Ever Wonder What They Think of You?

Here's your chance to find out...

If you type "Black organizations" into your computer's little Google box you'll get back a veritable cornucopia of Black organizations of all manner and stripe.  

From non-profits dedicated to uplifting some aspect of Black life here in America, to thousands of educational, professional and religious Black-oriented groups.  Doctors, lawyers, accountants, belly dancers, comedians, bus drivers, even LGBTQ+++- affiliated Black folks all grouping themselves together to increase their power, prestige and community standing.  Even Federal and state offices weigh in with all sorts of offers of assistance, whether legal, financial, political, educational or medical, but only if you're Black.  Not a single entry was noted indicating Black-affiliated groups could be anything other than a positive influence on them and their special race. 

That's what you get when you type "Black organizations" into your Google box.

What do you get when you type "White organizations" into your Google box?  I would suggest you try it.  You'll be surprised, I think.  I certainly was.  Shocked, in fact.  Thousands of entries all clamoring in unison for "White nationalists" to be hunted down and jailed.  "White supremacists" are singled out for scorn, amid scathing references to Whites as the evil afflicting America.  For that's what "White organization" means to Google;  White racists.  They list the Ku Klux Klan frequently.  All sorts of Black-hating gangs and clubs and groups are listed.  One after the other.  Every single entry was a racist rant.  And I know, 'cause I'm a professional ranter.  Every one centered around finding "White nationalist" groups, calling them out, and eliminating them from public discourse.  

It's as if an entire subculture exists here within our supposed "United" States which is dedicated solely to the betterment of that one minority population.  Only.  Are our States United anymore?  Maybe we should ask these folks.    

Thinly-veiled race hatred, underwritten by some of our largest and most important corporations.  More than 50 at last count.  Shockingly one-sided.  And racist, in my opinion.  And even the Federal Government, of course, among the most flagrant abusers.  Using your tax dollars.

That's what you get when you type "White organizations" into your little Google box.  

It seems we're all skinheads to our Silicon Valley masters now, fellow Patriots, and also to the folks we vote into office.  Ignorant, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, gun-loving, knuckle-dragging, Black-hating slobbering fools, that's what we are to Social Media.  And we're shipping our money off to them every month by buying and using and giving a sh*t about their America-hating Social Media crap.  

Stop.  Just stop.   

The Parable of the Starlings...

For the non country folk among you, starlings are small, black, noisy, dirty and smelly little birds, which make the most godawful racket, and who gather together like pack animals and crap all over everything in sight.

Some in fact call them "flying rats."

And these unwanted invaders arrived as if by magic every September and proceeded to assault our Livingston County, Missouri Courthouse.  They would arrive as a mob of tens of thousands and pretend the Courthouse was their bedroom.  And bathroom.  They would swarm pedestrians and poop all over every car within a two-block radius.  They would stay for a month or so and then disappear, only to arrive once again the following Fall.

Now, this scenario justifiably angered the businesses around the Town Square.  In the middle of this Square was our Courthouse.  A five-story concrete building housing our County's courtrooms and bizz.  A nondescript, gray, plain and ordinary courthouse that somehow acted as a magnet to starlings.  And when customers stopped shopping, the businesses started howling.  This had been going on for years and the businesses, and the citizens, were demanding the city council do something!  Anything!  And now!

Well, fellow Patriots, the folks where I come from are smart.  And ingenious.  And able to figure out the answers to complex questions.  Like how to get rid of a pack of howling, errant, dirty, nasty starlings.  

And they did.  They voted to invite all the folks in the Chillicothe area to bring their .410 and 20 and 28-guage shotguns to the Town Square on a particular Saturday.  And bring plenty of birdshot ammo, 'cause it was time to blow those suckers right out of the sky!  And my buddy Kenney Frost, who owned the local gun store, offered to sell shotshells at a discount to help make the little soiree a success.  

And boy, was it ever!  About 60 of our fellow gunners arrived early that day, took their positions around the Courthouse and, when the Mayor fired his little starting pistol, we unleased a volley of gunfire not seen since the Battle of the Bulge.  For a solid hour we blasted away, felling Starlings by the bushel.  And every few minutes the starter would blow his whistle, the shooting would stop, and the fallen birds were collected in bushel baskets by the local Boy Scout troop.  And then the whistle would blow and WW3 would start up again.  Hundreds of townies watched at a safe distance and applauded with glee!  A real party, this.  

Damn it was loud!  And boy do I love loud!  I love the smell of gunpowder in the morning!

By the editor of the local paper's estimation, more than 2,000 starlings were erased from the Town Square that day.  And the shotgunners were then treated to a BBQ on the Square, pot luck.  As I recall the local beer emporium passed out brewskies, but only after the hardware was safely locked away.  The party went well into the evening, ending only when the cool night air got too cold.  I have a fond memory of that day, most particularly because of one glaring, dayglo, neon fact.  Ready for it?

    The Starlings Never Came Back.

Had those starlings chosen to conduct themselves in a polite, courteous and neighborly manner, like good visitors should, I'm sure we'd have had no problem with their visit.  However, their actions demanded that the punishment fit the crime.  

And it did.

With extreme prejudice.  

We never had to deal with them again.  Maybe the jungle drums beat out the message that my little small town was no longer welcoming to these flying nuisances.  Maybe it was burned into their collective DNA that day that ours was a place which fights back.  That doesn't take getting shat upon lightly...  

And maybe, just maybe, we all should try some of that creative, out-of-the-box thinking to end the crisis of crime enveloping our once-safe and law-abiding Country.  Permitted to envelope.  Apparently with intent.  By unwarranted leniency.  By mollycoddling criminals in an effort to assuage White guilt, and in the misplaced "hope" that they'll "see the light" this time, and head toward the straight and narrow.  Or something.  

"Hope" is not a strategy.

Taxifornia permits petty thieves to steal up to $950 per store, before declaring it a felony.  And that's per day!  Come back tomorrow and do it again.  And then, if by some chance a cop happens to see you and chooses to get involved (they may not, knowing it's performance art), all he can do is write a $50 ticket, with no appearance date, and no recourse for non payment.  Why don't we all just start shoplifting?  

Maybe we all soon will!  And that will be the day America dies...

I'm reminded of the ancient Arab saying:  "You let a camel get his nose under the tent, pretty soon you have a camel in your tent."

The camel's nose is under the tent.

I pray this admonition doesn't fall on deaf ears.  Like those of the mayors of the 50 largest cities in America.  Who have collectively caused this abominable, Country-destroying s**tshow.

Pass it along...

You Had To Be There...

Those much younger than me will never realize the joy, the pure excitement and visceral pleasure, occurring every year when "new car reveal" time rolled around.

That was back in the days of the 1955, '56 and '57 Chevies, and the Skyliner Fords, and the "Letter" series Chryslers, and the Plymouth and Dodge "hemis."  A time when each year brought improvements to the brand.  A time when racing was just getting started and manufacturers were choosing up sides.  A time when you were more or less known by the brand of car that you drove.  I've witnessed many knock down, drag out fights between Chevy and Ford guys, over which was better.  Really.

I was and still am a yuuuuge car guy, and have been since only a little tyke.  Just about the time the whole car revolution began.  About the time "American Grafitti" hit the big screen.  And I was brought up in a town of not-quite 10,000 people, without the Internet, or much in the way of TV.  Our knowledge came from car magazines and the wondrous stuff upon which they reported.

"Car and Driver," and "Sports Car Illustrated," and "Motor Trend" were all delivered to the local bus station each month, and we'd be there like flies on excrement to see what they'd brought.  Drag racing and USCCA racing, and NASCAR, and Le Mans, and Baja, and the Bonneville Salt Flats.  We lived through our imaginations, hoping to get out of our little towns and finally go where all the action was happening.  Like Southern California, the epicenter of the Car Revolution.

Those of you who think SUV's have always been our primary mode of transportation and that cars are innately ugly, need to learn that "back in the day," every car was completely redesigned and restyled each and every year.  

You read that right.  Instead of a basic design lasting 5 or 6 or even 10 years or more (read Tesla), we had newly-designed cars every 12 months.  And the dealerships would cover the floor-to-ceiling windows in their dealerships with brown butcher paper so we couldn't see the new models in the weeks leading up to the day of the Big Reveal!  Usually in the first or second week of September.  We would stand outside their dealerships on the sidewalk and look for any little tears in the paper so we could peek through during the days leading up to the Big Day!  We were among those who believed a car was your ticket out.  Your freedom.  Your expression of personality.  Even sex appeal!  And damn, were some of them gorgeous!  

A completely new car every year.  Front to back, stem to stern.  Because styling back then was everything!

And more horsepower.  Don't forget more horsepower...

Think about that.  The 1958, '58 and '59 Chevrolets, as an example, could not have looked more different, one from the other.  Google them if their styling doesn't come to mind.  And now, more than 60 years later, the "tri-5's" as they're now called are collectors items.  Bringing tens of thousands of $Bucks, 20 or 30 times their original sticker prices, even!  Because they were gorgeous!  And they were unique!  And we'll never see them again.  

And they were an extension of your personality.  I knew a guy in my home town who was homely as a wet mop.  He came from money so they used it to buy him a brand-new 1960 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, 389 cu. in. V-8, 303 hp., three speed "on the tree," mahogany brown with a natural tan "Mirrokide" leather interior, he became a babe magnet.  It was a thing of beauty.  And it rubbed off on him, as he shortly hooked up with a cute blonde and rode off into the sunset.

Ahhh!  Life in yesterday's America!   

Now?  Go to any dealer and you'll see a big box on the showroom floor.  Blecchh!  If you didn't know, SUV's are made from pickup trucks.  They just put on a new suit of clothes, and then charge you out the kazoo for it!  

Doubt me?  A Cadillac Escalade is a Chevy Suburban with a different body stuck on and another $40,000 on the window sticker.  

Nearly all the vehicles in showrooms are SUV's, and all the SUV's look the same.  From 50 feet away you can't tell them apart.  And that look isn't feeding the bulldog.  Nobody buys a car these days because it's beautiful or lifts their spirits.  Or quickens their pulse.  Or makes their heart beat faster.  Or makes them want to roll down all the windows and take a drive down a twisty country road on a sunny Sunday afternoon, for no other reason than to get some wind in your hair.  Unless the masses can afford a costly sports car, they're pretty much limited to massive 7,000 lb. beasts to go collect the groceries and tote the soccer team from place to place.  A huge waste of resources and money.

Yawn...

No wonder people are no longer car-centered.  No wonder many are choosing not to even get a drivers' license, preferring rather to take an Uber.  How sad.  

As a car guy, who also shot a really good game of pool, as in, reeeeeely good, I earned quite a lot of money over a ten year span right outa' high school.  Quite a lot.  And cars were relatively cheap back then.  As in, say $2,500 for a new Chevy convertible.  So I spent most of the money I won over a hot pool table on cars.  And girls, of course, and beer, and poker, but mostly cars.  Like, a new one every 6 months or so.  Because I also raced them semi-professionally.  Which means I beat the crap out of them, destroyed them, used them up, and threw them away.  So I've owned nearly every car folks now lust after at the Barrett-Jackson and Mecum auctions.  And pay enormous sums to own.  Like I did more than 50 years ago.

Actually, I've owned a total of 77 cars, up to and including my present ride.

And yes, I have nightmares over having sold the more valuable ones.  But then I remind myself I wouldn't have had anywhere to store them, or people to look after them, or the money to pay for all that while also starting a business and buying a home and raising a big, family.  Which always gets in the way of expensive hobbies.

But rationalization doesn't help.  I hate myself anyway.

I still get the shivers over a few I lost in the shuffle.  Example?  Sure.  I owned a Mossport green 1966 Corvette coupe, 427 cu. in., 425 horsepower, 4-speed with 3:70-1 posi-traction, dark green leather interior, and extremely rare off-road outside exhausts, steering, brakes and suspension.  All 4.  I think there were 24 made that way.  And only TWO in my color.  Talk about rare?  

It was the quickest and fastest car you could buy back in 1966.  It was so scary fast that if I thought there was even a remote chance I might take a drink, I'd leave my keys at home with my Mother and grab a ride with a friend.  It would make your eyes water it was so fast.  It would drain the blood from your face.  I don't know why they put a radio in it because the 3" outside exhausts emptied just outside and behind the doors, just under my left hip.  And it sang the song we big-inch V-8 lovers love to hear.  A big, deep, rumbly, soul-stirring roar!  It was a coffin-to-be.  It had the personality of a jilted lover, crossed with a Cape buffalo who thinks you wrote him a bad check.  It was sort of like, hit the gas, and pray.  I've never been afraid of a car before or since, except for that one.   

I watched a 'Vette like mine, with only 3 of the 4 super-rare options mine sported, sell at Barrett recently for $120,000.  I paid $6,225 for mine, BTW.  

It would do 12.5's and 120 mph in the 1/4, and top uot at 155 mph at 6,200 rpm, for those who know what all that means.*

Some more?  I had a 1953 Chevy 2 door sedan; a 1958 Nash Metropolitan; a 1960 Rambler American; a 1953 Oldsmobile 88, V-8 with 3-speed on the tree (rare); a 1960 Chev Impala 283 cu. in. convertible; a 1960 Chrysler Saratoga 383 cu. in. convertible; a 1962 Chevrolet 409 cube-409 horse 4-speed Super Sport (while the Beach Boys song was on the charts); a 1963 Plymouth 383 cube, 4-sp. Sport Fury; a 1965 Oldsmobile 442 "4-speed, 4-barrel, dual exhausts;"  And the aforementioned Corvette (boo hoo!).  

And then my uncle, Uncle Sam, invited me, forcefully, to participate in our little democracy building enterprise over in Viet Nam.  

And that just gets me to the U. S. Army, Europe.  Where I bought a couple of dozen cars while there and shipped two home; a 1966 Porsche 911** and a new 1969 Volkswagen ($1,610.00).  

I won't bore you with any of the others.  Suffice it to say from the above that I'm into cars and truly lament the fact that our cars have become nothing more than a means of transportation.  An appliance.  Like an expensive toaster.  What has America become?  No more excitement!  No more visceral joy from firing up the way-oversized V-8 power plant and preparing to tear off for a canyon-carving, interstate-blasting ride. 

BTW, can you drive a car with a standard transmission?  You know, a "stick?"  One with a clutch thingie that you have to use to change gears?  No?  My advice: learn to.  And buy a car with one.  It was recently reported that 9 out of 10 folks out there don't know how to drive a car with a stick.  Could there a better deterrent to carjacking? 

Oh well, this is all my memory, not yours.  Unless you're old, and then, like mine, you wouldn't trade it for anything...

*     I had to sell my lovely, brutally fast Corvette because I was dragged kicking and screaming away from my little fiefdom and off to save your ass from communism.  And as you'll notice, I did.  You're welcome.  My father traded my Corvette as a down payment on a 120 acre farm.  But he was a real estate broker, and I couldn't hold it against him 'cause that's what real estate brokers do...

**   Lovingly restored by a German mechanic with one leg who introduced me to the Italian Formula One Team, with which I spent an exciting and enjoyable and rewarding chunk of one summer as an occasional member of their pit crew.  Visited the Hockenheim Ring, Zandvoort, Belgium, and the Spa, among others, including the 24-hours of Le Mans.  But that's another story I hope I have the opportunity to one day tell.  God willing...  

Drive, Take a Train, or Walk...

Think about it:  People make airplanes.  And people make mistakes.  Every day.  And mistakes can cause accidents.  Accidents like airplanes falling out of the sky.  And going boom!

I don't want to be a part of "boom."  

Hello, fellow Patriot!  Welcome to my ruminations.  And this morning's episode is about my gut response to reading about the airliner on its way to San Franpoopco from Honoruru the other day.  It was early in its climb out when something "untoward" happened and it plunged some 7,500 feet over a 45 second period.  During which the paying passengers underwent just a bit over a 2.0 G ride.  Yikes!  And, it came with 775 feet of the uber-chilly Pacific Ocean before finally gaining control and regaining altitude. 

Did you know the faster you go the more water acts like concrete if you smack into it? 

Let that all sink in.  You pays your money for a ticket on the Greyhound bus of today's sky, fully expecting to have a relative peaceful, relatively unremarkable journey and relatively smooth landing.  A trip devoid of drama.  Of all that sturm and drang associated with today's transportation sector.  At least that's what you hope.  

And what do you get?  A thrill ride and a near-death experience!  At no extra charge!  Although there may be one or two humans among the more than 7.7 Billion on the planet who might enjoy this experience, count me among those would say...No, No, NO!

I used to travel on business, lemme' say here going in.  By airplane.  From early in 1973 until 1987 I averaged a plane a day.  As in, a separate flight on each of the six days a week.  As in, a separate flight number to somewhere or other, not just a continuing flight with a bunch of takeoffs and landings.  As in, more than 1,000,000 miles in the air during that period.  Much more. 

I don't know how may more, although I have a certificate for 1 Million Miles from now defunct TWA (Teeny Weeny Airlines, heh, heh).  From where I caught flights to nearly everywhere.  Almost every day.

And during that period I can attest that planes were     a) almost always new; b) half filled with businessfolk just like moi; c) manned by ex-Viet Nam war fighter pilots; and d) womaned by stewardesses of the youngest and beautiful-est kind.  And yes, they called themselves stewardesses back then.  Proudly.   

And were those skies friendly?  Yes, yes they were.  Sometimes Very Friendly.  I can personally attest...

As I mentioned, the guy on either side of you was likely wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase.  That's because flying commercial was unregulated by our Gubmint back then, and expensive.  I recall paying $405 of my company's money for a roundtrip from LAX to NYC on dozens of occasions.  And that was 50 years ago.  Just imagine what $405 means in today's inflated dollars.

It's $3,369.03, if you're interested.

So I figure I've taken more than 3,000 flights.  To 49 states.  And 37 countries.  I even took 5 separate flights during one 24-hour period, during which I also taught an 8-hour class to PharmD's on theoretical sorbent dialysis science at the University of Ontario at Sudbury (another story).  

And although I've never had a crash, there have been a few close calls.  Even a fully foamed landing at St. Louis' Lindberg Field with fire trucks the media and all, due to a stuck brake on one of the landing gear.  It resulted in a fire, which they quickly put out.  No big deal, but it WAS an emergency landing, and it enables me to play the victim.  I don't get to do that too much, being White and all, so I'm happy to put it forth...

But even though no messy crashes, or even a near miss, my butthole was as tight as Old Dick's hatband for every single minute of every single flight.  That's because I'm deathly afraid of heights.  As in acrophobic.  So afraid of heights I wish I wasn't so tall.  Deathly.  I would have been a happy little dwarf.  So flying, even though necessitated by my work, was like torture.  But they paid me so much I couldn't say no.  So I didn't.  I just decided to bend over and kiss my ass goodbye each time the plane took off.  Fortunately I got through it.  But I recommend you don't even try...

Think about it.  There are more than 25,000 airplanes in the air over the United States right now!  And usually, almost always in fact, they manage to get where they're going without a bunch of noisy crashes with twisted metal and piles of rubble.  They're stacked 1,000 ft. apart in height, and 1 mile apart in width.  But that doesn't mean they couldn't get together on occasion.  And the experience outlined above indicates they could.

And they sometimes do.  Recall the crash between two fully-loaded 747's on the tiny island of Tenerife a few years back?  There were well-trained pilots in both planes.  And well-trained folks manning (womaning?) the tower that day.  But 524 people died.  And one of those planes was still on the ground.

And there have been 4, FOUR near misses in the past two weeks!  That's not a good sign!

So the next time you feel like hurtling across the crowded skies at 500 mph in an aluminum tube, manufactured by the lowest bidder, packed to the the gills, every seat taken, operated by an increasingly less qualified group of folk selected according to their race, sexual preference and gender identity, and screwed together by a bunch of pissed off union members, who might not have tightened that screw, you might want to think again.  Paying your hard-earned money to get felt up by a bunch of 400 lb. sexually-repressed TSA gang members.  With bad breath.  You take your shoes off to get abused while illegal aliens just walk across our borders, get free cell phones and a hotel room on Times Square.  

And they're queueing up in line after line, shoes in hand, awaiting your permission to board their smelly, dirty, hot-lapped conveyances.  Staffed by pissed off, overworked and underpaid sky waiters.  Who signed up for "see the world," and are now seeing humanity's underbelly.  Daily.  And the guy in the seat next to you likely to be an aging hippie with a comfort chicken on his lap.

BTW, if you have to fly, I have the perfect response to your nosy seatmate who might ask what you do for a living.  Just trying to start a convo when you're trying to catch some zzzz's.  Just tell them, "I'm a retired shepherd."  Worked for me every time.

So drive, take a train, hitchhike or walk.  They don't crash often, but when they do, we're talking bruises here, not rivers of blood.  And remember, you can't fall down...from down.

A Delicate and Precarious Balance...

You may perhaps be unaware that my formal training is in psychology, with an emphasis in the study and treatment of abnormal and criminal behavior.  In fact, I was intending to become a criminologist and profiler but that little unpleasantness in Vietnam a few decades back jumped up and got in the way.  

But from my training I know that just about 3% of the population is likely to suffer from, and project, deviant and antisocial behavior.  That means they cause problems.  Sometimes big problems...  

These folks can be dangerous to themselves or others.  Enough so that some of that 3% should be confined to protect the general public.  As in, warehoused for public safety.  

And we know that about 3% of our populace is historically likely to offend, and therefore just about 3% of our population are police and sheriff's deputies and U.S. marshals and courthouses and district attorneys and prisons and prison guards.  

Just about 3% of our population.   

Most on the Right are calling for a dramatic increase in the number of our law enforcement personnel, BTW, and almost always has.  Whilst those on the Left have been loudly calling for a dramatic reduction in all these categories and almost always has.  Some Lefties even call for eliminating the police altogether, somehow deducing that those likely to offend will then see the error of their ways and take to the straight and narrow, holding hands and strolling peacefully into the sunset.

Say wha...?  

So some 880,000 law enforcement personnel are employed in America trying to "protect and serve."  While an unknown number of law breakers are trying their best to make sure they don't.  And that number does not include private security guards, whose job is only to observe and report.  To the cops.  There are more than 200,000 of them, however, carrying their flashlights and their walkie-talkies, which can't hurt in terms of overall law enforcement. 

And oh by the way, we have some 1,566,000 incarcerated in our prisons and jails Nationwide.*  Of these, 120,000 are in Federal prisons and 285,000 are in jails.  151,000 are in juvenile homes and facilities.  186,000 are in immigration detention.  And 86,000 are in American Indian reservation jails.  Note that this number represents almost 6% of our population.  But then again, we've put bars between them and us. 

Through the decades we've maintained this delicate and precarious balance.  About 3% watching the 97%, hopefully available to "protect and serve" should the circumstance warrant.  But what would happen if, say, those on the Left began to demonize the police and demand that they be defunded.  

Or even eliminated!  

And what if their clarion call to eliminate the police was answered by Leftists on city councils in most all of our Big Blue cities.  Those owned and operated by Democrats.  For generations, in some cases.  Like Chicago, and NYC, and Portland, and Seattle, and Baltimore, and Philadelphia.  To the extent they chose not to prosecute criminals for their crimes.  What if they continued to let them offend, time after time,  believing somehow that to do so would be racist or sexist, or maybe harmful to the environment.  

And what if that significant defunding of police simultaneously resulted in, 1) cops leaving those cities in droves, escaping to the suburbs where they'd earn more and be both safer and more appreciated; and 2), a dramatic increase in all sorts of crime because there was no cops around to prevent them from doing so, or catching them if they did.  Cause and effect.

Duh!

But there's no "what if's," in this scenario, fellow Patriots.  Because it has actually happened.  Most of those Big Blue cities harassed and abused and blamed and defunded their police, and watched them bolt for the exits.  They either retired or quit outright.  New Yawk City is down 456 cops from full staffing levels.  Chicago is down more than 500.  Portland is down 246.  And these cities pay their cops boatloads of money!  And in Every Single Case  their crime rates have skyrocketed!  Up an overall 40%, at least!  Chicago's murder rate was an all-time high of 902 last year.  With a...ready for it?...08% clearance rate.  That means, they found the killer(s).  Or, in Chicago's case, 92% of the time they didn't...

And FYI, our national murder rate had been on a downward trajectory for more than 25 years, while the number of firearms in our society was simultaneously doubling.  Cause and effect?Draw your own conclusions.  But now our Nation's murder rate has increased dramatically over the past two years.  Up more than 24%!  Cause and effect?

Will they ever get this back in balance?  The percentage of evil-doers not doing, and those sworn to stop them, stopping them?  Will prospective criminals ever fear the cops and a conservative society's backlash once again and simply NOT DO THE CRIME?  They sure as Hell don't now.  And they won't, until or unless the leadership of those city councils that shat upon their cops are voted out and replaced with those who are tough-on-crime.  

Lost Angeles' city council is telling its citizens to dress down, to not wear expensive watches, or carry expensive handbags, or drive expensive cars.  They even advise taking an Uber so as avoid becoming a carjacking statistic.  All while their dwindling number of stores are locking up the toothpaste and the laundry soap.  I'd like to ask, wouldn't it be better to "flood the zone" with cops and stop Bad Guys from committing crimes in the first place?  

Or is that just old fashioned me?

Remember, to a professional thief, risking getting caught is a part of doing business.  They weigh the risks and then decide whether or not to proceed.  They calculate and then decide.  If they judge the risk as too great, they won't do the crime.  Simple.     

Will we ever again restore that delicate and precarious balance?  I'm thinking that, just like alcoholics and drug addicts, those Big Blue city councils and legislatures will have to hit bottom before they'll decide to crawl their way back up.  Before they shed their failed Leftist ideologies and begin to make wise decisions.  I just hope there are still citizens left in those towns and states when they finally come to their senses.**  They may all be living in Vegas or Texas or Sunny Florida by then... 

*    You know I do my research, right?

**   560,000 Californians have left for greener pastures since 2021.  And almost all the pastures are greener... 

Pssst!

    CONFIDENTIAL!      CONFIDENTIAL! 

Now, this is just between you and me, okay?  

I think I have it on good authority as to why we don't have any information yet about all those "UFO's" O'Biden's Air Force has shooting down all willy nilly during the past week or so.

I have a cousin in D.C. who knows a guy who dates a secretary in the Defense Department, who's supposed to work in some sort of intelligence operation there.  And she let me in on the real reason she thinks the  Mumbler-in-Chief hasn't told us why, for the very first time in NORAD's 60-year history, we've shot stuff out of our sky.  Multiple times.  With expensive rockets.  Verrrry expensive rockets.  

Whether Chinese, or some other military, scientific or commercial application, it's because they just do not know!  Even after spending some $887,000,000,000 (that's $Billion!) on our defense budget, we can't figure out what our F-16's just shot out of the sky!  Wouldn't it have been a good idea to KNOW what you were shooting at before you shot at it?  

Or is that just old fashioned me?

And the reason for that is they all went down over water.  The one over Alaska went down over watery ice.  Or icy water, whatever.  The one Canada's dictator asked us to use one of our $400,000 Sidewinder missiles to blow out of his socialist sky went down over their open waters.  And the third one took a dive into our Lake Huron.  Has this O'Biden guy got an aversion to bringing down his targets over terra firma?  Where they'd be easy to scoop up? 

Plus, of course, the original Chinese balloon the size of three football fields, with a payload the size of O'Biden's ego that went down off the coast of South Carolina, after having taken a leisurely tour of all of our most sensitive intercontinental missile bases along the way.  Can't forget that one, now can we?

I guess their check cashed.  (Ahem.)

So all the payloads of these "objects" are sitting at the bottom of some watery grave somewhere, awaiting our Navy divers to go down there and scoop them up.  

Exceeeppppttt... 

What my cousin told me on the Q.T. is that...

...all our Navy divers have been kicked out because they wouldn't get vaccinated!  

So there's nobody to send.  Can't swear to it, but that's the G-2.  The word on the street.  I'm guessing we'll have to wait for them to train some new ones who've undergone the needle.  And all the current equity, diversity and ya da, ya da training, too, I'm guessing...

Now remember, keep this on the Q.T.  Wouldn't want anybody thinking our Gubmint is being run by a bunch of overeducated, underexperienced, incompetent, bumbling, gang-that-couldn't-shoot-strait as*holes, now would we?

(BTW, if anyone out there is missing their Hobby Lobby $12.00 balloon, the Defense Department would like you to call 212-DUM BASS at your earliest convenience.  And if you're a vaccinated deep sea diver, call the U.S. NAVY at 1-800 WHOOOPS.)

Selective Outrage?

There's a bunch of controversy swirling around concerning the NFL's decision to permit the "Black National Anthem" to play prior to the Super Bowl this past Sunday.

Prior to the regular, normal, accepted, National Anthem-For-All, that's been played for 100 years.  Before every sporting event.  As if they, the Black folk, have a separate country to which they should owe allegiance.  A country within a Country, so to speak.  Or at least some think so.  

Think about that...

So I got to thinking about it and doing a bit of research.  And what that research tells me is that the NFL has become the Black football league.  It's their sport.  We just have some players playing in it, and a sh*tload of White people watching it.  113 million they say.  Sort of like the ancient Romans watching the Christians getting fed to the lions (and occasionally the ones from Detroit).  

71% of the players in the NFL are Black.  Only 25% are White.  4% are termed "other."  I think most of that "other" are Samoan, but that's just me.  11% of the coaches are Black.  40% of the referees are Black.  And 78% of the hot dog stand tenders are Black.  

Just kidding about that last one.

Remember when it was thought Blacks weren't smart enough to play top-tier quarterback?  Back in the '80's and 90's?  Well, they are now.  And they're making bank, to the tune of 32% of all quarterbacks!  Or three times the percentage of Black people in America.  In the interests of equity, shouldn't the NFL demand that we have far fewer Black quarterbacks and many, many more White ones?  Wouldn't that be racial justice?  

In the interest of equity, diversity, conclusion, extraction, inclusion, contraction, extrusion, dissemination and fairness?  Or whatever?

I mean, the halftime show featured a pregnant Black babe in an ill-fitting red jump suit, surrounded by about three hundred Black people dressed in white like the Pillsbury doughboy.  All leaping and jumping around, all willy nilly like.  She's a singer, I'm told, and she bumped and ground and grabbed her crotch while balancing precariously 60 feet in the air.  A pregnant Black babe screaming loudly while wearing a red tent and grabbing her coochie.  Fine, if it winds your watch.  Me?  Not so much...

And once again, all of the entourage was Black.  Everyone but the two announcers locked up in the broadcast booth, way up there in the nosebleed section were Black?  While we po' White folks paid our money and watched.  Tens of millions of us.    

BTW, $7 Million Bucks for a 30-second ad?  I watched all of them and I only saw one or two worth $7 Mil.  A few were worth $2 Mil, perhaps, and a few others weren't worth $500 bucks.  And where were the beer ads?  Where were the Budweiser Clydesdales?  And those cute dalmatians.  That's why most of us watched the game anyway!  What were they thinking?

And another thing while I'm ranting (and dayumm, I sure do love to rant!).  We were told there were two Black quarterbacks for the first time in the History of the World!  No, sorry, only one Black one, and one half-Black/half-White one.  When will these mixed-race folks begin to embrace their Whiteness like they embrace their Blackness?  Or should we consider the fact they won't a giant middle finger to all of us po' White folks out here in TV Land?  While we dutifully lay out our cash for tickets and merch and all the other NFL trappings.  Hmmmm?

But the thing that chaps my ass most of all is when social media erupted because wannabe AZ Guv Kari Lake failed to stand for the "Black National Anthem" at the Super Bowl.  You'll recall, I trust, it was demanded of us all that we instantly approve and warmly embrace their decision to kneel at the playing of our mutual National Anthem awhile back?  The one we fought and died to enshrine as the One American Anthem?  Could it be selective outrage?  

Me thinks also they don't think we have a memory.  Enough of a memory to remember that they're a bunch of self-righteous, condescending hypocrites.

So there.

That went well, now didn't it?  Glad we had this chance to talk.  I feel much so better.  How about you?

For the Benefit of the Majority?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this Country supposed to run for the benefit of the majority?  You know, like significantly more than half? 

I know it used to be that way, and the Constitution was written that way, but now I'm not so sure.  It seems that "special interest groups" are receiving far more attention from our various governments then they are due.  You know, gays, and transgenders, and albinos, and dwarves, and the Romas, and any other group with a hard-on for society because it got screwed somehow by something or somebody.

Or didn't get screwed but wanted to.  Whatever.

We used to take care of that small percentage among us who needed special care.  Whether due to their age, or health, or infirmity, or how they self-identified.  For the 3% or 5% or 8% or whatever "%" of us who needed some special attention.  Some of our tax money.  Or maybe some mental health care.  Or maybe just a warm hug, a glass of warm milk and an ear to listen.  Like it's always been.

Not for members of minority races, mind you.  Or religions.  They should not be "special interests" by definition. They are full-fledged members of that already special society known as the "United States of America."  And to be born an American is to have already hit the population lottery, whether your particular race is in the majority or minority  Since less than 5% of the Earth's population can make that claim, those of us so blessed should get on our knees and thank our particular God.  

Daily.

Yet, while the special interests are bitching and moaning about how America has mistreated them, all those born elsewhere seem to want to be here, live HERE, as evidenced by the flood of humanity crossing our borders daily.  7,100,000 so far since this Administration was immaculated, not counting more than 1,100,000 "gotaways."  More illegal aliens permitted in, nay WELCOMED in, than the population of New York City and Houston, put together.

That's what we call a dichotomy.  The ones who are already here want to dismantle it, and the ones who aren't here want to embrace it.  Like I said, a dichotomy...

But now all these disparate groups have been banded together into a collective to increase their political clout.  These groups are now collectively known as "LGBTQIA2S++,"* and its representatives seek to beat us over the head with their individual complaints about how we, you and I, the taxpayer, has either persecuted them, or prosecuted them, or abandoned them.  Or all three.    

Or worse yet, how our ancestors may have mistreated their ancestors.  And how we owe them some more of our tax money to make that psychic hurt go away.  To salve the existential wound.  A lot more!

That's "generational guilt" they're laying on us, and it's beyond acceptable.

And BTW, one "+" isn't enough?  You have to have two?  Two "+?'s"  To their leaders, whomever they may be:  Do you even know what they stand for?  Are you just adding a couple of "+'s" to cover the next aggrieved outfit that next rings your doorbell and wants to be let in on your scam?

They, the Democrat Party, their "Legacy Media" communications arm, and their sycophantic legions of "Progressive" perpetual whiners are trying to make you and me, the majority, feel like we owe them something.  Something more.  On top of the $Trillions already expended.

We don't.

Remember Lyndon Baines Johnson's "Great Society Program?"  The one that funneled more than $6,000,000,000,000 (that's Trillion, folks!) to the Black community over a period of three decades.  We gave them 5 full extra points on their civil service exams to help right the wrongs of the previous generations.  We say our kids fail to attain grants and scholarships that went to lesser qualified kids, simply because of their color.  

And now they're actually trying to convince our kids that the "1619 Project" was our real history and Lincoln didn't really want to free the slaves.  That our history didn't actually begin as a Nation until a Black foot sat foot on America soil.  And that we, the evil White portion of America, somehow owes them "reparations" because a bare few of our great-great-great-great-grandfathers may have done their ancestors wrong (what percentage owned plantations again?).  Or stood by and watched it occur.  Either or, no matter.  Gimme' some of your money and we'll think about forgiving you.  Or not... 

The Rev's Jessie Jackson and Alfonso Sharpton approach.  Made them $Millionaires.  Hopefully made some rich White folk feel better about themselves... 

The America I grew up in?  With apologies to Yoda, up with this crap we would not put.  Except they are seemingly unaware that those who reside between the Hudson River and the Sierra Nevada not only don't like them or trust them, they don't support their policies.  We must face it; our self-appointed overlords just don't care that half the Country despises them, and intends to impose their will anyway.

Our Nation is cruising for a bruising, as we used to say.  Until or unless we return to the good old days of managing America for the benefit of its majority, and soon, an uprising of that same majority might well occur.  And soon.  And even though Joe O'Biden tells us over and over again that it would take an F-16 for us rubes to confront our Government, I'm of the opinion that 100,000,000 Americans who own more than 490,000,000 firearms would give it a good shot.  

Pun intented...

*   I think I know what most of that means.  How about you?

Can't Get Laid?

Having trouble getting laid?

Face look like 20 miles of bad road?

People asking you to put your mask back on?

Well, fellow Patriots, you're in luck!  As a public service to those whose sex life is underwhelming, I've got some great news!  Taxifornia just passed its brand-new "Safer Streets for All Act."  Its Democrat supermajority here in the once-Golden State, which can pass any law about anything at any time, decided that police hassling loiterers was somehow unfair to transgender youths.  

Somehow.  

Of course, we now know that to those who stamp their feet and scream the loudest about anything are entitled to do so because everything is either unfair to transgenders, or it would cause "climate change."  And that our cops have now been converted to "feelings" police and we must turn ourselves inside out in order to correct every perceived injustice to any special interest group that has ever happened.

For whatever reason.*

But that's not the subject of this little blog posting.  Nope, Taxifornia's new law permits hookers and their pimps to now loiter at will and hawk their wares without police interference!  Up and down the boulevard!  In front of elementary schools!  At anytime of the day or night!

Lost Angeles' local news just reported that a Catholic elementary school is now the home base of several pimps and whores.  Walking around in their thongs and openly soliciting motorists in broad daylight.  Purveying their age-old trade.  Illegal trade.  In front of little schoolchildren.  But the cops cannot stop them to arrest them, because that's now illegal!

Talk about a "Catch 22!"

Which means they also cannot hassle - or arrest - their johns.    That's potentially YOU, you horny bastard!  All you have to do is fly or drive or take a bus or a train or hitchhike out here to the land of fruits and nuts and you'll find yourself in Amsterdam-West.  No need to fly to Holland to hook up with a hooker.  No, no, NO!  Just get your tired old butt to downtown L.A. or Oakland or San Franpoopco, and you're in luck!  Unless her name isn't "Luck."

Of course, you might get mugged or robbed or beaten up or shot beforehand.  Because L. A. is now one of the most dangerous cities in America.  But hey!  Think of it like this.  Think of it like you're getting a free tour of not-so-beautiful and uber-dangerous Mogadishu while you "shop."  

Sorta' like a safari to Africa...on foot...and without a guide. 

Oh yeah, seems to me as a lay person, and damm I always love to get laid, that "The People" continuing to permit these fringe weirdos to write the laws 97% of us have to live under but don't subscribe to, must ultimately result at some point in a civil uprising.  Sorta' like one of those mass shootings they love to talk about times one million.  

I just reread the above verbiage prior to pushing "Publish."  And it scared the crap out of me.  I've come to the conclusion I must be living in an alternative universe.  This is Bizarro World!  The stuff that's now happening to us as a matter of course, the stuff we're being subjected to, without our permission or approval, is absolutely nuts!  It's often immoral, nearly always unethical, and in many cases, it's down right illegal!  Yet nobody's coming to our rescue.  And it's got to change!

And if it doesn't, we've surely lost the American Dream...

*    Remember when we used to run America for the benefit of the majority?  And took care of those in need, the sick, the homeless, and the needy, as necessary?  As opposed to bowing to the diktats of a tiny but extremely vocal minority?  Remember back then?   

Your AR-15 "Cliff Notes"

I'd like to start with an apology to all my gun-knowledgeable friends out there, as you likely already know most of what I'm getting ready to lay down.  

But for all you others, I'm "up to here" with all the misstatements and flat-out lies being told about the AR-15 by some in important places.  Some who ought to know better.  And some who ought to be called out on it.  Like now.  Starting with the Mumbler-in-Chief, who's never seen an AR-15 up close and personal.  And I'm here to put those lies to rest.  And I'm also qualified to opine on the subject.*  So read on, fellow Americans.  You'll get the straight story here.

     -  The AR-15 was named after ArmaLite Rifle Co., Chicago, Ill.  Not "automatic rifle" or "assault rifle" as some have reported (lied, with a straight face).  Starting with Mr. Mumbler.

     -  The AR-15 platform was invented way, way back in 1956 by a mechanical genius named Eugene Stoner.  That's 67 years ago, folks!

     -  ArmaLite sold the design to Colt Firearms, who then refined and sold it to the U.S. Army.  It was subsequently called the AR-10.

     -  The Army bought the AR-10 because it was lighter than the M-14 it replaced (I carried one, and 6.3 lbs. is better than 9.4 lbs.), and used a smaller, lighter round (.223/5.56mm vs. .30.'06).  

     -  The new ammunition was so much smaller and lighter that a soldier could carry 100 rounds of .223/5.56mm ammo vs. the far larger and heavier 40 rounds of .30-'06.

     -  When the AR's patent ran out, Colt introduced a civilian version of the AR-10, calling it the "AR-15."  It was "semi-automatic" versus the Army's full-auto version.  That meant "one trigger pull, one bullet exits the pointy end."  No different in operation than your grandad's shotgun.  Not your shotgun, your grandad's.  If you don't already know all of this, You likely don't have a shotgun...

     -  73% of all firearms currently sold in America are semi-automatic in operation.  Whether pistol, rifle or shotgun, that's how most of them operate.  

     -  So what you're witnessing with the Lefty's effort to ban the AR-15, is a thinly-veiled effort to ban most all firearms.  Think about it. 

     -  The AR-15 has become America's Most Popular Firearm, with more than 19,000,000 of them sold.  So far.  And they're flying off firearm's dealer's shelves.  

     -  Why?  They're light, modular, versatile and cheap.  Why would you expect any different?

     -  And lastly, fellow previously unknowledgeable Americans, long guns of all types, including the AR-15, are responsible for less than 3% of all firearm deaths.  Including mass shootings.  Including all 4 of the mass shootings in California last week (with a pistol).  Even though Boy Guv Newsom subsequently called for a(nother) ban of the AR-15.   

     -  So why, I ask you, is the Mumbler-in-Chief, and all his sycophantic minions, so dead-set on banning it?  The only reason I can come up with is he's got something planned for us that we won't like.  And he doesn't want us to have the means to express our dissatisfaction.  As in, confiscate them.  Disarm us.  Or try...

On the way out the digital door, 100,000,000+ Americans own more than 490,000,000 firearms.  Including the AR-15.  I doubt any effort to change that would be met with acceptance...

*   Yes, I'm a trained gunsmith.  Have been since I apprenticed at the age of 13.  And with a fairly large gun collection (like ladies and their shoes, never, ever large enough!).  Not just some dude with a blog and an opinion.  A real, honest-to-God gun-owning, gun-using gunsmith.  Who owns some, but not nearly enough, AR-15's.  And also a well-trained killer, courtesy of the United States Army...

1879? Really?

I just read that Guv. Ron DeSantis' Florida has, for the first time since the State joined the Union, more than 100 years ago, consolidated Republican power to the extent there's now not a single State-wide elected Democrat.  Not a secretary.  Not an insurance commissioner.  Not even a dog catcher. 

Sort of like the flip-side, mirror-image of Taxifornia, where 47 out of 54 of its counties are owned and controlled by Democrat politicians.  And both houses of its Legislature are controlled by a supermajority of Democrats.  Meaning they can pass any law they wish.  No matter how stupid.  Like the one just passed enabling "sex workers" (read hookers and pimps) to ply their trades now on any sidewalk or streetcorner without being "harassed" by the cops.  And their numbers are now exploding all across Lost Angeles.  Including around schools.  Nice.

So no Republican Senator nor Assemblyman need show up for work in CA now.  Because their vote won't count even if they do.  And likely the very same reason all sorts of inane, ridiculous laws get passed, and why so many of its citizens are moving to...Florida!*

I just hope they don't take their lunatic Taxifornia leanings with them.  That's what's ruined Austin.  Just leave them behind and start off fresh...

So considering the crime wave engulfing America, especially prevalent in its 50 largest cities, I thought I'd take a quick look at who's supposed to be managing them through this crisis, and who's not:  

     -  New Orleans:  Mayor, LaToya Caldwell (D), since 2018

          Last Republican Mayor, 1962

     -  St. Louis:  Mayor, Tishaura Jones, since 2021

          Last Republican Mayor, 1943

     -  Detroit:  Mayor, Mike Duggan, since 2022

          Last Republican Mayor, 1962

     -  Portland:  Mayor, Ted Wheeler, since 2017

          Last Republican Mayor, 1980

     -  New York City:  Mayor, Eric Adams, 2022

          Last Republican Mayor, 2006

    -  San Francisco:  Mayor, London Breed, 2022

          Last Republican Mayor, 2006

     -  Atlanta:  Mayor, Andre Dickens, 2022

          Last Republican Mayor, 1879**

And lastly,

     -  Chicago:  Mayor, Lori Lightfoot, 2019

          Last Republican Mayor, 1937***

In closing, as I head out that digital door, let me state that the FBI tells us our 50 larges cities are responsible for 89% of America's crime.  And that the single largest thing a citizen of one of those 50 cities can do to improve their odds of avoiding being hit by gunfire...is to move.  With that I suggest you also consider the fact that all but two of the above mayors are Black.  And none are Republicans.  

Lemme' say again:  NONE ARE REPUBLICANS!  And no Republican has been elected in these cities for at least 17 and as long as 144 years!  Seems to me it's their problem and their conversation!  They haven't seemed to learn that rewarding bad behavior gets you more bad behavior.  So until or unless they start electing Republicans to clean up their mess, why shouldn't we just sit back and let them talk among themselves about the reasons why their crime rates might be so high and why they can't seem to keep their citizens from getting murdered?  

Mic drop...

*       And Texas, and Tennessee, and South Carolina, and Utah, and Nevada, and Arizona, and New Mexico, and, and, and...

**     The good citizens of Atlanta were responsible for the saying, "Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result."  Good ol' Nedom L. Angier, was the last Republican Mayor of Atlanta.  Back when Reconstruction from the Civil War was well underway.  The present home of Coke, the ex-home of CNN, and the No.1 Murder Rate in all of America.      

***    47 of Chicago's 51 Assemblymen are Democrats.  Are the others Republicans?  Noooo!  They're Independents.  Hasn't been a Republican Assemblyman in Chicago since their dead were voting early and often for JFK...

Just BAN it!!!

The definition of politics:

Preferred:  "Poli" means many, and "tics" are an infestation of bloodsucking insects.  Draw your own conclusions."

Or...

Alternative:  "The activity of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among the individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power."

Now, we know that our political parties do their very best to convince us to support their positions on issues by asking for our votes on Eection Day.  They bang their drums incessantly until the polls close.  But what happens if they're unsuccessful?  Do they give up and go home?  Do they just fold their tents and stop trying?   

Noooooo!  The Democrats go straight for totalitarianism by demanding that all sorts of stuff be banned!  In other words, if they can't talk us into it, they'll just force us into it!  By banning one thing or another.  Herding us toward their desired result.  Let's take a look at what the Democrats want to ban:

     -  Hate speech (stuff they don't want to hear)

     -  Separate bathrooms (pee anywhere you like)

     -  Semi-automatic firearms (and all others, too)

     -  Girls participating in girls' sports (ahem!)

     -  Offshore drilling (and ONshore drilling!)

     - "Assault weapons"  (whatever THEY are!)

     -  Internal Combustion Engines (cause oil be bad)

     -  Cash bail (so criminals can re-offend, daily)

     -  Concealed carry permits ('cause guns be bad)

     -  Parents complaining at school board meetings

     -  Fracking (oil be bad)

     -  Drilling on public lands (oil be bad)

     -  Coal mining (hydrocarbons be bad)

     -  Incandescent light bulbs (cause they could)

     -  Praying outside Planned Parenthood centers (!)

     -  "Insurrectionists holding elected office (Trump?)

     -  Complaining about homeless encampments (!)

     -  Using improper pronouns (who would do that?)

     -  Plastic bags, plastic straws, etc. (what else?)

     -  Adoption centers (abort them instead)

Annnnnd, my personal favorite...     

-  Asking what the "+" "+" in LGBTQ++ really means...

Now then, there are just a few examples I culled from a herd of dozens.  You surely know of a few more.  But to be fair, to give equal time to both parties, to be completely bi-polar, let's take a look at what the Republicans want to ban:

     -  Abortions after 15 weeks (the insensitive CADS!)

So there we are fellow Patriots.  A side-by-side comparison of who wants to ban what.  You can now choose sides.  Have a nice day... 

Situational Awareness...

I've been advocating for several years now for my fellow Patriots out there to arm themselves.  With cold steel.  Simply to even the odds between themselves and any prospective Bad Guys.   

And with the Government's obvious intent to reduce the penalties for serious crimes, thus creating a vacuum into which ever greater and more frequent crimes are being drawn (it's human nature, duh!), the need for self-protection is at an all-time high.  In short, you no longer have a choice.  It's "Dodge City" and you either protect yourselves or be complicit in your own demise.

Sorry, truth hurts.

But to take the necessary measures to prevent your own demise, you need one other arrow in your quiver to help even those substantial odds; situational awareness.

What's that you say, Mr. Chuckmeister?  I was taught the concept of "Situational Awareness" (SA) on Day One of my advanced military intelligence training.  Yes, I know, it's an oxymoron.  But SA's a valuable tool you can use.  To stay alive.  And after all, isn't that really the game we all play?  From the day we're old enough to know better but too young to resist?

Let's start with you, driving along some nice highway, just minding your own business.  And that's major; just minding your own business.  My professional training in psychology taught me that somewhere around 3% of everyone you meet or pass on the freeway of life are "clinically impaired."  That's a fancy term for "non compos mentis."  Not in normal control of their faculties.  Either stoned, or drunk, or pissed off, or a gangbanger with an appetite for your stuff, or didn't get laid last night, or certifiably nuts, they represent a potential threat.  A threat we accept when we get behind the wheel or go for a walk outdoors.  So you must assume that threat as a part of the cost of doing business and take the necessary precautions against your being harmed.  

Rule #1: is you must drive within the limits of the law.  Exception:  I would drive at the speed of traffic, even if slightly above the speed limit.  That prevents any grief from those behind you, who wish to be where you are and will ride your ass until they get there.

Look straight ahead.  Try not to make eye contact.  When you come to an intersection and there's a car ahead of you, leave at least two and preferably three car lengths between you and the car ahead.  Try to occupy either of the outside lanes.  And try to be the last car in a line.  Should anyone attempt a carjacking, you'll have room to escape by turning the wheel a quick left or right, or shifting to "R" and hitting the gas.  And hopefully running over the sumbitch.

And it goes without saying, keep your doors locked.  Should someone approach with a firearm and an order for you to get out, you now know what to do.  

Do not drive in the left lane on the highway except to pass.  When you do, return to another lane ASAP.  You'll prevent anyone from riding your butt, and thus avoid road rage by sidestepping a frequent cause. 

Do not "brake check."  You'll likely infuriate a crazy driver behind you, and you won't know whether he/she/it (California, remember) is crazy or not unless you do so.  Avoid road rage.  Don't do so.  

Rule #2:  When you get to the restaurant request a table near a marked exit.  And sit with a wall or preferably a corner behind you.  Thus eliminating an attack from a blind spot.  Sit where you have a clear sightline to the entrance.  Glance toward it every now and then to survey those who enter.  Should anyone enter and try to cause grief, like shooting up the place, you'll have have already scoped out your exit and be in a position to either run, or fight.

God imbued us with "fight or flight" sensibilities.  Put yourself in a physical position to help you make that decision before-the-face.    

Rule #3:  Which gets me back to concealed firearm carry, which gives you something to fight with.  Just sayin'  28 of our 50 States now permit concealed firearm carry.  And a Bill before the House could provide concealed firearm carriers with reciprocity across all State lines.  Even into deep-Blue states like New Yawk and Oregone and Taxifornia.  Won't that be sweet!  Since data clearly shows that a wide knowledge in an area that firearms are being carried concealed, tends to keep one from violating the law, makes one wonder why those "Blue" States want their citizens to die...

So you know that using a firearm for self-protection is a good idea, the Sheriff of Pasco County, Florida just said the other day that "...criminals better vacate the area now that nearly everyone is armed."*

Trust me, criminals will go where they expect no resistance.  Don't be that guy...

Rule #4:  At the mall or supermarket do the same as above.  Know where the exits are.  In fact, scope out the exits at every business you enter.  Always be hyper-aware of those around you.  Their demeanor.  How they're dressed.  What they're carrying.  How they might use it as a weapon.

Rule #5:  At church sit near the front door and in a pew either far to either the right or left.  Or near the front and close to the side exits.  You'll be able to see anyone entering with evil intent, and be able to attack or escape from behind their peripheral vision.  Or be as far away as possible from any gunfire and able to escape.    

Rule #6:  Double lock your outside doors at home.  Lock your first floor windows.  Remove any ladders or other items a burglar could use to reach upper floors far away from the house.  Install outside motion activated flood lights all around your house.  Install ring cameras with audio capability on your front door and with a view of your back yard. 

And be very, very sure to never answer your front door without knowing who's on the other side.  Ask for identification before you open the door.  Have a peephole installed so you can see.  Or have them call you if you aren't sure.  It's far, far better to be safe instead of sorry. 

Does all of this sound like you're in downtown Baghdad?  Yes, yes it does.  In fact, some parts of Chicago, Baltimore, Portland, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Lost Angeles have higher murder rates than Baghdad.  And you're under a very real and increasing threat.  A threat that your Government could mitigate, could bring under control, but for some strange reason, doesn't.  And it can't be to try and reduce our population because they're steadily importing millions and millions of new illegal mouths for us taxpayers to feed.  

And oh by the way, if you're among those who want to leave your safety to the local police force, be advised that the national 911 response time in our 50 largest cities has been about 14 minutes for more than two decades.  It has skyrocketed over the past couple of years to over 19 minutes today, and over 1 hour in Chicago and Portland and San Franpoopco, etc.  And there's lots of "etc.'s."  That's partly due to the large number of cops who've left the force (562 in NYC in past year!), and partly due to their lack of support from their local politicians.  Police staffing is down over 15% nationwide.  And likely to fall farther... 

And remember, you likely only have 30 seconds to a minute to take decisive, live-saving action in the event a perp makes it inside.  You're standing there with a flashlight, and he's standing there with a pistol.  A stolen pistol, most likely.  There's an old saying, "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away ."

But on my way out the digital door, there is a way to correct all of that, and here it is:

Close the border, tight; stop berating and defunding our cops; punish people for their crimes and put people in jail for the serious ones; and extoll the 2nd Amendment's virtues instead of trying to turn gun owners into Enemies of the People.  

Sorry to keep beating the quite obvious drum here, but I simply had to.  Hope some of this helps.  Take these suggestions for what they're worth.  One or two just might save your lives...