Monthly Archives: March 2015

Nope, I am not talking about Martin Luther, he was a doctor remember? I am talking about Rodney. Remember what Rodney King said during the riots? With tears in his eyes and his voice choking up and asked all of LA, “Can’t all we just get along?”

I had a great article on this. Quotes and examples from all over the place that cover all aspects of the topic I am going to cover. Then I just decided, “The hell with it, I’ll use the K.I.S.S. principal ~ Keep It Simple Stupid!”

We have a major problem in this world that could rip the fabric of our society to shreds and you are part of this.  If you think all republicans are racists or all democrats are socialists; if you think everyone on government subsistence is a bum bilking the tax payer; if you think the politicians you vote for are honorable but those of the other party are bums trying to screw the middle-class – you are part of the problem. If you proudly proclaim, “I am very tolerate of everyone, except intolerant people”; guess what – you are not tolerant at all, not even a little bit. Being tolerant means accepting people that you do NOT agree with. Being tolerant with everyone except intolerant people – well that means you are tolerant of all the people you do not disagree with and intolerant of people you do not agree with.

If any of those above (and a whole host of others) fit you, you are part of the reason why this world is ripping itself apart. Stop it! Damn it – stop it!

I firmly believe most people want the same thing, they just have a different view of how to get there. And you know what? That is ok! We do not have to agree on everything! But we do need to find a way to work together.

My view on illegal immigration into the United States is based on the fact that we have a law that the lawmakers are ignoring because it suits them. By now some of you have already decided that I just hate all immigrants. You are thinking that before you even find out the other major reason why I am against illegal immigration.

The other major reason I am against illegal immigration? My ex-wife is a legal immigrant to this country and now she is an American citizen. We were married before she decided to immigrate to this country. We filled out form after form after form, and when I mailed in each form it had to be sent with a check for hundreds of dollars. Then just four days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 my wife was in the US embassy and without even going through the interview process this low level bureaucrat just decided on his own that my wife was not going to immigrate to the United States. I called my congressman’s office and they straightened out this whole mess and my wife was on a plane to America. From start to finish it took us over a year. It takes longer for some people and shorter for others, for some people it takes much longer.

You see there are laws that govern immigration to this country and many of us have followed those laws and we resent it when you want to make exceptions for people who already have no respect for our immigration laws. If you want to give exemptions to people, give the exemption to people who are already following the legal steps to immigrate here.

So the next time someone says something you do not like do not be part of the problem, be part of the solution. Ask why they hold those views before you start the name-calling. Because you can believe me when I say that if you jump straight to name calling when you hear something you do not like you are the only person who thinks you are tolerant.

Print off the sign below and read it every time you are about to attack someone because you do not agree with them. You see we can either build a better world together or we can destroy what we have together. But either way, we are going to do it together.

This is the new book cover for The Cartaphilus Saga: Book #1 Amissio.

The release date is March 27, 2015 reserve your copy now for half price. Here are the links for the top five retailers:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, Smashwords, and all the major book retailers. Below you can read a description of the book, and I have a link where you can read the first six chapters online, or download it to the device you like to read books on. The paperback edition will follow at the end of April or beginning of May.

Here are the links so you can see rest of my books (12 now with number 13 coming soon) at your favorite retailer:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Apple (iTunes)

Kobo

Smashwords

The Cartaphilus Saga book #1: Amissio will be available everywhere e-books are sold. With the first release to be on Amazon. The print editions will follow the e-book edition.

NOTE: though this is being released as both Historical Fiction and Christian Fiction it is not a religious book and does not take a position on Christianity either for or against. The crucifixion is used as the source of the curse placed on Cartaphilus. A curse of immortality.

And the best thing is it is FREE. All I am asking is for you to leave a comment.

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Here’s the description:

The Cartaphilus Saga, Book #1: Amissio

David Gerrard is a freelance reporter for the tabloids, but one with definite principals. Though he has researched and written dozens of stories, he will only publish the ones he truly believes. For ten years, he has been receiving story leads from a source he has never met in person. Mark Long is a remarkable storyteller, bringing David stories from throughout history and adding unique and substantial variations to each one. For the first time, Mark has requested a face to face meeting between himself and David.

The first thing the men do together is visit Mark’s old friend, Tony Vargas, who is an expert on the Roman Empire period and an avid collector. Mark presents Tony with an ancient sword in a velvet lined case and asks Tony to tell him exactly what it is. Tony states that it is a first century Roman gladius sword. He shows the men other swords in his collection and discusses the detailed differences. Then he tells them the sword had once belonged to a soldier named Casius, since the name is engraved on the handle.

At this, Mark is eager to leave, though he doesn’t explain why at the time. When he and David are alone in the hotel, Mark tells him in secret that Tony was right: the sword had belonged to a Roman soldier named Casius. But what Tony hadn’t known was that Casius had had the sword taken from him by a Jew named Peter, and a Roman centurion had taken it from Peter. Intrigued, David settles into his role as reporter, with his digital recorder, pen, and paper always at the ready.

Mark tells him the centurion’s name was Marcus Cartaphilus Longus. He had been stationed with the Roman garrison in Caesarea when he’d discovered his daughter was close to death. After learning the name of a man who had reportedly saved others from death, Cartaphilus went in search of this Yeshua. Unfortunately, his daughter died before he could reach Yeshua. Desolate over the death of his daughter and the subsequent death of his wife, Cartaphilus vowed to destroy Yeshua.

At that time, Pontius Pilate was the Prefect of Judea. He was in charge of keeping the peace. When the Jewish Passover came, he ordered in extra troops, and Cartaphilus led those troops. Upon their arrival, Cartaphilus was ordered to arrest a Jew accused by the priests of causing trouble in Judea. They were led to the accused by a man named Judas Iscariot, but the Jew was surrounded by his followers, including one man named Peter who grabbed Casius’ gladius and cut the ear off one of the men with the soldiers while trying to protect Yeshua. Miraculously, Yeshua was able to pick up the severed ear and reattach it to the man’s head with the simple pressure of his hand. Eventually, Cartaphilus placed Yeshua under arrest and led him to Jerusalem and the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest.

Over the next few days, Mark’s story continues, reliving the final hours of Jesus Christ’s life, and even the years following.

David listens carefully and questions often, impressed by Mark’s in-depth account of this two thousand year old story. When Mark begins to add in details that David cannot find in his research, David becomes determined to disprove the story. He compares Mark’s details to those told in the Bible. He contacts a professional researcher, a genealogist, and a professor friend, asking them all questions to help him refute this story, but despite their best efforts they cannot. Over a few exhausting days and nights, the two men take the story apart, but David cannot find any flaws. The problem is, the only way Mark could know any of these details was if he had been an actual eyewitness, which is obviously impossible.

One night David sits bolt upright in his hotel room bed, jarred awake by a detail. He checks his recorder to be sure and confirms what he’d thought. Caught up in the emotion of the story, Mark had accidentally messed up by using the pronoun “we” instead of “they”, and the vigilant reporter had caught his slip on tape.

Cornered by the recorded remark, Mark admits that he is two thousand years old. Of course, David tells him the whole idea is ridiculous. He is angry at the waste of his time and toys with the idea of leaving. But Mark begs him to stay. He says he doesn’t need David to necessarily believe him, he needs him to believe the story. He says that if David believes it, so will his readers, and he needs David to tell the world what really happened.

Highly skeptical, David begins to question him about other events that have happened over the past two thousand years—including Mark’s participation in WWII as a Nazi—but Mark stops him, saying the stories must be told as they happened, not by skipping through the centuries. Eventually Mark hands him a daguerreotype of two men from the American Civil War, and David has it checked by experts. They all agree that the daguerreotype is authentic. One of the men in the picture is one of General Robert Lee’s sons, and David has a very hard time telling himself the other is not Mark.

David has failed in his quest to disprove Mark’s story. His researchers have as well. So David grudgingly allows himself to believe in the possibility that Mark is two thousand years old, that Mark Long is actually Marcus Cartaphilus Longus. And if that is possible, how many other stories could Mark have to share with him? Would he be able to unearth more of the most famous lies or half-truths throughout history?

Unfortunately, now that David is swept up in the excitement of the idea, Mark is called away on urgent business. He promises to get in touch so they can continue with this story and more. David stares at him as he leaves the hotel, unable to believe he is suddenly gone.

Two months later, David receives a short email from Mark, stating the place and time where they should meet. This time David is prepared and smiling with anticipation as he packs his things.

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Here’s the link for the FREE download (or you can read it online) of the first six chapters, this is much more than the retailers will let you down load as a sample:

The Cartaphilus Saga, Book #1: Amissio

The Cartaphilus Saga:
Amissio
(Book #1)