We are all immigrants!

I  do not understand the attitude of those on the left regarding the recnt moves by the state of Arizona to curtain illegal immigration.  If the truth be told, we are all immigrants.  The only true Americans who can claim status as natives, are the Native American people.

My grand parents came to this country in the early part of the 20th Century. My mother’s side of the family came to my hometown from Quebec Canada to help fill the need for labor in the textile mills which my hometown was known for.  I do not know much about my father’s family.  One of my great grandparents became a farmer in a nearby town after escaping from the Ukraine.  My grandfather immigrated from Poland.  On my mother’s side, the Theriens, my grandmother;s family, settled into the French speaking community.  My grandfather would come later.  They raised seven children.  One died as a child, one died in a car accident, and I have no record of the others.  My uncle Jean and my mother stayed in my hometown.

My parents met shortly after WWII.  My dad left school just before the end of  WWII to enter the Navy.  He never made it overseas, as the war would come to an end as he was in training.  My mother dropped out of high school and found work in the dye houses which served the textile mills.  They met after the war and were married in 1952.  My parents were both bi ligual.  During visits to my dad’s side, I would hear Polish, while French dominated the conversation with my mother’s relatives.  While I did manage to retain some French, the Polish language escaped me.  I did however inherit a love of languages.

Family gatherings were always difficult for us.  We were caught between two cultures.  I was not until after my dad’s death in 1971,that our family ever felt a sese of unity.  I am the oldest of three children.  My sister and brother remain in the area to this day.  Both have had their own success and their families.  My sister has two children, both of whom are Americans by birth and culture.  For reasons of my own, I chose to leave the are and settle here in Springfield with my wife and our animals.

My point is that while I am proud of my background, I am an American.  I am a product of a mixture of cultures.  I am the product of people who entered this country legally, who worked to build it, and who themselves became American citizens.

I see no problem with legal immigration. We will always need to be open to those seeking freedom and who wish to pursue a dream.  We must, however honor the dreams of those who came before.  To do this we need three things, border controls, an English language requirement, and a limit on the numbers of those we allow into the coutry legally.

A country without borders soon loses it’s identity.  With no restrictions, would the Southwest become part of Mexico?  Would New England become a Canadian territory?  Would the Southeast become a haven for Cuban?  It would be too easy to break up what we spent too many years to build.

A common language serves to unite our nation.  The English language makes it possible for us to communicate from border to border and sea to shining sea.  A Texan can talk with a California native, and I can speak comfortably with my friends from any part of the U.S from my home here in Massachusetts.  Those who cannot or will not learn the language condemn themselves to life within their ghettos.  They hold themselves out of mainstream America.  My decendents had no choice, they had to learn English or starve.  They chose to learn.  I favor a mandatory use of the English language by all government agencies.  All new immigrants must be proficient in the language.

Limiting legal immigration is my last point.  We need people, we need talented hard working people, but we only need so many.  Strict limits on legal immigration would allow those here to become part of the culture.  They would find useful work and become productive residents.   If for some reason,they cannot find work legally then they should return to their native countries.  

I am a proud American.  I thank God that I was born here.  I will do everything in my pwer to keep our flag flying high.  A symbol of freedom to it;s citizens and a becon of light to the world.    John

I am a Capitalist!!!

Sorry no posts for a couple of weeks.  that is aresult of doing 170 hrs over that period.  Yes, it is tiring, but I am glad to have the work.  Thanks Tony!

I have a confession to make, I am a devoted capitalist.  I am a firm believer that if you put your money at risk and work hard, you should be rewarded in the form of profit.  Profit is what motivates folks to work and is what keeps the economy moving.  If you read this, you know a bit about me.  I make my living as a pizza delivery specialist for a Domino’s Pizza franchise. 

Even though I am currently driving a company car, for most of mycareer in the business, I have driven my own vehicles.  This has required an investment on my part of capital, (buying a car).  In addition, I have had the normal operating expenses, gas insurance and repairs.  I invested the money in hopes of providing transportation for my family and creating profits. 

 A driver for our company gets paid three ways, a wage, a car allowance and tips.  With me having the car, my allowance goes back to the company.  I however do not pay for gas insurance and repairs.  My franchisee lets me take the car home and allows me to use it in my off hours for a reasonable mileage rate.  This saves me the expense of having to buy a vehicle for now. Thanks again Tony! 

When you take the car out of the picture, I do not have an investment to worry about.  Sorry folks, you are wrong again.  The fact that my compensation includes tips, means that I have to hustle if I want to make money.  For me to make money,there have to be customers.  The monre deliveries I make, the more money my franchisee makes and the more I can make.  In addition, the amount of hours that I work depends on houw business is.  I may get  hours to begin with, but with more volume, there is more demand for my services. 

Now how do I help create more volume?  How do I make more money for myself and the others I work with?  While there are factors beyond my control, I try to give my best effort every day.  I show up on time,with a clean vehicle and I do what is asked of me both in the shop and on the road. I enjoy my work and it shows.  Sometimes it is something as simple as paying attention to detail.  Getting the orders out fast and correct.  Giving  customers their change and not an attitude.  Closing a gate behind me or petting a dog.  In short, anything I can do to get that phone to ring.

Am I rewarded for my efforts?  The answer is yes.  My franchisee values my work.  He showed me that last fall when he purchased the car for me to use.  At that point, he could have turned his back on me.  I am rewarded daily in the form of the tips from the customers and weekly in the form of a paycheck.   Most importantly I am rewarded by the friendships at work and the situation at home where Janet and my two little poodles wait for daddy.Unlocking the dorr and hearing the barks of the dogs, and the call of the bird is simply priceless.

More to come  John

Looking forward and looking backward

I will not be with my brothers and sisters at the TEA parties this year.  I hope to do a few run bys with the PT Cruiser at Springfield.  Fortunately I will be working this year.

Last year I attended my first TEA Party at the Springfield Post Office.  I went there  with an open mind and a curious spirit.  Who were these people, I wondered?  Much to my surprise, I found them to be like me.  Young and old, gay and straight, Republicans, Democrats and independents.  I found lawyers who spoke English and a few immigrants who could barely get a few words out.  There were while collars, blue collars and unmployed folks from every race and creed.  There was no sadness, no anger and no hate.  What I found there was happiness and joy, faith and hope.  There was a new spirit of freedom and patriotism.    One year later, the movement is moving forward.  This blog you see here was begun as a result of my experiences of that day.

A few weeks later, I returned to work and had to leave the group.  I no longer could commit myself to the time needed to be involved directly.  I did however find another group of  like minded folks at Sound Off Ct. with Jim Vicevich.  Jim is no longer on the air, but has moved on to his new show at www.radioviceonline.com .  The show airs from 10am to noon.  When time permits, I will be there!

Recently I had a chat with a fan of my former internet racing columns.  He mourned the fact that I was no longer writing racing.  I explained to him that I was involved in the sport for some 30 years.  I had a blast doing it, but the time had come to move on.  I saw my first race in the 60s at the old Westboro Speedway in Mass..  My active career in the sport began at Seekonk Speedway in Mass during the 1971 season.  Over the next twnty years I visited a number of speedways in the Northeast, first as a track drunk, then as a sober member of the community.  Later I would go on to write several internet columns, first regionally then nationally.  There were three factors that made me leave the sport. 

The first was censorship.  Going to a blog format means that I can call things  as I see them.  I would rather give up exposure than have to limit myself to a format.

The second was a work conflict.  Toyota came in and Dominos Pizza was sponsoring a Toyota.  I am no fan of Toyota in NASCAR.  Rather than risk my job, I decided to move on.  Dominos has now left the sport, but I see no reason to return.

Finally, in order for me to be able to write and write well, I have to have something to say.  Something that no one else is saying.  There are so many folks covering the sport today that I would be lost in the clutter.

Would I ever return to racing?  Good question.  I would not say no if someone were to ask.  It would have to be the right situation.  Maybe just an occasional column to share a few good memories.  Maybe a commentarty on the drug and alcohol problems in the sport.  Till then, I am just going to keep blogging away.  John

It is time you had a choice!

In the last post here, I mentioned that  I had polled several Mass. GOP candidates about issues on which I have strong opinions on.  I told them and or their campaigns that I would be dropping them from my Facebook page, if they failed to respond.  At the end of the week, I will begin to take that action.  In addition, I will be dropping several other pages.  That is my CHOICE!!  It is my page, and I want to give space to people and groups that represent my views on variou topics.

A couple of the topics that I asked about had to do with taxes and spending.  Those were general.  For me, the most important questions were those regarding free choice of the indivdual, specifically Gay marriage and the Second Ammendment.

Gay marriage is a hot button topic here.  It was forced upon the citizens of the Commonwealth by the judical system.  The voters never got to have their say.  I am totally in favor of equal rights for all, but I view marriage as something between a man and a woman.  It is as old as civilization itself.  Marriage provides a stable, (hopefully) bond between a man and a woman to raise children and continue the species.  Gays and lesbians should be free to practice their lifestyle as long as it does not impose on others.  Show me a way in which two lesbains or two gay males can produce children without outside help and I might buy it.  Otherwise, no go.

I am not a gun owner.  I never will be.  I have not held a weapon since my time in the armed services and hope to never again.  That is my CHOICE! Still, I favor gun ownership by indivduals.  Many enjoy guns for target shooting or hunting.  Others need them for protection.  When I see a gun in the posession of a qualfied person, I feel safer.  I think that we need more guns on the street, not fewer.  Knowing that someone might be armed might give a potential criminal a second thought.  Am armed citizen at the right time and place could have possibly prevented one of the several robberies which I have been a victim of.  I get upset when I see politicans make themselves look good by proposing laws which interfere with second ammendment rights.

Are you thinking about buying a “Smart” car  in order to help with global warming?  If so, look at some of the crash videos on You Tube.  Be sure to have a barf bag handy.  Do you feel safer in your large car or SUV.  If that is your CHOICE, be prepared to buy and hold your current vehicle.  Beginning in 2016, the EPA will be increasing CAFE standards dramatically.  All in the name of global warming.  The size and shape of cars and trucks will change and you CHOICES will be fewer and more expensive.

Are you still a smoker?  I would like to thank “Buck A Pack” Duval, for decreasing my spending ability by some 20-30 dollars a week.  My wife is not well and if she gets pleasure from smoking that is her CHOICE, but why should I be forced to pay an increasing percentage of my income in taxes?

I would also like to thank the governor for a decrease in my tip income with his increases in the meals and sales taxes.  At a time when I need every dime to meet increasing costs, I get wacked.  I have to pay these taxes every day.  I have no CHOICE!

In November of this year we will have a CHOICE.  I encourge my readers to take advantage of it.  At this point, I will infrom you that I CHOOSE to endorse Karyn Politio for Treasurer and I CHOOSE not to endorse Charlie Baker, the GOP candidate for govenor. 

More CHOICES to come.  John

One Man Can Make a Difference

Have not had time to blog lately and there a couple of topics to discuss, so here goes!

Someone who reads this blog is going to make a difference.  I believe that with all my heart.  My father was a firm believer that one man could and should make a difference.  That we should all, in our own way stand up and make ourselves heard.

In the 1960s, Urban redevelopment programs where taking place all across the country.  My hometown, Woonsocket R.I. came up with an ill fated proposal which would have destrpyed the working class area in which we lived.  My father and a small group of concerned neighbors, stood up to the powers that be.  To this day, that neighborhood stands tall and proud if a bit worse for wear.  A tribute to those who would fight city hall.

In the 1970s a small business owner took two young men under his wing. One became a skilled mechanic, another went on to college, a stint in the military and after battling alcoholism became an internet journalist, husband, bird breeder and pizza driver.  Thanks,  Florian Marquis Jr of Woonsocket  R.I.  aka Junior!

In the 1970s, a racing fan befriended a young drunk  in the stands at Thompson Speedway in Ct.  After a call from God, he went on to found “Racing With Jesus Ministries” providing a needed service to the men and women of New England motorsports,  His weekly columns in several newspapers reached thousands more.  When that young drunk put down the bottle, he became  counselor, spritual advisor and mentor.  Several years after his passing, his work continues at www.rwjm.com .  The late Pat Evans.

Jim Vicevich can stand tall and proud.  Even though WTIC has failed to negotiate a contract with him and he is no longer on the air, he leads a group of like minded people with the help of the internet.  Last year with my job on the line,and my wife in the hospital, Jim and his followers welcomed and loved me.  I can say nothing more except. www.radioviceonline.com

This last person is going to say that I am brown nosing, if so, so be it.  I do not know any better way to say thanks.  I have known Anthony Patalano of Domino’s Pizza for some 9 years.  Whewn I needed a part tie job, he hired me.  When I gave him all kinds of grief, he stood by me.  When I gave him every reason in the world to fire me, he did not.  Last year when my home was on the line and I could not find a job, he hired me back.  Last fall after I wrecked our car and had no way to buy another, he stepped up and bought one for me to use.  For a nominal fee, he lets me use it for personal use, asking only that I maintain it and keep it clean.  I really do not know any other way to say this, so thank you Tony for making a difference, not only in my life but in the lives of all of us who work for you.

WTIC Boycott!!

Are you a fan of “Sound Off Ct” with Jim Vicevich?  Although Jim has not advocated it, many of us in the group are boycitting WTIC in Hartford Ct. Recently Jim and the station failed to negotiate  a new contract.  As a result, the show is off the air.  The community that supports Jim is as strong as ever.  This morning’s chat session had one of the largest groups ever.  If you want to stand up for Jim, and for free speech, contact WTIC and share your thoughts.  You can also find Jim at the link above.

Polling all candidates for office in Mass and Ct.

As of late, my facebook page has become rather crowded with candidates for office.  Rather than let it go unchecked, I have decided to aske each to answer grou of questions regarding state, national and party issues.  Candidates who fail to answer or whom I disagree with will be dropped and will get no further support from me.  I have already decided to endorse Karyn Polito, the GOP candidate for treasurer.  She answered the poll and is in agreement with me.  Charlie Baker will get no support from me.    If you have questions or comments, contact me at kokoracer@gmail.com

That wraps this one up.  Thaks to all for your readership and support.

A Health Care Free Zone

The biggest topic of recent days has been the President’s push to enact a health care bill.  To be perfectly honest, I am sick and tired of it all.  Let’s get a vote, up or down and be done with it.  If you want to read about  the bill, feel free to go to some of the great sites that are covering the topic.  One of my favorites is www,radioviceonline.com .

When I started this blog on another site, I had simple goals in mind.  I want to voice opinions, I want to entertain and most importantly I want to make you think.  I have a number of interests ranging from my home and animals to NASCAR, model railroading and politics.  Any and all are topics to be covered here.  I may at some point launch a blog dedicated to model railroading.  Time will tell.

Have you visited my FB page lately?  I would like to welcome several of my new friends.  If you go there, you will see friends from work at Dominos Pizza, both past and present.  Another group comes from the Sound Off Ct. chatroom.  I love to hang out there on weekday mornings from 9-noon.  Still others come from the world of politics in general.  There are folks like Sara and Rush along with local pols.  I plan on challenging some of the local pols in the near future.  Any who do not largely reflect my views will be dropped from the page. Model Railroading, NASCAR friends both past and present and a group from Woonsocket R.I. High School’s Class of 1972 round out the page.  It may not make sense to some, but that is who I am.

I wonder, will NASCAR keep enforcing their drug policy?  Already this season, several crewmembers from a supporting series have been indefinitely suspended.  Last year Jeremy Mayfield’s case made big news.  I wonder what will happen if a major name in the sport makes a mistake.

Like many businesses, NASCAR finds itself stuggling to fill seats and get ratings.  Yours truly was once a big fan, only to lose interest as the sport moved away from it;s roots.  They are making changes in hopes of increasing interest.  I made my journalist name as a writer on the motorsports scene.  My plans are not to return to writing strictly NASCAR any time soon.  I had my shot at the “big time” and walked away.

Been doing some reasearch on railroads both past and present.  President O Bama’s push to increase high speed rail is another one of his projects which I feel is doomed to failure.  I am a big rail fan to say the least but i feel that rail has a very important purpose going forward, the movement of freight, not people.  Hi speed rail needs two things to be successful, a dense population base and enough passengers to make it work.  Intercity hi speed rail will only work when there is no other competition.  Unless fuel prices rise, people will fly or stick to their cars.  Freight rail has several things going for it.  It can be profitable without government subsidies, it saves fuel by being more efficent and it reduces congestion by getting trucks off the road.  If the current administration really wants to help,they can do so by helping railroads increase useage with loans for infrastructure and reduced regulation.  If they want to concentrate on passenger rail, one option would be to increase funding for mass transit and commuter rail.  These systems can work but only with an influx of taxpayer dollars     Amtrak as it stands now is a waste outside the coastal areas.  The taxpayers pay $50 for every ticket Amtrak sells.  This can be justified where the demand supports the service, but otherwise, why spend the money.  We would be better off concentrationg on the East Coast, specificially Boston-Washington and California.  Acela hi speed rail is drawing passengers away from congested airports and highways in the Northeast.  California’s system, despite it’s need for a subsidy, has proven successful in getting natives off their highways. 

A friend of mine was recently talking about how successful her blog has become.  I am not looking for a large readership at this point.  Been there and done that.  At this point, I am not sure where this is going or whether I want to continue.  I will say this, if you like what I have to say, feel free to comment.  You can find me in the chatroom or email me directly at kokoracer@gmail.com

Thats it for this lap.  John

As it stands right now,

New England Media, Then and Now

This blog is dedicated to my old friend, Mike Andrade, Boy Scout Troop 26 of Woonsocket R.I. and the Woonsocket High School class of 1972.

My friendship with Mike goes back to elemetary school at Hope Street School in Woonsocket.  We were members of a gang of kids who hung around together.  We attended school together and became Eagle Scouts along with his cousin Jack, John Beattie, and several others in 1970.  Mike and I recently hooked up on Facebook and his emails and posts gave me the idea for this column.

I have always been interested  with the media.  I am an avid radio listener and a devoted reader.  Even with the current fixation with the internet, I listen to a lot of radio and read at least five magazines each month.  Two of the magazines are from Hemmings, dealing with vintage and muscle cars, while the other three deal with trains, both real and model.

Recently we lost a legend in New England media, Don Kent.  He was a fixture on Boston radio and television when I was growing up.  I thought it might be fun to pick some of my favorites from New England from yesturday and today, just to give them a moment in the sun.   Here are my top picks, from yesterday and today.

Blasts from the Past!

If you know New England racing, you know these folks

Dr. Dick Berggren, a pioneer in stock car racing media, on television as a broadcaster.  Dr Dick is still active with a magazine, but I remember him best from his time with “Stock Car Racing”.  A racer himself, he editied that fine publication and gave space to one of my failed racing ventures.  Thanks for your friendship .

Val LeSieur,  The owner of ” New England Speedway Scene” a weekly racing paper.  At one time he published a column by a novice minister, Rev Pat Evans.  I looked forward to reading the paper when i was in the military.  Later I would work for the paper briefly and Val allowed me to be a part of his yearly “Racearama” trade show.  I have never forgotten Val, his wife and son.

Wally Saleeba, The voice of Seekonk Speedway.  In 1971,I stared attending races at Seekonk, a 1/3 mile asphalt oval, located between Providence and Fall River, for me, Wally would be the standard for track announcers.

Rev Pat Evans, Racing with Jesus Ministries.  Now what is a minister doing in a coumn oabout the media?  Pat had a way with words in his columns, whter they be in “Speedway Scene” or later in another publication.  He could teach the gospel and yet not be preachy.  Pat was a friend for many years and inspired me in my recovery, my writing and in my walk with the Lord.

Radio Stars

In Woonsocket we had two radio stations, WWON and WNRI.  Both were tiny by today’s standards, but gave an ear to the youth of the area.  I made my first radio appearenceas a guest on WNRI while doing public relations work in high school for the ecology movement.

Larry Glick, WBZ radio.  A pioneer in late night talk, sometimes serious, often funny.  I would secretly listen late at night with my two transistor radio snuggled between my pillows.

Jerry Williams, WBZ radio.  Anothe talk pioneer, often mentioned by Howie Carr as a mentor.  A libertarian in a state full of democrats, he railed against seat belt laws and the Viet Nam war.

Salty Brine, WPRO radio and television .  What would this column be without a morning host or a kiddy show?  While others might have liked Captain Kangaroo or Rex Trailer, Salty was my favorite tv host.  His morning drive radio shows on WPRO were a great source of information that the Woonsocket stations did not have.  Salty was truly a R.I. legend

Todays Top Picks

When it comes to political talk, I have become a real junkie  for that I blame Dan Yorke who is currently on WPRO in the afternoon drive slot.  While overshadowed by another host and station in that time slot, Dan keeps it real and keeps it local.  He hooked me while he was here in Springfield for a time and then moved on.  I missed him until I was scanning the dial and caught him by accident. 

Jim Vicevich of WTIC in Hartford has become an addiction for me.  Jim has a wonderful supporting cast in the form of his sister Barbara, and many more. Most weekday mornings willfind me here in my computer room with Jim on the radio and the Sound Off Ct chatroom on my computer.  When Janet was in the hospital, both Jim and the room came to my aid.  I have bcome a somewhat regular caller and a grateful member of the chat room

Howie Carr WRKO Boston.  What an opinionated loud mouth bastard!  Howie has a newspaper column in addition to a four hour radio show.  He backs his words and rants against the Boston pols, the hacks, and goverment waste and corruption.  He was a major force in Scott Brown’s recent win.  I have been trying to make the Chump line for weeks, but have not heard my melodious voice yet!  Guess that is the price I pay for working in the dreaded private sector.

There is one more favorite to add here.  Problem being that he is neither a New Englander, nor a member of the local media.  I love Jeff Katz!  Check out his posts on my Facebook page.  Good stuff!

That raps up another lap,   John

Hello world!

Welcome to the New Pipe Smoke Blog.

My name is John Kokolski and I hail from Springfield Mass. USA.  The New PSB is the newest adventure in a writing career which goes back to 2000.

The first PS column made it’s debut in the fall of 2000, on angelfire.com.  At the time, the format was recovery from alcoholism combined with coverage of the local auto racing scene.  Over the years, the PS name has apeared on several auto racing sites, both regional and national.  Times have changed for yours truly and even though I am still a fan, the sport has taken a back seat in my life.

I would like to dedicate this blog to my father, the late Stephen Kokolski. He taught me the virtures of honesty and hard work,  Most importantly he taught me to speak my words and stand by them.  He also taught me that one man can make a difference.

Where do we go from here?  Many of you who read this blog are already my friends.  This blog will appear on my FB page and at Sound Off Ct.  Who knows  where else?

A bit of background

I was born in Woonsocket R.I. and attened the public schools there.  After a stint at Providence College, I completed my education at Rhode Island College with a B.A in Liberal Arts in 1979.

I am a US Army veteran.  I served from 79-82 as a Field Artillery Survey Specialist.  Traveling to Oklahoma for training. Serving in Louisana and Germany during the Cold War did a lot to shape my world view.

My auto racing exposure began in 1971 with visits to Seekonk Speedway in Seekonk Ma.  Over the next 30 years I would be involved at different levels of the sport in areas as diverse as a track drunk to a sober member of teh racing media.

A friend of Bill  W.   I began my recovery while station in Germany with the US Army.

Today I live in Springfield Mass, wher I am emplyed by a local Dominos Pizza franchisee.  I share my home with my wife Janet, two small poodles, an afrcan grey parrot and many smaller birds.

My interests include NASCAR racing,  politics and railroads both full sized and model.  My HO railroad is called the Springfield Southern.

The term Pipe Smoke has a double meaning.  I am a pipe smoker and have been for many years.  My trusty corncob is a constant companion.  In my early days of recovery, I carried the nickname,  “John the Pipe”.  In auto racing, to tell a lie is referred to as blowing smoke.  A really fast car could be said to be smoking the competition. 

This new version of the PSB wil be all over the map, from personal news to politicalviews.  Railroading both moedl and full sized.  In other words, if it interests me, you will see it here.

When time permits, I plan on launching a separate blog for my friends in model railroading as I document the progress of the SSR.