Well, Thanksgiving is over. The house is back in reasonable order, kitchenware and dinnerware are washed (except for the bowls still containing a few unpopular left-overs), and pictures are semi-permanently in the camera rolls. Now, it’s everything Christmas! And what is Christmas without Ralphie Parker in the 1983 movie, “A Christmas Story?” Just who was this Ralphie in real life, and who is he now?

Before his legendary role as the unforgettable, BB gun loving, Ralphie, Peter Billingsley was a child actor in over 100 TV commercials. Perhaps the most memorable ad featured “Messy Marvin” promoting Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. If you lived in the 80’s, take a nostalgic peek at the video clip below.

Peter, also known as Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen, was born in New York City in 1971 to Alwin Michaelsen and Gail Billingsley. Alwin was a financial consultant. Gail was a cousin to Glenn Billingsley, husband of Barbara Billingsley who played June Cleaver, mother to Beaver Cleaver of “Leave It to Beaver.” With this connection to the TV business, Gail started taking her son Peter to auditions at an early age. His first break was doing a Geritol commercial with his mother at the age of two. His four older siblings also had acting careers as children. Peter’s parents who still live in New York City involved their children in acting as a hobby for them, like soccer or gymnastics, never envisioning it would become a consuming life for them, especially for Peter.

In January, 1986, three years after the filming of “A Christmas Story,” Peter was at Kennedy Space Center as spokesman for the Young Astronauts Program. He and the classmates of the son of teacher astronaut Christa McAuliffe were on hand for the launch of McAuliffe’s first flight in the space shuttle Challenger. Their excitement turned to horror as the Challenger exploded 73 seconds into flight. That dark memory haunts Peter to this day.

His childhood education included a blend of public schools in New York, private schools in California and Arizona, and some private tutoring on set. After testing early for his high school diploma, he attended Phoenix College in Phoenix, Arizona.

After Ralphie, Peter went on to play numerous TV and movie roles winning several Young Artist Awards and was nominated for an Emmy for the movie, “Writing on the Wall,” which starred Hal Linden. His post-teenage years drew him behind-the-scenes in film and TV production where he continued his successes as a producer and director of many popular shows and even a few hit music CDs.

Currently, at age 45, Peter, continues to be very active in his life-long career of acting, producing, and directing. He lives in Beverly Hills, California. Almost all of his work is behind the camera now, except for occasional cameo appearances in his films. As you can see above, he is a rather handsome man, 5’10”, weighing 175 pounds. He has never been married–hasn’t even had a serious girlfriend–which has led some to speculate about his being gay. However, his close acquaintances testify that he is very much straight and does date women on occasion.

His net worth is estimated at around $10 million. He has a reputation of being very generous contributing liberally and frequently to various charities, mostly those helping the underprivileged and poor both in America and around the world. He seems to lead a disciplined life with little fanfare and just enjoys using his talents to make others happy. He considers it a compliment that people he passes on the street still occasionally greet him with, “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.”

Now that you’re a subject matter expert on Peter Billingsley, won’t watching “A Christmas Story” for the umpteenth time be even more fun this year?

Well, it looks like Hillary Clinton got over 1.5 million votes more than Donald Trump. Throngs of people are going nuts over that. How, they ask, can we have a country where the majority votes for one candidate, and the other candidate wins the election? Big-name Democrats across the nation are decrying what they want others to view as a grossly unfair election system. Do they have a good point? Well, in a way, but don’t be too quick to jump aboard that train.

Our founding fathers created the Electoral College process for the election of the president for good reason. Article II of the U.S. Constitution implemented the Electoral College process with the signing of the Constitution in 1787. The Article was Amended by the 12th Amendment ratified by the states in 1804. Some argue that this method was meant to accommodate the agrarian culture of that day with austere communication capability and supremacy of states’ rights. They say it has long been outdated. Certainly states’ rights were important in the formative years of our nation. The 10th Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights ratified in 1791 states that all powers not specifically ascribed by the Constitution belong to the states.

This sovereignty of  the states, ensconced in the Constitution, has been a deeply respected and strongly held belief throughout the history of America. Not only do the states hold a great degree of independence and separation from the federal government, they also are separate entities protected from each other. Unlike most other countries, the United States is, by design, a collection of united states. Although, states are subject to certain federal laws and courts, their self-governing powers are necessary for the freedoms their citizens enjoy. These powers, unfortunately, have been chipped away little by little over the course of our history.

The founding fathers made sure that each state was guaranteed a high level of equality in relation to other states. That is why each state has an equal number of Senators to complement their number of Representatives which are based on population. Similarly, the Electoral College ensures that the citizens of each state, each sub-culture, have a voice in the election of the head of our federal government.

If the popular vote determined the presidential election, the winner would almost always be determined by those in the highly populated northeast states and California. The candidates would only campaign in those few states and the victor would be accountable to those states. The votes of the rest of the population residing in the vast stretches of  middle-America would be worthless. Therefore, the country would be led with a bias in favor of these liberal-leaning states. The Electoral College system insures a fair mix of political philosophy, especially in close elections. Our forefathers recognized that, and it is just as important to equitable representation today as in the eighteenth century.

The tyranny of the majority, where 51 percent of the people can run roughshod over the other 49 percent must never be allowed in America. The smaller, less populated states must always be allowed the right of a voice in their destiny. The people must govern themselves through the sovereignty of their own state.

Yes, the downside of this process is an occasional president elected with a minority of popular votes. It has now happened five times in our history–twice already in this century. It is the result of deep division within the country. If we elected the president by popular vote, the liberal side of the divide in the northeast and west would keep a liberal president in office permanently. The more conservative side, as stewards of most of the nation’s land, food, energy, and other natural resources would likely never produce a conservative president. Also, can you imagine a contested popular vote that required all states to conduct a recount?

The 38-state ratification required for a Constitutional amendment to repeal the Electoral College will probably never happen. But, the controversy over the issue is sure to continue, further polarizing the nation. I encourage you to help everyone to understand better the truth about the Electoral College. You may want to share this post with a friend or on your news feed.

Athletes like Colin Kaepernick and other celebrities who kneel or otherwise protest during the National Anthem are wrong and should be disciplined. Their behavior is morally and ethically unacceptable on several counts, but I will concentrate on two principles here.

When the first news broke on kaepernick’s actions, I was offended, but brushed it off as coming from a misguided and pampered man who didn’t have a clue about history, patriotism, or sacrifice. Then came the copycats who evidently thought it was the latest cool and attention-getting thing to do. As I watched the proliferation of these shameful demonstrations, I became more and more disturbed by them. Then, I learned that some of the players on the women’s basketball team of my alma mater took a knee at their exhibition game. Now it’s personal. It’s time to stop this idiocy by withholding support from organizations that refuse to concede that it is wrong.

First, it is morally wrong because it is an affront to this great nation, the founders of which ensured greater freedom for its citizens than any nation on earth. The National Anthem and the American flag are the universally known symbols of all that our nation stands for. All lives sacrificed and injuries suffered on the fields of battle for over two centuries are represented by those symbols. The essence of freedom that is codified in the Constitution is reflected in the anthem’s presentation and the flag’s display.

Most people would probably say this type of protest is non-violent. However, if such action causes emotional stress on the vast majority of people who love their country, are they not victims? Millions of good people are heart-broken when their country is maligned in this manner. It may be legal, but it is not right.

Kaepernick was quick to say that he is patriotic, but that his actions were directed toward oppressive treatment of African-Americans. No, Mr. Kaepernick, your protest is oppressive treatment of all patriotic Americans for the cause of one perceived injustice in a nation of abundant goodness and virtue. If you want to protest prejudice, go stand in front of a courthouse in your non-uniform attire. That is your legitimate First Amendment right, and, don’t worry, the media will find you. Don’t denigrate the symbols of the greatest democracy in the history of mankind. That is a moral travesty.

Secondly, it is morally and ethically wrong to protest anything controversial as an official representative of an organization that does not share your opinion. By doing so, protestors are making a public statement that their opinion is that of the rest of the organization. In effect, the protestors are stealing the rights of others in the organization to be recognized as having an opposing opinion. When Kaepernick kneels in his uniform, he is stating that he is representing the 49ers, the 60,000 fans in Levi’s Stadium, and the millions of followers tuning in to the game. His actions have no doubt cost the organization and support organizations millions of dollars. True, he has the First Amendment right to protest, but not the right to falsely represent millions of people and prevent millions in revenues.

A truck driver would be fired for having a banner on his trailer demonizing state troopers. Hobby Lobby would terminate an employee wearing an apron promoting abortions. A vegan waitress would not last long refusing to serve steaks at Ruth’s Chris Steak House. A secretary distributing her own corporate policy on company letterhead would be in big trouble. An athlete should be benched or cut from the team for protesting in uniform. First Amendment rights are for individuals to exercise on their own time and their own dime. College athletes, although not paid, are compensated by the fans and tax payers in the form of scholarships. In the stadiums and arenas, they are ambassadors for their schools, alumni, fans, and tax payers. Athletic directors, coaches, and owners should mete out appropriate discipline according to the athlete’s offense to the stakeholders they work for and the damage done to the team.

I tend to give these young athletes some benefit of a doubt that they just really don’t know any better. But, they are never going to learn about true First Amendment rights and loyalty to their organization and fans as long as their weak leaders opt for political correctness over responsibility and accountability.