Thanks to all who responded concerning parking brakes.  I appreciate the patience of those for whom the naivete of folks like me must seem like simple stupidity.  One thing owning the camper beast has done for me is educate me considerably about things automotive, mainly through trying to solve problems, and mainly through the good folks who engage with this list.  Though in this case, I surely had experienced the fact that parking brakes don't engage front wheels (at least in cars that have front disc brakes) at some other time.

Now, if drum brakes are less effective than disc brakes, why do so many vehicles have rear drums?  Vanagon content here in that vanagons are built that way.

DMc