Howl Number One

I finally decided to get into the blogging game, so I could vent my controversial opinions on my own corner of the web instead of annoying my email contacts. And I enjoy venting about just those topics you cannot get away with venting about unless your opinions are in lock-step with those of the recipients. Of course, I'm talking about politics and religion.

I guess I am one of those independent types the media calls the swing voter. Until recently, I was a life-long Republican. But the Bush administration changed my mind with its disregard for the constitution, its use of secret prisons, "alternative interrogation techniques", wild-ass spending, and its subversion of science. Religious fanatics hold too much sway over the Republicans and I've had enough.

Problem is, I don't care much for the Democrats, either. I don't want the government to try to solve our every problem. When it does, it often succeeds only in creating new problems. I'd rather government only concentrate on the big problems that only government can handle. I do think that it needs to act on environmental issues and health care. Otherwise, I'm for low taxes, fiscal discipline, free trade, liberal immigration policies, and human rights.

When it comes to religion, I won't mince words: I'm an atheist. Brought up as a fundamentalist Baptist, I finally broke free when I was twenty-one, and have stepped into churches only two or three times since. I was a thorough believer when I was young, but it bothered me that I could not experience the "filling of the spirit" that others professed to have. As my mind matured and I learned to think more critically, I realized that there was simply no basis in fact for what I believed. I realized that faith is no virtue when it is no more than an excuse to believe in something for no good reason. And I realized that the "filling of the spirit" was no more than pretense.

Being without religion gives me a feeling of freedom. I don't need to pretend to serve some egotistical celestial deity in order to have purpose. My purpose in life can be whatever I choose to make it. After twenty-six years of shedding the psychological residue of religion, many of my burdens have truly rolled away.

But I won't spout off only about politics and religion. I'm also a science geek, a PhD who mostly develops scientific software, so I'll probably post about geeky stuff I think is cool quite often. I'm also a watcher of too much television. Here are some of my favorite shows, in no particular order:

• The Sopranos
• House
• Dexter
• 24
• Boston Legal

And, since much of what I watch comes from netflix, I'll list some of my favorite movies:

• The Shawshank Redemption
• High Noon
• Pulp Fiction
• The Blues Brothers
• American Beauty
• The Usual Suspects

As for other things about me, I live in the dry part of Washington State, east of the cascades. I'm 47, happily married, no children, but have three cats to supervise me. I really like good beer and I was a cigar aficionado for a couple of years, but I gave up the cigars because I'm also an exercise and health nut.

Well, enough for now...