"What you are now, is where you were then."

Who exactly is Larry Marino?  I remember seeing a video about 25 years ago, titled What you are now, is where you were then. The premise of the video was that most of us are value programmed in our early years, starting at  10-12 years old. Events that happened, things that we were exposed to, beginning at this age and progressing through our youth , tend to shape our values for life. That character building process then continues as we gather life experience.

How strong is a person's loyalty to their past? What are the bonds, how strong are the bonds that exist between who you are now and who you were then? I have examined my life, and I would say that the events that I experienced have played a strong hand in the person that I am, or more correctly, who I have become? I invite you to take a look.

Political Orientation: 

Republican/Conservative, edging closer in thought to Libertarian**/Anarchist.  

**I've got to say however, that while the Libertarian Party promotes some very sound concepts, I profoundly disagree with other positions that they take. Specifically in regard to Right to Life and the Use and Legalization of Drugs (Read their position on laws relating to drug use.) 

Hobbies/ Favorite Things:  

• Making the very best use of my time by playing with my Grandchildren. 

• Watching Winston Cup and Bush Grand National NASCAR races. 

• Target shooting, ammo reloading, and spending hours at gun shows. 

• Trying to get my motorcycle to run for more then two days in a row.

• Working to improve the landscaping at our property here in Daytona Beach, Florida.

• Fighting the 'Culture War', every year, every week, every day, to save this country from its long slide down into 'Third World' status

Migration Path:

Born in Brooklyn New York in October of 1946. Moved to the town of Seaford on the south shore of Long Island in June of 1960. Became a passive observer of Sputnik, Vanguard, Lika (the first dog in orbit... Soviet). The early Russian space program achievements tended to geometrically increase the stress levels and pucker factor for an American society that had practiced "Take Cover Drills" for quite a few years...  just waiting for that Russian nuclear sneak attack that we just knew was going to come. Alan Shepherd, John Glen, the election, presidency, and assassination of John Kennedy, passed by too quickly for me to pay much attention. I might have appreciated Kennedy more at the time had my experience base been greater. Although he was a social Liberal, he was a fiscal Conservative and moved sensibly in that arena. 

In my second year of college at the State University of New York, in the Fall of 1967, I took some time off to go on an extended "vacation".  President Johnson actually sent me a personal letter telling me that he needed my help. This seemed like it was as good a time as any to go into the military and help with the clean-up in Vietnam. 1967 had not been a bad year for most Americans. Four years after the disillusionment caused by the assassination of John Kennedy, Americans seemed to be gaining optimism socially, politically and culturally. There was also a feeling that we were finally going to prevail and win the war in Vietnam.