Terry Mitchell

My name is Terry Mitchell. I am a software engineer, blogger, freelance writer, and amateur political analyst from Virginia, USA. I've been in the software development/engineering line of work for over 27 years. I have been writing and blogging for several years as well.

I never miss an opportunity to assail political correctness, take pot shots at the conventional foolishness, and fight elitism on every front. I am an independent thinker, not a bandwagon jumper. I don't follow any mantra or toe any political line. I take my orders from no one. I go with what my gut and common sense tell me are right - and they rarely lead me astray! I write stuff that others should be writing, but are not.

I try not to take myself too seriously, though. I think a little humor is good for one's health as well as one's soul.

My commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media. I consider myself to be an outsider's outsider. A lot of people will say they are outsiders, even though they are well connected and networked throughout their community, state, and nation. Those people are not real outsiders. They remind me of some of the folks in Hollywood who claim they are shy, even though they do nude scenes!

I have very little regard for etiquette or protocol. In fact, I harbor outright contempt for much of that stuff. Instead, I emphasize substantive issues and don't have time for all that shallowness and superficial stuff. Don't get me wrong, I consider basic manners and politeness quite necessary for a civilized society. However, I believe that much of what is called etiquette and protocol is unnecessary and rather pretentious.

Some people would label me as overly cautious, but I don't mind that at all. I've lived long enough to know that even a sure bet can sometimes come up a loser, so I take nothing for granted. I've had too many things ripped away from me at the last minute to be making any assumptions about anything.

I put a high premium on good health because I know what it's like to have lost it at various times in my life. During my childhood and teenage years, I had serious complications with asthma and nearly died on several occasions. When I was 20, my left lung collapsed spontaneously in back-to-back months. In 1995, I had stage three testicular cancer. The disease had spread to my lung wall and to a lymph node in my abdomen. I had surgery and 12 weeks of chemotherapy.

I have been free of that cancer for more than 14 years, but in October 2007, I was diagnosed with colon cancer and had surgery to remove it. Athough I was apparently free of this cancer following the surgery, the disease was found to be in one of the 27 lymph nodes that were removed during the surgery. Therefore, I opted to take six months of preventative chemotherapy, which my oncologist called "overall, an easy regimen." I completed these treatments in April 2008 and have since returned to full health.

At any rate, I know that there is nothing more valuable to a person than his/her health. It is the foundation on which all other parts of a person's life are built. If and when it cracks, everything else will come tumbling down. If and when it fails, nothing else in one's life will matter anymore. All the money in the world is meaningless to someone who is in bad health or is on his/her death bed. I always try to keep this in mind.

Unlike most of my contemporaries who grew up in the 60's and 70's, I know what it's like to be very poor. I came from a family that lived in the housing projects. On top of that, neither of my parents went past the fifth grade and were both very uneducated. In addition, they were older (when I was born, my mom was in her mid-30's and my dad was in his late 40's, and I was the eldest of four children). Although they did the best they knew to do, they always reminded us kids of the fact that, "We're poor folks." Many times, we barely had enough food to eat, even on Christmas and Thanksgiving! Now, if anyone would have had an excuse to not better himself in life, it would have been me. But with my own determination, I brought myself up by the bootstraps (so to speak). So, I have no sympathy for people who make excuses for why they can't better themselves.

I don't drink, but I don't condemn anyone who drinks moderately. I do not believe moderate drinking is some kind of sin or anything like that. I avoid alcohol because I feel that its negatives far outweigh its positives. Avoiding alcohol for me simply means fewer problems I have to worry about.

I believe simplicity is a great virtue. I am a strong adherent to the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method. I try to avoid over-complicating my life. On average, children are happier than adults. There is a reason for this. Their lives aren't nearly as complicated as those of adults. Therefore, I believe the secret to happiness is to live as simplistically as reasonably possible.

I think quiet is better than loud. In fact, I don't like loud movies, loud TV shows, or loud people. I don't like aggressive people either.

See my information summary below:

Location: Virginia, USA.

Primary occupation: Software Engineer

Dream occupation: Syndicated Writer/Blogger

Schools attended: Hopewell High School, John Tyler Community College, St. Leo University

Favorite music: Big Band, Jazz, Easy listening, Any kind of laid-back music, Most stuff from the 1970's, Praise Music, Traditional Hymns

Least Favorite Music: Rap, Heavy Metal, Country, Southern Gospel

Favorite movie: The Longest Yard (the original one with Burt Reynolds, not the silly remake)

Favorite TV shows: I watch mostly news and sports programs. Most everything else on TV has been emasculated by political correctness.

Favorite sports, teams: Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Phillies, Memphis Grizzlies, UVA basketball and football, Viriginia Tech basketball and football.

Favorite quote: "Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform." -- Mark Twain

Age: 47

Religion: Moderate Southern Baptist

Politics: I'm an independent, not affiliated with any political party. However, I tend to have a libertarian view of the world and often vote for the Libertarian candidate. My version of libertarianism is a kind of rational conservatism minus the silliness, fanaticism, and paranoia that plague modern conservatism.