Would you believe, Ottawa truckers openly telling police their first line of defense is their children.

Parents are openly and willingly placing their children in harm’s way. Twenty five percent of the protesting vehicles are occupied by families with children.

Insanity! Who intentionally places their children in a path of danger?

An excellent article appeared in yesterday’s Washington Post authored by Miriam Berger and Amanda Coletta regarding the subject.

The article pointed out placing one’s children in the middle of the Ottawa confrontation complicates police efforts to end the stand off which has paralyzed Ottawa.

Sandwiched between big rigs blaring their horns and blockading major thoroughfares are playpens and bouncy castles. Makeshift food stands serve child friendly meals.

In one tent, there is a sign listing daily activities for the children.

Posters erected by the truckers are everywhere invoking the need to protect the children.

Police are prioritizing the “safest way” to have children removed from the area prior to any sort police action.

Parents have warned/threatened authorities if they try to intervene, “children could get in the way.”

Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act last week. The Act bars bringing minors to unlawful demonstrations.

Trudeau recently said, “The absolute safest way for this to end is for everyone to return to your communities. It’s time to go home – especially if you have children with you.”

The truckers have learned from the Taliban and other Middle East combatants to place children next to buildings or places that would be bombed or attacked by the opposition.

A distinction. The truckers are not Taliban. They are Canadian. A different breed. A nationality steeped in doing the right thing all the time.

The truckers are failing this time. They have abandoned their heritage by using their children as their first line of defense.

Putin is doing something with the Ukraine that is going too far. Farther than even surrounding the Ukraine with 150,000 Russian troops. Even more than spike shelling the Ukraine 20 times through 2 am this morning.

Moscow announced beginning tomorrow there will be a sweeping exercise involving multiple missile launches. The purpose to offer a timely reminder of Russia’s nuclear might. Putin is scheduled to oversee the exercise himself.

Putin flexing his nuclear muscle. The missiles tomorrow will be duds. However what about next week in the event an all out war begins?

Putin is playing with fire. Nuclear devastation. Russia and the U.S. are not the only countries with nuclear power. Today there are many. Putin could trigger a mindset that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Other countries may threaten in a similar fashion in their wars. Problem is along the way someone makes a “mistake” and hundreds of thousands could die.

Michael E. McIvor’s obituary appears in today’s Key West Citizen. My heart doctor and friend for 15 years.

The Doctor and I enjoyed many conversations involving Syracuse/Virginia sports. Especially basketball. McIvor was a proud Virginia graduate.

He an had a dry sense of humor. Many the time I was slow to catch on he was toying with me.

The good doctor was born in Morocco. Actually, Casablanca. I did not know till I read this morning’s obituary. His Dad was stationed in Morocco at the time with the military.

There will be a Celebration of Life sunday from 4-6 at the Marriott Beachside.

Key West’s One Human Family was not so back when. It was a very anti-black community.

A powerful one.

In the 1920’s, the Klu Klux Klan was established in Key West. Organized because of the white population’s opposition and fear of the growing political organization which was taking place in the black community. Its voice was heard throughout Florida. The Key West order became a Florida powerhouse.

Local Key West businessman Charles H. Ketchum was the Grand Dragon for the State of Florida. He ran the Klan during his term in office from his Key West home.

Today’s Citizen notes that on this day in 1924, the Local Order of the Klu Klux Klan put on a demonstration with a parade and naturalization ceremony at Bayview Park.

Take note of the “naturalization ceremony.”  A clear indication of how strong the Key West Klan was in the 1920’s. Lynching blacks by night and swearing in new white American citizens by day. Yes, Key West had a few lynchings back in those days.

Due to supply problems, there is a scarcity of new cars available for purchase.

The frosting on the cake. This past week, a cargo ship full of Porsches and Volkswagens caught fire in the middle of the Atlantic. The 22 man crew had to abandon ship.

The ship remains adrift. The ship owners are working at recovering the ship and whatever contents remaining. Problems have prohibited the reclamation to this point. Practical, not legal.

Enjoy your day!

The move is underway in Florida to make Big Brother part of everyone’s family. A legalized spy answerable only to the State.

Governor DeSantis wants to be President DeSantis. He is constantly trying to appeal to those who supported Trump in 2016. Appealing in many instances to to an extent not even attempted by Trump.

DeSants is promoting the Free State of Florida. He is doing so via surveillance and censorship.

There is a bill presently being fast tracked through the Florida legislature: The Don’t Say Gay Bill. It represents the beginning of the Big Brother concept becoming a legal part of our everyday existence.

Once law, it will require video cameras in classrooms, video camering of all conversation between a teacher and student(s), requiring videoing of all visits by a parent and child, parent alone, child alone, with a doctor re trans young issues. Additionally, teachers would be required wear microphones all day while working.

My initial reaction…..Thank you Adolf Hitler.

What makes it even worse is the Florida legislature will pass the legislation. They follow DeSantis as if they were children following the Pied Piper.

What is in the process of occurring is surveillance of the highest order. It is Orwellian, autocratic, authoritarian, and fascist. Dictatorial power foisted on what are supposedly a free people.

DeSantis’ efforts, which will be successful, are nothing more than a craven attempt to build power on the back of LGBTQ people.

DeSantis denies the legislation is an attempt at surveillance. He claims the “legislation has nothing to do with surveillance…..It is trying to protect…..students from forced indoctrination.”

What a joke! Who is attempting to indoctrination who? DeSantis’ aim is to “indoctrinate” people with his way of thing, falsehoods.

Floridians…..We are in trouble.

Several months ago I wrote a blog re DeSantis’ desire to have a private “police force” answerable only to him. Such in my opinion would be his Gestapo. If he had such, would it be his “Gestapo” who would enforce the surveillance powers being sought?

Think!

There is a right way and a wrong way to accomplish things.

One involves getting rid of an elected politician with whom you disagree. Vote the politician out of office. Such is the correct way.

The wrong way is to yell and scream, interrupt governmental gatherings, and so forth

In the world of politics, face to face confrontations achieve little if done in the fashion as it recently has with school boards.

California has a recall provision in its laws. File a petition with a certain number of names asking for the recall of a particular elected official. Hold the election. Vote the bum out if such is your wish!

It happened yesterday in San Francisco. Three school board members were removed from office via the recall method. Overwhelmingly! By 72-78 percent.

San Francisco Mayor Breed had supported the recall. It is now his responsibility to appoint three new school board members to serve till the next election.

The moral. Change things, do what you want, but do it the legal way. Which generally is through the ballot box.

An Ottawa update.

The police chief was fired yesterday. People believe he acted too slowly. He was not decisive in handling the truck blockade.

Command of the police chief’s duties and those of the police department have been taken over by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Ontario Provincial Police. Ottawa police for the time being are acting in a secondary roll.

An HIV cure! A novel first time approach has resulted in success. An unrevealed woman who had been HIV positive for 10 years is now believed to be cured.

The woman only the fourth ever to be cured. Hers by a different approach from the previous 3.

Previously bone marrow transplant was the way forward. Very complicated. Rarely attempted for a number of reasons.

The new method involves the transplant of umbilical cord blood from a donor with the mutation that blocks HIV entry into the cells.

The bird flu is slowly moving through the U.S. First discovered in Indiana. Now in a very few days has popped up in Kentucky and Virginia.

A major outbreak may be in the offing. Authorities not sure yet.

On this day in 1959, Fidel Castro became Premier of Cuba. A mere one and a half months after the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.

Regardless of what you may think of the Cuban government, what Fidel created still stands after 63 years. Call it Communist. Point out food and medicine continues to be scarce. People not living as well as they should. Whatever, the fact remains the government still is in power.

Rent increases across the U.S. continue to rise. The rent increase is described as a “brutal spike.”

We now it all too well in Key West.

Nostalgia time.

The Borders Book Store was previously on North Roosevelt Boulevard. Where the Pet Supermarket stands today. Borders went out of business in September 2011.

I was an unhappy camper at the time. I spent a couple of hours every afternoon at Borders reading. Never bought a book. Probably there were many like me and that is why Borders failed.

The chairs were comfortable. The flow of new books constant.

I have never been able to get comfortable with the Key West Library. Can’t explain why. In 30 years, I have probably been in the building 10 times.

Nothing to be proud of. However, that’s the way it is.

Enjoy your day!

Consistent wrongdoing has a way of catching up. In Trump’s case, his financial statements. Those prepared for Trump organizations by his accounting firm Mazars USA.

Mazars in a 2/9/2022 letter, which became part of a court filing yesterday, advised Trump it could no longer stand behind a decade of statements…..the statements could no longer be relied on.

The letter has become part of the New York Attorney General’s civil investigation into Trump organizations.

Mazars letter in part reads: “Our advice to you…..no longer rely on those financial statements.”

Involved a reiteration of part of the Humpty Dumpty story. Recall Humpty Dumpty, in this case Donald Trump, sat on a wall and the wall came tumbling down. “All the King’s horses and all of the King’s men could not put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”

Another update re the Canadian truck convoy problem.

Canada does not fool around. Proof being the expediency with which it has moved on the truck convoy situation.

Trudeau is in the process of invoking the Emergencies Act. Never before used.

The Emergencies Act defines a national emergency as a “temporary and critical situation” that “seriously endangers the lives, health or safety of Canadians and is of such proportions or nature as to exceed the capacity or authority of a province to deal with it.”

Police have already begun “sabotaging truckers” heavy equipment.

An example involves 3 excavators parked on private land by having their “wires cut,” their “filters removed” and “spray foam put up their fuel lines.”

The government further warned “if you choose to use your vehicle to create chaos, you will lose that vehicle and your license.”

The police have begun arresting protesters at Ambassador Bridge. Before dawn yesterday. Successfully. By dawn only 2 pickup trucks and less than a dozen protesters remained blocking the road to the Bridge.

Canada is a large land mass. Its population relatively small in comparison. Nevertheless, strong in spirit. Like “Don’t tread on me.”

Two U.S. Senate fruitcakes are Rand Paul and Ted Cruz. Both support the Canadian truckers. Rand recommended they “clog the cities.” Cruz has openly come out in support of the truckers, describing them as “freedom fighters.”

I close today with the Battleship Maine.

On this day in 1898, the U.S.S. Battleship Maine was destroyed by an explosion in Havana Harbor. Two hundred plus crew members killed. In short time resulted in the Spanish-American War.

Tonight at 9 my time Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Join me for a rip roaring show. A quick moving half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Beside love and gift giving, the Day is named after Saint Valentine.

Valentine was a priest and physician who suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Christians by the Emperor Claudius II about 270 AD.

In modern day: “Will you be my valentine?” is like asking “Will you go out with me?” and saying “I like you.” Sending a card is a common way to let someone know you want to be their valentine.

Dinner dates, candy and flowers are special Valentine’s Day gifts.

Hope you have someone special with whom to share this day. There is nothing better than an affair of the heart

My blog is limited today. I have a series of tests beginning at 8 this morning.

All quiet on the western front. Super Bowl tonight in Los Angeles. The threat of the truck convoy has not materialized. Unless they come storming in later in the day.

The thought occurs they may steal in while the game is played. Think how horrible it would be when the fans watching the game began to try leaving in their cars. Pure chaos!

Canadian police, per the authority of a court order, began clearing the truckers and their supporters last night at the Ambassador Bridge. Note however that only so many trucks can be moved at any given time.

I have a plan. One that would work at the Ambassador Bridge and Super Bowl. My plan based on expediency and one that would make it difficult for truckers.

Keys not required. Cross the wires beneath the dashboard. Truck locked? Break the window to get it. Then in orderly fashion have the trucks driven to several empty fields and left. Not in any given direction. Rather facing each other in every given way. Let it be chaos in reverse.

The trucks in a very short period are costing many others significant financial loss. The holdup at the Ambassador Bridge is costing the U.S. and Canada $360 million a day. Auto plants are closing or cutting back. Small businesses earning their livings on the periphery of those plants have neither customers nor cash flow.

I still do not understand why COVID restrictions caused the problem. Does not make sense. The news daily reports 90 percent of Canadians are vaccinated. Some report slightly different numbers. Ninety percent of truckers vaccinated and 80 percent of the rest of the population.

Truckers and their supporters have issued not one denial to the numbers.

The truck convoy name has been changed. It is now Freedom Convoy. Probably to make it consistent with what many truckers and protesters believe: The mandates raise an issue of personal freedom.

Tonight the event! Super Bowl! Bengals vs. Rams.

I am not much of a pro football fan. I was more into it during the years I would go to Don’s Place sunday afternoons and sit in the back outside watching several games at one time with Don and friends.

In recent years prior to COVID, I would attend a house party or go to a bar with friends. However, I continue to believe the virus is still with us. I disagree with states and people saying things are better and the masks can be removed.

Based on 2-3 weeks of the numbers coming down, the same thing occurred last summer and the numbers shot back up.

So I shall be watching Super Bowl from a comfortable easy chair with my feet up on an ottoman at home.

I have prepared myself for the occasion. I very rarely eat potato chips. I bought a bag of chips and an onion dip to pick on during the game. I also had a pizza delivered last night. To be eaten tonight. I enjoy my pizza cold. It is sitting in the refrigerator. It will taste great during the game.

I have become a non-drinker. Unfortunately, but that’s the way it is. I will treat myself tonight however to a glass or two of wine as I dine on the potato chips and pizza.

Drug deaths on the rise. Opium overdose the major contributor. More than 100,000 deaths last year.

Syracuse lost last night to Virginia Tech 71-59. The loss ended Syracuse’s 4 game winning streak.

Enjoy Super Bowl tonight!

Bum Farto where are you? The question oft asked in the past 45 years.

He is in the news again today.

Ever wonder why he disappeared?

On this day in 1976, Farto was found guilty of 3 drug violations in Federal Court. He faced 31 years in prison. Sentencing was scheduled for several weeks later. In the meantime, Farto was free on bail.

On the day he was scheduled to be sentenced, he left his Key West home for Miami to be sentenced. As the story goes, he made it out of his driveway onto the street never to be seen again. The suspicion being a Jimmy Hoffa type incident occurred in the street in front of his home.

Bum Farto’s legacy is not that he was Fire Chief, a pimp, a drug dealer, etc. It is the many tee shirts born of his disappearance.

Key West is one of the tee shirt capitals of the world. Tee shirts appeared in many Duval Street stores then and continue to this day. A popular tourist acquisition. The wording on the tee shirts: Bum Farto Where Are You.”

Some believe he is under a concrete highway somewhere in the U.S. Others, that he spent his remaining years on a remote Caribbean beach in the company of beautiful ladies.

I have learned many things in the 30 years I have been in Key West. One is contrary to popular belief. Key West is an excellent place to raise children. A conservative community once off Duval.

Key West is small. Roughly 28,000 people. Yet it supplies the best of everything education wise for its children.

The most recent example. Katrina Madok is a science teacher. Teaches fifth grade at the Gerald Adams Elementary School. This past week it was announced she is the recipient of the highest U.S. award for science teachers.

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science. She will receive the award from President Biden in Washington.

Seventeen teachers and monitors will receive the award. The award consists of $10,000 and a free trip to Washington D.C. to receive the award.

China is manipulating the Olympics. The nature of the beast.

Two Chinese American citizens and three all white American citizens are participating in the Olympics representing China.

Two gold medal winners. Skier Eileen Gu and figure skater Zhu Yi. Three white Americans who are members of the Chinese hockey team.

There is a drug issue which has held up the awards ceremony for events Gu participated in. The hearing is tomorrow. The Committee’s decision monday.

The problem inconsequential from my perspective. I hope Gu’s situation is not turned into a Jim Thorpe one.

I mentioned yesterday the 30,000 turkeys that had to be euthanized because of bird flu which struck an Indiana turkey farm.

Concern is spreading. Fear that the bird flu will move rapidly throughout the U.S.

Bird flu is already wide spread in Europe. It has also affected areas in Africa, Asia and Canada.

A devastating U.S. bird flu outbreak in 2015 killed nearly 50 million birds, mostly turkeys and egg laying chickens in the Midwest. The U.S. is the world’s largest producer and second largest exporter of poultry meat. Ego there is a massive U.S. concern. If the flu spreads, it will affect the economy, inflation, etc.

It has been announced that COVID can result in stillbirths where the mother is unvaccinated. The coronavirus destroys the placenta and leads to the stillbirths.

Syracuse/Virginia Tech tonight at 6 pm. Both teams coming off 4 game winning streaks.

Jesse Edwards has developed into a star Syracuse player this season. The 6’7″ center has improved dramatically with each game.

Syracuse will be without his services tonight and the rest of the season. He fractured his left wrist against Boston College this week and will be out of commission the rest of the season.

Enjoy your day!

The Canadian truck convoy protest is expanding. Moving swiftly. Disrupting everything in its path. Consider how much it has accomplished since last saturday.

I am concerned. It is obvious. This is the fourth time in a week I have addressed the problem.

Note this is not an incidental occurrence. It is organized. Moving too fast to be otherwise.

Canadian laws are a bit different than ours. The Ottawa police chief advised over the weekend he did not have the authority in most instances to deal with the protesters.

Such must be the case. One of the Mayors involved went to court yesterday seeking an injunction to allow police to “physically” move in and end the blockade.

Two developments since yesterday. One came to our attention for the first time yesterday. The other new.

The first has to do with American support for the convoy. The convoy which is already threatening the U.S. economy.

Sean Hannity is cheering the truckers. Tucker Carlson’s online store is selling tee shirts: “I (heart) love truckers.”

U.S. conservatives are openly supporting the convoy. Many are speaking out in that support. Some are the “fringe” in Republican politics.

Congresswoman Wendy Rodgers one of the crazies. Her reason for supporting the convoy” “It will be payback for Colin Kaepernick and the kneeling.”

Rand Paul claims in support of the convoy: “Somebody’s gotta stand up.”

There is a concern the convoy intends to disrupt the Super Bowl sunday. The game to be played in Los Angeles. There is also concern the convoy may attempt to disrupt the State of the Union Address March 1.

The Department of Security has brought attention to the two concerns.

Note that 2 hashtags have  in the past week been getting big play: #ShutDownSuperBowl and #SugarBowlTrafficking.

Trump and the toilet dump continues to get more attention. Not so much as a joke. Rather that it exhibits one way Trump may have tried to destroy documents that should have been preserved. Documents that are suspected to have been flushed down toilets in the White House and Mar-a-Lago.

Yesterday, videos began appearing on TV and the internet showing Trump claiming toilets do not have proper power to flush. He did it primarily at rallies. Made a joke of it, but stayed with the theme.

Trump claimed it took 10-15 flushes to get things to go down.

Could the “things” have been missing and shredded documents?

It happens. Livestock becomes afflicted with a disease and has to be destroyed in its entirety to prevent spread.

The “bird flu” struck a poultry farm in Indiana. Thirty thousand turkeys had to be euthanized.

The Indiana case is the first to show up in a commercial U.S. operation since 2020. It has been six years the bird flu on Indiana farms was last discovered. Hundreds of thousands were killed as a result.

Bird flu rapidly spreads among all type poultry. It is a foreign disease. Should not even be occuring in the U.S.

Denise Derrer Spears is a member of the Indiana State Board of Animal Health. She said, “It’s a big deal…..We need to stamp it out before it gets out of control.”

Syracuse begins playing better basketball and disaster strikes.

One reason for the better play is that of center Jesse Edwards. He is out for the season. He fractured his left wrist in the Boston College game tuesday. He is being operated on this morning. He will be out for the season.

The sun may be shining brightly. However, it continues to be cold in Key West.

Enjoy your day!

This is the third time in less than a week I am writing about the Ottawa truck convoy problem. The truck convoy is rapidly expanding. Beyond Ottawa. Its effects being felt even in the U.S.

So far, the truck convoy’s activities can be labeled successful.

A most recent update. The auto industry is being affected.

Ford maintains an engine plant in Windsor and an assembly plant in Oakville. Both experiencing part shortages and production lines are dramatically closing. Toyota has 3 Canadian plants. Part shortages, again. The plants are incapable of manufacturing anything.

The General Motors plant in Lansing, Michigan cancelled its second shift at its midsize SUV plant.

Canada is the U.S.’s biggest trading partner. The primary connection between the 2 countries is the Ambassador Bridge. Twenty five percent of all trade between the U.S. and Canada passes over the bridge. It is blocked at one end.

Recall this past saturday when the truck convoy problem commenced, it was to protest mandated vaccines.  The only mistake the truckers appear to have made since saturday is their concocted excuse for the convoy protest. Canada is 90 percent vaccinated.

The cry now has been expanded to “end all COVID-19 restrictions.”

Canada is fighting back. Not enough yet. They are still trying to figure out necessary steps to take.

A new ordinance was passed over the weekend making it a crime to bring fuel to the trucks. It is being enforced. Food is scarce. Police are arresting persons attempting to deliver food to the truckers.

The trucks are stopped blocking roads. The damage that is being done to commerce and normal traffic movement growing. The auto industry one example.

There is no end in sight yet to disruptions protests of any nature in Canada and elsewhere.

I clearly recall last summer when the pandemic appeared to be shutting down. Mask removal in many jurisdictions was permitted. People started going out. Even me.

I lasted 4 weeks. Such was the amount of time it took me to realize the numbers which had been down had only diminished for a short period. They were on their way up again.

History repeats itself. Things are supposedly getting better again. People are anxious “to live” again. Politicians heeding their cry. Mask mandates are being removed.

No one seems to recall last summer. A sudden drop in infections, masks off. Play again. Then a surgence and all the COVID restraints in force again.

I believe politicians are listening to the cries of their constituents and not taking into account what is in the public’s best interest. The numbers wil swing up again in the next 30 days.

The politicians seem unaware all states are still in the red. Means the COVID problem still significant.

Foreclosures are on the rise. Dramatically.

The numbers tell the story.

Foreclosures the highest since March 2020. They are up 139 percent from a year ago. One hundred thirty nine percent no insignificant number!

It has been reported Bob Saget died from a head trauma. He must have banged his head when he fell. The head trauma resulted in a brain bleed.

A brain bleed is a serious occurrence. I know from personal experience.

I have been on blood thinners for years because of my heart condition. When I began falling big time, my primary and heart physicians warned that if I had a hard head bang, to contact one of them immediately. Tests had to be made immediately. Death could occur within 24 hours with no outward symptoms of warning.

Before the cane became a part of my life, my falls were frequent. Severe head bangings involved in a few.

I heeded the doctors on 6 occasions. Medical attention was swift. First x-rays. A couple of times another test. Perhaps a cat-scan. Each medical person I was involved with along the way, warned me to be available whenh is or her results became known. The doctors coordinated. Everyone kept tabs on me.

The bottom line was that if a brain bleed was indicated, I would be on the operating table without delay.

Everything was done swiftly. Final results available in less than 2 hours each time.

Fortunately, never a bleed.

If Saget had a brain bleed and was unaware, I can understand why he died.

Ron DeSantis has indicated he is anti-gay and is proud of it.

He immediately lost the votes of the gay populations living in Key West, Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

DeSantis’ head continues to be in his ass. The only way I describe what he does.

Vanity Fair’s Bess Levin wrote an interesting article concerning DeSantis’ recent proclamation titled “Ron De santis Signals He’ll Be Open To Making Florida An Anti-Gay Hellhole.”

He supports the Don’t Say Gay bill which would ban talk or gender identity and sexual orientation in Florida’s primary schools. He recognizes what he describes as the fundamental rights of parents to make decisions regarding upbringing and control of their children.

He believes in the right of parents to take legal action against school boards if they think their “fundamental rights as parents have been violated.”

School boards are elected by the people to represent parents and children. If parents have the right to overrule by private lawsuits decisions of school boards, why do we have school boards at all? Let chaos reign. Let entire communities decide the propriety of issues made by school boards.

A new term in the media: Trump’s Toilet Dump.

New York Times correspondent Maggie Haberman reports in her forthcoming book “Confidence Man” that “printed words of paper” frequently clogged a particular toilet in the White House. Staff believed Trump had flushed pieces of paper down the toilet each time.

Winston Churchill described Russia as “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.”

Nothing much has changed that would alter Churchill’s opinion of Russia. Putin is Stalin reincarnated and runs Russia in the same fashion as Stalin had.

Weather cold today. Sharp. High 60’s. High will be 7o degrees. I cancelled a doctor appointment. Too cold to go anywhere.

Enjoy your day!

Dueling in Key West was a popular confrontation in 1829. It was based on a code of honor brought over from Europe.

Its purpose was not so much to kill. Rather, to gain satisfaction for a wrong done.

A duel took place in Key West in 1829 between Charles E. Hawkins of the Mexican Navy and William Allison McRea, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. McRea and Hawkins’ wife were engaged in a meretricious relationship. Hawkins saw McRea leaving his wife’s bedroom via the window.

Hawkins challenged McRea to a duel. Guns were the weapon of choice.

Both men were poor shots. Hawkins was wounded in the wrist, McRea in the thigh.

Rents across the U.S. continue to skyrocket. They are at an all time high.

Key Westers do not have to be told. Rents were extremely high even before the recent surge.

The Ottawa truck convoy protest deserves close watching. I wrote about it in yesterday’s blog and spoke at length last night on Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

I write again today. The world was initially told the truck protests were against mandated vaccines. It did not take long to determine such was not really the case. Ninety percent of Canadians had been vaccinated before the protest.

The news has leaked out in a very few days that the protest is  planned by extremist groups. The same type extremist groups involved in the U.S. on January 6 and many European nations and and Australia.

The convoy protest began saturday in Ottawa. It has extended in 4 days to the Ambassador Bridge connecting travel between Canada and the U.S. Travel is being blocked.

Two thirds of Canadians do not approve of the protest.

Australia is in its eighth day of a truck protest. More such protests are planned for London and Dublin.

The purpose of convoy protests wherever held is to “undermine and overturn democracy.”

A one day minimal protest was held sunday in Alaska. One hundred attended. Alaska’s Republican U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan attended in support of the protest. Trump and Florida Governor DeSantis have already expressed their support.

China is exhibiting their newest robots at the Olympics.

They are bartenders, have the capacity to mix drinks. They deliver ordered food to tables in restaurants. The food is dropped onto tables from above in the hands of robots. They are also being used for mundane purposes such as mopping floors.

Syracuse won again! Their fourth straight win. Beat Boston College last night 73-64.

Lord, let Syracuse’s success continue!

Enjoy your day!