The current media blitzkrieg is "Women in Afghanistan." Why do I find myself thinking more Republican after the election? I am a democrat, whatever that means today. The parties significantly have changed over the last decade, so former ideologies of either party no longer are accurate. I am sympathetic to the "Black Lives Matter" movement, because black men are being murdered by the police. Each incident should be evaluated separately. If two deputies were shot dead serving papers on a subject, then isn't it logical paranoia would circulate within police departments? It would be best to be on your guard serving papers, but also you must be calm and evaluate your individual situation. It seems there is premeditation in many of these cases involving police serving warrants. They are familiar with the situations of their subjects, and apparently there is bias against them. This does not sanction murder. The problem in America largely is with the police, and it began with the LAPD decades ago. They take a proactive offensive stance toward organized crime, but due process also is required. Body cams are proving to be a mediator as well as cell phone cameras. Most people wouldn't be carrying digital cameras with them during their daily routines, so perhaps there is a small degree of merit to an iPhone. What it does not provide in the least is a responsible, educated, comprehensive guide to driving. I would be bold enough to say that the personal device, palm pilot, or cellular phone directly are responsible for many deaths across the glove. Why? It is simple, but today's Republicans would argue it is your inalienable right to text while driving, or not take the vaccine, or not wear a mask. This callous and short-sighted behavior can kill other people. We have begun a civil war all ready, when my neighbor continues to endanger my life with his narcissistic demands of personal freedoms. If you are willing to sacrifice the life of your neighbor, because you are not willing to wear a mask, then that behavior demands to be accommodated. Know your enemy, and they are all around you. It is exhausting battling your enemy, corporate America, your neighbors. I would rather spend my time doing fruitful things, rather than waste it. One thing is for sure, and this is a perfect metaphor for a decline in the understanding of value in America, is that spending anytime on a personal device while driving is a disservice to your fellow man. In my day to become a Driver's Education instructor, you had to pass the State Highway Patrol Trooper's exam. This meant you understand the intricacies of driving a motor vehicle and its inherent dangers. America no longer is concerned with such a thing. We hand out Driver's Licenses like passports. (More money for insurance companies, the state, and local lawmaker's budgets.) States' need for local funds has usurped many necessary procedures in everyday life. I got my driver's license renewed on the internet! No eye test. No written test. No nothing. They sent it in the mail. When you are at the wheel of a five thousand pound moving projectile, there is no place for a personal device, except maybe a cigarette lighter. Values in America drastically have changed, because of the iPhone. When one looks back thieves once were interested in car stereos. This was the only way you could hear "tunes" in your vehicle. When they broke into your car, they would steal your car stereo. They units had value. They also used to steal bicycles. No one is interested in either today, because we are spoiled. When you drive the fun of driving is thinking about all of the things you learned in Driver's Ed. "How many car lengths should I provide for each ten miles per hour of speed? How do I execute this three point turn? When should I signal? How do I relate to my fellow drivers?" These things seem archaic, but they still should be fresh on the minds of every driver on the road. Never have they ceased to be important. It is just we don't abide by them anymore, and therefore Fayetteville, North Carolina tops the nation's list of worst accident scenarios. Tops in the nation for vehicle accidents, because the Police fail to enforce traffic laws. It is like a Nascar race driving in Fayetteville, and nobody cares. Accident? More money for the hospital. More money for the insurance company. More money for the body shop. This now is how we have come to think about life. People are expendable. When I drive, I pay attention. I am alert. I crack my windows and listen to the sounds of traffic. I am proactive about my own survival, and no one else is. Instead it is like Romper Room, marbles rolling around self-absorbed, manic, and insensitive. If there were a few words which would improve our quality of life immediately in America, they would be "Drive slow." Take it easy. Pay attention. Look around. Is it really that important that you get there right now? What have you got to lose, a few minutes of your life?