Final Graveside Movements: Funeral Service for My Father Richard C. Drew, Sr.

I was extraordinarily moved by the graveside service for my father, Richard C. Drew, Sr. who passed away July 20, 2010. He was 84 and a veteran of World War II. Over the course of the day, I found that I had collected clips from the military portion of his funeral, a view of the sun from almost the exact location where he died, and a few of the stargazzers in the floral arrangements at his funeral.

Here's the link to the eulogy I gave at his funeral. http://johndrew25.blogspot.com/2010/07/tribute-to-my-late-father-richard-c.html

John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an award-winning political scientist.

A Tribute to My Late Father: Richard C. Drew, Sr. (1926 - 2010)

My father passed away this week and I thought it would be appropriate to share some comments that would be comforting for my father’s siblings, his wife, his children and his grandchildren and – perhaps - his great-grandchildren. He is pictured here on the right holding the hand of his younger brother Albert Drew. He died peacefully on July 20, 2010.

1. For His Siblings: He was born in Michigan in 1926. This is the same year welcomed Queen Elizabeth, Andy Griffith and Marilyn Monroe. While my father was in elementary school, he endured the economic disaster of the Great Depression and after high school served in World War II in the U.S. Navy. As I said during his eulogy:

He had two siblings: a sister, Marilyn and a brother, Albert. His family moved
to California in 1933 and his siblings always struck me as contemporary
Californians while Richard was much more of an import product of the Mid-West. I
know he valued their time together as a family…and spoke tenderly about a trip
he made to Redmond, WA in 1985 when they were last all together.

If you want insight into my father’s childhood, I recommend you check out the 1983 movie A Christmas Story. My father identified with the main character, Ralphie, a nine-year old Hammond, Indiana boy whose fervent Christmas wish was to receive "…an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time." (The thing which tells time is a sundial.) Ralphie, of course, continually hears the refrain: “No, you’ll shoot your eye out.”

2. For His Wife: Richard met my mother, May, and they got married in the 1950s. From the photos of their early married life, you can see that they were an ideal 1950s couple. My mother is extraordinarily beautiful and you can tell that being married to her was the best thing that ever happened to him.

3. For His Children: My earliest memories of him include kissing him as he came home from work. I still remember the smell of his after shave…and love and affection he had for me. I remember him, at the height of Cold War, stockpiling materials for a nuclear bomb shelter in the garage including wood frames, army water tanks, military food rations and burlap bags. Because of time constraints, I could not fit this into his eulogy, but I meant to say:

It goes without saying that he loved his job as a CAL-OSHA safety engineer and later as a top manager. When I saw him at work I was introduced to a whole new world of power and authority, a world in which opportunities for devoted public service were supplemented by lunches with his colleagues at Italian restaurants with fresh sawdust on the floor or by visits to cafeterias that looked like movie sets complete with colorful lights, waterfalls and California-themed dioramas.

Politically, he was an ardent anti-communist, a Goldwater supporter, and early Reagan supporter. My father took to Scouting – especially its religious values and code of character - and was remembered for it for many years. He raised money and took us to National Jamboree where we saw Bob Hope perform. He was active at district level and had the number one Boy Scout Camporee Troop in 1976.

4. For His Grandchildren: Later in life, he was a devoted grandfather who loved hosting the grandchildren (seven in all) at his house in Big Bear for the holidays. Remembering how much fun I had as a child playing around the Newhall house, I’m sure it warmed Richard’s heart to see his grandchildren happily running around the same hunting grounds.

5. For His Great Grandchildren: My father’s great grandchildren will undoubtedly learn about him from YouTube videos, blog sites, and genealogy charts - all freely available on the Internet. They will find he represented a proud tradition of American values and patriotism, a tradition extending all the way from the Civil War to the American Revolution.

Nothing was more moving to me, at my father's funeral, than the final moments when a naval officer handed a folded U.S. flag to my mother and said: "This flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation as an expression of appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service."

I expect his great grandchildren will see a profound link to our nation’s heritage my father's life and in his love for God, country and family.

There is a special on-line obituary for him at http://bit.ly/9GiO7Z which includes a beautiful photo essay illustrating his life, career, and rich family connections.

John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an award-winning political scientist.

Mike Griffing - California Nurses Association Staff Member - Identified as One of Thugs in New YouTube Video

One of the thugs seen in the YouTube video of a recent California Nurses Association (CNA) rally is a CNA staff member named Mike Griffing. I placed a call to Mr. Griffing earlier today and he said he was referring all comments to the CNA's media department. The media department's number, however, is busy. I'll be surprised if I hear back from them. At any rate, there is a great website post at an anti-Jerry Brown website that give you full details about Mr. Griffing. See,
http://nogovernormoonbeam.blogspot.com/2010/07/community-organizer-who-assaulted-gop.html

I'm grateful that YouTube caught Mr. Griffing assaulting some young, smaller guys because it demonstrates a number of persistent theme to me. The first is that on the left violence against others is justified by their ideology. As I learned from Thomas Sowell's book, A Conflict of Visions, liberal ideology is based on an expansive view of human capacity which justifies violence against those who - supposedly - do damage to that unlimited capacity. See, http://www.amazon.com/Conflict-Visions-Ideological-Political-Struggles/dp/0465002056

The result, predictably, has been years of violence from the left against members of the right.

Secondly, I think that there is also a sense on the left that it is okay to harass and intimidate young men if they are white and conservative. This is part of the racism of the left, a racism that they don't seem to want to address. As a victim of affirmative action, I saw this racism face-to-face and it wasn't pretty.

John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an award-winning political scientist.

Push This: Goons from California Nurses Association (CNA) Hit and Harass GOP Supporters

Sadly, this YouTube video features goons from the California Nurses Association (CNA) ganging up and hitting some smaller, younger white guys covering the event with their cell phones. One of them also lies about what they just did...on tape.



This harassment incident took place on the Canada College campus. It was after the CNA folks held a rally right outside Meg Whitman's home in nearby Atherton, CA on July 15, 2010.

I think this video deserves to go viral as a remarkable demonstration of contemporary union intimidation against innocent people. It deserves to be publicized so that the CNA understands that it cannot harm others without enduring negative publicity.

It sort of makes you think of the California Nurses Association in a whole new light. Doesn't it? If you'd like to contact the CNA, their website is at http://www.calnurses.org/contact-us/

The earlier rally in front of Meg Whitman's home attracted about 1,100 people.

For a little on the controversy surrounding this stunt to pressure Meg Whitman, see http://cbs2.com/video/?id=139518@kcbs.dayport.com I find it offensive that the the CNA would be putting pressure on Meg Whitman in this manner...especially given what you see on the video tape.

According to information on Meg Whitman's specialized website for nurses, Rose Ann DeMoro is the executive director of the California Nurses Association. Apparently, DeMoro is a former Teamster organizer and not - as you might expect - a nurse. Most important, DeMoro currently is paid more than $293,000 a year and her husband, Robert, is also on the California Nurses Association’s payroll with a salary of $142,254. See, http://www.truthfornurses.com/

Surprisingly, a large percentage of their membership is Republican.

(FYI: I called the media representative at the CNA today to get their side of the story and to check on the names of the people involved in this incident. The guy hung up on me. So much for my experience as a journalist.)

John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an award-winning political scientist.

Wow! California Voters React to Obama's Soft Treatment of New Black Panther Party

It looks like Rep. Brad Sherman (D) stepped into a mighty buzzsaw when he claimed he did not have any knowledge of the U.S. Justice Department's handling of the New Black Panther party's polling place intimidation case. These townhall meetings just are not working out for Democrats.



Right now, I'm a resident of Orange County, CA. Nevertheless, I grew up in the northern part of Los Angeles County. I trully identify with the concerns of Rep. Sherman's constituents. For personal reasons, I was struck by the attached YouTube video - newly released - of Sherman's constituents reacting to his comments that he did not know anything about this highly inflammatory mistake. You can hear the crowd erupt with anger.

I feel their pain. I know that area. My parents were raised in Glendale. I was born in Behrens Memorial Hospital in Glendale. I know the people in this video like they are my own relatives.

As you can see, they are largely white. They are extremely well-informed. They also have a vivid sense of justice and fairness. (They are not racists as the mainstream media would like you to believe.) They are people who think everyone should be treated fairly. In their view, the idea that the U.S. Justice Department would not protect them against New Black Panther racists - like King Samir Shabazz - is just repugnant and completely unacceptable.

Rep. Brad Sherman won his seat back in November 1996. At the time, it was one of the most expensive House races in U.S. history. His comments in this video demonstrate he has lost touch with the people in his district and that he deserves to be retired - immediately. It was silly of a Harvard Law School graduate like Rep. Sherman to pretend that he didn't know what was up regarding the lack of punishment dished out to the New Black Panther party by the Obama administration.

John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an award-winning political scientist.

The Evil of African-American Racism: Time to Take It Seriously

Sadly, the Obama administration's failure to punish King Samir Shabazz for intimidating white voters has now encouraged even greater expressions of violence against white people.

As a victim of affirmative action, I know exactly what it is like to be the focus of the hatred of the black community simply because of my race and sex. The way I was treated by affirmative action in California in the 1990s is now illegal. What is dangerous is to look the other way and go into denial about the danger of black racism.

We should learn enough from history that people who talk this way are only moments away from taking action on their heartfelt beliefs.

The YouTube video above is a partial indication of how Attorney General Eric Holder's decision was interpreted by the leaderhship of the New Black Panther party.

 The joking and laughing remind me of Hitler making fun of the Jews.

 King Samir Shabazz was, of course, caught on YouTube advocating the murder of whites and their children. We would be foolish not to be alarmed at a government that doesn't take these threats into account when enforcing the law.

 We should be all the more cautious given the reputation of the liberal left for leading the mass murder of millions of people in the 20th century - people who did not buy into their Marxist socialist agenda.

John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an award-winning political scientist.

Glorious Leader Gap: Obama’s Islamization of NASA

The video below is a terrific illustration of the absolute silliness of the Obama administration's out-of-touch with reality approach to the Muslim world. In this clip, the top NASA administrator, Charles Bolden, says that Obama's top three priorities for NASA now include the charge to help the Muslim world "feel good" about its historic contributions to math and science.



You can catch the whole, crazy exchange in the full Al Jazeera interview. There are other alarming concepts suggested by Charles Bolden including massive praise for the multicultural aspects of the Space Station, a hostility to outsourcing to the commerical sector, and his fear of the idea that NASA is only looking out for NASA. I've felt, for a long time now, that NASA is a big, dangerous, technologically out-of-date, waste of money. Objectively, the last thing we need is Muslim terrorists in space.

It seems like we would be better off having Charles Bolden focusing on things that help America's space program and spending less time as a pretend diplomat seeking to raise Muslim self-esteem.

John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an award-winning political scientist.

Glorious Leader Gap: Barack Obama Considered "Gayness"

I am kind of proud to report that I got a call from Dinesh D'Souza inquiring about this photograph the young Obama. I explained that I found it while I was skimming the Occidental College alumni magazine (Summer 2010). At the same time, I also went through the class notes and found that Hasan Chandoo has been in touch with my old girlfriend Caroline Grauman-Boss and her friend Susan (Keselenko) Coll over the years.

I expect that all additional information regarding the lasting social ties between young Obama and his Occidental College friends will give additional credibility to my statements that I knew the young Obama and can affirm that he was a Marxist socialist in 1980-1981. As I have reported elsewhere, Obama and I used to be part of a strong, committed group of revolutionaries. The only difference, as far as I can tell, is that I aged out of that obnoxious ideology in my mid-20s.

Also, this photo illustrates other themes I've communicated regarding the young Obama including the fact that I never saw him with a girl and that he was strikingly effeminate at the time. The larger point, of course, is that the picture of himself that he created in Dreams from My Father is very different from the real Obama that I knew during the 1980-1981 school year.

UPDATE #1: Jerome Corsi has published a new article featuring my first impression of the young Obama. People ask me about my first impression and I tell them the truth.


UPDATE #2: Ironically, Michelle Robinson - the future first lady - apparently had her own doubts about the young Obama. She asked her brother Craig Robinson to check out Barack. Here is a great passage from Christopher Andersen's book, Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage:


Right after the game, Craig called Michelle with his verdict. "Your boy is straight," he told her, "and he can ball." (p. 126.)

Obviously, I was not the only person in young Obama's life who had questions about his sexual identity.

UPDATE #3: Jerome Corsi has another new article regarding Obama's time in Chicago which suggests that Obama hid his gay life to become president.

UPDATE #4: Rachel Maddow at MSNBC has launched an attack seeking to ridicule my first impression of young Obama.

I imagine Maddow does not have the nerve or the guts to air my complete and unedited first impression of the young Obama. Nevertheless, I am hoping this little bit of national television exposure will cause more people to look up my take on young Obama and judge its accuracy for themselves.

UPDATE #5: I met Barack Obama while he was a student at Occidental College. I have shared elsewhere that my first impression of him is that he was gay. (I was also one of the people that David Garrow interviewed for his new presidential biography, Rising Star.)

Giving Up All My Secrets: Dr. Drew Interviewed by Historian David J. Garrow

Consequently, I’m not surprised to learn that President Obama wrote that he “considered gayness” when he was younger. I think the meaning of the phrase is quite clear. Obama found men attractive enough that he seriously considered spending his entire life in a relationship with another man.

To heterosexuals, I think it sounds odd that President Obama writes that he prefers women simply because those relationships are more of a challenge. Objectively, I think it is much easier to get along with women than men. Men have a lot more testosterone which makes them quite ornery. I think, for most heterosexuals, the idea of having sex with either men or women is not decided on the basis of the comparative workload.

That being said, twin studies reveal that about half the folks who identify as gay as teenagers end up being straight when they grow up. For example, one study followed approximately 10,800 adolescents 16-22 years old. Among the 16 year-old males who had exclusively SSA, 61% had opposite-sex attraction at age 17. For same-sex attracted females, 81% changed to opposite attraction in just one year. The same study compared sexual attraction at ages 17-22 and found that 75% of adolescent males with SSA at age 17 had opposite-sex attraction at age 22.

Prevalence and stability of sexual orientation components during adolescence and young adulthood.

It looks to me like President Obama may well fall into that category of young men who have SSA but then end up with opposite-sex attraction as adults.

John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an award-winning political scientist. He applies his skills as a grant writing consultant in the Southern California area.

His website is at the following link: http://drdrewguaranteedgrants.com/about-us/

The Presidential Addiction in Action: Obama Caught on Video Chewing that Darn Nicotine Gum

This new YouTube video features President Obama chewing his nicotine gum in public - first at the G8 summit, later at the G20 summit in Toronto and finally in front of children in the Oval Office. I feel Obama's pain.



I have studied up on addiction and done plenty of work for charities that seek to combat alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATODs). One of my first jobs, for example, was with a government program called L.A. Link that was focused on reducing illegal nicotine use among adolescents in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. I remember interviewing a heroin addict who told me she thought it was easier to beat heroin than nicotine.

I'm not completely surprised that Obama's addiction to nicotine makes him feel that chewing nicotine gum in public is a small price to pay for stopping the withdrawal effects of nicotine. They can be overwhelming. I knew the young Obama while he was a sophomore at Occidental College in Los Angeles. We were both smokers then. I remember that I could not go a day without two packs of Marlboro Lights. Quitting cigarettes is still one of the great achievements of my life.

I was startled, however, when I learned from Jerome Corsi's book, Obama Nation, that candidate Obama was still smoking cigarettes. In fact, Corsi went out of his way to show that the manner in which Obama easily lied and hid his addiction to cigarettes was similar to his willingness to lie and misrepresent other key elements in his life story.

These video clips, however, demonstrate that Obama has gone off the deep end and - even worse - the media is not all that interested in covering up for him anymore. The liberal media hid FDR's affairs and polio, it hid John Kennedy's affairs and dependence on pain killers, it hid John Edwards infidelity - but not his affection for his hair. I think it is healthy for America that the media is no longer shy about exposing Obama's nicotine addiction.

Checking out the comments, by the way, the creator of the YouTube video indicates he got at least two of these clips from a White House website: "I had the first clip and thought it looked like he was chewing gum but I wasn't sure. The White House posted the White House Week video today where I found the other two clips."


John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an award-winning political scientist.