The Phantom Scribbler

My dad retired yesterday.  I spoke with him last night and was surprised to hear how bittersweet this was for him.  I assumed he'd be THRILLED to finally not have to work constantly well into his 70s, but that wasn't the case.  He was genuinely heart-sick to leave the friends he'd made and abandon riders who had come to love and depend on him.   Also, he said he loved the feeling of expertly navigating a giant behemoth through traffic.  Probably explains his leather driving gloves with the flames on them.   Of the stories he told me from his last day, two stuck out.   One of his regular riders is homeless.  Actually, many of them are, but it's important to this story.  She brought him a card and some presents, including a multi-function pocketknife which included a knife, spoon and fork.  She also gave him her phone number and asked him to call her at Christmas.  He full wept when telling me this.   He told ...

 When I first registered to vote in 1993, I registered Libertarian.  More as a lark than anything, because I was really Republican.  My parents made me change it to Republican because I was, at that time, getting a degree in Criminal Justice and they said the police would never hire a Libertarian or a Democrat.  Also, I guess, Jesus would be mad?  I did change it and proceeded to vote Republican for a while.  But it wasn't long before I started voting 3rd party.  Usually, if there was a Libertarian candidate, I voted Libertarian.  I had reasons which are still good reasons mostly outlined in Thoreau's "On Civil Disobedience".  In NC, there's a lot of 3rd party candidates to choose from.   If there wasn't a Libertarian, I'd vote for what I called "The Bollox Party."  The goal was to create some manner of gridlock, especially in the Federal government.  For example: * Both houses of Congress fully 50% split between DNC and G...

This beginning story is important because it goes to my overall point even though I'm assuming anyone who bothers to read this, all 1.3 of you, already know it.   A professed Christian who works in the establishment next to mine was telling me about an inadvertent drive with a Muslim chauffer during which she was given a 30 minute sermon about how Christianity is a corruption of Islam, etc.  The driver was considerate and persuasive and, although she was not ultimately convinced, he got her thinking.  "Because," she said, "I only worship one God like Islam says, but I don't worship Jesus because he's not God ... right?" To which I responded, "Weeeeellll ... how nerdy do you want me to get about this?"  (I try to do this for people before I assault them with shit.)  After receiving permission, I said something along the lines of a GREATLY stripped down Quicinque vult (Athanasian Creed) :  Yes, Christians believe there is just one God. But also ...