"...and the best part of this- no millenials! No safe spaces here." The Decline of Polite Society and Harley-Davidson
"You're part of the problem," I thought, the second a Viet Nam veteran made this statement to me as we were walking toward Patriot Harley Davidson for Rolling Thunder. We were walking toward the main stage to hear Dr. Bruce Heilman , an amazing storyteller and one of the surviving members of the Marine force that landed on Iwo Jima, provide his take on Memorial Day. The difference between Bruce Heilman and the gentleman walking beside me could not be more stark and gave me something to ponder as we rode toward the Pentagon. I'm fully aware that events like these mean different things to different people. Case in point, the first year I went, I just wanted to be part of the crowd. It's fun to be in a pack of thousands of motorycles riding on a closed highway, waving at kids and enjoying the camaraderie. The great weather, the very well organized Harley dealer and Fairfax Police, and the presence of so many veterans, friends of veterans, and motorcycle en