No Tights for this Robin Hood

"Soon every lupin in the land, Will be in his mighty hand. He steals them from the rich, And gives them to the poor."*

I don't pretend to understand everything about Megaupload. In fact. I don't pretend to understand a lot. I know that, the other day, the Internet equivalents of the corner mom and pop - Google and Wikipedia - threatened to hold their breath until they turned blue if Congress restricted their access to...access or something. Having grown up in the vinyl era of music distribution, I'm aware that awful, evil, ruthless tycoon types conspire to make me buy stupid songs on an album with one great tune. Those charlatans had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the era of single-track downloads. I get that.

So when a person comes along who wants to fight for us little guys (and gals) and hold the conglomorates' tootsies to the blowtorch there is a side of me that roots for our champion. Until I read the story.

The right thing, the wrong way

Politics make both strange bedfellows and lousy friends. I limit the number of times my political views are allowed public display.

Immigration reform is one exception. Our country has done an abysmal job of feeding our appetite for affordable craftsmen and laborers when times are good, then feigning shock at all of the illegal aliens in our midst during downturns. Far from working toward a shared solution, we stubbornly cling to "the law" on one hand, or ignore it on the other hand to rule by fiat. See this.

I add this short story simply as an illustration of what the problem does to those of us at the pointy end of the culture war spear. It is PG-17 (or whatever the 2011 equivalent). If reading my intimacy scenes makes you queasy, this is not the short for you. Just understand - until society starts to make a good-faith effort to do the right thing, some of us are going to hate these kinds of situations and exercise our discretion.

The Burglar

Little Wars

I'm still reeling from the deaths of the service members in Afghanistan. I struggle with that war, having spoken to several people disillusioned by what they saw there. I think I understand what we're doing, but the means and methods are lost on me.

At the same time, San Diego PD lost Officer Jeremy Henwood this weekend to a gunshot wound. Three-tour GWOT vet, he was shot in the face at a stop light - ambushed. The suspect was later contacted and killed. I've seen brief articles, read a few things about Jeremy and thought about all of the times I've pulled up to stop lights, surrounded by other cars. I know I'm supposed to keep my eyes on everyone, that the kind of ambush that killed Officer Henwood could be awaiting me. Yet.... It's the "perfect" time to check my car's mobile computer to see what my officers are doing. Call my wife on the cell to check in. Fiddle with the AM radio. Daydream about chores, the weekend, vacation.

While a great big fight is occurring far away, little tiny battles with horrible people are fought right here. Politicians will use the deaths in Afghanistan to make points, or prove themselves right (again!)or announce why they are the sole repository of truth and should be elected. Meanwhile, men and women drive around with a great big bull's eye on them, trusting to luck that what happened in San Diego won't happen to them.

Well-intentioned speakers will try to plumb some kind of deeper meaning from Officer Henwood's death. For me?

What a giant waste of a good and decent man, gone in the blink of an eye and mostly forgotten just as quickly by everyone except friends, and family. There is one great big unfillable hole in their hearts.

A quiet casualty of the little wars fought 24/7, very close to home.