San Bernardino Strong

John had his second novel, Soft Target, released in 2014 - it was a fictional account of a terrorist attack in a small city in Southern California. Terrorists commandeering a public middle school in the city of Victorville which left countless dead and horrific memories to last a lifetime.

It was a piece of fiction.

On December 2nd, 2015 at approximately 11 a.m. that horror became an unbelievable reality when two Islamic Terrorists (we will not mention their names out of respect for the victims and their families as well as these two evil persons do not deserve any one remembering them), entered the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino and murdered 14, seriously wounding 22 innocent souls. There had been a planned holiday party luncheon for those who who worked for the County Department of Public Health.

Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino after the horrible event

These were the good guys and gals. Those public servants who truly believed that every day they went to work, they made a positive difference for the clients with whom they dealt. They were the ones who should be the role models for most of us.

They were everyday heroes.

Two monsters showed up (and one of whom actually worked in the office and his fellow workers had treated him - according to all reported accounts - as a colleague and friend) murdering the party goers. These were his co-workers. Evil is not even close to what this person and his spouse were during those moments and the ones that followed as they tried to elude law enforcement before luckily being gunned down.

Law enforcement heading toward the gunshots, not away.

This is a bit out of character for J and L. Most of our pieces are upbeat: about countries where we have traveled, the people we meet, and the research we conduct. But today - this is about the ones who lost their lives and the wonderful first responders.

It was a moment of personal angst for J and L since their daughter, Jessica, worked as a teacher in a small private school in San Bernardino, only a mile or so from the Regional Center. Of course, as first reports came out, no one truly had a clear vision of where the mass shooting was taking place - active cases are often fluid and this one was no different then unfortunately the ones we hear about too often.

First responders taking care of the wounded - these are heroes working on heroes

Laureen called John at work and asked if he had heard the news of the shooting, This was about ten minutes after the first shots had been reported. San Bernardino may be the largest county landwise in the United States, but not so much in the population. Especially in the realm of education where John and Laureen know many people in the field and that includes public health.

This was personal.

After ensuring that Jessica was safe and it wasn't her school, they learned that it was the Regional Center. Both J and L had been there numerous times in the past dealing with their functions in the educational world.

To say what went through our hearts as the news kept leaking out is hard to explain. Good people who do and did wonderful things for fellow citizens being executed during a party that should have been nothing but happiness was beyond reason.


Our hearts were broken as were many in the county, the country and the world, after hearing of such an evil inflicted upon such strong and honorable people. What would cause people to kill innocents for any reason? That question and many more will not be answered any time soon and to these bloggers those questions may never be.

These wonderful heroes deserve an answer and so do their family and friends.

On Friday, the 17th of November, J and L were invited to take part in a benefit -- a musical for the victims, families, first responders, and others physically or emotionally taxed by this terrorist attack. It will be the second anniversary and the musical was to be performed at the California Theater in San Bernardino.

Of course, J and L agreed to do as much as we could to assist such a worthy cause as long as J didn't have a singing role. The reasons were simple - the production was to be run one night only on the 25th of November. J may be able to take up an acting role in such short notice but singing? L on the other hand knew she could handle singing (and maybe some dancing) - she's a pro after singing for years in their own and other's productions.

As always - the Show will go ON!

Night after night of rehearsals left J and L, along with the rest of the cast, pretty exhausted, but spirits were high thanks to the bubbling personality of Shannon Maxwell. She is the director of the musical, and niece of Heather McClusky, who wrote the original script as a historical, but funny tale about the history of San Bernardino. But there is a moment during the second act where a moment of seriousness takes over the stage. It is where a song, recently written by Ms. McClusky, is sung in tribute to those lost their lives and their families, on December 2nd, 2015. It is a touching, soul wrenching number, and should be listened to only with a box of Kleenex at hand.

Unfortunately, with all things theater and film, as we've learned the hard way through the years, there are sometimes snags and delays. The musical will not be performed on November 25th, but has been postponed until March 17th. Roughly, on the 23rd anniversary of the original production.

Of course, this will not be the only blog about this production since at least one more will need to be written about the wonderful instant friends we met during those few hectic nights of rehearsal - Rebecca (who we actually have known for years by her stage name, Odessa Red), and new friends: Andrew, Patrick, Ryan, Derek, Becky, Shannon, and all the others who made those nights together memorable and enjoyable.

We look forward to more practices and finally the production. It is needed in a small city in Southern California named San Bernardino - which witnessed a senseless tragedy during a season of hope.

We are and will always be San Bernardino Strong!

Prayers for San Bernardino

The victims - the loss for us all - the Heroes

"Try to relax, everyone, try to relax, I'll take a bullet before you do, that's for damn sure. Just be cool, OK?"

Those words from a brave police officer as he escorted terrified civilians to safety during the horrendous Islamic Terrorist attack at the San Bernardino Regional Center on Wednesday the 2nd of December. No mention of the assassins' names will be printed here since that would only bring recognition to two purely evil individuals who may have believed they got a ticket to Heaven but undoubtedly are feeling the heat of Hell at this moment for the mass murder of innocents.

Or at least we can pray that is their end reward.

A Good way to end a bad terrorist!

The police officer - probably didn't know he was being videotaped and would simply shrug his shoulders and respond if asked about the heroic deed: "It's all in a days work."

Being an ex-deputy sheriff and former member of SWAT - J knows all too well the diligence and duty that goes along with wearing a badge. Those years working for the Riverside Sheriff's Department were special with friends made, lives saved and the satisfaction of realizing his badge, like all those who wear them, is the thin line between civilization and anarchy.

Are there sometimes rotten apples - bad cops - yes there are just like there are bad attorneys, bad teachers, bad business people, bad judges, and bad politicians (probably more of those than all the others put together) but this blog isn't about the aberrations within respectable careers.

This is about the men and women who each day don their respective uniforms, kiss their loved ones good bye not knowing if they will be coming home after their shift. It's not morbid but simply a reality these law enforcement personnel live with on a daily basis.

A routine day - no - but maybe . . . 

It's about the overwhelming good people doing what they are supposed to do every day.

When J was a 'copper' on the streets he would say that most of the time the job of a police officer is 97% routine and 3% stark raving terror.

That is what the fine officers - SWAT and regular patrol and detectives -faced around eleven in the morning on the 2nd in San Bernardino, California. They got dressed, said good bye to their loved ones and went off to a day at work. Hours later they would be involved in one of the largest terrorist killings in United States history.

Terrified = Terrorism

Common patrol routes turned into racing toward 'shots fired' - a training session ended in speeding toward those shots fired as 'civilians down' crossed the radios - sunny weather turned into tears from heaven as the death and casualty toll climbed minute by minute.

Not a regular day at the office for any of them - nor for the poor innocent people who were simply trying to enjoy a Holiday party at work with friends and co-workers. They to had gotten dressed in the morning, said good bye to their loved ones and went off for their normal, or thought to be, day. Horribly fourteen of these wonderful people never will return home to the comfort of their loved ones.

Some will return home but scarred anyway

It was a day which fate - that sometimes cruel master - had decided to reduce the human population by means of a couple of monsters.

The heroes on that fateful day were the police officers, the civilians who obeyed the frantic but professional order given by those police officers, and the citizens who lost their lives.

Like 45 year old Shannon Johnson who was in the building when the shooting started and ducked beneath a table for safety and then put his arm around a female co-worker and said "I got you", shielding her body from the onslaught of bullets coming their way. Mr. Johnson died - his co-worker lived because of him.

Hero - Shannon Johnson and his girlfriend at a happier time

The people who perished on Wednesday were heroes - they didn't start their day believing they would be but as they were tragically and gruesomely shot there was one other person not being shot. In a sadly rational way they too were willing to take a bullet so someone else could survive.

We can pray that there will be no more mass killings but that would be naive when humans with hard held fanatical beliefs are allowed to roam this globe. Humanity must see that these individuals should not be thought of as human with a moral understanding of what it is to be truly human - one with empathy, sympathy and the knowledge of right from wrong. This is not what they believe - only pain and suffering is their desire.

It's okay to pray

It's not about gun control but about understanding the enemy at large and then doing the right thing.

Eliminating them.

Let's Rodeo!

The concept of attending a rodeo was never in the forefront of this writer but when invited, we had to go.

It was the right thing to do!

I have seen numerous bull fights in Spain and Mexico but have never agreed that these are 'macho' events but more acts of human barbarism (a topic for a later date). On the other hand, having ridden horses for years as a teenager I knew that taking a full grown horse at a high speed in a small dirt arena and then throwing a rope from saddle to steer horns and jumping off was something only a few could do. I wanted to see it. So, given the chance we went.

At J & L we believe being a cowboy and participating in a rodeo is an old and honorable profession. We respect the hard work, dedication, and plain old 'go get 'em' attitude these guys and gals in tall hats have within them.

So, that chance came when the team were invited for an evening in Devore, California to witness the last night of the 2012 season of the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association) being sponsored by the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department. It was the thirteenth annual event and the grandstands were jam-packed with roping loving spectators.

The weather was amazing for this last bout of the season with the modern day knights ready to do battle in the oval arena to entertain the cheering crowds while trying for themselves to earn a spot for the finals being held in Las Vegas later in the year. This was the last chance for these athletes to enter into the cherished top 15 positions available so they could saunter into the never sleeping city in Nevada and possibly walk away (or limp) with trophies and prize money in the hands.

It should be noted that no animals were injured and we believe after walking around the pens all those creatures are very well taken care of and looked after as though they themselves were just as much an athlete as were the cowboys partaking in the rodeo. In fact, numerous times during the evening the famous rodeo announcer, Jody Carper, would have the crowds give a round of applause to the animals in the arena. We are not sure the horses and cows understood the adoration from the clapping and cheering but the spectators knew and that is what counted on this rather warm but clear fall night.

An exciting evening where cowboys would leap off their galloping horses after lassoing a sprinting calf and within seconds throw the animal to the ground while all the time getting the rope looped around three legs of the bovine trying to beat the next contestant. Moments later another rider would emerge from the chute with dirt flying behind his steed trying his hardest to defeat his opponent by mere tenths of a second. And we are discussing seconds here which means the difference between going to those nationals in Las Vegas or going home with a sore bum and ego to boot.

The opening ceremony included thundering horses being ridden by colorfully outfitted girls carrying tall flags attached to long wooden poles as if the riders were making haste to do battle. It was awe-inspiring to watch as nearly a dozen riders atop their steeds tore up the dirt while circling the arena time and again to the loud applause of the audience. These flags were in dedication to all the sponsors who had donated time and money to the rodeo including the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, Burrtec Waste Industries, Matich Corporation, and many more individuals and corporations.

One rich and touching moment was when, after the first galloping horses had left the arena, ten year old Brice Lore casually and calmly made his way into the west end of the field of glory and belted out the National Anthem which brought tears to the thousands of spectators watching. This young boy with a golden voice knocked the notes out into the early evening with uncanny professionalism. Our readers should remember Brice's name since we at J & L don't believe we've heard the last of this young singer.

The night was full of cowboys riding bucking horses and bulls, this is where the great 'eight seconds' to glory originated which is the time it takes a rider to have 'broken' the ride. Very few of the cowboys were able to stay mounted that long and it was easy to understand why when the metal gate swung open and the grimacing riders held on with one had for dear life while what appeared to be a pretty angry animal below them did their best to be rid of the offensive human on their back. Rider after rider spilled off the saddle sideways, over the head of the animal, or narrowly missed getting their head splintered by the rear hooves of the animal of their choice while being tossed to the rear as unwanted garbage. The rodeo clowns came to the rescue distracting the frantic animals allowing the cowboy to walk or more than once limp away from where they had eaten dirt in their attempt to best the beast.

Speaking of clowns, one of the greats in the rodeo circuit, Robbie Hodges, was on hand to stimulate the crowd with his running comedic routine when the action dimmed a bit within the arena, usually as the events changed, and he would walk the area discussing this and that to the entertainment of the crowd. His actual title is a 'barrelman' who takes shelter within a huge barrel placed within the arena during the most dangerous cowboy events so as to, like the other clowns, take the attention of the animals off of the fallen cowboys. Standing in or on a barrel while two thousands pounds of angry bovine stomp by looking for something to impale is either pretty brave or pretty dumb. In Robbie's world it's just his job and because of that dedication the cowboys can at least leave the arena physically attached if not emotionally.

Event after event sped by and the hours clicked by like minutes with the Norco Cowgirls doing a half-time show dancing and cavorting with their horses in routines which marveled even some of us older cowboys who had not ridden a horse in over twenty years let alone having horses follow trained orders. It was enough to stay on a well traveled path at a slow trot let alone tearing around a dirt arena with a dozen other riders close enough to reach out and touch one another. It was a sight to behold.

The female barrel racing showed the precision in which these young women trained as they brought their mounts dangerously close to three barrels while maintaining a speed most people would not want to ride in a straight line. Around and around beating the seconds on the clock was what called for and these gals never lost stride as they delicately but firmly made their way from start to finish to thundering applause.

As the rodeo wore down through the evening the excitement of the spectators did not as we all yelled for more speed, more danger, and more events but all good things must end as did this rodeo in Devore on this cooling Fall night.

One particularly momentous thing did arise from this visit to the rodeo and that is this writer now can proudly and honestly state:

"This ain't my first rodeo!"