Another gray peaceful morning. I am up early. Before nature and the rest of the world.

Yesterday morning was my radio show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour.

I enjoyed doing it! And based on the post show comments, I think people enjoyed receiving it.

The big news here in the Florida keys of course is the Gulf oil spill. It is six weeks since the oil started erupting. So far, so good. No oil here in Key West. But it will come. It has too. The winds will change. The spill will enter the loop current. And the oil will slide down into the keys.

I spent a considerable time discussing the new Arizona immigration law. …..Show me your papers! From the perspective of the people of Arizona. I did my homework. Read some Arizona newspapers, their editorials, letters to the editor and talked with some people out there. A different story developed.

Basically Arizonians are pissed off. Illegals are crossing the border in signigficant numbers each day. Drugs, gangs, murders and the like are overwhelming what was once a sedate State. The federal government is responsible for border protection. It has failed. Basically done nothing. So Arizona has resorted to self help. This bad peiece of legislation is one part of it. There is more to come.

The white man seems to have a consistent pattern. Whether Massachusetts Bay or the West, the white man came, was befriended by the Indian and then displaced the Indian.

Back in 1870 Phoenix had its first federal census. There were 240 people. 124 were Mexicans. More than half the population was Mexican.

The whites were immigrants. They came to Arizona in covered wagons. When they arrived, the Mexicans welcomed them with open arms. Taught the whites how to build their homes and businesses out of adobe bricks.

The territory had its first elected Marshall. Henry Garfias. Not an Irish cop. A Mexican. This was the rough and tumble 1870s and 1880s. Henry was purported to be the fastest gun in the territory. I doubt anyone asked Henry for his papers.

Together the Mexicans and whites built a city and a state. Now the two groups are at odds.

An interesting situation. A sad situation.

After the radio show, I went over to the Coffee House. It is like a required fix. Coffee and the New York Times.

Lunch time came. Where? I decided on Harpoon Harry’s. Marty had put the bug in my head the day before.

Harpoon Harry’s always has a nice crowd of locals. A lot of hellos are exchanged. The owner and staff are very warm and welcoming.

The special was scallops. Delicious! And cheap. All of $8! One of the benefits of living on an ocean island.

Harpoon Harry’s is located just off the waterfront. So I decided to take a walk along the docks.

Beauty as far as the eye could see! The blue of the ocean, the white of the boats.

I stopped into the Turtle Museum. Have been there many times before. Walked around. Could not help but think that a year from now there probably would be a new section showing the oil impact on the turtle population.

Then to Borders. Finished the Tiger book. Good, but not great. Something that some one authored quickly and had it published just as quickly to get something on the shelves for quick sale. The book was interesting. But merely a reiteration of what has been reported in the newspapers and on tv. The real story has yet to be told.

I had a quiet evening in last night. Early to bed. Slept well. Up early this morning.

It is Memorial Day Weekend. Normally Key West would have a lot of tourists. There has been talk that the hotel/motel reservations were down a bit with cancellations because of the oil spill. I will have a better sense of the impact, if any, when I walk the streets later this morning.

Enjoy today and your holiday weekend!