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I had the privilege last week to attend my granddaughter’s graduation from Air Force basic training. I have to say that watching the ceremony and meeting the young recruits gave me hope for our country’s future! I want to start by saying that I believe the military is an outstanding option for any young adult just out of high school. Particularly a young person who isn’t quite sure what their next step should be. Military service offers a person discipline/structure, training and an incom...
After 77th Division, I applied to and was accepted into Metropolitan Division (Metro). Metro was a phenomenal place to work and afforded me the opportunity to work dozens of different jobs without leaving the Division. Metro is primarily a crime suppression assignment, but is also home to SWAT, K9 and the Mounted Unit. Metro has citywide responsibility and platoons are sent to work areas as the needs arise. We spent the bulk of our time patrolling Central, South Central, and South Los Angeles....
Because of the nature of my assignments on the Los Angeles Police Department, I had the privilege of working each of the 21 divisions or precincts in the city over the course of my career. The ability to work all these different areas gave me exposure to people from every ethnicity and all walks of life. That exposure is what changed/shaped my ideology. When I first graduated from the Police Academy, I was assigned to Van Nuys Division in the San Fernando Valley. In 1979, Van Nuys Division was...
A friend and I were talking about this column and how a person’s political perspective/philosophy evolves. I told my friend about my own journey. He was surprised (as are most people) to learn that as a teenager and then a young man, I had a very liberal perspective. Then, life happened! My perspective completely changed, and I became quite conservative based on all I was seeing and experiencing. When I told my friend my story, his immediate response was, “You’ve got to write that!” I decided...
This past February, I was on a plane from Los Angeles to Seattle. I was already seated in an aisle seat, when I saw a really big guy about my age walking toward me wearing a kilt, knee high socks, a very colorful shirt and what seemed to me to be a funny looking hat. As luck would have it, this guy’s assigned seat was right next to mine. He slid past me and took his seat. We nodded at one another but didn’t speak. I have a routine when I’m on a plane. I listen to music through my earbuds while...
In his book the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey listed habit number six as, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” I first read Covey’s book about 20 years ago when studying for a promotional exam. I enjoyed the book and really embraced the message. Habit number six resonated with me because I think an inability to effectively communicate and understand one another contributes to more problems than we probably realize. I don’t think people take the time to unde...
Memorial Day weekend is a particularly tough one for my older brother and sister. Their dad is still listed as Missing In Action (MIA) from the Korean War. I should explain that my older brother and sister are “technically” my half brother and sister. However, we don’t do the math that way! They’re my brother and sister…period. Here’s the condensed version of the story. My mom was married to my brother and sister’s dad when she was 19 years old. Her husband, James Homer Elliott, had joined th...
I had a completely different topic in mind for this week, but when there were calls to silence me I felt obligated to respond. Thanks to the readers who wrote in support of this column. What is it about the truth or an opposing opinion that makes some people so incredibly angry? A couple of readers recently expressed their outrage at my column and went so far as to say I should stop writing. Both readers said that my column was divisive. One said that my column included inflammatory bullying...
Some friends wanted me to continue writing about the Mueller investigation, it’s outcome, and the impact of Attorney General Barr’s recent testimony. Quite frankly though, I’m bored with the whole thing. In my opinion it’s over. The Democrats in D.C. will keep it on life support because it’s really all they have to work with (especially in light of the April jobs report!). Now it’s just painful to watch. Especially when I heard Senator “Stolen Valor” Blumenthal comment that Barr lacked integrit...
The Mueller investigation has been completed and his report submitted. By now, most Americans are aware of the outcome. In my opinion, it’s time for everyone to move on and build on all that President Trump has accomplished since his inauguration. However, it appears that the Democrats in Washington have no intention of letting this issue die. They didn’t get the outcome they were hoping for and they intend to keep pushing. I consider that wasted effort and a disservice to this country. Mueller...
I read an article a couple weeks ago about an “Active Shooter” training scenario that was conducted at an elementary school in Indiana. During that training, some of the teachers were actually shot with air soft projectiles used in the training and complained about it after the exercise. Apparently, it hurt too much. I’ve been shot with those things and they do sting. However, they absolutely add a level of realism to the training … that’s why we used them! I’ve conducted that sort of training...
I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about this week and then, voila, the Mueller Report was released. Problem solved! It’s been down right entertaining watching the Democrats scramble once they received the news President Trump had been exonerated. They are not happy. In my last column, I talked briefly about “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” It’s a real thing and that fact was certainly evident this weekend. The Democrat Party response to the Mueller Report is disappointing but not at all su...
We have a front row seat to the greatest reality show ever! Who needs Survivor or The Bachelor when we’ve got The United States Congress for entertainment? I sometimes watch the news now just to see who got (or is soon to be) voted off the island. It would all be laughable if it wasn’t so pathetic! This past few weeks are a perfect example. The “party of tolerance” (you know…the party that believes anyone who disagrees with them on any given issue is a bigot) had to draft and approve an “anti-...
When did we as a nation lose our sense of humor? It seems that we hear every day that someone has been offended by words, actions or images and this information somehow makes the news. Years ago we had movies like Blazing Saddles and television shows like All In The Family that allowed (and even encouraged) us all to laugh at ourselves and at/with one another. I think the loss of that sort of humor is tragic. An example; I’ve been working a job out of town with some friends. The other day one o...
I’ve mentioned in prior columns my strongly held belief that we should all do the work of finding the truth of a matter before forming an opinion. It’s an unfortunate fact that there is a great deal of false and/or misleading information printed and broadcast by major media outlets. There are examples of this every day, but I’ll use a recent high-profile event to illustrate my point followed by one from my own experience. On January 19, 2019, students from Covington Catholic High School in Pa...
“Truth is incontrovertible. Panic may hate it. Ignorance may deride it. Malice may distort it. But, in the end, there it is.” Winston Churchill wrote those words in his War Memoirs after World War II. This quote has become one of my favorites. I love it for its accuracy and simplicity. In preparation for this week’s column, I looked up the word truth in Webster’s Dictionary. Here’s their definition: “A body of real things, events, and facts (emphasis mine).” We’re in the middle of the longest...
Before this past weekend, I had a totally different topic in mind for this bi-weekly column. In my last column I wrote about what I believed to be a generation of whimps. After last weekend, I find myself in a position where I have to walk that back a little bit. Last weekend I went to a birthday celebration for a friend of mine who had just turned 21. Although it doesn’t matter for purposes of this discussion, this young man became a friend as an extension of my friendship with his parents. I...
I read a few different things this last couple weeks that have really got me bewildered. First, I read that the cartoon movie about Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer had been banned in certain areas because it depicted bullying. Then I read that the song “Baby It’s Cold Outside” was banned because the Me Too movement said it portrayed an improper sexual situation. And finally, the classic book To Kill A Mockingbird was being banned because of the language used in the story. This is an opini...
Firearms have been a part of the fabric that defines our nation from the very outset. The people pushing for more gun control laws or gun bans truly baffle me. I just don’t get it. Number one, we as a nation can’t, don’t, won’t, enforce the laws we already have on the books. And we have plenty. Number two, if simply making something illegal worked, we wouldn’t have a methamphetamine or heroin problem in this country. Number three, we have (and in my opinion always will have) the Second Am...
I am a white, pro-life, Christian, heterosexual male, Republican, who supports a strong immigration policy. Therefore, according to those on the left (at least those who receive the lion’s share of media attention), I, and those like me, are bigoted, misogynistic, homophobes. According to the liberal philosophy, people like me hate and fear immigrants and/or anyone who is not like us (talk about prejudice). I’m tired of being labeled a racist or a hater. Nothing could be further from the truth....
I had the privilege to be in Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 14, 2014. That was a significant date for the Afghan people because it was the second round of their first-ever democratic election. I consider having been there a privilege because of what I witnessed. I was in a position to see rockets launched into the city by terrorists determined to derail the election. The Afghan people stood in line to vote, knowing they could be in the crosshairs! As part of the process, each person had to present...
I wrote a column a few weeks ago regarding the Kavanaugh confirmation process that seems to have caused confusion for some readers. I feel compelled to go into more detail regarding how I came to my conclusions. I would first refer the readers to the second paragraph of my September 27th column. It states, in pertinent part, “I want to begin by saying two things; First, what I’m about to write is in no way intended to minimize the impact of a sexual assault on a victim. Second, this is an int...
Democrats are pulling out all the stops trying to derail the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. As expected, Kavanaugh answered the questions from both Democrats and Republicans honestly and with integrity. Now that their legitimate efforts during the actual hearing didn’t work (even Spartacus couldn’t save the day!), Democrats have come up with a letter that Sen. Diane Feinstein sat on for over two months. This letter alleges an act of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh that...
I’ve never run for a political office and suspect I never will. There’s a reason. I don’t think I could do what I’ve seen career politicians (from all parties) do my entire life … straddle the fence. My personal integrity won’t allow it. Recent case in point, Montana Governor Steve Bullock. Last month, Gov. Bullock was interviewed by CNN reporter Jake Tapper. When asked if he would support a ban on assault weapons, Bullock responded, “You know, I would Jake.” Interesting! In his run for his sec...
I recently submitted a letter to the editor regarding my thoughts on the NFL players actions during the playing of our National Anthem. I'm happy to say that the feedback from that letter has been very positive. As a result, I was approached by The Ledger's editor, Annie Wooden, suggesting that I consider writing a bi-weekly column for the paper. Initially I was flattered by that idea. Next... I was intimidated! I've never done such a thing and frankly didn't know where I would start. However,...
