It was an earthquake. Just about the time I forgot what they felt like, a sharp jolt hit near Castaic Lake. Only one jolt. I guessed about a 4.0 quake. Turns out I wasn’t as accurate in my earthquake magnitude estimates as I used to be. It was a 4.2.

Anyway, it was a right good shake and then back to normal. At least what passes for normal in our shaking part of the world. I didn’t get a call from the folks at William S. Hart Park, so I hope everything is OK there. I’ve got to remember to check on the earthquake preparedness at Heritage Junction. After last night’s jolt, that task will get a little higher priority.

I’ve been looking over some of the comments about the news item concerning driver’s licenses being issued to illegal or undocumented folks. Not good, what I’m seeing.

If I go to just about any country south of here, can I get a driver’s license without being a citizen? Don’t think so. But that isn’t my point here.

The comments I were personal attacks on individuals who don’t happen to agree with those making the comments. Civility was thrown out the window. Some folks want to rewrite the history of California. But whatever; we should be civil to each other.

Like it or not, the law is the law. Undocumented or illegal men and women can get a California driver’s license. Take a page from our local and very successful anti-billboard ordinance folks and start a petition to repeal the law. We can gripe. We can yell. We can cry and we can call names, but that isn’t action. Maybe some who don’t like the law should have worked harder to stop it, or to stop those who voted for it.

I don’t have an answer on that. I do have an answer about uncivil words. Don’t use them. If you can’t discuss something without resorting to personal attacks, then you’re not capable of knowing what is right. Folks like that are bigots. Pure and simple.

But comments on a blog site and on Facebook don’t mean much. Just hurtful words from folks who are hurting themselves. I kind of pity them.

You see, they attacked a very, very good friend of mine. She stated her opinion and was in turn called all sorts of names. That happened twice yesterday.

Earlier a gentleman attacked some of my other close friends. He doesn’t know me from anything. He just had some definite ideas about some very longtime friends of mine. Wrong thing to say.

Again, using personal attacks to make an argument is in poor taste and does not convince anyone of the efficacy of you argument. But if one wants to look stupid, I guess it is your right.

Enough of that.

I met a gentleman yesterday I hadn’t seen since my folks died. We sat on the bench in the gift shop of the Saugus Train Station and recalled some of the great times he and my folks had together. He was born many years after my father, but for some reason I could see how my father could have looked and acted, had he lived. It was a good, heartfelt and warm conversation that was long overdue. I hope to see him again soon.

That is one of the joys of being a longtime resident or native of this valley. The old families have long memories. It is always so good to relive some of them. We have time to make many more memories. Just because we’ve lived around here for many years doesn’t mean we can’t make new history.

You know that if I look back in my family history far enough, I’m going to find stuff I don’t like. It appears my mother’s grandfather had to move from Denmark to Russia to Canada to the U.S. Not sure how he came over the northern border. Was it legal? Don’t know. But since they were coming from Canada, the questions were not asked. Had they come through Mexico, would it have been the same? I may never know.

So all of the arguments really are just that. They have been going on for a long time now. Sometimes old battles just can’t be left alone.

I worked with a man when in Virginia who was from an old and distinguished Southern family. At the time, I had just learned some of the history of my family in the Civil War. Up until that time, I thought my family had come to this country in the 1880s.

It turns out that around 1638, the first Manzer family members were coming off the ship Alexander in New York. Just like so many others.

I mentioned to the Southern gentleman that I learned my kinfolk had fought in the War Between the States. He asked what regiment they belonged to. I replied, “121st New York Infantry.”

To this day, he does not speak to me. The very thought that he had a little bit of civil discourse with a Yankee was just too much.

Please don’t let that happen to all y’all concerning this driver’s license issue. Really. You don’t want your great grandkids to be shunned because they did or didn’t support it.

I still chuckle at the thought of the Southern gentleman crossing the street so he would not have to acknowledge my existence in downtown Portsmouth, Va.

Is that what we want in our future?

Darryl Manzer grew up in the Pico Canyon oil town of Mentryville in the 1960s and attended Hart High School. After a career in the U.S. Navy he returned to live in the Santa Clarita Valley, where he serves as executive director of the SCV Historical Society. He can be reached at dmanzer@scvhistory.com. His older commentaries are archived at DManzer.com; his newer commentaries can be accessed [here]. Watch his walking tour of Mentryville [here].