34th Annual Christmas Parade

Here in Ridgecrest, in the high desert of the Mojave, we had a parade. It was a totally politically incorrect parade, and it was joyous.

Ridgecrest, being the town next to the Navy Base out here in the desert, probably has more PhDs than Los Alamos. We also have thousands of young families with little kids. This town more and more reminds me of the towns back East where I grew up, and that is a blessing, believe me, here in Southern California, the P/C capitol of the planet.

Our parade consisted of the fine Navy and Marine bands, the colorful and exacting Honor Guards, our familiar local police in their bright cruisers, our local city and military firemen with their big, shining trucks, and the Forest Service men and women from the Sierras with their firestorm equipment.

There were Kiwanas dressed as clowns in their micro cars and tricycles, and many mounted horsemen in full costume on all their beautiful steeds.

Last, there were many colorful floats towed behind semi-tractors from every church on Norma Street, each of them highlighting the Nativity scene that makes this holiday season have real meaning.

Leading it all was the well dressed, professional marching band from Burroughs High School playing Christmas carols. I know many of those high school kids, having taught them in independent classes, and having spoken at some of their events. Every one of them are winners with bright futures ahead of them.

In all, it was a beautiful parade and thousands of our local residents came out to see it all. As far as I know it was not televised, nor were there any on-the-air radio DJs about. It was just our small town, having a local, low tech, home grown parade.

Watching it all, and seeing so many friends and acquaintances, made me both proud and humbled.

Proud to be living in this free land, where there are still places where people can express their love and their religion unmolested by thought police armed with lawsuits threatening to shut down anything resembling the old fashioned family values or Christian virtue that made this nation great to begin with.

Humbled too, for the honor of being a part of all this, for the memories from my youth were filled with this kind of thing. I remember Christmas pagents at my public elementary school, and the simple morning prayers my principal used to offer over the intercom. How far away that all seems in this sterile, morbid, modern age.

Here is hoping each of you find that which blesses you this holiday season, and that you find it in the freedom to experience it and to express it as publically as you wish.

Roger