Tag: life

STEEL PENCIL NEWS REVIEW

JANUARY 10, 2026

VOLUME 136

MORE CALIFORNIA CRAZINESS

I can tell you from experience that this is not anything new. I moved to southern California in 1963; it was a virtual paradise. As a kid we watched the Disney productions on TV and got to see Disneyland in Anaheim on the small screen. The first time I saw it with my own eyes was pure magic. But we have to back up a moment. I was an Oklahoma kid, and when we approached Disneyland, the streets were lined with palm trees and gorgeous flowers. It was truly a magnificent thing to see for me.

I was so taken aback by the beauty and the fabulous Pacific Ocean, I moved my wife and two little kids to California two years later. It was totally exciting. However when you become a resident and not a visitor, you start noticing what is going on behind the scenes pretty quickly. In the sixties it was a pretty freewheeling lifestyle. Slowly things began to change. We had to start buying “greenie stickers” for our dirt bikes in order to ride them on public lands. Then later, if you drove a pickup which most young guys did, if you bought a standard license plate, the same as an automobile, you were only allowed to carry groceries or household supplies. Anything more than that, you were required to have commercial truck plates. Over the next twenty years it just got worse with regulations and restrictions. You had to have a license for almost anything you did.

Working in construction as a steel worker, the Los Angeles building department inspectors were tough cookies. They had rules and regulations for just about everything you did. The Los Angeles County Building Code was considered the best. A lot of cities adopted that code for their own all across the nation. Even back in that day in time, California was regarded as one of the most well-regulated states in the USA. They just didn’t know when to quit.

REGULATED TO THE POINT OF PARALYSIS

California, Oregon, Washington have been dominated by Democrat super majorities in their state houses and governors’ mansions for as long as I can remember. This is definitely a bad thing. Effective government must have a balance of power. It’s no secret Democrats govern based more on ideology than a fair and balanced approach, in respect for those that may disagree with them. I’m going out on a limb here, but I seriously doubt that any Democrat anywhere at any time said,” maybe we should consider the conservatives on this issue”.

I happen to love the construction industry, because I like to be part of building and creating things. Even at my advanced age, I still work as an estimator and project manager from my home office. I find the business exciting and challenging. I see and read the project documents as part of my job. I just finished a bid on an aircraft hangar for the base in Fort Richardson, AK. The specifications contain 2,849 pages for one hangar for three helicopters. When our crews go on a job site, we have so many hoops to jump through its ridiculous. Everything your crew does while they are on site is highly scrutinized. It has added so much hidden expense to our operation that we can’t budget for. If an OSHA officer is around and one of your workers makes a mistake, you will be fined. God help you if you have an accident.

All of those regulations I spoke about earlier are on full display in Los Angeles. The Pacific Palisades fire was over a year ago and only a small percentage of the homes destroyed have been rebuilt. Why? Building permits, licenses’, environmental regulations, the list never stops. The builders can’t get past the L.A. Building Dept.

Cities, states, and counties have regulated the building industry to the point of paralysis. You wonder why homes are so expensive? Look no further than your local building department and state regulators. It is literally a nightmare for real, taking months to make even a small amount of progress. I see plans come across my desk all the time that were completed 12 to 18 months ago, and have just made it past the city building dept. We seriously need to shut all of these regulatory offices down and start over fresh. (like that will ever happen)

VERITAS VINCIT ~ LIVE FREE OR DIE

STEEL PENCIL NEWS REVIEW

JANUARY 3, 2026

VOLUME 133

THE NIGHT HAS A MILLION EYES

There is an old saying that the “night has a thousand eyes” implying that your bad deeds are going to be seen by someone regardless of how careful or clever you think you are. The number of eyes in the night has grown into millions in recent years with the advent of mobile phones. Even the smallest event gets captured on someone’s phone camera. If that event is deemed important enough, could end up on the 10:00 pm news.

This is why I love the internet. There are millions of people watching virtually everything happening in the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And these people are driven by wanting to claim their 15 minutes of fame. So, I guess in reality we live in a world of innumerable snitches. That doesn’t seem to be a bad thing to me, because we live in a world of innumerable people doing illegal things. Let’s face facts, laws seem to be viewed as mere suggestions these days.

Over the past few decades, the legacy media have become the mouthpiece of the leftists. Just about everything they say is either very biased or outright lies. A huge number of Americans have now realized this and are turning to alternative news sources on the internet. I am one of those people. I am constantly perusing the internet looking for stories that aren’t being covered by the mainstream media. I discovered a reporter that goes by the name of George A.A. He seems to have access to some very interesting news content. I have embedded one of his articles for your viewing. Click on the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b264csek0yE

I became aware of “Act Blue” within the past six or eight months. You don’t have to be super smart to realize very quickly what this is all about. I urge you to research it and let your congressman know you are concerned about Act Blue’s activities. Of course, in my case, I live in a blue state, my congressman is part of the problem.

Happy New Year everyone! I think we are in for one hell of ride considering we just captured the President of Venezuela a few hours ago, and Iran is on the edge of collapse, the government likely to fall within the next 72 hours. Russia just lost its supplier of kamikaze drones and other ammunitions. Trump is on the move.

VERITAS VINCIT ~ LIVE FREE OR DIE

STEEL PENCIL CHRISTMAS

DECEMBER 23, 2025

VOLUME ONE

First of all, that picture isn’t me or any of my family members, just a photo I grabbed off the internet. Why not an authentic photo? Because I’m too dang lazy to climb up in the loft and go through old photo albums. I seem to get lazier the older I get. Last night after dinner, my dog and I retired to the big recliner, and I promptly went to sleep and woke up about 10:00 pm. There just ain’t nothin’ like a big ol’ recliner and a warm doggie. Now this wasn’t the smartest move, because by the time I actually went to bed I was wide awake. Aren’t you supposed to get smarter the older you get? Well, I don’t think it’s working on me.

I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that it’s Christmas again already. It seems like it was only last week we were camping on the coast enjoying the wonderful pacific northwest summer. This year has been a blur; it’s like our lives are on “fast forward”. We don’t have any family anywhere close, they all bailed out for the southwest and sunshine. Left the old timers up here in the mucky wet, cold weather. That said it’s a little hard to really catch the Christmas spirit with no youngins around. So, the last few days, I have been doing a little reminiscing about Christmases we had when I was a youngin.

Men go through four phases of life. 1. You believe in Santa Clause 2. You no longer believe in Santa Clause 3. You become Santa Clause 4. You look like Santa Clause. I don’t remember when I figured out my dad was really Santa, but we still carried on the tradition of opening gifts on Christmas morning as long as I lived in my parent’s home. I carried on the tradition with my own family until my kids got married. It’s a wonderful tradition, so many wonderful memories from those days.

This is where I have to honor my parents. My father was an orphan, parents died when he was about 10 years old. Ran away from the orphans home at 16. Pretty loosely connected family from the hills of southeastern Oklahoma. Real deal red necks. He never looked back, was on his own from 16 years old on. Met my mom when he was nineteen, married her at twenty. She was eighteen.

My mom’s family was fairly large, four sisters, two brothers. They lived in a two-room shanty with no running water. Pure poverty. Father was an alcoholic, died from alcoholism in 1942. Whatever money the family had, he drank it. My grandmother lived in that house until her death sometime in the late 60’s. She had bed, a radio, an above floor heater, a kitchen stove, refrigerator and a table. I remember a small table by her easy chair. She probably had four dresses and a couple of pair of shoes when she died. In spite of having virtually nothing, she had a wonderful attitude, and a sweet personality until the day she died. The woman never owned a bathtub or an automobile.

In spite of their childhoods, my parents were about as good as they come. My dad was rock steady in every way. My mom was a loving, caring, hardworking housewife that looked after her kids like they were pure gold. I can remember her staying by my side when I was sick with the normal childhood diseases like mumps, measles, chicken pox, and all of my other childhood ailments. Likewise with my older sisters. Love and laughter was present in our home around the clock.

As you can see, my parents took their jobs very seriously. They made sure every holiday was a fun family event. But they went the extra mile to make sure Christmas was special. My mom and sisters would make candy and cookies for several days before Christmas, my mom and dad would buy an assortment of nuts and fruits to munch on during holidays. My dad was a good marksman, and always brought home a large turkey from the “turkey shoot”. (look it up)

This may sound like we were a wealthy family. Nope! My dad was a welder in a boiler shop, my mom was a homemaker. My mom was a very frugal homemaker. She saved what little money she had throughout the year, so her family could have a nice Christmas. Not an elaborate Christmas, but ample. The gifts although simple and not expensive were cherished treasures. Christmas was pure magic in our home. The weeks leading up to Christmas were exciting and filled with anticipation. And we always visited my granny in her little, tiny house with her little, tiny Christmas tree.

As old people, our Christmases may be a lot quieter, and a little different, but we have wonderful memories of times past, and lot of close friends with similar lives. We are going to have Christmas dinner with some our dear friends and my grandson from Seattle, so it’s going to be another memorable Christmas for the books. Lot’s of love and laughter, and good food.

I sincerely hope all of you have a joyous Christmas holiday, and a wonderful New Year. God bless you all.

VERITAS VINCIT ~ LIVE FREE OR DIE

THE VIEW FROM ST. CHARLES

NOVEMBER 5, 2025

VOLUME 68

THE SELFISH BASTARDS FORGOT JUST LIKE THEY FORGOT EVERY OTHER STUPID ACT BY PEOPLE THAT HATE AMERICA. AMERICANS ARE ALWAYS CHASING THE NEXT SHINY OBJECT. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT THE PAST, FORGET DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT IN THE FUTURE.

KITCHEN TABLE POLITICS

We talk about politics and world events a lot around our house. At our age not much else to talk about. We don’t water ski, snowboard, or scuba dive. Hell, we do good just to get up and down the damn stairs. We gave up on church when they refused to do bingo nights. So, we have three TV’s and four computers that we use to keep up on the latest news. If we knew how, we could even track Taylor Swift’s private jet travel. So, we have two people and one dog in our house, and we all bark a lot, and the effect seems to be about the same across the board. Nobody pays much attention to any of us.

The last two evenings at the dinner table, after eating way too much because all of our calluses are on our behinds not our hands, we delved into what we think DJT is doing wrong. So, at this point, it’s my obligation to report the minutes of those meetings.

But before I get into this unholy critique I have to say we love DJT, and overall we’re good with most everything except we ain’t gettin’ no richer. We ain’t seeing no significant drop in what we pay for gas, electricity and water. Gasoline is coming down very slowly in our neck of the woods, but we do live in a purple state. Groceries, another whole story. I did do a little happy dance when a one pound can of coffee dropped from over 16 dollars to just over 13 dollars. We make two pots a day so that’s good news.

OK, you’re probably saying “it’s only been 10 months since he took office”. Fine, but we’ve been getting raped for almost five years now, our asses are getting a little sore. Time for a break man.

Oh yeah, and that supply line thing that everyone yapped about during “slow Joe’s ” time in office, well it ain’t gettin’ a lot better. There is still stuff missing on the shelves in the markets. We’re total carnivores in our house, gettin’ tired of chicken, we need more red meat. Getting maybe a little better, but not a lot. Car parts in O’Reilly’s still a bit iffy if you have an older vehicle. Good luck in getting a starter for a 1980 Plymouth. Big box hardware stores same thing. It ain’t fixed yet folks, Americans are used to having what we want when we want it, and our patience is running a little thin. I’m not even going to get into ammunition for my assault rifle they are trying to ban.

We’re really excited to see drug cartel boats being blown up, we try to record those events so we can watch ’em again. We’re glad DJT is working hard for peace across the globe. All good stuff. But don’t forget all of us folks that supported you twice, we be gettin’ hurt in the wallet while the wall street boys are making bank biggly. That stuff ain’t translating to a damn thing in our shriveling bank account. We need more help out here on the left coast Donald.

To all of you Republican strategists, we’re a year away from the mid-terms, this shit best be fixed soon or you gonna lose biggly. Just sayin’. Oh, our house will still support you, but we’re hearing a lot of unhappy remarks and that ain’t good. Happy remarks, we wanna hear Happy. We wanna feel Happy. We don’t wanna lose the truck and camper.

VERITAS VINCIT ~ LIVE FREE OR DIE

STEEL PENCIL NEWS REVIEW

SEPTEMBER 11, 2025

VOLUME 117

THIS COUNTRY IS AWASH IN STUPIDITY, HATE, AND APATHY. A RECIPE FOR DOOM.

There is an enormous amount of people in this country that simply stumble through their days, in their quest for survival, thinking they don’t have to think about anything but themselves. In their minds this nation is just going to run down the tracks on auto pilot, with someone else watching the store, and it will all be OK as long as the TV and computer keep working. I mean, c’mon man, what could go wrong. Well, a lot of shit is going wrong, and it’s been going wrong for a while now, while you were spending half your life on Face Book, and following Game of Thrones. What you need to realize is that no matter what side of the aisle you’re on, or what religion you are, there is a growing number of people that hate your ass because you feel that way. OK, you don’t do that political shit, you’re just an avid football or baseball fan. Well make sure you don’t wander into the opposing teams seating section with your $150.00 hoody and your $50.00 hat ’cause they’ll beat yo’ ass. Understand, there’s a lot of hate goin’ round and you just might get some of it if you ain’t careful. You say OK, I’ll just wear jeans and a plain white Tee. That ain’t gonna work bro, if your skin be the wrong color and you’re in the wrong part of town. Or just on the edge of the wrong part of town. Everyone has heard the phrase “united we stand, divided we fall” well ain’t nuff people carin’ bout that united crap no more. Please note: I’m writing this so Jasmine Crockett can understand it.

You know why bloggers like me can write forever? Because the Democrat party just keeps doing dumbass crap, along with their millions of minions. One of their most successful programs to date, and there have been a bazillion of ’em, is how they have divided this nation into tribes. They have used a lot of tools to accomplish this, but one of the sharpest tools in their tool box, is the world of academics. K – 12 and colleges and universities. If they can keep your kids in the classrooms for sixteen years, chances are they will own them, lock, stock and barrel. Its a well-known fact that at a certain age, most kids want to break away from mom and dad, and find their own way. This is when the educational system takes over and most of these kids come back home as strangers. Assuming of course the parents are conservative patriotic Americans, and not radical leftists.

Personally, I would opt to send my kids to a Christain university, or a trade school. I would do everything possible to not expose them to the radical socialist professors and teachers. I would also do so to keep from inadvertently funding the Teachers Union. In my opinion one of the most anti-American groups anywhere.

I’m not sure what the percentages are, but it’s a widely known fact that colleges and universities are accepting HS grads from the bottom 25% of their class and then getting pressure from the administrators to retain them as long as possible, especially if they are talented athletes. You understand what is happening? It’s not about education, it’s about money folks. A college degree used to be a big deal, but with affirmative action, DEI, and just plain old greed it’s basically just a receipt for the lifelong loan you agreed to.

So, back to that apathy thingy. While all of this fuckery is going on you bought yourself a new I Phone that you are going to pay for over the next two years, so you can pair it to the Apple Car Play in your new Kia. You bought a new 65″ big screen TV with your tax return, and now you can watch all the pro games, Netflix, and 90 day Fiancé. As far as you’re concerned, life is good, and ain’t gettin’ no betta. Hell you even bought a cool gaming chair to go wid da new TV.

All these folks gettin’ robbed, raped, and murdered, illegal immigrants flooding into your beloved nation, hey as long as it ain’t happening in my neighborhood, we’re golden.

Thats what I’m talking about folks, probably a solid 40% of Americans don’t give a damn what goes on four city blocks from their place of residence. Have you ever watched any of the street interviews? Ninety percent of the people they interview can’t even name the vice president, but they sure as hell know who Cardi B is and they know the words to all of her songs.

Considering the overall level of ignorance and hate, its no surprise that violence and murder are occurring at a phenomenal rate. No country can survive with a growing number of single parent homes, hordes of idiots and birth rates so low the population is shrinking. Unless we turn this trend around soon, the decay will become irreversible. Our once beautiful cities look like third world cities, including the inhabitants.

My intent was not to depress you, my intention was to awaken you. I’m old, I do what I can to bring this to everyone’s attention. I want to see young Americans inherit a strong, God fearing, free nation, that our forefathers created for us. God Bless you all. Pay attention, your lives depend on it.

VERITAS VINCIT ~ LIVE FREE OR DIE

STEEL PENCIL NEWS REVIEW

AUGUST 4, 2025

VOLUME 113

POLITICALLY INCORRECT CENTER-RIGHT PERSPECTIVE ON CURRENT NEWS EVENTS. 

CINCINNATTI BEAT DOWN

When I first saw the news reports on this I was infuriated by the actions of the black goons mimicking the actions of a gang of chimpanzees. If you know anything about chimps this is exactly how they deal with their enemies. Maybe the transition (evolution if you will) is not yet complete. Just an observation, don’t want anyone to get their panties in a wad. 

I don’t know if you have heard this being said regarding black behavior, but they are calling it black fatigue. People are getting really tired of blacks and their stupid shit. If you have watched the Hodge Twins on YouTube, they speak about it often. Blacks are getting out of control. I wouldn’t book a cruise on Carnival or Disney if I were you. If there are more than three or four on an airliner, get ready for an incident. Personally, I don’t want to go to any event where a large contingency of blacks could show up. If you do be sure to wear a bullet proof vest. 

If you’re keeping score like I am, all of this shit started during Obama’s two terms as president. He created more race hatred than Governor Wallace of Alabama. Him and his dumbass wife are still at it. 

OK, back to the subject of Cincinnatti. I knew there was more to the story that what was being reported. In cases like this, just wait awhile, the real truth will emerge. Check out the video below. 

As a 100% white boy, of European ancestry, raised in south central USA, I tried really hard not to engage in racist behavior, and look for the good in everyone. I’m sorry, but I can’t do that anymore. With the increasingly bad behavior of blacks, and the horrible behavior of the illegal immigrants that have flooded into this country under Biden, I find myself becoming more and more critical of brown and black people.

Yeah, yeah, I know, they aren’t all bad. I never said they were, but there are an overwhelming number of them that are total assholes. I know few white assholes too, but I’m sorry, the ratio ain’t the same. Don’t believe me, look at the FBI crime stats. I’m also pretty sure if you’re white you have noticed the growing animosity toward white folks, mostly driven by leftist rhetoric. Folks it’s not safe to be white anymore as you witnessed in the video above. You need to take this seriously if you’re white, the blacks and Hispanics see you as an easy target especially if you’re an older person. They literally hate you for being white, they see you as the reason they are losers.

If you think this is a racist article, you would be right. It’s being forced on me. I fear for the safety of myself and my family. If you don’t believe me, wake the hell up and look around. Stop drinking the Kool Aid being fed to you by MSM. White Americans have been under assault since Obama showed up on the scene. And that jerk is half white.

Stay alert and stay alive. I have been putting off getting my concealed carry permit, I really need to get that done soon. You should as well if you aren’t already carrying. God bless all of you, start paying attention, it could save your life.

VERITAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE

 

THE VIEW FROM ST. CHARLES

JUNE 21, 2025

VOLUME 65

POLITICALLY INCORRECT, CENTER-RIGHT VIEWPOINTS FROM AN UNAPOLOGETIC PATRIOT

CORPORATIONS CHASING DOLLARS IS NOT GOOD FOR EVERYONE. CHOICES ARE DIMINISHED.

I am writing this from a much different point of reference than my usual material. As my readers know, I have been fixated on national politics for a very long time. But my real passion is anything with wheels and an internal combustion engine. Aircraft have wheels so they also fall into my category of intense interest. I recently sold my 1943 Dodge Weapons Carrier. This vehicle had the original drivetrain, and it all worked like a Swiss watch after 82 years. (I guess nowadays you could also use Japanese watch) 

The basis of this article is that a truck or car manufactured in 2025 is probably unlikely to be operable 82 years from now. There are a lot of reasons for that, but basically, they are far too complex, with operating systems never intended to last 82 years. My Dodge had simple, analog ignition system, that would still work after the unlikely event of an E bomb attack. No digital components, all analog and purely mechanical. You could repair it with simple tools, in some remote location. 

I also own a 2007 Chevy Suburban, and there is a reason for owning an 18year old truck.  New Suburbans have a litany of issues, a number of them which render the vehicle inoperable. In an effort to make them more fuel efficient, Chevrolet installed direct fuel injection which requires very high fuel pressure. The fuel pump is very prone to failure. When it fails, the truck will not roll and has to be dragged onto the tow truck with special slide plates. But that’s not the end of the story. The fuel pump is buried below the intake manifold and is expensive to replace as you might imagine. Some of these failures are happening very early into ownership of a brand-new truck. Beware, this is happening to a lot of new GM products with V8 engines. 

Another issue with late model GM trucks is the cylinder deactivation system which automatically turns off four of the cylinders under light load to conserve fuel. My 2007 has this feature. Sounds like a great idea, and when working properly is seamless, you aren’t aware you’re only running on four cylinders at 70 mph on the level freeway.  Here’s the problem, it can cause valve lifter failure. GM has faced numerous class action lawsuits over this problem. Replacing valve lifters is expensive unless you’re a skilled mechanic with a large assortment of tools. I have the oil changed in my truck every 3,000 miles, keep the filters clean, and don’t abuse the engine. My truck has 153,000 miles on the clock and “knock on wood” have not experienced a problem. However, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly apprehensive.

Ford trucks and cars are experiencing problems of different types, but just as frustrating. The new F150 Hybrids are a nightmare of mechanical and electrical problems. They are on the list of 15 vehicles that will suffer significant mechanical failures within the first 40,000 miles. If you have a high end F150 and submerge the taillights while launching your boat, it could cost you $3,000.00 for new lights. They just happen to be part of computer system. Try dropping your laptop in the water and see how well if works afterwards. This begs the question; why would Ford put such an integral component to the vehicle’s operation in a totally vulnerable location? 

Virtually every Jeep product currently manufactured by Chrysler/Stellantis, is on the list of 15 Vehicles to avoid. This includes engine and transmission failures to suspension problems in the Jeep Rubicons. Despite the spin from the company managers, the quality of the Chrysler cars is terrible, and isn’t getting better fast. When you watch the video, they are betting big on EV’s which is suicidal. In my opinion, expecting European executives to understand the American market is a huge mistake. 

The geniuses in the auto industry keep chasing the so-called perfect vehicle that will satisfy every whim, and in my opinion, most car buyers want a car that gets reasonable fuel milage, is comfortable to drive while offering reasonable safety features. It also has to be reliable; few people can afford big repair bills while simultaneously making astronomical payments plus insurance. Make no mistake, insurance premiums are based on how costly it is to repair a complex machine. As for me personally, I prefer knobs and buttons over touch screens in the middle of the dash. Knobs and buttons are tactile; you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to adjust the heater or air conditioner. GPS is great but give me old school controls. 

Most of all, give Americans a choice of a good basic automobile, at a good price, that is not going to require a full-time mechanic to keep all of the do dabs and what nots operating. I don’t know a single person that is salivating over self-driving cars. I know several people that should actually own one, their driving is atrocious. But that’s another topic for another article. Likewise, most people I know don’t think electric cars are a good idea unless you’re on the golf course or living in Seizure World. 

Bottom line here. I watch a lot of car shows where guys search out old cars located in crazy locations, drag them out in the sunlight, and a few hours later they are running and driving after sitting for 35 years. That my friends is a testament to the quality and engineering that was present in the auto industry many years ago. They made cars that the common man could drive and maintain for years with simple tools and basic knowledge. I’m afraid those days will never come back. We are saddled with complex digitally controlled machines that sometime even the factory trained techs can’t repair. 

Look for Steel Pencil to start writing more diverse content and less political stuff. It’s hard to compete with Donald Trump dominating the daily news scene. He doesn’t leave much room for political opinion guys like me. With Mr. Trump at the helm, it’s non stop action and I love it. I have complete confidence in his decisions and actions. That makes it possible for me to pay more attention to Vice Grip Garage. 

Give yourself a gift of happiness behind the wheel, drive and old car. Better yet, buy one and travel back in time to a better place. The old cars are not fast, don’t stop well, but life moved at a much slower pace back then. They are the time machines for real. Happy trails. 

VERITAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE

 

 

THE VIEW FROM ST. CHARLES

APRIL 5, 2025

VOLUME 64

FEELING GRATEFUL TODAY

I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the past. I have a very active life in the present. I have a friend that literally lives in the past. When you sit and talk with him, he has dozens of pictures on his phone from his days as a young man working as a construction carpenter. I avoid getting into conversations with him, so I don’t have to see his pictures for the 50th time. He’s a nice enough guy but damn he’s boring. All old guys like to reminisce about how things used to be, but you have to find new people to tell your stories to. You’ve obviously heard the saying; “The older I get, the better I was”.

That said, sometimes something triggers my mind that takes me back. That happened this morning when I was reading a news article about Tina Louise. She was the glamour girl on the TV sitcom “Gilligan’s Island”. Wow, her life as a child was a sad story. By the way, not to make you feel really old, but she just celebrated her 91st birthday. 

It caused me to reflect on my own childhood, which by the way was unquestionably the best years of my life. That’s how it should be. Your childhood should be the best years of your life. Your body is brand new, everything works great, you can run as fast as you can for as far as you can, rest ten minutes and do it again. The best part is there is no residual pain for the next three days. You lay your tired little body down in bed, go to sleep immediately, and don’t wake up until sunrise. You didn’t have to get up and pee three times.

Every single day of my life while living in my parents’ home (with the rare exception of my mom being ill) I woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking and coffee brewing. How great is that. I got dressed went to the kitchen and mom had four or five menu items I could choose from. During the school year she would help me get ready, give me a hug and kiss, and send me on my way. She just made it impossible for me to have a bad attitude, while filling me with gratitude. I loved and adored my mom.

I rarely saw my dad in the mornings, he had already left for work. My special time with my dad came later in the day. I would walk up to the intersection about a block north of our house and wait for him. He would pull over and stop, I would climb onto the running board of the car, he would put his arm around me to keep me from falling off. When we got to the house, he would open his lunch box and give me a Hostess cupcake he saved for me. Just a simple little ritual that created a cherished memory.

My mom had an established dinner hour (called supper back then). It wasn’t optional. It happened the same time every day except Sunday. You were expected to be there, your face and hands washed. It as a serious event. Talking was kept to a minimum. Fun and laughter were reserved for after supper. If you acted out during supper, you were seriously reprimanded. 

Holidays were celebrated with vigor in the family home. My father was blue collar worker, with a modest income, and my mom was a homemaker. So, my parents obviously didn’t have a large disposable income. That didn’t stop them from creating really fun holiday events. We would get together with aunts, uncles, and cousins. the ladies would cook up some great food, the men made homemade ice cream, and we played until we were exhausted.

Summer vacations were always on a river or lake. My dad was an avid fisherman, and my mom would cook up his daily catch. Of course, the trips to and from in my dad’s 1930’s and 1940’s cars were always and adventure as well. One terribly stormy night coming home from the lake, our 1937 Plymouth quit running as we came into a small town. My dad nursed it to a garage and got it repaired. While it was being repaired, a tornado came very close to the town. The truck and auto repair shop was in a tin covered building. My mom got all of us kids and we sat under a semi-truck inside the garage until the storm passed. The wind, rain and hail pounding down on that tin building was terrifying.

Kids today have dozens of electronic devices available to them for entertainment. We had TV and radio. We didn’t have a TV until I was nine years old. The only thing on it that I wanted to see was the western movies on Sunday afternoon. We actually interacted as a family during the evening hours, talking and playing games. Working on hobby projects, doing jig saw puzzles. Simple stuff, but fun. Summertime on the front porch drinking iced tea and listening to my dad’s stories about his early years we heard countless times but somehow never got old.

Both of my parents have been gone for a long time now. I don’t think I conveyed the message very well of how much I appreciated what they did for me. As a matter of fact, I know I didn’t, and I regret that. If you’re fortunate enough to have a living parent or two, and they provided you with a happy childhood, and supported your endeavors no matter how crazy, let them know you appreciate it and love them for it.

VERITAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE

FAMILIES ARE FOREVER  

   

STEEL PENCIL NEWS REVIEW

MARCH 30, 2025

VOLUME 104

POLITICALLY INCORRECT, CENTER-RIGHT PERSPECTIVE ON CURRENT NEW EVENTS.

I’M NOT SURE DEMOCRATS HAVE MENTAL AUTONOMY REGARDING MUCH OF ANYTHING.

If you don’t have the mental strength to make your own personal decisions, the Democrat party is the place where you need to be. Over the years it has been obvious to me and others, these people operate as a monolith. Tucker Carlson once put together a montage of the legacy media talking heads all parroting identical phraseology to describe some event that involved the so-called right-wing folks. 

It is a proven fact that the deep state actors give the media folks their marching orders when it comes to reporting their version of the news. Hence, they all use the same words, the same phrases. That came to light when Twitter was owned by Jack Dorsey. Parag Agawal was, and likely still is a total left-wing hack. FBI and CIA actors were deeply embedded in Twitter. That fact was exposed by Matt Taibbi.

This sad mindset is being spoon fed to youngsters as early as elementary school. Teachers are a super high percentage of lefties, freshly indoctrinated by colleges and university professors. So, when you enroll your child in public schools, they are teaching them a lot more that reading, writing and arithmetic. This is exactly where the monolithic mindset begins.

CLIMATE CHANGE, THE ULTIMATE EXAMPLE

The favorite “psyops” tools in the left’s toolbox are those “things” that are impossible to verify. They cite works by climate scientists that you never heard of, telling us that we are certainly doomed if we don’t toe the line to avert this certainty. They start teaching this to kids that think everything that comes out of the teacher’s mouth is pure gospel. By the time the kid graduates from high school they are certified climate nuts. Now you have a double-edged sword, you have youngsters that are totally indoctrinated climate believers and because they are young, are willing to defend that position with violence if deemed necessary, like destroying property and hurting innocent people. Because they have been indoctrinated, they feel whatever action they take is reasonable and acceptable. 

This is actually brilliant planning on the part of the left. This indoctrinated group of people are willing to hand over their hard-earned dollars, and their freedom to support a cause that is sketchy at best. 

The climate change issue is a very useful tool for taxation, taking away your freedom of choice regarding how you manage your businesses, your homes, and what vehicles you choose to own. It is just another form of ammunition to destroy the Constitution and empower the socialist movement.  

HIDING SCHOOL ACTIONS FROM PARENTS REGARDING THEIR CHILDREN

Another important psyop tool public schools use, is convincing young students that parents are their common enemy. This is pretty easy because parents represent authority, and the school is able to put forth the idea that maybe that authority is misdirected or out of date. The goal of the public schools is put a wedge between the student and their parents, so they create a “follower”. They are in essence creating a future Democrat voter. The government under the Joe Biden openly directed the DOJ and FBI to intimidate the parents that dared to question what the schools were doing. Do you need any more proof than that? That however was a huge tactical mistake by the left, it got them thrown out of power. (among other dumbass ideas)

THE PERFECT MAN AND WOMAN

The left seems to know what the perfect man and woman are supposed to be yet can’t tell you what a woman is. They have no problem telling you what the perfect man should be and how he should act. Apparently, the left thinks a man should be more like the woman that they aren’t able to describe. So, one can only assume that the left’s idea is that both men and women should have one testicle each. What else can you surmise? The leftist women are getting more masculine and leftist men are getting more feminine. 

Through DEI they are trying to create women that do things that require body strength only a man can possess. If I am passed out in my burning house, I sure as hell don’t want a 120 lb firefighter trying to carry me out. Likewise, thinking that a 150 lb. female cop can arrest a 230 lb. male that is high on meth is really stupid. Even stun guns don’t phase those guys. All your going to accomplish is getting another seriously injured or dead cop.

The left has been engaged in social engineering for as long as I can remember, and it ain’t working. They have trying to convince us that really fat people are fine, it’s OK that the person is eating themselves to death, they are beautiful. No, they’re not, they’re pitiful. They need medical intervention to save their lives. 

They are trying to tell you Trans people are great, you should celebrate them. No, trans people have a mental illness and can be very dangerous to themselves and others. Trans women can be very dangerous around biological women. If you don’t believe me, you ain’t paying attention.

The left seems to think they know how to fix all of the social ills. Even though they were a major contributor to most of them, they don’t know jack shit, and need to shut up, and stop practicing identity politics. They only make things worse and everybody is catching on. 

DRIVING THE POINT HOME

2008 Elon Musk unveiled his first electric car. It was unbelievably innovative. It was what the climate nuts had been praying for. Zero emissions and long-range batteries. All of that and it was very high quality. It didn’t look wonky, and it was fast. Really fast. Elon was the climate savior. 

Then he starts Space X and does more incredible things, like launching his own satellites and creating Starlink so you can have internet most anywhere. The left thinks they found Superman. 

Then the unthinkable happened, he revealed that he is a die hard patriot and loves the USA a lot. Buys Twitter and kicks out all of the lefty lunatics to restore free speech. Another arrow to the heart of the left. But the absolute worst happened when the made a pact with the devil, Donald Trump, and started dismantling the magic money machine the left had been building for years. 

Now the left is desperately looking for a big chunk of kryptonite to kill their once upon a time Superman. So, you see, it never was about climate, it was always about power. Trump and Musk are stripping away their power and it’s “makinemcrazy”.

Thank you so much for reading Steel Pencil. I appreciate all of you. Stay vigil, keep searching out the truth, and speaking out about the lies.

VERITAS VINCIT ~ LIVE FREE OR DIEÂ