About my letters and blog posts
Thought for the day
If only I could keep up. Since April 11, seven of my letters have been published in various publications (while four other submissions were not picked up). On top of that, I've written 21 pieces for my FreidomReport blog. I don't expect readers to agree with everything I write; still, if you like most of what I have to say, then I'd like to encourage you to ask a friend to sign up for future FreidomReport posts. Many thanks and take good care. DF
Stu News Laguna, May 23 and Daily Pilot, May 22
“Convene at Camp David over guns”
Kudos to Moms Demand Action and their support for National Gun Violence Awareness Day June 2. With mass shootings happening virtually every day now, I have to ask: Who isn’t aware of the problem?
What’s not so obvious is how to solve it. With this thought in mind, here’s what I recently asked President Biden to do: Take a page out of Jimmy Carter’s 1978 playbook and convene a Camp David gun summit.
Recall that when the former president brought together old warriors Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Menachem Begin of Israel, it took nearly two weeks of intense negotiations before they forged a peace agreement. Today, Biden needs to bring representatives of the NRA, 2nd Amendment, law enforcement and grieving relatives together to find common ground on gun safety measures.
It won’t be easy, but I’m sure they can do it. Once that happens, the group’s next step would be to hold hands and visit lawmakers in Washington who oppose new gun laws. Having worked on Capitol Hill, I believe their new Camp David agreement will give members of Congress the political coverage they need to support new initiatives.
Like I said, this won’t be easy; but, I am convinced all roads to new gun safety laws lead to Camp David. I hope Moms Demand Action will agree.
Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach
Laguna Independent, May 19 and Stu News Laguna, May 12
“Remembering Anneliese”
Sad news about Anneliese. We first met in 1971, days after the feature story about her preschool on Manzanita appeared in the Los Angeles Times. A year later, I was working as a congressional aide in Washington, DC, but often thought about our meeting.
When I returned to Laguna in 1974, I visited Anneliese. She offered me a job because she remembered I spoke a bit of German and had graduated from USC from the School of Education. Not only that, Anneliese gave me a place to live. So there I was, teaching my class of mostly 4-year-olds during the day and serving as the school’s groundskeeper before the first child arrived the following day.
Best of all, I felt like a member of the family. Anneliese’s husband, Paul, and I took a wine class together and made several trips to Napa to stock his cellar. In addition, I shared many dinners with their daughters Ruth and Liesa and Anneliese’s cousin Margot. To this day, I count Gregg and Kathy Abel, who lived up the street, Don Romero, whose sons attended Anneliese’s, and fellow teacher Heather Sparkuhl and her husband, Pat, as some of my oldest friends in town.
The last time I saw Anneliese was five-plus years ago. She was obviously ill, but she still had her sense of humor and special way of connecting with little ones. Anneliese, you may be gone now, but to countless thousands of children and their families, you never will be forgotten. RIP, my friend.
Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach
Daily Pilot, April 14
“Wishing Harley Rouda well”
No matter if you are a Republican opponent or a Democratic friend, I’m sure everyone in the political arena wishes Harley Rouda a swift and complete recovery. I know I certainly do.
Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach
Stu News Laguna, April 14
“Harley Rouda drops out of race”
After suffering a brain injury, former U.S. Rep. Harley Rouda has decided to end his quest for another congressional campaign. Partisan politics aside, I hope both Harley's political opponents and supporters wish him a speedy and complete recovery. I know I do.
Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach
Orange County Register, April 11
“Trump indictment and American mobsters”
If Donald Trump ultimately is found guilty of the 34 charges against him, then he will make Al Capone and John Gotti look like choir boys. If you ask me, nothing or no one could be more un-American.
Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach
Where you’ll find me most mornings from 7 to 11 a.m.