Having said my piece as a RINO a couple of weeks ago, it was interesting to hear the cheers and boos from readers. Playing baseball for Rod Dedeaux taught me lessons that went way beyond the game. These are values that I relied on throughout my business career. Preparedness, anticipation, and, always, the humor that helps defuse tense situations. These are qualities I no longer find in the Republican Party, focussed as it is on the cult of Trump, the Big Lie, its refusal to respond honestly to the Jan. 6 insurrection, and keeping power rather than addressing the issues that my grandchildren must face: climate change, income inequality, and the military/industrial complex, this was a major concern of Republican President Eisenhower’s. The list is lengthy.
And the idea of a compassionate conservative? That’s gone too. Additionally, when I first joined the GOP, Sen. Barry Goldwater who became the icon of conservatives and a presidential candidate in 1964, was a founder with his wife, Peggy, of Planned Parenthood. That’s back when the GOP was known as the party of the Big Tent. I haven’t left the Republican Party—but it is trying to leave me. I’m sorry I’m not leaving this with humor.
Dan Ardell, Laguna Beach
Dan?
We’ve never, to my knowledge, physically met or exchanged words, nor have I ever been a registered Dem or Repub, but as a 50 year Laguna resident I’d like to thank you for your courage in stepping up and out.
And if my memories from the early 60s, growing up in the LA Harbor area, are still intact, I rode waves in front of the Dedeaux place in Surfside or maybe it was Sunset Beach?
This is where I not only observed the super cool Dedeaux clan but surfed next to future famous pro: Corky Carroll. In that cultural vibe, everybody treated everyone in the water and on the beach respectfully, as equals—Well, Corky WAS a bit of a loud mouthed, self-promotional punk we barely tolerated, but he did take professional surfing to a whole new level!
I followed winners in So Cal sports, especially coaches with character and class in those days: USC baseball (Dedeaux) & football (John McKay?), UCLA basketball (THE Coach, GOAT John Wooden).
I think you must have learned from competitive sports I did, that integrity is important, keep core ethical values invaluable, keep them intact throughout your life’s beacons.
Just a modest thank you for YOUR service from a mid-60s Vietnam-era USMC graduate.
Roger E. Bütow, Michael Morris, Chris Quilter, Billy Fried, same old same old, too much time on their hands, yammering attacks week after week. It’s true that when the going gets weird the weird try to turn pro. Get it together will y’all?
You are not a RINO. You are a sorely missed real conservative with real values. And the guts to speak up. When was the last time ” Family Values ” was mentioned in this new, unrecognizable GOP ? And how could it have been so easily corrupted ? Today, “values” is only a hashtag. I am a Democrat, but I ask that more conservatives stand up to this corruption. What are our children learning when a President lies as easily as breathing ? I remember when conservatives were shocked when a Catholic ( Kennedy ) was elected. Now the Christian right says nothing about a twice divorced, serial cheater who treats loyalty like a disease! You sir, are the type of person who can revive the concept of honesty and real values. And prepare as best we can a better world for our children.