Musings

I’m rewriting book II in the EDGE series, and the theme I’m exploring is the issue of command. How do people come to lead, find the strength to take command, learn to issue orders. I realized as I looked back over my writing history that this is a theme I return to often.

That Star Trek script I mentioned, the one that got wrecked, THE ENSIGNS OF COMMAND. Well, I’m going to post it on my website. So let folks know who might be interested in reading it in its original form. It’s all about issues of leadership.

This is my CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER. Unfortunately I didn’t have D.C. Fontana rewriting my script so the final result was not as good as CITY. Yes, I know Harlan prefers the original, but Dorothy was very respectful.

So, look for Ensigns to show up soon. I’ll let people know once it does go up.

Melinda

My beloved Keith Olbermann and a small article in Time have me shaking my head and I just wanted to share.

First, the F.B.I. failed to pay their phone bills to one of the company’s that was spying on us. So the company stopped the eavesdropping program. As Olbermann said — violations of the law, undermining the Constitution, _that_ doesn’t stop you? But the bill? Ah, capitalism.” I took away something else — that everything the Bush administration touches becomes useless and inefficient. We may be protected against tyranny and our liberties preserved because these guys are so incompetent. This is one instance when I’m really glad the Republicans have made sure government didn’t work.

Next I read an article that the record companies are going after a guy because he transferred his cd collection onto his computer. These are cd’s that he bought, and presumably he put them on the computer so he could listen to them there, or download them to his MP3 player. Okay, I’m just about to join the “information wants to be free” crowd.

Melinda

I mainlined four more episodes of VERONICA MARS season three last night after I stopped watching election returns, and I realized that by and large I’m far more invested in television shows than in movies. Once in a while I’ll see a film that stuns me, and keeps me thinking about it for days afterward, but that mostly happens with television. Shows like BUFFY and GALACTICA, DEADWOOD, THE WIRE, ROME, JOURNEYMAN, LIFE, etc. etc. etc. Is it because I’m a natural novelist, and I prefer to read novels over short stories? Is it because I want to invest and spend hours with these characters I like? I do think the writing, plotting and storytelling is much more powerful in television than in film. But I’m trying to analyze what else might be at work.

Thoughts?

Melinda

It was an interesting night, but I don’t think it tells us much. I want to see what happens in bigger states like California and New Jersey. Personally I think Obama did very, very well. Prior to Iowa he was projected to _lose_ NH by double digits, and he held it to 3%. The real point is that the Democrats represent a completely new, 21st century look to the political process. A woman and a black. Either one is a radical (and welcome) change for this country.

That bunch of stuffed shirt white guys on the Republican side are just pathetic. Mitt Romney and Guiliani talking about “change”. This is the party that longs for the good old days of the 1950’s when women and minorities knew their place and father knew best. Conservatism is about the status quo and even nostalgia for times past. They have nothing to offer in this fast paced, interconnected world. And three of their candidates said they don’t believe in evolution. That goes beyond pathetic to terrifying. Apparently facts whether it’s about Iraq, economics or science mean nothing to the rank and file of the Republican party. Governing through faith — maybe god will keep that hurricane from hitting New Orleans.

I feel confident that Clinton can govern well, and I think Obama could energize this country in a way that hasn’t happened since JFK and RFK in addition to governing from a place of consensus which we badly need. I’ll work like hell this year to make sure the Democrats take back the White House and make more gains in the House and Senate, and, unfortunately, I think the economy is going to help us. Seven years of Bush has brought us to recession, war and disrespect around the world. I am a citizen of a country that tortures because we’re afraid. I want a leader that tells us not to be afraid, but to get to work and get the job done.

Melinda

We had a serious snow day in Santa Fe today. Naturally I had a doctor’s appointment and had to drive, and since I was in town anyway, and halfway to Vento I braved the snow to go and see him. He seemed pleased to see me, and the guys who work at the barn were laughing about him. The told me that while the snow was coming down he stood in his run, and tried to catch snow flakes on his tongue. Then he ate all the snow off the rails of his run. I love this horse.

As I was heading back into Santa Fe a small Toyota thing was sliding down a hill sideways, coming straight for me. There was no place to get out of his way, but I’ve played a lot of pool in my foolish youth, and I could see his trajectory was going to take him into a “Men Working” sign. Sure enough he hit it, and it spun him off to the side of the road so he missed me by a good ten feet. He was then stuck spinning his wheels. Finally he just waved me past, and I managed to make it into town.

When I got home I called my doctor friend, Sage Walker, and ranted about the weird lecture I got from the woman who performed my bone density test — so after telling me the benefits of exercise, (I exercise), and giving me a list of food that would improve bone density (I eat almost all of them), she then started telling me the things I’m supposed to avoid. Things that if I eat it even _once_ a year it will decay my skeletal structure. Are you ready for this? The list included anything with caffein. A cup of coffee, an ice tea. Anything that is carbonated including sparkling fruit juices, and any alcohol. Now tell me how you go through life never having coffee, tea or a glass of wine? This is an impossible standard, and I defy anyone to actually keep to this regime.

After listening to me for a few minutes Sage explained it all in two sentences. “Now she’s done her duty and if you break a bone you can’t sue them because you ate the wrong thing. This is all about malpractice.” And then she concluded. “The health care system is broken, totally broken.”

She’s right, and I’m spending thirteen thousand dollars a year to buy health insurance through my group. Bush’s bullshit five thousand dollar tax deduction for my medical savings account won’t go very far. And bear in mind I had to found a company to even be able to buy insurance. I’m an automatic deny because I have Crohn’s Disease.

Sorry, I’m back now. And tomorrow is the New Hampshire primary. I can’t wait to hear the results. We’re living in an exciting time.

Melinda

I’ve just finished watching the MSNBC coverage of the Iowa caucuses and I’m stunned. Whether Obama goes on to win the nomination or not this has been a historic night. I remember when I was a tiny little girl going to visit my grandmother in SE Oklahoma, and being offended even at that tender age by the White’s Only signs on the drinking fountains, and the fact that the black man who worked for my grandmother had to go around to the back of the restaurant and eat in the kitchen, while we ate in the dining room.

And now a predominately white state has voted in record numbers for a mixed race/black man. Maybe this country is finally coming to terms with our terrible past and that stain that has run through our history.

If you get a chance, listen to Obama’s speech — it was lyric and heroic and uplifting. It’s been a long time since a politician has made me want to jump up and cheer. He speaks to everything that is great and good about this country. Not the cesspool that has been created by Bush, a place where we torture because we’re too afraid to live up to our ideals.

Melinda

We almost had an uncomfortable debate, discussion, argument at Christmas about whether atheism is just another religion. One of my guests made the argument that it was, and it bugged several of us who have (at least in my case) come painfully and reluctantly to a rejection of religion. Most of my friends who are secular humanists are also science fiction writers, and many are people who come out of scientific backgrounds. We honor and respect science. I don’t think it’s a fair comparison because what has driven most of us to abandon our faith is well, just that, this whole “faith” thing.

I want results that can be reproduced. We all loved the idea of cold fusion, but no other lab could duplicate the result so we all walked away. To argue that science is just as dogmatic as religion strikes me as idiotic. Are their individual scientists who can’t bear to give up their pet theories? Of course, but eventually the weight of their peers, questioning, reviewing and testing breaks done passionately held beliefs. At its best science is about doubt and asking questions.

I much prefer that over dogma.