[…]

Also defunding the Left is leading us into a real civil war. Shit will turn much more violent soon. When their $ spigot is turned off, people become desperate.

I asked my mom if we could stop and take a closer look. She pointed to the barbed wire fence that stood in our way, and my eye was drawn down the entire length of the barricade. It went on forever, separating the road from the entire river. Not far off, there was a small driveway that travelled over the river and up to a stately manor in the woods.

My face screwed up in confusion as I said, self righteously, “You can’t own a river! That’s not fair!”

“That’s my son.” My mom replies, proudly.

---

I was around 9 years old when I first heard about the Boy Scouts. Camping?! Learning how to make knots?! Campfires?! S’MORES?! I had no idea such a club even existed, and I was thrilled. When I thought about my chances of joining, I reflected on how often my mom wanted me to do more extracurricular activities. Anything to get me out of the house and out from under foot.

After school, Ninja Turtle backpack bouncing wildly, I bounded up to my mom in excitement and began listing reasons why I absolutely needed to be a Boy Scout. “S’mores,” I said. “S’mores!!”

“Do they let girls join?” was my mom’s question.

Silly mom. “No! It’s called BOY scouts, mom!”

“Then no, Andrew. I’m sorry.”

Dejectedly, backpack dragging on the ground, I went to my room to try and learn knots by myself.