REALITIES

I’m struggling to maintain a positive frame of mind as I face my computer screen two days before Christmas. More than 34 years ago I named this column “Realities” because I wanted to relate truth as I saw it, and refute lies. In between I hoped to save room for some news.

At first, I used a typewriter or wrote the weekly column by hand. It took some getting used to a computer (first, a Kaypro-Plus, 1980s, then to MacPlus). Going from the typewriters’ clack (my HERMES was a noisy beast) to soundless computer keys was a novel experience. I recall Wm. F. Buckley commenting on his typewriter-to-computer transition being an unnerving transfer of trust. The Mac was a Gutenberg breakthrough, being the first to produce a justified line of type on paper. Until that time everything was produced on film, necessitating the developing, fixing, drying and enlargement process, which then had to be wax-pasted on layout sheets piecemeal, which were then photographed with the big camera, burning full page negatives onto metal plates for processing, then onto the press.

When a second Gutenberg breakthrough occurred, the digital camera, it was goodbye darkroom, film, and stinky developer. Fillmore had two newspapers at that time. I recall photographing an auto accident near Piru an hour or so before deadline. My competitor could not understand how that photo got on the front page when ordinarily it would have had to wait for the next edition and he would be working for several more hours to go to press. This meant no more 3am donuts and coffee deadlines. An aside: I gave the Fillmore Historical Museum a sign I saved from the old Theatre darkroom which read “Keep Door Closed Or Light Will Leak Out.” I hope it’s still there.

And yet, after 34 years the Gazette moves on. God is patient.

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Although I’m still struggling to maintain a positive frame of mind, it would be criminally negligent of me to entirely avoid recent developments concerning the ongoing global war centered in Ukraine.

As I’ve said from time to time, I try to determine where America stands regarding the war. We’ve sent many billions of dollars in support of Ukraine in attempts to save its sovereignty from criminal Russian attack. In the simplest terms I see this evolving conflict in black and white, good and evil. Russia is evil. It’s certainly a surrogate war but in ways often overlooked. Russian surrgates like Iran, China, and North Korea are obvious. What is less obvious are the dark spiritual surrogates, where Russia has always received its stores of evil. Atheists and that assortment of unbelievers in Judeo-Christian tenets, reject this belief as nonsense. So, with this in mind, I offer my beliefs anticipating their rejection but welcoming their stated opposition. I bring this issue of war up because I believe that several most extraordinary global events of a disastrous nature are imminent. If my belief proves to be false, I will wear my fear monger hat for all to see. If true, prayer is in order for an apostate America, a nation which has abandoned its Judeo-Christian foundation. To avoid being a fake harbinger of doom I can only say that I believe what credible, spiritually discerning Judeo-Christian people believe to be worthy of belief – which is an unpeaceful Christmas season. Scores of belligerent opportunists are eagerly aligned and primed.