THE SECOND AMENDMENT, INDIVIDUALS OR JUST MILITIAS?

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Once, while watching a comedian on Comedy Central, (one of my favorite pastimes) I heard one of the best lines on the Second Amendment ever. The young comedian said he was a foreigner and while studying up on The Amendments to the Constitution he became confused about the first two. He asked this question of the American audience, " The First Amendment is the right to say anything you want and the Second Amendment is the right to have guns, right? Well it seems to me if you got a gun....can't you say anything you want?" All good humor has an element of truth in it, and that is a great example. I sincerely believe without the threat of revolt, freedom of speech will not exist long.

I openly admit, I'm bias on this subject. I own guns and I hunt most anything that the State of Michigan allows, I make no apologies. Twice in my life I've had to use a gun to protect myself, although I've yet to have to fire it in self defense. While growing up in a shady neighborhood I've found one thing to be utterly self-evident; criminals don't care about gun laws, plain and simple. With that out of the way, lets take a good look at the debate surrounding my second favorite Amendment.

If there is one thing in the Constitution I wish the Founding Fathers could have made clearer, it's the phrase "a well-regulated militia". That phrase has been debated endlessly. On one side are the people who believe that a well regulated militia meant a state could keep a government controlled militia such as the Nation Guard, to protect itself from excessive control by the Federal Government and to assist in emergencies. They believe that right does not extend to individuals. On the other side are the people who believe that in order to have a well regulated militia, the people themselves need to have arms to protect themselves individually. That they would rise up independent of any government intervention against either the State or Federal Government if need be.

And the argument doesn't end there. One side believes that you have the right to protect your family and belongings. The other believes the government should do that for you through police. One side believes that hunting with a gun is an American tradition and is absolutely necessary for the regulation of wildlife. The other side believes in alternative means to control wildlife populations, that frankly, I can't even name because none of them have been shown to work. (Except maybe hitting them with your car.)

When it comes to arguments about what our Founding Fathers intended, I look at what they themselves tried to do. Since The Bill of Rights was enacted in 1791, I could find no example of any of the Founding Fathers in any way trying to disarm the American people who all owned guns. They formed no force, they passed no laws, they took not one gun through the government. If their intent was for the individual to not have guns, why did they do nothing to enforce it? Honestly, it's ridiculous to assume they would want to disarm people who depended on guns for food and who had just used them to free themselves from an overbearing and controlling government that wouldn't even allow them to manufacture them for themselves. It's that simple.

Now, you could make the argument that the Founding Fathers could not have envisioned the future as it is today. That's at least rational. Guns come in forms that would have slaughtered Washington's armies in a day. Fully -automatic machine guns can kick out hundreds of rounds in the time it would take you to reload a muzzle loader. Frankly, I don't find it necessary for your average American to own a fully automatic weapon, an anti-aircraft gun, or an RPG. Let's keep it real here folks. I can enjoy shooting, hunting, and the safety of my own home protection without getting ridiculous. As far as rising up against my government if need be (and don't think it couldn't happen here), I think we could do it with reasonable weapons. After all, a lot of insurgencies seem to be doing a fair job with a lot less. If not, we could always buy them from Russia or China or God only knows who else.

In conclusion, let me say this. Two things that I believe will always be in America in some form are guns and abortion. The reason is simple, people equate them with freedom. The freedom to control your body or the freedom to defend yourself is really the same thing in the end, but we also have to except that both should be regulated so that we still have freedom without being ridiculous. Ten-year olds should not be getting abortions without their parents knowledge and ten-year olds should not be carrying handguns to school. I know that people on the left and right have far different ideas about where the boundaries should lie, but that's the great thing about America. We always seem to meet in the middle. I'll except some regulation as long as I always have a gun, but as far as whether the Second Amendment is for the individual or for government-controlled groups....It's as individual as my freedom. H.C.

THE H.C. REPORTS ON THE VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE

Following is the way I wish every journalist would have reported on this tragic event

One week ago today the city of Blacksburg, Virginia was stunned by a mass shooting on the campus of Virginia Tech University. An unnamed student, armed with a Glock 9mm and a .22 Caliber handgun made his way through Ambler Johnson Hall and Norris Hall indiscriminately shooting his fellow students and Professors until 32 lay dead. The shooter then, thankfully, took his own life sparing all of us from having to listen to his mindless, pathetic rants while on trial.

The next day it was revealed that he had mailed a package containing a manifesto and video of his insane ramblings to NBC Studios where he compared himself to Jesus Christ who killed no one. This reporter watched the video and read the rants and I can assure you it contains nothing of any redeeming social value whatsoever. His claims of persecution were not unique and were symptomatic of what you would expect from someone with no concern for anyone or anything except his own exaggerated sense of self worth.

His family, immigrants from South Korea, immediately went into hiding with their shame and grief. A spokesman for them assured the American people they shared our grief and were not aware their son was capable of such a heinous crime. They extend their apologies and sympathies to the families of his victims. A review of the perpetrator's family shows them all to be decent, hardworking people who in no way deserved the embarrassment and shame heaped upon their good family name.

It is the position of this reporter that no part of the shooters actions or character were worth the fame that he sought, so therefore, I refuse to mention his name or repeat any of the material he wanted so desperately to be published. I appeal to all my fellow journalists to follow my lead and discourage, instead of encourage this kind of behavior. Instead, I'm printing the names of all the people's lives that he so senselessly took, who died honorably, and who deserve to be remembered. To the families of the victims, and even the family of the shooter who deserved none of this misery, I extend my sympathies. May God help you through these trying times. H.C.

Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20, of Saugus, Mass., according to his mother, Lynnette Alameddine. Christopher James Bishop, 35, according to Darmstadt University of Technology in Germany, where he helped run an exchange program.
Brian Bluhm, 25, a civil engineering graduate student, according to friends.
Ryan Clark, 22, of Martinez, Ga., biology and English major, according to Columbia County Coroner Vernon Collins.
Austin Cloyd, an international studies major from Blacksburg, Va., according to Terry Harter, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Champaign, Ill.
Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, a French instructor, according to her husband, Jerzy Nowak.
Daniel Perez Cueva, 21, according to his mother, Betty Cueva.
Kevin Granata, age unknown, engineering science and mechanics professor, according to Ishwar Puri, head of the engineering science and mechanics department.
Matthew Gwaltney, 24, of Chester, Va., a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering, according to his father and stepmother, Greg and Linda Gwaltney.
Caitlin Hammaren, 19, of Westtown, N.Y., a sophomore majoring in international studies and French, according to Minisink Valley, N.Y., school officials who spoke with Hammaren's family.
Jeremy Herbstritt, 27, of Bellefonte, Pa., according to Penn State University, his alma mater and his father's employer.
Rachael Hill, 18, of Glen Allen, Va., according to her father, Guy Hill.
Emily Jane Hilscher, a 19-year-old freshman from Woodville, according to Rappahannock County Administrator John McCarthy, a family friend.
Jarrett Lane, 22, of Narrows, Va., according to Riffe's Funeral Service Inc. in Narrows, Va.
Matthew La Porte, 20, a sophomore from Dumont, N.J., according to Dumont Police Chief Brian Venezio.
Henry Lee, also known as Henh Ly, 20, a first-year student majoring in computer engineering from Roanoke, Va., according to Oakey's Funeral Service in Roanoke.
Liviu Librescu, 76, engineering science and mathematics lecturer, according to Puri.
G.V. Loganathan, 51, civil and environmental engineering professor, according to his brother G.V. Palanivel.
Partahi Lombantoruan, 34, of Indonesia, civil engineering doctoral student, according to Kristiarto Legowo, a spokesman for the foreign ministry.
Lauren McCain, 20, of Hampton, Va., international studies major, according to a statement from the family.
Daniel O'Neil, 22, of Rhode Island, according to friend Steve Craveiro and according to Eric Cardenas of Connecticut College, where O'Neil's father, Bill, is director of major gifts.
Juan Ramon Ortiz, a 26-year-old graduate student in engineering from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, according to his wife, Liselle Vega Cortes.
Minal Panchal, 26, a first-year building-science student from Mumbai, India, according to foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna.
Erin Peterson, 18, of Chantilly, Va., an international studies major, according to her father, Grafton Peterson.
Michael Pohle, 23, of Flemington, N.J., according to officials at his high school, Hunterdon Central High.
Julia Pryde, age unknown, a graduate student from Middletown, N.J., according to Virginia Tech professor Saied Mostaghimi, chairman of the biological systems and engineering department.
Mary Karen Read, 19, of Annandale, Va. according to her aunt, Karen Kuppinger.
Reema Samaha, 18, a freshman from Centreville, Va., according to her family.
Waleed Mohammed Shaalan, of Zagazig, Egypt, a doctoral student in civil engineering, according to the university.
Leslie Sherman, a sophomore history and international studies student from Springfield, Va., according to her grandmother Gerry Adams.
Maxine Turner, 22, a senior majoring in chemical engineering from Vienna, Va., according to her father, Paul Turner.
Nicole White, 20, a junior majoring in international studies from Smithfield, Va., according to a family statement released by Suffolk, Va., police department.

GIMME SHELTER

Safe.... I often wonder why there is even a word for something that you could never really be. Once again that point has been demonstrated by a madman with too much anger, and too little feelings for his fellow man. As all of you certainly know by now, (unless you live in a cave) there has been another school shooting. This time at Virginia Tech, where at last count, 33 people died. My news cycle has been filled with every imaginable angle on the story, each one sadder and more heart wrenching than the last. I've seen more photos of people who's lives were cut short than I want to see for the rest of my life. And as I told you in my last 3 posts, every tool is being used to further someone's agenda. I don't know what I find more disturbing, the story.... or the exploitation of it.

However, since it is on everyone's mind. I've decided to put my two cents in.

One more time we are going to have to review the question of Gun Control, of school safety, of right to privacy, access to medical files, and whether crimes can be prevented before they happen. On that I caution everyone, this is not the time to be making major decisions without giving ourselves time to reflect and to allow our emotions to settle to a more rational place. As a case-in-point. After 9/11 we had a serious rush to war with Iraq where damn near everyone thought (77 Senators voted for it and polls supported it as well) it was the thing to do. In hindsight, shouldn't we have waited and thought it out a little better? Let's not allow the powers-that-be use our emotions again to take any more of our rights away, or form stupid and useless committees that will tell us what we've already heard, simply repackaged.

Having said that, let's look at our options. There are good arguments both for and against gun control and arming more people on campuses. I myself lean toward fighting back. It's in my nature. I firmly believe that each and every one of those people who were senselessly killed were wishing for a gun to shoot back with or that someone with a gun would cut the bastard down. Just as there are no Atheists in foxholes, there are no pacifists when your life is next.

While searching my memory banks on school shootings, I came up with a example worth considering by all of you. It is very similar in every way to the Virginia Tech Shootings except the end result. In the Appalachian School of Law in 2002, another crazy student decided to take lives into his own hands. The School of Law is coincidentally also in Virginia. Peter Odighizuma, also a foreign student, made his way on to campus armed with .380 semi-automatic pistol. Mr. Odighizuma first went to the office of Professor Dale Rubin where he discussed his failing grades and his options. He didn't use his gun on Prof. Rubin, but gave this ominous warning of what was to come, he told Prof. Rubin, "Pray for me." He then made his way to the office of Dean Anthony Sutin where he shot and killed him and fellow Prof. Thomas Blackwell at point blank range. Making his way down the halls he shot and killed student Angela Denise Dales and seriously wounded 3 other students, but unlike the Virginia Tech shootings, Mr. Odighizuma was not going to have his way with unarmed people. Upon hearing the shots, two students, CCW holder Tracy Bridges and Police Officer Mikael Gross, unbeknownst to each other, both ran to their cars and returned with their own firearms. Approaching from two sides of Mr. Odighizuma, they demanded that he drop his weapon. Seeing his situation, he complied and was tackled by several other students. Mr. Odighizuma's gun still had several bullets left in the clip.

An interesting side note on this story. It was misreported by almost every single newspaper in the U.S. and overseas. They all reported that Mr. Odighizuma was tackled but left out the use of firearms in their stories. (It was confirmed later by police reports, eyewitness accounts, and the two student's testimonies).

As another example of people standing up. In the filming of an actual event, the concert movie "Gimme Shelter" shows the Rolling Stones performing in front of thousands when a deranged young man raised a gun to try to kill Mick Jagger, the lead singer. An alert man next to the gun wielder grabbed his arm forcing it up away from people. Security people and fans took the gun away and restrained the man till police showed up. The song and movie "Gimme Shelter" are a tribute to those people. During the course of the next months you're going to hear a lot about new laws that should be passed, and none of them will stop the next killer. I promise you that. What may save you is good people standing up against evil people. In my University, they will not allow any firearms on campus and some schools even deny off duty Police Officers their right to carry. They preach pacifism and non-confrontation instead of standing up against evil. Maybe we should all take a moment and consider whether that makes us safer.....or just better targets. H.C.

HOW THEY CONTROL US; PART THREE-THE SOURCES

O.K., now that we've covered why they want you to hate and fear, and how they manipulate your emotions, it's time to look at the sources they use to spread their B.S.. In this part we'll look at how they portray opinion as fact, humor as news, and perpetuate conspiracy theories in an effort to even further mislead you. Since there is so many villains, I'll list them one by one and how they influence the information you get.

TALK SHOW HOSTS:
Rush Limbraugh, Sean Hannity, Diane Rhem, Terry Gross, and all the other talk show hosts out there have one thing in common. They structure their shows to advance their own agendas. (For more on their little tricks read my post "Hey H.C., Can I Trust My Media?") By being selective in their subject matter, cutting off or talking over their opposition, and stacking their panels, they can make even the most ridiculous position look logical.

NEWSPAPER EDITORS:
The writers can lean their stories whichever way they want, but it is the Editors that have the real power in newsprint. By simply placing a story on D-7 of your local newspaper as opposed to A-1 they can influence how you feel about a story. They can also stop a story, put more people on a story, change the wording, add words, or even make the author rewrite it from a different perspective. Having a Editor agree with you guarantees your side will get better play.

NEWS ANCHORS:
Every since the beginning of the Nightly News the Anchors have been the most important part of the program. Their job is to get you to identify with them and trust them. Any little hint of how they feel, from passion to humor, will affect how you perceive the story. If your favorite Anchor dislikes Bush and lets it show, you will figure that being as he has more access to these people than you do, he must know something you don't. The important thing is..Katie, or Peter, or Tom would never lie to you.

T.V. PRODUCERS:
They hire the Anchors, they produce the show, they control what gets said and by who, and they decide how to slant it one way or the other. They can also push for the success of certain stars that promote their agenda. They're the reason Ellen DeGeneres keeps getting shows and Rosie O'Donnell never gets fired. They can fill your fall lineup with Single moms or Gay couples. They can make sure that every villain is a Conservative, or a Jew, or a Black or whoever they want. As you sit like a little Autotron in front of your T.V. they can change your perception about groups to fit how they want you to view them, good or bad.

COMEDIANS:
O.K., before you think I'm going off the deep end here, think about how many openly conservative comedians you can name (You can only count Bill Cosby once). Comedians pick on politicians all the time, no matter their party, but the way they do it tells the tale. Bill Clinton was always picked on in the way you pick on your buddies, teasing him about eating too many fries, or getting caught red-handed cheating on his wife. The things that are said about Bush however are, well, not the kind of things you would say to your buddy. With the advent of News/Comedy shows, they now have more power than ever. 21% of young people say The Daily Show is their #1 source of news and Bill Maher's videos on Bush-Hating are spread like fact all over the Internet, even though they're usually filled with inaccurate information or outright lies.

CONSPIRACY THEORISTS:
Although they usually work freelance, they contribute big time to the misinforming of the populace. The true creed of the conspiracy theorist is, "My lack of evidence is my evidence." In order to fall victim to these people you only need to hate someone so much anything starts looking likely. In this country (U.S.) nearly a third of the people believe the government purposely brought down the World Trade Center. This despite this article in Popular Mechanics demonstrating through several top notch engineers, that not only was it likely the planes brought the Towers down, it absolutely did. The Theorists dismiss this as collusion by P.M. with the government. When I ask for proof they turn to their creed, stating, "Of course there's no evidence, they made sure of that."

THE INTERNET:
The Internet makes it possible for Conspiracy Theorists to gain a following, for bloggers to start rumors, for fake sites to give you bogus info, and for those of us who are the most adamant haters to gain a following. During the last Presidential election I went to a bogus Bush for President site that was so convincing it wasn't until I caught them misquoting something that I heard him say myself that I caught on. The Internet is the very worse place to get information if your not going to be very suspicious of the source.

OPINION COLUMNISTS AND BLOGGERS:
I know it seems odd that I would include myself as a source of misinformation, but not all bloggers are as honest as I try to be. Unfortunately, shock "News" gets your attention and gets us hits which increases our audience. I could easily put out there, "Nurse Says George W. Bush Born with Both Genitalia" and back it up with hater sites or blogsites. This is dishonest, but very few people seem to care. Opinion Columnists operate pretty much the same, they figure since what they are giving you is opinion, not fact, they are free to put things out there that are shady at best, if not outright lies.

THE GOVERNMENT:
I would be remiss if I didn't include the Government as a source of misinformation. The Government twists, spins, or flat out lies about 90% of everything they put out there. They use the media by limiting access to the White house if they don't fall in line. Getting a seat at the press conferences is very hard and that is never lost on the President or his Press Secretary. They also leak info to their favorite little sources and use bloggers, opinion columnists, and anyone else to spread lies about their opponents.

Well, that's the best I can do for you. I hope it wasn't too long but I really felt you needed to be as armed for the upcoming election as possible. Try not to be completely cynical, not everyone is trying to lie to you or misinform you. You can still trust me, Andre, and about 4 other people on the planet. H.C.

HOW THEY CONTROL US; PART ONE-THE POLITICS OF HATE AND FEAR

As part of my continuing effort to keep you all well informed and open-minded, I've decided to do a three part series. I don't usually like doing these because I find that very few subject matters are interesting enough to keep you reading for three parts. But, looking back on my other attempts at this, it just takes more space than I usually allow my posts. So I've divided my effort into; The Politics of Hate and Fear, and Humanizing, Dehumanizing and Exampling, and finally The Sources. I think if you follow all three, you'll find it's worth the effort.

Richard Nixon was an evil, corrupt bastard and so are all the Republicans. John F. Kennedy was a womanizer who should have spent as much time studying global politics as he did studying Marilyn Monroe's legs. If you put Republicans in office they will do nothing but fatten their rich buddies while raping the little guy. Democrats will get us all killed with their faith in dictators. Clinton assassinated Vince Foster and all his political enemies. Bush is pushing us to a third World War.

On and on it goes, the politics of fear and hate. The one thing that never seems to change is that our taxes keep going up, more and more people are without health care, and none of the real problems are ever really addressed or cured.

And it seems to be getting worse. Americans seem to be so distracted by proving how evil the other side is that next to nothing is being done about Social Security, Medicaid, schools, fractured families, National Debt, immigration, or any of the real problems we're facing. We spent 5 years and millions trying to hang Clinton and all his cronies for Whitewater and how did it matter at all? I'm not saying that we shouldn't be holding people accountable, but it shouldn't be consuming 90% of every news cycle. Recently we just finished (temporarily) with the whole Valerie Plame affair and what was the end result? No one charged for actually outing her, and Scooter Libby convicted of lying about when he found out that she was sort-of a covert spy. This affected our lives how? Day in and day out news coverage of the stupidest political story since.... well, since Whitewater.

But the circus of both Whitewater and the Valerie Plame Affair achieved for their party exactly what it was intended to. To make you even more convinced that these are shady people and they should not be trusted.

Republicans have spent the last 40+ years tearing down the legacy of JFK by pointing out his assumed affairs. Jimmy Carter, who was never even involved in an affair, was chastised continuously for one statement in a Playboy interview where he said that he had sinful thoughts. And last but not least, Bill Clinton got drug around for his trysts with Monica Lewinski and Jennifer Flowers. The Republicans actually have had just as long a history of affairs, (see my post; The Republican "Lack of Family Values Tour") but since the Democrats portray the Republicans as the people who are trying to "shove their morality down your throats", they can't say much about it. The end message? Democrats are immoral and will endanger us all by not paying attention to our safety and security in their never-ending quest to get laid. That is, when they're not busy raising your taxes.

The other rap against the Democrats the Republicans like to use is that they will destroy the social fabric of this Great Nation. Since they have demonstrated that the Dems are immoral, they appeal to the people who think that the youth of today have lost any moral compass. (this, by the way, has been said all through history) That appeals to older people in particular who, after already having had their wild days, feel they are in a good position to save young people from themselves.

Democrats, on the other hand, teach you to hate and fear Republicans by making them appear to be ignorant, gun-toting, religious zealot, war mongering, corporate tools. On this, I give the Dems the advantage on fear mongering. Some of the things that you hear Democrats say are far more sinister than anything the Republicans can come up with. I've heard them say the Republicans want to put blacks back in slavery, stop women from being able to work, spy on all of your phone calls ala 1984, arm black people so that they'll all shoot each other, blow up the World Trade Center to start a war, force old people to eat dog food, put birth control in government cheese and too many other things to even list. The beauty of this is, if you hate someone enough, that all starts to seem not only possible, but likely.

Another way they both try to control you is to focus your hatred towards a third party, such as; Gays, Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Jews, The Rich, or Corporations. This is very effective as people have an inherent fear of anyone they don't really know. Blacks, in general, don't know a lot of rich white people personally, so it's easy to picture them sipping cognac and plotting how to hold them down. Wealthier white people on the other hand, don't know a lot of poor black people personally, so it's easy to picture them smoking crack and plotting how to rob them. The Democrats and Republicans then use these fears to convince their party faithful that they are all that's standing between them and the thing they fear. This perpetuates stereotypes and racism, but they don't care as long as it keeps them in office. The truth is, there are great people in all categories, don't let irrational fear keep you from meeting them or siding with them.

The main thing to remember here is that the intent by both sides is not to sway people over, but to keep the party faithful from ever, even thinking, about voting for the other side.

In this country we have what I call "The Thirty Percenters", These are people who are so convinced that the other side is evil, stupid, immoral, or whatever, that they would never vote for someone on the other side. But, since they cannot be swayed, it is us, the remaining 40% that have the true power. And that is the 40% I'm writing to. As I go through the ways that Democrats and Republicans attempt to control us in this 3-part series, I want all of you to take a moment, clear your brain of all preconceived notions, and ask yourself, "Am I being distracted from the things that I really feel are important? Have I convinced myself that Bush or Clinton can never be trusted? Do I automatically fall on one side no matter how I feel about the actual issue? Am I being manipulated?" Freedom is empowering. To set ourselves free we only need to understand that we are being manipulated and how. The politics of fear and hate serves only one purpose, to keep us in line. Once we understand what they're up to, we can no longer be controlled, and a thinking populace is what both of them fear the most. H.C.

Stay tuned for Part two; How they control us- Humanizing, dehumanizing, and exampling.

TERRIBLE TOM

Under the Dragon's wings... it can be surprisingly warm

I can't even remember when I first met Tom. It seemed like he was part of my family since the start. I knew his brothers, his sisters, and his mom and dad. At one point I even made a move on his sister Molly, but it was too weird, we were like brother and sister and we both recognized it. My wife also knew the whole family, in fact, I think nearly everyone on the north end of Flint knew them in one way or another. They were great people. Every one of them seemed to have an inherent kindness about them. They were full of fun, laughter, and looking out for each other. To know them was to be part of their family, plain and simple.

But of all the kids that Marge and Will had, it was Tom that stood out. Tom was, simply put, crazy as a loon. Some people used to say he got that way over in Vietnam, where Tom was a Tunnel Rat, but my wife's brother knew Tom since he was a little kid and told me Tom was always crazy. He had stories about Vietnam that were right out of "Platoon". Stories of fragging (killing) superiors, raping villagers, watching people die and cutting ears off of North Vietnamese and trading them for pot. He stated everything like it was going to the store to buy a pop. He once told me, "There were two kinds of people in 'Nam, those that hated it and went crazy, and those that loved it and already were." There was no question in my mind which one Tom was.

Tom looked almost exactly like Charles Manson. His black hair was always in need of a comb, his clothes always looked like he slept in them, and his eyes displayed a sort of vacant, wild-eyed emptiness that shouted, "Don't ever, even think, about fucking with me." He stood all of about 5' 7", but I saw him back down people twice his size. To mess with Tom was to enter a duel to the death, and not many people wanted to go there. Once, in a fight, I saw Tom bite a man's finger off and then spit it at him. Tom was as far out there a person as I have ever known.

To know Tom though, was to know both sides of him. He could be extremely protective. No one messed with his friends or his family. He was a great singer, and he could be close to hysterical in his antics. Once, I was sitting with a couple of friends over "Spikehorn's" house drinking beer and watching football when Tom came walking through the door. He walked straight through without saying a word and went right out the back door. We couldn't figure out what the hell was going on until 5 or 6 minutes later when a pounding started on the front door. A Middle-Eastern Cab Driver started swearing at us in broken English demanding his fare for driving Tom across town. That's what life was like around Tom, you never knew what was going on, you just hung on for the ride.

For some strange reason, Tom liked me a lot. He was a lot older than me, so I think he saw me as a little brother. He would come over and pick me up and after lying to my mom or even my brothers about where we were going, he would head to the local liquor store for some Wild Turkey and then out to get whatever drugs we were doing for the night. I've often questioned myself as to why I would go out with Tom. The closest I can get to an answer is that I viewed Tom and myself as similar. Tom was an outcast who had a lot of drama in his life and so was I. I have never been able to think like other people and for a while I thought that maybe I was just crazy too. (I've since discovered that it's the rest of the world that's crazy.) Also, being Tom's friend was empowering. Even my oldest brother (who generally picked on me constantly) had to treat me a little different when I was with Tom. Having Tom for a friend was like having a real protective pet Dragon.

A night on the town with Tom meant that you had stories to tell the next day. Every single time, there was some adventure, most of which I can't even tell you about because I'm not sure the Statute of Limitations has expired. We would get completely trashed and then end up at people's houses that I didn't even know. Hookers, dealers, gay people, homeless people, Tom knew them all. After one night of partying a little too hard, I fell asleep in the back of Tom's car and woke up at The Mission (homeless shelter) with Tom looking down on me. He said," Get up boy, if we don't make morning mass, they won't feed us." We made our way to the chapel and sang religious songs, prayed and ate with the homeless. Tom, by the way, had a great voice. Somewhere between Ray Charles and Joe Cocker, his voice was a gravely gospel that still rattles in the back of my brain. He would sing "Whiskey River" every time he got drunk and made me do the harmonies. Tom taught me how to sing with soul, something I never forgot. It was his one great gift to me.

One day God decided that Tom had roamed the Earth for long enough. He had developed a sore throat that was so bad he went to the hospital where he got into a fight with some of the staff. They restrained Tom on a gurney and locked him in a room. In that room, alone for over 20 minutes, Tom's throat closed and God took him home.

The story of Terrible Tom is, like everything about him, a strange mixture. One part of me laughs at the adventures we had, one part is stunned that I could have been so crazy. At his funeral there was a strange feeling among all of his friends and family that God had simply had enough of Tom antics and took him because it was the only way to stop him. Looking back, I wonder what God would have thought about one of his children that was so obviously mentally ill. Would he have recognized that Tom wasn't in complete control of himself? Would he have forgiven him for his misdeeds? Tom was both kind and cruel, vicious and caring. Tom taught me that there is good and bad in all of us. He never looked down on anyone and loved people with his whole heart. Although I would never want to repeat the adventures I had with Tom, they make me laugh harder than anything I've ever done with anyone else. I can't sing a song without thinking of him, and sometimes, I fondly remember the times, when I had my very own...... pet Dragon. H.C.