About

The following is the short bio I wrote for Slice of SciFi (I am listed as a reporter, but mostly I write opinion pieces).

My interests are as eclectic as they are numerous. Racquetball, photography, reading, shooting, traveling, eating, and writing are activities I enjoy, all the while stressing a lack of expertise in any particular one.

A refugee of the auto industry, I now live in sunny Colorado. Currently making little use of my engineering degree, I often wonder what might have been had I listened to the English professor who, in 1976, strongly suggested I switch my major from Engineering to English. Showing a remarkable lack of foresight, I opted to continue on the path to becoming a pretty good, but uninspired, Mechanical Engineer. But for that one decision, I could today be a little known writer, working for little money, and struggling to get some recognition.

That’s a nice generic description, but I figure I should add a little more about me and this blog because, you know, so many people care.

The name.  Disperser came about from our trip to Yellowstone a few years ago.  The wolf pictured on the header walked not 20 feet from me, and at the time I was not sure it was a wolf because I was not aware they traveled alone.  I then came across this definition:

Disperser – A wolf that leaves the pack and strikes out on its own.  Some of these “lone wolves” have no social territory, and they live on the fringes of established packs or in the areas where several territories come together. Their single status may make them vulnerable to malnutrition and to attacks by other wolves.  

This sounded familiar to me . . . it should because it’s an accurate description of my place in society.  I chose it as my blog name both because of the description, and because the other meaning of Disperser is to spread widely, or disseminate, and that’s what my aim is with the blog.  I want to spread my views, opinions, observations, photographs I like, and the fiction I write.  Of course, the “widely” part is not entirely accurate; I count on one hand the people who read my stuff.  

Political views.  I would say I am in the middle, but I am not.  On some things I am to the right, on some things I am to the left.  And even that is not accurate.  

For instance, just because I hold the view I should be able to own and carry a gun does not mean I am in the camp of typical guns proponents.  It does mean I am not a fan of anti-gun activists.

Abortion and gay marriage are not issues affecting me, so I don’t have strong feeling about the subjects themselves.  I do have strong feelings regarding people seeking to curtail or deny others the freedom of personal choice, so those two topics peripherally fall inside the circle of things I care about.  

In general my political views have a libertarian slant.  I am of the strong belief government should play a minimal role in the lives of people, especially since the majority of politicians appear and act as if they have been corrupted by the power they hold, and seduced by the easy money (meaning: bribes) associated with catering to special interest groups and corporations.

I have no illusion about either of the major party serving my needs or interests, and the smaller parties are often bat-shit crazies organized around simplistic and unrealistic agendas.  I vote based on what I believe will be least harmful to things I am interested in.

Religious Views.  I do not believe in gods.  I do not believe in mystical forces.  I do not believe in a universal intelligence.  I hold no belief in anything which violates what we know about the real world.

I was born into a Catholic family.  Around the age of 8 I started to ask questions about stuff that even at that tender age contradicted what I knew about the world.  I was told I was too young to understand, and eventually I would understand.  Eventually I did, but not the way they thought.  By 14 I told my parents I did not want to go to mass, confession, or have communion.  I remember them not being happy (my uncle, recently deceased, was a priest all his life).   At the time I did not know about atheism, skepticism, and all them other isms.

Through my teens there were still times I wanted to believe in something, so beginning in my late teens and into my twenties I look into other religions, beliefs, etc.  I am kind when I say I found them lacking.  Back then I firmly believed people should educate themselves about their own religion and about competing religious views.  I believed if they did, they would soon realize the emperor indeed has no clothes.  I was naive.  People resist challenges to their beliefs, even becoming more entrenched as problems with their belief system are pointed out to them.

These days my concern goes back to that personal choice and freedom thing.  Unfortunately religion is at the base of nearly every attack on personal freedom.  So religion is my enemy.

I think people can believe, worship, and live to whatever cockamamie creation story, wacked-out god, and spiritual force they choose.  The moment they start to actively pursue a course aimed at having others conform to their self-determined rules, is the moment I raise my voice in opposition.

This, of course, is a simplistic summary.  Individual issues are a lot more complex than can be examined here, but in general if one person seeks to infringe on the rights of another based on religious beliefs, they are greatly diminished in my eyes.

And if a person refuses to constantly challenge what they believe in, I have little respect for them.  As one might imagine, I have few friends.

Life in general.  I am 58 years of age as I write this.  I am tired.  I want to live the remaining of my life trying for the most part to enjoy it.  Broadly speaking this means spending time with my wife and living in a constant state of amazement and wonder.

I am not blind to the problems of the world, the suffering of literally billions, and to the gathering darkness.  I give to charity, I help others, I keep up with what is happening, and cast my small voice hither and fro to join other voices in opposition of bad stuff, and support of good stuff.

But my personal commitment is slowly shifting to my own self and to my wife.  I don’t know how much longer we have.  Either or both of our lives could literally end tomorrow, and I aim to live what time I have left in a manner that will not cause me to have regrets later on, and so as to leave the small portion of the world I can influence better off for me having been here.  Or at least no worse off.