My gag reflex

Ever since I can remember I have enjoyed and exercised my First Amendment, my freedom of speech. Which often, and still does, manifest itself with the written word. 

As a second grader I wrote a short story from the POV of a raindrop, falling from the sky and going on a magnificent journey on terra firma before returning to the sky. And through the magic of evaporation, reconnecting with his/her/their water molecule family. In hindsight, I probably lifted the premise from a kid's book, nevertheless my teacher was quite impressed.

In high school, where the dream of writing for Mad Magazine or National Lampoon was born, I peppered my essays and tests with wise-ass remarks that shaded a few points from my scores. I was happy to take a B+, if I knew it would cement a laugh or two from the grown ups.

This mischievous streak with a pen, or a typewriter, followed me to college. In my freshman creative writing class, I would often wait until the night before an assignment was due, smoke a bunch of weed and write the first misspelled and haphazard words that fell out of my pizza-craving dry mouth. 

Instead of being punished for my sloppiness and clear procrastination, I was always encouraged and rewarded. So much so, that I fashioned it all into a vocation. Or as one of my mentors, the late great Steve Hayden put it, "Wait, I can get paid for sloganeering?"

For 66 of my 67 years on Earth, I took the privilege of saying what I wanted, when I wanted, where ever I wanted, for granted. And apart from the occasional unpleasant visit to the HR office, there were never any consequences. 

What little I know from history, that and maybe even that alone, was the definition of American Exceptionalism. And it rendered me a Free Speech absolutist. 

In 57 countries, you are not permitted to draw a cartoon of the prophet Mohammed. If the rulers of those countries had their way, it be illegal everywhere and worthy of a beheading. Or the separation of the cartoonist's hand from the cartoonist's wrist. That's bullshit.

Similarly, in Europe, the cradle of Enlightenment and Western Civilization, one cannot make any statements that may be deemed Pro-Nazi or Pro-Holocaust. While I am naturally neither, I don't like the idea of the state regulating, or judging, the thoughts of its citizens. Even the anti-semitic Neanderthal ones.

But look where we are at today!

The government -- yours, not mine -- has its ears and eyes wide open for malcontents, boat rockers, wise ass click clackers, who still believe sunshine is the best disinfectant.

Am I concerned? Yes.

Am I going to stop? No. Even if I could, I couldn't.

My saving grace is that nobody reads this blog or pays attention to my social media posts or my juvenile AI memes. 

So Fuck Trump.

And Release the Epstein Files.