THE REAL STORY-SIXTEEN

I finally figured out why Republicans are so against any kind of gun control. I know now why they do not want to upset The Nut Case Rebellious Anarchists. I understand why they do not want to get out of bed with The Nut Case Rebellious Anarchists. It is actually quite obvious, and as simple and profound a motivation as any Human Being ever has. The simple fact is, if Republicans were not getting it from The Nut Case Rebellious Anarchists, they would not be getting it at all. As I said, a simple explanation, but one of the most profound human relationships in existence.

SEVEN VERSUS THOUSANDS

If this was truly a "Christian" Country, there would be less emphasis placed on the six or seven verses that Conservative so-called Christians misinterpret to be saying, as Fred Phelps put it "God Hates Gays" and more emphasis placed on the thousands of places it talks about taking care of "widows and orphans", which, in today's terminology we would call the powerless, since in that society if you were not connected to an adult male you were considered nothing.

THE UNHEALTHY SHALL BE TREATED

In his acceptance speech for The Republican nomination for LT. Governor tonight, Dan Patrick said that he was going to "get Obamacare out of TExas". As someone who for twelve years had my very humanity denied because when I was an eight year old child I sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury as the result of making the mistake of running out into the street in front of a car, words do not exist in any language to express how angry that made and still makes me. THere was a time when if Republicans could have been reasonable about Health Care, I could have been reasonable about Health Care. That ship sailed when the crowd cheered at the prospect of those of us with preexisting conditions just being allowed to die at one of the 2012 Primary Debates, but until now it could have returned to harbor. NOW, however, it has gone so far out to sea that there is no way it will ever be able to find any shore. Justice in Health Care will be undone over my DEAD body. I have had it. I am not going back to being treated like a subhuman piece of pond sludge because I made a mistake when I was an eight year old CHILD,nor should anyone else have to go back to being treated like that because of illnesses or injuries or even things that they were born with that none of us can help in the here and now. Anyone who reads this who agrees with me should take some action, and anyone who reads it who disagrees with me SHALL change their minds or stop calling themselves my family or my friend, IMMEDIATELY. Anyone on the so-called "right" who has not told me by Sunday, June 1st, 2014, that they have come around to being a total supporter of Justice In Health Care I no longer know and will not have any further contact than I can possibly help with. As I said, there was a time when if they could have been rea-son-able, I could have been rea-son-able, but that ship is now sailed totally out of sight and shall never see land again. So, everyone now has a one word ultimatum which they must do, now, CHOOSE. Because "THe Unhealthy Shall Be Treated, Away From Insurance We Shall Not Be Turned".

DID I MISS THAT COMMANDMENT

Tonight, in his victory speech at having won the Republican Nomination for LT. Governor, DAn Patrick all but equated preserving gun rights with being true to GOD. As if The Second Amendment to The United States Constitution is The Second Commandment. Did I miss something? I thought The Second Commandment in Exodus was not to make graven images and Worship them instead of The One True God, and in The Gospels to love our neighbors as ourselves, and there is nothing in The Parable of The Good Semarton about guns or weapons of any kind. So why do Republicans act like "The Right To Bear Arms" comes directly from GOD? Because I do not see anything in THe Bible that supports that theory,although if anyone can show me such a palace, I will be willing to check it out.

A SIMPLE QUESTION THIRTY-FOUR

Why is it that Conservatives want government completely out of people's lives when it comes to feeding, clothing, sheltering or giving medical care to the poor but want government all over people's lives when it comes to what those of us born with different biology do in the privacy of our own bedrooms?

BANISH THE SHADOWS OF SHAME SIXTEEN

For far too long, The Religious so-called "Right" has forced those us are Homosexuals, Bisexuals or Transgendered People to live in The Shadows, to live in Shame. Shame for who we are and the shadows so that the rest of the world, the "decent people" as they would say, do not have to look at or see us. They also say that we should keep silent so that "decent people" do not have to even hear us, much less listen. I say "NO MORE". I say let us shout so loud that we CAN NOT be drowned out "We are Human Beings/People TOO". I say that it is time to stop being ashamed of who we are and were made to be, or let others put shame upon us. It is time to step out of the shadows and be counted as we are in the light of day, not to continue to hide ourselves in the dark of night. In short, it is time to show those on the so-called "Right" that they in fact could not possibly be more wrong, and to forever from our sight, BANISH THE SHADOWS OF SHAME.

THE CHANGE IS COMING FIFTY-TWO

This week another State's ban on Gay marriage was struck down by a judge. The State in question has vowed to appeal, and who knows how all of that will turn out. But, the change is coming. Sooner or later, enough people are going to realize that those of us born with different biology can not help who we are, that being who we were made to be can not therefore in and of itself be a sin, and so that we should not be punished for being who we were born to be. Once this happens, those that oppose our Right to be treated with dignity, respect and equality in all things, including marriage, will dwindle in number until their shouts are burt whispers drowned out by the shout of freedom from all of those of us who are gay, or any of the rest, and our true family and true friends. Then we shall all sing "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last" and the voices of hate are forever silenced. That day is about to dawn, THE CHANGE IS COMING.

EXPANDING MEDICAID WILL END THE DROUGHT SIXTEEN

Throughout THE BIBLE, GOD is ALWAYS a friend to the powerless. Those that say the drought is a punishment for this country's tolerance for those of us with different biology are wrong and have clearly only ever read seven disparate verses of Scripture. If we want GOD to be a friend to us, we should follow the advice of the MAJORITY of GOD'S Word and be a friend to the powerless. In MATTHEW, CHAPTER 25, verses 31 through 46, Jesus spells it out even more specifically. Among other things, those who care for "the least of those among" us when they are sick care for Jesus when He is sick. Those will be judged among the righteous sheep and admitted to The Kingdom, those that do not care for "the least of these" when they are sick fail to do so for Him when He is sick and will be sent to The Fire. This passage is of course talking about the Last Judgement, but it could also be referring to matters in the meantime. If Rick Perry and or The Texas Legislature continue to resist expanding Medicaid, this passage leaves no doubt about their Eternity. But, if they did expand Medicaid, not only would they improve their Eternity, but the current drought would end in a heart beat. So, rather than pray for rain itself, I will pray for their hearts to opened to "the least of these" and then the rest will follow without a doubt. Be a friend to the powerless, and we are friends to He that calls the rain, and then He will be our friend. Otherwise, the current weather trend will continue indefinitely.

THE AWAKENING SEVENTEEN

At least some people seem to at last be waking up to the truth about The Gun Lobby, namely, that it is a pack of absolute and total lunatics. It's only taken fifteen years or more, and I've lost track of how many mass shootings at the hands of everyone from High School Students to Army Officers and everyone in between, including more than one person killing Elementary School Children, to reach this point. Of course, even now, the lunatics will fight hard to ensure that Private Gun Dealers at Gun Shows can continue to sell guns to people with criminal histories that reach to Pluto and Mental Health Histories that reach to the next galaxy, but it is beginning to look like things may have FINALLY gone far enough that their voices may finally be drowned out by the voices of reason and sanity. Not that they or their allies in Congress and elsewhere will give up their love of power over the good of people without a fight, but now at least, at last, there is beginning to be an army of people that have had enough of gun violence to take them on. I hope there is, and I hope we do win. It may take a long time to win this war, but, now at least, at last, THE AWAKENING has begun.

ADOOLF PALIN/SARAH HITLER

I have heard that those tat cheered at the Republican 2012 Presidential Primary Debate when after the moderator asked if those with Preexisting Conditions should just be allowed to die and one of the candidates said "yes" did not speak for all or even most Republicans. Funny, I've never heard anyone say that on live National TV. or Radio, nor have any of The Republicans I know ever said it to me, even though at least some of them are aware tat I have a Preexisting Condition. If anyone on the so-called "Right" had EVER given any amount of compromise on Justice In Health Care, as I correctly call it, I might have been wiling to give something too, but it is FAR too late for that now. I have been told that the majority of Republicans might be wiling to compromise on this but remain silent because they are afraid of The so-called Tea Party wing of the party. There was another movement, a few decades back, that the majority of the people would not necessarily have supported but remained silent about out of fear, which enabled this group to come to power and then nearly destroy the world. This party was, of course, Adolf Hitler and The Nazi Party. Now, am comparing Sarah Palin and The Tea Party to Adolf Hitler and The Nazi Party? Yes, I am. Both parties were run by fanatics who were and are absolutely convinced that their view of the world and how the world should be was and is ABSOLUTELY the right and only way that can possibly be right, and that any who disagreed/disagrees with them were totally wrong and that any kind of compromise was and is a mortal sin. Both believed/believe that certain people should just be dead, in the 1930s it was Jews, Homosexuals and People with Disabilities, in the present swap Jews for those of us with Preexisting Conditions and the rest of the list stays the same. In both cases, a shouting radical minority overpowered the silent, I've been told, reasonable majority and nearly destroyed/is seeking to destroy every ounce of Decency and being treated with Basic Human Decency and Dignity. So, it is really not unreasonable to compare Sarah Palin to Adolf Hitler and The Tea Party to The Nazi Party, and if there are indeed a majority of Republicans for whom these people do not speak, let them stand up, be heard, shout down the minority and return to decency and Basic Human Decency and Dignity to this society. Otherwise, well, we all know how World War II ended for Germany.

BRAINS OF MUSH AND HEARTS OF STONE

How many bullets from a Nut Case in one sane person's brain worth? That is a question worth asking any member of The Nut Case Rebellious Anarchists, since they funnel millions of dollars to The Republican Party, particularly whenever there is a mass shooting, to ensure that common sense and reasonable restrictions on fire arms purchasing and ownership do not became law or preferably even come out of committee. Of course, it makes sense that Nut Cases wouldn't want to have anything to do with common sense or anything sane, since Nut Cases are, after all, by definition, INSANE. But the question still arises, since the bottom line is how much The Nut Case Rebellious Anarchists give The Republican Party to ensure that nothing happens with guns after mass shootings, how many bullets from a Nut Case is one Sane Person's Brain worth? Evidently, to Republicans, at least, the answer is one, if that, since no matter how many innocent people, mostly sane although I'll give them that there are some that are insane, have their lives lost to people that would never have been able to get their hands on a gun at a gun store obtain guns from private dealers at gun shows and then go on shooting rampages, the idea of closing the so-called gun show loophole, although hole big enough to steer a barge through might be more accurate, is still met with an absolute stone wall of resistance from every single Republican. Of course, stone is an apt term for people who CAN NOT hear mothers crying for their children who died in senseless gun violence. Stone, because they have shut their eyes, ears, hearts and minds to reason. Stone, because even if their hearts could hear said mothers, they would not care. Yes, I am saying that every supporter of The Nut CAse Rebellious Anarchists, and all of its actual members, not only have completely insane brains, but also hearts of stone, and I challenge and defy any reader of this to prove one comma of this in any sense wrong.

THE LIGHTNING FLASHES

Yes, when I was an eight year old CHILD, I made the mistake of running out into the street in front of a car. But every child makes mistakes, albeit not all that serious. Yes, as a result of this mistake, I sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury (what at the time was just called a head injury). But does that mean that I should be punished for life for a mistake I made when I was an eight year old CHILD? Golden Rule Health Insurance certainly thought so when they cancelled my first independent Health Insurance Policy when they found out about this and said that had they known about this they would not have issued the policy because of my "Preexisting Condition". Every other Private Health Insurance Company that I then applied to shared this opinion for the same reason, since after Golden Rule I realized that "what serious health issues have you had within the past five years?" really meant "what serious health issues have you had in your entire life?" and so I gave that, including the tonselectomy at three and rosiola when I was two in addition to the car accident and TBI at eight. So, from the time I as Twenty-Six until this January (I turned Thirty-Eight last November, you do the math) I had The Texas Risk Pool as my only option, which is certainly better than what people like me (if there are any, sometimes I wonder, for few if any of then ever say much) in States with not even that had. While The Risk Pool was required by Texas Law to always be twice the rate of comparable, private coverage (I guess the idea was to make it so onerous that people would quickly find alternatives, but for some of us there were no alternatives) what really bothered me was not the money, money for its own sake means nothing to me, although I do like food, clothing, shelter and entertainment. What really bothered me, though, was that it seemed to me that I was regarded as some kind of subhuman pond scum because of a mistake that I made when I was an eight year old CHILD. On January First of this year, 2014, of course, The PATIENT PROTECTION and Affordable Care Act came fully into effect and that kind of discrimination became illegal. I now have private Health Insurance through The Market Place Exchange, and since it was no longer needed, THe Risk Pool ceased to exist at the end of March. But, still, even four years after the law was passed and some of its full benefits are starting to come into effect, all any Republican can talk about is how horrible it is and how it must be undone as much and as soon as possible. At one of the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary Debates, when the subject was Health Care, the moderator even asked if those (of us) with Preexisting Conditions should just be allowed to die, one of the Candidates said "yes", and the crowd cheered, and no Republican I know has ever said to me those that did that did not speak for them, even though I have told my grandma and and my aunt more than once each that I have a "preexisting condition", which only leaves me to assume that that crowd did speak for them. Well, I, for one, WON'T HAVE IT. Either every Republican I know stops being a Republican and meets the rest of a week ago Monday's Demands, or I will NEVER speak to any of them again. But that is not all, from now on, Republicans will have no peace from me, those that I associate with and those in the State and National capitals. THE LIGHTNING FLASHES, and it will set fires wherever it strikes. There will be no peace, for the storm is almost upon those that would cheer at the deaths of people like me. THE LIGHTNING FLASHES, and where it strikes, the ground will be scorched beyond redemption. THE LIGHTNING FLASHES, and everyone on whom it flashes' eyes will go dark forever, but their hearts will be exposed to then and others as being dark and devoid of even Humanity Itself. THE LIGHTNING FLASHES, and its strikes will burn all who would cheer at death to less than ashes. THE LIGHTNING FLASHES, AND NATURE TAKES NO PRISONERS WHERE IT STRIKES. THE LIGHTNING FLASHES, AND THOSE THAT OPPOSE PROTECTING PATIENTS FROM GREEDY BUSINESS MEN WHO CARE NOTHING FOR HUMAN LIFE ABND OMNLY FOR MAKING MONEY WILLL EITHER CHANGE OR BE DESTROYED THE LIGHTNING FLASHES, AND THE LIGHT WILL EXPOSE THE DARKNESS IN THE HEARTS OF INSURANCE EXECUTIVES WHO SUPPORTED REFORM WITH THEIR MOUTHS BUT FOUGHT IT WITH THEIR POCKET BOOKS (HM,.WHERE HAVE WE HEARD ABOUT PEOPLE WHOSE LIPS SAY ONE THING BUT WHOSE ACTIONS SAY ANOTHER BEFORE?). THE LIGHTNING FLASHES, AND THE LIGHT FROM ITS BURSTS WILL BRING AN END TO THE DECEPTION OF ANY WHO OPPOSE PUTTING PATIENTS FIRST BUT WHO CALLL THEMSELVES "PRO LIFE". THE LIGHTNING FLASHES AND THE FIRES WILL RAGE, AND ALL IN THEIR WAY WILL RUN FOR THEIR LIVES OR LOSE THEM, AND EVEN THOSE THAT RUN WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ESCAPE UNLESS THEY SEE THE LIGHT ABOUT JUSTICE IN HEALTH CARE REFORM AND CHANGE THEIR ACTIONS, THINKING AND WAYS. THE LIGHTNING FLASHES, AND ALL OPPOSITION TO JUSTICE IN HEALTH CARE WILL BE STRUCK AND KILLED BY IT. INDEED, THE LIGHTNING FLASHES!

WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT OF WHAT JESUS SAID

While we're on the subject of what Jesus said, there is one place in one of The Four Gospels in which Jesus does give a detailed description of the last judgement, namely in The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Chapter 25, verses 31-46, commonly known as The Sheep and The Goats. In these verses, there is one thing and only one thing that Jesus says will count in that Judgement, and that is how we treat "The Least of Those among" us. Among other things, this includes did we care for "the least of these" (verse 45) when they were sick or not and in so doing care for Him when He was sick or not. Those that did will be judged among The Righteous and given Eternal Life in The Kingdom, those that did not will be judged among the wicked and sent to eternal punishment in the Eternal Fire. So, who should we care for if we are to care for "The Least of These"? Obviously, The Poor and those who can not afford to buy their own Health Insurance or pay for medical treatment out of pocket. In other words, at least among others, those on Medicaid would be counted in this number, as would those who could be on Medicaid if every State in The Union, including Texas, adopted The Medicaid Expansion possible under The PATIENT PROTECTION and Affordable Care Act, aka At Least President Barack Obama DOES care, aka Justice In Health Care (Justice in Its True, BIBLICAL sense). Therefore, although THe Supreme Court has said this expansion is legally optional, Matthew 25, verses 41 through 45, make it abundantly clear that it IS NOT morally optional. Rick Perry and others talk a good game about this being a Christian Country and all that, but as noted yesterday the one thing GOD does say in The Bible that GOD hates is those that praise GOD with their lips while refusing to care for those of GOD'S children that are in need. Throughout The Bible, GOD is ALWAYS a friend to the powerless, as the passage that I sighted above clearly demonstrates and proves beyond any trace or even shadow of a doubt. So, if we are Truly a Christian Nation, no-one would let their totally unjustified and unreasonable hatred for one President get in the way of making sure that all of "The Least of These" get cared for when they are sick. Otherwise, we are those who Worship GOD with our lips but not in our hearts, and read Jeremiah to find out the consequences of that.

MY GOD IS THE GOD OF LOVE, NOT HATE

When recently the first openly Gay College Football Player was drafted into The NFL, one NFL Player tweeted, OMG (Oh My God) and several others came out with similar statements. I am both a Christian and a gay man, and in my eyes that is not a conflict, because as a Christian, I Worship a God who cared so much for His Creation that He sent His Only Son to die for the Redemption of The World, to borrow an idea although not an exact quote from The Gospel according to John. Jesus came to tear down the barriers, not reinforce the old ones or build new ones. Barriers are built by humans, not by God, and we should learn from Jesus that God's arms are big enough to enfold all in His embrace. While we're on the subject of Jesus, I will repeat what I know that I have said before, that nowhere in any of The Four Gospels does Jesus Himself ever say a word about what we today call people's sexual orientation either way. What Jesus did talk a lot about was how we should all love each other and if there is any judging to be done, leave that judging to God. So if this particular football player worships the same God I do, which I assume he does, perhaps he should remember that God is Love, not Hate, and that the only thing God ever says He hates is those that Worship God with their lips but whose hearts remain hard to the suffering world around them. I would also point out that there is a Force of Hate in this world, but that it is not one of Heaven. So, perhaps it is time that we headed Jesus Christ's New Commandment to Love each other, just as He has Loved us, again borrowing an idea but not directly quoting from one or more of The Gospels, and leave the rest to God.

IN BED WITH A COLT FORTY-FIVE SEVEN

"OH, DO ME GUN LOBBY". "I'M DIING YOU REPUBLICAN PARTY." "DO ME HARDER." "I'M DING YOU AS HARD AS I CAN." "OH, YES. FIRE 'UM AS HARD AND AS RAPIDLY AS YOU CAN." "ALL RIGHT. JUST KEEP MAKING SURE NO LIBERAL BLEEDING HEART GETS IN OUR WAY." Some may think this bit of dialogue is a bit extreme, and perhaps it is. BUT, it does illustrate the point of how in bed with the gun lobby The Republican Party is. There is a mass shooting somewhere in this country almost every week it seems. Something that I heard from the news paper this evening basically said that more people die of gun violence in the United States every year than in the entire rest of the world combined, except obviously where there are active military conflicts, the precise numbers and countries escape me at the moment, but that is basically what it amounted to. Yet, every time there is a mass shooting, The Nut Case Rebellious Anarchists (very clever to drop the C so people would believe it stands for National Rifle Association, but I at least am clever enough to see through this smoke screen) make such a ruckus against the prospect of any kind of reasonable restrictions on gun purchases, such as Universal Back Ground Checks, that nothing gets done. If the entire Republican Party were not practically literally IN BED with the Gun Lobby, this would not be the case. No one is really talking about taking guns away from people who have no history of criminal activity or mental illness and use them in a lawful manner. We are just saying that we should be sure all sales at gun shows should have back ground checks, even those from private dealers, and if you can afford to set up a booth in a convention center, yo can afford a back ground check machine. What people choose to do in their own homes, short of shooting others or aiming a gun at others except in self defense, is of course their own business. But anyone who says that all dealers at an Official Gun Show, even private dealers, should not be required by law to do a background check for all purchases is by definition a lunatic and should be locked up and the key destroyed. That is how I know that it is really NCRA, and everyone agrees nut cases should be locked up.

THE THUNDER ROLLS THIRTY-FOUR

I am Gay, and I am not ashamed or afraid to say it. Nor should I be. All of the Biblical Admonitions that the forces of hate misinterpret to to be saying, as the late Fred Phelps put it "God Hates Gays", are all only talking about actual sexual acts, and since I am abstinent, I am no different than an abstinent Het., and of course if a Gay Couple is married by a minister whose eyes are open to The Truth that GOD is Love, not hate, then they are married in the eyes of GOD, whether the laws of man recognizes it or not, and so then having sexual relations is not a sin either. No one should be ashamed of who we were made to be, for who we are is not a choice, and if it is not a choice, then we are all who we were made to be. Since that is the case, those who say just being Gay is in and of itself evil are either saying that GOD crated something Evil, or are attributing Creative Powers to The Destroyer, aka Satan, either of which is, to say the least, Theologically Problematic. Let the rumbles of change begin at last. For being who were made to be is not something that The Creator will Blast. THE THUNDER OF OUR CHARGE COMES ROLLING DOWN THE HILLS OF LOVE, FOR LOVE IS ONLY FROM ABOVE. We shall no longer in the closets stay, so let all of us stand and speak with one voice "WE ARE NOT ABOMINATIONS JUST FOR BEING GAY". The time to hide ourselves in shame is past, and the time has come to our closet doors into oblivion blast. Now I will be who was made to be, and I call upon all servants of The GOD of love, Gay, Het. and Bi, to stand and make their voices heard with me. THe Time has come for us to at last be heard, and to tell The Gay Haters that their beliefs and theology are completely absurd. It is time we forever put to bed, the wrong ideas that are in the hater's head. We must show all of them where in their theology and thinking are the countless holes, as we all run down from the destruction of the mountains of Hate and THE THUNDER ROLLS.

I LOVE OBAMACARE THIRTY-SEVEN AND A HALF

When I was an eight year old CHILD, I made the mistake of running out into the street in front of a car. If anyone who knows me or has any connection at all to me knows of a child who has never made a mistake, let me by midnight on Sunday, May Eleventh, 2014. Unfortunately, this mistake was more costly than some, since in this accident I suffered what we then called a head injury but today call the more formal and Medical sounding Term a Traumatic Brain Injury. Regardless of the name, it basically meant that when I came out of the coma I had to start from square one with a blank slate. Fortunately, I was a fast learner and so did graduate from High School at age eighteen in June of 1994, having received my Eagle Scout Award a few months earlier. I also completed college in four years, graduating in May of 1998. Since then I have been working on fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming a professional writer. I share all of this so that all may know that I am a hard worker, have earned everything I've gotten since I was old enough to do so, and have never asked or expected The Government to GIVE me anything, certainly not for free But, because of my Traumatic Brain Injury, since I became too old to receive Health Insurance through my dad, I have been unable to retain private Health Insurance because of my what the Health Insurance INDUSTRY called "Preexisting Condition." Until, of course, January of this year, when Obamacare (otherwise known as the PATIENT PROTECTION and Affordable Care Act) kicked fully in and such discrimination became illegal. Since I signed up for Insurance through the Exchange, I have been paying half as much a month for coverage as I was under The Risk Pool, which was required by Texas Law to always be twice the rate of comparable, private coverage (which was still better than people in States who had absolutely NOTHING, of which there were many), which is nice, but to me personally the more significant fact is that I feel like I am being treated like a Human Being again, rather than the subhuman piece of pond sludge that I felt I was regarded as under the old, money over people system. But, of course, all an Republican can do is rant about what is wrong with the new system, how "wonderful" the old system was, and how we ought to repeal this law, go back to the old system, study it for another twenty years, and then maybe do something much smaller. WEL, I WILL NOT HAVE IT! Therefore, every Republican in my life will, by the above mentioned deadline, either show me such a child, or in front of m e, burn their Republican Voter Registration Card in a pyre and renounce everything in that Party and The Conservative Philosophy in a way that I can be certain they mean it and can never go back on it, or they will be Out of My Life, FOREVER. NO PRISONERS.

BOYS WITH BIG NOSES

BY MATTHEW LUCAS BECKETT “Why are you always looking at me, John?” asked my best friend Daniel as we walked home from school one day. I hesitated. The truth was, I looked at him so much because I had a major crush on him and he was one of the best looking guys that I had ever known, the only guy that I'd ever had a crush on that I had also managed to make friends with. The trouble was, he was not only strictly Heterosexual but extremely homophobic, and since he was my best friend I valued our friendship above my attraction, at least by now. Truth be told, when I first met him, I invited home over to my house at least partly because I thought he was kind of cute, and by now he was more than kind of cute, he was drop dead gorgeous. Not as gorgeous as Samantha, but since I hadn't seen her since my Freshman Year of High School and even then we'd only had two dates, while Daniel was with me in the here and now, Samantha was becoming a distant memory. How Samantha and I had ended also factored into my fading memory of her, since she had dumped me when she caught me looking at her brother Travis in the same way I looked at her. But I couldn't help it with Travis then any more than I could help it with Daniel now, although Daniel was by now to me hotter and cuter than Travis had ever been. But, of course, for reasons that I have already given, I couldn't share any of this with Daniel. “Well?“, he finally says, when some time has elapsed since his question and I have said nothing, not knowing what ti say. “Just wishing I had muscles like you,” I finally settle on. He flexes his huge biceps, causing me to have to fight hard to keep from ejaculating in my undershorts. Don't smile, I think desperately. That will finish me. Fortunately, he does not. “Yes,” he said. “They are quite impressive, aren't they?” I nod, relieved that at least for the moment it ends there. Since he is very proud of how muscular he is, I thought and hoped it would. When we part and I enter my house, I head straight for the bathroom, a not uncommon occurrence after being around him. But answers like what I gave Daniel this afternoon aren't going to suffice forever. The trouble is, or at least part of the trouble is, I'm not entirely sure myself what I am or what I'm supposed to be. I''m pretty sure that at the moment I'm a Bisexual, which would be fine, Daniel's Homophobia aside, except that there was a boy named Thomas in one of my classes the year after Samantha dumped me when she caught me looking at Travis, who was unquestionably hotter than her, or any other girl whom I've seen since, and so I feel like I'm partly on a strictly gay trajectory, but something is still holding me back from completing that journey, and while Daniel is hot and exceedingly handsome, he is not as hot as Samantha, although admittedly pretty dam close, (and I am not even certain that he is not at least as hot if not slightly hotter than she ever was but I am also not certain that he is) and she was and is beyond drop dead gorgeous, while although Daniel is exceedingly handsome, he is most definitely not. So I am stuck in this kind of Hormonal Limbo, with no clear way out. *** “You seem distracted, Johnny,” my mom observes at dinner as my mind goes over all of this. Again, I hesitate, for I have not dared to share any of this even with my own family, not sure how they will react. My parents and broth Micheal might still accept me, although they might not, but in any case I am fairly certain that my extremely Conservative extended family would not. “Just thinking about Sam,” I finally say. I have never shared why we broke up, and when we were a couple I always called her Sam, although since then she has always insisted that I call her Samantha, since we are at the same school and run in the same circles and so still see a lot of each other, even though we are no longer a couple. I also can't help continuing to look at her, because while she is not nearly as HOT as Thomas was, she is almost infinitely more gorgeous than any guy I've yet seen. Suddenly, I freeze, the answer becoming clear to me and striking like a lightning bolt. Thomas put one of my feet on the hotness part of the path towards becoming strictly Gay, but to put the other foot on it, I need a Guy Crush who is more gorgeous than Samantha is or ever was. The trouble is, Daniel is the most attractive in that way guy that I know or have ever known, and as I already said, he is far from gorgeous, although admittedly during the nearly four years we have been friends, he has gone from kind of cute (at least part of the reason that I initially made the effort to get together) to exceedingly handsome, but even if there was still some cute there and so he was gorgeous, he could not hold even a single flicker of a candle to Samantha. Over the following weeks, I dwell on this problem a great deal in my private thoughts, and even as Daniel continues to get better and better looking, things grow more and more awkward between us. I think he senses that I am hiding something from him, though I pray to God every day that he does not guess what, but we have always shared everything and not had any secrets from each other, which makes this exceedingly awkward. While all of this is going on, of course, there are other girls and other boys that I have crushes on, but none of either gender hold a flicker to Thomas hotness wise or Samantha gorgeousness wise. *** At High School Graduation, Daniel looks so HOT in his cap and gown that I am very glad that I had masturbated with Thomas that afternoon, I need to masturbate every so often anyway or my body takes care of it in my sleep, and fortunately this is when that time fell, and fortunately it was Thomas's turn, not Daniel's, because only Thomas could have tamed my hormones against how HOT Daniel is tonight. As he walks across the stage right before me, I catch a glimpse of his face and do a double-take, which everyone else is fortunately too otherwise occupied to notice. The cuteness that initially turned me on to him is back, but infinitely stronger than it was when it left, while the handsomeness is still there in full swing, in fact a little stronger than yesterday, when we last got together. But even as I see his now gorgeous face, I notice Samantha in the seat two seats away from mine, and there is no doubt that she is still infinitely MORE gorgeous, even with Daniel now being gorgeous too. I am so occupied with all of these thoughts that I miss my own name the first time they call it and so they have to all it a second time, and sound extremely cross about it, although many of my classmates find it far to amusing for my liking. Once I have received my diploma, I join Daniel and many others in what is facetiously known as the holding cell, where graduates always wait until everyone has walked across the stage, and then get the real diplomas, which are kept under lock and key during the ceremony where we get the covers. I have a friend that graduated a year ahead of Daniel and I, so I know about these things. I have never told him about my inclinations either, for while Daniel is a personal Homophobe, this person belongs to a fire and brimstone point Homophobic Church. When the ceremony is over, we have received our real diplomas and put them in the covers and then met our families, we all go to the whole school reception and eat a lot more than we should and Samantha and I dance once, at her suggestion, which startles me, and I would not have even dared to ask her after how we ended. During the dance, she whispers to me at one point “This stays between us, but I think Travis is Gay too.” I mouth the word Bi, and she nods, and we continue to dance. After the first dance, her current boy-friend Frank cuts in, whom I had assumed she would dance with from the beginning, and Daniel and Travis and Thomas and I dance with a number of girls, many of whom I only know by face and do not remember come the next morning. The next morning, of course, is a bit hazy, but that evening Daniel's family, Samantha's family and my family, all friends by more than just the three of us, go out to dinner to celebrate. Daniel's girl-friend Susan and her family also join us, and he and she keep their eyes on each other all night, so only Samantha seems to notice that I can't keep my eyes off of him, except when I'm staring at her, for while Daniel has now joined Thomas in being hotter than her, although still not nearly as hot as Thomas, her enormous nose alone, which completely dwarfs his, still makes her infinitely more gorgeous than him, not to mention that her face is also a great deal shinier, although both are completely clear, and f course Daniel is now gorgeous, just not nearly AS gorgeous. That summer I see a lot of Daniel and also more of Samantha than I have since we broke up. “I don' think we can ever be romantic again, John,” she tells me when I remark on this. “but I remember what good friends we were before we started dating, and I've decided that I want that back.” I of curse have no objections. For one thing, I liked having her as a friend too, and after Travis officially comes out as Gay and she completely accepts him as he is, unlike most of the rest of their family, I feel comfortable after a time telling her about some of my inclinations, although of course I do not tell her that her gorgeousness is what seems to be keeping me in Hormonal Limbo, and she continues ton be as gorgeous as ever, maybe even a bit more as her nose gets even bigger. “It is nice to finally have someone that I can speak these things aloud with,” I tell her on one such occasion. “I was about to burst keeping it all to myself and inside.” “Well, after the way the rest of my family reacted to Travis coming out,” she says. “And the fact that I alone accepted him as he is, I couldn't very well not accept you as you are.” She holds up a hand as I open my mouth. “I know you're a Bisexual, not strictly a Homosexual, but I still would feel like a hypocrite accepting him and not you. Besides, I missed you as a friend, as I said before.” “And I you, as I too said before,” I reply. “But you say Thomas was hotter than any girl or even other guy you ever knew?” “Well yes,” I say awkwardly. “To put it quite frankly, he's hotter than you, and you are by far the hottest girl I ever knew.” She does not even blush at this, which makes me both sad and relieved. “But now Daniel is too?” there is no trace of bitterness, anger or resentment in her voice, just the acceptance of a best friend, for she has over the year since graduation become as good a friend as Daniel. I nod. “I'm sorry to have to say. . .” I start. But she waves a hand to silence me. “We are who we are. Truth be told, I haven't been turned on by a boy in two years, even by Frank, while there are a few women that have given me a twinge, for lack of a better word.” I am stunned, but I think manage to hide it. Suddenly, she asks the question that I have been dreading ever since our friendship resumed. “So, with what you've said about Thomas, and now Daniel too, it seems like you are on a certain trajectory, so what's holding you back from completing the journey to being strictly gay, since I know you still look at women too.” I hesitate, uncertain what to say. “John,” she says. “We've been friends since we were both in diapers, minus that little blip in High School. There's nothing you can say that will phase me or change our now renewed friendship. Do not worry about upsetting me, all I want is for us both to be happy. I've completed my transition, not that being Bisexual is always a transition, sometimes that's the end game, but it seems like it is as much a transition for you as it was for me, so what is keeping you from completing it. I'm much happier having completed the journey, and I know you will be too, so tell me what's keeping you from doing so. 'll know if you're using stealth, because while Daniel may not know you well enough to sense that, I do. So what is holding you back from completely becoming who and what we both know you are meant to be.” I decide on honesty, since I know she's right, trying anything else with her wouldn't work. “You,” I finally blurt out after one more moment's hesitation. She looks shocked for a moment, but then composes herself. “Me? But you already said that you now know at least two guys that are hotter to you than me?” “Oh, I definitely do,” I go on. “Hotter yes. It's not that. . .er. . . .part of it. Hormonally I'm firmly on the path to becoming and thus being strictly a Homosexual. But there's another part to it. There is the hormonal part, yes, and that is settled. But there is also what the eyes see and the mind perceive, and while Thomas always has and now Daniel does as well do more for my hormones than you ever did, you are beyond DROP DEAD GORGGEOUS while Thomas was just exceedingly handsome and while Daniel having recently gotten his cute back with a a-vengeance to add to his considerable handsomeness is now gorgeous, he is not nearly as gorgeous as you, so I'm still looking for a boy with your clarity of face, complete, a glaze as strong as if not stronger than yours, and above al and most importantly, an even bigger nose than you.” “No easy task, the last,” she says. I nod. “Sorry to be so blunt, but you did ask.” “I did indeed,” she replies, still seeming amazingly calm considering all that I have just said. “I wish I could help. I know I wasn't happy until I completed the transition, and of course am still searching for a way to tell Frank, and I know that you won't be either. But I've never seen anyone, male or female, with a nose even approaching as big as mine, since it is the width of my eyes and nearly the width of my face, much less bigger than mine, and I've got more of a shine than I've seen on anyone except maybe one guy and one girl and neither of them even had what could really be called a big nose, and so certainly nothing approaching my snout.” “I didn't say that. . .” I begin. But again, she silences me with a raised hand. “No, I did. But, to be honest, I'd appreciate it if in the future you did refer to it as a snout, because I find calling something of its size a big nose insulting.” “Okay,” I finally say after much consideration. “So to complete my journey I need a a gy crush with your glaze or if possible a little stronger, and a snout even bigger than your snout, which would have to be one-hundred percent of the width of his face, if not slightly wider.” An enormous or grand snout,” she sys. I nod. “And no guy I know comes close. I mean, Daniel has a really big nose, but its probably not even half the size of your snout.” “Maybe half,” she says. “But not more. No, he's out of the running for gorgeousness exceeding mine for sure. It will have to be a new guy, so hopefully he'll come along relatively soon, for you'll never be truly happy in Hormonal Limbo.” I nod, and we lave it there for the moment, both needing to go home from our secret meeting place for dinner and having said all that can really be said anyway. ***' Of course, Daniel and my conversations grow more and more strained during all of this time, as he continues to get better and better looking, including his nose eventually getting big enough that I agree with Samantha at a different conversation that it has now slightly exceeded fifty percent of her snout. But then it stops growing, and while his face remains completely clear and his glaze is occasionally in the same neighborhood as hers, it is also often far less, even though he remains the second HOTTEST person that I have ever known, only behind Thomas. And he is also the most gorgeous guy I know, he just not and as Samantha and I had predicted clearly never wil be anywhere close to as gorgeous as she is, with his nose stopped growing at half the size of her snout and glaze that hovers around but certainly never exceeds hers. I meet a lot of other good looking guys in college, but none are as HOT as Daniel nor do they have a nasal apparatus even approaching Samantha's snout, or enough of a glaze to make up for that. Of course, if there were such a glaze, the face would literally blind me, so I remain on the look out for a guy with what Samantha and I are now calling a massive snout, as does she, having told her boy-friend at the end of our freshman year of college that she is a Homosexual. “'What a relief,'” she told me later he had said. “Because so am I.” Within a week, he and Travis were a known item, and shortly after Samantha had an official girl-friend named Susan. “How revolting,” Daniel says to me once towards the end of our Sophomore year of college. “That is so unnatural and abominable. How can you be friends with a woman like that.” I dive into my food, saying nothing and at that moment avoiding looking at him at all costs, because while he is not and never will be anywhere close to as gorgeous as Samantha, he is the second HOTTEST person that I have ever known, and I no longer ever see Thomas since after Freshman year he transferred to a school in another state and that was thee last I saw of him, while I did still see Daniel almost every day. But the more he rants about fags and worse names that I will not repeat here, the harder it became to hold my tongue about not just my personal stake but my feelings about Homophobia in general, plus with another best friend with whom I can just be myself, I start to question whether this friendship is worth continuing. At the same time, I don't want to just break it off or explain why I was doing so, at least partly because I thought there was at least the possibility that he might resort to physical violence if he found out that I had a crush on him. It had happened with other such situations before. So, at last, we came to the end of our Sophomore year of college. I was in despair, for Daniel ranted and raved about Fags and so on every time I was within earshot of him, Samantha, her girl-friend, Travis and his boy-friend had all but told me it was him or them, and while by then I knew that there was no way that I was ever going to get the one foot off the Hormonal Path towards becoming strictly Gay, I had yet to see a guy with a nasal apparatus larger than Daniel's barely over fifty percent of Samantha's, plus by now her face had added to the glaze the glow of happiness brought on by her girl-friend that any guy with more of a glaze would have blinded anyone who saw him, which I knew no one would have. Which only left a guy with an augmented snout, and by now I was certain that there was no such guy. “I just found out one of my best friends is gay,” the word was more a hiss than a spoken word from Daniel's voice on the phone towards the end of that year. I froze. My breath caught in my throat, and my heart stopped beating. I thought that I had always been as careful as possible except for the looks, but those have been going on since High School, and I've always managed to deflect. . . “John, are you there,” Daniel's voice came, drawing me out of my thoughts. “I think you know him. George.” I let out my breath. I knew George, and I knew George was gay, I just didn't know that he and Daniel were friends. “OK,” I finally say. “I know George. And I knew he was gay. I just didn't know that you knew him, or I would have said something to warn you.” I probably would not have, but Daniel needed to hear that I would have. “Anyway,” Daniel went on. “That's not why I called you. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be able to make our July Camping Trip this year because my parents and I are spending all summer in Europe.” “Oh,” I say. “Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm sure you'll have a good time there.” “I hope so,” he said. And then there was a click. The suddenness of the end of the phone call shocked me, but then our relationship was hanging by a thread then anyway. That summer I spent a lot of time with Samantha and her girl-friend and Travis and his boy-friend. Occasionally, we'd have Triple Dates, and I sometimes brought a girl and sometimes brought a boy, more often a boy. But most of the time I felt like a Fifth wheel, even though they all four constantly assured me that I was not. But still I was stuck, with Thomas and now also to a lesser but still some extent Daniel having firmly and forever claimed my Hormones for the Homosexual Side, but Samantha still being infinitely more gorgeous than the best looking guy I knew, which I'll admit was Travis's Boy-Friend, although I only shared this with Samantha and only when we were alone. His nasal apparatus was approaching a snout, but was not quite there and so certainly not an augmented snout like hers, and his face, while completely clear, was not nearly as shiny as hers. By the end of the summer, I realized that there was absolutely no chance of ever getting out of this Hormonal Limbo and so no way that I could ever have any kind of Relationship of that nature because with a guy it would be confused by my eyes and mind still being Heterosexual, but with a gal it would b confused by my Hormones now being firmly Homosexual. So that summer passed. Two days before classes started in our Junior Year, Daniel called me to say that he was back in town and wanted to get together. We arranged to meet at a building at the school and then figure out from there what we wanted to do. Not surprisingly, fairly typically in fact, I was there first and he was late. Eventually, though, of course, the doors did open and a figure stepped through them and into the hall's light. My jaw hit the floor and I did a quadruple take. His face was still completely clear, of course. But his face was even shinier than Samantha's had ever been or was, even now. And his nasal apparatus. I had never seen nostrils so big. Not just big, huge. Not just huge, enormous. Not just enormous, tremendous. Even calling it an augmented snout was not sufficient, for it was at least twice the width of his face. I finally settled in my mind on trunk. Instantly, I felt my other foot set firmly and forever on the path towards becoming strictly gay, and then both finally started walking. To this day, the rest of that day is a total blank, but I guess Daniel and I found something to do and did it, and I somehow managed to not reveal what had just happened and what it meant, because we continued to be friends for another two years. I obviously must have masturbated when I got home, but as I said that whole day remains a total blank. *** Then one day, towards the end of my Senior Year of College, it finally fully happened. For eight years, big noses on clear and shiny faces had to some extent tuned me on on both guys and gals, gals not as much since some of what I have already mentioned, but some. But then, after waking up after collapsing after my last college final ever, I went down to the cashier's office to cash a check for cab fair to go see Samantha and spend the night at her place, as we had arranged some time ago, since she lived off campus while I, being unable to drive because of a medical condition, had found it easier to live on Campus all four years. The young woman working the desk said that she could not give me cash there but could give me a ride to the bank on her lunch break in a few minutes, and I agreed. But the important thing about that encounter is that she had a nasal apparatus almost as big as Samantha's snout, a completely clear face and a glaze not far behind Samantha's, and there was not even the slightest twinge from my hormones, not the slightest hint of an erection, nor was there anything of that nature from my eyes o my mind. When I got to Samantha's I told her the good news that I had finally completed my journey, and we both celebrated late into the night. It would be nice to end the story there, on a totally positive and happy note, but there is one more piece of this puzzle that must be placed. The next day, when I got back to Campus, Daniel marched right up to me, red faced and fire-eyed. “How can you have spent the night at the home of that. . .that. . .that thing, that abomination.” I sighed. The time for hesitation was over. It was time to put it all out on the table. “Because I'm Gay too. I was bi for eight years, but when Thomas was hotter than Samantha back in our Sophomore Year of High School, that set my Hormones firmly and forever on the path towards becoming strictly gay. I was then stuck in Hormonal Limbo for a long time because no guy I knew matched her gorgeousness, but when you came back from Europe two years ago with that Trunk you've still got, that took care of putting the other foot on the other part of the path, and yesterday at The Cashier's Office, Betty's all of that face did absolutely nothing for me, so my journey is now complete. That is how I can spend the night at Sam's House.” The nickname I just used on a whim, since our relationship is now completely healed, even though different. Daniel stares at me red faced and fire eyed, breathing very hard, for several long minutes. Then he shouts as loud as he can. “Burn in Hell, Queer Faggot, our relationship is over.” That was no more than I had expected, for me it had really ben over for a long time. What I had not expected was for him to knock me to the ground and punch me in the face so hard that everything went black.

THERE ARE THOSE THAT SAY SEENTEEN. . .

There are those that say people like me should have just stayed shut in the closet. There are those that say we should be ashamed of who we are, that just being Gay is in of itself a sin and something to be ashamed of. There are those that say simply being who we are is in and of itself an abomination, and that their are BIBLICAL passages that back them up on this. The trouble is, even if they were not mistaking the admonition to not use sex as a means of domination, humiliation and power over others, which is what all of those passages are really talking about, for those with the intelligence to do a little historical research, all of those passages are talking about actual sexual acts. I am a gay man, but I am abstinent, and anyone who had actually read these six or seven passages would know that none of them say that simply being inclined to one's own gender but not engaging in actual sexual acts is in any way a problem. None of these passages are at all discussing the idea of a loving, mutually affirming relationship between two people, because such a concept does not even exist in THE BIBLE because it did not exist in those times. So, perhaps those that say that we Gays should have just stayed shut in our dark closets should study and think before they speak, becaue speaking because you know not what to say always exposes foolishness, not wisdom.

THE NUT CASE REBELLIOUS ANARCHISTS SEVENTEEN

Nut Case Rebellious Anarchists, that is what NRA truly stands for. Very clever to droop the C so that people would believe that it stood for National Riffle Association. But their actions give away the truth. No one is really talking about taking away everyone's guns or creating a National Registry, in fact the most recent proposal specifically banned such a registry, all of that is merely a concerted effort or campaign of scare tactics and LIES to ensure that lunatics and criminals can continue to buy whatever firearms and ammunition in any number and amount that they wish from private dealers at gun shows. I suppose this is not surprising, since anyone outside of the military or law enforcement who owns a firearm that is not either a family heirloom or historically significant is by definition a lunatic, hence what NCRA truly stands for. These Nut Cases also say that background checks would cost private dealers to much money, but anyone who can afford to set up a both in a convention center can afford a background check machine, and besides it seems like a party that calls itself "Pro Life" would put human life above money anyway. On the registry subject, however, my personal opinion is that that might not be such a bad thing, because if we knew who every member of The NCRA was, we would know who every lunatic who should be permanently locked up in a mental institution is. As they continue to spread their deceptions, lies and utter nonsense, I just thought somebody should reveal the TRUTH about them,. Sincerely, Matthew Lucas Beckett

THE BRAIN DAMAGED DRAGON UNCHAINED THIRTY-SEVEN

I WAS AN EIGHT YEAR OLD CHILD WHO MADE A MISTAKE. I ran out in the street in front of a car, and as a result of my car accident I sustained what we then called a head injury but today call a Traumatic Brain Injury. Because of this, for the past twelve years, since I became too old to be covered through my parents, I have been unable to retain private Health Insurance because of what the Health Insurance INDUSTRY called my "Preexisting Condition". In January of this year, however, labeling peoples like me as subhuman pieces of pond sludge by these "BUSINESSMEN"became illegal, thanks to The PATIENT PROTECTION and Affordable Care Act, so I now have private insurance for which I am paying half as much as I was paying under The Texas Risk Pool which was my only option under a system that cared more about making money than making and or keeping people well, Profits Over People, as I called it. But, since the moment this bill became law, all a Political Party that calls itself "Pro Life" has been able to talk about is undoing this law, and all of the specifics they have talked about replacing it with have not done ANYTHING for those of us with "Preexisting Conditions" or addressed at all the underlying problem with the old system, of which this was merely one symptom, for my readers on the so-called Right who may have forgotten two lines above, that it put making money ahead of making people well. Today on The Dian Rheme Show Steven Bore said that this law was largely responsible for the current economic problems that our country is experiencing, his precise words escape me, but that was the general idea. In fact, since the law came into effect, the economy has grown tremendously because of Health care spending, and as I may have mentioned above I am paying half as much for Health Insurance as I was before, which gives me more money to spend elsewhere in the economy. But money is not really my main or primary concern. What bothers me is that Republicans think it was just fine for the Health Insurance INDUSTRY to treat those of us with Health "Issues" like subhuman pieces of pond sludge. I have of course posted about this many times, sometimes with a moderate level of anger in me, sometimes with a large, but never an all consuming rage. But this morning, MR. Bore (as in boring since he's repeating the same Hellish Lies his side has ben saying four around four years now) has finally gone TOO FAR. My email address is whitedragon7@gmail.com, and this dragon has just broken my chains. THIS IS BEYOND WAR. THIS IS THE WHITE DRAGON UNCHAINED. ALL CONSERVATIVES/ REPUBLICANS WHO DO NOT BY SUNDOWN ON SUNDAY, JUNE FOURTH, ABSOLUTELY, COMPLETELY, TOTALLY AND UTERLY DENOUNCE THEIR PARTY'S STANCE ON JUSTICE IN HEALTH CARE SHALL BE CONSUMED AND COMPLETELY INCINERATED BY THE WHITE FLAMES OF JUSTICE FROM MY TREMENDOUS SNOUT. I HAVE HAD IT! Every Conservative/Republican I know must choose, NOW, it is me or the Wicked Philosophy of Conservatism and The Evil Republican Party, and this Sunday at midnight is the final deadline. Opposing one comma of Justice in Health Care clearly shows them as agents not of life but of death, and unless all of my demands are met by this FINAL deadline, it will be the death of our relationship, and death is forever. Sincerely, Matthew Lucas Beckett, aka THE FIRE OF JUSTICE, THE WHITE DRAGON WHO BREATHES THAT FIRE, FEOM MY ENORMOUS NOSTRILS.