Divide By Two

DIVIDE BY TWO A lot of people ask me if the stories in this book are true. To answer that question, I will tell you about what Herbie said. One day my buddy Ralph and I had lunch with a business associate of mine, Herbie. During the lunch, Herbie says to Ralph, "Steve here is a really outstanding fellow. However, be advised that he is a Number Four Guy." Ralph thinks about this for a minute and then says, "What do you mean a Number Four Guy" Herbie answers, "What I mean by a Number Four Guy is that anything he tells you, divide by four to get the truth." Well I don't agree with Herbie. I am definitely a Divide by Two Guy. CAT ON THE COVER? Why the cat picture on the cover of this book? The answer to the question is in the book. Read it. "YOU WILL GET SUED" It's not likely that I'll get sued for what I have written in this book. Here are the reasons: I've changed names and places to protect the guilty. Assume I have accused someone of committing a crime, which I have. Further assume that the accused thinks that even though I have changed his name, some people will figure out who he is. Does he really want to come out publicly, via a lawsuit, and say, "The author is writing about me and everyone knows it?" If he does so, he is confirming what were only suspicions and admitting that he is the person accused. Now he has to prove, in the court of public opinion, that what I have written is false. How easy is it to prove a negative? Finally, why sue me? I have no money and probably never will have any. "WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN IS POLITICALLY INCORRECT AND OR MAY GIVE OFFENSE." Let me tell you about "Politically Correct". The first time I ever heard the words, "Politically Correct" was in the early seventies. Some little big-mouthed pip-squeak of a young woman used it on me because she didn't like what I was saying. I immediately detested the term. I saw it as an attempt to control my free speech and eventually my very thoughts. Of course I was right. Today, governments the world over from North Korea to the United States, will put you in jail or even execute you for what you say or write, if your words are judged to be offensive. They'll also put you in jail for what they believe you are or were thinking. If the court determines that you were thinking hateful things when you committed a crime, you are punished more severely than you would be if you had been thinking pretty thoughts at the time. I saw a headline on an Internet news site, which read, "Al Gore wants global warming skeptics to be punished". The way things are going, Al may well get his wish. Now for "Offensive Speech". In the good old days, things were better. For example, my dear dead dad used to say he fought WWII in South Carolina, in Army boot camp. The rednecks who were in basic training with him used to stare at his head and say, "Hey, Jew. Where are you hiding your horns?" If my father had said in reply, "I find your remark offensive," it probably would have changed their behavior – they would have beaten him to death. Dad had only two choices for a response: fight the red necks or ignore them. But today, so many people say, "I find what you say to be offensive and hurtful," and they fully expect their remark will result in a heart-felt mea culpa and a change in what you will allow yourself to say. What gives people such expectations? Consciously or sub-consciously, they believe that they can get you into big trouble if they report your hurtful words to the proper authorities. And increasingly so, they are right.