Andrew's Upstanding US Citizen Homepage

I understand that we have the 2nd amendment. I understand the term "slippery slope." I understand freedom. Believe me, the less the government meddles with our personal lives, the better. My question is just... why guns? Why does it seem that guns are the fulcrum of personal freedom debate? Why is the gun lobby so much more vocal than the gay lobby or the sex lobby or the abortion lobby or the drug lobby? The government has their hands in all of these things that are far less volatile, and is smothering them. Yet we have the gun argument, which is louder and more influential.

My weekend began on Friday evening with the frustrating realization that I can no longer enter my apartment bulding by pushing on the door that says "Pull" on the outside. They put a stopper on it, ensuring that I will look like half an idiot for the next two weeks as I try to get used to this change of routine. Never the less, I woke up on Saturday morning with my laundry half-done, I was prepared to do something charitable. My buddy Jordan needed my help to prepare a building that his girlfriend had interited somehow for October 1st rentals.

The internet proves that we want to be controlled. We've chosen to believe that technology has helped us ascend beyond the grasp of the mass media, but the trends in internet technology keep bringing us back to the speaker/listener model. Despite all of the freedom that the internet allows us, we still organize ourselves in easily controllable structures, electing a few to disseminate information to the many.

I knew something was going to happen, and that's why I showed up. The cover of Time Out New York said, "Water Gun Fight in Union Square." The organizer's site said, "Canceled." I made it a point to be there on time because whatever was going to happen was going to happen fast. Leaving my apartment with 25 minutes to go, my wife and I arrived in 18. It took a minute to spot the people with the squirt guns and water balloons, and it was clear that there was no fun going on.

I have a big, big problem - I don't have a college degree. Not a Master's, not a Bachelor's, not even an Associate's. I've been to college, sure, but I've never gotten very far. It wasn't that it was too tough for me, but rather my brain just doesn't work that way. In a world that values tangibles, it seems I've come up a little short. You certainly wouldn't know it without meeting me, but I'm a rather smart individual. I can put a few words together, if you know what I mean. Not to mention the already knowing what the problem is before you've finished explaining.

As someone who identifies himself as a writer, I don't do much of it. I'm quite picky when it comes to the mood, environment and inspiration under which I perform. I could refer to it as writers' block, but I like to be different. I have plenty of ideas, but my concern for doing them justice keeps me from acting on them before I'm ready. Ok, I'm a perfectionist who stifles himself by expecting too much out of his first draft. There are plenty of things that I am passionate about; enough to write about. The problem is simply presenting them in words that people will want to read.

The story of how World of Warcraft became such a huge presence in my life is not something I'm proud of. In fact, I'd ordinarily opt to not even talk about it, but writing about my issues has become therapeutic. WoW is to lethargy as all-you-can-eat buffets are to obesity. I grew up as the real life incarnation of Lethargic Lad and it usually required medication to snap me out of it. Since I have quit taking medication, every day is a battle with my wilted will power and dire lack of discipline. It is this weak spot in my psyche that WoW attacks with its complex simplicity.

How I feel about art is probably not what everyone else feels. I see art as an extension of the artist's ego. Its a mix of talent, concept, and scope. For example, I see high concept minimalistic art as extremely egotistical. Note the disparity between the thinking required to understand it and the effort it takes to produce it. Meanwhile, still life drawings are quite humble. They are exactly how they look to be.

If you're ever in the market for a refrigerator, you should definitely check out a 2-mile stretch of Broadway that cuts through Bushwick here in Brooklyn, NY. While you're at it, stop by my place - I live right in the middle! There are so many refrigerator stores in my neighborhood, you'd expect there to be colorful lighted banners draped across the street declaring it the "Refrigerator District" kinda like they do with Little Italy. They don't. In fact, you get the idea that despite their abundance, these stores would rather not be visited.

Corporations, monopolies and power imbalances are impeding democracy, but they are not the cause of the problem. The cause is the lack of vigilance on behalf of the American public in keeping our elected officials in check. The chain of corruption begins where the official sees a strategy other than sound policies that will get them elected. That strategy stems from the public's susceptibility to advertising and charisma over logic and reason. This is not the public's fault, but we must acknowledge this weakness before it can be overcome.