Is there thievery and a cover-up behind the classic rock masterpiece?

The collaboration between Bon Scott and AC/DC on their epic album, Back In Black, remains an intriguing riddle. Still unclear and unsolved to this day. How much did Bon Scott inspire this iconic, heavy metal monster? Not from the grave, but before it — as a rock and roll songwriter.

Is there thievery and a cover-up surrounding one of classic rock’s greatest albums? 40 years later, Back In Black still enjoys hefty sales and generous radio time, with no indication of slowing down.

Outside of its enormous impact and accolades, AC/DC marketed the album as a tribute to Bon Scott. AC/DC’s memorial to their former frontman may tug the heartstrings of the masses, but questions remain over Bon Scott’s artistic contribution to Back In Black. …

As a kid, the Vietnam War remained a taboo subject. The personal wounds too fresh and painful for people to talk about. In the late ’70s and early ’80s, you couldn’t find a hamlet unaffected by the Vietnam War and the conflict’s fallout.

While a high school student in the ’80s, I wondered if anyone from our town had fought and died in Vietnam.

A teacher mentioned a guy who graduated, joined the Army, and never made it back. My teacher wasn’t sure of his name since it happened before he began his tenure at our high school.

My teacher also told me about a tree outside our high school that was dedicated to this soldier. …

Flash Fiction

Adam fell from the stars and descended on Dora, tilting the ship towards the hostile terrain of the planet’s outback. Space travel had become a booming industry, as Adam jumped in with his own tour business and a cabin full of passengers.

Recently added to the League of Planets, Dora was a playground for the uber-rich, providing resort vacations, aerial tours, and safaris. Big game hunts remained off-limits in the League, earning stiff prison terms for guides and hunters bold enough to break galactic law.

These commands failed to faze Nelson, the ringleader of this black market charter. All the passengers, avid hunters, and board members of Nelson’s corporation back on Earth. …

Our politicians don’t get it

“I’m convinced that American politics are about politicians and not about the country and the people they were sworn to serve.” — Stephen Gardner

Amen Stephen. Welcome to Politics 2020, American Style. Capitol Hill doesn’t get it. Millions of American citizens are hurting. Meanwhile, our politicians can’t get a larger stimulus bill drafted and signed.

In our partisan-charged climate, each party treats negotiations as a win-at-all-costs slugfest. There’s no need for this. It’s not the politics and stewardship the American people want.

We expect the process to play out. We could live with occasional gridlock. …

Flash Fiction

Pete picked a subway car with the highest body count. Robbed and beaten by thugs sometime between last call and dawn, Pete had the daylights knocked out of him. The gang members left scars and divots from the stab wounds. Now, he thought safety in numbers.

Since the bad luck, Pete plunked down a cashed paycheck in exchange for a snub nose. A black-market .38 to keep him company on the trains. Pete wasn’t there to cause trouble or seek revenge. The gun offered protection between the night shift and his walkup studio.

At each platform, the nameless came and went until Pete remained alone with two stops to go. The incoming terminal was a hub where he expected a crowd, even at that time. It was a bit of a haul. No mad dash between stations on this end of the subway line. …

Our systems do work — they’re playing a player

Anybody could act like a winner. It’s when you lose a person’s character is tested and comes to fruition.

We figured out that Trump is a con man. He also knows what he’s doing. Gaming the system to his political and economic advantage. Crying foul and fraud while playing the victim.

He’s also playing the MAGA movement as well as right-wing and conservative media. Newsmax has admitted their support of Trump’s conspiracy theories and election fraud. Not that they believe the president. It’s all for ratings and financial returns. Go figure.

By attacking Fox News, despite the network’s support from Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Geraldo Rivera, Trump continues to bide time. To create strife and division. …

Flash Fiction

Once his spaceship aced inspection, Lyndon joined The Race To Space Rocket Festival, the most elite derby on the circuit. Lyndon was determined to win the grand prize and achieve his life-long fantasy: a career in the National Space Program as an engineer and designer.

The mission still called for an astronaut, and those cry babies from the flight schools always demanded more money than they’re worth. Not a pilot himself and afraid of heights, Lyndon stuck to the blueprints and physics of the dream. That’s when Martina breezed into the foundry.

“I wanna be your test pilot and astronaut,” Martina said. …