Thank God for guns. Without them, people would be enslaved by other people who not only have guns but who possess a boundless appetite for power, dominance and rulership over others. History is replete with cases of tyrants subjugating and enslaving unarmed defenseless citizens. In truth, those who relinquish their guns, relinquish their freedom. As First President of the United States of America, George Washington—Father of our Country and Commander in Chief of the colonial armies who defeated the British Empire in the American Revolution—aptly, clearly, and forcefully stated:

President Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. Theodore “Teddy,” “Rough-Rider” Roosevelt became the 26th President of the United States at age 42, serving in that role from 14 September 1901 to 4 March 1909 upon the assassination of President William McKinley. Ascending to America’s highest office, Roosevelt was and remains the youngest President in American history. Roosevelt, known by his initials “T.R.,” was, to use the vernacular, a tough dude, a man’s man.

Remember this photo of the Brothers Ligtvoet (Raptor & Smasher) from August of 2019? Well, as we all know, time marches on and while old people grow older the young grow taller. Take a look at the next pic! Raptor hasn’t changed much but Smasher certainly has! He’s now taller than his instructor (guess who?) and nearly as tall as his brother. It won’t be long before the younger outstrips his elder brother, possibly.

Winston Churchill is one of the greatest leaders in world history. As Prime Minister of Great Britain, it was his will, his strength, his vision that saved his country and assisted greatly in the Allied victory over the Axis powers in World War II. Churchill was a clear thinker. He understood the serious and irrefutable importance of victory. He was not one of those “everybody gets a trophy” kind of guy.

RANK is a symbol of status, station, position or class. Underscore the word symbol. What rank is not is a manifestation of excellence of what is symbolized as a high status. Simply stated, rank does not equate to excellence, nor does rank equate to a high level of ethics, morality, intelligence or common sense. In this age of COVID, there are some misguided, imperious individuals who erroneously perceive their rank to be an indisputable declaration of unquestionable power and absolute authority.

Ah! 21! It is, arguably, the first great Milestone in any of our lives. One of the Karate Institute of America’s own is adorable Hannah. She is lovely. She is tough. And now she is 21! Hannah’s birthday party was a smashing success. But how does one have a smashing success of a birthday party in this age of COVID? Simple. You have a Zoom birthday party, which is exactly what her parents and family organized for her.