One of the reasons I started this Not-a-Blog was to have a place to talk about politics, and for more than a year now I have been intending to post some of my thoughts and opinions on the presidential campaign. It’s been a busy year, however, and political posts demand more time and energy than I have had to spare, so as it happened I never got around to posting about the primaries, the conventions, or the debates. Aside from the “Books for Barack” plug in my last post, I have hardly commented on the election at all.

In view of what’s happening right now, however, I find a need to say a word or three, even if it means taking a few hours off from DANCE WITH DRAGONS, the Vance anthology, SUICIDE KINGS, the WARRIORS anthology, and all the other projects that I am juggling.

I am referring, of course, to the McCain campaign’s decision to go swiftboating. Instead of talking about the economy or the war or the other issues that confront the country, all of a sudden all they want to talk about is Obama serving on the board of a charity with a guy who was in the Weather Underground back in the 1960s.

If it wasn’t so tragic, this would be funny. In her debate with Joe Biden, Sarah Palin tried to score points by arguing that Biden was talking about “the past” when he criticized the policies and mistakes of the Bush administration. She wasn’t interested in talking about “the past,” Palin said. Since the debate, however, Palin has talked about little else… and not last week or last year or four years ago, either, oh no, her interest is all in something that happened forty years ago, when Barack Obama was eight.

And now McCain has started in as well.

That saddens me. I’m an Obama supporter, make no mistake, and I’ll be voting for him in a few weeks. Even so, a year ago I had a lot of respect for John McCain. I looked on him in the same way as I once looked on men like Barry Goldwater and William F. Buckley — as a man of integrity and intelligence with whom I disagreed. (For the record, I looked on W as a man who combined the integrity of Richard Nixon with the intelligence of Dan Quayle). One of the things that I found most attractive about McCain was his insistence that he wanted to run a clean campaign on the issues.

That’s gone now, it appears, and with it any respect I might have still retained for McCain. Faced with the spectre of defeat, he has turned to swiftboating, to the old tried-and-true tactic of guilt by association that was such a mainstay of HUAC and Tailgunner Joe back in the days of the Red Scare, one of the darkest epochs of American history.

Will it work? I hope not. Still, it worked in 2004, when a well-financed campaign of lies and character assassination destroyed John Kerry, a true American hero. I hope we have all learned better since then, but there’s part of me that wonders.

Make no mistake. McCain and Palin are now appealing to the darkest elements in the American populace, as the shouts of “Treason” and “Kill him!” at their recent rallies make clear.

When a candidate, any candidate, engages in a campaign of character assassination, it says more about the character of the attacker than the target. What this says to me is that John McCain has abandoned his own ideals and principles, that he would do anything to win.

If I ever happened to be at one of those “town halls” that McCain likes so much, and if by some miracle I was actually allowed to ask a question, I know what that would be. I would ask him the same question that Joseph Welch asked Senator McCarthy at the Army-McCarthy Hearings, a question that still echoes down the halls of history:

“Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”

Current Mood: null

Music: Happy Days Are Here Again
… but when you can Do Good and add some nifty autographed books to your collection at the same time, well, that’s even better.

So here’s your chance to end the war, defend the constitution, and help take back this country from the corrupt plutocrats who have given us this latest financial crisis. And get some great swag at the same time.

I’m talking about Books for Barack.

Just go to http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/ayelet and make a donation of $250 (or more) to the Obama Victory Fund, and you’ll receive a canvas tote bag imprinted with the BOOKS FOR OBAMA logo and stuffed with ten (10, count ’em, 10) autographed books.

The contents of each tote bag will be randomly selected from the books donated by a huge list of participating writers, so there’s no knowing what titles you may get. There will be hardcovers, first editions, mass market paperbacks, maybe some art books, graphic novels, and who knows what else… but all of them will be signed by the authors, and all the money will go to help elect Barack Obama as our next president.

Hundreds of writers have already signed up and sent books. Stephen King, Judy Blume, Michael Chabon, Nora Ephron, Alan Furst, Garrison Keillor, Lemony Snicket, Amy Tan, Steve Martin, Ursula K. Le Guin, Jonathan Lethem, Dennis Lehane, Ann Tyler, and many, many, many more have donated to the cause, and more writers are being heard from every day.

For full details on the program and how it works, and a (partial) list of particpating writers, check out the Books 4 Barack website at http://books4barack.com/

And yes, I said “partial,” and that’s because more writers are sending more books every day.

And that definitely includes me. I have a big box of twenty-odd books here that will be on its way tomorrow. Some old stuff, some new stuff, some hardcovers, some paperbacks, some common, some rare and collectible. Maybe you’ll get one of them. Or maybe you’ll be the lucky one who gets a signed Stephen King first in your mystery bag.

And whatever books you get, your donation will help restore dignity, decency, and intelligence to the White House, and get this country back on the right course.

Current Mood: null

Valyrian Steel’s full-size replica of Longclaw is now available for preorder. For more details, check out the story on my news page, or visit Valyrian Steel’s own website.

Thanks, everyone, for the birthday wishes. They were much appreciated.

I did indeed have a great birthday, and the day after was pretty good as well, with the G-men pulling out an overtime victory over a surprisingly game Cincinnati Bengals squad.

Current Mood: null

Yes, it’s true. I was born on September 20, 1948. Which means that today I reach the big six-oh. I know, I know, sixty is the new forty. Somehow it still feels like the old sixty. Dare I eat a peach?

“It beats the alternative,” I hear people saying. People always say that when one complains about aging and its indignities. These people lack imagination, I say. Clearly they can’t be science fiction and fantasy fans. The only way getting old beats the alternative is if the alternative is dying… but after a lifetime of reading SF, I yearn for other alternatives, like eternal youth and health.

Inside, at least, I don’t feel all that different than I did at twenty-five. Yesterday I was a young turk, today I seem to have become a grey eminence. That has its good points, of course. But so did being twenty-five.

Ah, well. I shouldn’t complain. It’s been an interesting ride so far, and I am hoping to continue for another sixty years at least. I’ve got my health, I’m financially secure, I love my work, I have more readers than I ever dreamed of having, I have great friends both old and new… and of course I have Parris. (I love you, honey). I’m a lucky guy. Hell, the Giants even won the Superbowl.

And now that I’m sixty, I am legally entitled to be a Cranky Old Phart. I’ve buying myself a cane to shake at people, and learning how to growl, “Hey, you kids, get out of my yard!”

Current Mood: null

Please stay on topic.

This is my Live Journal. My “Not-A-Blog.” My virtual living room, my home on the web, the place where I come to talk with distant friends. Sometimes it’s my soapbox, where I can rant about things that are annoying me, put forth my political views, burble about a movie I’ve seen, a book I’ve read, talk about NFL football, report on my travels, show off the latest addition to my collection of 54mm toy knights and medieval miniatures.

It’s lots of things, but mostly it’s MINE.

Sometimes I invite comments, sometimes I don’t. When I do open a post for comments, it’s because I want comments on the subject that I just posted about. In other words, if I open comments after a football post, it’s because I want to talk about football with other NFL fans. If I post about, say, SFWA, as I did last year, and leave comments open, that’s because I want to read responses to what I said, and hear other views of SFWA’s latest controversy.

There’s been far too much off-topic commentary of late, however.

I am perfectly aware that A DANCE WITH DRAGONS is late. There’s no need to remind me, thanks, I have plenty of editors and agents and publishers to do that.

So please, if you want to comment here, stay on topic.

And if you want to comment on other matters… including, but not limited to, the lateness of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, that’s fine, just go do it on your own blogs. I don’t allow Anonymous comments, so everyone posting here has their own Live Journal account, and presumably their own blog. Tell you what, you talk about whatever you like on your blogs, and I’ll talk about whatever I want on mine.

Yes, I’m a big believer in free speech. Everyone is entitled to a soapbox. But that doesn’t mean you’re all entitled to use MY soapbox.

And no, I’m not opening THIS post for comment. This stuff is not open for debate. You guys can make the rules for your own blogs; these are the rules here.

Current Mood: null

There’s a new anthology just out with an old story of mine. It’s called THE LIVING DEAD, and it includes “Meathouse Man.” Just thought I’d mention it for all you necrophiliacs out there.

If you’ve previously purchased DREAMSONGS or GRRM: A RRETROSPECTIVE (which are the same book), you’ve already read “Meathouse Man.” If you haven’t, well… I probably ought to warn you that it’s the darkest, nastiest, most despairing story that I ever wrote.

Lots of classic zombie stories in the book, though. For more info, check it out at:

http://www.johnjosephadams.com/the-living-dead/

Current Mood: null

A strong, convincing win by the Giants today. Of course, it was against the Rams, and the Rams look truly pathetic so far this year. But then again, I thought the Skins looked wretched last week against the G-Men and this week they managed to upset the Saints, one of the trendy picks for this year’s NFC title… so maybe it’s the Giants making these other teams look bad, at least in part. Anyway, Eli Manning looked very sharp, the defense stuffed the run again and harassed the qb as if Strahan and Osi were still on the field (Justin Tuck looked awesome), and the three-headed running tandem of Jacobs, Ward, and Bradshaw is a real beast. So it’s 2-0, and next week the Bengals come to town. So far, so good.

The Jets game, on the other hand… sigh….

Even without Brady, the Patriots still seem to have our number. As Tom Jackson said in the postgame commentary on ESPN, “if not now, when?” I have to wonder.

I blame the playcalling, at least in part. They’re not letting Favre be Favre. Too much playing close to the vest, playing not to lose. Against the Patriots, you can’t set up the pass by establishing a running game. The Jets should know that by now. Against the Patriots, you need to set up the running game with the pass, by stretching the field. And they should have gone after Cassel much more aggressively.

It was especially disheartening watching Lamont Jordan gash the Jets with one strong run after another, exactly the way he used to gash other teams when he was Curtis Martin’s backup on the Jets. I always liked Lamont, and was sorry when the Jets lost him. I hate to see him in a Patriots uniform.

So… win one, lose one.

And beyond the Jets and Giants, there were some incredible games in the NFL this weekend. I’ve got to say, I’m glad I’m not a San Diego Chargers fan. Losing is one thing. Losing the way the Chargers lost these past two weeks would kill me. I thought the end of the Panthers game was amazing, but the finish of the Broncos game… aaargh…

And next week the Jets have to go to San Diego, where the Chargers will either be (1) reeling or (2) really fired up. Urk.

Current Mood: null

I have some exciting news to share.

(But please, guys and gals, don’t get TOO excited. This is what it is, and so far that’s all it is, so don’t make any assumptions).

HBO has just exercised its option, and purchased the television rights to A GAME OF THRONES.

For those of you who don’t know Hollywood, an option gives a production company the right to buy a property (a book, a screenplay, whatever) at a certain agreed-upon price for a certain period of time (a year, six months, whatever). When that time runs out, they can let the option lapse, renew the option, or exercise the option and buy the property. The last is what HBO has just done.

What they have NOT done is greenlight the project. A GAME OF THRONES remains in development. They’re still budgeting, still looking at locations (Spain and the Czech Republic at present, I hear). No decision has been reached, so any celebration would be premature. In Hollywood it is always best not to assume something is going to happen until it actually happens.

Even so… this is a very encouraging sign, and one that suggests a continued high level of enthusiasm and commitment for A GAME OF THRONES at HBO.

So keep your fingers crossed.

Current Mood: null

The first Sunday of the NFL season has come and gone, and as usual, it was full of shocks, twists, and surprises. I love pro football.

Brett looked pretty impressive in his first game as a Jet, though I think Mangini got too conservative in the second half. The Dolphins were down, but the Jets missed several chances to put them out, so the game went down to the final seconds. Chad Pennington played very well, and almost pulled the game out for the Fins. It was quite a relief when Darrell Revis gathered in that final interception to end the threat. The Dolphins look as though they are going to be a much better team this year. Some nice play by the Jets rookie D-back Dwight Lowery. Seems Tannenbaum made a good pick there. On the other hand, our first round picks, Vernon Gholston and Dustin Keller, were both invisible. I am hoping they will contribute more in future weeks. The revamped o-line looked good, opening big holes for Thomas Jones, and our revamped d-line shut down Ricky Williams and the Dolphin running game. Last year the Jets couldn’t stop anybody’s running game, so that was definitely a promising sign.

Next week is a much bigger test, of course.

Meanwhile, the Titans upset the Jaguars, the Bears shocked Peyton and the Colts, the Panthers silenced all of San Diego with a stunning last second victory over the Chargers… and Tom Brady went down, probably for the season, in New England’s victory over the woeful Chefs. The Patriots are not my favorite team, of course, and my loathing for Evil Little Bill is well known, but I still feel for the New England fans. I know what it feels like. As a Jets fan, I’ve been there. Back in 1999, when Vinnie Testaverde went down in the opening game, clutching his Achilles and pounding on the ground… just thinking of it gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. The whole season vanished in that instant, all the Jet superbowl dreams evaporating (though I still think we might have made the playoffs that year, if only Parcells had gone to Ray Lucas earlier, instead of sticking with Rick Mirer).

Whether the same fate awaits the Patriots remains to be seen, and will hinge largely on whether this kid Matt Cassell is the next Rick Mirer, or the next Jeff Hostetler. We shall see. In any case, you have my sympathies, Patriot fans. Guess we’ll need to wait till next year to see Brady against Favre.

Current Mood: null