SQUATTER’S RIGHTS

The side of the White House sitting on Pennsylvania Avenue is closed to vehicular traffic, sales stands and any type edifice. Only pedestrians allowed.

All this the idea of President Clinton. In 1995, he closed Pennsylvania Avenue down for two blocks. For safety and precautionary reasons.

Authorities moved everyone and everything out. Dispossessed them.

One elderly woman refused to move. She had been there for years. A tent erected. She was anti everything. As far back and including the Vietnam War.

She contested her eviction. The courts said she could stay. The government had failed to file a necessary document. The courts permitted her to remain forever.

With one condition. The tent always had to be occupied at all times. Generally, by her. If she had to be away for a short time, by another. Never could be empty, however. The tent included several feet of street surrounding it.

And so the lady remains. She was there five years ago when I played tourist in Washington for a week. Short, thin and wrinkled. Her face weathered from the sun.

A police car remains 24 hours a day up Pennsylvania from her. Waiting for her to violate the occupancy provision of the court decree.

I spoke with her. In and out of her tent. A bit screwy. Remaining has become her life cause. As she put it, “They aren’t going to get me!”

I wrote at length about the woman in this blog or a KONK Life column following my visit. I cannot locate the specific writings. Ergo, I cannot provide her name.

Joseph’s 69th birthday last night. We had dinner together at Berlin’s. He is still walking with a six foot staff. I introduce him to people as John the Baptist.

An intellectual. Always a pleasure chatting with him.

Janyne was at the bar, also. Lovely lady. Sweet. She has been the day Beach Bar bartender at the Pier House for fifteen years.

It was good to see Bria again. Her singing special. She, special.

I wrote a lengthy blog about her around May 1. The Best of the Best…..Bria Ansara. Knew she had failed to read it. Makes me laugh. When I said nasty things about her, she did read it.

She had not read it. Was going to look it up when she returned home last night.

A woman of many jobs, one is art teacher at Montessori. The school Robert and Ally attend. She knew them both well. Was taken with Robert. She said he stays after school frequently to help paint the large mural her classes are doing by day. He enjoys painting, she said.

I saw a picture of a Mother’s Day skeleton in KONK Life this morning. Key West is a strange town. I did not know there was a holiday skeleton house on Virginia Street.

For Halloween, the skeleton was as expected. For Christmas, dressed like Santa Claus. For Mother’s Day, a mother holding a baby. Mother’s Day…..Gross, hideous, no teeth, rotten teeth. Ugh!

The Preakness 6:45 tonight. The second step in the Triple Crown. Will probably watch the race at Don’s Place.

Have to move my ass. A manicure with Tammy at 10:30.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

LEPROSY

There is good and bad to everything. Many times the bad is hidden/forgotten. Especially in the instance where the something bad has turned with the passage of time into a shining gem.

It is the story of leprosy and Key West. One I only learned this past week.

Diana Millikan is a snowbird. Interested in history. Digs every day into Key West’s background. She brought the leprosy part to my attention. I merely read what she provided.

There was a concern on her part that perhaps nothing should be written re the subject. A negative report. I initially agreed. Then decided that what was was. Let it all out.

The Biblical plague of all time is leprosy. Monroe County, and especially Key West, had a large number of leprosy victims residing here. It was another time, another century.

Once as many as 100. One of the largest numbers in the United States. None of the victims caught the dread disease here. It was brought from the outside into the Keys.

Leprosy is not contagious. One human to another. Don’t laugh. Leprosy is spread by armadillos. I do not recall armadillos inhabiting this area.

Today, leprosy is treatable. Persons affected are no longer isolated. Since 1942, a drug called Putome is available to cure leprosy.

The problem still exists. About ten cases a year in the United States. I do not know when the last case was reported in the Key West area. Note however that two Key West doctors list in their areas of expertise leprosy.

When leprosy was rampant, U.S. residents were shipped off to Carville, Louisiana. That is where they were isolated, lived. Five thousand patients over the years. The leprosy facility was closed by the government in 1999. No new business.

However, ten elderly residents remain. They never left. They have lived there their whole lives. They were born in Carville.

James Carville comes into play. James of Democratic political fame. His great grandfather was Postmaster of the Carville area for years. Carville, Louisiana is named after him.

I received sad information from Lynda Frechette this morning. Judy Wood is dead. The exuberant charming Tavern ‘n Town bartender. I will provide more information as received.

My intent last night was to hear Terri White sing at La Te Da at a Fantasy Fest King Fundraiser for Christopher. Then to The Little Room Jazz Club to attend Larry Smith’s birthday celebration.

Made neither. For some reason, I became extremely exhausted in the afternoon. The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent in bed.

Syracuse/Virginia Tech saturday. Virginia Tech a 17 point favorite.

I wish the football season would end!

Have to hustle. A haircut with Lori at noon. Then lunch at Jay’s new Cuzzy Bubbaz. It opened two days ago.

Enjoy your day!

LONG WRITING DAY

Yesterday was Sunday. Sunday is the day I write my KONK Life column.

I have wanted to write about the U.S. involvement in a war with Russia from 1917-1918. An interesting story. One few know about. The U.S. sent 13,000 troops.

The U.S. involvement was in a civil war. The Russian Civil War. The Reds/Whites battle.

We are involved in civil wars in the Middle East today. A lesson to be learned here. Ergo, I expanded the article to include civil wars and fighting wars to win. The Russian Civil War and today’s Middle East conflicts have much in common. Birds of a feather.

One problem. The longer the story, the longer it took to complete. Instead of finishing 3-4, I was at it till just after 6.

The time worth it. I was pleased with the final product. I hope you will be. The article publishes wednesday. The title: Stay Out of Civil Wars, Fight Wars To Win.

The extra time screwed up my sunday evening. I had intended to go to Kate Miano’s Gardens at 5. The sun broke late afternoon and it would have been perfect. There is always next week.

Rain. Heavy Rain. The last three days. Pours. Then stops. Only to return a couple of hours later.

The temperature is dropping also. The high today 71. 71 will be the highest all week. By weekend, the high will be down to 67. Long pants weather.

We have been lucky. December was terrific. We can handle a few weeks of cold.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff had a tongue in cheek comment in a recent article. Something to the effect that if Trump wins, he will rename the White House Trump Palace.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are at each other’s throats. These Middle East wars are civil wars. Based on religion. It is the Sunni/Shia battle which has been ongoing since just after the Prophet Muhammad’s death. The issue is which sect will lead the Muslims. Over 300 hundred years and still not resolved.

We are crazy to be involved. We should get out. We have been involved steadily in the Middle East in one fashion or another for fifteen years. Not our war!

Read an interesting comment somewhere this week. Cannot recall which publication. I read constantly. In any event, the comment was to the effect that Americans should not fight each other so much. We are not enemies but Americans first. We help ISIS when we destroy each other.

Enjoy your day!

SU DAY

Syracuse, my Syracuse!

Scott Shafer, the football coach, got fired. I hate to see anyone canned. However, he has been making bad decisions. Especially in the Clemson and LSU games at times when the chance to win existed.

His major achievement was in recruiting. If Syracuse becomes successful in the next three years, it will be because of Shafer’s recruiting.

He has one year left on his contract. He has agreed to coach the last game of the season saturday against Boston College.

This is overlap time. Basketball season has started.

Syracuse plays Charlotte today in the Bahamas. Part of the Battle for Atlantis Tournament. Syracuse favored by 14 points. The game is at 2:30 on ESPN2.

I will be watching the game, of course. However, I will have to take a break at 3. The KONK News interview I do fridays will be recorded at 3 this afternoon for airing friday. I am not available friday.

I will be interviewed re this week’s KONK Life column Muslim Refugees…..No.

My blog talk radio show Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou aired last night. A topic that garnered considerable comment had to do with what I described as the unknown Thanksgiving story. Thanksgiving not the way we know it, have been taught to believe. Surprising. Too long to spell out here. For another day and format.

The blog talk radio show is linked to my Key West Lou website where you can listen to the story in detail any time. keywestlou.com.

The Keys History section in this morning’s Key West Citizen commented on the Keys/Key West visit in 1952 by Princess Martha of Norway and her two daughters. Princess Martha came up in my research for Sexual Tales of Old. Sex being  common place, I overloaded with instances to report. Due to space and wanting to report instances several hundred years back in history, I left the Princess Martha story out.

I briefly share it with you today.

Martha was first the Princess of Sweden where she was born. She married Crown Prince Olav of Norway, thereby becoming Princess Martha of Norway.

The Princess and her family escaped Nazi occupation during World War II. The Princess and children went to live in the U.S. The Crown Prince, England.

The Princess and President Franklin D. Roosevelt were good friends. Before World War II, the families were close. During the war, the Princess and FDR had a full blown affair. She had access to the White House and Hyde Park. She would visit when Eleanor Roosevelt was away. She referred to  Roosevelt as Dear Godfather.

Roosevelt was disabled. Confined to a wheel chair most of his adult life. Apparently not sexually disabled. The President had five affairs/relationships from the time he was Governor of New York till the time he died.

The Chicago video recently released is shocking. The police officer was correctly indicted for murder.

The black victim was 10 feet away and moving away from the police officer. He was carrying a 3 inch knife.

From the time the police officer arrived till the shooting ended, the police officer was at the scene 30 seconds. He shot 16 bullets at the victim in 13 seconds. The victim was on the ground after the second shot.

Chicago paid the victim’s family several months ago $5 million. Paid without a lawsuit being instituted.

My criticism of the process is that it took more than a year for the police officer to be indicted. If the situation were reversed and the police officer shot, the black man would be indicted in 48-72 hours.

Not equal justice.

Tripped onto an article yesterday re germs on airplanes and in airports. Not the bathrooms in planes. They are relatively clean because they are frequently sanitized.

The table trays the worst. Rarely cleaned. Running a close second, the drinking fountain button in airports.

Many other germy areas. None close to the degree of germs found on the trays and water fountain buttons, however.

Enjoy your day!