To my fellow Patriots at SCRW&M,
We have traveled a long way together on this journey.
I tried to think when it was that I first became involved with SCRW&M. It has to be at least about 20 years. I think we were meeting at the Tam O’Shanter in Glendale at that time, or was that later? That was before moving to the Smoke House in Burbank.
I have always felt that SCRW&M was a special organization, different from other clubs, even though I was the President of another Republican Club. The “Forum” where members get to participate and express their opinions is a very compelling part of the attraction of SCRW&M, and something that other clubs should consider.
Several years ago, some of us thought the club has reached it’s nadir and was going to close, but the mantle was picked up by Howard Hyde, who, along with Virginia, did a fantastic turn-around and brought the club back to its former greatness, and beyond.
You and I have fought many battles together. Some we won, others we didn’t. But the fight made us feel we were doing something to preserve the Founding Principles of this country, which all of us stand for. At times it has seemed like a losing battle, but think of what California or the country would be like if we were never in the fight. We have put our thumb in the dike to hold back the flood. We have countered the Left by holding rallys, by writing articles, by sending letters to the editor, by telling the truth to our friends, families, and co-workers, and by doing what we can to get Republicans elected to office. And, we got Donald Trump elected President.
I have been fighting in this war for the past 40 years. More actively, the past 20. I was born, raised, and lived all my life in LA. I went to school here, attended university here (UCLA, sorry Bill S.), raised my children here, built a business here, but now sense that it is time for me to leave. Neither California nor Los Angeles is the same as I knew them growing up. The State and the city have been taken over completely by the Left. I thought the laws passed under the Jerry Brown administration were egregious, but what is happening under the Newsom administration is inconceivable and incomprehensible. It is painful to see what is happening to this once-magnificent place.
As Thomas Paine eloquently stated, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” I have undergone the fatigue of supporting it, and now am ready to turn the fight over to those who will carry on.
Maureen and I are moving to Fort Mill, South Carolina, in January 2020. We will miss each of you, and we want you to know that we stand with you as you do your best to return California to its former glory.
And so we bid you a fond farewell, and look forward to all that you can accomplish. We will be following the progress of SCRW&M from our home in South Carolina.
As that prolific poet, Anonymous once wrote,
“Though miles may lie between us,
We are never far apart,
For friendship doesn’t count miles,
It’s measured by the heart.”
God bless you, and God bless America.
Au revoir,
Gary
BEAR TO THE RIGHT 