Saturday

Going Topless

Predator Press

[LOBO]

Nestled just south of Angry Seafood and west of Musings of a Barefoot Foodie, Alltop just got it’s newest resident.

-I didn’t want to do it, but Guy Kawasaki was just relentless.

“LOBO,” he says. “Alltop’s motto is ‘We’ve got humor covered’. If Predator Press isn’t on it, I’ll be sued!”

“I just can’t Guy,” I reply. “And just what kind of name is 'Kawasaki'? Is that Swedish?"

"No."

"First of all," I says, "This isn’t a humorous-type blog. It’s more like the Wall Street Journal -‘cept with pictures and interesting content. If I allow this critical and historical document’s philosophy to be corrupted, the very fabric of our Great Nation will unravel. Do you Swedes want the terrorists to win? Do you? Hm?”

“But you’ll get more traffic,” he persists.

“I can’t handle anymore traffic! I got like four comments on my last post. Four! I defy you to show me any other blog with four comments. My server is completely ground to a standstill, and I simply can’t afford any more fruit baskets.”

“I can get you 30 days free on AOL.”

“Deal.”


Thanks Guy!


Thursday

Rubber Base Black

Predator Press

[LOBO]

Predator Press is suffering some “technical difficulties”.
I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS
I’ve used up all our blog ink copying the dollar bill Don Lewis sent us as souvenirs for all our fans.
I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS
We made hundreds of thousands of these souvenirs. And we were so happy with the idea, we occasionally jumped in the piles and rolled around naked in them.
I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS
But when we were bundling them in stacks of 100 for efficient storage, we discovered that Don’s original dollar bill was counterfeit!
I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS
I for one am shocked that Don would sink so low as to proliferate phony cash, and completely ruin our plan to give these little keepsakes to millions and millions and millions of fans to show our appreciation for reading (or working at Best Buy, Aston Martin, Cunard Cruise Lines, et cetera).
I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS
The ink is very low; if I were you I would highlight all the text in this post with your cursor in case you missed something; some text isn't transferring properly.
I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS
I’ll get this corrected as soon as possible.
I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS
Thank you for your continued patience and support.
I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS I HATE DON LEWIS

Wednesday

Milestone 1/999,999,999% of Goal Achieved

Associated Press

Amidst rumors to the contrary, the Predator Press-sponsored “Feed LOBO” charity resulted in what Editor-in-Chief LOBO referred to as an “encouraging start”.

“Now that the seal has been broken,” LOBO explains, “some serious coin will start rollin in. And those fat sacks of cash are gonna get me some kickass bling.”

Acts included Pat Boone performing the Tool classic “Prison Sex” with the Pianosian Symphony Orchestra, Corey Haim’s two hour lecture on “The Cultural significance of Hair Gel and Why it is Soooo Cool”, and rap artist 50 Cent -via satellite- explaining how LOBO's assertion that "I'm With Stupid T-shirts are bling!" is technically not correct.

While spectacular overall, the telethon was marred early on when during the Riverdance segment Michael Flatley snapped his knee backward and kicked his own forehead.

“That was the coolest part!” said LOBO, who did not attend. “When I woke up, I just fast-forwarded through all the bullshit on TiVo. But I've watched that scene like a dozen times.”

Slowing down the footage, he demonstrates. “See? Wait for it … wait for it … clacketty clacketty clacketty-POW!!!"

"Ah god," he adds, wiping back a tear. "That just slays me."

Jerry Lewis, host of the event, concluded the evening with an emphatic, “LOBO is far and away the most handicapped person I've had ever met. Please help!”

This is widely believed to be what triggered the only donor of the day -It’s a Funny Thing author Don Lewis- into action.

“We were going to send the first donor a plaque," commented LOBO. "But then we realized the daily ‘take’ would actually be negative $498.99 ... and that it was Don Lewis. Instead, we sent a slightly-warped Tupperware lid crawling with the ebola virus."

"Plaque, plague -it’s all semantics,” insists LOBO. "And do you have any idea how difficult is is to scratch 'Thanks Don Lewis' in cursive with a key on space-age polymers?"





Tuesday

Predator Press Declares War on Environmentalism

Predator Press

[LOBO]

Bee at Bee's Musings has the noble distinction of being the first blogger to notice my new fundraising effort, "Feed LOBO".

See, if you look in my sidebar you will find a handful of fine bloggers that have gone through a lot of trouble writing brilliant and/or funny books so they can earn an income.

But books have an insidious tendency to wind up in libraries, being studied, and, well, read. Remember school? It just makes me sick. I don't know exactly why those guys are being so mean to the Future Children of America by writing more of these 'books', but I'll have no part of it.

Hence my fundraiser: I, LOBO, solemnly swear that if I reach my modest goal of $999,999,999 by May 16, 2009 I will never write a book.

Probably wouldn't read one either.

And who has time to read and write books when -even as we speak- hemp-addled smelly hippies are treacherously allying themselves with 'environmental causes'?

Don't they realize this 'Environment' is tryin to kill us every day with deadly bacteria, disease, hurricanes, tidal waves, killer sharks, tornados, earthquakes, MicroSoft, catastrophic meteor strikes and X-rays from space?

I think most scientists would agree, "Mother Nature" would like nothing more than to dance barefoot in our slippery entrails ... and as Nietzsche probably said, "That which does not kill me is either lazy, or just waiting for the chance."






Tell those hippies to roll over, 'cuz this
thermometer is goin in the plooptionary.


Monday

Entre's Inferno

Predator Press

[LOBO]

Entrecard went down over the weekend.

So rather than skimming hundreds of sites, many of us were forced to work around the house, landscape, and perform automotive maintenance or whatever.

But I forgive Entrecard.

In fact, I'm flatly impressed by their calm and polite manner:

“We’ve had an electrical fire. Things should be back up in a few hours. We’re terribly sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

Wow.

That's pretty classy if you ask me … ‘cause if Predator Press has an electrical fire, ”FIREFIREHOTHOTHOTEEEEYAAAAHHHHH!!!” would be all you get -and that's if I can find the presence of mind to blog instead of running around in panicky circles while flailing my arms and screaming.

So before your eyes glaze over with welling tears at the thought of losing this historic document, we should go over the Official Predator Press Fire Safety Plan.

It is as follows:

1) Rescue LOBO,
2) rescue LOBO’s expensive stuff,
3) rescue all other tangential LOBO-related personnel such as family, pets, friends and/or coworkers, and then
4) rescue LOBO’s inexpensive stuff.

I’m not really a hard-ass about rule #4. I don’t expect you to go into an inferno for, say, my stapler: your personal safety is of utmost importance to me. Use your judgment.

But lots of little things like staplers add up, and it just might make the difference as to whether you get an iPod or a fruitcake at Christmas.

I'm just sayin.

This plan was Cultivated by Design.


Saturday

In the Beginning

Predator Press

[LOBO]

God made man in His image.

But man was a slob. First he stopped shaving. Then he blew far past ‘love handles’, and went straight into full-fledged ‘Wisconsin Goiter’.

“Adam,” says God. “You look terrible!”

“Well gee thanks God,” replied Adam. “Be sure you sign me up for your self-esteem seminars.”

“Adam, I’m going to make you a woman.”

“But what will all my friends say?”

“No. I mean I’m going to create you a companion.”

Now Adam wasn’t all that bright. He imagined animated conversations about football and endless ‘pull my finger’ jokes.

“Cool,” he says.

“Give me one of your ribs,” says God.

“Here you go,” says Adam.

“Ugh,” says God. “You’ve got barbeque sauce in your beard.”

Adam wiped his beard with a napkin. “Do you want some of this coleslaw? This coleslaw rocks.”

“No. Just the rib, thanks.”

And from Adam’s rib sprung Eve.

“What a dump!” Eve complained.

“Okay,” says God. “My work here is done. You kids have fun now.”

“Thanks God,” says Adam.

“It’s filthy,” says Eve.

“Oh yeah,” says God as He recedes into the clouds. “One more thing. Stay the hell away from my apples, or I’ll invent the tire iron and beat you to death with it!”

“Okay God!” says Adam waving.

“Ugh,” says Eve. “Is that barbeque sauce?”


***


Within a month, Adam had lost 50 pounds.

-Because Eve had eaten everything in sight.

Eve had gained so much weight that he didn’t fit on the bed anymore and slept on the floor. He got up and stretched carefully; his back was now completely wrecked.

He surveyed the devastated remains of the garden as his stomach growled. The crops were gone, and a huge pile of animal bones by the fire pit were all that remained of the wildlife.

Adam was scratching his head wondering how Eve had even gotten the leaves off of the top of the trees when he heard a rustling sound.

A squirrel.

“Oh thank heavens,” said Adam.

But the scrawny animal had no intention of becoming Adam and Eve’s breakfast so easily. It scampered, ran and bounded out of Adam’s reach, and finally up the Tree of Knowledge. And there were those glorious apples: round and firm, an impossibly deep crimson, and so heavy the branches arched under their burgeoning weight.

“Come down from there squirrel,” Adam cajoled, “and I’ll make it quick and painless!”

But the squirrel wasn’t listening. It was sniffing an apple excitedly.

“I wouldn’t do that if-“

Crunch

Suddenly there was thunder and lightning, and God’s voice boomed from the sky. “What the hell,” He says, “did I tell you people about eating my damn apples!?”

Frightened, the squirrel dropped the apple, and Adam caught it.

Adam looked at the apple, and then at the squirrel. If God catches me with this, he thought, I’m screwed. And if I explain that the squirrel did it, I’ll have no breakfast.

Looking around and thinking quickly, he spotted Eve, still slumbering and snoring loudly.

“Who dared?” demanded God.

Thinking quickly, Adam hurled the apple, and it rolled to rest right by her.

“Eve!” yelled God.

“Wha-?“ she said, starting to wake.

“Eve, what happened?” demanded God.

“She really let herself go once you left,” said Adam.

“No, I mean why hast thou disobeyed my Word and eaten of the Forbidden Fruit?’

“But I didn’t!” insisted Eve.

“I tried to stop her,” said Adam.

“Begone from my garden!” said God.

And poof she was gone.

Adam sighed. “You know, you give some people an inch …”

“Yes,” said God disappointedly. “I guess so. Say Adam, when are you barbequing again?”

“You like squirrel?”

Friday

A Fine Whine

Predator Press

[LOBO]

Poink!

“Ouch!”

Scowling, I turn to LadyTerri.

“What the heck was that?”

Smiling coyly, she dangles a tiny stiff fiber in my face.

A gray hair.

“LIAR!” I scream, seizing at the damning evidence.

But she’s the picture of health and prepared for my reaction; scampering deftly out of reach, she’s fully exited the room before I can even rise to my feet.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,” she singsongs from the kitchen.

Exhausted from rising suddenly, I slump back into my computer chair and try to catch my breath.

“That’s not funny,” I call. “There’s no proof that that came out of my head. You coulda pulled out any hair and swapped it with that monstrosity!”

But I know the truth.

And now she knows it too.


***


An impulsive murder-suicide plan is quickly ruled out: with both of us dead, who will raise the kids? And for that matter, what if the kids spot another gray on my corpse? Then I won’t be around to kill them too; my secret will get out, and I’ll be the laughing stock of the blogosphere anyways.

No, that plan has just too many flaws to be taken seriously.

The obvious alternative was readily available online. This little beauty [pictured left] retails at $18.99, and provides the perfect solution to hide my hideous deformity ... but it looks a bit like steel wool, and I'm staunchly against the abuse of robot sheep.


***


Why, O cruel God, hast Thou afflicted me thusly? Do I not go to church in disguises so Father Fritz won't kick me out anymore?

Why not pick on Diesel instead? We're exactly the same age, and -aside from you Divining me with a serious infusion of talent- Mattress Police will always have a lot more readers: he would totally blog about hoary flaming death toads raining down on him amidst Your mighty wrath! And as a self-taught linguistic expert, I'm almost certain he lives in New Jersey based on his dialect.

O Vengeful One, is smiting New Jersey with a few flaming toads too much to ask from your most faithful of followers?

I'll be in Slacker Heaven before you know it.


Thursday

Clash of the Titanics

Predator Press

[LOBO]

As a rule, the LOBOnian Nation is fairly enlightened; therefore Democracy is tolerated as long as the decisions made are ones I would agree with.

But Democracy makes for really boring television.

God I’m sick of it ... Hillary complaining about this. Barack complaining about that. Blah blah blah blah blah. It’s getting so bad I have no idea what Britney and Lindsay are doing at all anymore.

Would you people elect somebody already? How long can I be expected to quietly sublimate your Will under mine if you won’t shut up about this meaninglessness?

Face it: they’re all lame. I can no sooner imagine Hillary rappelling down an Afghanistanian fortress wall to beat Osama to death with a tire iron than I can McCain playin’ a rockin guitar solo during a surprise cameo at a U2 concert.

If you’re going to bother with it at all, go with a winner.


VOTE SPEEDCAT



Wednesday

Liquid Lunch

Predator Press

[LOBO]

" ... attach the color coded cables on the side with magnetic plates, unless it's Wednesday during a month with an 'M' in it.

In this case, define the corresponding animal of the current Chinese New Year and add the numeric values of the letters as per a regulation Scrabble board on Double Word squares with Triple Letter Score on the first vowel.

If the sum is greater than the last three digits of your salesman's birth year, affix the 1/8" bolts to the non-finished sides of parts N12, AAX and 1Q3 unless it's 1966*, then A44, N12, V2L and Q must be completely parallel to themselves, and perpendicular to Alpha Proxima.

* IMPORTANT: If it's model 99Av0441, please be sure to refer to illustrations 987.01 - 15111.a04."



If LadyTerri makes me assemble anymore
IKEA furniture, I'm just going to get a job.


Tuesday

Go to Sleep, City

Predator Press

[LOBO]

Dear Criminal Empire aka Swisher Inc.,

You people have wrecked my Summer.

I'm supposed to enjoy Summer. The air is warm, and supposed to be alive with the sounds of playing children and singing birds ... not the endless and vitriolic profanity I'm streaming at this so-called "lawn mower".

The cops have been here twice!

How dare you foist this "Big-Mow" piece of crap engineering out on the general public? I should totally sue you! Ever since my parents forked out their hard-earned $59 on this junk in 1979, I've had nothing but problems. And I've only used it like five, maybe six times! WTF?

Up until now, I've been a very satisfied customer. When I accidentally hit that pickup truck that was buried in the backyard, it started right back up after I straightened the blades out with vice grips and a sledgehammer.

Now, nothing.

You should have at least warned people in the documentation that it will stop working entirely if you ever change the oil.

Sincerely,

LOBO


According to ninja experts, lawns are
best maintained through intimidation.


Wednesday

What if our Alien Visitors are Delicious?

Predator Press

[LOBO]

Oh, come on ... you're all thinking it, you're just too chicken to ask.

And I can already hear you bleeding heart liberals complaining, 'But LOBO, aliens capable of interstellar travel would be super-intelligent!' blah blah.

Oh please ... ridden a bus lately?

What if these are celestial losers tryin to get a picture of themselves next to the intergalactic equivalent of the 'World's Biggest Ball of Yarn?"

Pthbttt!

The capability of travel doesn't impress me. In fact, non-intelligent beings travel every day (see right, also TFASD).

Frankly, these rude and unannounced tourists being 'intelligent' only makes the idea more attractive: what could be better than a meal that preheats the oven, sets the timer, lathers itself in a fine Mornay sauce and is fully cooked to a succulent golden-brown before you even get home?

As far as I'm concerned, the only question is whether to serve them with a white wine or a red.


Julia Child was secretly part of the Jeff Rense Program.


Monday

Ask LOBO

Predator Press

[LOBO]

People are always asking me, "LOBO, you are so worldly and brilliant, when are you going to give us your secrets on having happy and fulfilling relationships?"

Well, I'm glad you asked me that.

-Now that I have been blissfully wed for two full months, I feel I am qualified to lecture comprehensively on the subject.

It all boils down to five simple rules:

1) Keep the Romance Alive: Pretend you have feelings, and talk about them frequently.

2) Honesty is Not Optional: When your significant other is firing known minefield queries like 'do you think she's attractive?' DO NOT PANIC: tools to bring about your own self-destruction are often in ample supply when one is thinking creatively. Electrical cords, for instance, can be used to hang yourself in the absence of piano wire and guitar strings; if time is a luxury you posses, carefully knotted strips of bath towels and/or blue jeans will do the job with considerably less mess.

3) Appreciate Her Uniqueness: The best visual aid I can offer is that men communicate like this:




... while women communicate like this:



Remember that '8os horror movie Scanners where people's veins swelled up purple until their heads exploded? That's what'll happen to you if you try to figure them out.

Stick with chocolate.

4) Take the other point of view: When she wants you to have an opinion, she will give you one.

Be patient.

5) Know your limitations: Find a woman that is already aware that you're an idiot. This will save you both from a lot of unnecessary conversations trying to convince you otherwise. Plus, once she realizes you're far too simpleminded to try and "pull one over on her", sentences like "Honey, I had no idea this was pornographic material. I was just trying to figure out why they kept misspelling 'come'!" will be interpreted as honest and straightforward -just as they were intended to be.

There you have it: my five simple rules.

Hopefully LadyTerri will let me back inside long enough so I can post them soon.


Maybe Daisy can unlock the door ...



Saturday

Full Immersion

Predator Press

[LOBO]

I have come into possession of my very first deep fryer.

Sweet.

I started small. You know, french fries, mushrooms, that sort of thing.

But soon my habit blossomed.

Within hours, I was deep-frying an entire 16 oz block of cheddar.

And then a bucket of fried chicken.

Sure enough, this turned out to be what the cops refer to as the "gateway appliance": soon I was deep-frying a carelessly unattended pair of Oakley sunglasses, coffee grounds, an iPod, the entire first season of Spongebob Squarepants on VHS, and somewhere around four pillowcases.

LadyTerri calls it "cheating on my diet".

I call it science.


I had to explain all this to the Mattress Police.


Friday

Divining Rod

Predator Press

[LOBO]

If you're reading this blog, most likely you are already sitting.

This is good, because what I'm about to tell you may come as quite a shock ... and I don't need any more lawsuits.

Here goes:


There's a pretty significant statistic of planet
Earth that isn't reading Predator Press
.

Okay.

Relax.

Deep breaths.

Take a few seconds before continuing.

I don't type that fast.

Naturally, no one was more shocked than I at this news. I had the Predator Press scienticians check and recheck my figures and spreadsheets, and unfortunately there's just no doubt about it: at this moment you, 'o loyal reader, may be among the lucky few with my selfless Wisdom, Purity, Hope and Truth screaming electronically through your doe-like retinas and into your frontal lobe.

But we cannot judge this widespread ignorance too harshly.

See, roughly 70% of the Earth's population just doesn't get the internet at all. And of the remaining 30%, half of those have Comcast so they aren't able to read any blogs either.

This leaves about 15%.

Now two-thirds of these people are an acceptable margin that I classify as "blog fodder": they are the mindless yet litigiously-solvent and loveable masses of chaff that do the dumb things I make fun of -and won't sue me because they don't know I'm alive.

The remaining 5% are likely the surgeons, firemen, and congressmen -far too busy maintaining the infrastructure of the world, and clearly under the misconception that I am paying attention to it.

Essentially, this leaves Rodney Morgan who lives at 1664 Wintergreen Terrace in Pennsauken, New Jersey.

Rodney has internet connectivity, a fairly mindless job, not much of a social life, no lawn to maintain, no pets, and only goes to family functions twice a year.

Rodney has no excuses whatsoever.

And I want his ass kicked.


Earth is a pretty nice place when viewed From the Roads.


Thursday

Making a Stand

Predator Press

[LOBO]


Save Canada with Predator Press


Wednesday

Hex on the Breach

Predator Press

[LOBO]

As I entered the spacious office, McKracken rose from his chair.

"It's a pleasure to see you again sir," he said shaking my hand over the desk.

Trying not to wince visibly under his vice-like grip I reply, "I wish I could say the same."

"The Anti-Brent Diggs security grid we designed isn't working?"

"No it's fine," I says. "To my knowledge, Brent hasn't been within a hundred miles of my place."

"How about the bathtub shark cage?"

"That's fine too."

"I hope you've taken my advice and stopped reading Don Lewis' fear-mongering."

"That guy is a menace and must be stopped."

McKracken gestures to a seat in front of his desk, and eyes me carefully as he sits. "I take it you have further need for our security services."

"And how," I says. Pulling a folded piece of paper from my lapel, I toss it in front of him. "Everywhere I've surfed the Internet lately, I see things like this."




"These sick bastards," I explain, "are tryin to squish the Earth into a weird heart shape!" I punch my finger into the image loudly. "This would almost certainly screw up our orbit around the Sun."

"I think," says McKracken, "this is just an effort to organize awareness for human rights."

"The right to squish the Earth?" I guffaw. "I need the Earth. All my stuff is there. And just look at Canada!"

"No," McKracken says patiently. "I mean the heart-shaped Earth is like a metaphor. As if to say 'the world should be more sensitive'. They aren't really trying to squish it."

"I'm not buying that," I says. "And frankly the last thing I need are bloggers 'uniting'. How long until one of them figures out that they can eliminate the best blog in the universe -Predator Press- by the simple act of sticking a shiv in the back of my neck while I'm mowing the lawn?"

"I've seen your yard," says McKracken. "I wouldn't classify that as a serious threat."

"I think we need to start discussing my options."

"Like what?"

I stand and walk to the window, thinking. "How about a giant vacuum that will suck everyone off of the face of the Earth except me, LadyTerri, Phil and the kids?"

"It sounds expensive," replies McKracken. "Plus you still have to worry about other dangers. You know, earthquakes and so forth."

"Okay," I concede sullenly. "How about if we airlift our house out into the middle of the Pacific where no earthquake -or organized bloggers- could possibly reach us?"

"Well," sighs McKracken. "You would still have hurricanes, tidal waves-"

"An orbiting satellite?"

"Asteroids, meteors, gamma rays-"

"Polar research station?"

"Polar bears, hypothermia-"

"Undersea research vessel?"

"Crushing depth pressure, monkfish, killer whales-"

"Goddamn it McKracken!" I whirl. "I'm completely fed up with your lousy excuses!"

"Hell," says McKracken. "I haven't even started with microorganisms, disease, deadly bacteria-"

"So what you're essentially telling me," I says. "Is that you are completely unable to provide me with any 'security' whatsoever."

McKracken fidgets nervously.

"Well that settles it," I says. Nodding in comprehension, I head for the door. "McKracken, you're fired!"

The door slams.

"Is he gone?" says a voice in the closet.

McKracken breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God yes sir. He's gone."

A shadowy figure emerges. "You have done well."

"It was my pleasure sir. If I got another blood-curdling scream on my home phone at 2:00am, my wife was going to leave me."

The figure throws a small package on the desk.

"A bonus," he says ominously.

"A copy of Tinsel of Doom? Sir, you are too kind!"

"Just be sure that security system is offline today," says the figure. "I just can't take anymore Bee Gees music."



McKracken has deleted all of My Interesting Files.


Tuesday

Guns and Drugs

Predator Press

[LOBO]

As a good rule of thumb, if I'm not writing frequently I'm either:

a) sick as a dog
b) sick as a dog, or
c) sick as a dog.

Sure there's always the occasional rare exceptions -such as my amazing pro football career, the grueling astronaut training or the occasional zombie uprising- but in this case, it was mostly "B" with a little dash of "C".

So I spent most of the time staring slackjawed at the pretty colors changing on television. And completely at LadyTerri's mercy, I got a crash course in about 30 years of horror movies.

Gems like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Silence of the Lambs, and The Ring worked my addled psyche. Even my muddled dreams were terrifying: one in particular -about some crazy planet where people talked funny and hats were mandatory- had me so upset even LadyTerri's gradually increasing talent for dosing me with sedatives via dart gun failed.

But we cannot fault LadyTerri's mournfully terrible aim in this particular case entirely; my fevered horror was magnified exponentially by superhuman quantities of erythromycin, Alka-Seltzer, Nyquil, Contac, and the blood of a homeless wretch I felt helplessly impelled to bite repeatedly ... and were all followed by a nice fat codeine chaser.

I stole the car, locked the doors, and made for my escape laughing in triumph while slamming through the garage door at six miles per hour.

"Left!" I cried. "Left! We are almost free. Left damn you!"

Alas, my victory was to be short-lived: while my neighbor's vast and well-manicured LAWN OF FREEDOM lie merely inches ahead, I was halted abruptly and soundly by a cleverly-placed insurmountable six-inch curb.

The car's alarm went off.

And there was blackness.


***


The cop banged on the window with his flashlight.

"Sir," he said. "Please step out of the car."

"No!" I says, cracking the window slightly. I motion him closer to the door and put my lips to the gap whispering, "There's crazy people out there!"

"Sir," says the cop with vague disinterest. "If you don't come out, I'm going to have to break the window."

It was then I spotted his gun.

"WOW!" I says. "That's cool. Can I have one of those?"

"Well, probably yes thanks to the Republicans."

"What do I have to do?"

"Well first you have to get a FOID card."

"Do you have an extra one?"

"No. You have to apply for one."

"How long does that take?"

"About three days," he says. "Now-"

"And then I can shoot people?"

"No sir," he says.

"Well how long do I have to wait to do that?"

"Sir," he says exasperated. Winding back with the large flashlight, he prepares to break the window. "Please just open the door."

"Officer!" interrupts LadyTerri. "I have an extra key."

"Honey," I says. "I know it's hard to believe this right now, but I'm doing this for our own good. In fact, I'm doin' this for America. I'm doing this for Liberty. I'm doing this for Freedom!"

I punch the gas on the car.

"Ma'am," says the cop. "I don't think he realizes the car isn't running."

Thinking quickly, LadyTerri pretends she's jogging next to the car. Driving furiously, I suddenly notice her pulling up beside me.

"Jesus you run fast!" I smile. "By any chance, can you steer left?"

"Baby," she says. "Don't leave me without giving me a goodbye kiss!"

I roll down the window, pucker up and lean over.

... The dart caught me right in the neck.


You can win free sneakers by
correctly spelling "The Cult of Qelqoth".