My first year in college, I was super into music. I played guitar and joined a campus band and went to see other bands every chance I got.But I was too young to go to bars, so I often had to sneak into shows or find other ways to watch and learn from other guitarists. I desperately needed a fake ID. In Portland, we have the recent phenomenon of people not having license plates on their cars. Shouldn’t everyone have license plates on their cars?When I returned home that summer, I went to great lengths to get an official Oregon state ID with a birth year on it that would make me 21. Not a cheap fake one. A real ID. I possibly committed a felony in the process. So for the next two years, I saw a lot of bands and musicians. In my mind, access to live music was definitely worth the risk.Judgment dayWhen I think back to this episode in my life, I’m shocked I had the nerve to pull this off. I not only misrepresented myself on official documents, but I straight-up lied to my local DMV! Sure, it was the 1980s. So it was much harder to check. But still ...I also imagine what would have happened if I’d been caught and ended up in front of a judge. How would I have defended myself?I would probably have just told the truth: I was in a band. I needed to see other bands. Music was my great love. I wasn’t doing it for the alcohol. And how would the judge have reacted? He would have looked at me, a nice kid, in college, not an actual criminal. He would have been older, my parents’ age, most likely male, most likely white, like me. He would have probably had kids my age. Maybe a kid who was into music.And he would have thought about his own life and the time he snuck in somewhere, maybe to an R-rated movie or a local burlesque show.And if I were respectful and showed remorse, I probably would not have been dealt with too severely. Probation, community service. No real harm. No real foul.Back to the futureBut then I think: What would happen in that same situation now? What if my college student self lied to the DMV in 2025? And got caught?For starters, the judge could be of either sex. And might be of any race. If the judge weren’t white, there would be the danger the judge would look at me and think: “white privilege.” Or the judge would have other feelings of resentment, since our media and societal messaging relentlessly emphasize all the unfair advantages white people have.And being male and aggressively pursuing a dream like “becoming a good guitarist” might annoy a female judge. Men aggressively pursuing things was part of the reason women have been held back throughout history.Also, such a crime would seem much more serious. Our current society demands constant proof and verification of our identities at all times. No, in 2025, you would be dealing with state authorities that, at best, didn’t like you and, at worst, considered you a threat. There would be no “boys will be boys” leniency. This was the GOVERNMENT you were dealing with. Which is not your friend. And is not your family. THE GOVERNMENT doesn’t love you.Love is loveIt sounds weird to say that a government “loves” or “doesn’t love” its citizens.And yet, when I was 16 and filling out my first 1040 tax form for my after-school gas-station job, I remember the feeling I had for the people I was giving my tax money to. That feeling was a kind of love.I didn’t mind paying my taxes. I understood the concept. We all give money to the government. And it builds roads and bridges. It employs school teachers, firemen, the police. It tries to take care of the citizens.In those days, the state taxes in Oregon were so low, it was almost a joke. When I mailed my tax form, I imagined it arriving at some modest building, surrounded by mountains and trees.I pictured our “state employees” as a small cadre of park ranger types and a handful of nice ladies who worked in the office. That’s how sparsely populated our state was. If the state of Oregon sent you a letter, it was probably a notice telling you when deer hunting season began. My taxes also paid for the Coast Guard, which bravely rescued fishermen from sinking boats. And the local sheriff, who, if he busted your high school keg party, didn’t come down on you too hard, because he used to throw keg parties too. In other words, I didn’t mind paying my taxes because I felt loved by these people. I felt loved by my federal government too. Didn’t it build the national parks and send people to the moon? And make cars safer? And issue cool postage stamps honoring Elvis and the Beatles?From what I could see, the main concern of all these people was keeping me safe. And making everyone’s life a little better. In this way, my country loved me. Maybe not in a particular way. But in a general way. Weren’t we one nation, under God, indivisible, and all that? Weren’t we all in this together? RELATED: I was a 'problem student' — until all-male Catholic school let me be a boy Alex_Bond/Bettman/Getty ImagesThe unloved generationSo what do young people think now? Do they believe their country loves them? I kind of doubt it. But I don’t know. I’m not 16 anymore.One way a country can show love for its people is by being consistent, like enforcing the law the same for everyone, so that everybody feels valued. In Portland, we have the recent phenomenon of people not having license plates on their cars. Shouldn’t everyone have license plates on their cars? This is just one small thing. But I see it every day. Cars, driving around, without front or back license plates. Shouldn’t the police stop them and give them a ticket for “lack of license plates”?But the police don’t do that. City officials have reduced their numbers and limited their authority. This has caused crime to increase. So the police don’t have time to stop people for lack of license plates.So now, if you get in an accident with someone without license plates, the car can just drive away, and there’s nothing you can do. This makes people feel helpless. And distrustful. And unprotected. And unloved.Turning JapaneseI visited Tokyo recently. The Japanese are very strange, with their complicated language and unique culture. But one thing I felt very strongly. Their country loved them. You could feel it in the air. They had corruption and politics and all the usual human problems. But overall, there was obvious love. You saw it everywhere. The government gave old people jobs to make them feel useful. It built incredible subways and infrastructure to make workers’ lives easier. People were quick to come to each other’s aid. They respected each other’s property. They didn’t litter. They didn’t steal. They treated each other with great kindness and consideration.Their country loved them. And because of that, they felt inspired to love each other.It’s an odd point to make, I know. But just imagine if your country loved you. Wouldn’t that be nice? Wouldn’t that be the best feeling in the world?

Rapper Snoop Dogg has seemingly reversed course after criticizing modern animated movies for their gay messaging.The hip-hop legend, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, recently criticized the "Toy Story" spin-off movie "Lightyear" after his grandson expressed confusion over a lesbian plotline.'This is a program that we've been doing for years where we involve kids, and these are things that kids have questions about.'"Well, my grandson, in the middle of the movie, is like, 'Papa Snoop, how did she have a baby with a woman? She's a woman,'" he recalled. He said he remembered thinking, "Oh s**t, I didn't come in for this s**t. I just came to watch the goddamn movie.'"After making the comments on the "It's Giving" podcast in August, Snoop has since decided to launch a song through his cartoon network to reach out to gay parents and their children.Nuthin' but a 'G' thangThe YouTube channel Doggyland - Kids Songs & Nursery Rhymes, which has 1.26 million subscribers, posted a song on October 13 titled "Love Is Love." Cartoon dogs sing lyrics like, "Our parents are different / No two are the same / But the one thing that's for certain / Is the love won't change," while same-sex (animal) couples are shown on screen. Snoop Dogg also performs a verse in the song.Comments on the video are turned off. The comments were also turned off for a subsequent podcast on Snoop's main channel, SnoopDoggTV (10.9 million subscribers), announcing a partnership with gay activist group GLAAD.RELATED: Snoop Dogg enrages liberals after criticizing LGBTQ scenes in kids' movies GLAAD tidingsSnoop spoke with singer Jeremy Beloate, a member of the rap mogul's record label Death Row Records, whom he discovered on the singing show "The Voice."The two began the broadcast with a joint statement, saying, "It's Spirit Day. Go purple now. October 16. Stop the bullying to support LGBTQ youth. Let's go, y'all."This was the last mention of "LGBTQ" kids, and the word "gay" is not even said during the podcast. Beloate spoke on being bullied for being a singer when he was a child and said he became friends with a gay couple in New York he babysat for. Beloate said the couple kept coming up with excuses to support his budding career, and he really appreciated that despite never being exposed to a gay couple before.Love-bombingAlthough the podcast was tame content-wise, Snoop found time to insert lengthy talking points like, "It's a beautiful thing that kids can have parents of all walks and be able to be shown love, to be taught what love is, because hate is taught and so is love."He continued, "And I think that being able to have parents of all walks of life, whether it's two fathers, two mothers, whatever it is, love is the key. And I think these kids are being loved by these great parents that are, you know, showing them an example of what family is."The rapper also spoke on his "Love Is Love" song, saying that music is a beautiful "bridge to bringing understanding.""This is a program that we've been doing for years where we involve kids, and these are things that kids have questions about. So now hopefully we can help answer these questions and, you know, help them to live a happy life and understand that love is love," he explained.RELATED: Snoop Dogg takes on LGBTQ Hollywood — but he’s ‘the WRONG messenger’ Armed and inclusiveIn a statement to Variety, Snoop tried to connect his typical gangster motif to the idea of gay activism."At the end of the day, it's all about love — that's what we're teachin' the kids with 'Love Is Love.' Partnering with GLAAD for Spirit Day just felt right, because spreading love and respect for everybody is what real gangstas do," the rapper claimed."We're showin' the next generation that kindness is cool, inclusion is powerful, and love always wins," he added.Snoop had asked in August why movies had to show gay relationships to children, saying, "It threw me for a loop." "I'm like, 'What part of the movie was this?' These are kids. We have to show that at this age? They're going to ask questions! I don't have the answer."Snoop apparently has since come up with the answers.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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