Yes, Ben Stein, We Shall Overcome!

Ben Stein writes about being Republican in Hollywood. Post election, folks furtively coming up to him that giving him the secret nod; whispering the words. In Hollywood! " He cupped his hand over his mouth and took my hand. "We won," he said. "We won."

I knew exactly what he meant. "You can talk about it," I said. "This is America."

"Yes, but it's also Malibu and I don't want people yelling at me."

I had this huge grin on my face reading Mr. Stein's column today -- I RELATE! lol! I know this type of "environment". Memory lane: Came back from Rush's Bake Sale in Ft Collins, Colorado in 1993. Put a sticker on bumper: "Who is John Galt? Ask Rush."

On the positive side? Stuck in dead traffic snarl, people leaping out of their cars running towards mine! (Eeek!). People knocking on my window saying: "Hi! I Love your Bumpersticker!!" We'd exchange names and other data. Parked car, away to shop, do errands, come back and my car is blocked into its slot by another -- with people sitting in the car -- waiting for me. (Eeek!) People jump out of their cars .. to smile and shake my hand.

On the downside, of course, I became a pro at fixing my own tires. In my driveway, no less than 15 times.. always a new nail or new screw, obviously hammered into my tires. Eggs, paint, mud mysteriously appearing "as thrown" at my home. Mysterious newspapers with "alarming" articles of (death and mayhem) circled. I also became quite good at locating a color match of my car's color, to fill in the mysterious long streaks of.. scratch. But no one touched that bumpersticker.

Sure, sure... my detractors and Rush's detractors certainly up held my rights to "free speechism at the bumpersticker"... but, uh..

And then KSFO came into focus -- right talk radio. More bumperstickers. Lots more activism.

Yep. "We" overcame. Still a mountain to go, but I DID get to witness good people coming out of their seclusion to join in on the fight for liberty. Civilian style, and against the pro-war mentality of the socialists in the Bay Area.

"This is the way it is here. We meet in smoky places. We give the high sign, we nod knowingly. We are like members of the Maquis in Occupied France. Or early Christians emerging from the catacombs in Caligula's Rome. We are the GOP in Hollywood, and on the West Side of L.A. The culture here is so dominantly left-wing, PC, vegan, hate-America that many of us feel we have to behave as if we were underground.".

Yep. That's exactly how it felt in the east Bay San Francisco, too.