Political Speeches

Okay, I’m not a very political person. I’m just not.  I have beliefs and theories, but most of that is tempered by the news media and my preferences/prejudices.  I generally am a moderate liberal, and I am a registered Democrat.  And I haven’t been paying that much attention to the election, because the Pennsylvania primary is in April, and usually the Democratic election is pretty much decided by then.

So, now the issue actually is Barack versus Hillary.  Neither one has really appealed to me.  I don’t care for Hillary as she seems to have become a presidential candidate based on the celebrity of her name more than anything else.  No one views her as a real force for change.  She is just simply very electable.  Obama has not really appealed to me.  He seems like a good talker, but I’m unsure what he brings to the table.

And the other two issues, that both of them agree with I have issues with. I may be liberal, but the idea of universal health care seems like something that we, as a nation, should not take on (tho I firmly agree that health care is a complete mess). And although I do not believe that we should have gone to war in the first place (I was against it from the beginning), I don’t think that any timetable for withdraw is effective.  We messed up the kitchen, we should stay and clean it up.

Well, I was just swayed.  Today in Philadelphia, Barack Obama gave one of the best speeches I’ve ever been alive to experience.  It is a speech that invites intelligent discussion on the subject of race in this country. One that accepts every side of the argument.  One that suggests that we as Americans talk about the real issues of this country, rather than talk about the distractions. And one that says that you don’t dismiss someone from your life simply due to a viewpoint that you disagree with.

(Link to the transcript of the speech from Philly.com)

Oh, The Nerd Flags are Flying at Half Mast Today

Well, the news is that Gary Gygax, the original co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons has died at the age of 69.

Now, I am not really a true gamer. I like traditional dice role-playing games. There’s a certain limitlessness to it all. I admire those who can be Dungeon Masters, cause good ones are really amateur storytellers. But there are people with bigger D&D credentials to eulogize Gygax’s passing.

But still, of all of the people in the nerd world that I would want to meet. He was certainly on the list. Just to shake his hand, and thank him.

I still remember the joy of being 11 and 12 years old, and drooling over the D&D Modules in the local book store. There was a certain look and feel, that was classic.

And he launched an entire industry. Now maybe hit points and armor class and points for attributes was used elsewhere, but it was D&D where it became commonplace. Plus, not to mention walking the thin line of copyright infringement. (Still unclear whether the term Orc belongs to Tolkien).

Anyway, I would have love to shake his hand, and say thanks. Very impressive, sir.

**Raises a glass**