Cars Vs. Mass Transit: The Case for Each Person Being in Control

Robert L. RosebrockOP-ED

Have you been noticing how more and more politicians are pressuring us to give up the freedom and independence of our personal cars and to start riding the bus?

If you drive your own car, enjoy its liberty and autonomy while you can because a powerful movement is afoot that wants to remove us from our personal cars and force us all into alternative, substandard methods of mobilizing ourselves.

Wendy Greuel, Los Angeles City Councilwoman and Chairperson for the Council’s Transportation Committee, recently declared:

‘Duty, Honor, Country’— Why You and I Should Actively Support Our Troops

Robert L. RosebrockOP-ED

[Editor’s Note: For a complete account of one military veteran’s fight to preserve what he regards as a sacred American tradition, see three earlier stories: “Restoring Dignity, Healing America’s Shameless Behavior Toward Voiceless Veterans,” Dec. 20, “Replacing ‘Duty’ with ‘Beauty’ Is Blasphemous, Says Veteran on a Mission,” Dec. 21, and “The V.A. Wall of Words Dispute Is Only Half Resolved,” Dec. 28.]

Thefrontpageonline.com recently devoted a generous amount of coverage regarding the “Beauty, Honor, Country” fiasco at the National Veterans Home in West Los Angeles. In addition, there was straight-talk about how we, as a society, need to be more responsible and help to preserve and protect the Home that was specifically deeded 119 years ago as a safe haven for our disabled veterans.

Help Us to Save the Veterans Home

Robert L. RosebrockOP-ED


[Editor’s Note: This letter that is directed at military veterans across the country came to the newspaper from Mr. Rosebrock, a longtime Westside entrepreneur.]

To my brother and sister veterans:

It is very important that veterans from across this land know why there is a battle to save the Veterans Administration’s Veterans Home in West Los Angeles. Recent developments regarding land use decisions at this location are obviously the direct result of recent elections. Before I tell you what they are, however, I want to share some background and lay the foundation of our "call-to-arms" by the at-large Veteran Community.

V.A. West L.A. is the largest and most valuable piece of property the V.A. controls — notice I do not say “own” — 387 acres, that was specifically, yes, specifically, deeded (in 1887) as a gift for the rehabilitation of returning Civil War veterans. The deed includes the statement, repeated no fewer than 7 times, "permanently maintained." That means that when the Civil War veterans passed on, other veterans would have a healthy live-in community to enjoy this gift throughout their respective rehabilitation. There should be no doubt that the pioneer Californians of the Arcadia Bandini family awarded ownership of this land to every veteran who reads these words.