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The Great Health Care Debate
2008-02-07 02:11:00
I just read an article by everyone favorite Free Market neoconservative, Patrick McIlheran, and was somewhat dismayed by his apparent lack of knowledge regarding the health care issue. So I think it's time to clear some misconceptions up.First, don't be surprised to see a number of links inside Patrick's column. He's good at providing information to back-up his flawed arguments. The problem is all of the information he provides comes from, well, sources that are hardly regarded as unbiased or even intelligent. He uses Web sites like the National Review and Fraser Institute and freemarketcure.com. "Freedom!" the privileged white man screams, brandishing his sword. "You'll never take our freedom!"Patrick McIlheran isn't Braveheart, and his arguments are, at best, fuzzy logic. At worst, they're an impassioned attempt to avoid a nationwide health care system in favor of a free market-based approach that would supposedly preserve our "Freedom." So I'm going to tell you about the...
More About: Health , Health Care , Great , Debate , Care

Tax Cuts? TAX CUTS?!
2008-02-03 18:14:00
While you're whittling away the day with your various chores, here's something to think about: How many tax cuts have been passed since the Reagan era?The answer: None. Because cutting taxes on a budget deficit means the government is simply borrowing money to give back to us. Which means tax cuts are actually tax "Deferments." Every time Congress cuts taxes without balancing the budget, all that money piles onto the national deficit, which will eventually be paid by us at a later date or our children.The same goes with the Iraq war. We can fight there as long as Bush wants, but the money will eventually come out of our pockets. He is the only president to have ever cut taxes during a time of war, skyrocketing the deficit further in order to deceive the public into believe our current economic system is still "OK." It's not. And when the security bubble pops (i.e. the military industrial complex), things are only going to get worse. And THEN while we're trying to figure out how ...
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The John Edwards Legacy
2008-01-31 15:40:00
John Edwards has officially dropped out of the race. It's a disappointment because this was without a doubt the most progressive candidate we've had in a long time, and the only one with the guts to literally stand up against our corporate elite. As a result, the corporate elite--especially the corporate media--did little to promote his presidency in the way they do with Obama and Clinton. I know Russ Feingold and others have criticized Edwards for a number of votes he made while senator, but--and it pains me to say this because I have nothing but respect for Feingold--I disagree with such criticism. Edwards voted poorly a few times, but he has since demonstrated that he's learned from those mistakes, and understands why those were mistakes.Worse, Edwards was the only Democratic candidate who overwhelmingly defeated every single Republican in a mock-presidential poll. What does this mean? It means Obama and Clinton both have a long, long road ahead of them.But this isn't all bad...
More About: John Edwards , John , Legacy

Why even have a Congress at this point?
2008-01-30 18:47:00
What's the point in having a Congress at all when President Bush makes signing statements on every single piece of legislation that crosses his desk? Let me explain in further detail for you with the help of Constitutional scholar John W. Dean:"Suppose a new law requires the President to act in a certain manner - for instance, to report to Congress on how he is dealing with terrorism. Bush's signing statement will flat out reject the law, and state that he will construe the law "in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional authority to withhold information the disclosure of which could impair foreign relations, the national security, the deliberative processes of the Executive, or the performance of the Executive's constitutional duties."The upshot? It is as if no law had been passed on the matter at all." This is especially troubling when it comes to torture, which you should definitely be upset about.But most importantly, this has a giant impact on the occupation...
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A day in the life of Joe Republican
2008-01-28 21:52:00
In honor of our local conservative radio hosts, I thought I would pass along this little story that I originally found on Media Matters. Read it, because I'll comment more below: "A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOE REPUBLICAN"Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised.All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Joe gets it too.He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his s...
More About: Life , Republican , Day In The Life

Dupont and Napalm
2008-01-27 22:38:00
Dupont, it seems, has been attempting to buy up all recorded copies of the military marching tune "Napalm Sticks to Kids." Dupont, a maker of napalm, most likely sees this type of song as a threat to its consumer-friendly image. After all, Dupont has its fingers in every aspect of our society, and you better believe it's still profiting on the death of human beings. In 2003, before the U.S. could "sanitize" Saddam Hussein's report to the United Nations, DuPont was listed as one of the companies that supplied Saddam with materials necessary for his chemical, biological and early nuclear weapons programs.Why should this bother you? Well, if you enjoy smoking pot and wonder why it's illegal, you can partially blame DuPont. If you're wondering why hemp is illegal, you can partially blame DuPont. While FDR was trying to improve working conditions, DuPont/General Motors was working its employees to death and assembling a terrorist group known as the "Black Legion" to fight unionizatio...
More About: Dupont

What Economic Stimulus?
2008-01-25 18:47:00
Funny how, just two years ago, there was little to no talk about "The Economy," as if the wage disparities that have been occurring since the Reagan era weren't worth talking about, as if the accrued debt from working-class Americans wasn't a problem, as if the skyrocketing health care costs and low-wage jobs were simply an effect of a healthy "Economy."What's changed so far this year? I'll tell you exactly what's changed: the rich are getting pinched. Now, all of a sudden, it's a massive issue. Money is falling out of the hands of the wealthiest one percent and now we're suddently facing a crisis. I've got news for our government: this has been a crisis ever since Ronald Reagan took office, ever since he began applying free market policies like cutting taxes for the wealthiest of the wealthy in order to let it "Trickle Down" while raising taxes for the rest of us and shutting down as many government programs as possible, including the Department of Labor which now almost al...
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935 False Statements
2008-01-23 18:48:00
The Center for Public Integrity found that the Bush administration has 935 false statements regarding the threat from Iraq. Click here to read more. This shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone who avoids Fox News. The question now is why aren't we doing more to stop this? Why have we become so complacent that we're literally just "waiting it out"? How much is too much, exactly? Where, I suppose, is that final straw? At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Bush went on TV and just started shooting random people. Would that be enough to warrant impeachment hearings? What about if Cheney did it? Well, okay, what if he did it again? Even if you're a lazy lard-ass who can't bother emailing your senator, there's still a way to at least try and contribute positively and stop this. Click here to go to Congressman Wexler's impeachment site. Sign his petition.Then get off your lazy ass and start paying attention.Yours,Ken Brosky

Cheers and Jeers
2008-01-21 17:27:00
Cheers to the Green Bay Packers on a stellar season. Last night was disappointing, but it seems like the Giants have been destined to reach the Super Bowl for more than a month now, defying every odd placed against them. Still, Green Bay wasn't expected to achieve what it did, and it was an absolute blast watching the entire season.Jeers to the chickenhawks who continue to push the notion that the surge is "working." How is it working? The death toll has dropped for American soldiers? Violence is down? How does that get us out of there? What can the Iraqi government possibly accomplish now that all government functions have already been completely privatized? What is the ultimate goal? Here's an article worth reading to help you answer these questions.Yours,KenFinal Draft

Go Packers
2008-01-20 22:58:00
Today I'm taking off from my usual rants to watch the Packers game. If you're interested in reading more of my short stories, click here to be taken to my Web site. It should keep you interested for awhile.Ken BroskyFinal Draft Literary Services

Barack Obama is not Muslim
2008-01-19 18:01:00
The point of writing this post is to simply attempt to sway just one person away from the smears that have begun--and continue--against Barack Obama . Namely, that Barack Obama is a Muslim , that he doesn't pledge allegience to our flag, blah blah blah, all of it unsubstantiated and baseless. Whether these lies were actually started by the Clinton campaign or the usual right-wing culprits doesn't matter ... what matters is they're false. Hopefully, this'll reach just one curious person and sway them in the direction of the truth.Lie #1: "Obama is a Muslim." Obama is NOT a muslim, you idiots. Obama attends a Christian Church and went to a public school. Just because that school had Muslim kids doesn't mean it was a Muslim school. This lie was started by Insightmag.com in an attempt to provide an early smear for conservatives and ignorant voters to latch onto. His father is no longer a Muslim, either. And his mother has always been Christian.Lie #2: "Obama doesn't pledge allegianc...

Back and right on!
2008-01-16 20:24:00
Well, I'm back, dammit, and guess what? I have 10 copies of my book left. Out of over 150, and I think the total so far has been close to 300. How magical, given that I had no publisher, no help whatsoever (except from family and friends, of course) and very little money. There are reviews, which I'll publish as well. I'm still working on the business, and I hope to get another update on Brew City Magazine as well. I'll try to keep updates more often.Ken Brosky
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No Turning Back
2007-09-07 04:11:00
.... Really. I just bought 110 copies of the book, so here's to hoping I can sell em all.
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Editing Copies
2007-07-02 19:32:00
I consider myself VERY fortunate to be so involved in the world of literature. In fact, it's the only reason I think I can pull of this self-published novel itself. In addition to having two excellent editors looking at the final copy of my book right now (one from Brew City Press, yay!), I also had the opportunity to share an earlier copy with a number of members of Sigma Tau Delta (the English frat in college).It's become an essential tool, as I've found that no matter how much I look at my own work, I can NEVER find ALLLLLLL of my mistakes. It's a lesson to every writer out there.
More About: Editing

A comeuppance of massive proportions
2007-06-26 22:52:00
Wooooohooooo here's a little something for anyone who wants to take some time off from the daily doldrums and enjoy a bit of humor. Watch this 19-year-old kid absolutely school Bill O'Reilly's ass:
More About: Mass , Prop

Of Rough Drafts
2007-06-19 07:00:00
I'm making a point of posting my rough draft for GRENDEL on my official site, and it'll be available for free along with a number of other features. It's almost become a sort of "DVD Extras" feature for the book, but my goal is to make this book worth its price, and to extend the story itself beyond the text of the book. I've always seen the world of literature as constantly changing, and I think the best way to achieve a maximum readership is to continue to adapt to the changing world. Sometimes, this means doing things that writers wouldn't normally have done twenty years ago (like, for instance, offering some short stories for free).
More About: Drafts

Go Brewers
2007-06-14 04:01:00
I just listened to the Brew ers beat the Tigers, and that feels pretty damn good. I've been doing a lot of talking with old friends in the newspaper business, and so hopefully I can finnagle an interview or two with them to get some extra publicity for the book when it comes out in October. I still want to drop one off at the Journal-Sentinel, and try to spread the word here with local papers. It's going to be a long, stressful summer, but I think it'll be worth it. I almost have the entire Web site set up and dedicated to Grendel, and so that should be up very, very soon. I'm going to take pre-orders ASAP, just in case people surfing by the site see something of interest. A few extra sales can go a long way, after all.

Chez Hilton
2007-06-08 21:28:00
I think just about everyone in America is taking a little pleasure in watching Paris Hilton suffer. What does THAT say about our society?

Hot Damn!
2007-06-08 00:54:00
The review copies came and they're one their way out! How exciting! Chances are, out of the thirty I've sent out, at MOSt three or four will actually review the book. That's a best-case scenario, because sadly most book review sites and newspapers are bombarded by second-class books and books of poor quality. I HOPE mine isn't included in that list, but I think the quality stands out to a great extent. Here's to hoping, and now I'm going to take some time off from worrying about this novel and do some serious writing again.
More About: Damn

Aol Elections Blog
2007-06-07 00:24:00
I have, for the past few months, posted regularly in the "comments" section of the Aol Elections blogs, specifically on the blogs by certain conservative bloggers who are outright lying in their posts. I realize it's slightly pointless, but I feel like if I can reach just one casual reader then it's all worth it. The lies being spread on the site are unbelievable, and one point one of the conservative bloggers actually went to my Web site and attacked me personally on the blog site! Go figure! Didn't surprise me, actually.And, worse, the liberal bloggers who are supposed to provide a balance don't seem to actually post ANYTHING, except for one person! It really bugs me, so I'm going to continue it and try in my not-so-strategic way to provide some balance to the deceiving blogs.
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No Turning Back
2007-05-18 23:34:00
I just ordered 31 copies of my book to send out for reviews. No turning back now, kiddos. As the kids say on the street: "This just got for real."** No kids on the street would say this.
More About: Back , Turn

Book Update
2007-05-05 04:25:00
I've spent the past week formatting the inside of my book as well as perfecting the cover design. Truth be told, I think I've gottent pretty damned good at it all, mainly because I've been learning as I go, and learning from my mistakes (which have been quite numerous, unfortunately).I'm planning on expanding my editing to include cover design and book formatting for others who are choosing to self-publish. Now that I have an intimate understanding of Word as well as a large amount of design experience, it would be nice to share that experience with others (and receiving reimbursement for my time, of course!)I'll be posting a new book review soon, and also another op-ed. Keep an eye on the magazine as well, because there are a lot of updates coming up.
More About: Book , Update

Outsourcing English
2007-04-30 23:04:00
I received a phone call from India this week. It was a telemarketer, although I didn’t realize it at first. In fact, I had a hard time understanding anything she was saying, except for the fact that she wanted to speak with the owner of the small business. My “small business,” as she called it, amounted to little more than one young man struggling to freelance his editing and copywriting skills to other more successful businesses, and so I guess I would be the one stuck listening to her sales pitch. (One of the many downsides of owning your own business.)So she talked some more, and I’m sure it was a very good sales pitch but I still couldn’t understand more than a few words at a time. I stopped her occasionally to try and figure out what exactly she was offering—I was, after all, in the business of helping others with their English , and perhaps this was a company that needed my copyediting skills. Every time I stopped her, she would back up and begin the same spiel.She ...
More About: Outsourcing , Sourcing

Reviewing POD Books
2007-03-26 17:46:00
Since I've begun the process of seriously considering a self-publishing course for my novel which is now again without a publisher (See previous post, and I apologize for the vulgarity), I think an appropriate course for this blog is to pursue more in the realm of self-publishing in general.Ideally, I would like to review POD and small press novels for my magazine, Brew City, and dedicate this blog to the extraction of the few self-published gems that exist out there. Because they do exist. There are options available to those of us who enjoy reading but can't find something of interest being put out by the big New York Publishers.My inspiration from this came from the Girl on Demand, who has since chosen to end her career as the most popular (and only) reviewer of POD books in the business. I'm going to do my best continue that, so stay posted and I'll include more information ...
More About: Pod , Books , Review , Book , View

The end of a month
2007-03-23 20:21:00
To celebrate an already shitty month, I just received a nice fat package from my publisher. In it was my manuscript for my first book and the CD with the manuscript on it and a letter. In the letter, my publisher explained its decision to NOT publish my book after all, after two years of waiting, after two years of planning and marketing.Let me put this in perspective: everything I did for the past two years, every decision I made, it was all centered around my first novel. My first novel, and it was going to be published by one of the biggest independent publishers in the country. They told me to get blurbs for the back of the book, so I did. They told me to start a blog, so I did. I don't even fucking enjoying blogging. I don't like the concept of blogging, and I never know what to say in this fucking thing.So from here on out, this blog will be used primarily for the purpose of presenting information related to Brew City Magazine and occasionally a rant like this one.Fuck you, ...
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New Fiction Markets
2007-03-22 06:06:00
I don't know why that last post happened twice, but I suppose it's relevant given the serious tone and all.So let's lighten things up. I'm not in the mood for any more damn drama of any kind, and I don't particularly want to keep re-visiting my fragile mortality for the time being. I wrote a new article for Suite101 with some new market info for writers:5 New Fiction Mark et s
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On Mortality, Violence, and Consequences
2007-03-19 16:59:00
On Monday, March 12th of 2007 I faced my own mortality. For the first time in my 25 years of life, I could see death out of the corner of my eye. It’s always been there in some for or another, be it some tragic unforeseeable accident or unseen disease or cataclysmic disaster, but on this particular night I became aware of its presence, of just how close it could truly be.The man walked into our local Starbucks dressed in heavy clothes, wearing a cloth over his face and a hood and a pair of dark sunglasses to complete the macabre ensemble. I ask myself sometimes if perhaps seeing his eyes would alleviate myself of some of the nightmares, if perhaps I could have sensed that there truly was a human being behind all those clothes because in my mind’s eye, looking back at it, all I see is an outfit, a faceless being with no emotion and nothing for me to sympathize with.He pointed his semi-automatic gun at me when I told him I had the keys to the cash register. I told him I could open...
More About: Violence , Sequence , Consequence , Sequences , Consequences

On Mortality, Violence, and Consequences
2007-03-19 16:59:00
On Monday, March 12th of 2007 I faced my own mortality. For the first time in my 25 years of life, I could see death out of the corner of my eye. It’s always been there in some for or another, be it some tragic unforeseeable accident or unseen disease or cataclysmic disaster, but on this particular night I became aware of its presence, of just how close it could truly be.The man walked into our local Starbucks dressed in heavy clothes, wearing a cloth over his face and a hood and a pair of dark sunglasses to complete the macabre ensemble. I ask myself sometimes if perhaps seeing his eyes would alleviate myself of some of the nightmares, if perhaps I could have sensed that there truly was a human being behind all those clothes because in my mind’s eye, looking back at it, all I see is an outfit, a faceless being with no emotion and nothing for me to sympathize with.He pointed his semi-automatic gun at me when I told him I had the keys to the cash register. I told him I could open...
More About: Violence , Sequence , Consequence , Sequences , Consequences

On Not Voting For Hillary
2007-03-18 00:19:00
I wrote another article on the problems regarding Hill ary Clinton for president, with a special focus on her campaign contributions and the problems it possesses when it comes to lobbying. It's a passionate topic for me, because the the connections between large money contributions to political campaigns and later ... shall we say "Motivated decisions"? It's a troubling aspect, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to find a politician to support in large elections.Why Clinton can't be president
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New Magazine updates, new article
2007-03-17 01:01:00
I seem to be blessed with an endless supply of story ideas nowadays ... this past week, while working my part-time job at Starbucks, I was robbed at gunpoint. Talk about a fucking wake-up call, well there it was pointed right at my stomach. Not only that, these robbers as a group have hit over 25 businesses in our usually quiet neighborhood! Good story idea, but I sure as hell don't want to go through it again.I have a new article up at Suite101 about Stephen King.Also there are some new updates to Brew City Magazine .
More About: Dates , Article , Updates , Update