Author: Michael A. Ventrella

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How much is a POW worth?

You’d think everyone would be celebrating the return of a POW from captivity.  Certainly the Republicans (who always claim to “support our troops”) would be in favor of this, right?   POW

And at first they were.  They even urged Obama to do it.

Then reality set in:  If we celebrate this, that means Obama wins!  Republicans have now deleted tweets and comments made in support of this, and have gone full force into attack mode.  And some of it has gotten rather ridiculous.

They’ve attacked the reputation of Bergdahl at every opportunity, using innuendo and speculation and ignoring real facts.

They’ve accused Obama of negotiating with terrorists (when actually the deal was made by Qatar, not us) while conveniently forgetting how their hero Ronald Reagan did the same thing (which caused the “Iran/Contra scandal where people actually went to jail).  Bush officials have said that they would have done the same thing.

Fox News said that Bergdahl’s father looks like a terrorist because he grew a beard.  For some reason, they never said that about their heroes in Duck Dynasty…

The alleged terrorists had been sitting in Gitmo for years without ever being charged with anything, despite court orders to do so, and will be released to Qatar where their travel will be severely limited.

Critics are now saying that the release of Berdahl wasn’t worth it.  Really?  What price do we put on a POW’s life?

So what’s the truth?  I don’t know;  I don’t have access to the information the President has, and neither do any of his critics.  Will this turn out to be a bad thing in the long run?  Maybe.

But we should not really be surprised by this reaction from the President’s enemies.  Half of them didn’t even want to give him credit for killing bin Laden, either.

Editorial cartoon: Hell and high water

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Sex, love, and cigarettes

A friend recently complained about how hard it was to find a good man as she stood on the sidewalk enjoying her cigarette break from work.

I didn’t say anything out loud, but my inner voice said, “Maybe you should stop smoking.”  no_smoking

As a non-smoker, I find smoking to be an absolute turn-off.  I kissed a girl once (in High School) who smoked.  Once.  And then we stopped, and she got upset when I told her why.  “You taste like an ash tray.”

I’ll admit that for many hormone-induced high school boys, nothing would stop them from kissing a willing girl.  But hopefully, you’re trying to attract men who are a bit less desperate.

Only 18% of the American population smokes, which is the lowest level ever.  So if you’re looking for a partner, you may be excluding as much as 82% of the available suitors.

To make matters worse, smoking in America is becoming sharply divided by class:

  • 24.7% of adults with 12 or less years of education (no diploma)
  • 41.9% of adults with a GED diploma
  • 23.1% of adults with a high school diploma
  •   9.1% of adults with an undergraduate college degree
  •   5.9% of adults with a postgraduate college degree

Ironically, the people who can least afford cigarettes are the ones who smoke.  The average person spends $3000 year on the habit.  That doesn’t include side costs of smoking, such as dental and medical bills.  If you’re trying to attract educated people who statistically have  a much higher income, smoking works against you.

Now, mind you, my friend may agree completely with everything I’ve said here.  She may have been trying to quit smoking for years.  Most smokers do want to quit, after all.  They know perfectly well how much it is costing them in many ways.  Smokers these days deserve our help and not our criticism.

Editorial cartoon: Friend is a bad word

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Bloodsuckers: A Vampire Runs for President

“They’re all a bunch of bloodsuckers!”  I heard someone say.

“Hm,” I thought.  “Not a bad idea for a book.”button with blood

BLOODSUCKERS:  A VAMPIRE RUNS FOR PRESIDENT is now available in ebook, kindle, and nook (paperback due within a few weeks).  If you like reading my blog, you’ll probably enjoy this.

BLOODSUCKERS is a political thriller — with vampires.  Mostly, I loved picturing what it would be like to be a politician who could look someone in the eye and charm them to do their bidding.  Imagine the power!

Here’s what it’s about:

Norman Mark is a politician with skeletons in his closet (literally).  He’s a liberal Democrat who is constantly attacked by the tea party extremists who say he’s a socialist and an atheist and wasn’t born in America — and a vampire!  Everyone laughs at the crazies but it turns out they’re right about all of that.

Disgraced reporter Steven Edwards supports Mark completely.  When Mark is shot at a campaign rally, Steve looks to his acquaintance who drops the smoking rifle, smiles, turns into a bat, and flies away — leaving Steve as the prime suspect.  He is rescued by the vampire believers (Jon Stewart calls them “Batties”) and he goes into hiding.  The only way he can prove his innocence is by proving to the world that vampires actually do exist while  constantly on the run from the bloodsuckers and the FBI.

Steve learns that vampires have been controlling things behind the scenes for thousands of years, accumulating wealth and influence.  Many vampires don’t like the idea that one of their own is running for President and they’re trying to stop him, worried that he will expose their existence.  Others support Mark.  Many of them want Steve dead.

Some people have been surprised when I tell them that the candidate is a liberal Democrat, but that’s the dilemma Steve has.  Does he continue to support the candidate he believes will be a great President even though he’s a vampire?  A President who could charm his enemies into passing progressive legislation that will help all Americans?  A President who could meet with foreign enemies and convince them to bring peace to the world?  Do the ends justify the means?

The book is as politically accurate as possible, and features real journalists such as Brian Williams, Rachel Maddow, and Stephen Colbert.  No, I didn’t get their permission.  I hope they get upset at me.  I could use the publicity.

And if you’ve read any of my other books or short stories, you know there are many twists, turns and surprises.

I have received some very nice comments from fellow authors who have read the book:bloodsuckers-510

“Ventrella’s quick, bright dialogue punctuates the adventure with dry humor even as he ratchets the tension up towards an ending that might just surprise even the jaded reader. Highly recommended!” – Ryk E. Spoor

“Funny, quick, too smart for its own good.” – Mur Lafferty

“I loved the characters, the political insight and the final revelation!” – Dennis Tafoya

“A delicious blend of mainstream thriller, oddball horror, and biting social commentary.” – Jonathan Maberry

“Action, adventure, laughs and chills.” – Jon McGoran

“Sucks you in from the start and gets its teeth into your imagination.” – Gail Z. Martin

Sometimes bloggers post a donation button so you can show your support for all their hard work.  For less than $6 you can download the kindle, nook, or ebook of BLOODSUCKERS.  You’ll be supporting my blog and you’ll have fun at the same time.

Click here to read the first few chapters.

Editorial cartoon: Strong words

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Americans who identify as “conservative” at smallest levels in years

More Americans identify themselves as “conservative” than “liberal” in opinion polls, which is what the right constantly uses to support its argument that they represent American’s views.lib1

This number is dwindling quite a bit, and is the closest it has been in years according to a new poll from Gallup.

What the poll didn’t address is the fact that many people call themselves conservative yet hold liberal views.   As I have pointed out many times, A majority of Americans support Obamacare.  A majority thinks gay marriage,  abortion and marijuana should be legal.  A majority supports more gun control.  A majority want to raise the minimum wage and do something about campaign finance reform.  A majority wants to raise taxes on the wealthy and do not believe that “corporations are people.”

These positions are liberal positions, but even people who hold them still like to call themselves “conservative.”

So when a politician tells you America is a conservative country, just nod and smile.  He’s probably wrong about a bunch of other things as well.

 

Editorial cartoon: Rush to judgment

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Yes, it is your fault

gun nuts“The people who do these mass shootings are crazy!” the NRA says.  “It’s not the fault of the guns!  It’s not our fault!”  

Yes, if only there were some way to try to prevent crazy people from having access to guns.  Some sort of, I dunno, background check system.  Oh, really?  That has been proposed?  Well, gee, who would be against something as sensible as that?

The NRA?  They’re the ones who are against that?

Clearly I am missing something.  Tell me again how this isn’t at least partially their fault?

Editorial cartoon: Our new flag