MORNING STEW #40

A number of disjointed items this morning. Ergo, Morning Stew!

My 72nd day of self-quarantine.

If I had to describe the past several months generally, I would describe them as The Lost Spring In America. Not for me alone. For everyone.

The virus a first for my generation and the 2 following me. The Flu Epidemic of 1918 and 1919 could not have been any fun. The Black Plague horrendous.

The coronavirus crisis has been and continues to be like nothing we living have ever experienced. Never gave any thought we would be going through something like this.

Did we learn anything? Things have been tough. The saying when things get tough, the tough get going comes to mind. Have we been tough? I believe so. Coronavirus has not been easy to deal with.

It has become abundantly clear there are stupid people in this world. Those that fail to accept scientific truth. Those that follow a political leader blindly to their detriment.

Michael Cohen was Trump’s personal attorney and “fixer.” He was released from federal prison this past week after serving 1 year of a 3 year sentence. The prisons are gradually releasing inmates early due to the virus.

Cohen will serve the balance of his term in “home confinement.”

No special treatment here. The feds playing it safe and cost effective. Expensive to provide coronavirus medical care.

Cohen advises he is going to speak out. Write a book. Says the time is not “right yet.” “Soon,” however. Claims he will tell it all.

Week of the Churches!

First Pentecostal Church, Holly Springs, Mississippi, was burned to the ground this past week. The Church refused a stay at home order. Became defiant when the order came down. The members claimed their freedom of speech and ability to worship were being infringed upon.

The Church remained open for services.

Police believe the case to be one of arson.

A spray painted message was left on the grass next to the Church: “Bet you stay home now you hypokrits (arsonist’s spelling).”

Trump came out in support of his Evangelical supporters and churches/synagogues/ mosques yesterday. Defiant he was. Churches, etc. are essential. They are open! If a Governor refuses, he will have to answer to me.

Again Trump stepping where he does not belong. Stay at home and closing religious buildings a State responsibility. Feds have nothing to do with it.

Trump’s position had to have faith leaders singing Hallelujah! Especially his forceful order to the Governors/States to “open right now!”

Religious services in the Keys resume this weekend. Certain rules to be followed.

Masks must be worn. Six foot social distance, except whee families are involved.

Sunday is a Catholic high holy day. The Ascension. St. Mary’s By The Sea has issued its set of rules. In addition to those already listed. Seating will be in every other pew. Service will be limited to 1/2 hour. There will be no choir music.

The climate crisis is turning Antarctica snow green. The perimeter area of Antarctic.

The snow and ice is not melting down to grass. Rather the climate change warmth has caused the snow/ice to form green algae. Resembles a golf fairway. The algae bloom is referred to as “green snow.”

It was announced several weeks ago that 200 plus Mar-a-Lago employees had been furloughed. This past week it was announced that they were no longer furloughed. They were laid off, discharged, gone.

When the furloughed announcement had been made, members were told to bring their own towels to the club. I found such amusing at the time and even now. The initiation fee to become a member is $200,000. Annual dues $14,000.

Bring your own towel?

Michael Moore has been warning the American people to beware. Beware that Trump cancels the November election: “There will be no election if things keep going as they are.”

I have been warning for 2 years that Trump might try to cancel the election. If such occurs, I see the Border Patrol Special Force and ICE in the streets defending Trump’s position against a populist that will be off the wall in justified anger.

The bottom line: The American people may have to fight to preserve their right to vote.

U.S. 1 has been blocked for several months to keep non’residents out of the Keys. There was a crack in the dam, however. Planes were permitted to fly into the Key West Airport.

The numbers of passengers have been released. Not as bad as thought. Passengers not arriving in droves.

Passenger traffic for April was down 97 percent. As it should have been. For May, 63 percent. It is expected that passenger traffic for June will be down 52 percent.

Airport Director Strickland said passenger traffic “fell off a Covid-19 cliff” in April.

The Airport is hurting. Seeking federal aid.

Patrick Allen Tierney died this past week at age 71. A landscaper. One of Key West’s finest.

I bought my Key Haven home in the 1990’s. Immediately gutted the house. Redid the landscaping, even adding to it.

I did not know who to hire for the landscaping. Patrick Hayes, aka Patty Cakes, had become a friend. He was the bartender at Square One for many years. He said, “Get Patrick Tierney.

I did.

I knew nothing about landscaping. Patrick knew everything. I would suggest this and he would say no. Explain why. Did something else.

I was probably a pain. However, he put up with me.

He was the Master!

I told him I did not want the trees and foliage planted in front of the house to grow. He looked at me as if I were stupid. “Everything grows.” Then turned and walked away from me.

His work was outstanding. The final result magnificent. And the trees and foliage in front did grow. So much so I had to hire someone to constantly trim. Patrick was above trimming.

May he rest in peace.

Wuhan a city of 11 million people. They beat the coronavirus problem. Went something like 30 days with no new cases. Then 6 popped up in one day.

Wuhan immediately went to work. Decreed all 11 million people would be tested within 10 days.

A mammoth undertaking!

Wuhan got off to a good start. However, the city has made a change in the testing program. It found that 11 million in 10 days was too much. They have initiated a new program which is moving forward.

Wuhan has 11 districts. Each district will be tested separately. Each will take 10 days to do. Not all districts will be tested at the same time.

Even if the district approach becomes unattainable, Wuhan will have done dramatically better than any city or country in the world. The Chinese know how to move their asses when they have to.

The first system Wuhan discarded looked impressive after 2 days. Not good enough for the Chinese, however.

The first day 887, 321 were tested. The second day, 1,000,724.

Donald, pay attention! They are doing what you haves failed to do. How many Americans have been thus far tested? Three to four percent? Five?

Ben Franklin was many things. Writer, inventor, statesman, ladies man. Many a statement by him has been recorded for posterity. I share 3 with you.

“There never was a good war or bad peace.”

“Nothing…..certain but death and taxes.”

“We do not quit playing because we grow old, we grow old because we quit playing.”

Another major U.S. company has filed for bankruptcy protection. Hertz. Chapter 11. They will continue in business while reorganizing.

Hertz employs 38,000.

The interesting part of Hertz’s bankruptcy filling is that it has $1 billion in cash.

The U.S. is opening. A lot, a little. Many think the coronvirus problem is behind us. It is not. Twenty four States continue to have spreading virus numbers.

There is talk of a second wave. The talk primarily by scientists and doctors. Most politicians keep their heads buried in the sand.

It is anticipated a second wave could be worse than the first which is not yet over. The only way to avoid a disastrous second wave is to take sufficient precautions now. Not later when it is too late.

Party time tonight. Cocktails  at 7 with Cathy in Seattle. Skype is terrific!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

17 comments on “MORNING STEW #40

  1. The interesting part of Hertz’s bankruptcy filling is that it has $1 billion in cash.

    Seems Hertz learned a thing or two from Trump.

    • Can you imagine if you or I (as a person) tried to file bankruptcy while having a billion bucks in the bank?

      I remember when (11 Aug 2011) Mitt Romney said that “Corporations are People too” while running for president.

      I’m guessing Hertz will have success where you or I would not be even allowed to go for it!

      What’s a matter with America?

  2. Churches, Mosques and Synagogues may or may not be essential, at this time, that can be debated. But government must not interfere with religion, one way or another, that cannot be debated. That’s black letter law, within the constitution. Trump is the government and he, of all people, had no right to have made the announcement that churches should open.

    Lots of right wingers want to complain about EVERYBODY’s out to criticize Trump, yet they themselves will not acknowledge when he is trampling on the constitution.

    One more reason NOT to take them seriously

  3. Trump is itching to blow off a nuke. The Fourth of July would be perfect. Make it one of the really big ones and do an air burst. His base will love it.

    • No he is NOT. He is a lot of things bad, but he is not threatening (at least not yet) any sort of Nuke stuff. That’s irresponsible and foolish.

  4. Lou continues to warn that because of Trump, we may have to fight the Border Patrol and ICE in the streets to preserve our right to vote. Some facts:
    There are 415 Tactical Border Patrol agents (those trained and armed for street combat)
    ICE has 480 such agents nation wide
    There are at least 134 million gun owners in the US who will defend the Constitution

    I’m not worried yet.

    • Now IS the time to be worried.

      The 134 million gun owners in the US are very clearly NOT going to defend the constitution, as they haven’t already done so. In fact, quite the opposite. Furthermore, they are ill-equipped in both fire power and brains to accomplish very much. It is one thing to march around a capitol building in say Michigan, burn a few black churches, or stab a few Rabbi’s, it is entirely a different matter to try to shoot up armored vehicles or hide from helicopters, etc., etc. If anything most gun owners will join the Border Patrol and Ice idiots, to defend Trumps army, anyhow. If you really believe otherwise, you are just kidding yourself and actually part of the problem.

  5. Sorry, I don’t believe it for a second. The one thing that gun owners will defend over everything else is the Constitution. They will defend it ahead of religion, political party and national Authority. Many already have. Donald Trump is erratic and egotistical enough to proclaim himself President for a new term without an election. But by doing so, he would be signaling that the Constitution is no longer valid. And without that validity there would be no 2nd amendment. Gun owners would be outraged.

    Aside from a few hundred wackos, Trump would find himself alone, facing an angry nation. And who is he going to call out to enforce his necessary declaration of martial law? The US military? Nope, they will oppose him. How about National Guard, Border Patrol, ICE and local police. No, not them either. And certainly not America’s 130 million gun owners. Ain’t gonna happen.

    • You are delusional.There isn’t ANY evidence to support your theory, except a lot of swiss cheese rhetoric. Trump has shredded the Constitution in all kinds of ways, and they stand by his as if he was their god. Show me ONE instance where THEY have challenged him on the basis for anything, especially their interpretation of the Constitution. Gun owners are useless apart from showing up for gum rallies and MEGA rallies. If push comes to shove, they will support what Trumps tells the is truth and what ever that is, they’ll believe.

      • The American military, National Guard, law enforcement and patriotic citizens (armed or not) will not stand by and permit an unconstitutional takeover of our government. We are not Venezuela.

        If I believed that such a scenario was even possible, it would cause me great pain and sorrow. America, for all of its troubles is still greater than that. I hope you are able to find more faith and trust in the vast majority of Americans who still love this country. I wish you well.

        • There are none so blind than those who WILL not see. The American military, National Guard, law enforcement and patriotic citizens (armed or not) have ALREADY stood by and permitted the unconstitutional takeover of our government.

          I believe that that such a scenario was not just possible, but happened while you were watching and looked the other way, explaining each incremental incident with some sort of compliant rationalization along the way. We have a one man government who rules from HIS office and is accountable to no one, not really even himself. The fact that you are unable to acknowledge this is further proof of your blindness.

          Should Donald Trump interfere in the upcoming election and continue in office, a highly likely possibility – under ANY pretext, it will be the gun nuts, including you, who will protect him, at all costs, rationalizing his irrational reasoning, what ever it is.

          I am sure you will be able to ignore any “pain and sorrow” by “going along with what ever happens, ignoring the reality and explain the situation favorably, like just one more sheep, only you with your flag wrapped around you and your mind firmly convinced.

          There are NONE so blind as those who WILL not see, especially those with BLIND FAITH, standing behind clichés to keep from any blinding light.

  6. “The coronavirus crisis has been and continues to be like nothing we living have ever experienced.” We have RED CHINA to thank

    • Stupid and racially motivated post from a person who only trolls Lou’s blog simply to irritate and annoy Lou and his readers.

  7. Hearing from Trump acolytes that the whole cov19 thing was fake media overblown hype designed to bring down their President.

    • Yeah, called the whole thing a HOAX!

      Nowadays he’s more pushin the idea that it is science that’s out to get him!

  8. The Airport is hurting. Seeking federal aid.

    So KW can not make it with my money. The hangers are big, room for the home less. They would not have to ride so far to get to the beach. May be the could eat at the RED CHINA C. M.

    • Even more stupid and racist post from this pathetic soul who only trolls Lou’s blog because no one else will pay any attention to him. It’s memorial day and even the VFW has told him he’s no longer welcome.

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