"Why?" he wondered.

As the distinguished owner of a sacred establishment at 2803 East Anaheim Street called Joe Jost -- it has been in operation since 1924 -- he didn't quite understand the logic of the latest shuttering of LB businesses like his that serve food and drinks. "I understand that there has been a recent surge in Covid-19 cases, but there has been no data whatsoever that outdoor dining and drinking have been responsible for it," says Mr. Buck. "Even a judge in LA said that on Tuesday. They shut us down last March 16, and then they eventually allowed us to reopen and then they banned indoor eating and drinking and forced us to go outside.

Ken Buck, owner Joe Jost

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"And so I built a large tent in our parking lot, and followed all the proper procedures and regulations. And at least for a time our business got back to around 40 percent. And then they shut us down again for no plausible reason. In the past eight months, not one person I know has gotten the Coronavirus from our place, but that, obviously, doesn't matter.

"This is absolutely unacceptable. Do the people who make these decisions understand the widespread damage they are causing? Look at the thousands of people now out of work in the restaurant and tavern business. Who's going to pay their bills? How many of the businesses even will survive this year, especially without the increased profits that they were expecting from the holiday season. I wonder if the bureaucrats making these decisions would do it if they themselves had to suffer such a disastrous financial haircut. No way!

"I've been running Joe Jost for 45 years, and it's been a pretty successful operation. I often used to think to myself, `How long will Joe Jost keep producing like this?' But never did I envision it would eventually be so negatively impacted by shutdowns by the government. I guess it just shows you nothing in life lasts forever."

Mr. Buck pointed out during Joe Jost's lengthy existence it has endured the Prohibition, the polio epidemic, the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the 1992 Long Beach riots, the Asian Flu, and the H1INI Swine Flu.

"What's so scary about these historic lockdowns in our state is they have established a dangerous precedent for those government officials who seem to savor instituting them," he says. "What are they going to do next? Is everything going to be shut down if there's a forecast of high tides, or if there is a smog alert, or something other that they perceive as a danger to all of us even though an overwhelming majority of us might not perceive it that way."

The 70-year-old Wilson High graduate -- he was an extraordinary swimmer and water polo player for the Bruins -- says at least he's making a buck these dark days from an enterprise tied to his place.

"Who ever would have thought the only profit we're now turning at Joe Jost is coming from selling tee-shirts," he says. "This has been doing very well. But that doesn't soften the terrible negative effects of what's happening to my business and to so many others throughout the state. You can't help but think about all these people who are suffering so horribly because of decisions that haven't made any sense.

"And how do you tell people they must remain sequestered in their homes, can't socialize in public no matter what the circumstances are? People will find a way to get out and meet with friends. It's human nature. You can only subjugate people so long before they start rebelling."

Ken Buck won't rebel and turn his place into a speakeasy like a growing number of places are doing around Southern California despite probable retaliation from the various governmental agencies.

But he understands the reasons for such a high risk phenomenon.

"I'm in support of anyone who's trying desperately to keep his business alive," he says.

Ken Buck might not be an activist, but he's certainly not timid about publicly displaying his sentiments against the lockdown.

Since it began, it has become a daily ritual of his to stand for a couple hours near his pub on Anaheim St., holding a protest sign that reads, "OPEN US UP." . . .

Big Ben Goldberg and his darling wife Barbara, Long Beach refugees who made it to Orange County, are hosting a Boat Parade gala Saturday evening at their elegant villa on the water at Huntington Harbor. "Didn't Long Beach once upon a time have a Boat Parade in Naples?" wondered Mr. Goldberg, sarcastic as ever. Ben and Barbara Goldberg (in Sedona, AZ.)