As I occasionally do on Twitter, for the past day or so I have taken potshots at #FakePOTUS, pointing out his lies and attempts at deception.
This seemed to have annoyed some people, because this afternoon Kathleen discovered on Twitter that four different individuals all felt the need to tell me to knock it off. Speaking in almost perfect unison, as GOPers are wont to do, they declared that I should keep my mouth shut about politics and stick to writing comic books.
Kathleen promptly blocked them on Twitter, but I feel that’s something worth addressing.
See, here’s the thing: People don’t really care if I’m writing something other than comics. I wrote “But I Digress” for fifteen years, commenting on all manner of things, and no one told me to stick to comics. I’ve had over a hundred novels published; I don’t recall reviewers or fans declaring I should just write comics. Viewers of “Space Cases,” “Babylon 5” or “Young Justice” never demanded to know why I wasn’t sticking with comics.
Yet amazingly when I voice my political views, suddenly there’s an assertion that my words should be limited to the colorful pages of comics. As a matter of fact, noted singers are told they should stick to singing and actors to acting when they likewise criticize the #FakePOTUS, even though if they happen to publish books, no one asserts they should stick to music or acting.
Upon giving this some thought, I’m forced to the ineluctable conclusion that people don’t really care that I’m branching beyond comics when I criticize #FakePOTUS. Instead they are upset because I’m saying things with which they disagree, and far more people are listening to me than would listen to them considering I have nearly 16,000 followers and they have nine (and actors and musicians have far more.)
So how about this: Instead of stating that you think I should stop embarrassing myself making comments that over three hundred people liked, why don’t you just be honest and declare you either envy my ability to express myself or just hate my guts because I think Trump is an idiot who could launch world War III because he felt pissy that day, and you’re too busy kissing his ášš to admit it or simply too stupid to realize it.
Does it sound as if I’m encouraging hate speech? No. I just find hypocrisy almost as irritating.
PAD
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Hëll ya. You rock, PD.
“… as GOPers are wont to do, they declared that I should keep my mouth shut about politics and stick to writing comic books.”
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Because people who are probably borderline illiterate and wearing #MAGA hats seem to believe that the greatest insult they can levy against someone is connecting their name and “comic books” in the same sentence.
Since his performance last Monday, I’ve decided to start calling him TOTUS (Traitor of the United States); I find it encapsulates exactly what he is.
Raphy
You are the best Peter! Don’t hold back for anyone!!!
For every guy like that there are hundreds who love and support you
The great thing about our country is that whether we like what someone’s viewpoint is or not, they have the freedom to have it. Thanks for giving us great creative content and being vocal about your views.
Honestly I do not care if you ever write another comic book… but if you could crank out anouther dozen or two New Frontier novels, that would be great!!! Oh and a sequel to Howling while I am thinking about it….
PAD,
While I may disagree with some of the things you say, I will fight to the death to keep you saying them! There are always idiots that want to censure and silence others (some even on this site…) but This Is AMERICA! Where every idiot has the right to state his opinion!!!! 🙂
Actually, I don’t do twitter, but I would never ask someone to stop speaking his opinion. I just might question the opinion, but not the right to say it!
You should turn this blog post into a comic!
“People don’t really care if I’m writing something other than comics…”
Considering the SDCC announcement about the future of “Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider”, it seems that people don’t care if you’re writing comics either.
There… You see what happens when you don’t stick to writing comics, Peter? You all had to go and keep killing Glenn, and now some people are still walking around with their vowels intact.
…And now I want to see an issue of Deadpool where he’s annoyed the entire issue by the editors censoring him with de-voweling.
Unfortunately, I was able to read this despite the disemvowling, so maybe he should be dis-consonanted instead?
Dsmvwl ths: **THHRRRPPPP**
Might be a refresh your browser type of deal.
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I’m seeing it minus all his vowels.
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Makes his comments seem way more intelligent than they came across before, I must say.
Peter(and you, probably) are just peeved because I spilled the beans about Scarlet Spider tanking, as if suppressing it will prevent it from happening. So:
Fr0m SDCC: Sc@rlt Sp1der st0ps @t #25
Okay, Jack, this is the one and only direct response you get here because, well, you’re a complete fûçkìņg idiot and now apparently getting more and more delusional.
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You didn’t spill the beans. You’re talking about something that’s been out there.
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Bleeding Cool News-
Scarlet Spider Done at #25 and Relaunch For Peter Parker?
Posted by Rich Johnston July 16, 2018
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Almost ten full days ago.
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It’s also been discussed for months now that a number of Spider-books and Marvel books in general, despite some having critical praise and fan praise, have been selling in low numbers.
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Bleeding Cool News from January-
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/01/16/marvel-not-cancel-lowest-selling-comics/
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But, wow… Only you, Jack Riegel, troll not so extraordinaire or exceptional, could somehow think that news that’s been speculated about for a while now would be some secret that you could claim martyrdom for bringing up.
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Now, as for your SDCC confirming the speculation? SDCC has been over for a bit and there is no official announcement that I’ve seen; certainly not from SDCC’s news feeds. I suspect, given your past tendancies for showing you don’t quite know what you’re looking at, that the SDCC tweet/news bit (whichever) you say you saw was a repost and discussion by someone of the Bleeding Cool article from ten days ago.
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Seeing as how you provide no link and, more importantly, you lie a lot, I’ll wait until there’s something more official than a pissant troll trying to elevate himself by sharing his delusions of martyrdom.
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Bored now. Done with you this thread.
Well, gee, Jerry. I certainly don’t want you to get bored. So:
10 PEOPLE MOST LIKELY TO GET BLAMED BY PETER FOR THE CRAPPY SALES AND TERMINATION OF SCARLET SPIDER:
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1)Will Sliney. Remember, when Peter David writes it, ALWAYS blame the artist.
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2)Scans-Daily folks. Reportedly Peter is still banned there, so by Peter’s logic they’re partly to blame.
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3)Jim Owsley. No, wait…those ignorant fans. No,wait…Alan Kupperberg. No, Wait…Roger Stern. No, wait, Peter’s still stung by that bìŧçhšláppìņg Stern gave him in Back Issue…
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4)The Ex. Hey, it worked for his tax foolishness!
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5)Gary Groth. He’s always good in a pinch.
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6)Joe Quesada. Uppity artist! Honestly, who did he think he was, anyway…
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7)The Romani Slur Revenge Squad. Jerry, maybe you can taunt them with “Gypsies Gypsies Gypsies!” again?
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8)Donald Trump. Why not?
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9)Jack Riegel. Of course, I have no power to cancel anything by Peter or anybody else, but this is still preferable to:
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10)Peter David. Hah! Fooled you! No, he’ll never blame himself for this. Why break the habit of a lifetime?
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Honorable Mention: Raymond from Jersey.
It’s not you, it’s the fact that you’ve gained a bit of fame.
Actors and musicians are also told to stick with what they “know”
Do those idiots realize that fame dosen’t make you a non person. You still have your opinions, and the right to express them no mater what venue you chose to use.
Quite so.
Still, I don’t recall exactly who it was (Alice Cooper comes to mind) who, when journalists asked him about some political item in the news, replied that “I play a guitar for a living. How does this qualify me to be answering that question in an informed manner?” Amusingly, that he operated in reality mode had me more likely to want to listen to him than to the great experts who often are anything but.
Everyone is a full supporter of Freedom of Speech until they hear – or read – something they don’t like.
I’ve also never understood how anyone could consider a concept of ‘you are a celebrity, therefore have not voice your political opinion.’ I mean, even Chachi should be allowed to voice his inanities and he was once, a very very long time ago, a celebrity.
Like a celebrity has an unfair advantage or something…
Funny how none of Trump’s hypocrite supports told him to stick to failed business ventures, producing branded products made in China or starring in fake reality TV shows when he ran for President, despite his lack of any experience in politics, and his complete lack of qualifications for the job.
To be fair, Luigi, I don’t know that any of them noticed his prior failings.
Well said, PAD. I’ll just leave it at that.
This is still the United States of America, not the American Soviet Socialist Republic, or whatever it is Putin and Trump want to turn this nation into. You write what you dámņëd well want, Peter. You pay for the website or your portion of the server expense in whatever arrangement you have with Glenn, Bob, and Kathe, so you own your press akin to Benjamin Franklin and Peter Zenger.
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Similar goes for Facebook, Twitter, etc., as long as you follow the rules set down for members, as I know you do.
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“Congress shall make no law….” No law, none, dámņ it, and neither shall a mob.
Let me offer an alternative option.
PAD, you came to fame and have spent decades supporting yourself and your family by entertaining people. That’s how I found you and became a fan. Enough of a fan to travel about a thousand miles and see you at a con several times.
Now, you’re choosing a higher priority than entertaining people. You’re choosing to express your opinions, and quite vehemently.
That comes with risks. In this case, you’re deliberately choosing to insult about 63,000,000 people who voted for the candidate you didn’t care for. And while the candidate you did prefer did get 66,000,000 votes, that doesn’t really matter. As others in the entertainment business have discovered, it’s a lot easier to lose fans from the former group than to gain fans from the second.
I’d wager that a significant percentage of those who have been telling you to ease off the politics were fans of PAD the entertainer, and want to focus on entertaining them. Yes, I’m sure there are plenty who are more motivated by ugly politics, but they don’t represent everyone and should be, by and large, ignored.
There. Polite, respectful disagreement, and I didn’t even go into particulars about issues or personalities. So I give this about an 87% chance of getting disemvoweled.
And 105% chance of provoking personal insults, based on past experience.
“There. Polite, respectful disagreement, and I didn’t even go into particulars about issues or personalities. So I give this about an 87% chance of getting disemvoweled.
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And 105% chance of provoking personal insults, based on past experience.”
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Only because you decided to show your ášš there at the end, basically daring admin to disemvowel you. Well, that and repeatedly coming back after multiple disemvowelings.
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But you probably won’t be. Still, might make your post better.
Mr. Chandler, I posted my comment knowing that I could not expect editorial favor or even editorial objectivity, but editorial hostility. (I found myself identifying with PAD’s experiences with Richard Arnold when he was writing Star Trek comics.) So I went to great lengths to be polite and respectful.
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That last little bit was intended for two things: 1) to demonstrate that I expected, going in, to be received hostilely, and 2) to, in essence, “dare” those who would want to respond hostilely to not do so in an attempt to “prove me wrong.”
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Thank you for proving me correct on that first point.
Nah. It’s called deliberately setting up a self fulfilling prophecy and you know it.
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No one, not even me, would have likely commented or cared about your post. But I found it hilarious that you chose to end your post as you did. The only question I had was as to whether it was deliberate or because you were just that dumb.
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You answered the question. It was deliberate. The entire post was simply a typical Jay Tea trolling attempt, a desperate but of coming here and screaming “look at me” at everyone without any genuine meaning or sentiment behind the first 3/4 of what you wrote.
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Nice to know some things never change.
Huh. I thought I was setting up a no-lose scenario, where either way I won, but if you wanna call it a self-fulfilling prophesy, I’ll half-agree (as that was one of the two outcomes I saw).
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But back to my point: being a successful entertainer requires, among other things, a major commitment to being entertaining. To forego that and instead to deliberately antagonize large groups of people, which may include numbers of fans, runs the risk of harming the entertainment career.
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Even though I’m in that latter group, I respect the choice being made. But it means that I have chosen to spend my entertainment budget elsewhere. I’d rather not take the chance to spend my money to get lectured and told how horrible a person I am.
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I have a complete set of Supergirl’s run, and have not missed an episode of the current series. I loved the first season. But after seeing the trailer for the upcoming season, I’m seriously considering dumping it. It looks like they’re going full Social Justice Warrior, and I don’t watch TV to get lectured about how terrible I am for believing and thinking what I do.
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There’s a saying going around these days that’s a cynical observation on the phenomenon — “Get woke, go broke.” Vitriolic social correctness doesn’t sell.
Let me guess, the trans hero bothers you? Typical of you.
Pretty much.
I’ve gradually lost interest in almost all of Greg Berlanti’s shows for this reason. I don’t always disagree with the politics presented, I just resent having someone use something I like as a platform to preach at me.
Berlanti is taking his cue from Star Trek, of which he is obviously a fan judging by the fairly obscure references he makes in some of the CW / DC shows. But while Star Trek was always political ( anti-racist, pro-gender equity, etc.), there was usually a sense of balance and nuance to how they dealt with issues. There’s an excellent episode of DS9 that deals with the issue of mass migration (Season 2 “Sanctuary”). While it’s definitely pro-immigrant, the episode gives voice to the conflicts and problems of absorbing thousands of people who lack resources and have their own priorities. The makeup department even used visual cues to play with the audience’s prejudices (the aliens had bad skin that flaked, their hair looked tight, uncomfortable, and suggested foreign cultural values). In short, even if you were against the message of the episode, you at least felt like your view was understood. I get very little of that when Berlanti & Co. have their heroes announce how much they love “punching Nazis” or villains declare that they will “make Daxam great again.” This isn’t intelligent, persuasive, or even interesting.
Twitter and private blogs are a different matter. That is actually the author’s personal platform and they may do with it as thy choose. If PAD wants to share his views on Trump on those, he’s free to do so. I will say that I enjoyed this blog more when it covered a range of topics.
So, when are those same irate Trump supporters going to tell Donny to stick to politics (or whatever it is he tries to do while bumbling around the White House) and stay out of storytelling and fiction?
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Trump says new health plans, not available until September, already doing ‘record business’
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/399048-trump-says-new-health-plans-that-cant-be-sold-until-september-are-doing
Forgive my ignorance, but have other comic book writers had this problem? After Harlan Ellison’s death, I’ve taken to re-reading “Watching”, his anthology of articles, essays and reviews over the years. It really rankles the heck out of me when doofuses (sorry – still in H.E.’s mode) who wouldn’t know the first thing about writing would chide someone like PAD as so. Harlan too? I wouldn’t be surprised. Again, your patience as to any short-sightedness on my part.
It must really tick off the haters that Mr. David is smart, articulate, and vehemently not on their side.
I find his writing entertaining. I have for at least thirty years. I’ve enjoyed the way his mind both works and wanders over all sorts of subjects, the fantastic and the real alike.
If you don’t like Mr. David’s stuff, don’t read it. I can’t stand Bill O’Reilly, don’t like his spoken stuff, won’t read his written stuff (my wife spent a quarter at the Salvation Army on his Lincoln book, thinking I’d read it, and my reaction was ‘there’s twenty-five cents you won’t get back.’) I’m not trying to shut him up. Why? Because every time he opens his mouth or takes to a keyboard, he reinforces his own irrelevance. Nothing decomposes manure like air and light.
Given that the haters apparently seem to feel that way about PAD’s work, they should rejoice that he’s so prolific.
If they can’t see that particular silver lining, probably best they go elsewhere. There’s lots of stuff to read in their bubble.
Trump deserves criticism, and trump supporters deserve ridicule.
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You know, it’s absolutely amazing seeing the extent to which Trump supporters are losing their ability to think in order to fawn over Donald Trump.
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North Korea gets Trump to throw South Korea under the bus and hand to Kim on a silver platter things he wanted and even his father wanted but couldn’t get before now. In return, all he had to offer was the promise that some day he might get around to thinking about maybe cutting back on that nuke program eventually when he feels like considering it and to look for US remains from the war to fulfill a Trump campaign promise Trump pretty much made up on the spot long after the campaign.
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North Korea literally gave up nothing with regards to it’s nuclear programs and is by all reports advancing it even now, and Trump gave them the removal of US joint training exercises with South Korea ASAP and a reduction of noticable presence in the region.
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But Trump supporters flocked to message boards and social media to hail the Glorious Leader for his masterful leadership in providing us a world where we finally no longer have to worry about a nuclear North Korea. Well, you know, unless you live in the reality based community and not Trumplandia and Trump’s Post Factual America.
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Trump gave Kim PR wins and a status fluff that no one with brains would have given him, and all Kim had to do was promise to look for US remains from the war and return them. Which he did far faster than such a task should probably have taken.
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And we’re supposed to trust Kim that with no documentation and no tests on the remains that these are the remains of US soldiers from the war? We’re supposed to trust Kim, a borderline lunatic, because Donald Trump, a pathological liar, says so?
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Uhm… No.
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But, once again, with no backing of evidence from reality, Trump Cultists rush to praise their Glorious Leader for this amazing thing that he’s done.
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No offense, but Trump is turning you into a bunch of fûçkìņg idiots.
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If this was 2014 or 2015 and Obama gave away the things Trump gave away to NK and Kim, you’d be demanding immediate impeachment and endless Benghazi style, Republican led hearings and investigations into every member of the administration who was involved in the “treasonous” dealings.
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And if Kim returned “US remains” as quickly for Obama? Not a single dámņëd one of you gushing over Glorious Leader right now would have believed Kim’s word on the matter until testing had identified every single one of the remains, and you would be ridiculing the “libtards” who took Kim’s word on faith.
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And you would have been right to do so at least with regards to being skeptical about the remains.
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It’s truly amazing watching what the conservative movement under Trump has become. I mean, sure, it has been headed this way for a while now, but the huge leaps and bounds it’s taken and how much farther it’s gone… Largely happily fact free, conspiracy and lie swallowing, willing to embrace and believe the Kims and Putins of the world over and above our allies and their cautions as well as over our intelligence agencies and any level of common sense, elevating a narcissist, self-serving imbecile to a position of almost worship and placed next to God and Jesus by their own words.
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Holy hëllš .. Ted Cruz became a laughing stock a few years back by trying to play at being the master of the pop culture reference and instead being… well… Ted Cruz. Turns out, he was in fact an accidental master of the ACCURATE pop culture reference.
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Ted tried to ridicule Democrats by declaring that Democrats were the party of Lisa Simpson and the Republicans were, happily, the party of Homer and Bart.
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Homer Simpson… Clueless, means well, easily fooled, and willing to embrace the most ridiculous fake “facts” with great gusto, and then, having done so, almost incapable of giving up the notion that the debunked belief, now deeply cherished, is a factual one.
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The Party of Trump is a party that still claims to be the Party of Reagan, but at the same time calls ideas that Reagan espoused “libtard” nonsense and anti-American.
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The Party of Trump is a party where membership excuses you to be hatefully cheerful about John McCain’s health issues because McCain isn’t a “real Republican” and certainly not a “real conservative” despite a lifetime of being more true and faithful to conservative and Republican values than Trump ever has been.
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This is the party where documentation and facts mean nothing, but all caps means it’s the gospel truth beamed directly from the newest member of their Holy Trinity’s Twitter fingers to their brains.
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The Party of Trump is the party of believing our longtime allies are somehow deserving of scorn and insults, but our President bending over backwards to kiss up to a murdering dictator like Putin is just peachy keen wonderful.
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And, yeah, the Party of Trump is Homer Simpson. Too oblivious to facts and reality to not buy all in into a scam, too incapable of seeing how to get out once stuck in the scam- or even the need to -without a great deal of help that he fights against taking. The party that drunkenly stumbles to his car and says, hey, maybe I shouldn’t drive drunk- before declaring that, no, why should he take the advice of a drunk person on driving and doing it anyhow.
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Ted Cruz called it, folks, and we were wrong to laugh at him. The elephant was the symbol of the GOP, but the Homer is the symbol of the Party of Trump (PoT) and they seem to want to prove it with everything they’ve got more and more every day.
We all have the right to express our opinions. No one get to shut down someone else’s free speech with words or violence if they’re offended. This is America and your free to express yourself on your own website.
My only concern is this seems to have become mainly a forum for you to express your political views. I’ve been a fan for over 20 years, and this doesn’t seem to be a place where I can keep up with what projects you’re working on. I want to know what you’re working on so I can buy it. I want to support your talent as an author, and I’d rather not wade through many “Freak Out Friday” posts in order to find what you’re up to.
I’ve made a point in my life to put myself into situations where I’m surrounded by people from diverse backgrounds with diverse points of view. And I’ve had some amazing discussions. Yes I might have respectfully disagreed, but we always respected each other. I used to read your “Freak Out Friday’s” regularly, until it became clear that you have absolutely no respect at all for people who disagree with your POV by how vehemently you express your hatred for and revulsion towards Republicans.
I absolutely love New Frontier, and the series has gotten me through some very hard times in my life. But I got to a point where I decided that no matter how much I want the next book in the series, keeping up with this blog for news didn’t make sense. If an author hates people like me it takes a lot of the excitement out of waiting for a new book in the series. I also am concerned that your personal politics would become too prominent in the book itself.
I was happy to know you had recovered from your health issues, and there was a time where I was just grateful you were ok. That was enough for me and I never dreamed of more NF books. Getting those books was just the icing on the cake.
I’d love to buy more of your books, but it seems this site is more personal and not professional. I came back because I wanted to see if there’s any New Frontier news. Based on what I’m seeing on your website it looks like you’re now more interested in politics than in writing books. You have every right to choose what you want to do.
The fact that I’m a loyal fan who’s unable to keep up with you due to your website’s format should be the only thing that matters. But since it seems to matter to some people in 2018, I’m a Jewish woman from the NYC area and I’m a hippie libertarian Republican. I didn’t vote for Trump, since I find his treatment of women morally repugnant. My ideal version of life would be to live in the 24th century Federation, where individual liberty and self actual inaction are so highly prized.
And yet when I post about my work I typically get little to no response. Y post about Supernatural got one response and that was mostly about my daughter. People keep saying I should post about my work but it typically gets almost no replies when I do.
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PAD
It isn’t necessarily a lack of interest in your post. In my case it’s that I don’t follow SUPERNATURAL and thus have no useful reference point from which to comment.