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Welcome to the 2009 Editorial Archives of Martin T. Ingham Read Martin T. Ingham's Current Column Here! |
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I was asked the other day why I no longer write this column on a regular basis. It is a question that comes up now and then from my loyal readers, and I have explained it in part at different times, but I feel it is important that I lay it all out right here and now, to remove doubt and insinuation.
The obvious answer that comes to most people's minds is that I am too busy. As this column is not a paying venue, I must obviously place it secondary to my money-making projects. While that is true, it is only a half-truth.
Some cynics and critics may think that I am incapable of writing a regular column, that I am somehow deficient as a writer. That is by no means the case, for I have in the past cranked out multiple articles each week. I have an opinion about just about everything, and could spend hours scrawling out lengthy essays on why I believe it. However, the true reason I've stopped producing a column each week (or even every other week) is simply a lack of desire, and realization that it is futile.
The truth is, I don't see the point of expressing my point of view each and every week, passionately expounding my love and hate, my desires and my fears. I have laid out my basic core beliefs in previous columns, and people know where I stand, but many times it just doesn't seem to accomplish anything to elaborate on my views. Not that many people care what I have to say at this point, and once the hate-mail vanishes I am left wondering why I should bother?
So, I find myself lacking a desire to constantly stick myself out there, and catch the fiery arrows of the enemy. I have better things to do than be a rabble rouser, preaching to the choir and being ignored by those who disagree.
My true passion has always been for fiction. I tell tales to entertain, and that is where my true talent lies. Therefore, I have been focusing on that recently.
I cannot escape my desire to speak out against injustice and un-American practices, and I will not give up entirely, but it is now infrequent that I waste my precious time blowing off steam, or warning of the threats to our liberties. There are many more people, much more popular and influential, leading that charge, and I am glad to support them.
I hope this New Year brings better things, though the dark clouds are blinding.
Lately, God has been revealing some pretty powerful things to me, revelations that explain much about our existence and the meaning of life. Some of these answers fly in the face of man's doctrine, and are difficult to accept, but I have come to accept them as truth from God.
Of course, after God reveals something to us, we are free to do with it what we please, unless He specifies otherwise. We can share it with those around us, shout it for the whole world to hear, or leave it alone and let the truth speak for itself.
I wrote an extensive column the other day, explaining many of my recent revelations, but I have decided to not release it for several reasons. I do not believe the vast majority of people are ready for these truths, and it might even be harmful to their religious walk if I were to give them these answers.
There is a reason The Bible does not spell out every last thing in detail, and that is because most people really aren't ready for those answers. What I have learned has given me great understanding, but it is also not all peace and joy.
Human nature and emotion can cause some of the strongest believers to refute the truth when it isn't pretty. I fear that if I revealed the extent of my knowledge at this time that most people would just refuse to listen, and consider me a heretic or false prophet. It would be a waste and nobody would benefit. Quite the contrary; we'd all suffer the worse for it.
I must accept that the answers I have gleaned are for me alone, and God will provide the right answers for you as He sees fit. If He does not give you complete answers all of the time, come to accept that it is simply for the best. He will give you the knowledge you need when you need it, at a time when it will not cause you to turn away from the truth.
Bah, I'll just stick to politics from now on.
As some of you may have heard, one of my books, "The Guns of Mars," was recently selected to be one of the 500 Quarterfinalists in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. It's an honor, and I thank God for taking me this far. With His help, I hope to reach the next level, and even go on to victory.
The initial Amazon reviews were very positive. They found my excerpt (the first 5,000 words, approximately) to be in good shape. They went so far as to say that this work is bestseller material, and they would want to buy it. It is always nice to hear something positive from strangers.
Following the professional Amazon reviews, I have received mixed reviews from readers. I know several of these "readers" are actually fellow Quarterfinalists, who have given lukewarm and negative reviews to help prop up their own submissions. I find this underhanded and deplorable, and I will not stoop to their level. I feel it is inappropriate for contestants to review each other's work, as we are biased. It is for that reason alone that I will not critique other submissions, no matter how good or bad they are.
However, I have decided, in order to both lighten my mood, and possibly yours, I will perform a critique of my own excerpt. This is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and takes advantage of the scathing reviews I've already received, plus others I'm surprised haven't been used yet to defame my work. So, here it is, Martin's very own critique of The Guns of Mars excerpt:
You suck! (1-star)
That sums up what I think of this writer in a nutshell. His writing is just so abhorrent I don't know where to begin. Let's start with chapter one. What the heck is going on? We're dumped right in the middle of the story, where Morgan (a guy with a girl's name?) is stranded on Mars. There's some kind of conspiracy going on, but we don't know how or why (lack of information is annoying here). He rambles on about missing his wife (hello, Elton John?), and then goes to sleep. We're told briefly about some interesting technology, like a space heater and a fancy pressure tent, but there's no technical schematics detailing how this technology works. Perhaps he is too stupid to describe the physics behind a "carbon scrubber?"
Next, we move into chapter two, which throws us back to the start of the story. Morgan sits in a classroom, learning about going to Mars (boring). A childish "colonel" comes in and acts like a prima-donna teenie-bopper, not a real military officer, and we discover she's somehow uncovered the secret to aging and reversed it? What does that have to do with Martian colonization? We also find out that Morgan is from the past, and there's virtual reality technology around? What? Too many plot threads are cropping up to confuse the feeble minded.
To wrap this excerpt up, Morgan goes home and has dinner with his wife (more boring), and we're left wondering what the heck he'll do next. Like I care!
This excerpt was boring, lacked technical detail, didn't have any gunplay (hello, Guns of Mars?), and the writer spent way too much time on character development. Who cares what these people think and feel? Let's get some action, and blow things up!
This book also looks way too complicated to be good. I mean, every complex story with such varied plotlines ends up sucking, just like that Dune series by that Herbert guy, and don't get me started on Heinlein. This writer does too much, and not enough at the same time. Not only that, but I bet he smells like turnips. Just my impression.
Well, there you have it; a truly professional critique of "The Guns of Mars" excerpt. With enemies like me, who needs friends?
If you are interested in also bashing Martin's work, or for some strange reason feel it deserves a compliment, you may read "The Guns of Mars" excerpt for free at www.amazon.com!
There is something that most writers end up doing during their careers. They give books away; whether for promotion or as gifts to friends and family, they pass out their work. This is all well and good, and I have given out a few copies before. Usually, I understand that it's no big deal, though there is an exception to the rule.
There are certain special editions of my book, which I have given (though in many cases sold) to select individuals. In order to get one of my "Lucky 13" editions, you have to be someone special, or otherwise deemed worthy in my eyes to receive one of the first 13 copies I sign of a particular novel. Even to purchase one, you must be held in some high esteem with yours truly, and be lucky enough to catch me before I've already assigned them all. So, you might imagine it is quite an honor to be flat-out given one, rather than asked to pay money for one.
I understand that people don't hold books in very high regard these days, and often people may not want to have my book cluttering their limited shelf space. In such an instance, I can understand someone regifting a copy to someone interested in reading my work, and I do not find this at all objectionable. What I do object to is someone hocking my gifts for profit.
I gave out only a few numbered editions, and gave them only to people I believed would respect the magnanimous gift (with the exception of Howie Carr, you fat bastard). So, imagine my surprise when I found one of my special numbered editions for sale online! How it got there is clear; someone I trusted with my work decided to make a fast buck off of my gift. Truly, that is unacceptable (except from Howie Carr, the Cap'n gets a free pass).
I will not name names, but you know who you are. While we are not terribly close, I will say I'm a little disappointed, though it's obvious my opinion doesn't matter to you much. Not that it should. It may not matter what we think of each other, but I will say that you have been blacklisted from my gift list, so don't expect to receive another freebie. If you'd paid for the book, I wouldn't have cared. You'd have been morally free to do with it as you pleased, but the very fact that I gave you a special edition meant it was more than just a book. It was a gift, with added meaning.
As I said, I would not have cared so much, had you given the book away to someone you also deemed worthy of a gift, but the fact that it sits in an online bookshop shows that you thought it a grand idea to make money off my generosity and kind sentiments. Truly, that is despicable. I hope you sleep well at night with your fistful of dollars!
To all of you who have one of the 13 numbered editions of Virtual Wiles: If you paid money for it, do what you want with it. You paid for it, and the money I received covered any sentimentality involved. However, if I gave you a copy (you proud, you few), do not try to make money off it. Feel free to give the copy away to someone else, but tell me about it, so I'll know not to fault you if it turns up for sale.
The finalists for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award will be announced in a few days, and before that happens I would once again like to say a few words regarding the amazing experience I am having. Being a semifinalist has truly been a blessing, and I could not have come even this far without God's blessing. If I make the final cut, it will truly be by His grace.
I have understood all along in this contest that my submission was a longshot to win. I did not have enough time before the start of this process to properly edit "The Guns of Mars," so it has quite a few typos and grammatical anomalies which I have since weeded out. I believe the story is sound, and worthy to be published, and I hope the editors at Penguin Publishing (who are picking the 3 finalists) will recognize the book's value.
The final cut will depend largely on the personal preferences of the editors. They will pick books that they would like to see in print, and God only knows what their tastes are. Science Fiction is a popular genre which generally sells well, but it is also stigmatized for its fantastic elements, and scoffed at by some literary aficionados. Thus, I am left watching and waiting, continuing the prayer I have given since reaching the semifinals, that God continue to bless this work and help assure its inclusion in the final three.
All I have ever wanted to be is a professional fiction writer, and becoming a semifinalist in this contest is the closest I have ever come to success. In this day and age, where the marketplace is flooded with wannabe writers, even while readership is on the decline, it is virtually impossible for new writers to emerge. The ABNA gives many authors an opportunity to break through that barrier (hence, the name of the award), but it is still a tough competition.
Should I fail to reach the finals, it will not be the end of my dreams. They will simply go to sleep again, waiting for another opportunity which may never present itself. I can't say it will be pleasant, and I can't say how another defeat will improve my life. That is why I have leaned on God, for truly now is the time for success, and for the first time I believe I am truly ready for the experience of being a commercial writer. I know the trials and hardships involved in the field, and I will welcome it all. There are no rose-tinted glasses, and no grand illusions involved, only the reality of more work ahead.
I have toiled in obscurity for so long. Perhaps this will be the beginning of something better. Thank you, God, for bringing me this far, but please take me a little further.
In my personal examinations of life and government, I have come to a most important conclusion. Liberty cannot survive leniency. By that, I mean a free and libertarian society cannot remain that way if we do not have strict punishments applied to those who violate the limited laws needed to maintain order.
Liberty is a concept most of us understand to some degree. It is the idea that each person is endowed with certain rights, and should be free to live their lives without the heavy hand of government, or the unwanted influence of another human being, forcing them away from their pursuit of happiness. This was the basic principle upon which the American Republic was founded, and it is something that has been slowly stripped away over the years for various reasons. Although the United States is still a fairly free nation, we do not have the same liberty the Founding Fathers fought and died for.
One reason our nation has slid away from liberty over the years is because of our lax justice system. Punishments in recent decades have become quite lenient on all levels, severely diminishing the deterrent and preventive affects of the law, and encouraging government to impose new restrictions to prevent crime.
Take our system today, where very few violent offenders are executed, and many even walk free after only a few years behind bars. There is no real deterrent, and those seeking to break the law are more liable to do so because of that. This, in turn, incites government to draft preemptive legislation to stop future crime. These new laws manifest themselves as reductions on our rights and liberty, telling us how to live, what we can and can't do, and even what we can and can't say. But it's "for the children," and our own good, that our rights are proactively eliminated. Therefore, most people just accept a growing police state in the name of safety, unable to see the big picture.
In order to preserve true liberty in a society, the punishments for violating the limited rule of law must be severe; so severe that would-be offenders think twice before stepping over the line. Yes, there will always be a handful of miscreants and marauders who care nothing for the law, but their numbers are truly few. Most criminals are sensible (or cowardly), and will not break the law if there is a severe penalty. If someone knows they will hang for murder, they will avoid committing murder. If people know they'll be locked in an 8x12 cell (with no television or entertainment whatsoever) for life if they commit armed robbery, they will likewise think twice before holding up a liquor store.
However, lenient punishment is not only a problem for violent crimes. Lesser offenses are also being mishandled most severely. Take drunk driving, for instance. Many times a year, you will hear about Joe Sixpack being in court for his sixth OUI after running somebody off the road or causing other untold havoc. It is only after these offenders end up killing somebody that the book gets thrown at them, and by then it is too late. So many times these drunk drivers are busted repeatedly before causing tangible harm, but they are often treated with kid gloves. This may be because a sympathetic judge has a bottle waiting for him after court adjourns. Sorry if that offends you, but it's the harsh reality of the situation. Too many judges (and juries) let people off without serious punishment because they fear the day that they will be the defendant in court, and they wish to be let off the hook as well.
In a society with lenient punishments, crime inevitably starts to run rampant until the government restricts liberty. To stop criminal acts, more laws are put into place that curtail the actions of law-abiding citizens, reducing their liberty in the vain hope that some crimes may be prevented, but it doesn't work. Unless liberty is extremely reduced, a lucrative black market shall function to feed the illicit needs of criminals who care nothing about violating "laws." Hey, if somebody's going to commit murder, do they care that they'll be violating anti-gun laws in the process?
The arrogant lawmakers think reducing liberty and inventing new "crimes" will somehow diminish criminal activity. How can that work when punishments for these new "crimes" remain generally lax? It can't, and when the new laws restricting freedom don't work, they'll write new laws, stealing more freedom in incremental doses. Thus, liberty is curtailed in the name of order. The law-abiding citizens become oppressed, while the criminals keep breaking the law with impunity.
There is a direct correlation between the severity of the law, individual liberty, and crime. The more lenient your justice system, the more crime you will get, unless liberty is smaller. Under a fascist system there is often less crime, because the punishments are severe for everything. The problem is, the laws of fascist nations are pervasive and seek to eliminate the rights of people. It is not the punishment that should be in question, but the misapplication of justice. In the American Republic, we must use strict punishments to protect people's rights instead, and stop wrongdoers from stealing our rights through their own selfish actions.
I am a Conservative with Libertarian tendencies. As such, I believe in as few laws as necessary to maintain order and protect the rights of the individual. However, I recognize that it is impossible to have both freedom and a lax justice system. It is necessary that murderers and rapists be put to death, and petty criminals be made to pay for their harmful acts. If there is no deterrent, more people will do wrong, and government will keep passing new restrictions on our rights to make up for it, only to push us down the slippery slope to pervasive oppression.
Anyone who knows the least bit about me knows that I am a straight arrow when it comes to drugs. I do not drink, smoke, toke, shoot, snort, or in any other way ingest drugs of any kind. On rare occasions, I might have a cup of tea or a caffeinated soda, but that's as far as I'll go. Being anti-drug is just a large part of who I am.
By all statistics, I should be a dope fiend. When I was growing up, my parents were abusive drunks, who also smoked pot on more than one occasion. My mother was also an opiate fiend, drinking cough syrup for years, and she's been on countless prescription drugs since before I was born. Yes, according to logic, I should be an addict of one sort or another, but I thank God every day for steering me away from such things, and giving me a spirit that utterly rejects the poisons of this world.
I had a fight with my wife recently which was drug related. No, she isn't on anything, but she has been hanging out with someone who is, and I didn't like it.
This "friend" is on all sorts of prescription drugs, and beyond that she brags about the wonders of marijuana. She thinks it's so great for you, and she can't live without it. Her attitude is wholly immature, and not one I want my children exposed to on a regular basis.
I won't say that I am opposed to everyone who uses anything. It is something you must take on a case by case basis. Some people behave responsibly, and don't flaunt their addictions, but some do. Others are so scatterbrained that they may not even notice or remember bragging about it, which is the category that my wife's friend falls into. Every time she came to my house, she'd mention her use of "pot," talk about how much "better than booze" it was, and how she couldn't live without it. Yet, she doesn't seem to recall this bragging after the fact, probably because of her use of drugs.
I have said it before. I don't really care what people do, but I don't want to see it, and I don't want my children exposed to it. It is for these reasons I put my foot down in this instance. My children have enough bad influences from school and television that they don't need their mother hanging out with an unrepentant addict.
You can imagine the conversation in a few years, when the kids in school are exposed to drugs. "Well, mom's friend smokes pot and she seems okay, I guess it's okay if I do it." How can we keep our children away from drugs if we snuggle up to those who promote the activity?
I am sick and tired of hearing people brag about how "pot is better than alcohol." That is just plain stupid. It's like saying arsenic is better for you than asbestos, or poison ivy is better for you than poison oak. It's all poison! So what if it hurts you differently? I am equally annoyed with the "it's all natural" BS. Hey, cyanide is all-natural, as well. How about you put that in a pipe and smoke it!
If you're offended by any of this, that's fine, but I won't apologize for speaking the truth. Drugs are not good for you, and that goes for a lot of the "legal" drugs that doctors are prescribing these days. It is time for people to stand up and dry out. Kick the habits, and realize the world is the same, regardless of your inebriated state. If you want to poison your body and wreck your mind, go ahead, but I will not sit by and applaud you, nor will I help you to hurt yourself in any way. You're on your own in what you do. Keep my family out of it.