We have become a society of politically correct wimps

Americans used to be rugged and tough. If somebody challenged you, you took care of business. You fought for what was right and fair. But watching this presidential election has me wondering what in the name of Ronnie Reagan has happened to us. I am by no means a Donald Trump apologist, but he is under attack from every direction. The latest chapter of lunacy comes from Trump's Florida campaign manager being charged with assault for pulling a reporter away from the candidate. Never mind the fact that she pushed her way past the secret service protection, and shouldn't have been that close to Trump in the first place, Pulling her away by the arm is not assault. It was not vicious. It was a manager removing a reporter from a protected area. Under Florida law, it can be Assault for simply touching someone, so technically he can be charged.  The jails would be full if this law was enforced to this degree. The point I want to make is what does a reporter who is covering a volatile campaign think is going to happen when she steps into the a security area after a 45 minute press conference. I give her some credit for being bold and trying to get the story, but don't whine like a child when the inevitable happens. Now that this issue has blown up, other candidates can't condemn Trump quick enough. The real world is rough out there and people need to toughen up. There are much bigger issues than this out there. This is nothing but pettiness, And I hate pettiness.

This is not assault

This is what assault looks like in a political arena

John Wayne Fortells the Future

Where is The Duke when you need him? 

Southern Illinois History: The Hanging of Charlie Birger

A note from Rick Kelsheimer

I don't want to go out of my way looking for a fight, but there seems to be a lot of loudmouths out there looking for one. As I've grown older, I find myself wanting to be left alone. I don't want to pick up the banner for any causes or push an agenda. But...and there is always a but, I think I have a pretty good idea of what's right and what is wrong. It seems to me there are a lot of people, most of them younger, accusing me of being philosophically somewhere between Archie Bunker and Genghis Khan. To stand up for my Judaeo Christian beliefs have resulted in me being called intolerant and a hater. So far, I have kept my mouth shut and simply smiled when confronted. But I have to admit... I find myself, deep inside, getting stirred up a bit. I don't want to be a bomb thrower, so I will not put my views on Facebook. However, since people have to come looking for this blog site, I will voice my opinion here.

I understand there are a lot of problems in our country, but viciously attacking people who see the world differently is childish. Disagree with me if you want, but to call me profane names will eventually get  an old fart like me... fired up. I want to enjoy life and not get involved in the political arena, but if you keep poking a caged tiger with a stick, eventually, the tiger will growl and possibly enjoy the stick poker as an afternoon snack.

I am feeling a little poked at right now. Better take a pill and go for a walk.

Buy more books.

Rick Kelsheimer   

John Wayne Makes No Apoligies for Being a Patriotic American

How many politicians would have the guts to do this interview without making excuses.At the moment...one. And he is getting the hell kicked out of him by the media.

This has always been my favorite Christmas song

Merry Christmas Everyone

Coming this Spring

I've always loved Lucy

Conrad Pinkstaff

Conrad Pinkstaff was one of my bus drivers at Flat Rock Grade School back in the 1960's. He was quite a story teller and considered himself a bit of a poet as Charles Kuralt found out when he stopped for gas at Gordon's Junction.

John Glenn in Friendship 7

Probably the most important of the early missions was John Glenn's Friendship 7 flight. Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth, but more importantly, it signified that we had caught up with the Russians in the Space Race. It was the first step in fulfilling John Kennedy's promise of sending a man to the moon before the end of the decade. Listen how excited Walter Cronkite got in the back ground."Go Baby!"

The Launch of Apollo 11

As a boy, I tried never to miss a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral. Whether at home or at school, every blast off was a big event. Every astronaut was a hero. They were the best that America could produce. I remember more than one of my teachers leading the class in prayer for the Astronaut's safety. It was a different time and place. The country was more innocent and so was I. As I watch the old telecast of the launch of Apollo 11, I feel the same excitement that I did when I was a kid.I remember sitting under a shelter at Twin Lakes Park on July 20th 1969. I was attending a family reunion. But instead of riding the roller coaster I was sitting on my Daddy Ray;s  lap watching Walter Cronkite describe the lunar landing as it happened. Someone had brought a old black and white portable television. The picture was grainy, but it didn't matter. We were watching history. We were excited and at the same time scared that something would go wrong and the men would be stranded on the moon. But everything went according to plan and the men all splashed down safely a few days later. Fast forward to 2015. We have no astronauts. Who  do the young boys have to look up to now? You would think with all of the money that the government wastes, that there should be enough to send a a man to the moon every now and then for appearance sake. Every generation needs their heros.