Florida Students Mourn The Loss of Their Classmates

The first article I wrote about this horrific event, was written before the news broke about how the law enforcement community, both local and federal, totally dropped the ball. We now know that the local police had been called to the home where this nutcase lived 39 times for domestic violence. He was living with a friend after the death of his mother last November. The family he was living with was aware that Cruz had an AR15 rifle, but made him keep in a locked safe, but he had the key. Key point here is that the local police were familiar with Cruz, and his propensity for violence.

The school was also aware of Cruz’s propensity for violence. The school officials had found gun related items in his backpack and had a standing order that he was not allowed to carry a backpack on school property. He was very open to his classmates. about this intentions to commit violence. One of the students said months before, “if we ever have a shooting it will be him”.

He posted a number of disturbing pictures on this social media account, even a sign saying the wanted to be a “professional school shooter”. He was reported to the FBI twice, ( I believe the letters stand for the Federal Bureau of Idiots ). The geniuses at the FBI blew it off, didn’t bother to respond. Maybe they were busy chasing Russian election hackers?? Maybe they were meeting with the other halfwits in the DOJ planning on how to save their asses in the Uranium One debacle. Whatever they were doing, they weren’t doing their job. The whole seventh floor of the FBI should be fired, including Christopher Wray.

From my perspective, law enforcement in the United States either view themselves as political operatives, or are being led by political operatives. Politics and Law Enforcement should forever be separated. Maybe, since the imbeciles in power can’t seem to make that distinction, we should pass laws that guarantee the separation. What the heck, maybe a Constitutional Amendment.

Wrapping this up, 17 people died needlessly last week. The reason; law enforcement was not doing the job that we pay them to do, that we expect them to do. We hire professional law enforcement personnel, and fire fighting personnel to be there when we need them, no questions, no excuses. We give them expert training, weapons, cars, trucks, fabulous retirement packages and insurance. They need to get off their asses and do their jobs. If you need more proof of what I am saying, look at how many institutions dropped the ball on the Texas Church shooter. He was also well known by law enforcement. But the first people to drop the ball was the United States Air Force.

One more thing; The FBI has this thing that they say, you’ve heard it many times, “if you see something, say something”. Now who ya gonna call “Ghostbusters”?

VERITAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE   

This is just another freaking idiot that went unreported, when he had all the symptoms of a seriously deranged person. Does he sound a lot like the idiot in Texas that killed all of those unsuspecting church goers? Everyone of the whackos that have committed mass shootings over the past several years have been mentally deranged. Every time they take a look back into their lives they all seem to fit the same pattern. The talking heads on TV immediately start trying to determine the motive of the shooter. The motive is that he’s a crazy bastard that should have been under the care of a mental health facility, behind locked doors.

Think about this for a moment. I think we can all agree that the occurrence of mass shootings has escalated over the past 15 years. The United States has always been a place where guns are readily available. Semi auto rifles have been around forever. So why is this happening now with such frequency? In my opinion, I think the world today is a lot more difficult to navigate for a mentally challenged person. Everyone is moving at break-neck speed, trying to just keep up with daily grind, and nobody has time to even notice a person that is struggling. Mentally ill people are pushed away, and become lonely, angry people filled with rage. When they blow up, they can hurt a lot of innocent people.

The knee jerk reaction for a lot of people, on both sides of the aisle is to ban guns. That’s a really bad idea for the future of our freedom. The obvious solution is for everyone to just slow down, and pay attention to what is going on around them. All of these people have families and friends. If someone is slipping away, throw them a rope, get them some help, you may be saving more than just one life. The government needs to stop giving able bodied people welfare, and start paying more attention to mental health. What’s wrong with bringing back mental hospitals? Shouldn’t a person with a sick brain, be able to get help the same as a person with a sick stomach?

Here is the bottom line, guns don’t have mental illness. Guns are totally harmless when left alone. Normal, sane people don’t commit mass murder. We need to pay a lot more attention to the people around us that are showing signs of violent behavior. I recently heard someone say when a person kills people with a bomb, they don’t blame the bomb they blame the bomber. Stay vigilant, stay alive.

VERITAS VINCIT   ~    LIVE FREE OR DIE

SUPPORT POLITICIANS THAT PROTECT THE 2ND AMMENDMENT

 

                               I Don’t want to be looked upon as a sex object. Really?

So, do they think these pictures are only going to be viewed by asexual people. I think this picture would be viewed with pleasure by most men and most lesbian women. Just a guess anyway. I’m sorry but I am highly amused by women who say they detest being thought of as a sex object, and then continue to be seen in public barely dressed. Don’t you think that to be a little oxymoronic? I’m not advocating burquas but come on people get your head out of your butts. If you just arrived on earth early this morning, you may not have picked up on this yet, but straight men love to look at women’s boobs, and butts. We like the way they look. It’s also not uncommon to have sexual thoughts while engaging in this daily activity. It’s part of being the opposite sex. That’s why the population of the earth has continued to grow ever since Adam took a bite of that apple and became enslaved to earthly desires.

 

The epitome of purity ( the sand )

Women are acutely aware of the power they possess. I have witnessed it time and again. It’s not always the physical looks, they can put on that poor, pitiful, innocent woman act and literally sway juries. I was in my early twenties and was summoned to be a juror for the first and only time in my life. I will never forget this case. The defendants were a single mother and a daughter living on a small acreage. They failed to properly maintain their fences and the horse got out on the highway. A car hit the horse and seriously injured the driver and passenger. The driver of the car was suing the horse owners for damages and injuries. The horse owners were clearly at fault, for negligence. The jury found the defendants not guilty. I saw it with my own eyes, the jurors felt sorry for the mom and her daughter and ruled in their favor. They skated because they played the poor innocent woman act perfectly. The jury literally ignored the law and ruled on emotions. That’s female power.

Poor old Harvey. He was simply doing business as usual in Hollywood. The same as it’s been done from year one. Everyone knew how it worked, especially the women. People come to Hollywood for fame and fortune, and good ol’ Harvey made it happen for a lot of women. The price they paid for it was no different than it was in 1935. So what happened? Why such a sudden uprising of the women? They were totally OK with the arrangement for years. What’s the big deal for trading a little skin for fame and really big money?

The women’s movement has been getting consistently more militant over the past few years, and the younger women like Rose McGowan, were ready to throw down the gauntlet and say enough! Wow, talk about the domino effect. Once ol’ Harvey fell, they realized they were able to pretty much take out anyone. Once Harvey was gone, and he had no more power to destroy careers, the doors of the fortress were kicked in with vigor. All of those women who felt they had been taken advantage of were out for blood. Taking out Harvey Weinstein was pure genius. He is a big scruffy overweight, disgusting looking guy. From now to eternity, when a woman says she was sexually harassed, the image of Harvey will come to mind, and mounds of pity will be heaped upon the woman.

As usual, the political world seized this opportunity to get into the fray. Immediately it became a movement with a name. The swords were drawn and the battle was on. What a deal this was. You can accuse some guy of a misdeed that allegedly happened  30 or 40 years ago, you don’t need any evidence or witnesses. You can strip him of his career, and reputation without even walking into a courtroom. But more importantly, if he is a political opponent he can be drummed out of the race on nothing but hearsay. The burning question in my mind, is why does a woman’s word carry more weight than a man’s. Even other men are more than willing to cast their stones to preserve their own careers. It is a ludicrous state of mind, and it is totally against the rule of civil law. The “#me too” movement is all about power, nothing more.

So, don’t you think it’s a bit ironic that women like the ones pictured above, can parade around in public and in the entertainment media with little or nothing on, and still claim the moral high ground. God help the guy who dares touch one of them or say the wrong thing. I can actually see a scenario where a man says the wrong words to a totally naked woman and get charged with sexual harassment. People, it’s getting that crazy. It is a well known fact that there are a lot of unscrupulous women in this world. Think Hillary Clinton. I don’t trust women any more than I do men. So when a woman makes an accusation against a man, she needs to be able to prove it. I’ve known far too many liars in my life to accept mere hearsay. Show me the proof, Lisa and Gloria.

VERITAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE

 

 

                       Homeless Camp Seattle                                  Homeless Camp Portland

Politicians have totally given up on fixing this problem, all they do now is try to manage it to the best of their abilities. I am now seeing smaller cities grappling with growing homeless populations, and it’s obvious nobody has any viable solutions. The magnitude of this phenomenon has virtually exploded in the past twenty years. The growing homeless populations are now becoming not only a public nuisance, but a serious health issue that threatens the general population. There are limited sanitation facilities for these people and they end up defecating and urinating in public spaces which causes the spread of disease. They also dispose of their used hypodermic needles wherever they damn well please. There are volunteers in Portland, Oregon that patrol their neighborhoods picking up used needles to protect their children. This is because the city of Portland allows homeless encampments to exist in close proximity to residential communities. A residential community where children live and play should not have to deal with such craziness. A large percentage of the homeless population engage in all types of criminal behavior, not exactly the kind of people you want living in your neighborhood.

So, why do all of these folks gather in and around large cities? The reason, is that most large cities have left leaning administrations, that can’t come to grips with reality. They cater to the homeless, and provide them with food, shelter and services. They have allowed their ideology to displace their common sense, if they ever had it. Homeless populations need to be placed in compounds, complete with sanitary services, shelter, and police protection. The cities then need to make it unlawful for them to create makeshift encampments, and sleep on the streets. It is just plain wrong for the general population, that work and pay taxes, to not be able to enjoy an evening, or shopping day downtown without being concerned about their health and safety. When I pay almost $4,000.00 per year in property taxes I expect some benefits from that money. I don’t expect to have to weave my way around people laying on the sidewalks, and begging for money. It is  estimated that it costs the cities about $3,500 per month, per homeless person to manage the problems they create. There are plus or minus, about 5,000 homeless people in Portland, Oregon. That my friends is $17,500,000.00 per year of your tax dollars managing a fixable problem. Over the past twenty years they have spent $350,000,000.00 and are nowhere near solving the problem. It is worse now than ever. Think about this for just a moment, the dollar amounts I mentioned above are for only one city. Add in the money from all of the other major west coast cities. My friends this is a very, very, large problem and everyone seems to want to look the other way and pretend it doesn’t exist.

As if the homeless crisis wasn’t bad enough, the lefties want to allow millions upon millions of immigrants into this country that have no education or job skills. Sadly, a great many of these immigrants are low I.Q. to boot. There are already thousands of these folks adding to the homeless populations.

So, I have a unique idea to present to the left wing idiots and misguided Republicans. Why don’t we solve the homeless problem, and clean up our cities before we allow millions more into our midst that we have to educate, in hopes they will assimilate and become productive citizens. It just seems like a good idea to me, to solve a really big existing problem, before creating another one. Just sayin’

VERITAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE

After you read this article, you can call me a raciest or anything else you want, because what I have to say is simply that all men are not created equal, and all societies are not equal and never will be. According to the latest scientific findings, man has been on this earth for about 200,000 years, give or take a few decades. So, in this giant marathon that mankind has been participating in all of these thousands of years, I think that anyone with the comprehension of a grapefruit would agree that some are closer to the finish line than others. Why do you suppose that is??? Don’t you think that it would be safe to assume that some are simply better equipped at winning the race than others? It is my belief, like it or not, ( I actually don’t care if you like it because I ain’t running for office ) that through the years of man being on earth, some groups just developed a better gene pool. I don’t pretend to know why that is, it just appears that way to me. I’m about as close to being a scientist as you are to Jupiter.

If you have a problem with what I’m saying, think about this. About 400 years ago, the white guys from Europe settled America that was inhabited by the native Americans and pushed them onto reservations. Now, that wasn’t too hard because the Europeans were already into the industrial age, building large sailing ships armed with cannons, and were well into the art of firearms. The American natives were still hunting with bows and their largest water craft were canoes. Considering that the American Indians probably inhabited what is now the USA which is far richer in natural resources, for as long as the white folks inhabited Europe, why do you suppose the Europeans were so far advanced? If you know the answer, please share it.

The Romans built a fabulous city with aqueducts to supply them with water, and marvelous buildings. They gathered in the Coliseum to watch the lions eat the gladiators, while the Africans were living in grass huts trying not to end up the same way. The Romans were conquering Europe with huge armies, and the Africans were out in the bush trying to find something to eat before they got eaten themselves. All of the scientists agree that life originated in Africa, so why the disparity between the two groups?

  

Now, looking at people from our time, I see the same things. Rex Tillerson, and Richard Branson are just two, of many rich and powerful guys. There are a lot of rich and powerful women as well. According to what everyone says these people make up what is called the 1%. I don’t happen to be in that group. I’m not in that group for a number of reasons. I’m pretty sure these guys are smarter than I am. just sayin’. I’m pretty sure they have a better education than I do since I only did two years of community college. But the biggest difference is simply this, I didn’t have the drive to be at that level. I just didn’t have the interest. I wasn’t willing to give up all of that time away from my  family and my motorcycle.

The bottom line folks is simply this, people are all different. Some are way different. You can’t take a guy out of the Congo and make him a Wall Street executive. A Wall Street executive would last about five minutes in the Congo. I just want the idiots on the left to quit saying this bull crap, it just aint’ so. Some guy that was born and raised in Calexico and walks into this country illegally probably won’t ever be an executive at GM. He’s more likely to be washing GM cars at the local car wash. For once I wish people would cut the PC crap and tell the truth. I’m not sure how you feel about it, but I would much rather have immigrants that are smarter, with more initiative, and loftier goals, so that it makes the USA a stronger player on the world stage. Right now we seem to leading the world in service workers and petty criminals. Don’t drown in the kool-aid

VERITAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE

 

I can say with certainty that I am a very strong supporter of women. I just happen to have two daughters, seven granddaughters, and four great granddaughters. So you might say I am more than a little biased on this subject. The United States isn’t perfect when it comes to respect for women in general, but a whole lot better than most. There will always be predators that commit horrible acts, but that is certainly not the norm. As you have seen in recent years, there have been some high profile cases of molestation of young men as well.

In my opinion, the United States, during the twentieth century made great strides in women’s rights, and the overall level of respect for women. Women now take their places along side of men in business and government, and we are better for it. However we are allowing our nation to be flooded with individuals that do not share our respect for women. The immigrants from Latin America come from a society that has extremely low respect for women. It is not uncommon for Latin American immigrant males to perpetrate sexual crimes against very young females. Take a look at the information below.

GALLUP gathered data from around the world and determined that Latin Americans are the least likely to treat women with respect and dignity. Only 35% of adults in 22 Latin American countries say their women are likely to be treated in this manner. Below are the results of their polling.

World Data on Women .02

United Nations report says that Latin America and the Caribbean is by far the most violent region in the world for women. The rate of sexual violence against women outside of a relationship is the highest in the world. Second highest for those in a relationship. Three of the ten countries with the highest rates were in the Caribbean. Femicide occurred at a devastating level in Central America where 2 out of 3 women were murdered because of their gender. Femicide in Mexico has recently risen to epidemic levels largely due to the increased Cartel activity.

The bottom line here is that we are trying to make America a much better place for women, but our politicians are allowing an unmitigated flow of people into our country that have very little regard for women. The lefties got their underpants in a wad when   Donald Trump, talked about criminals and rapists flooding into our country during his campaign. The statistics fortify that claim. The lefties have a bad habit of ignoring the facts, and portraying the world so that it fits their narrative. It is extremely important for the safety of our citizens, and the growth of our culture to reform our immigration system. We need people that have respect for law and order, and respect for other human beings regardless of their gender, race or religion. We need people that genuinely want to be Americans and be part of the restoration of America. Do not let our politicians dilute our American Values for votes.

VERITAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE  

 

Our National Asylum

Chuck Schumer: AKA “Cryin’ Chuck”, head nut from the Democrat side of the aisle. His performances are pathetic and predictable. Extremely boring. No ideas of his own, he just opposes everyone else’s.

Nancy Pelosi: This woman is about as useful as a ladder without rungs. I can’t remember the last time I heard her say anything slightly coherent.

Frederica Wilson: It’s pretty bad when your only claim to fame is wearing novelty store cowboy hats, cheap gaudy jewelry, and saying totally dumb shit.

 Maxine Watters: She’s even dumber than Frederica Wilson. The people in her district that keep re-electing her must be a really special group.

Al Green: Known for his incessant attempts to convene impeachment hearings for Donald Trump and looking a lot like the caveman from the Geico Commercials.

Elizabeth Warren: AKA “Pocahontas”. Knows all of tricks on how to work the system to obtain benefits and status from being a minority, except she’s not a minority, just a plain, everyday ol’ white woman. It’s not hard to fool people that would give away the farm if they had even the slightest idea they were helping a person of a minority race. It helps purge that guilt of being white.

John Lewis: I understand he suffered greatly at the hands of others during a civil rights demonstration years ago, and because of that he is considered a hero among the civil rights crowd. Unfortunately, it appears that he now sees everything through the prism of race. His view of President Trump is his right to have. However, in my opinion, it doesn’t say much for his overall character.

Adam Schiff: This guy is just a hopeless political hack that lacks any sense of reason or ability to see the truth. If it doesn’t fit the party narrative, it must be a lie. Honestly, his personality fits his appearance perfectly.

John McCain: This guy has to be the most confused man on earth. He still can’t figure out if he’s a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent or what. He’s all over the place. One thing you can count on though, his position is always on the wrong side of things.

Lindsay Graham: Another form of John McCain. They like to hang out together, which reminds me of that thing my Mother always said; “Birds of a feather………… you know.

Jeff Flake: Wow, how appropriate is his name? Looks like his nose has been broken a few times. Why do you think that happened? Probably caused by that orifice just below his nose.

Bob Corker: Another appropriate name. Another loser.

I could go on for another hour, but you get the idea. There are plenty of knuckleheads on both sides of the aisle, the ones above just happen to be special. Watching these idiots in action is really painful. The racism that abounds in the “black caucus” is disturbing to say the least, yet they think everyone is raciest but them. What a bunch of “whack jobs”.  We are the most powerful nation on earth, but we a huge collection of “nuts” in our government. Frankly, if the leadership of the other major powers in the world are worse than ours it, doesn’t say much for the future of mankind. Sleep well.

VERTAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE

 

Could this be the place President Trump was referring to?

Sorry, call me callused or whatever, but I don’t think these folks would bring favorable change to your neighborhood as immigrants. Also, I doubt if you’re going to find very many scientists or engineers in this location. I think it makes perfect sense to encourage immigration from locations where the populations are, let’s say, more advanced in the art of civilization. That understand how to create and maintain a functioning infrastructure. Just sayin’.

The Obama Presidential Library

I saw an architectural plan of the proposed library a few days ago. I must say that the size of it matches his ego perfectly. The folks in the area don’t sound pleased with it either. Having been to the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, Ca. and the Ronald Reagan Library in Semi Valley, CA. I have somewhat of a bench mark in this matter. The Richard Nixon library is fairly modest in comparison to Ronald Reagans. Considering how the two presidents left office I suppose that makes sense. So, thinking about Ronald Reagans library, with Air Force One perched smack dab in the middle of it, I have an idea for Obama’s Library. He could have a similar room, but instead of Air Force One, a black, unmarked aircraft, with pallets of money on the floor beside it. Atop the pallets of cash, there would be animated figures of the Mullahs celebrating their plunder, singing “Yo Ho HO, Look at all of this dough from O”, sort of like the “Pirates of the Caribbean” in Disneyland. They could call it the “Pirates of Tehran”. Writing about this, made me wonder if the Mullahs are contributing any money toward this endeavor. I mean these guys and Obama have to be pretty “tight”, wouldn’t you think?

Oprah Winfrey and the Presidency

Obama 2.0, Think Angela Merkel, Think Justin Trudeau, Think Theresa May, Think Emmanuel Macron, Think ” it’s a totally stupid, boneheaded idea that only a left wing idiot would ever consider. You think I’m being a little too harsh? I mean she was responsible for Dr. Oz. You remember that guy? I only saw him on Oprah’s show once, and he was exhibiting a penis taken from a dead guy. Not sure what the point was. She was also a friend and business associate of Harvey Weinstein. He’s still alive but his penis may as well be dead. Actually come to think of it, a lot of the same women that were of Oprah’s couch were on Harvey’s couch.

Hey people, the world is overflowing with stupidity, you need to work harder than ever to sort it out. Just remember, my motto at the bottom of my page; Truth Conquers.

VERITAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE

 

This Nation was founded by people that wanted to escape an oppressive socialist style of government. They didn’t want the government telling them how to worship, or live, they wanted to be free men and women. Reading the Constitution and Bill of Rights it’s very clear what their intent was. In the early days of this nation, some towns experimented with Communism and they nearly starved to death. You can read all about it in history books. Well, I’m not sure about that anymore. There has been a lot of historical revision going on in the past few years. The virtues of capitalism were established very early on, and the newly formed nation began to flourish.

From the very beginning, people from many nations, not just England settled this country. They were however mostly European. But they came here with one thought in mind, to build a new nation. They were one in thought and purpose. They didn’t come here to re-establish their home country, they came here to be part of something brand new and different. That’s precisely why the United States grew so strong so quickly. Everyone was working toward the same goal. This nation wasn’t built by celebrating diversity, quite the opposite. Diversity is what happened thousands of years before, at the Tower of Babble. The term E Pluribus Unum was chosen very wisely. From many people one Nation. It doesn’t mean everyone segregating themselves in  their own area, speaking different languages, and having their own culture. It means everyone joins together in unison with common goals, and a common language, to create a strong and sovereign Nation.

For the first two hundred years, those ideas and goals stayed pretty well intact. Then the Democrats decided we needed more immigrants. Not well educated immigrants but folks that they could manipulate and turn them into Democrats by doling out favors and free stuff. When I was a young man, I moved to the Los Angeles area in the mid sixties. I didn’t know jack about politics and didn’t care. But I knew one thing for sure. because I worked in and around LA and I was acutely aware of the huge influx of illegal immigrants. The INS officers as they were called then, would make raids on the businesses in the industrial area and haul away bus loads of folks, and take them back to the border. The same people would show up a few weeks later. It was all a waste of time and money. Then suddenly in the early seventies the raids stopped. Someone, somewhere, pulled the plug on those operations.

The point I am trying to get across, is that this type of immigration does not reinforce the ideas this nation was built on. The fact that 45% of California households do not speak English, bear this out. The real reason Democrats push for virtually unmitigated immigration, is that it’s almost a certainty, these people will eventually become Democrat voters. This strategy is by all measures regressive.

Democrats love to regulate everything. They will tax anything that moves and even some things that don’t. They think businesses are cash cows for their welfare programs. One of the most unfair taxes I have ever seen is Washington State’s B&O tax. B&O stands for business and operations. If you run a business in Washington state and your gross sales for the quarter are $300,000.00 your taxes come right off the top, no deductions. Although the percentage is relatively small, if you have a good quarter your tax bill can be pretty darn significant and difficult to pay. It is one of the more obscene taxes, and there are a lot of them. Heavy regulations and taxation are profit killers. Democrats have always made the claim they are the champions of the working class. If that’s true, why do they make it so hard for the corporations that employ all of these folks, to make a profit. Democrats are not friendly to corporate America and that is regressive.

Over the years the left has been able to gain a real stranglehold on public education. Our schools have suffered greatly. Youngsters coming out of high school are finding it very difficult to gain admission to colleges simply because they are not properly prepared. The public school systems are failing them. The graduation rates in the US are appalling. Granted, it’s not all the fault of the schools. The left leaning idea that it’s OK to be a single parent, and perhaps even preferable, makes it even more difficult for youngsters to navigate the system successfully. The left’s war on families is nothing more than a ploy to make people more dependent on government. Yep, more Democrat voters. That my friend is super regressive.

So, I don’t get it. Why do they call lefties progressives? There isn’t one damn thing they do, that I would call progressive. To the contrary. Almost everything they do puts more shackles on you in the form of regulations, useless laws, and more taxes. They make it harder for your employer to make a profit. They make it harder for you to start a business. They even tax you when you die, and make it harder to pass on the fruits of your life work to your heirs. Stop and think about this; The only thing the government is really responsible for is your safety and the infrastructure. Probably at least 75% of what they spend your tax money on, is none of their business.

VERITAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE

 

 

I was born in 1941 just less than eight months before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The first four years of my life was the total duration of World War Two. I can tell you with absolute certainty that it had a profound influence on the way I view the world. I am 100% with President Trump when he talks about America First. As a child I was saturated in patriotism. Red, White and Blue will flow through my veins until I die. My parents were shopping at the local Safeway store the day the war ended. I was sitting outside in the car. I remember a man running down the street shouting that the war was over. People were shouting and celebrating.

We were victorious. The atmosphere was magical. Life was returning to normal and I could feel the excitement even as a child. The dark days of war were over and it felt magnificent. Almost overnight, people started seeing the war born technology being put to use in everyday life. There were huge advances in aircraft and electronics. The mechanical engineers that created deadly war machines were now concentrating on everyday items such as automobiles and household appliances. The auto industry had been put on hold for five years during the war, new cars were starting to be sold again. My Dad took me to a car show in 1947 at the local coliseum, I remember it like it was yesterday, looking at a brand new Tucker and being awestruck. It was like no other car I had ever seen.

The fifties were absolutely incredible. Everything was moving at breakneck speed. The first indication that things were going to be a lot different was the movie “Blackboard Jungle ” and the iconic song ” Rock around the clock “. Rock and roll was born and things were going to get really crazy. Then came Elvis, Jerry Lee, Carl Perkins, Little Richard, James Brown, Fats Domino, Roy Orbison. Wow, what a ride. Being a teen in the fifties was beyond description. The styles were ours, the music was ours, the cars were ours. Hanging out in hot rods in drive in restaurants and drive in movies. It was ten years of non stop “American Graffiti” and I was there, up to my neck in it. I looked like a character out of the movie “Grease”, ducktails and all.

Then the sixties happened. Everything was changing again. The old rock and roll icons were being replaced with more great artists. Styles were changing. Muscle cars were born. We were in the middle of another war, the horsepower war. But this one was fun. Pontiac GTO’s, Plymouth Roadrunners, Chevy 409’s, Ford 426’s, and the list went on. Thank God gas was cheap, these things sucked up fuel like there was no tomorrow. Then things got even better, the mid sixties saw the birth of the “pony cars”. Mustang’s, Barracuda’s, Camaro’s, AMC Javelin’s. The sixties was the car lovers dream decade. Oh yeah, and the music just kept getting better plus we put a man on the moon. Actually several men. Another phenomena happened in the sixties….Hippies. Being a resident of southern California I had a front row seat for this show. It seems the hippie Mecca was San Francisco. Why wouldn’t it be. It’s the capitol of weirdness, always has been. So, I had to see this event first hand. I packed my wife and two little girls in our new Barracuda and drove to “Frisco”.  We drove through Golden Gate Park on up to the Haight Ashbury district. It was one hell of a show. Wall to wall craziness.

Ahh, the seventies!! Rock and roll hit it’s pinnacle. It was the best rock, period!! I loved the fashions too. I got myself some big tall shoes, bell bottom pants, some really cool shirts, love beads, let my hair grow real long, and topped it all off with a Fu Manchu mustache. Make no mistake, I was “stylin”. Had myself a real fast Plymouth Fury with a 440 Magnum, and a nice house with a built in pool. life was good. But things started to take a turn for the worse. The government started messing with Detroit and the cars started to be detuned and the horsepower race came to an end. We started seeing a push for cars that were more economical and safer. Then to make it worse Disco happened. Things literally went to hell overnight.

The eighties were sort of non descript. The music wasn’t that great. There were still a few artists I liked but I was stuck in the seventies. I’ll take Credence over the Bee Gees any day. The cars were totally lousy. The nineties weren’t that much better. The cars were slowly getting better, but nothing earth shattering. The major deal in the nineties was the birth of the PC and the internet, and Microsoft Windows. This turned out to be the most significant event I witnessed in my lifetime. It literally changed the world overnight. It was an explosion of technology that has not stopped for 20 years. Computers have found their way into every corner of our lives. Sometimes I think about that little 12″ screen TV that we had when I was a kid, while watching my 55″ Vizio flat screen with a Vizio sound bar. We had three channels that signed off at 10:00 ‘o’ clock at night.

This brings us to the 21st Century. The technological advances just keep on coming stronger and faster. Robots are now commonplace. When I was a kid robots were science fiction. Sadly though, human beings are not much different. They are still waging war against one another, still murdering each other, still stealing from each other. It’s perplexing to me how as humans we can achieve such incredible things in technology, but we can’t seem to improve ourselves in a like manner. I personally think the social structure in America has gotten worse over the past twenty years. I’m not sure how to cure that. I think the push by liberals for diversity, has caused a regression to a tribal culture, which is just the opposite of what this country was founded on. We are the United States, not the Divided States. Has our selfishness turned us into the proverbial Humpty Dumpty of nations? Can anyone put us together again?

VERITAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE