About DM

Dan Melson



I was born in 1961, in San Diego County, California, where I have lived almost all of my life.



Politically, I am a libertarian of sorts. I tend towards small government solutions in most things, but this is subject to change for over-riding concerns. I tend to believe that if it doesn't harm anyone else, you should be allowed to do it. I tend to believe that anybody who wants to be treated as an adult, with the rights and privileges attached to adulthood, should be required to be responsible for themselves. I am a Capitalist. I find nothing inherently wrong in considering your own interest, on the individual or national level, but tend to believe that the interests that should be considered first in political decisions is overall well being of the entity making the decision, or on whose behalf the decision is being made. For example, United States officials should usually consider the interests of the United States as a whole first.



Religiously, I tend to call myself a spiritual humanist. I believe the divine exists, but it's nature is not nearly as important to me as the behavior I think it expects an adult human to manifest. I consider failing to exhibit negative behavior to be as important as exhibiting positive behavior. For those of organized religions reading this, I consider myself a supporter of those that accomplish good in the world, and I do recall both subclauses in the First Amendment that relate to religion, where some seem to forget the part about not restricting the free exercise thereof.



Professionally, I am a Real Estate Loan Officer and Agent, in that order. This is my third career. I also have or have had professional qualifications and experience in financial planning (investments and life and health insurance), and as an Air Traffic Controller.



I have been married to Ramona since 1997. She works at a Credit Union which shall remain unidentified to avoid possible trouble, even though we have a lot of praise for them, both as an employer and a place to do business. We have two daughters, Brynhilde ("Hilda") born St Patricks Day of 2000, and Ramona, born September 10, 2004 (We thought she might end up being a 9/11 baby for a while!). We have two shorthair dachshunds, a black and tan male named House-Thing ("Thing") and a female black and tan with silver/grey dapple named Mellon, as in "Say friend and enter" (But the black ball-dog usually comes first!). They're really my dogs as opposed to the family's, as I acquired them several years before my wife and I met, but they are both good with the girls despite the fact that they're getting on in years. We also have an aquarium full of the technicolor piranha known as "guppies".



My interests are (aside from professional or former professional) science fiction and fantasy, role playing gaming, computers, computer gaming, history (especially military, political, and technological history) and politics. Neat scientific, mathematical, and technological development, as well as worthwhile movies, plays, and music will usually attract my attention. I love to laugh, and to learn. Sports just isn't my thing unless I've got a personal stake. Due to family constraints, I watch very little television and movies often have to wait for the DVD.