An American tragedy for Key West and all concerned comes to an end this morning.

In a courtroom. A criminal one.

Marjorie Acevedo will plead guilty or no contest to charges that she stole in excess of $400,000.

Marjorie is in her early 40s. She was employed by the Monroe County School District at the time of her alleged crimes. She was the head of the District’s Adult Education Program.

Her husband was and still is Randy Acevedo. He was the elected Superintendent of the Monroe County School District at the time of his wife’s alleged wrongdoing.

Marjorie and Randy have three children. Ages 17 to 21.

The School District provided Marjorie with a credit card for School District purchases. Marjorie allegedly used the credit card to purchase clothes for her husband, dog food, patio furniture and other personal items. Quite a few items to run up a $400,000 tab!

It was also claimed along the way that she allegedly misappropriated a class’ bake sale funds.

Her husband Randy, the School Superintendent, was charged also arising out of her alleged wrongdoing. He opted to go to trial. Randy was convicted of three felonies. For whatever reason, he did not do time. He received a suspended sentence and probation.

Key West and Monroe County are curious as to what sentence Marjorie will receive this morning. Will she walk as her husband did? Will she receive a severe sentence? Will she receive a light sentence? Will justice be done?

The prosecution says Marjorie should do 10 years in jail and then 20 years probation. Heavy!

The Judge has much on his plate this morning in arriving at his sentencing decision. It is solely up to him in the final analysis.

My concern has always been the students. These are children in their formative years. What example has Marjorie set for them? What impact did Randy’s no jail time have on crime and punishment for them? What will Marjorie’s sentence today say to them?

Marjorie is part of the boomer generation we read about so much today. The generation that believes they are entitled to everything. Their hands are always out. They take. Properly and improperly. Legally and illegally. With no concern for others. No conscience. No sense of responsibility.

Bernie Madoffs in varying degrees.

Who is responsible for them?

Their parents? Society as a whole?

Parents worked hard to make the American dream possible for their children. Everything was the children. Everything was given to them. Parents wanted more for their children than they had.

Along the way, parents may have forgotten to teach responsibility. To one’s self and to others. Or maybe it was taught and not heard. Also, perhaps parents made it too easy for their children. A few hard times would not have hurt.

Society as a whole condoned this do everything for the kids mentality. How could a parent do less than everything?

Now the evil of the life style has come home to roost. It is time for the fiddler to be paid. By Marjorie, by Bernie Madoff and by all the others who are committing and have committed similar wrongdoings.

That is my Key West story for the day.

A bit heavy.

A bit thoughtful.

Yesterday was Sunday.

I spent it quietly.

As Sundays were intended to be.

My morning started from my bed. Meet the Press! I was anxious to hear the reviews on the Glen Beck Washington rally the day before.

No information. Meet the Press did a one hour special on the 5 year anniversary of New Orleans and Katrina.

I tried to pick up information over the course of the morning on other channels regarding Beck. There was little to none.

I am not a Beck fan. However, I do like to know what is going on. Did the media intentionally avoid covering his multitudinous gathering? Or was it just not considered sufficiently newsworthy?

Only one thing to do. Get up and out to the Coffee House. The Sunday papers would have Beck news.

No. Little, if any.

Wow!

300,000 or 5000,000 people and no significant dialogue!

I sat and read the New York papers a while. There was other news to read. It was hot. The humidity was being felt even inside the Coffee House. So I left.

I went over to Borders. Air conditioned! Sat and read a couple of hours. Very peaceful at Borders on a Sunday afternoon.

Then to Lisa’s. I was scheduled for Sunday dinner.

Turned out initially to be just Lisa and me. Corey had taken the brood swimming. Lisa stayed home to cook and cleanup. Actually I think she wanted some time alone.

I know I am not a bother to her. So I stayed. We talked father/daughter things.

I wanted to watch the golf tournament on TV. I could not find the remote control. Lisa said Ally had hidden it.

Ally is 5 years old. She and her mother had some sort of dispiute. Ally hid the remote before she left.

A tragedy of sorts. At least for me.

When Corey and the kids returned, I invited Ally to sit on my lap. She came over and jumped on. Gave me a kiss. I quietly asked, where is the remote? She looked at me long and then smiled. I hid it! I know. Where? She looked hard and long at me again. Then said, I can’t remember! And she was telling the truth. She could not recall. She laughed. We all laughed.

Three hours later when Ally was going to bed she found the remote. It was under her bed covers.

Dinner was terrific! Vegetarian lasagna and pizza.

Afterwards, Lisa asked me to help Robert with his homework., He is now in first grade. Has homework. It was not completed.

Robert and I spent an hour completing his home work assignment. It was interesting. I did not do this for my own children.

The homework thing was an experience. For the both of us. I could see how the questions were intended to open his young mind to learning.

Then home to bed and the Emmys. Followed by Mad Men.

A great Emmys show! Funny! Touching!

Mad Men is always good. Love the show. However last night the plot really thickened. Dan Draper is heading into muddy waters!

I was out all day. Never went to a computer after I left. Nor when I returned home in the evening.

Someone had sent me a message on Facebook. The wife portion of a Key West couple. She said they rarely go out and wanted to go out last night. They were not hard core people. What would I suggest for a nice evening for them?

Obviously I neither saw the message nor responded timely. I did respond this morning. Perhaps it will be helpful to them next Sunday.

I suggested the Pier House. Dinner on the deck outside. Beautiful view. Soft. East. Calming. Food good. Reasonably priced. Then after dinner walk into the Wine Galley. Larry Smith’s Sunday Showcase is perfect for what I sensed this couple was seeking.

I hope they get to do it next Sunday.

Enjoy your day!

Today is an anniversary date!

Ten months!

No alcohol! No cigarettes!

I deserve a medal!

It was 10 months ago I was lying in a bed in the heart department of the University of Miami Hospital. I had just undergone some procedures. Including a heart catherization.

The doctors said no more drinking. I asked the alternative. Simple they said. You die. Ok, no problem. I just stopped drinking.

What about smoking, I asked. They said ok to continue smoking. They did not think I could give up two biggies at one time. I said I could. I have smoked my last cigarette, I told them.

I have done it! Ten months. Not a drink, not a cigarette. And I want to tell you. It is sooooo difficult. Even yet! The desire for both seems stronger every day. It does not diminish. It is truly a battle!

We do what we have to do, however. Such is life.

I started yesterday with a walk. A different place. Truman Annex. I was in the mood for a change of scenery.

Truman Annex is so beautiful. All white buildings. Stately homes. Lovely landscaping. White picket fences. Another world!

I spent some time in the afternoon at Lisa’s.

Ally is into a movie starring chipmunks. I am sick of it! She engrossed!

Robert agrees with me. He is tiring of it. But not Ally.

Last night started at the Chart Room. Only Captain Peter and Marty. And Michael bartending.

Some evenings at the Chart Room are like going to school. I learn much.

The discussion last night involved mosquitos. Captain Peter was especially knowledgable. Marty just behind him.

Dragonflies and locusts were also discussed. Captain Peter knew all about them. He was once in Saigon when locusts attacked. There was barren earth when the locusts left.

The Captain is leaving to visit Livingston, Guatemala next week. His former wife lives there on the river. There is no road access to Livingston. Captain Peter will take his boat from Key West to Guatemala and then down the river to Livingston.

What a life! What a man!

Marty and I had dinner at the bar at Hot Tin Roof.

Host John is a Wisconsin graduate. He is all excited that the football team is preseason ranked #11. There was a new bartender. He is a Virginia Tech grad. He was all excited that Virginia Tech was preseason ranked #6.

Pray tell, where is poor Syracuse? We are ranked not. And I do not expect anything decent from the football team this season. Syracuse is still building. Syracuse has been building for years. When will we be ready to distinguish ourselves on the football field once more?

Clayton and Valerie showed up.

Valerie bartends at Hot Tin Roof. Last night was her night off.

Clayton is a former popular Key West bartender. Now operates a tee shirt business. He discussed with me how he optimized and built up the business to the point that he has stopped paying the optimizing bills. He could not get the orders out timely!

Clayton is originally from New Zealand. He owns a condo also in Dubai. He is truly a world citizen!

Clayton and Valerie are opening a wine bar soon on Duval. Right smack in the middle of Duval. Should be a hit!

Clayton’s brother in law and his wife were in from New Zealand visiting. It was party time for their group.

Marty and I were chatting. All of a sudden Captain Dan’s name came up. Had he arrived in Puerto Rico yet? He left Key West a couple of weeks ago. Sailing all alone to Puerto Rico.

You will recall that he tried the same thing 2 years ago. His boat got beat up in a storm and Dan ended up on some island with a few broken bones, no medical attention and only natives. The natives healed him. He finally got off the island when another boat came along.

Dan had to try the solitary Puerto Rico trip again! I thought he was crazy! So did many others!

No one knew if Dan had made it. So I tried telephoning him. Cell to cell. He answered!

Dan is in the Caicos somewhere. He has motor trouble. Thinks it is almost remedied. Hopes to continue his trip to Puerto Rico today.

Marty and I chatted with Dan. It was exciting to talk with him.

After the Hot Tin Roof, Marty and I seperated. Marty went to the Wine Galley to listen to Larry Smith. I headed home.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Good radio show yesterday!

Unfortunately, reception was limited from Key Largo to Havana, Cuba. And only radio. Something was screwed up with the internet connection and the show could not be seen/heard world wide. My apologies to my friends who were unable to join me because of the problem. I was buried in e mails and phone calls after the show asking, in effect, what happened?

I never know what topic is going to tickle/interest the show’s audience. Generally, I am surprised after the show when I discover which one it was.

Yesterday the Tiger Woods segment turned out to be the big one.

It was announced this past week that Tiger and Elin are divorced, Elin got $100 million and did an interview where she said “…I’ve been through hell!” I commented that $100 million covers a lot of pain and suffering. A lot of hell. Elin should move on with her life. Tiger get back to golf.

Wow! Came the deluge!

Some thought I was too harsh on Elin. The thought was she deserved all that money! All I was saying is that $100 million covers a lot of ills. Makes whatever the problem easy to recover from.
Several people accused me of not being a romanticist! The poor woman hurt! How could I be so calloused?

I am a practical man. He kicked her in the ass! She kicked him back! Both did it big time. Enough is enough.

So there is no misunderstanding, most people who contacted me agreed with me. However the few who did not were so vocal I thought their comments worthy of mention.

There is a new staff person at the KONK radio station. Jennay. Not sure I am spelling her name correctly. The radio station is part time. She is an intuitive in her other life. Sort of places a person’s future feelings in proper perspective.

Jennay is a nice lady. Charming. Pleasant. Definitely sensitive. I enjoyed meeting and chatting with her.

Larry Smith stopped into the studio after the show. He was one of the ones who disagreed with me on the Elin/$100 million issue. Claims he is a romanticist. And I am not of course from his perspective.

I stopped at the Coffee House to read the papers. Some Judge in New York City screwed up big time. Front page story! His office computer was checked and it was discovered he was heavy into porn. He immediately resigned.

The Judge presided over criminal cases in Manhattan. Part of his calendar would include sex crimes. He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword!

His fall from grace is sad. The news article indicated he was a good Judge. Well respected.

I had a terrific time last night. One of the best recently!

I started at the Chart Room. Where else!

Sheila, Katherine and Sean there. Marty showed up a bit later. Susan bartending.

Katherine’s birthday today. Happy birthday Katherine! She is all of 25!

Katherine and Sean are going to celebrate the occasion by doing a spa day together at the Ocean Key House followed by a big dinner somewhere tonight.

Both good people. They come to Key West from Mississippi. They met there while attending Mississippi University.

Marty and I had dinner at the bar at Michael’s. Like a wake! It is late August and there were not too many customers.

Maxine Makover came in with her niece. She said hello as she passed by. I have not seen Maxine in a long time.

Maxine is one of the owners of the yarn store on Whitehead. It is next to the Mel Fisher Museum. A terrific place! So beautiful inside! And comforting! Comforting is the correct word. The few times I have been in the store I had a feeling similar to being in a church.

Marty convinced me to join him for a drink after dinner. A diet Pepsi, of course.

We went over to Finnegan’s Wake. It had been at least 10 years since I was last there. It will not be 10 years again. I had a wonderful time!

A lot of people. Eating and drinking. Entertainment. Jeanie Falcone singing. Jeanie sings over at the Bull, also. She and Yankee Jack alternate.

Doc Covan and his lovely wife Diane stopped in. Fred is a psychologist. Looks like one! Acts like one! Has a terrific sense of humor!

I have known the good Doctor off and on for 10 years. We have been in contact more frequently of late because of Larry Smith’s new internet variety show.

Doc is married to Diane. One of Key West’s outstanding attorneys! A tough advocate! I do not know Diane well at all. I would like to know her better. She seems interesting.

My sense is these two must have one hell of a marriage! The soft sensitive psychologist and the tough courtroom lawyer.

Charlie and Mary Lou came into Finnegan’s Wake. Both are local business people. Mary Lou also has the distinction of having once been Fantasy Fest Queen. Good people!

Between the people and places last night, it was a very good evening!

Enjoy your day!

I spent the morning and into the early afternoon yesterday fine tuning today’s radio show.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour will be on the radio in a couple of hours. 10 am. KONK 1500 AM. Better yet, watch and listen on the internet at http://www.konkam.com/.

Great topics and issues. The story of Xavier Alvarez who lied about winning the Congressional Medal of Honor and is getting away with it, a walk back in history with Winston Churchill, Jim Furyk, salmonella, a mysterious empty yacht that washed up on a Florida beach, the Muslim cab driver stabbed in New York City, the Tiger Woods case, Connecticut dumb weird laws, Craiglist and adult services, two funny stupid lawsuits, the California Proposition 8 case and its stay, some Harry Truman bits and more.

Join me! A fun time! An interesting show!

I had bocce last night. Bocce night affords no time for a decent meal. So I had a late lunch. At Hogfish. I ate an absolutely tastey hogfish dish covered in a lobster sauce. And read the papers.

Bocce last night was total destruction!

We lost all three games.

Destroyed in the first one 16-1. The next two games were close. But defeats nevertheless.

Such is life!

The only consolation is that we played the best team in the league. Not an excuse. A fact. There was pride that we made the last two games competitive.

I have to hustle. Stayed in bed late this morning. Have to get ready for the radio show.

Join me!

Golf was terrific yesterday!

I played with the big guys! Don, Kurt, Robert and Larry. All much better golfers than me. By far!

I played well! Did not embarass myself!

I continue to hit the ball. Still not scoring, although I have lowered my overall score by at least 20 strokes.

I am hitting the ball sufficiently well that Don announced after yesterday’s round that my strokes would be less next week.

OK by me! A badge of accomplishment!

Don played well yesterday. Shot a 78. Kurt was a wee bit off. Shot an 85. Robert’s game is still off. He shot another 95. Larry shot 113. His game was really off. Said he shot 106 a few days before. Larry usually shoots in the mid 80s.

I shot 107. I beat Larry score wise. First time I ever beat anyone! 50 on the first nine. 57 on the second nine. We played the second nine from the blue tees. Against my better judgment. That is what happens when you play with long ball hitters.

The blues were a bit rough for me. Especially on the 3s. I did not have enough umph to reach the greens.

The day was not a disaster. I won $8. Kurt was the big dollar winner at only a buck more, $9. That $1 saved me $12. As winner, Kurt got stuck buying the drinks.

It was hot on the course. Very hot. And the sun was a burning one. My face was beet red when we finished.

I went home and took a nap.

Dinner last night was at the Yacht Club. With Don, Kurt and Robert. Good guys. We had a good time.

Afterwards, we hustled over to the Bottle Cap. Larry Smith’s internet variety show was being produced at 9.

A good show! Congratulations Larry! The show has come a long way in a short period of time.

Marty showed up. He is back in town. He had called earlier. I told him to meet me at the Bottle Cap. He came and went, however.

We are to hook up tonight. I forgot. Bocce tonight. I will not be able to meet him.

Bocce will be difficult this evening. We are playing the best team in the league. These guys are good! Awesome! They even practice! If we win just one game, it will be a miracle!

The night ended at Don’s Place. A good place. Everyone should visit Don’s Place.

Radio show time tomorrow!

The Key West Lou Legal Hour. 10 am. On the radio from Key Largo to Havana, Cuba at KONK 1500 AM. Watch and see on the internet at http://www.konkam.com/.

Interesting topics. Like Jim Furyk’s oversleeping, Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, Alaska, Connecticut weird dumb laws, the strange decision this past week saying it is not against the law to claim to have won the Congressional Medal of Honor and more.

Enjoy your day!

The culprits who stole the gold bar from the Mel Fisher Museum were captured. On film. Not captured for real yet. You can see the crime being committed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKYfZjYuqYE.

Take a look. Interesting.

I spent the afternoon at Borders. About 4 hours. I was in a reading mood.

I have been reading War. The current best seller regarding Afghanistan. A terrific book! I am really into it!

No War yesterday! Sold out! Not one book left!

A tragedy! First time it has happened to me.

There is a warped humor involved. I read the books for free. And complain if a book is sold out!

So I spent the afternoon skimming through three other books. Books I might never have read in any part were it not for the War sell out.

One of the books had to do with Nazi war criminals and the search for them after World War II. I am a World War II freak so the book intrigued me. Its name and author escape me.

There is a new book out about Elizabeth Taylor and Robert Burton. A wow! I really got into the book! Recommend it!

I also took a trip back in time. William Faulkner’s 1930 work As I Lay Dying. I was more interested in the form of the book rather than its substance. Faulkner wrote it with each chapter being told by a different character. There is a term for this style writing that escapes me.

I dined alone at the bar at Outback last night. Read the newspapers.

A couple were seated next to me. 50ish. Demanding. Wanted everything from the wait staff. Questioned everything. Pains in the ass!

The bill came. The male used a credit card. Wrote in the tip. The female reviewed the bill. Told her partner/husband that the tip was too little. He had only left 8 per cent. Should be 10 per cent, she said. It was ok by him.

She even asked for water in a plastic cup to go. With lime. The bartender put in lemon. Oh no, she said. Lime.

And so it was.

Larry Smith’s new variety show tonight at the Bottle Cap. Give a watch at 9 on http://www.konkam.com/. Peter Diamond is guest starring. Peter sings like Frank Sinatra reincarnated! A Key West talent!

Peter is originally from my neck of the woods in upstate New York. Syracuse. He and his charming wife Holly have lived in Key West for many years.

The power went out during the night. It was out quite a while.

I woke around 1. The bedroom was getting stuffy. No air conditioning. And voices. From outside. There are some visitors next door. They must have thought the power at their house alone was out. They were talking up a storm and fooling around with the power box.

The power periodically goes out here in the keys. We are like a central American country in that regard. It adds to the flavor of Key West. I always say I am going to leave one of my many flashlights next to the bed. I never do and am relegated to lying in the dark. Sweating.

Golf this morning. I am tired. Probably because of the 2-3 hours sleep I lost in the middle of the night. Wonder how I am going to play?

Enjoy your day!

Walked Smathers Beach early yesterday morning.

The weather was perfect. As usual.

Just enough breeze coming off the ocean.

An interesting conglomerate of people. Mostly alone. Some twosomes. Some with dogs. Some on bicycles. Some running. Not a lot. Enough.

It was sweating time no matter how you made the trip. The humidity is always present this time of the year.

Later, I treated myself to a manicure. With Tammy at Lee Nails on Flagler. A beauty! The thought occurred to me. Why are Oriental women all short? Tiny they are. Tammy is Vietnamese. She stands less than 5 feet tall.

Lunch at Lucky Day. Cuban toast with melted cheese and tomato.Stayed a while and read all the newspapers.

Spent most of the afternoon home. Did some paper work. And played with my Mercedes.

I had my Mercedes Benz driven down from Utica, New York last week. It is a 1987 model 420 SEL. I purchased the vehicle new in 1987. Cost me $54,000. A lot of money then! A lot of money now!

I have a cheap streak in me. I swore I would take very good care of the car and never sell it. All because of what it cost me!

I stopped driving the Mercedes winters 15 years ago. It has not been driven in the past 4 years before being driven down to Key West last week. It sat in the garage in my Utica home.

The body and motor are in great shape! The car made the 1600 plus mile trip with no problem.

I cleaned the inside of the car yesterday. Including the trunk.

The trunk was full of everything! A lot of items from the many golf tournaments I used to play when living up north. Many years old bottles of water. Most items were thrown out. Except for the golf balls and tees. Every time one plays in a golf tournament, he gets a sleeve or two of golf balls and a bag of tees. I cleaned up on balls and tees yesterday!

The Mercedes is going to be a parking problem. It is huge! Like a tank! And feels like one when being driven!

The car is too big for the painted spaces in Key West. I can’t cut the size of the car down. Nor can I elongate the parking spaces. I have a problem!

Last night was dinner at Lisa’s.

Yesterday was the grandkids first day at school. I wanted to share their experiences with them.

What experiences? They spoke not of their day. Even when asked. It apparently was a day like all days.

However we had fun!

Cameron brought a new for real putter over. His mother bought it some time ago at a garage sale. Robert was using it and loving it! The weight did not bother him. The shaft was too long. But he compensated for that in the way he held the club. Robert and Ally were putting away on the living room carpet all night.

Corey and I talked about the stolen gold bar. The one recently misappropriated from the Mel Fisher Museum. It is like the New York City mosque story. It is taking on a life of its own.

The Miami Herald carried a major story on the theft. Apparently the gold bar is worth over $500,000 as a treasure and around $75,000 melted.

CNN has been in contact with Melissa, the Museum’s Executive Director, and may have a reporter in today to cover the story.

The local chatter is whether the thieves will be caught. I anticipate so. Key West is a small town and it is difficult to steal here. Historically the local police department has had great success in apprehending criminals. Even when they attempt to leave or leave the island.

That was my day. Another Key West day.

Enjoy your today!

This summer weather we are experiencing is absolutely fantastic!

Perfection!

Yesterday was Sunday. The day started with a late breakfast at Harpoon Harrys. Second Day in a row for me there. The group I was with wanted to eat at Harpoon Harrys.

A jovial place! Primarily locals! I enjoyed eggs benedict and had a good time!

Afterwards I headed over to Lisa’s. Ended up spending the day there.

Robert was sick again. A low grade temperature. He felt lousy. Did not eat at all. It is amazing how kids look so terrible so soon when they become sick.

I read the Sunday newspapers and hung out with the family.

Big day today! Robert and Ally start school again.

Robert is better. I spoke with Lisa this morning. And Robert and Ally also to wish them good luck in their new school year.

Robert is entering first grade at Montessori. He will now go to a different school about 3 blocks from where he had been attending. Ally is starting kindergarten. This will be the first time Ally will be without her brother at school. She is feeling a bit uncomfortable about it.

I plan on having dinner with them tonight to learn how their first day at school went.

Lionfish have become a big topic in recent months here in the Florida keys. They have arrived big time. Lionfish are not native to these waters.

Lionfish are native to the Indian Pacific Ocean. How did they then get to the keys?

Somehow several years ago they appeared in the waters off Jamaica and Panama. Now they are here in Key West.

There are two popular thoughts as to how they arrived in our waters. And Jamaica and Panama have nothing to do with either.

The first is that during Hurricane Andrew a fish aquarium containing several was destroyed. The lionfish were thrown into our waters and propagated.

The other is that several were improperly dumped into our waters several years ago by some malcontent.

Either way and interestingly, it is claimed that all the lionfish now here can be traced to six or seven lionfish that made their way initially into our waters several years ago.

The problem with lionfish is that they are voracious predators. They eat everything in sight. That happens to be the law of the ocean. Fish eat each other. But no fish eat lionfish! So they grow and grow and grow in population.

The reason no one screws with a lionfish are their spiney tentacles. They are highly venumous. Fatal to fish. Not fatal to man. However will make a human very sick if stung.

Interestingly the meat of a lionfish is not poisonous. Actually very edible. And tasty. I am told lionfish tastes much like hogfish.

Corey was recently at a conference in Key Largo. One of the issues was lionfish. Lionfish was served for lunch. Corey said it tasted good. And did taste like hogfish

An agenda item was how to control the lionfish invasion. If something is not done, the lionfish will destroy all the other fish.

The recommended solution is that the word be spread advising that lionfish is good eating! Hopefully it will become popular and fished locally. This would provide the control factor which is presently lacking.

We shall see.

Enjoy your day!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to Sunday!

Another great Key West day in the making!

Yesterday I did my thing for God and country. Babysat!

Robert and Ally were getting haircuts. Following their haircuts, Lisa was getting hers cut and colored. Lori doing the work, of course.

Lisa asked if I would pick the grandkids up and babysit them till she was done. Absolutely!

I took them to breakfast. Harpoon Harrys. They have been there before and like it.

A full crowd. But we got a booth. They were handed coloring books and crayons. They colored. We chatted. About everything. A lot about golf. They are on my back to take them on the course. They have had lessons, putted, but never actually played. They fool me not. They really want to ride in the golf cart!

Robert devoured an order of pancakes. Ally scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast. Louis ham and eggs.

It was a first for Ally. She loves ketchup. Whether home or out, she had never poured the ketchup out of the bottle herself. I told her to do it. She said I never did. Go for it, I said. And she did! Covered half the plate in one gush! She laughed! She was proud!

Afterwards we took a walk over to the Turtle Museum. Corey’s duties at Mel Fisher include the Turtle Museum. So the grandkids had been there many times before and were familiar with the place. They headed straight for a sit down game involving fish, the ocean and magnets. I even played with them a bit.

Corey’s picture is on the wall. They proudly showed it to me.

A gent by the name of Ranger Rick was overseeing the Museum. A nice guy. A Key West character of sorts.

He played 3 different guitars for Robert and Alley and sang songs for them. Songs he made up as he went along. He had them laughing.

Rick also had his dog with him. A big guy. Heavy hair. Not a warm weather animal. Rick had just iced him down.

Ally enjoyed the dog. Petted him several times. Robert was a bit reticent. Kept his distance.

Rick said there had been a manatee in the water next to the Turtle Museum earlier. I was disappointed we missed the manatee. The grandkids would have gotten a thrill touching and rubbing the manatee while feeding the gigantic fish fresh water from a hose.

Rick was a reservoir of knowledge about ocean and fish. He advised he had worked for a time as a Ranger. Ergo, the Ranger Rick monicker.

We got into a discussion about manatees and fresh water. He said they do not need to come close to shore and into marinas to get their supply of fresh waster. There are three different types of grass growing in the water which provide fresh water when eaten.

We live and learn!

I spent most of the latter part of the day home. Reading and TV.

I am one who thinks our government is screwed up. Nothing seems to work correctly. Part of the government is the judicial system. The courts. Some decisions are out of whack from my perspective.

I read about one of those decisions yesterday. The decision was only one day old.

It involved an Xavier Alvarez. He was running for some local election in California in 2007. He claimed he had won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Turns out he had not. He lied.

There is a law against such lies. The Stolen Valor Act.

Alvarez plead guilty, but reserved his right to appeal his plea on constitutional grounds. He appealed. To the Federal Ninth Circuit Court. The Court decided in a 2-1 decision that Alvarez’s First Amendment rights had been violated. False statements which hurt no one are constitutionally protected.

A bad decision from my perspective.

I believe in free speech. The right to free expression of thoughts and ideas. For example, I subscribe to the right of an individual to burn the American flag. Burning the flag is different from what Alvarez did, however.

Burning the flag is a statement of honest belief. The individual so doing is saying I do not believe in what my government is doing in a certain respect. To claim the award of the Medal of Honor is not based on a belief. Rather it is bedded in a lie. Simple and straight forward. An intentional falsehood. Better labled once more for what it was. A lie.

When have lies ever been Constitutionally protected?

The entirety of our government is slipping into some sort of abyss.

The Ninth Circuit that decided Alvarez is the same federal appellate court that will be deciding the California Proposition 8 case.

Alvarez was the highlight of yesterday’s readings. TV was good also. Turner Classic Channel did 24 hours of Paul Newman films.

I always thought Newman a pretty face. His smile and blue eyes brought him his success.

I was wrong. Newman was one terrific actor besides!

I was up most of the night watching his many films. What a talent! Played many different roles. All well.

Sunday is upon us. I am having a late morning breakfast with friends. Should be fun.

Enjoy your day!