Five years after 9/11, our enemies have not succeeded in launching another attack on our soil, but they’ve not been idle. Al Qaeda and those inspired by its hateful ideology have carried out terrorist attacks in more than two dozen nations. And just last month, they were foiled in a plot to blow up passenger planes headed for the United States. They remain determined to attack America and kill our citizens — and we are determined to stop them. We’ll continue to give the men and women who protect us every resource and legal authority they need to do their jobs.

George W. Bush
September 11, 2006

The president pledged to the American people that he would do whatever he could within the Constitution to protect this country. It has always been the case since we’ve had electronic communications that in a time of war this country engages in electronic surveillance in order to get information about the enemy.

We need to know who the enemy is. We need to know what the enemy is thinking. We need to know where the enemy is thinking about striking us again. And so absolutely, this president is going to utilize all the tools that are available to him to protect this country and I think the American people expect that of the president of the United States, who is the only public official charged, not only with the authority with [sic] the duty of protecting all Americans.

Albert Gonzales, Attorney General
January 16, 2006

That’s the standard way you cloak and protect power: you make it look mysterious and secret above the ordinary person — otherwise why should anyone accept it? Well, they’re willing to accept it out of fear that some great enemies are about to destroy them and because of that they’ll cede their authority to the Lord, or the King, or the President or something just to protect themselves. That’s the way governments work — that’s the way any system of power works…

Noam Chomsky
1989

Oh lord. It was HOT. Sally would like very much to put up some pictures and make some pithy comments, but she woke up an hour late and still drunk. More later.

I thought I would make some history in my first official DCB post: I will write about relationships. Who ever thought they would see a post about *that* around here?

I used to love playing the game. I loved the anticipation of adventure each night out brought. I enjoyed the personal challenge of risking my ego on each approach. I found satisfaction in gaining the interest of attractive women who had been strangers to me just minutes before. And then there are those moments of triumph when everything fell into place and neither one of you wanted the night to end. Man, me and my wings thought this was the life and those guys in the dating world were chumps for buying dinners and presents for their girlfriends who would then spend “girls nights out” in Adams Morgan grinding (and sometimes plenty more) with player dudes on the dance floor.

But funny how time changes things. After what seemed an endless blur of nights out, I started to grow increasingly frustrated with the costs of the game. Mindless conversations with drunk girls who can’t focus on anything for more than 30 seconds. Smoky bars that seem like certain lung cancer incubators. Feeling like I wanted to sleep on the floor of my office due to too many nights out past 2:00 AM per week. And the bane of every player’s existence: the flakes. There were times when I got a phone number from a girl who seemed so interested when she gave it to me that I wanted to notch my belt in advance, only to have her never return my phone call.

Right in the midst of my growing frustration, it happened: I met a girl I really liked. No, not my current girl, but the girl who made everything that happened with my current girlfriend possible. She was fun, shared many of my interests, and treated me very well. Though I kept on going out to bars and clubs for part of the time we dated (she and I had “an understanding” about our lives apart from each other), pretty soon, the drunk girls in bars seemed far less tolerable. Why should I be out in these smoky bars until 2:00 or 3:00 AM talking to girls who I didn’t have any feeling for or any real possibility of forming a connection with? Why wouldn’t I rather being spending my time with a sweet girl who would treat me well and assure me a good time?

After a year it didn’t work out with that particular girl, but I had changed. I wanted a serious girlfriend now. I wanted someone who could make me happy on every level. When I met my current girl and everything between us was perfect in every way, the game didn’t stand a chance. I had found a super smart girl who has her act together, never plays games, and treats me like a king (and she is damn cute too). I stopped going out to bars, committed myself to perfect exclusivity, and never regretted the decision. The symbolic end of my personal player era came one night at club with my girlfriend. We were ordering drinks and I saw two guys approaching two girls just as I and my wings might have in the past. I pointed it out to her and perhaps I seemed wistful, because she asked “Do you miss it?” I thought for a moment and said truthfully, “No, this is better.”

I have heard some say that guys settle down with the first girl they date once they become ready for marriage. I am not so sure that is true, at least not always. I think some guys grow up assuming they will marry the first great girl they meet and never play the game. Other guys have to go through this ‘playing the field’ process until they grow fed up with it. In my case, it was a combination of becoming ready emotionally after playing the field and, through luck and good karma, meeting someone who was ideal for me. If I had not met someone as great as my girlfriend, who knows, I might still be out there searching for that special one.

If you girls out there are searching for Mr. Right, don’t give up on a guy who has a player past, even a recent one. Check first to see how he feels about the game and give him a chance to see you as a better alternative. Giving that type of guy a chance might be the best move you ever made.

Check out V’s invite if you haven’t already seen it (there are photos). It will be the only time you’ll see me with glasses.

When you walk in Citron, head downstairs to the basement. There we will have some couches reserved for love-making. I’m not kidding. :hump:

Chaco, good friend, prolific blog commenter, and hall of fame wingman (until her met her), is joining the DCB team. He will be posting every other Thursday starting this week, probably touching on relationships a little bit more than I do.

You can get a feeling for his writing and style through his guest stint at FDDC.

Sleepover time:

I believe firmly that the kiss of death in a relationship is ?too much, too soon.? When it?s too much too, too soon, the girl can go from ?wow this is great!? to ?wow?I need a break? very quickly, and the momentum can be lost just like that. You don?t want that kind of negative vibe in your relationship until you have built a solid foundation.

I’m sure you’re SO hot:

I have a better question: what is the best way to forget her and get another girl? It is very disempowering to have your hopes set on one girl who may or may not ever live near you again. Been there, done that, and it sucks. Your focus should be on new girls. The fact you are even asking this makes me think your game needs work.

The nice guy:

At your age, your socal status is not strictly determined by your professional standing, but more by your standing in your peer group. Are you a leader of the group? Do you set the agenda for what people do? Do the men in the group show you respect? Girls will pick up on your status very acutely, so you need to becomes a leader who commands respect. Don?t be the nice guy who goes along with everyone and allows himself to be the butt of jokes.

Welcome to the lion’s den.

The DCist people have struck back. Because they are not allowed to talk about me on DCist for fear of being fired, they are using Big Head Rob to voice their dissatisfaction to my recent comments.

?I?d say that?s indicative of trouble in his own house,? said Jason Linkins, aka the DCeiver, who writes about sports at DCist. ?When he decided to launch his own one-third assed version of Screenhead under the authorship of his cat, my reaction was: ?Oh. He?s over.??

The only trouble I have in my house is a moth problem. Even though it was well-received, it’s safe to say that Furball’s blog will not be going on my resume. Since I’m not a corporate entity hungry for eyeballs, a “failure” on my end still allows me to sleep at night.

The editor, whose firing I called for, was a little bit more feisty.

Cripes, Rob, who the heck is D.C. Bachelor? I think I may recall having heard of his site once or twice before, but after looking it over just now, it?s by no means clear to me why I should take anything he says seriously ? by all evidence he appears to be a self-proclaimed misogynist and all-around disgusting creep.

Has she been talking to my ex’s?

I mean he is selling a T-shirt that says ?I Pump and I Dump? on his site, and in his ?Hall of Fame? posts includes something called ?Girls Lack Conversation Skills.? Ick. Enough said. It seems obvious we are not catering to readers like him, so I?m not surprised he doesn?t like our site. I couldn?t care less.

With that kind of bitter attitude, it’s just a matter of time until she writes in to FDDC asking, “Why can’t I meet a man???” We get them all the time. I would like to extend an invitation to her for the Lovers Happy Hour; it’s much more fun to call me a disgusting creep in person than on the internet. I know girls who have done it and they tell me how great it made them feel.

I think in their haste to attack me, they forgot to address any of the points I brought up explaining their slow death. I’m sure they will get to it soon — after the next classical music agenda installment.