What the Word "Terrorist" Actually Means

After seeing the back and fourth arguments in our political system about who and what is and is not a terrorist, I am getting tired of having to argue the point with both sides of the aisle.  Once again I am reminded that I am surrounded by idiots

But lets look at two statements that are said by differing parties.  

Conservatives like to repeat the following statement: "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims"

Liberals like to repeat the following statement: "America and Israel are the real terrorists in the world."

I would like to point out that neither of these statements are true.

Now, here is what is true.

A terrorist is an individual who uses fear to influence actions, usually through violence, but sometimes through threats.

What does this mean?

A Radicalized Religious Fanatic that acts on it is a Terrorist.

A Radicalized Nationalist that acts on it is a Terrorist.

A Radicalized Computer Hacker that acts on it is a Terrorist.

You get the point.  Religion, (or lack of) or a belief system alone does not make someone a terrorist.  

Action makes one a terrorist.

Isis is a Terrorist Group

The White Supremacist that attacked Planned Parenthood is a Terrorist

Boko Haram is a Terrorist Group.

The Klu Klux Klan is a Terrorist Group.

Chinese Nationalist Hackers are Terrorists.

A bully who terrorizes students in class is a Terrorist.

It is time for us to identify the truth to the word, and use the label correctly.  it is the first step to a more peaceful world.  For to defeat an enemy, you must first understand it.

On Thanksgiving

This time of year is always the hardest of the year.  Most people look forward to going home to their families and seeing old friends.  They get to reflect on their pasts.  They get to reflect on a simpler time for themselves.

I have a different relationship with Thanksgiving, although it is related to the same ideas outlined above.  I do not wish to return to my past.  Chicago is no longer my home.  My past was wrought with weakness, pain and a version of myself that I chose to gut and skin long ago.

I have no interest into returning to who I once was.  I have no interest in even remembering who that person was.  They need to stay buried.  Even worse, my family is not exactly the paragon of healthy.  I love my parents, but I cannot be around them too long before I wish to be away.  One of my brothers I find there is still some lingering strain although I have a great relationship with my other one.

Many of the friends I had back in Chicago have moved away.  The ones left, most of them are not really friends of mine anymore.  Just people I used to know.  There is no reason for me to revisit my past.  I have a future to focus on.  Yet Thanksgiving is a holiday that focuses on the past.

Being that I have no interest in this concept, I find myself very alone.  Even worse, I am constantly reminded of these problems through the month of November.

I think I understand how Harry Potter feels when everyone goes home for the holidays and he is at Hogwarts all alone.  Like him, I dread the Summer and Winter, while enjoying the Spring and Fall.  For it is in those months that I feel wanted, and not alone.

Why Climate Change Always Has been and Almost Always Will Be the Greatest Threat to Civilization

As usual, something that is common sense and shouldn't even be part of a debate has become political charged.  What a surprise!

So lets explore the malcontent.  Many people are upset that multiple politicians, namely Bernie Sanders, are making statements that Climate Change is above and beyond more dangerous than Isis (or Isil, or Daesh)  Predictably, this has been hit with criticism by a majority of people.

I don't think that it needs to be pointed out that a majority of human beings on this planet lack vision, or really have a grasp of common sense (oops, did I point it out again?) But instead of going on some Calvinist Rant about how hopeless our species is, instead I'll explain why Sanders is right and a majority of the Human race (as usual) is wrong.

Lets compare the two groups.

Isis in the worst case scenario, gets a nuclear missile with launch capabilities and fires at a a densely populated city.  Lets use New York which has a population of roughly 8.5 million.  The explosion will kill almost all of these people, the radioactive decay will kill roughly another 1 million over the next 10 years or so.  Also New York will be rendered uninhabitable for a while along with the surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, lets look at a scenario that is pretty bad considering climate change, but is not the worst case scenario (Ill get to one of those in a moment.) The water levels rise a couple hundred feet due to melting ice.  New York City goes underwater, along with about 1/3 of its population, which is not 8.5 million.  Here's the problem, New York won't be the only city affected.

EVERY SINGLE CITY ON THE COASTS WILL BE HIT

Sorry for the all Caps there, but I needed to get the point across.  Now I don't know how many people total live on America's coast, but I can assure you that if roughly 1/3 of that population is killed in floods, its a much higher number than 8.5 million.  Also unlike the nukes, these areas are permanently uninhabitable.  Nuclear Fallout pales in comparison to flooding on this scale.

Now lets look at how to stop both these problems.

Isis, can be stopped by a combination of not letting fear control our lives and military might.  The good thing about Isis is that it is run by people.  People have this unfortunate problem of being able to get killed.  Its called mortality. You may have heard of it.

Climate change can be stopped by a combination of...  actually, it can't be stopped, it just kinda happens.  We can slow it down so we don't get hurt by it, (which is what needs to be done) but if a flood is coming, the best thing to do is run away from the problem.  You can have all the guns and weapons you want.  Mother Nature laughs in the face of your pathetic mortality, and when she is done with you, you will be killed like the gnat you are.

So yes, clearly one of these is a bigger problem than the other.  Also, should (when) the floods happen, lots of people will become refugees.  And since most of the refugees in the world have for our history, been considered terrorists and or enemies of the home country, I curiously wonder what happens when the people who are most hateful of refugees become their own enemy?

Oh and to go back to my older point about worse disasters, there is a volcano in Yellowstone National park, that when it erupts, will kill every single person in North America.  Good luck fighting that.

Overwatch: Impressions

I was fortunate to finally get a chance to play Overwatch this weekend during the stress test event. And for those of you who were not lucky enough to play, I will, leave you with some impressions.

I like how the games are objective based rather than kill based.  This stops a lot (but not all) camping.  Also those lovely kill-streak rewards that make games like Call of Duty obvious within 5 minutes of the game starting which team is going to win.

In Overwatch, I have lost games that I thought were easily in my grasp.  I have won games that seemed hopeless.  It was quite rare in my experience where the game was very one sided.  And even when you keep getting wrecked, every time you do what is intended by your role (shooting bullets, healing people, capturing objectives) your ultimate bar fills.  And most of these abilities are strong enough to be game changing.  One mistake by the enemy team can change the balance for the rest of the match.

The cooldowns that the characters make use of to activate their abilities are quick enough that they can be utilized multiple times a game adding to dynamics of the battles.  Best of all, none of the characters seemed absolutely broken.  There were times that a skilled player was capable of making a character seem broken (looking at you Bastion) but that was more due to the player being skilled at the game rather than the game being unfair.

The ability to switch characters is vital in this game.  Certain team compositions can render other characters completely useless.  I appreciate this dynamic as it allows both teams to keep each other on their toes.

I played many of the heroes and will make a nod to Bastion, Soldier 76, McCree, Lucio and Reinhardt as my favorite heroes to play.  I wanted to be good at playing Reaper, but I am finding this to be difficult with the way I play.  I also want to master Widow as I have never been good at sniping, but that will have to wait for another time likely.

Instead of telling you what each of them do, I challenge you to check that out for yourself.  This game will certainly be worthy buying and my only regret is that my beta access vanishes tomorrow.

Reflections

I wanted to take some time and reflect on what I have accomplished over the last year.  I have written an entire novel, have a blog with almost 5000 views and have gained the confidence to manage a website and promote myself.  I am the most free I have ever been.

But the work is only beginning.  i have long to go before I reach the acclaim of the elite writers like JK Rowling.  For those of you who read this, let your friends and family know about me.  I seek to educate, entertain, and tell compelling tales with as many mediums as I can get my hands on.

Its been a great year and this next will be only better.  Thank you to those of you who have joined me on this journey.  One that I will continue to take.  I appreciate your support.

Fear: The Most Powerful Emotion

There is a famous saying that love conquers all.  But this is a foolish notion.  Love is itself a derivative of a far more potent emotion.

Fear.

When you love someone, that is an example of fear, the fear of losing them.
When you hate someone, that is an example of fear, the fearing of losing to them.
When you own a gun, that is an example of fear, the fear of being killed.
When you climb a mountain and look down, that is an example of fear, the fear of falling, fatally.
When you are alive, that is an example of fear, a fear of death.

All things are born of fear.  They fade in fear.  Xehanort claimed it was darkness in Kingdom Hearts, Slaanesh claimed it was desire in Warhammer.

But as author HP Lovecraft said so eloquently, "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."

And you can see how that fear of the unknown destroys good, aids evil, and breeds wickedness and chaos.  The abandoned Syrian Refugees, the paranoia and fear of Muslims and Jews, the hatred that blacks have for whites, these are all out of fear.  Fear of the unknown.

I tend to preach about defeating hatred is to love, but how does one defeat fear?  Fear is the derivative of both love and hate.  Is it possible to defeat the key emotion that makes a human a human?  The emotion that makes a being alive?

Is it possible that the meaning of life is to be afraid?

The more I look around at the world, especially as a response to all the too recent terror attacks in Paris, I wonder if Thomas Hobbes was right about Human nature.

I wonder as I feel the darkness consuming us all, if the reason we stop being afraid of monsters under the bed, is because we realize the monsters are actually all around us, and inside us.

I am beginning to winder if there is no point in hoping for a better future.  How can we have one when fear controls us no matter what we achieve, or no matter what we create?

The End of an Era

Today I will take a break from politics, and instead talk about Starcraft II Legacy of the Void.

This is a game that has been long in the making and ties up the plot of the Starcraft Universe while also adding new units for the sake of multiplayer.

I will not spoil the campaign for those of you who have not finished it, but most of the story is satisfying.  Its gets a little weird at the end but what story that involves eldritch abominations doesn't?

As far as Blizzard is concerned though, I think this is the end of the line for Starcraft.  There is just much more to gain financially from Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm.  those are Blizzards two largest money maker and it would not surprise me if Overwatch also contributes to the money once it is released.

The problem is, RTS (Real Time Stratagy) games have fallen out of favor with players who have flocked to MOBAs (games like League of Legends, Dota2, and Heroes of the Storm)  Its not hard to see why.  RTS is a solo game with a steep learning curve.  MOBAs by no means have an easy learning curve, but the curve is lessened by having teammates.  In Starcraft, when you lose, it is your fault alone.

This high stress factor is why I gave up on learning the game and playing at any reasonably competitive level.  I gave up ever being good many years ago.  Still, I had to play the campaign, I am a story driven person after all.  So now that its wrapped up, I feel like I should enjoy the game, but I do not know if I am ready to deal with the stress.

Still, I will give Starcraft what its due.  It is the reason many of my friends call me so, and I did spend a large portion of the last 4 years playing it.

My Life for Aiur, but since I'm not good at this game still, to the Shadows, I go...

Paris. Beirut. Baghdad.

The media has been aflame.  Isis planned, they bided time, they struck.  And the results are disastrous.

In Paris, more than 100 dead, many more injured.  A wave of terror has spun outwards and at they time of this post is spiraling across the EU at large.

Meanwhile, in Baghdad, explosions turned a funeral into a mass grave.  Isis planned, they bided time, they struck. This attack is being ignored by the media.

Meanwhile, in Beirut, suicide bombers killed 50 more. Isis planned, they bided time, they struck. This attack is being ignored by the media

And there are whispers that in Nigeria, Isis' bigger and far scarier sibling, Boko Haram has struck as well. Boko Haram planned, they bided time, they struck.  This attack is being ignored by the media.

And worst of all, the response of the world has played directly into Isis' hands.  First, remember that Isis/Boko Haram is a terrorist group bent on utter domination.  they use fear as their primary weapon. It comes with the name.

Europe and the USA have responded by assuming that the Syrian Refugees who are fleeing from the violence are the enemies of the west.  This is further boosted by one of the attackers carrying a Syrian Passport.  Of course, the question that should be raised, especially by those who are into police TV shows or murder mysteries is the possibility that the passport is a plant.

Its obvious at least to me, that Isis would benefit greatly from the west not trusting the citizens of Syria.  After all, if the refugees are not let into any country due to the potential for acts of terror to be committed, where do they go?  That's an easy one.  they go back to Syria.  They go back disillusioned and hateful of the west that has thrown them overboard.

What if I told you that Isis is also hateful of the west?

That's right, ISIS is hoping we do this so that they can turn the entire population of Syria into cells in their radicalized army.  And they will turn those cells right on Assad.  You do not need to doubt that.

It  may surprise you then that Iran is not the only one that possess illegal nuclear weapons.  That's right, Assad does too.  If you think Iran is scary with nukes, imagine ISIS with them.  And also imagine them with Saran Gas, a very dangerous chemical weapon.  If they beat Assad, they will get these toys.

So as the media continues to push the peaceful Muslims away with lack of coverage, and turn them into Demons that we watch for in the night, they turn into the very monsters we accuse them of, just as ISIS planned.  Do you think attacking Paris was a coincidence with the refuge crisis?

France has taken in a lot of the Syrians.  And if my hypothesis on this holds true, then Berlin, you better watch yourself.

You. Are. Next.  

And as they attacks happen, we as a world come to fear Islam more and more and thus create our own enemy.

What needs to happen is that we must fight to stop this radicalization.  We must help the Syrians.  We do not need to lower our defenses.  its very possible that there are a few trouble makers mixed in with them, but most of them just want to be safe.

But since I know how people feel about this issue, they will turn away the Muslims in general.  And I hate to break it to you.  this does not mean victory for us.

This is a victory for ISIS.  They are winning this fight.  We are trying to fight them as if they are a physical entity.  But they are an idea, and ideas are much harder to kill.

Instead, we need to seek our humanity for one another.  Working together is how we will stop this cycle of radicalization.  It is the only way to kill the idea of ISIS.

Starbucks Cup

I really can't believe I am writing about this.  I feel dirty every single time I add another letter to this post.

Can we just all come to grips with reality please?  A cup is offending you?  Please go back to whatever planet of stupid you came from and stay there.  Stop infecting us with your uselessness.

Real talk though.  It really does show how blessed some people are in their lives that their biggest concern is the color of a coffee cup.  I mean, its not like there are far worse problems out there.

Ya know, problems like: Starvation, Child Slavery, Sex Trafficking, Terrorism, Beheadings, Rampant Sickness, Extreme Poverty, Grotesque Greed, Lack of Goodwill for our Fellow Man/Woman, and so many other countless issues that I cannot begin to even list them all.

Instead, I will leave you with this.

Also, next time I am in Starbucks, I will tell them my name is "Hail Satan"  I don't drink Coffee, nor do I believe in the Christian Devil.

The 4th Republican Debate

As I watch the most recent Republican Debate, I feel that it is important for me to listen with an open mind.  As a Democrat and Liberal, it is too easy to dismiss the people on the other side of the aisle.

A few things of note that I find to standout.  First, Trump has not talked as much as I expected, the other candidates however have spoken a whole lot more than expected.

Also candidates are at each other's throats.  And not the ones I expected.  So far, Rubio and Rand have gone at it, Jeb has gone against everyone.  And Fiorina is trying to be a mediator.  Kasich has fought a few times too and as I expected, I like him the most of the GOP candidates.  Nobody has fought with Carson.

An incredible thing I noticed was when Jeb Bush pointed out that the GOP Candidates fighting each other does nothing but help the Democratic Cause.  Of course, he is doing this to try and become more relevant.

Also Kasich is acting a lot like Jim Webb on the first debate.  Fighting for more time.  Carson is making viable points as he speaks.  I still don't trust him though.

I disagree with Trump wanting to let Putin kill Isis.  That just helps Assad.  Many of the candidates argued for some time to decide what needed to be done in the middle east.

As they debate Dodd Frank, I have to wonder if these people really have America's back.  Still they do bring up a good point with Clinton's voting record in the same breaths.

I have to agree with Marco Rubio when he describes that the banks are too big to fail.  They need to be shrunk so they are not big anymore.  Still Kasich to the rescue to remind why i like him.

The entire GOP is clearly filled with hatred towards Hillary.

Trump continues to point out that both parties are part of the problem in an effort to appear to the American people as the candidate outside the system.

So while the GOP debate was still an overly played out circus, I think there are still things we can learn from these candidates.

Too Early for Christmas

This is a message for many of my American friends, but is not limited to just that country.  It is November.

DO NOT POST YOUR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS YET

For the sake of civil people everywhere just don't do it.  Just please.   Wait til the night of December 24th if not later.  the sane world will very much appreciate it.

But since I know none of you reading this will listen, I just want to remind you that every time you hang up a light before Thanksgiving, G-d kills a reindeer.

Don't be a murderer.  Only you can prevent premature Christmas Lights.

Blacksea Odyssey

A close friend of mine decided much like myself, that working a menial job for someone else was overrated.  Instead, he with a few other friends of his decided to create a video game.

And its looking to be loads of fun.  Last night, I got a chance to play the game myself at an expo, and it was loads and loads of fun.  And although I am not particularly accomplished at the type of game that genre wise Blacksea Odyssey falls into, it was fun to play, despite seeing the game over screen quite a few times.

But what is this game?  Its an overhead action shooter with equal parts rogue-like and RPG elements. As a bounty hunter, you are tasked to go across the galaxy slaughtering increasingly powerful monsters in space.

The RPG elements come in the form of runes.  Lootable items dropped from treasure chests and monsters that bestow more abilities on your character.  The Rogue like qualities take the form of permadeath.  Dying means starting from square 1.  No checkpoints.


I know I intend to preview the game on a future Twitch Broadcast.  And to my friends who are creating this game, I congratulate you on the success so far, and hope it gets even better.

The Alpha is available for people to play here: http://blackseaodyssey.com/ and quite frankly, this game is highly polished in the relatively short amount of time that the game has existed.

Jews and double standards

I have covered this topic before.  I have covered this topic many, many times on this blog and other places.  This issue also applies to other minority groups, namely Autistics, Schizophrenics, Gays,  and Gypsies among others.  But today I will be focusing on how these double standards affect the Jewish people.

Lets look at Israel.  The Jewish country and the homeland of the Jewish people. A country surrounded by countries wracked by civil war as well as human rights violations as numerous as the desert sands of the region. And yet, its Israel that takes the blame for these problems.  A terrorist looks to incite trouble in Jerusalem, Israel reacts.  The world reacts.  they ignore the terrorist threat.  All blame goes to Israel.

Despite what media and political correctness may have you believe, the Palestinians are not being oppressed by Israel.  If anything, they are being oppressed by themselves. And despite this, a majority of them just want to live happy healthy lives, ya know, like most normal people.

Its the radicalized ones that pose a problem.  and these radicalized individuals that are causing problems for Israel.  They seem to have studied their history books.  In the 1800s, all one had to do to make good on public relations was to bait the Austrian Hungarian-Empire into war and magic happened.

Italy is a country today and so is Germany because of this tactic.  And now radical extremists throughout and outside the middle east wish to copy this plan and make Israel into the public enemy in their mad bid for independence.

Their independence looks bleak indeed though.  Israel let Gaza govern itself.  I don't think it takes much effort to figure out how that turned out.  The Palestinians need leaders who actually have their interests at heart, and not selfish political agendas in their blood before there can be peace.

Back to Israel though, and the Jewish people that guide her steps, we are named "the chosen people" by Torah and this certainly has not helped us make friends.  But "Chosen People" does not mean we get to lord over the rest of the world.  Instead, it means we have an obligation to help improve the world and stand as an example for goodness.

This does not make life easy when are enemies are rabid vultures that peck at us and call foul when we hold our hands up in defense.  It makes us hard pressed to protect ourselves when these individuals will stop to ever deeper lows in their attempts to see us destroyed.

Sadly, the rest of the world has accepted that a majority of the middle eastern countries do not care for their people.  Instead they focus on the country that does care.  The one that shares their beliefs in Democracy, Reasonable Capitalism, and Social Liberalism.

In a sea of Ultra Religious Fanaticism and Death, Israel tries to stay strong, but its not only the nations of the deserts that see Israel in an unfair light.  The entire world needs to understand that to turn on Israel really is Antisemitism.  We cannot be afraid to use the word.  its a dirty word, but the troubles in Israel and the Middle East are dirty.  That's just the way it is.  For those of you wondering how one should define Antisemitism, I find the simple method to be the best.

If you have to question whether a statement is Antisemitic or not, it IS.

As I pray for peace in the Middle East, I also pray for an end to hypocrisy as well as these double standards that impede not only peace, but innovation and a brighter future for all of us.

Overwatch Beta

The Overwatch Beta test is in full swing.  And I don't have a key.  Yes I know, the salt is real.  The desperation to have one is even more real.

What I have learned from being a Beta Tester in the past, is that Blizzard looks for a few traits when selecting its testers.

First: If you are well known in the gaming community.  Popular Streamers and Casters get a high chance of entering into any video game Beta.  Not just a Blizzard one.

Second, if one has a history of being a Beta Tester, that ups their chances.  Especially when they report bugs and help fix errors in the game.

Third, standard players are chosen at random.  These are people that are not well known.  These people allow the mid to high and (even low) levels of skill play itself out for the sake of balancing and such.

Fourth and finally which is the purpose of this blog post, the final way to increase chances of getting into the beta is to talk about it.  Blizzard wants people who promote their products to continue promoting.  its common sense that they would do so here.

Now pray with me that I get in. And if you are competing with me for a spot.  May I get in first.