. 11, 2001, as a form of rebellion against the policies of the Blair government in Iraq and at home.

“For me it is not just a piece of clothing, it’s an act of faith, it’s solidarity,” said a 24-year-old program scheduler at a broadcasting company in London, who would allow only her last name, Al Shaikh, to be printed, saying she wanted to protect her privacy. “9/11 was a wake-up call for young Muslims,” she said.

How much shall we bend for those who would destroy our country, fellow readers?

Addendum:

This country needs Guantanamo as a site for its egregious torture. I condone, and I EXPECT that my country WILL torture those individuals it deems subject to these strictures. I couldn’t care less about their so-called “rights;” if these interrogations manage to avert another heinous massive casualty event, then my country has my complete and total blessing. If one explosive event is deterred, if two persons are saved from a Homicide Bomber, then it has, again, my blessing. In these times, in these events, the ends do justify the means.

Out with the old and in with the new. My list of Usual Suspects is ch-ch-ch-changing.

Unlike most other blogs, I’ve noticed, I make a public display of who comes and goes.

First to go: Nightcrawler. Sorry dude; no posts = buh-bye. Inactive blogs are a death knell in the Blogosphere.

A sad deletion: Gunny John. Gunny was a Marine who wrote valiantly and from the heart. His blog is completely gone but I must respect his decision. That was a terrible day indeed. . .

First and foremost (and sadly, I’ve been behind the Power Curve here), I am adopting The Ranando Report! Ranando classifies his blog as: “A Online Magazine about the people I’ve met, places I’ve been and things I’ve done since January 28, 1952.” Salient, witty, with a perspective equaling his maturity, Ranando and I are seeing, these days, common threads in American politics.

Second, I’ve added Crazy Politco’s Rantings, who typifies himself as “The crazed rantings of Bob on just about anything. Remember they are my opinions, you can borrow them, share them, reference them, even cross post and index them, but you can never take them away from me.”

Third, in an attempt to enable a true new perspective to Bloviating Zeppelin, I’ve linked to the Yid With Lid, a Jewish blogger who indicates he is “Exploring themes of Political Relativity.” Want to know what true Jews think of events transpiring in Israel and the world? Check out YWL.

And whilst adding blogs I actually read, I’ve added some reference links as well:

Joel C. Rosenberg’s blog; Joel is a former Jew, now a Christian, who has written a host of books I cannot recommend more highly, such as: The Last Jihad, The Last Days, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll and Epicenter.

The Heritage Foundation: instead of funding the RNC, my last major check was written here. THF espouses actual TRUE Conservative values and crosses no political lines to keep themselves on track.

The Politico has become a Big Dog in GOP and Conservative thinking and news access; my link here merely acknowledges their relatively-newfound power.

The Free State of Pig, or the Politically Incorrect Gazette, is a valuable source of national and global news relating to conservatives and typified as “For The Discriminating Individual.”

So there you have it; the newest deletions and additions.

Ab uno disce omnes.