Still Asking, Dude,Where's My Country?

One of my readers, who is a brilliant philosopher on the current trend of American life, though he would never call himself that. Never ceases to bring up pertinant and viable points about our current society. He is a wonderfully prolific writer, who should, in all honesty, have a blog of his own. He is so good infact, that several times I have checked in on this blog just to read what I knew would be entertaining and wonderfully informative comments by him. (See Comments under my original Post, 'Dude, Where's My Country?')

Today's post is actually my written response to him, and it contains information that most Americans are not aware of, but we sorely need to be..
The entry follows...

Well said mwcspfg. THAT is the question that started this blog for me. That is the question I continue to ask. I love your passion and your eloquence on the subject. I knew in my heart that somewhere out there that there were other Americans like me, black, white, red, brown, and yellow, asking the same question. Where is the country that I knew, grew up in, and was proud of? Who has smudge the lines of clarity and reason, wisdom, and just plain common sense. When did this become a blind idiot's paradise? A gathering of lawmakers who totally ignore the voice and the will of the people, refuse to make reasonable laws that protect the people within their own borders, but pass laws to benefit their cronies and the pontificating elites of society, and continue to leave our borders so porous and undefended, that the Mexican Cartels--and now the terrorists--look ravenously at America's Borders like she's a freshly cooked side of beef, free for the taking. Our borders are a nuclear bomb that has already exploded. Drug traffickers AND Terrorists alike are pouring through them unhindered. Border Patrol Agents have been asked to stop an impossible human-flood tide with a laughable pittance of the equiptment that they really need. Mixed in with the immigrants who flood over our borders are large doses of drug trafficers heading to specific cities to ply their trade and establish new centers, jostling and rubbing shoulders with terrorists sent to establish new cells.

Perhaps Washington is hoping that if we all imagine that there is an 'Invisible Fence' at our Borders, it will keep the illegal immigrants, Drug Trafficers and Terrorists out...

An interesting thing to note that our intelligence agencies are aware of, but the American Public is not. Hugo Chavez (El Nutto from Venezuela) recently concluded an agreement with El Nutto Numero Uno--The President of Iran--to allow their intellegence agencies to work together. Chavez has agreed to extend visas and passports to Iranian Agents and train them to speak and act like Venezuelans, so that they can pass for citizens and thereby sneak into ANY country. Hmmm, wonder where they would try that first, eh?

 President Obama and Homeland Security are aware of this, and yet, the order holds; to put no serious effort into finishing the fence, to send only a 'token' amount of troops to re-enforce a brave but massively overwhelmed Border Patrol Agency, and to pontificate and adopt a holier than thou attitude with Arizona, as armies of invaders continue to swamp this grand olde ship of Liberty, hoping to capsize her under their ever-increasing weight and numbers...

A tunnel discovered running under the US/Mexican Border...

And above that, a warning to travelers near the border that they may run into trafficers and illegals.

What have we come to, that the best thing that we can offer American Citizens traveling in their own country is not protection, but a 'sign' warning them they could be harmed or killed...

Dude, Where's My Country... 

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/International/story?id=1477964 (You need to see this article for yourself, to believe it...)


{Sigh} I continue to ask--Dude, where's my Country...

Yeah, But What If...

"Ok, Yeah, mmmm, I do have an idea for a book, but I'm no author, I'm no writer, I could never write a 'book'. You're kidding me. Naah, that's for somebody else, I could never see myself doing something like that..."

Really? How long have you been telling yourself that? How many years? And yet, somehow, some way, the idea just keeps coming back to you in some way, shape, or form, doesn't it? And, oh, by the way, here it is again...

"Ok, ok, but what if I just don't have time to write a book? I mean, I'm just too busy to put hours and hours into writing a book..."

Really? Hmm, let's see... How much time did you spend last night watching TV? No, seriously, how much?
yeah, I know, you don't really spend that much. So, go ahead, just calculate it to yourself, we'll all wait...

{Whistling to self...}. Ok, you done? Ok. So how long was it? Now, multiply that by seven. How much did you come up with?
Wow. Surprising isn't it? I know, I know, some nights are really busy nights for you, so we'd have to subtract those.
I get it, really, I do.

Uhh, but we'd also have to rememeber those nights when your favorite shows came on and you ended up watching a little bit longer than usual too... So, it pretty much all evens out.

"Yeah, but it is soooo noisy in my house! My kids, their music, my dogs, my cats, my parrots, my wife, my goldfish, my neighbor's Orangatang Collection, and man! You just don't understand, they are all just so noisy, it is simply impossible to concentrate!" 
"Sure, I've had a book idea for years but I never have a moment to my self to do anything with it!"

Ok, all humor aside, have I touched or your excuse yet?

Say, listen, let me cut to the chase and be frank. I believe that God is a creative God, and that when He made you and I, that that creativity is like 'Chocolate Icing' for a cake. Now guys, I'm sure your wives can really identify with this, but I'm sure you'll be able to relate too...

Remember the very first time your young son or daughter helped Mom out in the kitchen when she was 'icing the cake'. You came home, more likely than not, and found icing everywhere, because your son or daughter, once thay had the icing on their hands, ended up anointing every thing in the house!

Well, your Heavenly Father is like that, He is so creative, that when He made you and I, He could not help but get some of that 'creativity' inside us. Infact, He did it on purpose.

"Yeah, but Dave, I don't know if my creativity is in the area of writing..."

And you never will, unless you try.  Understand?

"Ok,ok, so what makes you such an authority?"

Uh, because the same excuses you offered are the same one's I did, for years.
After 30 years in the Ministry I have discovered several things to be true about things that God has purposed, Called, or Anointed you and I to do...

1. The Gifts and Callings of God are without repentance. Translation: God Never Changes His Mind About What He Has Called or Commissioned You To Do, or, What Talent He Has Given You To Use For Him... Romans 11:29. KJV

2. There are many devices in a man's heart, nervertheless, the Counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. Translation: No matter how many times you shoo it away, no matter how many times you tell yourself that you can't do it, and that there is no way you can get that thing done, a God-Idea just keeps coming back to you--once a week, once a day, once a month, once a year, once every ten years, but it keeps popping up in your thinking. It's just like that persistant fly you ran into at your last picnic. You shoo'd the thing away, you swatted at it, you blew a puff of air at it, threw water at it, moved, and changed your location, and yet and still that persistant little thing came and found you again and was right back in your face, weirdest thing you had ever seen.

God Inspired Ideas are like that. They won't go away, and they won't quit, until you get the hint that God is trying to get your attention and tell you something... Proverbs 19:21 KJV

Ok, so let's say you have an idea for a book, what do you do?

Make the time to write.
How so?

a. Cut down on your TV watching time. {Uh, that scream you just heard in the background, was my flesh. From time to time I still have to over-ride his squeals of protest to get a project done. *Click*"Hey! I was watching that!!"}  Be prepared from time to time for him to 'beg' too. "Erraa, can't we watch this tonight, and write tomorrow? Pra-leaseeees!"

b. Make sure that you do things to capture story concepts, dialog, and ideas. Take a small recorder with you as you drive, speak your ideas into it and write them down when you get home at your first opportunity.

c. Keep a note paid or, a small micro recorder on your nightstand by your bed at night. Again, to capture ideas and storyline for your book, or ideas for articles that you can write and submit to magazines.

d. Be sure to tell the family, that you will be writing for an hour or so (or 30 min., whatever you can manage to wrench free) and that you will be sequestered for that length of time and unavailable except for emergencies.  And oh, be sure to tell them that a 'cup cake craving' does not qualify as an emergency. (Ask me how I know, go head, ask me..).

e. Another little Guerilla Tactic For Writers, (Hey, there ya go! That sounds like a great title for a book, right there! That's free, I won't charge you for it.) ;-) But learn to take advantage of your down time. At lunch time while you're eating--write. Waiting for a client to arrive who's late--write. Stuck in traffic--write/record (which ever is the most practical). Bored and just sitting around the house with nothing to do--write. Standing in line at the hardware store, or trapped in the grocery store waiting in line with your Honey-Do List-- yes, that's right--write/record.  And lastly when reposing upon ("ahem") the 'throne'--write.
You will be amazed, as you are consistant with this, how much you will get done.

d. Also make sure that you do your Intelligence Gathering. Plan now, while you are writing and comprising your book/manuscript, once you get your finished product (remember our last blog, finish your book, use a Print On Demand Publisher to have a finished product in hand that you can then send to a major publisher or Agent that they can look over and be suitably impressed by your resolve to get into print) start scoping out major publishers/agents now, so that you'll already have a 'target' in view. Research their contact information, check out how they prefer to be contacted (very important). By query letter, by email, by phone? Some may prefer a few sample pages first, not the whole book. Try to obtain a contact name, rather than just sending your material addressed to "Whom Ever Wants to Make Me a Millionaire Author, Publishing Company"...
That usually doesn't go over too well...
But where would you find such information readily available?
Sally E. Stuart has put together a great book that includes that information and much more (book seen above).  A veritable gold mine of writing info.
For Info on Sally's Book and Other Great Books on Christian Writing

And finally, Pray. Pray over your ideas and your projects. Pray for story ideas, if you don't have one already kicking around inside. Why?
Because of something that the Ancient Book of Wisdom that we know as The Bible, says...

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths..." Proverbs 3:6. KJV

A powerful truth, and vital key that our forefathers learned, as they strove to maintain their focus and their, American Tenacity...

God Bless...

Ok, I've Got An 'Idea' For a Book, Now What Do I Do?

Write it...

Yes, you can shop your idea around to major publishers in the form of a 'Book Proposal', and hope they'll give you a look. Wish you tha best with that. But...


The reality is this, you've noticed ofcourse how your work load has increased over the past few months, and everytime you tell the boss you could use some help with it, he gives you the old, 'better be glad you've got a job speech?" Yeah, you know the one. Well, the very same thing has happened to the publishing industry. Tons of manuscripts coming in, and fewer readers to read them.

So what do you do?


Gone are the days of shopping your manuscript around with a few flaws that you hope they'll over look because the story concept itself is so compelling. No, now days you need to:
Have a flawless script and a compelling story, cross both fingers, atleast three toes, and then pray!

For me, all I got from shopping my Book Proposal around, was dizzy. I got no responses-nada. Well, hold on, that's not entirely true. I did get one response, one agent said he wanted to see more of the manuscript. Once he got it, then, he said no. (Since I had seen him last he'd opened his own agency, and was looking for established authors to represent.)


No. I'm not telling you that there's no hope, there is.
Since then, I have published three books, but it was only after I learned that you can't just have a great idea for a book. You need to have a strategy to get it published, and a good one...


Here is a list of things that I found worked for me...

1st- Finish your book. You've got a great idea, concept, outline, that the publishers are gonna love. Great. Finish it.

2nd- Don't wait for a publisher to publish your book-you do it. No, seriously, stop laughing, you can do it. Consider going to a good POD (Print on Demand) Publishing Company first. Thier prices can range from $799.00 to $4,299.00 plus, but it's a great first step if you're serious about getting published.



3rd-There are a number of Writer's websites that will allow you to post excerts from your book on their websites for a small fee. Major publishers parouse these sites on a regular basis looking for good manuscripts to publish. Thier next discovery could be you.

4th-Continue to hone your skills, find good books on writing and various writing styles. Don't sit on your laurels, continue to perfect your craft.

5th- Encourage yourself and don't quit.


This is an admittedly a short list, but this is a list designed to be effective, in helping you to get published. Not just another list to go along with the others you have collecting dust on your desk. (Ask me how I know, go ahead, ask me...)

Ok, last thing. A quick peek into the Wonderful Land of "Why"? I use to waste a lot of time there, hopefully by sharing these answers I can help keep you out of its time wasting quagmires...

Why Number 1?
It is important to finish writing your book or manuscript first because a) If by a sweet miracle or act of God you run into a publisher who actually shows interest in your work and wants to see it, you won't have to tell him or her, "Uhh, I uh, don't actually have a finished manuscript yet, but if you just give me four weeks I can get back to you and--Hey! Where you going? Wait, don't leave! You haven't given me your number yet! Wait!"

At that point you wipe your tears and start waving, take a deep breath and say, "Good bye Opportunity! Don't forget to write! {sniff-sniff}"

When opportunity knocks, always make sure your ideas are fully dressed and ready to answer the door...

Why Number 2?
If you have the money, make sure that you self-publish your book. Use a POD company, because they have much cheaper prices than the traditional, older, and more costlier self-publishing companies.
Why? Because once you get a contact in the major publishing industry, you can present him or her with a finished product. It can be a very impressive thing to Manucript Coordiantor that: a) You believed enough in your book that you spent your own money to get it out there before the public. It shows you believe enough in your product to get off your keister and work for it. b) Instead of them having to imagine what your book would look like published, they can actually see it, even if they decide to give it a different cover. My first book, Dark Things... was done by Xulon Press (www.xulonpress.com) and the original book cover, won an award! Subsequently the book was picked up by major religious publisher, Moody Press.

There are several other POD companies available and some of the additional benefits they can offer (and they are priced accordingly) are:
Copyrighting Services
Listing and Posting to numerous major online bookstores (Amazon.com, Books-a-million.com, Barnes and Noble.com, etc)
Creat trailers for your book on the Internet, in YouTube, etc.
And the list goes on...

Case in point, my book Dark Things... is an inspirational supernatural thriller. Just for the fun of it, I do a search every now and then just to see what stores carry it online. Along with being listed in all the major online stores and many,many, small ones, last time I checked, an online store in India is carrying it now and advertises that they will ship copies to Dubai, and Saudi Arabia,etc. So as you can see, # 2 is indeed worth it.

Why Number 3?
I will in my next post list the names of several of these sites where you can post samples pages from your book where major publishers on a regular basis, drop by these sites looking for new authors and new talent. I have used it myself and they are excellent. They're not free, but it is a remarkable opportunity to get your work infront of the right set of eyes.

Why Number 4?
You must continue to hone your skills. Obviously it is for your own good and as you get better and better you will be very glad that you have indeed continued to perfect your writing skills.

Why Number 5?
Finally, if you have family and friends that can and do encourage you to live your dream as a writer and author, great. But if not...

Then you of all people know that you are going to have to encourage and motivate yourself. Because if you don't do it, then you take the chance that your dreams can die unborn. I have talked to so many potential authors who never took the time to care enough about their dream to encourage themselves. "Physician, heal thyself..."
I'm glad that you have encouraged and motivated others to accomplish their lifes' dreams, but I think its time now, that you took the time to invest the same efforts into your own...
God bless, and keep writing...
Let's all remember to use our God given gift of...
American Tenacity...

David Humphrey

Dude! Where's My Country??

Remember the movie a few years back with Ashton Cusher entitled, 'Dude, Where's My Car?' I'll go you one better...
'Dude, Where's My Country?'

What has happened to the charming days of yester year, where up was up, and down was where you left it? Now, all that is shot to Hades and back. Now...

Our Nation's Attorney General in December opted to read a 'Terrorist' (the Underwear Bomber) his 'Miranda Rights.' (He's not a citizen, he therefore had no Miranda Rights.)

Also in December, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano shouted "The System worked!" In speaking of the capture of the now infamous 'Underwear Bomber'. When this was revealed to not be the case (the guy tried to light his under wear and it didn't work, and the passengers jumped him and restrained him for Police). Once it was revealed that the guy's underwear wouldn't light and that's how he was captured, she uttered some benign political speak and returned to the comfort and ineptness of Washington DC.

Dude, where's my country?

My Attorney General is talking about suing Arizona over a law that he hasn't even read yet. How do you know a law is illegal if you haven't even bothered to read it?
Arizona has a gun up to it's head and the Cartels have cocked it and have their finger on the trigger.

Phoenix, Arizona, the Number TWO city with the highest kidnapping rate in the WORLD. Second only to, Oh, look-Mexico City! So, the same Drug Cartels that have suceeded in making Mexico City Number One, have also succeeded in making Phoenix, Number Two.

When are we going to get it. Arizona's law is not targeting Legal Immigrants. It is targeting Illegal ones. Why?

Ask the Arizona victims, like the Rancher who was killed by an illegal immigrant...
Oh, but that's right, I'm sorry. You can't, because he's dead.
Ask the victims of the DWI's committed by illegal immigrants, but oh, that's right...
They're dead too. Well, let's try the Police Officers and Border Agents who gave their lives in protecting the Border, the State and it's Citizens, when they came upon an illegal they thought was just coming here for a better job, but, hmmm.
Regretably, they're dead too...

Hmm, maybe, just maybe, Arizona decided to do something that the US Government has vascilated on for years like a kite in the wind. Maybe they decided it would be more prudent to stop investing in 'Body Bags' for it's Citizens while they waited for the Federal Government to do its job, and they decided instead to protect its Citizens themselves...

Dude, Where's my Country??

Welcome to My New Blog...

Ok,ok,ok... I don't know about you, but I think that's enough. We've heard enough negative information over the last few months to drown an elephant, and I'm done. As far as I'm concerned, I've had enough fence sitting and am more concerned about doing something about this lousy economy than just succubming to it.

So, this blog will be dedicated to sharing with you and anybody else who wants to listen, what you can do about it to change the state of your own 'personal economic situation.'

How so? Well, I'm glad you asked that. I'm an author, I have written and published 3 books (1 under a pseudonym) and have had atleast one of them published by a major publisher. For those of you out there they maybe interested in doing the same, and perhaps even have a manuscript that you've been sitting on for years (I sat on mine for 10 years!), then we'll have some tools you can use.

In addition, we will cover various topics designed to encourage you, motivate you and keep you out of the dumps. This is America after all, where, from the time this little political experiment started, by the grace of God, we have been pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps for the past 233 years.

So from time to time if you need a pick me up, with abit of humor, and a dash of attitude thrown in, check us out.

Uh, but fair warning though. It will be effective, many of the tools and suggestions you will find useful, but we won't promise you that we will be 'politically correct'.
This is America, our country was born in a cauldron of political incorrectness...

Seeya soon.