Articles written by Patrick Lockyer

Where Knowledge Rules

What is Helium

About me - Patrick Lockyer

I am a Brit in Jacksonville Florida. I have been here in America for six years. I write for the American Chronicle. I am also a Community Columnist for Times-Union a Jacksonville newspaper. My stories are on line at Jacksonville.com under BritPatJax. If you

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Politics, News & Issues > Terrorism Are we safer now than we were immediately after 9/11, or have we just been lucky?: 8 of 72
I don't think we are 'Lucky' really but I am sure we are not safer. Correction, being a Brit IS safer. Brits ARE safer than they have been for 30 years. I was a Brit Soldier in London from 1966 -70 and I saw mangled cars from bombings and suffered the real terror of constant attacks. I had also been a war baby when Hitler te... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Constitutional & Contract Law The state of Britain today: 4 of 9
As a Brit living in Florida and having traveled to almost every city in Europe I have had the opportunity to see Britain periodically from foreign shores. I came to America predominantly for the weather in my latter years and don't miss the bitter cold and neuralgia in the winter and the stress of trying to teach nervous cli... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Terrorism Is al Qaeda to blame for summer 2007 bomb scares in London?: 2 of 4
No WE are to blame for the London Bomb Scares. Before invading Iraq I do not think British born radicals cared enough about the Palestinian problem to be suicide bombers. You have to have a real desire to give up for the cause as did the Saudi Arabians on 9/11. I don't know why they were so motivated but they clearly were an... More..
Sports & Recreation > Soccer (Other) Why soccer is the greatest game in the world: 1 of 1
I had the pleasure to witness a soccer game of colossal magnitude yesterday. I have been brought up on soccer or 'football' as we call it in the UK. It seems reasonable to call the game 'football' as it is the part of the body most in contact with the ball. Of course the fact that a game steeped in history and invented so lo... More..
Relationships & Family > Family Dysfunction How to mend broken family ties: 15 of 24
An Open Letter to Dr Phil Dear Dr Phil I am quite taken aback to witness the lack of actual skills you possess in the psychology fields. I did notice that you don't actually have a doctorate but then you have always impressed me in the past with your human touch. Perhaps you have not experienced sufficiently in your own life... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political Issues Are there relevant parallels between the tyranny of King George III during the American Revolution and George W. Bush's presidency?: 12 of 19
I don't exactly consider George Bush to be a tyrant but I do think the the time was right in America for being able to get all of ones own way with little resistance. It has been tyranny or indeed treason to object to anything he decided for the last six years. As a Brit I see that it is easy when the nation is in shock to b... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics, News & Issues (Other) British teacher arrested in Sudan: Inciting religious hatred or simple miss-communication: 9 of 14

On the one hand you cannot expect to just go to a foreign land and that they will accept all your value system and that you will always be politically correct in their eyes. I remember living in Germany and how they thought I was the lowest of the low for hanging out washing on a Sunday and for having my window shutters clos... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Terrorism When attacking terror suspects, is it ever OK to attack when innocent people may also be killed?: 12 of 17
Yes we should have bombed Belfast and used missiles to take out IRA leaders in taxi's and not worried about collateral and what the rest of the world and Irish President Bill Clinton thought about it. We should have had rendition and gathered these people up never to be seen again and held them for life as stated by Congress... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics, News & Issues (Other) Are we too pompous to care what the world thinks of us: 18 of 24
We seem not to care what the World thinks of us. All too often I read that we should not care what the World thinks of us. Now apply that to a drop out of society? Are we then not drop outs of World Opinion? Now read in what ways that might manifest itself? We MUST care what the World thinks of us just as we MUST care what o... More..
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Self-reflection: 341 of 372
The Day I drove for the Queen of England. I had joined the army in 1961 after a failed apprenticeship as a Chemical Operator had proved too much for me. I had only had a basic schooling and my parents were fragile and in trouble in their relationship and seemed could not wait for me to leave school aged 15 to help contribute... More..