On my way to breakfast Friday (7-27-07) I was asked by a mutual friend of ours how I felt about the concert Brenda and I attended Thursday night. My answered confused him. I responded humbled!

Well I've had nearly 30 hours to think about it and I still feel the same way. Brenda and I took a bus tour to the Sean Hannity Freedom Concert.

We don't attend a lot of concerts, the last one was Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas concert here in Las Vegas about 3 years ago. And we don't do bus tours, never! So this was very unusual for us. With that in mind let me tell you about our trip.

We gathered early for the promised breakfast, it turned out to be Krispy Creams, Brenda enjoyed them but I can't take the sugar. Brenda went next door for something I could eat and I found us seats. No sooner had I sat down when a striking young couple joined me. Striking because he is about 6 foot and she's 4 foot something. Striking because every time she looked up at him her eyes lit up so much it warmed everyone's heart. Her shirt read "I (Heart) ARMY!" She smiles (up) at me and say he's Army and just back! I got to talk with Larry and Erica Carter a bit, he was in deed back less than a week. An Army National Guard member, one of the first things he said was "I joined for the week ends." He then went on telling that he'd spent the last year in a tank in Iraqi. There was no bitterness, no regrets, and no pessimism! His story was positive, he told of the good we (The USA) are doing, and that most of the people there, were grateful for our help. Now that's not what I heard on the national news. If my day had ended after the 5 minutes I spent with these two young people it would have been a great day.

On to the busses and a long ride to San Diego. The people were pleasant with not a foul word uttered for the entire trip. Thousands of people packed in tight at the concert and they're all friendly. Those of you that know me, know I walk with a cane, and just barely at that. These people actually did their best to make me comfortable, not like on the streets.

The show was very good, a little too loud, but very good. But, it was the enthusiastic patriotism that I'll never forget! It was in a word from this old Marine, humbling!

Watching the news it's hard to believe people could behave this way. Not everyone agreed with our President, it fact I'm sure more of the audience liked the GW Bush impersonator on stage than the President. But, they were patriots! They could discuss things without personal attacks and irrelevant four letter adjatives. There is hope for our country and the world.

An o' so short night at a motel, then Brenda and I met with a mutual friend who got up early to drive an hour to have breakfast with us. Then back on the busses. A now very tired group, remained polite and well spoken.

It wasn't until we were back and out on the public sidewalk heading for the parking lot that we realized just how pleasant it had been.

Our trip was over we were back to: people arguing in public, not by exchanging ideas, just exchanging absurd insults, often anatomically impossible, their foul adjatives not clarifying though, but replacing it. No idea was to personal, no words to vulgar that they wouldn't utter them, loudly in front of all within ear-shot.

I think we'll go again next year, two whole days of friendly, well manured patriotic people!

Bill

William J Archambault Jr

The Real Estate Investment Institute

http://www.reii.orgwatch/Watch for my post: "Wheaties" about breakfast with a mutual (your's and mine) friend.