I've
known Maggie 
My name's Gwen Patton, and I have a pretty darned good life.
I've got a good home, I'm involved in good works, I've got some pretty darned good friends. I have some cool hobbies, and I've done some things I never thought I'd ever do, some really wonderful things. I've had some bad times, times where I things looked pretty grim, but I've made it through them all. One of the most important things I learned was the motto of the Aikido dojo I studied at: "Ain't dead yet."
Well, I ain't. I'm still alive and kickin' and takin' names. I'm looking to change my career path, moving to what I love to do instead of what I've been doing out of necessity. I love to write, to run organizations, to create newsletters, to run events, and to inspire people to be more than they ever thought they could be. If you want to read my resume, you can read it in many formats here: HTML , Word , PDF , Text .
The most wonderful addition to my life is my lifepartner Maggie. Without her, I could not have accomplished the things I have. She has been my calm center, my rock, my strength.
I've
known Maggie Over the years, she has helped me through some of the hardest times I have ever faced. She has seen me through crippling illness, emotional trauma, and financial hardship. And, when she has been in need of support, I have returned it to the best of my ability. We started with many interests in common, and those have only expanded since.
Maggie is my heart, my life, and my soul. She is the best playmate I have ever had, and we make one hell of a team.
My new novella Black Peter is
now available from three sources: Amazon.com,
the King of Prussia, PA Borders book store, where it is on
the shelf, or it may be special-ordered from any Borders book store.
The Borders ID number for the book is 7461599, and don't let them tell
you they can't order it -- they can.
The book is about the evacuation of Earth following a wartime disaster. The planet is freezing, and nearly empty of everyone who is going to leave. But some that intend to leave are having difficulty. It seems that Santa Claus and the last legends of Earth are stranded. The starship the elves have built does not work. So Santa's old Moorish sidekick, Black Peter, disobeys the direct orders of Mrs. Claus and goes off to find help.
He kidnaps a starship mechanic off the last shuttle leaving Earth!
Now Carl Merriweather, starship mechanic, has to figure out what is wrong with an elf-built starship before the air starts to freeze around him. Meanwhile, the other legends of Earth are driving him insane. If he's not being yelled at, he's being shot at, terrorized, or nearly eaten by paranoid shapechangers! It seems that the centuries have not been kind to the last legends of Earth...
One of the things we have in common is Amateur Radio,
a hobby in which one learns about and uses radio to communicate
world-wide with others of similar interest. I know, you can "talk"
worldwide on the Internet...but where's the challenge in that? Like the
Kzinti are wont to say, it doesn't take brains to sneak up on a
leaf...and it doesn't take brains to pop into a chat room. Ham Radio
takes study, it takes work, and it takes a sense of adventure. I've
actually BUILT a couple of my radios, and there's a real thrill to
making contact with someone hundreds of miles away on a piece of
equipment you made with your own hands.
And,
if disaster hits, your computer will be out, your phone will be
down, and the cell phone frequencies will be jammed if they're working
at all...but ham radio will get through.
So check out my ham radio page. You might find something there to spark your interest!
I know that many people have experessed the
negative opinions about firearm ownership, but frankly, I can't fathom
how any sane person could believe the anti-gun propaganda being spread
by organizations such as the Brady Campaign and the VPC. They don't
give you information, they yank at your emotions and choke you up with
false information with the sole purpose of tricking you into placing
your life in someone else's hands and abrogating your rights.
Another very important thing Maggie and I share is related to this. In the Spring of 2000, we started the Delaware Valley chapter of the Pink Pistols, an LGBT organization dedicated to self-defense using legally-owned firearms.
The organization has grown a lot in the few years it's been in existence, from a few people in Boston to 34 chapters nationwide and one chapter in Montreal. The Delaware Valley chapter serves the Philadelphia area, including northern Delaware and southwestern New Jersey.
We've received some very good press, including the Philly Gay News, the Bucks County Intelligencer, Fox TV News, and Philly Live on WYBE-TV.
I'm also involved with the Pennsylvania chapter of the Second Amendment Sisters, who believe that self defense is a basic human right.
If you don't agree with me, you're perfectly welcome not to. That's one of the wonderful things about America! But personally, I'd rather place my trust in my own ability to defend myself and my loved ones, than to place my trust in sparsely-manned police departments full of officers that don't like who and what I am, will only arrive in time 4% of the time, and may not be amenable to helping me because of their own prejudices!
For more information you can TRUST about firearm ownership,
check out "Gun Facts", a comprehensive compilation of anti-gun myths
and their debunking truths at Gun
Facts Latest Version.
I
used to be heavily involved with a science fiction shared universe in
Chicago
called The
Galactic League. I was one of the founders
of this organization many years ago, and while I have moved far away
from them, I still
stay in touch. I haven't been quite as prolific with my writing, but I
do have several
projects in the works.
I also have a couple of other writing projects, one of them an
editorial weblog for my
political writings under the monicker of
The Range Bag, and the other is my small-press publishing
company
Revolution
Earth Press. I used to publish an
online newsletter called
Household Gunowners' Digest through RevEarth Press, but I
stopped publication after 10
months to pursue other projects.
Send
Me Email!!!