It’s not that I particularly care one way or the other — I’m a fond admirer of the country’s tradition of separation of church and state, and don’t want to see any particular religion’s fingerprints on the U.S. constitution. Rather, this kind of shadowy campaigning is based on deceit and innuendo, and it irks me no end.

The problem, of course, is something called confirmation bias. Briefly, it’s the tendency for people to credit information that confirms what they already believe, and discredit information that goes against those beliefs. This tendency is exacerbated when the information deals with emotionally charged issues. Say, for example, politics.

It doesn’t help that many people in the United States feel that their place in society is under attack. And you know what? I sympathize. Transitions are hard. Change is hard. But the fact remains that the U.S. is changing. Demographically and economically. So people look for enemies; someone to blame. It is one of humanity’s darkest impulses, and there are those who feed it and feed upon it.

My post about Glen Beck touches on this. But there are others too: Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin, for example.

I don’t like demagogues of any stripe, but to lead people this far astray… I don’t understand it. According to a recent poll, “a full 14 percent of Republicans said that it was “definitely true” that Obama sympathized with the fundamentalists and wanted to impose Islamic law across the globe.” That’s just crazy talk, and has no basis in reality.

So come on, America. Put down the Kool Aid, go outside, and take a deep breath. The fresh air will do you good, and I promise you that the President of the United States is looking out for the country’s best interests. We may disagree about the methods, but let’s stick to reality and engage in real conversation.

Milo is the working title of the novel I’m writing, and it’s been many years since I began this particular journey. A lot’s happened in between (going abroad, traveling, a new job, etc.), and the characters have been extraordinarily patient with me. It’s time I paid them back with my attention.

It’s also time for me to put my feet on the ground in regards to this writing business. Yes, I write everyday, but it’s part of my job and it’s prose. Fiction is different. It uses different muscles, and I admit mine need a workout. Like practicing any skill, the clumsiness frustrates in the beginning. But slowly, over time, a sense develops that maybe I’m getting the hang of it.

I’m still writing the first draft, so much of the language is rocky and unpolished. That’s to be expected. If it’s still in that state after a revision pass or two, then… well… then will be the time to worry. Or not. After all, most first novels never get published.

I have hopes for this one though. I suppose partially it’s because I have to, otherwise what would be the point? But also because I have faith in the characters and their story. I like them.

In a strange way, I count them as friends, and I want to do well for them. Given that, I’ll pour what I need to into making the novel an interesting (and publishable) read. These characters deserve to get out into the world and live.

Milo the Dreamer

It doesn’t mean that there can’t be anything meaningful in what they’re saying. It’s just that you have to take care to understand the subtext and context, the framework and worldview.

In other words, don’t just take the pill blind without reading what’s on the bottle. There might be poison mixed in.

But then again, maybe they’re just full of it, and/or twisting/spinning reality for their own benefit.

And yes, I’m looking at you Glen Back. Couched within your gospel is a hate for the other.

I can’t improve on Bob Herbert’s take on the recent rally:

Beck is a provocateur who likes to play with matches in the tinderbox of racial and ethnic confrontation. He seems oblivious to the real danger of his execrable behavior. He famously described President Obama as a man “who has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture.”

He is an integral part of the vicious effort by the Tea Party and other elements of the right wing to portray Mr. Obama as somehow alien, a strange figure who is separate and apart from — outside of — ordinary American life.

It seems to me that there’s more truth in inclusion, in finding room at the table for everyone’s participation. If you’re feeling threatened by something new and other, Glen, there’s no need for the xenophobia.

We have more in common than what separates us. And our diversity pooled makes us stronger.

The story begins with a villain. He or she is one of the faceless enemies of all that is good and decent on the internet. They and their bot minions scour the ether, trying every door, prying every lock. No site is beneath their notice, not even the Journal.

Fortunately, Media Temple, the mighty hosts of the Journal discover the hidden corruption planted by the villain, meant to mislead the site’s visitors towards danger. The malicious code is expunged.

Now I enter into the story: Not so fair, not so young, hair slowly receding. Upon learning from Media Temple of this intrusion, I decided to take action.

All went well at first. Yes, the bad code was gone, except there was (perhaps) the danger of its continued presence hidden within the site. I took it upon himself to delve further; to pick up the tools meant for the deeper sorceries of codecraft.

Alas, this proved to be a poor decision indeed.

Not fully understanding what was at hand, I slipped and cut to the heart of the site, killing it instantly: “Database Error.” Oh, the dismay at those words! Especially since the last backup was in November of 2009.

Yes, not only did I not properly understand the tools, but I also neglected to back up the site before experimenting.

And yet! Rather than throwing myself into despair and self-recrimination, I chose instead to start fresh. You see, I had been struggling with the Journal of late. The site was originally meant for my friends to document my travels and transitions: living and studying in London, traveling the world, and so on. But the situation changed, a new chapter has been unfolding, and the site’s history and inertia weighed down efforts to include those changes. So! I chose to turn this mistake into an opportunity to rebuild the Journal; to make it faster, stronger, better.

That’s the plan anyway: As one chapter closes, a new chapter begins. The old Journal is gone; most its stories sleeping, hidden away for occasional recollection. The new Journal is born; it’s future an unknown place full of potential.

I wonder how the rest of the story will go? I can’t help being excited.