What was once the sign of a rebel is now the sign of a conformist: Tattoo. You too? ~ In Palm Springs, California, art critics and spoil-sports have protested the presence of a Marilyn Monroe Statue. ~ Television streaming companies are taking their customers to the cleaners with additional fees and inserting advertisements: A Prime Rip-Off. ~ Volkswagen once again shows its disdain for the American consumer: Volkswagen Robbery. ~ The politically correct crowd is at it again: Picnic is no Picnic. ~ McDonald’s has the heat turn on it with Hot McNuggets and Once Burned, Twice Shy? ~ Youngsters attempted to kill their teacher, but Rats! The Poison Didn’t Work! ~ An out-of-control penis erection: It’s all in the Head. ~ A child cannot tell the difference between a real butterfly than one on a phone screen: Being Somewhere Else.  ~ Political correctness is on the prowl again, making for a Blue Christmas. ~ There are words and gestures that we use over and over. Here are some examples: This and That. ~ I have become illiterate in this smart phone world by my  sticking with my treasured dumb flip phone. Losing the ability to communicate, I am forced into Flipping Phones. ~  One of the most controversial subjects of this decade (2020-2030) has been how to deal with COVID and its variants. This article, Moral Manslaughter I, presents a pro-vax view on the subject. ~ Your writer, finally admitting he needs some assistance getting around begins to use a cane. Here’s a description of this change in life: The Cane Mutiny. ~ An accurate and beautifully rendered diorama comes under the assault of the politically correct crowd: Diorama Accuracy.  ~ A visit to southwest America and a celebration of the cowboy and cowgirl: Lea County Rodeo and Fair. ~ Once again, America’s citizens come through.  This time regarding the coronavirus: America Steps Up. ~ Hours upon more hours are spent on the phone waiting for an online service to answer our calls to complain about their service: Call Waiting.  ~ The English language is often spoken differently in America’s southwest and its east coast: Regional Tongues. ~ The rigor and challenge of public school academic requirements today pale in comparison to those of a few decades ago: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. ~ Traffic jams are driving drivers’ brains to jelly: Jams and Jellies. ~ This essay discusses several issues:  Views on sexual abuse. ~  The 2018 Palm Spring International Film Festival was a big success. ~ A reflection on how the conventions of marriage ceremonies have changed over the past few years:   Click on A  Wedding for the Times. ~ More thoughts on free speech with this link: First Amendment 101.  ~  The Los Angeles city government is getting rid of Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples Day (I am not joking).  ~ The ranchers’ taking over a wildlife refuge in Oregon has reignited the debate about the use of government land for cattle grazing and whether the government should have control of over 30 percent of America’s landscape: Rural Welfare? ~And   Clipping: The increasing use of video and sound bytes in movies and television. ~ Political correctness on a college campus: Suppressing Free Speech.  ~ Another article on the suppression of free speech: Gag Disorder. ~ A criticism of the  Charlie Rose and Sean Penn interview. I have great respect for Mr. Rose, but his treatment of Mr. Penn was unfair and elitist. ~ Floral Infanticide: A failed attempt at gardening, one many readers will understand. ~ A Taxing Tax Refund: A short tale of woe about taxes and tax returns, one too many citizens experience.  ~ Age Discrimination: A case study of a competent woman who is denied employment because of her age. ~ Searching for Needles: Accounting for the loss of loved ones and grief. Should a line be drawn? ~  Meeting Richard Simmons, the fitness instructor, in Hollywood. ~ My confession about addictions to curio stores and T Shirts: T Shirts Anonymous. ~   Book Signings explains why a former book signer no longer attends book signings. ~ Take a walk down memory lane with Memories Are Made of This. ~  More people are undergoing plastic surgery to win beauty contests and avoid The Ugly Factor. ~ Visiting Lincoln County, Fort Sumner, and other Billy the Kid venues. ~ The Roswell Man: Fantasy? The Roswell Man also examines religious and scientific canons. ~ The arrogance of The Virginia Cavaliers contributed to the founding of America.  ~ A trip back to the old-time movies and Drugstore Cowboys. ~ Our addiction to Collecting Stuff, leading to the booming storage locker industry. ~ Racism in Idaho: A report on the Aryan Nations and the ten-year anniversary of their demise. ~ A Class Act: A trip back in time to a High School Class Reunion. ~ An Unclass Act: A once-respected actor, Charlie Sheen, seems to self-destruct. ~ Revisiting America’s cowboy culture at a National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration. ~ One of my friends is helping our youth to excel: Doing Well at Doing Good. ~ A tribute to Robin Williams:  Mork Meets Earthlings (I). ~  A walk back in time to the generations who settled parts of America’s southwest: Generations. ~ Many of my readers are from the southwest America. I suspect you will be familiar with at least parts of this story. I hope all of you will go the the referenced website and help the cause of correctly naming this trail the  Great Western Trail.