LONG LOST FRIEND TO BE LOST AGAIN

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A long lunch yesterday at Hogfish. Interesting and pleasant. I was with an old friend. The relationship very old. It goes  back to the early 1960s.

Her name is Ann Kimble. Actually, no more. That was her maiden name. That is the name I knew her by back when. She thereafter married and has been married more than 25 years.

Ann was a reporter for the local Utica newspaper. She was not native to Utica. Born in Delaware, I think. I knew her for a couple of years. Good company. An intelligent person. Wanted to write. She ultimately did publish one book: A History of the Delaware Constitution. I kid her about it.

I had not seen Ann for many years after she left Utica. About ten years ago, I was at a charity fundraiser here in Key West at East Martello. Who do I run in to? Ann! She and her husband were living in Big Pine.

So for the last ten years, Ann and I would get together for lunch or coffee like every three months.

Ann is leaving me again. Her husband is on in his years and sickly. He has to be near top notch medical care. They depart today for their new home in Naples.

Yesterday was our farewell lunch.

Ann brought her sister Melanie with her. Melanie is a retired school teacher. She lives outside Albany, New York.

The lunch was long and pleasant. I was sad when I hugged her good bye. I realized I might never see her again.

While I was waiting for the ladies to show for lunch, an Asian family sat at the table next to me. A lovely young lady. A one year old baby. The husband, a young person also. And Grandpa.

Two things garnered my attention. They ordered a ton of food. However, they ate it all. I was amazed. The other was that Junior was hungry. The mother lowered her dress and fed him. Rarely seen. Nice to observe. My daughter Beth used to do it when Samantha was a baby and we were out.

The TV/Internet show went well again yesterday. I have the The Key West Lou Legal Hour down to a science.

I spoke of many things. People are presently into the Washington political scene and the debt issues. These items were the most talked about in post show comments. Even my conservative friends are becoming a bit concerned.

My Italian friend Anna e mailed me. She is at her home on Mont Blanc. Snow and cold, she said. She plans on driving with friends today to La Thuile in the north west part of Italy. Minutes from the French border. A shopping and short get away trip.

Anna lives a picturesque life. Her mountain escape in the Alps is a Swiss type chalet. The area has a  1,000-2,000 year old castle every half mile. Her home sits half way up Mont Blanc. The view is spectacular.

I am going out tonight. I have promised myself I will not eat. I did not eat at lunch yesterday with Ann and her sister Melanie. Two diet Pepsi’s and a cup of coffee. The same tonight.

My lady of the evening is Jenna. We have not been out together since before the holidays.

Syracuse basketball tomorrow! At noon. Playing South Florida. I will be watching the game at the Big Ten Sports Page Bar. I assume I will have the company of Dan and Lisa Reardon. Syracuse fans and my friends from the Syracuse area. They are in Key West for a month. Both Syracuse fanatics as I. Any other Syracuse people out there come and join us!

We are into the start of the Big East. Now we find out how good Syracuse really is.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

TIME FOR A THIRD PARTY

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Pure politics this morning.

The chaotic fiasco of the past few days confirmed conclusively that the United States government is dysfunctional. It is broken.

What to do?

The first reaction is vote them out. The solution is impractical. Through legal political maneuvering over the years, 95 per cent of Congressional incumbents are reelected. The same persons are returned to Washington term after term.

There is a growing interest in term limits. A wise solution on the surface. Unfortunately, it would not work in a timely fashion.

Some 15 odd years ago, several States set term limits for their federally elected representatives. The already seated Congressmen did not like it. They went to Court. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in a 5-4 decision that term limits could be imposed only by Constitutional amendment.

In this day and age, a Constitutional amendment would take 10-15 years to achieve. The United States as we know it might not survive that long.

A third party is another possible solution. It is the one I deem the most practical at this time.

The United States is no longer split between two parties. The Republican and Democrat Parties. There is a third unnamed party. Independents. They make up approximately one third of the voting population. The Republicans and Democrats share equally the remaining two thirds.

Whereas the numbers are equal, party structure is not. The independents are totally without organization.

It is time for one or two persons of substantial wealth to step up. They must put their money where their mouths are. There are many such men. Mayor Bloomberg is one.

Running a Presidential candidate will not be enough. The independents must join together in a new party and run Congressional candidates in each and every Congressional district and State. Therein lies the reason why a man of stature with big money is required. The fight to save this country must be waged at the grass roots level.

It could work. The thought is not far fetched.

Think about it.