Maybe I’m just old. I admit I grew up in times when it was shocking that Elvis gyrated as he sang on the Ed Sullivan show. I remember how the “hoods” smoked cigarettes, and wore slicked-back haircuts and black pegged pants, much like Travolta in Grease. Compared to today’s miscreants, the toughs of my youth were penny-ante. There was crime, but the misery, drug abuse, violence, depredation, and desperation surrounding us these days weren’t part of our lives. Most neighborhoods were safe, and the overwhelming majority respected one another, smiled at passers-by, and lived their lives without thinking about their safety every moment of the day.

Pardon that little indulgence in nostalgia, a counterpoint to the reality of life in our grim, gritty cities. I am reminded, daily, by the reports of heinous crimes on TV, break-ins and frighteningly violent encounters retold on NextDoor, and the nightly (or even daily) murders featured on NewsBreak. We are meant to accept this as normal now.

Image: Broken car window by Kafziel. CC BY-SA 3.0.

Thanks to BLM and Antifa, both fascist organizations, with their sadly effective demands to defund the police, all the “progressive” city governments have turned a blind eye to real crime. Police have learned to avoid situations where they risk being prosecuted for defending the innocent. State governments are ineffective at best. Prosecutors ignore those who are wronged and release the perps to do it all over again.

The bloviating, inept fools of the Biden administration turn a blind eye to reality, and worse. We can see clearly how they have descended into the gutter, pulling our nation, one city and state at a time, to third-world status, where equity has supplanted equality, where we have a two-track system of justice, where we release violent criminals to re-offend at will, and where we protect only political cronies and set the FBI to terrorize good citizens at gunpoint for their sincere political viewpoints. Things are so out of whack that it’s getting scary.

Just yesterday, the local Newsbreak printed this advice from the Oakland, California, police. They're tips for staying safe. Read it and, in case you live somewhere a bit more bucolic, you’ll understand the kind of tension we live under. The advice is sadly necessary. Here’s a list of the bullet points on car travel, lest you decide not to click on the whole article:

• Keep your doors locked and windows closed when driving. When possible, drive with a companion.
• Plan your route before your trip in advance. Travel by freeway or well-lighted, frequently-used surface streets as much as possible.
• Leave enough room to see the tires of the vehicle ahead when you stop your vehicle in traffic. The extra space allows maneuverability for escape.
• If your vehicle is “bumped,” don’t stop or get out if you suspect the incident was deliberate.
• If you come face to face with a carjacker, don’t resist the theft. Your life is worth more than your vehicle.
• Do not wait in your car in the driveway of your home.
• Take a quick look at your surrounding before you get in or out of your vehicle.
• Have your vehicle keys in hand and be ready to unlock and enter your vehicle promptly. Once inside, lock all doors.
• Stay away from your vehicle if you see someone loitering nearby.

I know there are many other cities, all run by the Democrat Progressive machine, where this advice is sadly pertinent.

We have elections coming but, at least here, it’s nearly impossible to find any candidate with the courage of his or her convictions, who will call out the BS and do something to fix it. You’d think we’d wise up, but from what I can see, with no support from state or federal governments, local helplessness (and hopelessness) will continue unabated. 

We have become a scared, nearly voiceless community. I hope we get to the tipping point soon—but have no faith that we will. We truly need some firebrand political messiahs here in California, not the pablum we’re being fed.