All parties involve people. Birthday parties. Political parties. People get together for a common purpose. Problems arise when we let them run amok. We adults are supposed to be the chaperons, aren't we? Then why do we let our elected officials run amok in our state houses and in Washington? Isn't it about time we took back control?

The problem with The Gathering Storm by Winston Churchill is that it mirrors events in the news today and may mirror events yet to come. Continue with this review at your own peril...

I've met people, a few of them, who I'd follow to the gates of hell. I'd follow them loyally, but never blindly. However, I'd follow them because I had faith in them, trusted them. They had demonstrated a rate blend of courage and competence that made me believe that we would accomplish the mission, win the day, overcome all obstacles, with them leading the way. However, I never met anyone I would follow because of some magic, something called “charisma”...

Martha Jette keeps good company. Ernest Hemingway. Jack London. George Orwell. Walt Whitman. Tom Wolfe. Martha Gellhorn. Mark Twain. All journalists who became novelists. Will she ascend among their ranks? Who knows? However, she's going about it the right way, or should I say the write way. 

"I am a former newspaper and magazine reporter, editor, photographer and layout artist who has written countless articles and stories over the years. After a forced retirement from newspapers in 1996 due to health problems, I continued to write and published seven books with Saga Books of Calgary, Alberta. Due to the many recent changes in the book publishing industry, my publisher is changing course away from representing author’s books. Hence, I am now in the process of turning all of my works – which now total 10 – into ebooks, all of which will eventually be available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other on-line sites."

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability)?

The one book that everyone should read is Playing With The Devil, which is available at Amazon.

Give us a one-sentence synopsis.

Playing With The Devil is a novel based on a true story of child abuse - dirty deeds in a secluded Newfoundland town by many of its most prominent citizens – that have never been addressed in a court of law. 

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

1) Timmy, the oldest of 12 children, is the primary character. I see this boy being portrayed by 

Preston Bailey known for his roles in Children of the Corn, Dexter and Nothing But The Truth.

2) Helen is the self-serving and heartless mother. I see this horrible woman portrayed by Kristin Scott Thomas, known for her roles in Bitter Moon, The English Patient and Gosford Park.

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

Playing With The Devil is rated ‘R’ because it is a novel based on a horrid case of child abuse - dirty deeds in a secluded Newfoundland town by many of its most prominent citizens. The oldest of 12 children shares how his own mother sold him and his siblings into sexual liaisons for as little as a loaf of bread. It is a wrenching account of what these kids suffered but now, over 50 years later, no one has ever been brought to justice. The courts have refused to act and the children, now adults, continue to suffer from horrible memories they will never forget. 

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

I was inspired to write this book due to the fact that these children, now adults, are still suffering due to what happened to them as children. Aside from that, child abuse is an issue that has touched so many lives, including my own.

What other books have you written?

1. “Glimpses” True Stories of the Paranormal 
   
   
2. “Glimpses 2” (it could happen to you!)
   
   
3. Talking To My Angel (children)
   
   
4. The Man With The Magic Spectacles (young adult)
   
   
5. Blood Vengeance: (Cold Case #4-183) Not of this World 
   
   
6. Totally Scared: The Complete Book On Haunted Houses  
   
   
7. Phenomenal Paul: An Incredible True Tale of Insect-like Creatures & UFOS 
   
   
8. Terror In The Night I – Alien Abduction Exposed! 
   
   
9. The Borg Files – A Case of UFOs & Alien Abduction
   
   

Which authors inspired you, your style?

Since I was first a journalist, my influences were people like Mavis Gallant and Kathleen Kenna, who excelled in this field.

Where can we learn more about you and your books?

My author website, which I am still working on and will continue to periodically update

How can we follow you? 

Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I also write a regular column on paranormal topics for the Examiner, and I provide professional services on a freelance basis, including book reviews and full manuscript editing.

I've been a problem solver all my life. In countless board rooms, even in the Army, I was renowned as a problem solver. Never in all that time – I'm seventy-one years old now – I've never seen anyone successfully solve any problem after they're skipped Step 1...

Candidates are selected in the early months of the election year during primary elections. Most people avoid the primaries and allow party machines to make these choices for them. That's why we end up having to choose between dumb and dumber, evil and less evil. Isn't it time we made our own choices? Isn't it time to take back our nation?

Please "Like" Greg Raths on Facebook. You support helps, even if you don't live in his Congressional District. Remember, every decision made in Congress affects all of us.

It's taken me a long time to get comfortable with the idea of term limits. How about you? For me, they seemed to be an admission that we couldn't be trusted with the vote, that we would simply cast our ballot mindlessly for the same person year after year. Or maybe there's some other reason for imposing term limits that has nothing to do with us. Maybe it's time to rethink it...

Those who are conservative always seem open to debate (or argument if you prefer). Liberals who find themselves in the company of conservatives had best be prepared for a vigorous conversation if they espouse their views. However, they need never fear that they will be attacked personally. Nor will conservatives simply boycott their products and services over a political disagreement. Yes, there are notable exceptions when the liberals pursue an ad hominem attack for personal gain. (Remember the Dixie Chicks - they were once a popular country music group.) As a conservative artist, I can't expect such even-handed treatment, especially from progressively-minded liberals...

I've been playing around with videos since I recorded a book trailer for Rebels on the Mountain and wondered how I would do as a video blogger. Well, we're going to find out. I inserted a video in my last posting, but this is my first official Vidlog (is that even a word or did I just invent something?). I hope you like it. No, I won't quit after just one attempt. I need to make at least a few to see if I have any talent for it. So be patient with me and I will too.

And I'm serious about the political campaign. We'd really appreciate your help. Please Like Greg Rath's Facebook page. Even if you don't live in California's 45th Congressional District, your Like can help build interest in his candidacy.

It's true. We really do have the government we deserve. Unfortunately, many voters, especially young voters, became disheartened after Obama proved to be as corrupt as his predecessors and failed to deliver on any of his promises. A recent poll indicates that almost 80% now regret having supported his candidacy. What they now need to realize is that this isn't the time to walk away and wash their hands of politics. They have to come back and help clean up the mess that they helped to make or they truly deserve this government and its consequences.

Alexis Charles Henri Clérel de Tocqueville, a French political thinker and historian, famous for his work Democracy in America, is generally credited with first observing that “people have the government they deserve”. It doesn't really matter. I'm taking credit for its broader interpretation. De Tocqueville made what I see as a fatal flaw. He added the qualifier “...in a democracy.” I believe that everyone has precisely the government that they deserve regardless of the fact that it is a democracy or any other form of government. My belief is founded in my trust of the Declaration of Independence which states...

“...That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Thus, if any people live under any form of oppression or tyranny, they have the same rights as we have every election day. Even though they lack the right to throw off their government at the ballot box, they may throw it off as our Founders did.

So, we made a mistake the last few times we voted. Is that any reason to surrender to tyranny?

Don't blame the government. Remember, we voted for it. Don't blame the politicians. They are simply responding to our wishes. They promise whatever we want to hear to gain our votes. If they break those promises it's only because we give them permission. How? We reelect them even after they break them.

So, who do we blame?

Well, you can begin with your local school board. Ask them, why didn't I hear of de Tocqueville before reading this blog? He was always mentioned in civics class. What's that you ask? It's the lesson where students learned how to be better citizens, to vote more intelligently, and to revere their condition as free citizens. Also, ask the school board why they allow teachers to encourage their students to revile and vilify America. That too has changed in modern times.

You can also blame American journalism. If citizens were truly aware of what has been happening, few if any of our current incumbents in Congress and state houses as well as the White House would be there. Instead, American journalists have become propagandists for career politicians and we have suffered the consequences.

It may just be that we can thank our good fortune that we have come to the precipice of the economic and political ruin at which we find ourselves today. Staring into its abysmal depths, there are few who require any proof of my assertions. My case is prima facie, true on the face of it. We need only now agree to work together to fix it. Most of all, we need the young to learn from our mistakes. Don't walk away in disgust as I did so many years ago. Roll up your sleeves and help me fix what I have broken.