On occasion, I write political oriented posts. I don’t think I do it often enough to be considered a political blogger. But if you were to ask me which blog most influenced my political “voice”, it wouldn’t be Daily Kos, or some other left-wing blog. There have only been two political blogs I read on a regular basis, and they’re both libertarian: Andrew Sullivan’s The Daily Dish, and a blog called Right Thinking From The Left Coast.

I started reading RTftLC a few months before I created this blog. In fact, one of the reasons I started blogging was to create a political blog — not political in the high-analysis brought by some of the higher-class blogs, but in the style that RTftLC’s creator, Lee, did. Lee could be rude, crass, and abusive. While often his target was Democrats, he wasn’t afraid to turn his sites on the GOP and bash them for anti-libertarian, anti-small government policies. Lee is — was, I should say — a rare specimen in political blogs: a fellow who strongly identified with one political ideology, yet wasn’t afraid to stand his ground and buck his party. That courage — the ability to stand firm against the group-think party-politics present on the warfield that is political blogging — is rare.

I stopped reading Right Thinking when it became a group blog — Lee moved to China and no longer had the time to post as often, so he turned the blog open to several of his regular readers. Some rehash other blog posts, some are bat-shit right-wing whackos, some are more moderate, but without Lee’s distinctive voice and non-yielding stance, the blog, quite frankly, lost its appeal. I visited today for the first time since the election, and came across an ominous post — checking through the archives, I found confirmation of that dread feeling in my stomach.

I am posting this just to let everyone know, the news that is flying around about Lee’s passing in China is probably – at this point – true. I will try to gather as much information as I can and post it here. If you hear anything or see any news reports or get confirmation from anyone reliable, please post it in the comments.

This is about the worst thing I can imagine ever having to post on this site. Lee is…and will always be…100% unique, a force of nature and someone we are all better off knowing.

I’m also going to ask that we leave the politics at the door temporarily.

Lee, you never met me, I never met you, I don’t think we traded e-mails back and forth. There’s a lot of stuff that I absolutely don’t agree with you on, but I’ll miss your presence in my life. Your blog was, to my mind, the epitome of what a good blog should be, and it’s gone forever with you.

I am not usually a person prone to violence, or violent thoughts. I mean, especially since I don’t drive anymore.

I stepped around from behind the Information desk, but they were already walking pretty quickly. Two of them, tall guy on the left, with one of those big 30-gallon trash bag filled with our CDs and DVDs. Stocky short guy to his right. “You guys need any help?” I called after them. There was no one between them and the door, and they were moving quickly. “No, man, we’re cool.” They hit the doors, rounded the corner, bolted down the street. Jumped into a car, backed up the one-way street.

The thirty minutes after that were hard. Really hard. Why didn’t I just grab the bag? Make a dash and tackle the tall one? Follow them outside and write down their license plate? Why wasn’t I in front of the Information desk, instead of behind it? Why didn’t I notice them earlier?

If I had the ability to stop time, I would’ve tied their shoelaces together, wailed on their faces and their crotches with a baseball bat, doused their car in gasoline and lit it on fire. Why didn’t I just grab the damn bag? Throw a book at them? So much I could’ve done, but all I did do was: “You guys need any help?”

The on-duty managers, our loss-prevention guy (when he came in), told me I’d done the right thing. In fact, when I started at the Bookstore, I started in LP. Wore the bright shirt, was instructed the steps necessary to approach a shoplifter. Was instructed what not to do if the shoplifter made a run for it: don’t follow, don’t restrain. They might have a knife, or a gun.

Worse: if you chased them into a street, what if they knocked someone into the path of an oncoming car?

Property isn’t worth people being injured over. Especially not mass-produced CDs, even a whole bag full of them. As ex-LP, I know this. Didn’t keep me from running scenarios through my head: grab the bag, yanking the tall one of his balance. Swing to the right, left-hook to the stocky fellow, kick to his groin. Swivel back, kick to the tall guy’s head.

Property isn’t worth people being hurt over. I know this in my head. And a full day later, I still want to hurt these guys, Punch-Drunk Love style. With a V-cart instead of a crowbar.

I usually don’t get this worked up over shoplifters. Even the pro-shoplifters. Lately, we’ve been hit by so many. We usually know its happening before they get out of the store, but they hit us early, and on slow days — we just don’t have large number of employees in the front of the store, and the area is usually clear of customers. It’s probably because I feel that I could’ve done so much different — even if I’d greeted them as they came into the store, that might’ve given them a second-thought.

I don’t feel hypocritical: as a high-school student, I had a shoplifting phase. I got over it without anything more serious than a sit-down with a police officer arranged by my parents. Truthfully, I don’t even mind (so much) the individual shoplifters: the business guy who slips a mass-market into his briefcase, the student who stuffs a Manga into his back-pack. It’s not that I don’t mind them, exactly, it’s just that I don’t want to shatter their jaws with a Dan Simmons hardback, when a “Hey, looks like you dropped our book in your bag! Why don’t I take that up to the registers and you can pay for it there, m’kay?”

But professional shoplifters are on a whole different level. They’re going to turn around, and sell the stuff much cheaper than we would, after they invest countless hours (and certainly some wounds) getting the product out of our keepers. They’re a skittish bunch, and even thought I didn’t grab for the bag, they know we’re onto them. We’ve got them on camera. They won’t be back.

Next Sunday, though? I’m pulling my old LP shirt out of my locker, and I’ll be wearing it all day.

Re: title, no, no, don’t worry: I’m still fully functional.

CNN:

The French Navy said they seized 11 pirates Sunday after they apparently mistook a French military vessel for a commercial ship and made a run at it.

Two pirate assault boats approached the Nivose “at great speed,” Capt. Christophe Prazuck said, but a French helicopter intervened before the attackers had time to fire at the French navy ship.

The helicopter fired warning shots, he said.

The pirates, who had a mother ship as well as the two assault boats, are being held for questioning on the Nivose, Prazuck said. The vessels were carrying AK-47 rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, but the pirates did not fire, he said.

According to the “French are cheese-eating surrender monkey” line of belief, the French should’ve surrendered their ship. However, since they did not, this meme is clearly no longer valid. I propose “The French are cheese-eating pirate killing monkeys” meme to replace.

It took me a second to realize why the couple in front of me at the register had suddenly doubled up laughing, then I realized that, as I’d handed them their bag, I told them I’d put their receipt in Judy Green’s “The Other Woman.” I mean — can you imagine the paper cuts?

Saturday was Free Comic Book Day: one customer was very upset that he was not in fact allowed to remove his pick of our graphic novel selection. “It’s deceit in advertising!” Possibly, or maybe you’re just stupid?

I woke up this morning and found a roll of toilet paper shredded by my cats. Trust me, it’s easy to recognize their paw-work, and the message was pretty clear: change the litter box, or else.

In other news, my feet hurt and I have a blister on my right heel. Ow.

For reals: no CGI, just a lot of hardwork. Incredible. I was going to quote some of the text, but I think the photo speaks for itself. Wow. Just wow.