The Alleged Mental Case ... (bolt)

• Married (for 24 years), two stepchildren (both now married) two granddaughters, and two grand-doggies ... the kids/grandkids/grand-doggies are all in Illinois, though, which can be somewhat frustrating for my wife and I.
  
• Since August 2005, we have lived near the south-central shore of Long Island, NY ... you could say that I'm a stranger, in a strange land ... a (high-tech) redneck in a blue state.

• Electronic-design engineer for a small Long Island company, that is a major supplier of portable-power systems to the US Armed Forces and other customers who deal with harsh environments.

Other, unpaid jobs:

• Guitarist/bass player/songwriter.
• Commenting on other blogs ... Blackfive, Mudville, American Power, and Gateway Pundit are my main haunts for cybersquatting.

Basic viewpoints:

• Politically, a support-the-man-not-the-party independent who would like nothing more than to see both major parties rendered obsolete. Until we can make that happen, however, I think I will find myself siding more often with the GOP than with the Dems.
• Philosophically, a principled, yet practical, conservative with libertarian leanings. I believe in doing what works, as long as it doesn't cause significant damage in other areas.

Spiritually speaking:

• A "generic" Christian who gravitates towards Baptist and Evangelical Free churches.
• I believe in the existence of a sentient, intelligent, authoritative, and perfect God as essential for both the creation and maintenance of the ordered universe we live in ...
• ... His ability to interact with us as "living souls" in love ...
• ... our need for that relationship ...
• ... the central inhibition to that relationship created by our willful rebellion against His authority (both past and present) ... an authority that is necessary to keep the universe from descending into chaos ...
• ... our inability to remove that inhibition ... and its ultimate consequence of total separation from the presence of God (something that He must do, as long as any hint of rebellion remains, to maintain His authority) ...
• ... and the ability, at a terrible cost, of God to act to remove that inhibition for us, in a way that stands apart from all of religion in its uniqueness and logic.

Other significant stuff:

• The name of this blog stems from an incident about 20 years ago, when a wisenheimer colleague did a little creative work with the copier, and replaced my "Rich Casebolt" laminated nameplate insert with a rather convincing "Mental Casebolt" lookalike.
• Unintentionally reinforcing this perception, I succumbed to the hubris of the 1990's Internet, and ran for President in 2000.

Link ... posted by Rich Casebolt : 6:49 PM ... ...