Carlos Hazday

I know you're one of his supporters, but Trump's attempts to silence the media is one of those attempts to kill rights that scare me. Good journalism is essential to our democracy and by labeling unfavorable news reports as fake news he's doing the same thing Castro did in Cuba, Chavez did in Venezuela, and countless other despots have done. I have faith our country will survive this, but only if enough of us stand up and speak. How far do we allow him to do it before we find ourselves without a free press? Definitely agree with you that if we don't defend the Bill of Rights our freedom can perish.

THANK YOU, Thank You, thank you! I wholeheartedly agree. If we focus on freedom of speech vs gun ownership, words will seldom lead to loss of life, guns often do. They're not equivalent and should, therefore, be handled differently.

Hey, Digger! Thanks for reading and for the comment. You're most likely not familiar with my other works, if you want a different take on gun ownership and reader reaction, take a look at this. I'm still amazed at how many comments that tiny story garnered. And about Rogelio's speech... 1 it's not a commencement address, that privilege was denied to him. 2 different views, I'd rather listen to someone speak with passion about a controversial issue than give us platitudes we've all heard before. I'm currently working on a college graduation speech for another character and one of my goals is to balance the usual stuff with a call to action. It won't be published for about six months, but I hope you get to read it and give me your opinion.

Amen, brother. If we could have several thousand Rogelio's around, our country and our world would be a better place.

LOL Damn! This is new. I'm usually taken to task by the left because this one minor character I've written about is proud to carry a gun! Someone once told me I seem to thrive on creating controversy and having political discussions in the comment section instead of in the designated forum. Buit that's half the fun. What I really thrive on is making people think, and with some like you, eliciting a response. My knowledge of the ACLU is limited, I'm not a member. But I do believe they defend the 1st amendment regardless of the political aspects involved. I recall years ago the city of Skokie attempted to ban a neo-Nazi demonstration and the ACLU came to the defense of the idiots. It pisses me off to no end when the right attacks and dismisses the organization. Freedom of speech is NOT absolute and I don't think that was what I portrayed. If I shout "FIRE" in a crowded theater or post "I'm going to kill Trump" on social media, I'll get in trouble. Similar situation with freedom of religion, years ago the courts denied Rastafarians the right to use marijuana in religious ceremonies. So, why can't gun ownership also be regulated/limited without eliminating the actual right to possess them? Extremes, left or right, are dangerous.

Thanks, Tony. I don't do many anthos or prompts these days since I have plenty of pending stories to write already and these side trips take time away from the other works. Hopefully, this will keep me relevant until I can start posting the next novel.

Thanks, AR! You know I have an affinity for basing stories on current events and this one's no exception. If you google the names of the two individuals I mention in the dedication, you'll see what inspired this one. A lot of the credit also goes to the kids from Parkland; my pride in them taking a stand couldn't be any bigger. Whether we agree with their positions or not, the fact they're willing to speak up for what they believe in gives me hope for the future.

Thank you, Parker. At the risk of sounding cheesy: I believe the children are our are future Teach them well and let them lead the way Show them all the beauty they possess inside Give them a sense of pride to make it easier Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be Whitney's song resonates more often the older I get. I've seen plenty of change for the better in my 60 years, but I believe more is needed. It'll be today's children who bring it about. We need more educators like you who will not judge based on society but the individual.

Okay, that's the second clip I get from Young Frankenstein this morning. Something's in the air and I may have to watch it again tonight. Since the movie's not in my collection, I hope it's on Netflix!

Read it and left a comment... but then again you already knew that LOL

You're a clever, bad boy. Rawbottom? Cream-filled horns? tim, tim, tim... What am I to do with you? Good little short, buddy.

A high school senior battles a U.S. Senator and his school principal with the help of the town's mayor.

“Morning, Roge. What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in school?” The grandmotherly secretary to the mayor tilted her head in confusion and stared at the teen. Rogelio Cordoba ran a hand through his silky, black hair and dropped into the chair next to the desk. “Good morning, Ms. Garcia. I’m suspended until Monday. I thought I’d come in and do some work instead of staying home.” “YOU WHAT?” The usually sedate older woman raised her voice in a way the City Hall intern had not heard be

@Thorn Wilde I hope you include a few mountainous, hirsute, brutish savages...

Pillage Rapture Overwhelm Brutish a few more you can use in the story... LOL

I'll remain quiet...

Go read the lyrics to a few of his songs, you may just become a fan. I just told tim the same thing. Springsteen's a poet and storyteller

Great word but I'm unsure if I could use it in my writing. Although I've been known to throw in an esoteric word or two now and then, this one, for some reason, sounds too pretentious to me. It reminds me of an older style of writing.

Somebody remind me to put on clothes next time it's 50F outside and I open my front door. Brrr... The boys decided to hide after that little stupidity.

Excellent, excellent, excellent! I hope this feature thrives.

I used this one in a chapter of the next CJ book. Great party song that makes me want to dance.

LMAO Ah, yes, Aussie rivalry when it comes to wine growing regions. Wait until you get to Winter, the wine comments will jump into high gear. As for when you read, it doesn't matter because I'll always reply to comments. GA's special in allowing authors and readers to interact so easily and I believe if someone takes the time to comment they deserve a response.

Hey, Nicky- You have a distinct advantage since the book's posted in its entirety. Keep reading and you'll get answers. LOL

You can blame Myr for the changes. Colt and Tony became part of CJ's story so I wanted their own tales to be part of the 'CJ Universe.' The Santa story and the Valentine Cupids one didn't fit so I moved this one to Chicago and will turn the other one into a dream sequence. One of my projects for next year is to revise/expand some of the stories and then add the series to the 'world.'