There are differing ideas of good and evil. The innocent are caught in between the dogma. Who wins? The surveillance state, weapons manufacturers, and their major shareholders.
Thank you for continuing to write in honor of our country. I’m wondering what we as individuals can do in order to make a difference anymore. Every day I shake my head and then pray. All I can think of doing is prayer.
Jennifer: You’re needed! Contact Bob Smith- bob@bobsmithforcongress.com. Make a difference. Join other locals determined to secure representation by a proven, informed, exceptional leader to change the status quo. We have 2 major local military bases dependent on us.
Heads Up: Democrat Mayor Candidate Kristen Sneddon is running a socialist, anti-Trump campaign. The other Democrat Mayor Candidate Eric Friedman has yet to share his platform, or his goals for the City. Both are running against non-Democrat incumbent No Party Preference (NPP) candidate Randy Rowse whose positions and style are known, but if re-elected, what will change?
There are 3 Council open seats that could go to Democrat Socialist of America (DSA-SB) endorsed candidates, adding to the two existing DSA Reps Wendy Santamaria and Oscar Gutierrez.
Otherwise these 3 Council seats will go status quo Democrats because local non-Democrats are complicit.
Unless and until non-Democrat fiscally literate locals are identified and supported to victory, Santa Barbara taxes will increase and South County will continue to be destroyed.
Why are you equating taxes going up with being fiscally illiterate? Maybe it is actually being fiscally sound?
Here is a simple example of what I witnessed. The city of Fort Lauderdale is something like 40 square miles. They had put in sewage and water treatment systems with an expected lifespan of 50 years. When Democrats ran it, they would set aside funds to replace the system at the end of its life. When Republicans ran, they would say taxes were too high and promise to cut them. They would cut programs and set-asides, then raid the fund set aside for the sewage and water treatment system. This system is now 20 years past its end of life, constantly requiring repairs, and still lacking capacity. In essence, the Republicans created a future tax event, a jobs program (public works), all for reducing the taxes at that point in time. Now, who was fiscally literate?
I read often but don’t often reply. We’re just a few years ahead of you. 60 years married this summer. We were Sophomores in HS when Kennedy was assassinated. We were in college during the summer of love. I’ve often thought there’s a much longer game afoot. It goes, as you aptly said, back to our youth. This current iteration is simply today’s version of what the black panthers, the SLA, and Students for a Democratic Society were doing back then. Think Gov. Moonbeam, Tom Harmon & Jane Fonda. Get a slogan and put it on a banner and people will march. Most of them really just want attention. If you could get them alone and talk to them they’d show you that they don’t really understand what they’re doing in the long run. It was also true in the French Revolution. That’s one of the biggest differences between that national tantrum and the American Revolution. People in America were forced to make a choice and fight a real enemy. The French just hated their monarchy and wanted it brought down. What those events produced was also very different. The Americans: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit (not the fact) of Happiness. The French: Liberty, Fraternity, Equality. Vastly different things when you think of it. What is transpiring at present much more resembles the French Revolution. Interesting that the French also gave rise to Cambodia under Pol Pot and those notorious Killing Fields. They invented an enemy and it turned out to be themselves. This is where our current situation is headed. Sad to say.
Your take on the outcome is different from what I see.
America: Government is not afraid of its citizens.
France: The government fears its citizens.
America: Best place if you can buy your way through it.
France: A place that treats the garbage man as it does the doctor.
America: A lot more libertarian. I got mine, screw you, break down the system so that you do not get a chance to have what I have.
France: You are right, a lot more equality.
Here are a few things to ponder. In November 2024, I was in Arles, France. I went to the Van Gogh Museum. I handed over the entrance fee and wandered around. I walked into a room, probably 15 x 20. On the wall was an original Van Gogh. There was no guard with an AR or a pistol. There was nothing but me and the painting on the wall. The room was this nice dark wood panelling with just the picture on it. I was able to enjoy that. Now compare that to the Broad.
In the Dordogne region (and I think this is all of France) if I want to mow my lawn, I can, but only M-F from 9am to noon, and then 2 to 5pm. On Saturday, it is truncated; on Sunday, it is half as long. Why? Because in France, they have a different definition of pollution. They classify light and noise as pollution, too.
In France, yes, it is common to see stores close from noon until 2pm for lunch for the workers. In America, we live in a world of give me convenience or give me death. We freak out when Walmart is not open 24 hours a day. In France, the philosophy is turned around. They go, "You do not know how to plan?"
In France, they fought against the big drink companies that wanted to have plastic bottles, as we have here in the US. They have bottles there whose caps do not detach from the bottles. The companies screamed and yelled at the increased costs. The government responded, no. You are creating a product that causes litter and forces us to spend money to clean our drains. Could you imagine the US having a backbone to Coca Cola/PepsiCo? ROFL.
I, too, am one of those who came of age in the 60s and watched The Life of Riley become Apocalypse Now here in the USA. For me, one word reveals the drama of this divisive, chaotic shredding of America: the German word "weltanschauung," a more complete concept than its English sister "world view." The root concept, the lens of truth through which all human behavior, laws and policies are viewed, and judged, is revealed in one simple test question: Is God at the center of creation, moral truth and human history, or is man the author, actor, audience & critic of his own show? This reductio ad veritas explains for me the chasmic difference we are witnessing in real time. When The Rise & Fall of The American Experiment is written in the near future....that will be its conclusion, I am quite certain.
"Civilization and Ethics: The Philosophy of Civilization, Part II" by Schweitzer is a philosophical treatise written in the early 20th century. The work addresses the relationship between world-view (Weltanschauung), ethics, and the course of civilization, with an emphasis on diagnosing and remedying the spiritual crisis of Western society."
St Paul wrote a compelling essay/letter to the nascent church in Rome in the first century.. It could have been written last Tuesday in Peoria....and it should be considered for both the chilling indictment and marvelous response to a dying, godless culture that it is. I recommend it to anyone with ears to hear and an open mind.
I agree with all you say. However, you ignore the dangers of the right wing response. The left’s excesses got Trump elected. As the left continues to push its agenda, the right will continue to respond. I fear that we are one disaster away from an authoritarian takeover by the right. When that happens, the whole Country will look worse than Minneapolis did in January. God help us. 🙏
Very well written, Henry. It is so relevant on our America's 250th Birthday!
Let's all celebrate and give thanks for how fortunate we are as to be able to have this many birthdays and so much to celebrate instead of complaining about duly elected politicians. We as Americans are very fortunate to have elections.
Wow Bergerson, “Ken, Barbie and then you have the Mexicans?” You’ve popped off here, calling others “Racist.” Take a long look into the mirror, Son!
As for your fantasy, drawing a line on murder, Micheal Brown was lawfully shot and killed for striking and trying to wrestle away a Police Officer’s service revolver. Brown got exactly what he had coming because he was a well known THUG! The ensuring carnage was based on the same phony outrage, giving rise to burning down Ferguson, Missouri and a whole new cottage industry…BLM. The multiple shakedowns by BLM was into the tens of millions.
Whether it be Free Palestine, BLM, Alex Pretti, Renee Good or some other yet to be named manufactured crisis, it all plays out the same, protests, arson, violence and more mayhem.
As for Cops “targeting” black neighborhoods, maybe it’s because that’s where the crime is? Duh, 7% of the population committing 53% of murders. I thought Black Lives Mattered?
(1) the Left has been able to marshal the feelings of compassion, empathy, and concern we all feel to varying degrees about the problems and conditions individuals and society face and turn it into political power by turning to the government to deal with or solve the problems. The Left then turns the government into a flow of money to thousands of public employees, to NGOs and their friends and colleagues, who then turn around to donate money to the government officials who sent money to them. We have all seen this very clearly with how government has spent billions of dollars over decades dealing with the homeless, with no improvement.
Rather, turning to the government should be the last resort, individuals should donate their own time and money to show their compassion or donate to an organization. With government comes the inevitable fraud and corruption.
(2) the Left has turned government compassion and empathy into one big grift.
Most NGOs exist because of the private and public sectors’ failure to address societal problems. They are often called the 3rd state. You complain about corruption, but people in government and NGOs make a pittance. That has always been the laughable part of that argument. You just want to convince poor people are poor due to other poor people. That is all while we return to the guilded age. You want a return to the guilded age. You want feudalism.
My late parent’s Democratic Party has evolved from their “New Deal” to a party of death, destruction and debauchery. Clearly, predicated on a nexus of oppressed versus oppressor.
Take ANY metric; education, foreign policy, economic, law and order, environmental and the left has perverted, distorted and manipulated any semblance of order, reason, logic and utility.
Fomenting rage, violence and uncivil disobedience, the left has gone to war over issues such as race, sexual orientation and climate “change.” Consistently taking the contrarian approach of normal western, Judeo Christian values, for something that can only be described as Satanic!
Now we are finding that MANY pet projects on the left have been financed by FRAUD and criminality. Instead of denials, the left doubles down and threatens us with demonstrations, mayhem and violence.
The cult like activity of the left can only be explained by its march towards Socialism, with a direct link to the Communist Manifesto, making the rest of us feeling uncomfortable and fearful. We now also see a direct link with the “Red-Green Revolution,” whereas allies can be found in the Environmental, Socialist and Radical Islamic movements.
God help us all if the Democrats flips Congress and we are left with Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker of the House.
Time to fight like hell, as if our way of life depends on it…because it does!
How is that JT? Trump will flip the election for doing exactly what we elected him for? Violent crime drastically down, illegal migration down, booming stock market. Have you seen the market today? Thousands of millionaires created EVERY DAY.
As opposed to what? Wacky platitudes, stupid comments, “stick it to the man” activism. What’s really lame is comments made by old, tired, trust funded burn outs who should know better. Sounds familiar?
Just saying. Not saying there aren't some things going on, there are for sure and I agree with - but you've got a massively warped view of most democrats.
Clinton and Obama had great stockmarkets too. Did that make you love them?
Utter bullshit, JT. “Warped view of Democrats?” Ya sure, take a look around you partner, EVERYTHING around us here in SBCO is due directly, from misfeasance or malfeasance from the propped up Dem machine, and you know it.
BTW, I voted for Clinton totally not knowing about his love of cigars!
First, congratulations on 53 years of marriage. That kind of longevity is rare and admirable. You’ve lived through a great deal of American history, and that perspective matters.
Which is precisely why I’m struggling with how absolute and binary your conclusions are.
With age usually comes an appreciation for nuance. History rarely unfolds as good versus evil, patriots versus traitors, or “us” versus “them.” It’s far messier than that—more like the gradual graying of hair than a sudden switch from black to white.
Take this claim, for example: “The left even hated seeing American flags everywhere.”
When, exactly, are you referring to?
Are you talking about September 12, 2001, when the country was genuinely united in grief? Or April 2003, after the Bush administration launched an invasion of Iraq under the claim of weapons of mass destruction—a claim that turned out to be false?
Context matters. Many Americans who opposed that war were not anti-American; they believed they were being lied to and objected to sending young men and women to die for a false premise. Rejecting that war was not rejecting the country.
You also write that “real chaos” began when George Floyd’s death was “claimed” to be murder. That word choice is telling. The coroner ruled it a homicide. Multiple courts agreed that what occurred was criminal. You may dislike the protests that followed, but minimizing the underlying act weakens your argument rather than strengthening it.
And historically, violent protest is not new.
What happened after Kent State?
What followed the murder of Emmett Till?
What ignited the Overtown riots or unrest throughout the civil-rights era?
Those movements were not peaceful candlelight vigils. They were disruptive, angry, and at times violent—because injustice tends to provoke exactly that. The idea that protests suddenly “changed” in 2020 simply doesn’t hold up under even casual historical scrutiny.
Another recurring claim is that modern protesters are “paid,” coordinated actors. Evidence for this is always asserted, never demonstrated. If paid crowds are your concern, documented cases exist across the political spectrum—including campaigns associated with Donald Trump himself. Selective outrage isn’t analysis.
Then there is the assertion that certain deaths are merely “useful catalysts,” not tragedies in their own right. That framing is deeply troubling. The state does not get to act as judge, jury, and executioner—ever. Accepting that premise undermines the rule of law you say you are defending.
Finally, you reference sweeping corruption uncovered by DOGE and suggest vast wrongdoing would otherwise remain hidden. If that’s true, where are the indictments? Where are the trials? In a country governed by law, proof matters more than implication.
What concerns me most is not disagreement—we can disagree vigorously. It’s the tendency to stitch together unrelated events into a single, all-encompassing narrative driven by fear rather than evidence. That approach doesn’t defend America. It distorts it.
America has survived for nearly 250 years not because it suppressed dissent, but because it tolerated it—even when that dissent was loud, uncomfortable, and inconvenient. Patriotism is not obedience. It is accountability.
These people are so unable to see the role they are playing in the arc of American and human history. They think they would’ve supported civil rights had they been a septuagenarian in the 1950s and 60s. The banality of evil.
Wow the current liked my comment. Maybe they agree that they would’ve been against civil rights had they been alive in the 50s and 60s. Life of Riley wasn’t the reality for many people.
David, WRT to the flags…we have city council members here in the county that refuse to stand for the pledge of allegiance. Every week.
And I realize this is anecdotal, but I spoke to a voter the other day and he said one of the candidates for SB Mayor knocked on his door canvassing. He asked that person a question, I can’t remember what it was, but that person responded (not answering the question), “with the flag on your post I should have known you were one of them.”
He said, “An American?”
Last week I also did my volunteer STEM teaching day (I volunteer every year) and it happened to be the walk out day. The things on some of the signs…not good. Lots of anti-American language.
So while I 100% agree with you it’s not binary, because some older Democrats (especially veterans) are absolutely furious about the constant protest of the pledge from our officials… this kind of anti-America rhetoric is going on from one side. I say that understanding you can post a dozen things of extreme rhetoric from the other side that also that aren’t good, but that doesn’t make this untrue.
We should get back to teaching civics and how to civically engage for change. Instead we are supporting ideas that undermine the very fabric of our great country. We aren’t perfect, but I’ve been almost everywhere else in the world, and young people here should be getting taught how extremely fortunate they are to have been born here.
It’s also worth noting if you go look at the ideologic charts for many of our officials, they are 3 standard deviations left of center - I can send you some for the surveys I’ve had to fill out as a candidate. That’s firmly full socialism. Our assemblyman is two standard deviations left of Kamala Harris. So we are not anywhere near center here. I’m from SE Pennsylvania, my congressman would be Brian Fitzpatrick(R) - highest bipartisan rating in the house, and my Senator would be Fetterman (D). So I grew up in a purple political area, that’s not even close to here.
As I mentioned in Bonnie's article. /respect. I also mentioned we both want the same; we may just differ in how we get there.
1. The flag. I really don't care if someone has 30 flags hanging or none. I would much prefer the person to be more aligned in their beliefs than in their allegiance to a flag. In other words, you fought based on the guidance of the Constitution, not the flag flown. Remember, the pledge was written by a person trying to sell more flags. How American :)
2. Congrats on the STEM teaching. I have zero time to do any more volunteering. Your day, being the walkout day, is interesting in how you see it. I look at it a little differently. When I moved here from Florida, it was to run a $ 60 million-a-year company with its office in Oxnard. I got tired of the drive, and we moved to SB. We had about 15 employees in that executive office. When I decided we were moving, I pulled all the employees in and gave them a 5k-a-year raise. I already had people who lived in Santa Clarita. I didn't want to lose people. The owner, when he found out what I did, got pissed and started ripping into me. I let him rip, get the screaming over, and then said, "I don't care. We move 60mm a year through here, we run audited books, and I learned a long time ago that desperate people do desperate things. So I feel it is in the company's best interest not put our employees in a desperate position." He, like a toddler, had a quick burst of energy, ripped me a little more, and finally agreed that I was right.
So, when I hear you are angered about the words on the signs, what can we do differently so that those people do not feel that way? In other words, not desperate.
A few years ago, I had to go to Tijuana a lot. I am not sure if you have ever crossed on foot. When you go past the McDonald's and onto the Mexico side, the line has only been at most 2 people in front of me. To get into Mexico takes all of 30 seconds. To get back, well, that is measured in hours (without a Sentri pass). One day, talking to a driver, I mentioned that to him. He had the best response. He said, "No one wants to bomb Mexico." That was such a simple explanation. What I took from that is that people do want to bomb us. What it made me think about is why. Why do so many people want to bomb us? And no, it is not ideological only. So those signs, what have we done to piss the people off so much that they will resort to actions over words?
I fully agree that we need to work on the education system. While we cannot guarantee that people will come out educated, we can guarantee that they have an opportunity to be educated. How much has been cut from schools? Enough so that when I was in middle school, we had a band and orchestra. Now, what do we have for something that is not 'cheap' to teach? If the Republican Party would stop screaming that education is a waste, then I'd not find them so manipulative.
I am not sure about the methodology you use for these deviations. From my perspective, I'd find that hard to believe. However, to give you an idea, the infamous political quadrant tests. I either land on top of or right next to Ralph Nader.
You also can't get in federal agents faces, threaten them and their families with death. You can't burn down buildings, block streets and bring guns. Stick to waving signs but not block freeways and main streets. You can act stupid but there are limitations. Also, there should be some measure of control from those who are really showing their concerns to those who have been hired to stir the pot of hate and try and undermine America.
Read what you wrote, and then let me ask one question. Where is the line for murdering a person?
Look at it from a really simple perspective. Brown, the kid in Ferguson. The cop shot and killed him. For what? Stealing a $2 cigar. Johnson, during the first Overtown riots, was shot in the face by a cop. That cost Miami PD over $1mm. He was just in an arcade. There are numerous cases of people being murdered by police over insignificant things, and the police lying about it. Of course, some means some and does not mean all, but these memories are what scare people.
Perhaps my perspective on life is very different from yours. I grew up in a very diverse culture. It was not like Santa Barbara, where you are either Ken or Barbie, and then you have the Mexicans. No, my High School was probably 52% white, then you had blacks, and any country south of Mexico and in the Caribbean there. A very good friend of mine was a black guy. I went over to his house, and of course, I was the token white guy in the hood. But I was able to learn through observation that the cops targeted the heck out of that 'hood. I got to listen to mothers and fathers have conversations about how to handle confrontations with police. Things that were 4 miles away were never an issue. So yes, I have witnessed cops targeting. I have witnessed cops beating people for no good reason. So to expect people to sit and take it over and over makes no sense to me.
I'll make you a deal. Drop the unsubstantiated claim that people who disagree with Trump are paid, and I will not make claims that anyone who is stupid enough to agree with Trump is obviously paid.
Listen David. I can argue dispute all your assumptions and opinions. Is there racism? Of our course. Have police made mistakes? Yes. Have blacks committed crimes? You bet. Have Mexican gangs murdered people? Has an innocent girl sitting on a train have her throat slashed by a crazy guy because some liberal judges kept letting him out of prison. Had a young girl been raped and murdered jogging a park by an illegal? We can play this game all day. Where was the outrage when BLM screamed kill all the cops or whites are responsible for everything they didn't like while at the same time scamming the system and making themselves wealthy doing it. There's a ton of crap to go around.
You’re right about one thing — there is plenty of blame and wrongdoing to go around. Crime exists. Racism exists. Bad decisions exist. None of that is controversial.
What becomes problematic is when isolated tragedies are used to imply a sweeping political cause without examining the actual facts.
Take the example you raised about the girl on the train and the claim that “liberal judges kept letting him out.” That framing suggests that judges ignore the law based on ideology. But judges don’t simply release people because of personal political beliefs. They operate within sentencing guidelines and statutes set by legislatures. If someone receives a 10-year sentence and serves 10 years, that isn’t a judge “letting them out.” That’s the sentence being completed.
In this specific case, reporting indicates the individual was not released early — he served his time. If someone believes the sentence itself should have been longer, that’s a policy debate about sentencing laws, not evidence of judicial ideology overriding the law.
That distinction matters.
It’s also important to ask what principle we’re applying. If we argue that certain offenders should never be released, then we’re debating sentencing policy across the board — not selectively depending on the offender’s background.
What concerns me most is this: when outrage is amplified only when a perpetrator fits a preferred political narrative — whether that’s immigration status, race, or party affiliation — it starts to look less like concern for victims and more like narrative reinforcement.
Violent crime is tragic no matter who commits it. Victims deserve justice regardless of the perpetrator’s race, citizenship status, or political usefulness. If outrage appears conditional — activated in some cases but quiet in others — people will understandably question whether the focus is justice or politics.
We can debate policy — sentencing reform, immigration enforcement, bail standards — but we should ground those debates in verified facts and consistent principles.
If we don’t, we end up arguing headlines instead of reality.
It’s not the what you can or cannot do that you have an issue with. It’s The who is doing it that is your problem. Where was the outrage for the white boys chanting you will not erase us?
Boy o boy, am I glad I grew up when America was America and the only grind I got was my Mom telling me - "Get home before the street lights come on." :)
Always fun to read your "stuff" ...although I was getting a bit concerned I was hearing too much apathy my fears were allayed when you said:
"We’ve done well for 250 years and need to stick to our own long-term game plan.
This year let’s celebrate what a great nation we are and how we got here. It’s imperative we push back harder than ever at the communist and socialist takeover attempt. "
WWlll is a Spiritual war. Prepare your soul. Good vs Evil, pick your side.
There are differing ideas of good and evil. The innocent are caught in between the dogma. Who wins? The surveillance state, weapons manufacturers, and their major shareholders.
Thank you for continuing to write in honor of our country. I’m wondering what we as individuals can do in order to make a difference anymore. Every day I shake my head and then pray. All I can think of doing is prayer.
Jennifer: You’re needed! Contact Bob Smith- bob@bobsmithforcongress.com. Make a difference. Join other locals determined to secure representation by a proven, informed, exceptional leader to change the status quo. We have 2 major local military bases dependent on us.
Prayer never solved anything.
I thank God every day that I was born in the United States of America.
So do I Mike, so do I.
Racist, bigot, xenophobe!!!!!!!
Hello Mike Ocean Swimmer, just as there are THREATS in the Ocean, SHARKS
there are THREATS all around us like the OCEAN SHARKS hiding in the SHADOWS>
https://x.com/DHSgov/status/1949913619644493930
Heads Up: Democrat Mayor Candidate Kristen Sneddon is running a socialist, anti-Trump campaign. The other Democrat Mayor Candidate Eric Friedman has yet to share his platform, or his goals for the City. Both are running against non-Democrat incumbent No Party Preference (NPP) candidate Randy Rowse whose positions and style are known, but if re-elected, what will change?
There are 3 Council open seats that could go to Democrat Socialist of America (DSA-SB) endorsed candidates, adding to the two existing DSA Reps Wendy Santamaria and Oscar Gutierrez.
Otherwise these 3 Council seats will go status quo Democrats because local non-Democrats are complicit.
Unless and until non-Democrat fiscally literate locals are identified and supported to victory, Santa Barbara taxes will increase and South County will continue to be destroyed.
Why are you equating taxes going up with being fiscally illiterate? Maybe it is actually being fiscally sound?
Here is a simple example of what I witnessed. The city of Fort Lauderdale is something like 40 square miles. They had put in sewage and water treatment systems with an expected lifespan of 50 years. When Democrats ran it, they would set aside funds to replace the system at the end of its life. When Republicans ran, they would say taxes were too high and promise to cut them. They would cut programs and set-asides, then raid the fund set aside for the sewage and water treatment system. This system is now 20 years past its end of life, constantly requiring repairs, and still lacking capacity. In essence, the Republicans created a future tax event, a jobs program (public works), all for reducing the taxes at that point in time. Now, who was fiscally literate?
I read often but don’t often reply. We’re just a few years ahead of you. 60 years married this summer. We were Sophomores in HS when Kennedy was assassinated. We were in college during the summer of love. I’ve often thought there’s a much longer game afoot. It goes, as you aptly said, back to our youth. This current iteration is simply today’s version of what the black panthers, the SLA, and Students for a Democratic Society were doing back then. Think Gov. Moonbeam, Tom Harmon & Jane Fonda. Get a slogan and put it on a banner and people will march. Most of them really just want attention. If you could get them alone and talk to them they’d show you that they don’t really understand what they’re doing in the long run. It was also true in the French Revolution. That’s one of the biggest differences between that national tantrum and the American Revolution. People in America were forced to make a choice and fight a real enemy. The French just hated their monarchy and wanted it brought down. What those events produced was also very different. The Americans: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit (not the fact) of Happiness. The French: Liberty, Fraternity, Equality. Vastly different things when you think of it. What is transpiring at present much more resembles the French Revolution. Interesting that the French also gave rise to Cambodia under Pol Pot and those notorious Killing Fields. They invented an enemy and it turned out to be themselves. This is where our current situation is headed. Sad to say.
William,
Your take on the outcome is different from what I see.
America: Government is not afraid of its citizens.
France: The government fears its citizens.
America: Best place if you can buy your way through it.
France: A place that treats the garbage man as it does the doctor.
America: A lot more libertarian. I got mine, screw you, break down the system so that you do not get a chance to have what I have.
France: You are right, a lot more equality.
Here are a few things to ponder. In November 2024, I was in Arles, France. I went to the Van Gogh Museum. I handed over the entrance fee and wandered around. I walked into a room, probably 15 x 20. On the wall was an original Van Gogh. There was no guard with an AR or a pistol. There was nothing but me and the painting on the wall. The room was this nice dark wood panelling with just the picture on it. I was able to enjoy that. Now compare that to the Broad.
In the Dordogne region (and I think this is all of France) if I want to mow my lawn, I can, but only M-F from 9am to noon, and then 2 to 5pm. On Saturday, it is truncated; on Sunday, it is half as long. Why? Because in France, they have a different definition of pollution. They classify light and noise as pollution, too.
In France, yes, it is common to see stores close from noon until 2pm for lunch for the workers. In America, we live in a world of give me convenience or give me death. We freak out when Walmart is not open 24 hours a day. In France, the philosophy is turned around. They go, "You do not know how to plan?"
In France, they fought against the big drink companies that wanted to have plastic bottles, as we have here in the US. They have bottles there whose caps do not detach from the bottles. The companies screamed and yelled at the increased costs. The government responded, no. You are creating a product that causes litter and forces us to spend money to clean our drains. Could you imagine the US having a backbone to Coca Cola/PepsiCo? ROFL.
I, too, am one of those who came of age in the 60s and watched The Life of Riley become Apocalypse Now here in the USA. For me, one word reveals the drama of this divisive, chaotic shredding of America: the German word "weltanschauung," a more complete concept than its English sister "world view." The root concept, the lens of truth through which all human behavior, laws and policies are viewed, and judged, is revealed in one simple test question: Is God at the center of creation, moral truth and human history, or is man the author, actor, audience & critic of his own show? This reductio ad veritas explains for me the chasmic difference we are witnessing in real time. When The Rise & Fall of The American Experiment is written in the near future....that will be its conclusion, I am quite certain.
Well Mr. Ludwick you have Albert Schweitzer correct >> Downfall of Western Civilization
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76061
"Civilization and Ethics: The Philosophy of Civilization, Part II" by Schweitzer is a philosophical treatise written in the early 20th century. The work addresses the relationship between world-view (Weltanschauung), ethics, and the course of civilization, with an emphasis on diagnosing and remedying the spiritual crisis of Western society."
So where do we all go from here?
St Paul wrote a compelling essay/letter to the nascent church in Rome in the first century.. It could have been written last Tuesday in Peoria....and it should be considered for both the chilling indictment and marvelous response to a dying, godless culture that it is. I recommend it to anyone with ears to hear and an open mind.
I agree with all you say. However, you ignore the dangers of the right wing response. The left’s excesses got Trump elected. As the left continues to push its agenda, the right will continue to respond. I fear that we are one disaster away from an authoritarian takeover by the right. When that happens, the whole Country will look worse than Minneapolis did in January. God help us. 🙏
Very well written, Henry. It is so relevant on our America's 250th Birthday!
Let's all celebrate and give thanks for how fortunate we are as to be able to have this many birthdays and so much to celebrate instead of complaining about duly elected politicians. We as Americans are very fortunate to have elections.
Wow Bergerson, “Ken, Barbie and then you have the Mexicans?” You’ve popped off here, calling others “Racist.” Take a long look into the mirror, Son!
As for your fantasy, drawing a line on murder, Micheal Brown was lawfully shot and killed for striking and trying to wrestle away a Police Officer’s service revolver. Brown got exactly what he had coming because he was a well known THUG! The ensuring carnage was based on the same phony outrage, giving rise to burning down Ferguson, Missouri and a whole new cottage industry…BLM. The multiple shakedowns by BLM was into the tens of millions.
Whether it be Free Palestine, BLM, Alex Pretti, Renee Good or some other yet to be named manufactured crisis, it all plays out the same, protests, arson, violence and more mayhem.
As for Cops “targeting” black neighborhoods, maybe it’s because that’s where the crime is? Duh, 7% of the population committing 53% of murders. I thought Black Lives Mattered?
https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/decade-ignorance-ferguson-inaugurated-ten-years-lies-about-race-america
The heritage foundation. Arbiters of truth. Might as well link to the weekly world news.
Keep hitting that Sour Mash, Betty B!
(1) the Left has been able to marshal the feelings of compassion, empathy, and concern we all feel to varying degrees about the problems and conditions individuals and society face and turn it into political power by turning to the government to deal with or solve the problems. The Left then turns the government into a flow of money to thousands of public employees, to NGOs and their friends and colleagues, who then turn around to donate money to the government officials who sent money to them. We have all seen this very clearly with how government has spent billions of dollars over decades dealing with the homeless, with no improvement.
Rather, turning to the government should be the last resort, individuals should donate their own time and money to show their compassion or donate to an organization. With government comes the inevitable fraud and corruption.
(2) the Left has turned government compassion and empathy into one big grift.
Berney
Most NGOs exist because of the private and public sectors’ failure to address societal problems. They are often called the 3rd state. You complain about corruption, but people in government and NGOs make a pittance. That has always been the laughable part of that argument. You just want to convince poor people are poor due to other poor people. That is all while we return to the guilded age. You want a return to the guilded age. You want feudalism.
Hi Betty, I don't agree with you but I really like your thoughtful, intelligent POV.
My late parent’s Democratic Party has evolved from their “New Deal” to a party of death, destruction and debauchery. Clearly, predicated on a nexus of oppressed versus oppressor.
Take ANY metric; education, foreign policy, economic, law and order, environmental and the left has perverted, distorted and manipulated any semblance of order, reason, logic and utility.
Fomenting rage, violence and uncivil disobedience, the left has gone to war over issues such as race, sexual orientation and climate “change.” Consistently taking the contrarian approach of normal western, Judeo Christian values, for something that can only be described as Satanic!
Now we are finding that MANY pet projects on the left have been financed by FRAUD and criminality. Instead of denials, the left doubles down and threatens us with demonstrations, mayhem and violence.
The cult like activity of the left can only be explained by its march towards Socialism, with a direct link to the Communist Manifesto, making the rest of us feeling uncomfortable and fearful. We now also see a direct link with the “Red-Green Revolution,” whereas allies can be found in the Environmental, Socialist and Radical Islamic movements.
God help us all if the Democrats flips Congress and we are left with Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker of the House.
Time to fight like hell, as if our way of life depends on it…because it does!
LT, the Democrats won't flip the the house. Trump will flip it for them.
He's worried about optics. Why else would he deep six Bovino if everything was going so well?
How is that JT? Trump will flip the election for doing exactly what we elected him for? Violent crime drastically down, illegal migration down, booming stock market. Have you seen the market today? Thousands of millionaires created EVERY DAY.
As opposed to what? Wacky platitudes, stupid comments, “stick it to the man” activism. What’s really lame is comments made by old, tired, trust funded burn outs who should know better. Sounds familiar?
Just saying. Not saying there aren't some things going on, there are for sure and I agree with - but you've got a massively warped view of most democrats.
Clinton and Obama had great stockmarkets too. Did that make you love them?
Utter bullshit, JT. “Warped view of Democrats?” Ya sure, take a look around you partner, EVERYTHING around us here in SBCO is due directly, from misfeasance or malfeasance from the propped up Dem machine, and you know it.
BTW, I voted for Clinton totally not knowing about his love of cigars!
I will say you have a warped view of what is the left. But it doesn’t matter what we say. You are in a cult with kid rock as your cultural namesake.
Right in LT - excellent
You are the one that is in the cult. Deny your eyes and ears for the propaganda fed to you. Slurp it up!
Sorry, but I can’t stomach a shot of Bourbon so early in the morning!
We are watching you! Salud!
First, congratulations on 53 years of marriage. That kind of longevity is rare and admirable. You’ve lived through a great deal of American history, and that perspective matters.
Which is precisely why I’m struggling with how absolute and binary your conclusions are.
With age usually comes an appreciation for nuance. History rarely unfolds as good versus evil, patriots versus traitors, or “us” versus “them.” It’s far messier than that—more like the gradual graying of hair than a sudden switch from black to white.
Take this claim, for example: “The left even hated seeing American flags everywhere.”
When, exactly, are you referring to?
Are you talking about September 12, 2001, when the country was genuinely united in grief? Or April 2003, after the Bush administration launched an invasion of Iraq under the claim of weapons of mass destruction—a claim that turned out to be false?
Context matters. Many Americans who opposed that war were not anti-American; they believed they were being lied to and objected to sending young men and women to die for a false premise. Rejecting that war was not rejecting the country.
You also write that “real chaos” began when George Floyd’s death was “claimed” to be murder. That word choice is telling. The coroner ruled it a homicide. Multiple courts agreed that what occurred was criminal. You may dislike the protests that followed, but minimizing the underlying act weakens your argument rather than strengthening it.
And historically, violent protest is not new.
What happened after Kent State?
What followed the murder of Emmett Till?
What ignited the Overtown riots or unrest throughout the civil-rights era?
Those movements were not peaceful candlelight vigils. They were disruptive, angry, and at times violent—because injustice tends to provoke exactly that. The idea that protests suddenly “changed” in 2020 simply doesn’t hold up under even casual historical scrutiny.
Another recurring claim is that modern protesters are “paid,” coordinated actors. Evidence for this is always asserted, never demonstrated. If paid crowds are your concern, documented cases exist across the political spectrum—including campaigns associated with Donald Trump himself. Selective outrage isn’t analysis.
Then there is the assertion that certain deaths are merely “useful catalysts,” not tragedies in their own right. That framing is deeply troubling. The state does not get to act as judge, jury, and executioner—ever. Accepting that premise undermines the rule of law you say you are defending.
Finally, you reference sweeping corruption uncovered by DOGE and suggest vast wrongdoing would otherwise remain hidden. If that’s true, where are the indictments? Where are the trials? In a country governed by law, proof matters more than implication.
What concerns me most is not disagreement—we can disagree vigorously. It’s the tendency to stitch together unrelated events into a single, all-encompassing narrative driven by fear rather than evidence. That approach doesn’t defend America. It distorts it.
America has survived for nearly 250 years not because it suppressed dissent, but because it tolerated it—even when that dissent was loud, uncomfortable, and inconvenient. Patriotism is not obedience. It is accountability.
You can march.
You can protest.
You can criticize power.
That is not a threat to America.
That is America.
These people are so unable to see the role they are playing in the arc of American and human history. They think they would’ve supported civil rights had they been a septuagenarian in the 1950s and 60s. The banality of evil.
Wow the current liked my comment. Maybe they agree that they would’ve been against civil rights had they been alive in the 50s and 60s. Life of Riley wasn’t the reality for many people.
David, WRT to the flags…we have city council members here in the county that refuse to stand for the pledge of allegiance. Every week.
And I realize this is anecdotal, but I spoke to a voter the other day and he said one of the candidates for SB Mayor knocked on his door canvassing. He asked that person a question, I can’t remember what it was, but that person responded (not answering the question), “with the flag on your post I should have known you were one of them.”
He said, “An American?”
Last week I also did my volunteer STEM teaching day (I volunteer every year) and it happened to be the walk out day. The things on some of the signs…not good. Lots of anti-American language.
So while I 100% agree with you it’s not binary, because some older Democrats (especially veterans) are absolutely furious about the constant protest of the pledge from our officials… this kind of anti-America rhetoric is going on from one side. I say that understanding you can post a dozen things of extreme rhetoric from the other side that also that aren’t good, but that doesn’t make this untrue.
We should get back to teaching civics and how to civically engage for change. Instead we are supporting ideas that undermine the very fabric of our great country. We aren’t perfect, but I’ve been almost everywhere else in the world, and young people here should be getting taught how extremely fortunate they are to have been born here.
It’s also worth noting if you go look at the ideologic charts for many of our officials, they are 3 standard deviations left of center - I can send you some for the surveys I’ve had to fill out as a candidate. That’s firmly full socialism. Our assemblyman is two standard deviations left of Kamala Harris. So we are not anywhere near center here. I’m from SE Pennsylvania, my congressman would be Brian Fitzpatrick(R) - highest bipartisan rating in the house, and my Senator would be Fetterman (D). So I grew up in a purple political area, that’s not even close to here.
Bob,
As I mentioned in Bonnie's article. /respect. I also mentioned we both want the same; we may just differ in how we get there.
1. The flag. I really don't care if someone has 30 flags hanging or none. I would much prefer the person to be more aligned in their beliefs than in their allegiance to a flag. In other words, you fought based on the guidance of the Constitution, not the flag flown. Remember, the pledge was written by a person trying to sell more flags. How American :)
2. Congrats on the STEM teaching. I have zero time to do any more volunteering. Your day, being the walkout day, is interesting in how you see it. I look at it a little differently. When I moved here from Florida, it was to run a $ 60 million-a-year company with its office in Oxnard. I got tired of the drive, and we moved to SB. We had about 15 employees in that executive office. When I decided we were moving, I pulled all the employees in and gave them a 5k-a-year raise. I already had people who lived in Santa Clarita. I didn't want to lose people. The owner, when he found out what I did, got pissed and started ripping into me. I let him rip, get the screaming over, and then said, "I don't care. We move 60mm a year through here, we run audited books, and I learned a long time ago that desperate people do desperate things. So I feel it is in the company's best interest not put our employees in a desperate position." He, like a toddler, had a quick burst of energy, ripped me a little more, and finally agreed that I was right.
So, when I hear you are angered about the words on the signs, what can we do differently so that those people do not feel that way? In other words, not desperate.
A few years ago, I had to go to Tijuana a lot. I am not sure if you have ever crossed on foot. When you go past the McDonald's and onto the Mexico side, the line has only been at most 2 people in front of me. To get into Mexico takes all of 30 seconds. To get back, well, that is measured in hours (without a Sentri pass). One day, talking to a driver, I mentioned that to him. He had the best response. He said, "No one wants to bomb Mexico." That was such a simple explanation. What I took from that is that people do want to bomb us. What it made me think about is why. Why do so many people want to bomb us? And no, it is not ideological only. So those signs, what have we done to piss the people off so much that they will resort to actions over words?
I fully agree that we need to work on the education system. While we cannot guarantee that people will come out educated, we can guarantee that they have an opportunity to be educated. How much has been cut from schools? Enough so that when I was in middle school, we had a band and orchestra. Now, what do we have for something that is not 'cheap' to teach? If the Republican Party would stop screaming that education is a waste, then I'd not find them so manipulative.
I am not sure about the methodology you use for these deviations. From my perspective, I'd find that hard to believe. However, to give you an idea, the infamous political quadrant tests. I either land on top of or right next to Ralph Nader.
You also can't get in federal agents faces, threaten them and their families with death. You can't burn down buildings, block streets and bring guns. Stick to waving signs but not block freeways and main streets. You can act stupid but there are limitations. Also, there should be some measure of control from those who are really showing their concerns to those who have been hired to stir the pot of hate and try and undermine America.
Henry,
Read what you wrote, and then let me ask one question. Where is the line for murdering a person?
Look at it from a really simple perspective. Brown, the kid in Ferguson. The cop shot and killed him. For what? Stealing a $2 cigar. Johnson, during the first Overtown riots, was shot in the face by a cop. That cost Miami PD over $1mm. He was just in an arcade. There are numerous cases of people being murdered by police over insignificant things, and the police lying about it. Of course, some means some and does not mean all, but these memories are what scare people.
Perhaps my perspective on life is very different from yours. I grew up in a very diverse culture. It was not like Santa Barbara, where you are either Ken or Barbie, and then you have the Mexicans. No, my High School was probably 52% white, then you had blacks, and any country south of Mexico and in the Caribbean there. A very good friend of mine was a black guy. I went over to his house, and of course, I was the token white guy in the hood. But I was able to learn through observation that the cops targeted the heck out of that 'hood. I got to listen to mothers and fathers have conversations about how to handle confrontations with police. Things that were 4 miles away were never an issue. So yes, I have witnessed cops targeting. I have witnessed cops beating people for no good reason. So to expect people to sit and take it over and over makes no sense to me.
I'll make you a deal. Drop the unsubstantiated claim that people who disagree with Trump are paid, and I will not make claims that anyone who is stupid enough to agree with Trump is obviously paid.
Listen David. I can argue dispute all your assumptions and opinions. Is there racism? Of our course. Have police made mistakes? Yes. Have blacks committed crimes? You bet. Have Mexican gangs murdered people? Has an innocent girl sitting on a train have her throat slashed by a crazy guy because some liberal judges kept letting him out of prison. Had a young girl been raped and murdered jogging a park by an illegal? We can play this game all day. Where was the outrage when BLM screamed kill all the cops or whites are responsible for everything they didn't like while at the same time scamming the system and making themselves wealthy doing it. There's a ton of crap to go around.
Henry,
You’re right about one thing — there is plenty of blame and wrongdoing to go around. Crime exists. Racism exists. Bad decisions exist. None of that is controversial.
What becomes problematic is when isolated tragedies are used to imply a sweeping political cause without examining the actual facts.
Take the example you raised about the girl on the train and the claim that “liberal judges kept letting him out.” That framing suggests that judges ignore the law based on ideology. But judges don’t simply release people because of personal political beliefs. They operate within sentencing guidelines and statutes set by legislatures. If someone receives a 10-year sentence and serves 10 years, that isn’t a judge “letting them out.” That’s the sentence being completed.
In this specific case, reporting indicates the individual was not released early — he served his time. If someone believes the sentence itself should have been longer, that’s a policy debate about sentencing laws, not evidence of judicial ideology overriding the law.
That distinction matters.
It’s also important to ask what principle we’re applying. If we argue that certain offenders should never be released, then we’re debating sentencing policy across the board — not selectively depending on the offender’s background.
What concerns me most is this: when outrage is amplified only when a perpetrator fits a preferred political narrative — whether that’s immigration status, race, or party affiliation — it starts to look less like concern for victims and more like narrative reinforcement.
Violent crime is tragic no matter who commits it. Victims deserve justice regardless of the perpetrator’s race, citizenship status, or political usefulness. If outrage appears conditional — activated in some cases but quiet in others — people will understandably question whether the focus is justice or politics.
We can debate policy — sentencing reform, immigration enforcement, bail standards — but we should ground those debates in verified facts and consistent principles.
If we don’t, we end up arguing headlines instead of reality.
https://www.politifact.com/article/2026/feb/09/did-cooper-prison-settlement-release-suspect-in-fa/ That is the fact check on the 'liberal judge early release.'
It’s not the what you can or cannot do that you have an issue with. It’s The who is doing it that is your problem. Where was the outrage for the white boys chanting you will not erase us?
I disagree. Sure there are shades and nuance.
But sides must be taken.
I’m sticking with good and evil.
Well… some people are starting to think you are evil then.
Boy o boy, am I glad I grew up when America was America and the only grind I got was my Mom telling me - "Get home before the street lights come on." :)
Always fun to read your "stuff" ...although I was getting a bit concerned I was hearing too much apathy my fears were allayed when you said:
"We’ve done well for 250 years and need to stick to our own long-term game plan.
This year let’s celebrate what a great nation we are and how we got here. It’s imperative we push back harder than ever at the communist and socialist takeover attempt. "
SO I agree with you...let's do THAT! Blessings
I agree with most of what Mr. Schulte posted.
I just hope I'm dead before the left's "Crand Scheme" reaches its end game..
Grand.
A great big thank you from the Santa Ynez Valley. So glad you're here Henry.