Hollywood is Burning, Part III: Gauntlet
by Robert J. AvrechNote: Links to previous chapters at end of this article.
“Attack, always attack.”
My friend, the heroic Israeli tank commander, told me that in the first few days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, both fronts, The Sinai and The Golan, were so weakly defended that had the Egyptian or Syrian high command been strategically bolder, tactically smarter, and their soldiers braver, well, the Arab armies could have achieved massive breakthroughs, and Israel would have found herself facing genocide.
The torture of Reginald Denny
But small, actually tiny pockets, of brave, determined and very well trained Israeli troops, in some cases, just two or three tanks on the Golan, held their ground and attacked enemy forces sometimes a hundred times their strength.
Screenwriter Escapes DGA Building—Note the Irony
“We had no orders except to hold our ground and whenever possible to attack—always attack.”
All this whips through my mind as I aim our car—I’m already thinking of the Lexus as a tank, a Centurion—towards the exit of the parking garage. A knot of rioters are milling about at the exit. It’s hard to see clearly but, oh boy, it looks like a few of them are brandishing baseball bats.
I’m gonna make a wild guess and assume that they’re not Little League dads.
I haven’t turned on the car’s headlights. We’re still lurking in the shadows, not yet detected by the barbarians.
Good thing the car is fashionably black.
Karen says: “Maybe there’s another exit.”
“Nope.”
“How do you know?”
“DGA building. I’ve been here like a zillion times.”
“What are we going to do?”
We.
The Talmud teaches that when a husband or wife uses the collective we it means there is love in the relationship.
Is there a finer way to enter battle than with the woman I have been in love with since third grade?
Ariel, 11, says: “I have to pee.”
Offspring #2, seven-years old, doubles over with an uncontrollable fit of the giggles. She finds this absolutely hysterical.
“You’re going to have to hold it in for a while, Ariel, do you think you can do that?” Karen says.
“I guess.”
“Good boy.”
Karen and I exchange glances. Karen gives me a pale smile of encouragement.
Robert: “I just have to say it.”
Karen: “What?”
Robert: “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”
Karen inclines her head, questioning.
Robert: “Bette Davis, All About Eve, 1950, written and directed by the great Joseph L. Mankiewicz.”
Karen sighs, tolerantly but with affection:
Karen: “Robert, Robert.”
In the back seat, the nervous giggles from Offspring #2 increase tenfold.
My Israeli buddy, the tank commander was fond of quoting Sun Tzu’s Art of War, and one of his favorite maxim’s was:
Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
Okey-dokey.
I inch the car forward, gain speed, 4 mph, 7 mph…
Now: I switch on the headlights using—surprise, Hi-Beams!—drenching the criminals in white light. I lean on the horn and —
WHOOOOOOOOO!
— and the rioters are captured in powerful light—G-d bless those Japanese engineers. The shrieking horn is amplified by the concrete garage walls. As I bear down on them at what seems like Formula One speed the knuckleheads are blinded, frozen, and now they fall back like bowling pins and —
Steve McQueen in Bullitt; taught me everything I know.
— and we blow right past them, make a sharp left turn—we’re ordered by a street sign to turn right, but that would deliver us to the front of the DGA building and directly into the eye of the mob, and so, tires screeching—hey, just like Steve McQueen in Bullitt—we race away from the theater.
Heaving a great sigh, I realize that I have not taken a breath in, gee willikers, a long time.
I zoom down the block, pull over, and gulp oxygen.
“You okay?” Karen asks.
I nod.
But my heart is slamming in my chest like a Ginger Baker solo.
Hey, Los Angeles is Just Like Fatah Land—Only More Fashionable
Karen snaps on her little flashlight, studies the Thomas Guide. Using her index finger, she traces a route home.
“I think we should stick to the main streets, it’ll probably be safer.” Karen says.
“You navigate. I’ll pilot.”
“Let’s get moving.” Karen cautions.
“Check.”
Karen’s like: Huh?
I have seen way too many movies. Seriously.
Anyhoo:
As we cruise through the chaotic streets we spot fires burning all over the city. A canopy of red and orange spreads through the velvety darkness. It’s kind of beautiful, like a romantic J.M. W. Turner canvas.
Small businesses are deliberately torched.
Orange streaks of fire inscribe themselves against the velvety sky. It takes me a moment to recognize the distinctive signature of Molotov cocktails.
Los Angeles has turned into Fatah Land.
“Where’s the Fire Department?” Karen asks.
Looters help themselves to everything from television sets and stereos to diapers and liquor.
Every so often we hear the distinctive flat crack of gun fire.
Nowhere do we see any police.
Trying to avoid a massive traffic jam, I turn down a side-street, Karen leans forward, peers through the darkness, spots something and cries:
“No!”
Thirty yards separate us from a group of thugs who are chilling in the street. They watch us with flinty eyes. All wicked and street savvy, they shuffle in our direction.
They’re all: yo, yo, yo.
And I’m all: oy, oy, oy.
Call me crazy, but I have a sneaking suspicion they’re not looking to discuss the cinema of Oscar Micheaux.
“Let’s get out of here,” Karen says.
Who am I to disagree with the love of my life?
I shift into reverse. Back up a few feet, shift into drive, angling for a sharp U turn, but the thugs are coming up awfully fast in my rear-view mirror.
I’m pretty sure one of the locals is toting a Tec 9. Or maybe it’s just a chunk of lumber.
All I’ve got is a Swiss Army Knife.
Repeat after me, kids: Out-numbered, out-gunned.
Do not mess with Gloria Grahame.
“Robert…” says Karen through clenched teeth.
No time for a neat, Driver’s Ed. three-point turn.
I blast forward, hurtle right up on the sidewalk, and then, ca-runch! yet another bone rattling dive down the high curb, back into the street and:
Away.
We.
Go.
“Some move,” says Karen.
She touches my shoulder.
It’s Karen’s way of saying, “My hero.”
Or at least that’s what I tell myself.
Entry in Robert’s Official Screenwriting Notebook: write this extremely scary, axle-cracking maneuver into your next script—no matter what the subject matter.
“I really, really, really have to pee,” Ariel reminds us.
I hand him an empty Styrofoam coffee cup.
Twenty Minutes to Get Anywhere in Los Angeles—Except During, Ahem, Civil Unrest
It takes us over an hour to get home. Normally, this drive would take maybe twenty minutes.
But we have to circle round and double-back countless times in order to avoid choked arteries, major intersections where madness reigns—traffic lights are ignored—and then there are unknown side streets that cause Karen to observe:
“We’ll never get out of there alive.”
Listening to the radio we hear about the Rodney King verdict. So that’s the grievance du jour.
The Fire Department, we learn, is not being deployed because their men have come under intense gun fire.
We hear—and I have trouble believing this report—that the Los Angeles Police Department has been,”Pulled back for their own safety.”
Huh?
I thought that was part of the job description.
Dopey me.
Casa Avrech: I carry Offspring # 2 to her bed where she recites the Sh’ma and then promptly falls asleep. We tell Ariel how proud of him we are. He shrugs. No big deal. Five minutes later he’s fast asleep.
Karen, crisp and efficient, pins a bed sheet over the large picture window in the living room. We cannot be too careful. I search the house for a weapon, settle on an old ice ax from my mountain climbing days. It’s an elegant tool with wicked potential in hand to hand combat, but obviously useless against firearms or a hail of Molotov cocktails.
Abruptly, I feel a burning pain—a white hot spike—shooting through both my arms. Did I get hit by a stray bullet?
I examine my hands and gosh, my fingers are curled into claws; it takes me a moment to realize that gripping the steering wheel so hard and for so long is causing severe muscle cramps.
On the TV, Karen and I watch as Reginald Denny gets his brains bashed in; we gaze in horror and disbelief as the barbarians dance over his broken body. Tears in our eyes, we see, G-d bless them, pious citizens step in and halt this atrocity.
There’s video of Fidel Lopez, a Guatemalan immigrant. He, like Denny, is pulled from his truck and robbed. But theft is almost beside the point. The rioters slash torturers smash open his head then slice off an ear. The mob graffiti his chest, torso and genitals.
Take my word for it, graffiti is not an art form.
Between fifty and fifty-six citizens are murdered in the riots; two-thousand are seriously injured.
At last, the LAPD are deployed and approximately 10,000 arrests are made.
Estimates of between 800 million and a billion dollars of property damage have been reported. Approximately 3,600 fires were deliberately set, destroying 1,100 buildings.
Korean shopkeepers were specifically targeted by black rioters. But the Koreans owned guns and heroically defended their property and lives through force of arms.
It was a lesson that should have reverberated nationally, but some commentators labeled the Koreans, vigilantes. Just another case of the mainstream media getting it wrong.
Liberal totalitarians demand increased gun control, if not the outright banning of gun sales to citizens.
Second Amendment, what’s that?
And then, of course, the race hustlers, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Maxine Waters, the usual suspects—vulgar demagogues—parade across TV screens informing the citizens of Los Angeles that the riots were really “an uprising.”
Oh, really?
As in: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising?
My Hollywood Gun
Gazing from our bedroom window, we watch orange flames lick at the darkness, pillars of black smoke climbing into the sky. We can actually smell the acrid odor of burning rubber.
“Look how close they are,” says Karen.
“Just past La Cienega. Maybe eight blocks away.”
Karen gives me a long penetrating gaze:
“What do we do if they come here?”
“After this is all over,” I vow, “I’m going to buy a pistol.”
Karen says: “How about a shotgun?”
Springfield .45. My Hollywood Gun.
If the Los Angeles riots taught us anything it’s that you’re a fool if you count on the authorities to protect you in times of civil chaos — in fact, at any time. In the end, only I can protect my family.
I’m never, ever going to allow myself to be outgunned by the bad guys. All the gun laws that are on the books—and there are thousands of them—just make it that much easier for the barbarians to amass weapons, and for law-abiding people like you and me to be at their mercy.
If you outlaw weapons, as so many squishy liberals yearn to do, well then, only the state and the outlaws will be armed. Which leaves ordinary citizens at the mercy of an all powerful government and a variety of merciless criminal sub cultures.
When Hitler and Stalin snatched power, one of their first moves was to outlaw private gun ownership. They understood that armed citizens are a mortal threat to totalitarian rule.
Imagine history if several million Jews owned firearms between 1938 and 1945.
Is the mind capable of such a leap of faith, or is it too painful?
One week after the riots I legally purchased a pistol: A 1911 Springfield .45. It’s the pistol I trained with in Israel. Yes, it’s heavy, and yes, the recoil kicks like a Rockette; but this is the weapon I know best, and I cordially invite any mugger, rioter, criminal, and gun-hating “progressive” to get on the wrong side of my Hollywood gun.
FADE TO BLACK
For this is
The End
To read Hollywood is Burning, Part I, please click here.
To read Hollywood is Burning, Part II, please click here.
Note: I’m frequently asked how I’m able to remember incidents in such detail, including dialogue, from so many years ago? It’s simple. I do not rely on my memory. I have been keeping a detailed diary for over 20 years. This post, as so many others, is based on my diaries. If there are gaps in my entries, I check with Karen. She was also keeping a diary, plus Karen has a phenomenal memory.
Copyright © Robert J. Avrech
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122 Comments
[...] got paid for writing this. [...]
Another thing I love about Maine: We ALL own guns up here! (Except for the morons who move up here from Connecticut and Massachusetts, but whatever)
Great tale of yours Rob! Sorry it had to come at the expense of your peace of mind though.
Nice war story. You're right that one cannot rely on the police for protection. Their chief function seems to be shaking down motorists for government. The Second Amendment is first in importance.
[...] at Big Hollywood. An absolutely excellent series and something we should all pay attention to. An ordinary average [...]
There’s old bumper sticker you used to see, in the blessed Carter years, eh…hm…, I guess it’s cliché now, “If guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns.” All kidding aside be afraid, be very afraid if government comes for our guns. It’s gonna be a fight, huh.
….And isn't it amazing how fast the average person totally forgets history? I bet you can ask anyone on the sreet about the LA riots, and all they may remember, if they remember anything, is that Rodney King was "hurt".
And your average liberal won't remember anything, because it just might prove, once again, that the Second Amendment is a right, not a privilege handed down by the government. And that the poilice are only mandated to, 'promote obediance of the law', not provide a private protection service for each and every citizen.
I posess a CCW, but I never carried in most places, due to the, 'Gun Free Zone' thing that most businesses post because its the 'PC' thing to do.
Then the Von Maur shooting took place at Westroads Mall here in Omaha, and of the people killed, one was a lady I knew and worked with some years ago.
She was killed in cold blood by a disturbed young man, in a place that was so 'Gun Free' that the security guards were unarmed (which means they can handle the occasional drunk and shoplifting kid, but that's about it).
I now break what is an unconstitutional law on a regular basis, and I know I am not the only one who does.
And God help us if the liberals succeed in taking away our right to keep and bare arms, because as the crime rate soars (and it will: see Great Britan for referance), they will then scream that we need more cops, then more cameras to 'watch over' us, then curfews to keep the streets 'safe', then…….
And before you know it, totalitarian rule to make us all 'obey' the law (its only for our own good, you know).
We live in 'interesting ' times, don't we?
Robert,
This is such great stuff……
Of the 50-56 people murdered, how many people were convicted of those murders ? And I wonder where they are today, if not in the prison???
Of the property stolen or burned or lost, how much was replaced ? How much more money was spent on "community organizing" and outreach and new recreation centers and public housing to succor the "victims" of the uprising ?
Did you feel like Fatahland was a temporary state of affairs or a new continuing threat to all our wellbeing ?
Thanks for sharing in that gripping story.
Great ending, Robert!
I had been looking forward to the wrap up. So glad you made it through unscathed. I just love your wife, it sounds like she was there for you and the children, 100%. And what a smart chick she is, with her little flash light.. Sounds like the kids were tough, also. I can't believe they went right off to sleep after that horrible event, kids really are resilient, aren't they? Ready and waiting for more good stuff to read.
Di
Gripping. Absolutely gripping.
I have to tell you, I am a 39 year-old male that hunts and is manly as any man's man you can find. I cried at the end of this. I realized afterward I was crying in relief. I can only imagine what you must have felt Mr. Avrech. I was once in the middle of a riot with racial overtones, but I was young, single and only had myself to worry about. I can't imagine that situation with my wife and daughter in harm's way with me.
And I love your synopsis at the end regarding gun rights. More people need to understand that. Unfortunately for many it would take an incident like you went through before they would.
Gripping. Absolutely gripping.
I have to tell you, I am a 39 year-old male that hunts and is as manly as any man's man you can find. I cried at the end of this. I realized afterward I was crying in relief. I can only imagine what you must have felt Mr. Avrech. I was once in the middle of a riot with racial overtones, but I was young, single and only had myself to worry about. I can't imagine that situation with my wife and daughter in harm's way with me.
And I love your synopsis at the end regarding gun rights. More people need to understand that. Unfortunately for many it would take an incident like you went through before they would.
How did I miss parts I and II? I live in Southern Cal. I remember the riots. (And yeah, they were riots.) I wonder what stories those people who stayed in the theater waiting for the police have.
Great read. (Horrifying, but great.) I wish you could make it into a movie. But alas, you'd be forced to change it. The family would be a single mom with two kids. And the bad guys would be the US Military, or a US corporation.
Thanks for telling this story. Wish more liberals (or liberals-in-training in our public schools and colleges) would read more accounts like this one. My husband has a gun, and you're strengthening my resolve to buy one of my own, too.
Out side of the Profession of Arms, hardly any one knows of those tankers in the 73 war on the Golan . As for John Brownings Pistol , You don't fool around when you shoot a 1911 A-2 45 ACP. On top of that its pure American. Un like europe, Americans look at hand guns not as a badge of rank, but something you can defend yourself with or go out in the woods and collect a deer elk or moose for the table if need be. People fail to see the plan usefulness of a gun, one of my most treasured rifles is one that my father gave me when I was six. I still shoot that 22 rifle, and every now and again I will go out and collect a few squirrels with it for the table.
I was a USAF Officer trying to get from Edwards AFB to LAX during the riots. It was a zoo and few people realize that by the time the authorities were on the street several blocks of store owners had barricaded their blocks and posted riflemen on their roofs. Also, every firefighter who owned a handgun carried one under their coat, regardless of the law. I talked to several firefighters who learned real fast that when the gangbangers walked in the street to stop them, they simply had to hit the gas and eliminate the problem… permanently.
Oh, and I love the Bullitt reference!!! Great movie!
Absolutely terrifying and thanks for sharing. You have the gift of story telling and the ability to make the truth real, scary and believable. This is the kind of reporting that should have been done and wasn't. Probably because it would have caused so many of we average, law-abiding citizens to do what you did: get a gun.
My daughter bought a pistol right after BO was elected, as so many did, and I'm going to get one for myself. Planet Earth has always been a dangerous neighborhood and sometimes–like now–it's more dangerous than others.
Great story – glad you and your family made it home without injury. What happened to the people who remained in the DGA building? Our family purchased several guns after the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon (we lived in DC) and the DC snipers' reign of terror. A little taste of chaos certainly confirms that you have assume you're the only one who makes it a priority to take care of yourself and family.
Very powerful and an absolute proof of the need to be able to defend oneself. Weapons are important no doubt and every citizen should acquaint themselves with their firearm. Just as important are the abilities to keep your cool and think on the fly.
Of course, with the government moving to try to get the power to ceize the banks and other assets, do they need to take away the guns if they control your money?
Sir,
A great, gripping read of a harrowing exprerience.
I strongly recommend that if you have the hammer back on your .45 put the thumb safety up until the moment before you shoot; claiming 'It's not loaded' is not the right answer.
We have a couple of guns, but I think like your wife that a shotgun is a good home protection idea. We've been eyeballing one since BO was elected and I think that as soon as we can get a safe big enough to hold we'll buy it.
I'm glad you got out of the riots safely. I lived in NorCal as the riots were going on and couldn't believe my eyes. I saw the Reginald Denny incident on live TV. It was horrifying. I was living in West Hollywood when the shootout occurred in North Hollywood and saw that on live TV as well….L.A. is one scary place sometimes.
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your writing! Great story! Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
Excellent choice for a sidearm. My wife and I both have 45 ACP's, cant beat that stopping power. In fact, I believe our Rabbi also carries one. The home should also have at least one shotgun and one rifle, and all living there should be trained in their use, but I am quite convinced you have no need for me to tell you that.
We also opted for a "fashionably black" SUV, and added a little "riot friendly" extras like front hamburger grille and lift kit. I was going to college in San Diego when the LA Riots exploded, so was spared the "adventure" your family had to go through, but the lessons were not lost on me.
Oh, and if you can find someone who would back it (I know, in Hollywood, not likely), I still think this would make an awesome movie.
Quite a story Robert – and with a moral. And I am thinking – with the ongoing "shotgun vs pistol" debate with Karen – a shotgun wouldn't have helped you at the theater – because you wouldn't have had it. But then you wouldn't have had your .45 either with our laws. And if the climate was so bad to make you want to bring a pistol with you, you certainly wouldn't have gone out that evening.
I had the usual "gun control" debate with my parents last night. Up here, a paroled felon just murdered 2 motorcycle officers who had stopped him for a traffic infraction. Then killed 2 others when they found him at an apt before killing him. I made the point that felons are outlawed from having guns in the first place, but he managed to get them.
Perhaps a shotgun is better for the home and pistol everywhere else.
An Army Sgt one told me about the .45 – "It's like throwing a brick through a plate glass window". Good analogy. And your Springfield, originally designed by John Browning, is a classic.
I remember how the police just disappeared and let the rioters rule. And the Maxine Waters and Jesse Jacksons are despicable.
Your Israeli Commander friend reminds me of Erwin Rommel – one of the few German generals I can admire. In fact, the only one.
But his victories, starting in France in 1940, were mainly by audacity – against superior foes. His tank division in France – 1940 – was known as the "ghost division" because they went so far ahead no one knew their location. His secret was audacity and boldness placed at the right enemy locations.
Failure to show aggression was the problem Lincoln had with his generals until Grant. And they usually had superior forces.
If the rioters had surrounded your car – would you have plowed into them? It sounds like you were going fast enough to discourage them. And rioters always have a herd mentality.
So audacity with calculated movements wins the day – usually. I am glad that it turned out right for you and your family, so you could tell us your story. And I believe Ariel was a special young man.
"So that’s the grievance du jour". That's kind of a dumb statement. The berdict on Rodney King was on of the worst failures of our "justice" system. Personaly I think the O.J. berdict was a make up call for the Rodney King vertict. But anyway don't make light of that "grievance" because that is a grievance that definetly needed a response. Maybe not that severe a response but those cops should have been hung out to dry in my opinion. The beat the crap out of him and they got a slap on the wrist.
Amazing story. I am grateful that your family survived unhurt.
I lived on EAFB during the riots. Had a girlfriend who lived in W.Hollywood come and stay with me for two weeks because she was freaked out by the violence. Nothing like a cadre of trained soldiers with M-16's and 20 miles of Mojave desert all around to make you feel safe.
There is no better home defense than a 12 gauge shotgun. Keep it loaded and handy.
Mossberg makes some nice ones, like the 590 with #4 buckshot that nestles quietly in our bedside rack. With the bayonet on it, even the most crazed meth addict would pull up and think a bit about trying to take away a shotgun with eight inches of naked steel in front of the business end, (not to mention the business end itself, but stranger things have happened).
The "clack-clack" of a cycling shotgun action is the perfect magic incantation against goblins, and one I heartily recommend.
Why stop there? They'd make him rewrite the story so that either the military, a big US corporation, or some random rich white guy causes the riots.
(RACIST-SEXIST-HOMOPHOBE!)
…sorry, I mean "uprising." (But they were, in fact, riots.)
Robert: not bad, troop, not bad at all. You can tell the story and you and the family weren't hurt. Not bad at all.
Lesson learned: don't go anywhere without your buddy and his eight little friends, or the little buddy and his six. Goblins abound. And don't consider the shotgun; give him a good home with lots of friends to play with. Remington or Mossberg, pump action with dual action bars. I like No.4 buck, good trade between pellet size vs. quantity, but that's me.
Keep the sword in your own hand, and the hilt well known to your grip.
My family's love to you and yours, and the great people of Israel. May peace find you all, but if it does not, may your enemies find your eyes clear, your hearts stout, your courage well rooted, and your blades ready and sharp.
Mr A,
Three superb installments, and lively and informative "Comments".
Having internalized – as a ten-year-old – the night screams, smashing glass, and gun shots of the 1968 New York City riots, provoked by Martin Luther King, Jr's assassination, I have one life principle for dealing with mindless or calculated violence: I must be less afraid of losing my life than anyone who tries to take my life is afraid of losing their life.
I think there is something of this principle at work in why two or three IDF tanks on the Golan were so powerful.
To Life ! But, if not, then to G-d on Clouds of Glory ! ; )
Much Respects
Sarge
Benjamin:
Maine: such a beautiful state. The thing I miss most in L.A.—Karen and I are Brooklyn born and bred—is Autumn, the changing of the leaves. We're fine. In fact, Offspring #2 tells me that she remembers absolutely nothing from that night. She just wiped it from her memory bank.
Patricius:
Yes, it is a a war story of sorts. Look, I don't want to denigrate the men and women of the LAPD, but it's obvious that when chaos reigns, each citizen is on his own. I'm glad I learned this lesson. I'm sorry the lesson came at such a high price.
Mr. Avrech, I've truly enjoyed all of the parts of your story, they're both amusing as well as providing genuine insight into what happens when societies break down and "Go Fatah" if I may steal and slightly turn one of your phrases. I am also happy things turned out for you far better than some of the other possibilities, but you also had the most important advantages on your side: good advice, a good wife, and children who knew that when daddy thinks something is serious, it's serious. And a little luck never hurts either, as they say. You are blessed, sir.
When I advised my mother, who lives in rural "Flyover Country" to buy a pistol just to be on the safe side, she asked me why. I replied: Rodney King. I'll be certain to make sure she reads your articles as well, since she thankfully hasn't seen with her own eyes what happens when society breaks down and mobs own the streets. At least not yet, and hopefully never.
As for your choice of pistol, excellent choice. I am lucky to have my own version of Karen, doubly blessed in fact, as she combines your wife's grit along with your IDF friend's sage advice all in one adorable package. She swears by her Springfield .45, and since the state(s) we live in allow for concealed carry, it's always in her purse. She's been trying to get me to switch to one as a carry weapon as well, but I'm set on my Jericho.
Again, a most excellent article with advice which everyone should at least consider, not only in the event that history repeats itself, but also simply because the right to bear arms is vital to society as it is the ultimate guarantor of all the other rights which we enjoy.
StanH:
I am ashamed to admit that I voted for Jimmy "Jihad" Carter. In those days I was still a lever-pulling Democrat. But after that horrifying administration I woke up and became a Conservative Republican.
Excellent ending. The Mr. Denny incident will stay in my head as a reminder of what LA really stands for…thanks again for bringing things to light.
Mr. Avrech, I've truly enjoyed all of the parts of your story, they're both amusing as well as providing genuine insight into what happens when societies break down and "Go Fatah" if I may steal and slightly turn one of your phrases. I am also happy things turned out for you far better than some of the other possibilities, but you also had the most important advantages on your side: good advice, a good wife, and children who knew that when daddy thinks something is serious, it's serious. And a little luck never hurts either, as they say. You are blessed, sir.
When I advised my mother, who lives in rural "Flyover Country" to buy a pistol just to be on the safe side, she asked me why. I replied: Rodney King. I'll be certain to make sure she reads your articles as well, since she thankfully hasn't seen with her own eyes what happens when society breaks down and mobs own the streets. At least not yet, and hopefully never.
As for your choice of pistol, excellent choice. I am lucky to have my own version of Karen, doubly blessed in fact, as she combines your wife's grit along with your IDF friend's sage advice all in one adorable package. She swears by her Springfield .45, and since the state(s) we live in allow for concealed carry, it's always in her purse. She's been trying to get me to switch to one as a carry weapon as well, but I'm set on my Jericho.
Again, a most excellent article with advice which everyone should at least consider, not only in the event that history repeats itself, but also simply because the right to bear arms is vital to society as it is the ultimate guarantor of all the other rights which we enjoy.
edward_m:
My friend Dennis Prager—Karen and I attended the same Yeshiva in Brooklyn with Dennis—always says: "Being a Liberal means never having to say you're sorry." As you correctly point out, that's because all their disastrous policies are lost in the memory hole, much as history and people are conveniently disappeared from Communist regimes.
flownover:
You know, I have no idea how many L.A. rioters and murderers were convicted. I'll wager that the number is low, shamefully low. I believe that any city has the potential to devolve into Fatah Land. Especially when professional victim groups and their, ahem, grievances, are excused and made heroic by the chattering classes.
Thebutlerdidit:
My only injury was really bad cramping in my fingers and arms—quickly forgotten:-) The car got banged up a bit, but nothing serious. Karen is smart and brave and beautiful; there are a world of reasons I have loved her since we were in third grade together attending Yeshiva Flatbush in Brooklyn. The kids trusted us to take care them. Thank G-d, we succeeded.
Mr. Avrech,
When are you coming to Northern Virginia so I can take you & your "Hollywood" friend to the NRA Range? I'll bring along one of my friends from "Austria" and have a good time!
LoneWolfArcher:
Real men know when it's appropriate to cry:-) I too felt like crying when we arrived home safe and sound. I wonder ow I would have acted if I was alone at the screening? Honestly, I think having Karen by my side made me act far more aggressively and sanely.
What the case warranted was a criminal investigation, dismissal of the officers, and jail time, a sentence which applies to all the rest of us peasants. As for Rodney, wasn't he caught with a stolen car or something? I could be wrong.
It did not warrant the animalistic stupidity that resulted in 50-56 deaths, looting, and thousands in damages that those race-baiters (Jesse Jackson, et al) brought on. I think "Maybe not that severe a response" is a gross understatement.
LoneWolfArcher:
Real men know when it's appropriate to cry:-) I too felt like crying when we arrived home safe and sound. I wonder how I would have acted if I was alone at the screening? Honestly, I think having Karen by my side made me act far more aggressively and sanely.
George M. Semel:
The tankists on the Golan achieved one of the greatest holding actions in military history. I love those guys. I have a few relatives in the IDF, tankists also and their training is just remarkable. Yes, my 1911 is quite a machine. After a few hundred rounds at the range my trigger finger is chopped meat and my wrist is numb. But it's a good hurt:-)
imagine some organizer from acorn rewriting your story, about how you rammed into a group of students….
tl; dr
As a Canadian, I am not allowed to have any firearm without enabling Police to come into my home to check on whether I am complying with "The Law."
As a history buff, remember Americans: the 2d amendment of your constitution is a fundamentally pro-democracy, ANTI ARISTOCRACY statement. In Europe, the ONLY PEOPLE allowed to have any weapon were ARISTOCRATS and the peasantry in the armed forces, and some employees of ARISTOCRATS, on a very limited basis. Remember that. And note: LIBERALS BELIEVE THEY ARE ARISTOCRATS.
I lived in Las Vegas during the King riots, I too remember seeing the scenes on TV and feeling the outrage over the way the events were portrayed as being justified or even righteous indignation. I also remember that I lived with my new wife and infant daughter on Martin Luther King Blvd which seperates North Las Vegas from Las Vegas. Many people don't realize that we had rioters in North Las Vegas that night. I'll never forget when two young black men from my apartment complex, guys I often played basketball with, came to my door and told us not to venture outside because they didn't know if they could protect me and my family from the mob but that they would not let anyone come near our apartment. I will also never forget the next day when I went to fill my gas tank at a little family-owned station I used regularly only to spend thirty minutes talking to the owner and his son about how they would survive as we stared at the smoldering remnants of his livelyhood that had been burned during the riots.
I was also a liberal when I was a young man. The King riots were one of the life lessons that began my move to the intelligent outcome we call conservatism.
I knew Dennis later, when he was the head of the Brandeis-Bardin Institute. He was always soft-spoken and gentle, and it doesn't look like much has changed. But there was also a steely-resolve under that exterior. I was also a lefty in the 80's when I knew him briefly. I told him my story about being on the freeway coming home from a vacation with my mom when we drove right into the earlier Watts riots. I told him I had always felt bad that I had gripped the wheel with every intention of using the car as a weapon if it looked like our lives were being threatened. He asked "did you want to do it?" I said "no, but I would have if necessary." He said "then you have nothing to feel guilty about." Haven't had any contact with him now in over twenty-five years, but when I got stuck at Mission and Fifth Streets in San Francisco during the Rodney King riots (not nearly as bad here), I thought of what he said. And it's probably a good thing I was riding on a commuter bus at the time, and not the one driving.
Ta….Da…. Carter cured many a fool, that was one $hitty time.
Remember the old E.F. Hutton commercials?
"When shotgun speaks…everyone listens…"
Rodney was DUI. He was driving erratically and speeding. He was in violation of his parole for ROBBERY by drinking. His other two friends, also black, who were compliant and did not resist were taken into custody without incident. He was beaten for continuing to resist because Tasers that were used were ineffective. Two of the officers were found guilty, the other two acquitted. No one got away with anything except the rioters. The only people that died were in the riots, not the beating. Where's the justice for those fifty-three lives, Jorge? BTW, King has been arrested three time since then. The fractures to his pelvis were from hitting a house while fleeing police while, you guessed it, DUI.
I've never resisted EVER. I don't make sudden or unpredictable moves. My hands are in plain view, my paperwork and license are ready, and I ask before I do anything. I comply IMMEDIATELY and in full with any order. And though I live in this state where I am allowed to be armed to the teeth, even in my car, I have never been laid hands on roughly, even when I told the officer(s) there were loaded guns in the car. Yeah, I've been cuffed, even sat in the back for a time, and have never had a problem; police officers are amazingly nice when you act like a civilized gentleman. They even gave me a ticket for my expired registration, (dismissed when I got it taken care of and showed proof), and let me and my guns go home without incident.
Rodney was DUI. He was driving erratically and speeding. He was in violation of his parole for ROBBERY by drinking. His other two friends, also black, who were compliant and did not resist were taken into custody without incident. He was beaten for continuing to resist because Tasers that were used were
ineffective. Two of the officers were found guilty, the other two acquitted. No one got away with anything except the rioters. The only people that died were in the riots, not the beating. Where's the justice for those fifty-three lives, Jorge? BTW, King has been arrested three time since then. The fractures to his pelvis were from hitting a house while fleeing police while, you guessed it, DUI.
flownover:
To quote yours truly from the post: “Oy, oy, oy.” Yiddish for: woe is me.
Freddy:
When I heard that our firefighters were taking rounds I was enraged. One of my best friends in Israel was a sniper who could shoot the wings off a fly at 500 yards. I wish he had been around to pick off the criminals who were taking pot shots at the firefighters. Seriously. Thanks so much for your service.
LoneWolfArcher:
I love when McQueen buckles up, real tight, before the hyper-velocity happens.
I hear heads exploding all over the Nation; how dare a "peasant" tell the truth about them?
Yon ARISTOCRAT; would they or would they not lay down their life for you in a time of crisis? NO?
Arm up, brother and sister; you got to protect yourself and your family first. And a goblin raiding your home is no different than the one in there trying to "raid" YOU.
Brilliantly posed and answered, Heather McFarlane.
HardHeadedWoman:
Thanks so much for the generous words.
Soon, I'm going to post a true story about a young woman, liberal who was being stalked by an ex-boyfriend and her decision to purchase a pistol. I think the true tale will reverberate with you and your daughter—the necessity of taking responsibility for your life.
Robert, thank you again for sharing this. I'm going to forward a link to my friends and family so they can read this.
One of my favorite lines: "Is there a finer way to enter battle than with the woman I have been in love with since third grade?" That's why this story is so gripping: the love between you and your wife for each other and for your children makes the situation so desperate, and so crucial. The reasons for all the chaos weren't important at the time. The only thing that mattered was your family: keeping them safe and getting them home.
Liz:
You're very welcome. We are fine, but lessons learned have not been forgotten.
The police never showed up at the DGA building. Big shock, huh? Anyway, about 20 minutes after we left, everyone else took off. There was, I understand, a massive traffic jam in the garage. But thank G-d, no one was injured.
aharris:
Unfortunately, the current administration is the most left leaning in American history. Obama's model for good government seems to be European Socialism, with its attendant hatred/fear of armed citizens. As a Jew with a pretty good knowledge of Jewish history I can testify to the horrors of big government. Tragically, most American Jews are, um, idiots or maybe just mentally ill, and they have become enablers of left wing totalitarians.
Captain Rick:
Yes, you are absolutely right. For the picture I decided to show the gun ready for defense. But it's probably a bit on the irresponsible side.
Take me to the brig.
Hand flies to head in a salute to Capt. Rick.
sqt:
I am going to check out shotguns. This is a weapon that is a huge gap in my education. Yes, this can be a pretty scary place sometimes, but I have to tell you: I love L.A!
Kim:
Thanks so much.
Darkwolf:
Pistol: check.
Rifle: check
Shotgun: will let you know.
Bill:
Rommel was a heck of a tactician. If you want to read a truly amazing book about great tankists try: "The Heights of Courage." Author Avigdor Kahalani was also on the Golan and he and his men fought like lions.
Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Heights-Courage-Tank-Leader...
Lived in LA:
I know several Holocaust survivors. They were shoved into ghettos by the Germans and the local police. Their businesses and property and wealth was confiscated. They were starved, beaten, humiliated, raped, used as slave labor. Most of them lost all the members of their families. Some went back to their towns and villages only to discover that their homes were stolen by the locals.
They had grievances.
But they did not riot, did not murder. Did not marinate in self-pity.
They came to America—legally—penniless, non English speakers, and they built meaningful lives.
nightfly:
Thanks so much. We were scared, but escaped without harm. And now we are all wiser.
davidt:
Hmmm, a pattern seems to be emerging:-)
Mjolnir:
Thanks so much for your kind words and for your support of Israel. As I have said before, I am definitely going to check out shotguns.
Sergeant Rock:
I lived in Brooklyn during the '68 riots, but my neighborhood—Bensonhurst—was safe. Mafia families were in control of the streets and G-d help any rioter who dared show up.
Scott:
Yes, the Reginald Denny atrocity is something I will never forget. It's a good thing we did not see that footage before our little adventure.
Golani:
Are you named for one of the finest units in the Israeli army? In fact, they are the only soldiers who have been issued the new Tavor Urban Combat rifle—an amzing weapon. The Golani boys are trying out the rifle and all reports indicate that it will be issed to the entire IDF.
Anyhoo.
So you have your very own Karen. Nothing could make me happier than to hear that others are happily married—and comfortably armed.
dishofred:
Smart girlfriend.
Oscarfoxtango:
Thanks so much for the invite. I'll let you know of our travel plans.
Heather McFarlane:
Liberals are aristocrats, how true. Which explains why they loathed Sarah Palin with every fiber of their being. She's everything Dem women claim to be and are not. She did not go to an Ivy League school, she is self-made, and she did not marry wealthy. Contrast her with Pelosi, Feinstein, etc.
Heather:
So glad you like my film. Everyone associated with the pic is very proud of their work.
Sarah – S&W makes a nice little revolver for .38 called an Airweight – special alloy very light. A .357 is a high powered .38 – by getting a .38 it will be smaller and lighter.
Brian:
Sadly, sometimes we have to endure horrifying experiences to come to our senses. I'm so glad that the two of you emerged unscathed from the break-in.
buckz:
Serial rapist? Get an RPG!
neoconphil:
I didn't know that there was rioting in Las Vegas. Good thing you had buddies who cared about your safety. Did the gas station owner get back his business?
Hamilton Burger:
I say Oy-vey a lot. Yiddish for: woe is me.
as per ARISTOCRACY: it should be notable that Americans are CITIZENS of the United States of America. Canadians, on the other hand, are SUBJECTS of Her Majesty, the Queen of England.. That distinction is so important. And that 2d amendment is (given the decadence of your big media) the most important thing ensuring your freedom. Don't screw it up.
Bll Moose:
Thanks so much for the kind words. Our ordeal was terrifying, but it made us closer, and I know that we will do most anything for each other.
Is that the rifle that can shoot around corners Robert? That is an amazing weapon.
That indeed is where my screen name comes from, in fact I think you're the first one to make the association so far, but I'm not surprised you did since I'd read your previous installments and know you had at least one wise IDF veteran as a friend. I'm currently not assigned to the Golani, but elsewhere, but I'm still in contact with many of my friends from the unit. I'll also add that yes what the armored units, and everyone else for that matter, did in '73 was nothing short of miraculous. Talking to veterans of that war is always an illuminating and dare I say, humbling, experience.
The Givati Brigade has the Tavor now as well, and you're correct in saying it is an amazing rifle, but until production ramps up further most of the infantry units are stuck with their M4s, and I do mean stuck. In my opinion the only thing they have going for them is the price-tag, and I'll "cling" to my Galil for as long as I can get away with it. But I digress, I'd like to second (third? twentieth?) the notion that you get your hands on a good shotgun, we're partial to the Mossberg 500 but any 12 gauge pump will get your point across, if not through the mere act of racking the slide, then to the sort of thing that it can do when fired at even a crazed lunatic on drugs. They'll go down if they don't get the point to go away first, guaranteed.
And yes, I am very blessed to have my very own Karen. We're not married quite yet but that little detail should be taken care of over the Summer if everything goes according to plan. Since we've known one another for over a decade, I thank I can speak with confidence that the plan will work out as…well, planned.
Great stuff — all three parts, and the responses. Thanks again.
Interesting (covert?) thread through all this: the challenge of walking the line of being being a fully functioning man in America today. We don't all go into the armed forces anymore; don't need to hunt, build your own cabin, etc to survive; few of us do (or have done) any boxing these days … Our culture lacks rituals that say 'Now you're a man.' It seems many guys walk around unsure of their masculine identity (understandably – how are they to manifest it socially?). This uncertainty affects some guys adversely. We need to be gentle and non threatening to those around us (hey, I don't like to make anyone uncomfortable). Yet we need to remain ready to fend for ourselves.
(hmm, the website system says my full comments are too long, despite being shorter than some comments already posted. More consistency would be nice. Part 2 – and perhaps Part 3 – will follow)
Part 2
I'd like to suggest that one valid facet of preparation for disaster survival is to keep your body in good athletic condition. Also martial arts training can be valuable, as long as you avoid the common hazard of being misled to overestimate how prepared for a street fight you really are. Many commercial MA schools and kickboxing classes teach you to play tag with puffy gloves and then walk around deluded that you're ready for a real fight.
Hopefully it's clear I am not advocating any macho demeanor. Those most prepared to defend themselves can afford to remain reserved (non-confrontational) until the threat is imminent. Having written all this in a short time, I can't judge how well I am making my point(s), but I hope these comments are a worthy contribution to the ongoing discussion.
Thanks again for great reading material.
You may be thinking of a weapon called the Corner Shot which looks like a rifle but is actually a stock that you can attach a pistol (or an M-203 grenade launcher if you're really annoyed) at the far end and which is fitted with a camera that lets you shoot around corners.
The Tavor is a bullpup rifle, where the magazine is behind the grip to shorten the length of the weapon, they look like something out of Star Wars really. They come with a reflex sight fixed to the barrel as standard which makes them extremely accurate, and in traditional IMI fashion come in several overall lengths for use by different troops for different tasks. There's also a drop-in kit for the Commando version that turns it into a 9mm weapon with a built in sound suppressor. They're a very neat design overall.
Part 3
[Damn, I see that all the various versions of cutting and pasting I was required to try (until the system deigned my comments short enough) led me to leave out a key part. This was to be in the middle of my post.
So much for making my point coherently.]
We are lulled into being completely dependent upon elements which we can't control, such as police protection,
high tech services (TV, internet, cell phones, etc), a steady supply of water, electricity, gas, food, etc.
We are lulled into a state of unnoticed, unneccessary extra vulnerability to crisis.
Gittes:
Glad you like my posts.
Yes, some men have trouble locating their masculinity. I believe that sports and loyalty to a particular team has replaced other masculine traditions. Does it do the job? I dunno. I'm not a sports fan. Though I'm getting fond of Women's Roller Derby.
Face it Gittes, it's Chinatown.
Couldn't resist:-)
Damn, I tried TWICE (or was it 3 times) to post Part 3, but this website system defies my attempts.
The missing material was originally intended to be in the middle of what I did succeed in posting.
The difficulty in getting around the inexplicable length limit enforcement led me to leave out the middle part by accident.
So please keep this in mind regarding the limited coherence and incomplete state of the comments which I was allowed to post.
Let me also encourage you to look at a shotgun as a useful defensive weapon.
Growing up on the Great Plains, I've bagged more than a few birds and animals and feel more comfortable with a shotgun in my hands than a pistol. I took a hunter safety course (required by the state to hunt) as a 7th grader. If we could encourage more people to take similar courses, it would help demystify guns. Instead of and evil talisman, people would see them as tools which require skill and care to wield, but that have a purpose.
In fact, I have a hard time expressing the sense of loss and sorrow I feel that times have changed such that a gun rack in your truck holding your favorite .30-30 and your 12 gauge will cause you to be branded a possible "domestic terrorist." If we could get people comfortable with responsible gun ownership and gun use there wouldn't be such ambivalence toward anti-gun legislation.
LawhawkSF:
Dennis is a wonderful man with a finely tuned mind. Our turn to the Republican party has been greatly eased through his wisdom.
Sarah:
Nothing wrong with pretty in a firearm. As long as it does not impede function.
Bravo Whiskey:
"Can I help you?"
Brilliant and chilling. Can I use that in my next script?
Robert,
I'd love to say yes, but that's what I do for a living and it's going into mine
Thanks for the compliment!
How embarrassing. First my Part 3 appeared to have vanished after I submitted it, so I posted the comment which followed my Part 3. Now Part 3 shows up after all, making the follow-up look stupid. Gotta love the baffling inconsistencies of the respondent program in this website system. Sorry to be cluttering up the page.
Mr. Avrech, couldja please delete these 2 posts which follow my Part 3?
wag a muffin:
Friends who were also at the screening told me that the police never showed up—duh—and so about twenty minutes after Karen and I made our get-a-way, everyone else trooped down to the garage and vamoosed. There was a massive traffic jam in the garage. Thank G-d no injuries.
Sarah,
There is nothing more Beautiful than a woman who can defend herself (and her children). Just ask Mr. Avrech, He lives with one.
A truly excellent series. Thank you so much for sharing your recollections. I hope people learn something from stories like this – don't think it can't happen again and will you be calm enough and prepared enough to stay safe it if it does?
Yes. The police are not there to prevent crime. They are there to investigate the crime after it happens. All the cameras in the streets, all the detectives are there to help find the perpetrators of the crime. If all the planets and stars are aligned, and you never saw a black cat in your life, you may be lucky enough to have a patrol car be nearby during an actual crime. Should we rely on such astronomical odds? And to anyone who has listened to 911 recordings lately knows, such as that horrible chimpanzee attack, advances in communication don't seem to be any more helpful in getting help quickly.
Robert,
Once again, your writing skills and your conservative sensibilities have produced an outstanding piece!
I too was a "liberal" when I was young. Although I've never voted democrat in national elections, I was involved in green peace, animal wildlife fund, etc. I lobbied for tighter government controls on business because of the impending global cooling. I spoke for gun control at college debates. I think I even gave money to PETA 30-35 years ago… oy vey! As Winston Churchill is often misquoted as saying" If you are a conservative at 20, you have no heart. If you are a liberal at 30, you have no brain."
Times have changed — I'm married to my blond, protestant version of Karen. We have 3 kids and a 4th coming in less than a month. Now days, I still support conservationism and environmental management issues, but I've seen the folly of global warming, gun control, and placing your trust in "government programs". When it comes to personal (or family) protection and career achievement — rely on 3 things: G-d, family and self. Of course, it *does* help to have Mr. Colt's and Mr. Brownings tools by your side!!
One final thought: For over 230 years, America has lived by this motto — "In God We trust" Now, Obama has promised us change… does anybody really think that's a good thing?
Mr. Avrech.
Great story and personal insight into the LA. riots. FWIW, a great site on 1911,A1,.45acp's is M1911.org. History of the1911, ops, maintenance, diagrams, to troubleshooting and "race guns". A great question to ask a person(young) is "what are the reasons for owning a gun?" Then ask them,"what is the purpose of a knive?". Hollywood presents a distorted reason for owning a gun, which is to murder a person and then defend your reasoning as "self defence"(see lawyer). If your raised in a enviroment where a pistol is primarliy "reasoned" for target practice, competition shooting, collecting, and for the admiration of the mechanics/artistry of the pistol, the person is less prone to see it as a object to be picked up first and foremost to end another person's life. Which is to say, do you think when the bow/arrow was the best method for gettin' some vittles and self defence, was it "seen by society" primarily for "taking human life"? Well at least until those cowboy movies came about.
Mr. Avrech.
Great story and personal insight into the LA. riots. FWIW, a great site on 1911,A1,.45acp's is M1911.org. History of the1911, ops, maintenance, diagrams, to troubleshooting and "race guns". A great question to ask a person(young) is "what are the reasons for owning a gun?" Then ask them,"what is the purpose of a knive?". Hollywood presents a distorted reason for owning a gun, which is to murder a person and then defend your reasoning as "self defence"(see lawyer). If your raised in a enviroment where a pistol is primarliy "reasoned" for target practice, competition shooting, collecting, and for the admiration of the mechanics/artistry of the pistol, the person is less prone to see it as a object to be picked up first and foremost to end another person's life. Which is to say, do you think when the bow/arrow was the best method for gettin' some vittles and self defence, was it "seen by society" primarily for "taking human life"? Well at least until those cowboy movies came about.
Robert, great reading, as always! I've got a Colt Commander here in North Dakota, but Sprinfield is cool, too! LOL
This is something that has had me puzzled for many years. Because, with literally thousands of years of incredible violence aimed directly at them so many Jews refuse to believe how "real and present" the danger to them always is. And why they continue to support ideologies who are nothing but a danger to them is beyone my comprehension. I may be over stating somewhat but I can promise you that if I were Jewish I would be armed, locked and loaded ALWAYS. Heck, I'm a Gentile and those are my plans.
No need to come for the guns, just out price the ammo and the guns are nothing more than a toy.
Gittes:
I don't have a delete function. Sorry. But don't be embarrassed. Please. We all understand about the gremlins in the comments section.
Gittes:
I don't have a delete function. Sorry. But don't be embarrassed. Please. We all understand about the gremlins in the comments section.
Aguy:
Thanks so much for your analysis of the distorted reasoning. I never thought of it hat way, but I think you're abolutely right.
Taggart Snyder:
Glad you like the series. I've never used the Colt Commander. Now, it's on my list. Thanks so much.
Nicole:
Thanks so much. It can definitely happen again. Fasten your safety belt if Obama doesn't win his bid for a second term in the White House.
And that is why there are 8 month waiting lists for AR-15's these days. Ammo is in some cases 8 weeks and has gone up 30% since 11/4/08.
Robert, the Colt Commander is today's version of the M1911A1. Even with a hand as tiny as mine, it's comfortable to shoot, and the size of the hole it puts into the recipient pretty well guarantees he's not going to keep coming at you. It's my second favorite weapon, after my pump action shotgun. And if you ever do make it to Virginia, be proud to head up to the NRA range and shoot with you.
HEY! I invited Mr. Avrech and Family to the commonwealth first! (besides, both of you will have .45's and I jsuyt have a 9mm).
Okay, if he does make it here, You'll have to find a great kosher place where we can all have dinner after the range.
I was just gonna invite myself to go along with you…. As for kosher, I can do that research — always up for a new restaurant.
[...] post was the Big Lizards’s “The Great Dictator”. Second place honors went to Robert Averech/Big Hollywood for “The Burning Of Los Angeles: The Gauntlet” and Self-Evident for “The ‘Geithner [...]
[...] Submitted By: Joshuapundit – Robert Averech/Big Hollywood – The Burning Of Los Angeles: The Gauntlet [...]
[...] Part III [...]
[...] Part III [...]
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