My planned period of transition and metamorphosis is complete, and now I will begin to unfold in a new place professionally, spiritually, and physically. While still much the same person with the same views, I don't want to repeat mistakes of the past so am already operating in a new mode. I won't expect anybody to take my word for it but to observe the growth for themselves over time. Alas, destiny persists and gestures require completion. The good seed is sown by the Son of Man, but there are others who take blasphemous claim of it and now make busy propping a public front before secret combinations. I have been asked to speak to this.

The current instantiation of the GOP has been determining the course of public dialog for far too long, and it is time for a fundamentally new thread.

Republicans currently hold the executive branch, both houses of congress, the majority of seats on judicial benches, state legislatures, and governorships, yet many still whine like they are oppressed and disenfranchised; it takes every advantage to continually push what has become a radical agenda. With their convention just beginning, awhirl in protest, ploy, and pride, it may seem too early to tell exactly what tack to expect. However, it's clear in this period of heightened tension that the spirit of hate shall remain positively palpable. If animus is to be the hallmark of our times, then I reject it at risk of isolation or tactical defeat. I was raised by my Father to believe instead in the power of love, and there is an unshakable strength in my devotion to His will that keeps me immune to the salvos launched in bad taste and disingenuous authority at me and mine. I harbor robust hope for the future, and will burn nothing but pity for the Bill O'Reillys, Sherri Dews, Dennis Millers, Phyllis Schlaflys, Jerry Falwells, Jim Roberts', and George Bushes of this generation. I grant the assumption that they know not what they do, and will try to remember them in my prayers even if I check their pharisaic ravings at the door.

If blocking gay marriage, endorsing the war in Iraq, and repealing abortion rights are the central planks of your political perspective, than the increase in lawlessness has indeed caused your heart to grow cold as foretold by one you should know.

Today I find myself immersed in the presence of a persecuted people who appear to make every effort to live in consistent righteousness. Although sometimes perplexed by various dogmatic inconsistencies, I am humbled by the embracing sense of community with room for a maverick such as me, so regularly stripped of honor in my hometown, by my own kin, and in my own house. The magic element appears to be a primacy vested in some of my own favorite words. I may continue to personally maintain that God is true and religion is human fiction, but can perceive that even in the eye of the paradox I don't have to be alone. In this setting, I am free to loose my passions and plot unrestricted courses into tomorrow.

Before mounting the affirmative, I must offer testimony to the motivations that have enshrouded my well-intentioned responses to the party line in typecast negativity. I love my profession, as together we tap the vast potential of computer and communications tools to bring untold benefit and connectivity to all mankind. That said, from my inside angle I shall not hesitate to speak out against powerful and pervasive enterprises who make progress more painful, stymied, and exploitative than it should be on the cusp of such potentials. I love the United States, country of my birth, home to my extensive family, and beacon of freedom and equality to the world. I have been and will always be critical of its directions not because I resent the authors of the Bill of Rights, the birthplace of jazz music, or the vanquishment of fascism, but rather because I am so proud of this legacy that I intend to defend it for posterity. And I love my God, who I believe is so apparent in the wonders of nature and the beauty of human compassion that I believe His will shall be done without, or in spite of, the attempts of some men to codify enforcement of their own worldviews over the free agency of all.

The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them. --Albert Einstein

The opportunity cost of paying exclusive heed to the petty, impugning, and sensational issues of the day tallies to a larger failure to address the real problems and challenges we face as a culture. Homosexuality, the empowerment of women, or other alternatives in lifestyle don't undermine the institution of family; divorce does. If you are seeing light at the end of the War on Terror tunnel, then I must ask with whom this final peace treaty will be signed and what the invasion and occupation of Iraq has done for their disposition or motivation in such regards. Nobody thinks of abortion as a pleasant or casual undertaking but, for those inclined to face facts, history has empirically shown its criminalization to be both ineffective and gravely counterproductive. The more time you spend in self righteous criticism of the personal choices made by others, the less you spend looking into the failures and flaws of your own heart. Each life is an exhaustible natural resource, and the clock ticks on to judgment day. I beg you to schedule a re-assessment soon because in the meantime our prisons are expanding faster than our schools, our traditional sources of energy are depleting, our social stratus is dramatically polarizing, our ecosystem is in irreversible decay, our fiduciary economy is headed to bankruptcy, our commons are being eroded, our communities are suffering from irresponsible development, our stature in the world forum is repeatedly tarnished, and our democracy is being subverted.

With nearly two months lost in a cross-country move, the next single from my CD is past due. It is on message without using a single cent of soft money because I am nothing if not a volunteer.

Election Day

by Hilfiger Tout

Sprung full form from my conscience, this song was written, recorded, and mixed in a single day last year. I have yet to perform it again, but now might be the time for resurrections since the fourth leg needs a revival.

This song is dedicated to my dad, who agrees with my opinions approximately never and who may not have weathered our many years of disagreement unscathed, but who will always have the love and forgiveness of his first born. Under the license, you or he are permitted to copy, distribute, or perform any of these songs free of charge. Take it from a tiny troubadour or the biggest Republican Dick:

Freedom means freedom everywhere.

I still am employed in open software development, and am very excited about the next generation of my software. I must withhold it a bit longer out of respect for my employers, but it's fully in the pipeline. My expectations on its release may be more measured this time around, yet with nowhere to go but up I'll risk indulging ambition.

Is encouragement possible?