The Beauty of Driving a Type II

VW I.D. Buzz all-electric concept van.

  I came across an article today that mentioned the new Volkswagen Cargo bus concept vehicle along with an accompanying photo of the all-electric vehicle. My first inclination was they put the wrong photograph in the article, but on closer inspection I discovered it was in fact the aforementioned vehicle. I was not impressed.
  Oh it's not the fact that it is an electric vehicle that bothered me so much (but it does bother me) and it's not the fact that it looks nothing like the vintage air-cooled VW type II's we are all so familiar with. No, what REALLY bothered me was the fact that Volkswagen just doesn't seem to get it. They don't seem to understand WHY the Volkswagen was so loved in the first place, be it the Type I Beetles or the Type II Buses (or the Type III square backs, fast backs and notch backs and even the later Type IV's). There are two hard and fast reasons why the air-cooled vintage VW's hold a special place in our hearts.
   First is the simplicity of the vehicle itself. The engines are so easy to work on even I can rebuild one - and I'm definitely not mechanically inclined! And then there is the bodies. Aside from their obviously lovable distinctive shape, they mostly stayed the same over the years of production with little variation. The Type II (Buses or Transporters) probably had the biggest variation when it went from the iconic split window front end to the distinctive bay window front end. The Type I (Beetle's) biggest variation was arguably going from the classic pre-'72 style to the stouter Super Beetle body style from '72 on. Yet all in all they were all easily worked on by the average owner, be it engine work or body work.

VW Type II Split window bus. Note the driver sits directly
above the front wheel.

  Secondly, and to me most importantly, is the sensation when driving a Type II. The driver (and passenger) seats are directly above the front wheels. The sensation this gives the driver is totally unique among passenger vehicles. When turning a corner the perspective of the driver is completely different as is the sensation of actually turning the steering wheel while you enter and exit the turn. No other common passenger vehicle enjoys such a setup as to offer this beautiful sensation in driving.
  I suppose other vintage car owners experience similar melancholy reminiscing about the lack of beauty in design and performance in current cars compared to their vintage models, but I do feel the Volkswagen air-cooled models of yesteryear are solely in a class unto itself.
  In my misguided daydreaming adventures I can't help but think with all the technology available today, that Volkswagen (or any other car manufacturer for that matter) can surely come up with a simple, cost-effective and environmentally sound re-visioning of the vintage Volkswagen today and not some futuristic wanna-be knockoff concept.

Guard Your Tongue

  When I used to smoke I enjoyed it and didn’t think much about it... until I stopped. After not smoking for a while I would watch other people smoke and it just looks so stupid and unnatural.
   There was a time in my life I cussed fairly regularly. Then I stopped. Now when I hear people cuss (especially when they say the f-word) I cant help but realize just how juvenile it sounds. I mean it’s almost like everyone who cussed is determined to out cuss everyone else. This was hammered home to me a few years ago when I went to a rock festival in Charlotte, NC. (And subsequently to many live music performances locally). When I made that observation I realized it IS juvenile! It’s like a bunch of kids at the playground during recess trying to out cuss each other when the teacher isn’t listening. In reality though the teacher is ALWAYS listening! He hears everything!
   There was a time when if you were out to eat nobody would use foul language, even if a person did cuss he respected that others in the restaurant didn’t want to hear it and they also didn’t cuss because they respected the possibility that kids might be in the restaurant and they didn’t need to hear it.
   Fast forward to 2018 and people have become so desensitized to vulgar language that they have lost all consideration of others and think nothing of cussing in public, be it a restaurant, a store or someone else’s home. It’s time we got back to decency in our society and our language is a great place for each individual to start. Each individual is responsible for the words that come out of their mouth. Once something is said it cannot be unheard. Everyone should guard the words they utter for their words reflect their soul and if your soul is darkened by foul language then your soul will be lost. Sound like a bold statement? Possibly it is, but then the Bible IS a bold book, for James 3:16 and James 1:26 tell us a person who uses foul language has a worthless religion and it follows that if their religion is worthless they will not see heaven.
   If you've read any of my past blog posts you will see this topic is one I have written about several times. I suppose you could say it is an issue I champion. The morality of our society is in shambles today and I firmly believe of the many things we need to do to fix our society, cleaning up our language is something each and every one of us has the ability AND the responsibility to do. I hope you as an adult reading this post will remove yourself from the playground and be an actual responsible adult by guarding and protecting your language.

You Can't Handle The Action!

It seems after every shooting, and especially school shootings, we hear the clamor from the out-of-touch leftist celebrity elite for changes. Liberals call not only for gun control but gun banishment. In fact a headline in the news just this week has singer Kelly Clarkson DEMANDING action be taken (click here for link to news story).
  The problem isn't that these people seek changes to fix the problem, the problem is they want a quick fix to the problem and they don't want the changes necessary to fix the problem. You see, fixing the problem will take time and it will take commitment and most importantly it will require a change in thought - none of which the vocal minority is willing to accept.
  The problem of shootings, be it one on one shootings or mass shootings, is rooted in our society's lack of compassion and love for our fellow man. And where do we as individuals in our society find that compassion and love? It can only be found in one place... God.
  Now regardless of your views on religion the fact is love is from God and compassion is a by-product of that love. If we are to attain that love we must seek to put others before ourselves, we must put the love and nurturing of our children before our own desires. Single parent homes, once rare, are now the norm. By and large the perpetrators of a vast majority of the shootings in our nation are from a single parent home or from children in foster care. That is NOT to say single parents and foster parents are to blame. It is however a condemnation of parents who do not work to stay together and to demonstrate love and a loving family to their children.
  So the first step to solving our national crisis of shootings is to turn to God. Turning our lives over to Him will naturally lead to the second step of committing ourselves to maintaining a traditional family unit with love and devotion.
  The third step would require our anti-religion zealots to step back and allow God back in to our schools and government buildings. Teaching and posting of the ten commandments and allowing prayer in school. There is no need to teach or indoctrinate our children in school with a particular religious dogma but the basic tenants of Christianity are applicable to all people regardless of religious views.
  Sure there are plenty of other things we can do along the way to turn the tide of the shooting epidemic going on in America today (such as advocate for restrictions on the porn and video game industries as well as the entertainment industry which also glorifies violence and sex), but at the root of it all... the basis by which our nation can regain it's strength and moral fibre is God. For God IS Love (I John 4:8)
  So you want to demand action? So do I but, to paraphrase Jack Nicholson's character in A Few Good Men - "I don't believe you can handle the action!" Because the action required is for YOU to change YOUR heart, as I have worked to change mine.

Nazi Educators In America

  I am deeply disturbed today as i read the news. In particular I just read a story about a young man, a college student in fact, who was “booted” from a class he was required to take in order to graduate because he dared to voice his beliefs in class which were contrary to his professor.

  Lake Ingle, a senior at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (I know a weird name for a school) was attending a lecture entitled “Christianity 481: Self, Sin, and Salvation” by Professor Alison Downie. After showing a 15-minute TED Talk by transgender ex-pastor Paula Stone Williams, Professor Downie asked the women in the class to comment. Mr. Ingle, after seeing no women were responding, spoke up and presented his views. He told the class that biologists maintain there are only two genders - male and female. Instead of allowing Mr. Ingle the opportunity to speak freely and have an open discourse on the subject, Professor Downie proceeded to shut Mr. Ingle down, had him removed from class and referred him to the school’s Academic Integrity Board. Subsequently he was barred from attending the class and his graduation put in jeopardy.

  It is not only shameful but also repugnant that so-called “educators”  at schools of higher learning are given free-reign to indoctrinate young adults in such a horrific manner. Our universities teach false-hoods of multi-sexual identities (a fancy way of saying they believe there are more than two sexes in our species), they teach that those with opposing views should be silenced, that their view is the only view allowed. Sadly these indoctrinating thugs are no different than the early rank and file members of the National Socialist German Workers Party, more commonly known in English as the Nazi Party. Yes, I said it. The Nazi’s sought to exclude those whose political ideals were not in line with their own, they sought a collective subordination of individual rights and persecuted those of faith. How is that unlike our liberal educators, in fact how is that unlike most of those who follow liberal ideals? Conservatives are eager for open free debate while liberals try to shut down free speech and truth in deference to their own ideals.

  Obviously not all liberals are so close-minded and not all conservatives are so open to debate, it is however the pre-dominance of close-minded liberals who have created such a great chasm socially, politically, spiritually and economically in the United States with freedom loving conservatives. It is the pre-dominance of these close-minded liberals who have fostered and encouraged hate in our world. 

   If we as a people cannot learn to allow freedom of speech, to allow for the free and open debate of issues without threat of backlash, if we cannot tolerate differences among ourselves we are doomed as a country to the fates of the great empires of history - annihilation and destruction.