I am having a fascinating time with calls from what sounds like a twelve or thirteen year old boy who calls my cell phone from untraceable numbers. He leaves angry messages of a sexual nature, and just the other day asked me whether I prefer bananas or apples. (I told him that the answer is complicated, because while a banana must be peeled, an apple must be cored. After heavy breathing, he said, "You amaze me!" and tried to steer the conversation into sex. I asked him for his phone number and he gave me an incorrect number. Doubtless I'll hear from him again. But I don't feel like playing online sex games with him, and the fact that his sex talk consists of skillful hinting just shy of the real thing makes me think he's working for professional people. Um, maybe people who think they're professional.)

No one except close friends have my cell number, and because of the nature of the calls, I am assuming that the "boy" (who sounds quite bright) is working for someone who does not like me, but who is too cowardly to identify himself, herself, or theirselves.

Did you ever wonder how strangers can obtain your cell phone number?

It's simple.

M-O-N-E-Y

At this online investigative service anyone can pay $190.00 to obtain anyone's cell phone number.

This wouldn't be the first time someone has tried to rattle my cage in this manner, and while I think this is fun, because I think it may relate to my blog, I decided to write about it here.

I have noticed that when people do not like you, they will rarely tell you. If they have a disagreement, often they won't state it. They play anonymous games. They'll do shit like leave dead animals on your front doorstep (it's happened to me several times), and in general make you think that someone doesn't like you and you'd better be careful.

Careful about what? Like watch what you say? Stop speaking your mind? The hell with that! I'll say whatever I damn well want, whenever I want.

This is my blog, and if people don't like what I think, they can go pound sand.

I suppose if I really wanted to get paranoid, I could worry about being killed, but cowards like this aren't likely to kill. Besides, nothing I say is original enough, important enough, or widely read enough for someone to want to kill me for it.

For now, it's just fun and games!

Maybe I should suggest the kid's sponsors read this. (It discusses the war against opinions which are considered offensive.)

Once again, opinions -- no matter how offensive people might find them -- are not conduct.

For example, my opinion is that sex with minors by an adult is child abuse. The lower the age of the child, the more heinous it is. But the line between childhood and adulthood is not engraved in granite. In ancient Rome, children were allowed to marry at age fourteen. (I think that's too young -- but again, what difference does it make what I think?) If someone doesn't like my discussing it, well too bad!

If I were to say that wife-beating and child-beating are moral equivalents, would that be considered offensive? If, echoing some of recent posts at other blogs, I opined that physical violence can be more damaging than sexual intercourse (as well as more traumatic), would that be offensive speech?

Why? It's just an opinion -- either right or wrong. I am not trying to dictate morality to other people, nor am I threatening them. I would no more beat a child than I would have sex with a child. I guess that in itself could be considered offensive.

Ain't it a strange world?