Trump and Vance are gurgitating on a repetitive basis the best of the worst. Haitians eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Missouri. Even geese and ducks and suggesting cannibalism. 

Without stopping. Trump thinks he has the immigration fact pattern issue for the 2024 election locked down. His 2016 wall arguments are the cats and dogs of today.

The Mayor, City Manager and Police Chief of Springfield say no such activity exists. Not even one solitary case. Missouri’s Republican Governor denies it also. World renown singer and entertainer John Legend is a native of Springfield. He says no way. The Haitian community denies it.

The Haitians were invited to settle in Springfield. Springfield had lost 20,000 of its population. The Haitians were welcomed with open arms. Twelve to fifteen thousand have settled. They are in Springfield and its surrounding area via a federal program permitting them to settle there. They are hard workers. Springfield’s largest employer says he wishes he had more. They have settled in. Purchased homes. Attend churches. Their children attend local schools, are good students and cause no trouble.

This dietary lie became an issue in August with the Black Tribe. A neo-Nazi group. Its leader a former Marine, presently a tattoo artist. The group exalts Hitler as a deity. It is a white supremacist group. Interestingly, no women are permitted to be members.

Somehow a woman blogger in Canton wrote an erroneous blog about Haitians and cat eating. The blog content spread. Trump and Vance mistakenly designated Springfield the place where it occurred. The woman who originally wrote the blog at some point even denied what she wrote was true.

Along the way, Trump hooked up with Laura Loomer. He had dealt with her years before. She is back on his team. She is best known as a conspiracist. She denies 9/11 occurred the way it did. It was a creature created by the American government.

Ohio is Vance’s State. He began with the story last week. The next day or so Trump opted to use it in his debate with Harris. He sounded like a fool. An even worse one after one of the moderators corrected him and said it had not occurred. Nevertheless, Trump continued and continues to now make it a main issue of his campaign.

Trump says he will immediately deport the Haitians to Venezuela when he is elected. Why Venezuela, I do not understand. Trump also said this past week he would move to Venezuela if he lost the election. Why does he want to live with the Haitians? Has he already begun enjoying cheeseburgers made from cat and dog meat?

The debate where the cat and dog issue became magnified was tuesday. By thursday, death threats had been received by the Springfield City Hall, the County Motor Vehicle Bureau, two elementary schools and one middle school.

Children are afraid to attend school. Not because of the possible shootings. Rather because they fear being ridiculed by other children. Their parents fear a shooting, however.

Trump and Vance are not going to let this bogus issue die. They believe it is a winner for them. From my perspective, only a winner for setting up some Haitians to die. Shot by a disgruntled anti-Black.

Recall the Pittsburg synagogue in 2018 where one man shot and killed 11 Jews and wounded 6 who were attending services at the Tree of Life Synagogue. He told police after his capture that he wanted Jews to die because they were committing genocide against his people.

A similar nut could pop up in Springfield and do similar damage.

The blame for such an incident would lie solely with Trump and Vance. I would add to the two also those members of the Republican Party who cannot see the danger involved in the lies the two are uttering.

Enjoy your day. This one and the next few with the concern expressed herein. I am bothered and I assume many of you are also. 

The debate should have permitted chairs. For Trump, a high chair. Befits the crying baby he is.

Today is Friday the 13th. Beware! Good luck!

What is the superstitious source of Friday the 13th? Many. The two most popular involve Jesus Christ. One is Christ was executed on Friday the 13th. The other that the 13th guest at the Last Supper was Judas.

I believe superstitions are without basis. Some people however need them to subsist. Gives them something to worry about.

May they enjoy the mental anguish they impose upon themselves.

Donald Trump said yesterday he will not do another debate with Kamala Harris. Trump said in justification, “When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are ‘I want a rematch.'” Trump posted his statement on Truth Social, asserting he won Tuesday’s debate against Harris despite most polls showing otherwise.  

He lies. Misrepresents the truth. How does he live with himself? Harris clobbered him! She would do it again and Trump knows it. So he tries to cover his ass by bullshitting his way out. Americans know his words are “bullshit.”

Trump suggests he will flee to Venezuela if Harris wins the election. He claims the South American dictatorship will be safer than the U.S.

FOX News considers Trump’s debate performance one of the worst ever in the history of Presidential debates.

One problem Trump claims was between the moderators and Trump. The moderators challenged Trump five times for lying and Harris not once. Could it be because Trump does lie and did lie and Harris did not?

It appears Trump may have attended the 9/11 Ceremony in New York City because it is an election year. First time he ever attended a 9/11 Ceremony. 

Trump was hounded by an embarrassing “question” at the 9/11 Memorial Service: “Where were you for 20 years? I’ve been here. Where were you?”

Only 8 hours ago, Trump again asserted the baseless claim about “immigrants eating pets” in Springfield, Missouri. 

He won’t give up! No matter how false. Our Nation cannot afford this demented individual another 4 years.

Enough is enough. Yesterday, the Springfield City Hall, two elementary schools and another entity were hit with bomb threats. No threats were carried out. The Springfield Mayor said the bomb threats used “hateful language toward migrants.”

Trump hates Blacks. Simple. He also always refuses to acknowledge a lie. He is America’s “twisted tongue orator.”

Early voting began yesterday in Alabama. The first state to begin early voting.

The race is on!

The price of gas has dropped in Key West. Over the past few weeks, roughly 40 cents a gallon. May the price go lower!

Once Texas Governor, Ann Richards said, “I’ve always said in politics, your enemies can’t hurt you, but your friends will kill you.”

I did physiotherapy this morning for the first time in a week. I wanted to be sure the gout in my left foot was truly gone. I made it through my hour with no problem. Thank you, Lord.

Enjoy your day!

I cannot believe what I am about to share.

Five persons have been indicted in the starvation death of a 7 year old boy who died weighing 7 pounds.

Deonte Atwell was destined for a short and painful life if he had received the best medical care he deserved. Nevertheless he would have lived to his 20s-30s and enjoyed some moments of pleasure.

Instead, his care and treatment was criminal. He died last Christmas at the age of 7 weighing 7 pounds. Suffered every day till his death.

Indicted for murder, manslaughter, etc. are his mother, brother and grandfather. Also 2 health care workers who not only failed to notice Deonte was dying, but also billed Medicaid between $10,000 and $50,000 for treatments Deonte did not receive.

Deonte suffered from thoracic spina bifida and hydrocephalus, a medical condition that required constant care. The condition left him immobile from the waist down and required him to wear a tracheostomy tube and attend physical therapy. The State provided Deonte’s family with all the medical equipment and resources needed to care for him.

The company responsible for providing care at his home did not visit Deonte’s home for at least 3 months  leading up to Christmas, the day he died.

Deonte and his family resided in Fort Lauderdale.

Wow! Harris’ victory over Trump has been described as a “rout!” Harris has been described as “dominant” in every sense.

Taylor Swift endorsed Harris following the debate. Surprising to some. Trump’s people will recall for years that the race is not always to the swift.

Trump is pure insanity. Instead of quietly accepting his debate defeat, he is running around claiming he won. He said yesterday: “Every poll has us WINNING, in one case 92-8. So why would I do a rematch?”

92-8? Not only is he crazy, he lies! Which we all know.

The Trump/Harris debate attracted more than 67 million viewers. It was the most watched debate in 16 years.

Moving on.

Casanova is known as one of the world’s greatest lovers. A gentleman at all times.

 Historically his name has become synonymous with “womanizer.”

On this day in 1705, he was arrested in Venice  and sentenced without trial to 5 years in prison. His “crime” an affront to religion and common decency.

He was a good man who could not be kept down. One year later, he escaped by climbing and running over a roof.

He went elsewhere and continued his romantic exploits. His charm was such that there was always available to him a willing woman.

The Great Wall of China took hundreds of thousands of workers to build. It’s size on completion 13,170.7 miles. Construction began in 220 B.C. and was completed in 1644.

Four hundred construction workers are buried in its foundation. The Wall is recognized as the “longest cemetery on Earth.”

I never knew. Another live and learn. The dimples in golf balls have a purpose. Aerodynamics! They create turbulence in the layer of air surrounding a ball in flight, thereby reducing drag behind the ball.

Sugar Ray Robinson in the early 1950’s was considered the best pound for pound fighter in boxing history. A class act gentleman besides. Loved by fans!

I close with one of our most memorable Presidents, John F. Kennedy. 

On this day in 1962, President Kennedy spoke words that have become a part of American folklore: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

Nothing wrong with hard.

A haircut and manicure later this morning. Enjoy visiting with Lori and Tammy.

Enjoy your day also!

Harris decidedly won the debate last night. Trump lost. Pure and simple.

If tests remained for Harris to pass to prove she was qualified to be President, she passed them all. If Trump was being tested, he failed big time.

Harris knocked Trump silly.

Did Trump even prepare? The two moderators had to correct his lies three times. Trump pitched the already clearly disproved story about Haitian immigrants who were eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio. Trump considered them true. He heard it on TV. He told the American people how great the Hungarian dictator Viktor Orban was. How many Americans even know who Orban is?

Trump looked old and tired. The cry he and others used to bring down Biden fell on his shoulders last night. Not only did he look old, his talk was not up to par. It happens at his age.

I was shocked this morning to hear Brit Hume on FOX News admit Trump lost. Trump never loses on FOX.

Trump was on Fox this morning. He blamed the loss on the two moderators. Sounded like basketball players who can’t put the ball in the basket during a game blaming the referees for the loss.

My concern  is whether Harris’ performance was enough to make her the winner in the Presidential race. The election is still close. A handful of voters in seven states will decide this election. Will last night or the next two months be enough to prove to them they do not want Trump’s finger on the nuclear button? That is what this race boils down to. Is Trump Presidential timber in this race? No way. Harris clearly showed she was last night.

Today is 9/11. Twenty three years ago.  The devastation, the sorrow. Who ever expected it?

It changed everything for a long time. For some families, even till now.

Permit me to share my experience. Once a year, my bankers and CPA would visit me in my offices to get a run down on our year. It had been a terrific cash flow year. The best ever.

Then I got a call. Turn on the TV.

My clients were primarily large national and international corporations. Loved representing them. They always paid their bills and paid them timely.

I did not receive another check in payment for services rendered for three months. Nor did any other attorneys who did my type work. The corporations stopped writing checks till they determined how things would work out violence wise. Life went on even though I was not paid. I still had payroll to meet and other expenses.

How life changed for some closely involved in 9/11. Rudy Giuliani for example. One of America’s heroes that day. Look at his status today. Let me add he probably is in the position he is today because of his relationship with Trump.

We’ll never know what Einstein’s last words were as he died on a hospital bed. His nurse did not speak German.

It was 452 A.D. Attila the Hun stood with his army before the gates of Rome. The earth trembled as they had approached Rome. His barbarian horde had scorched Italy, leaving death and destruction in their wake. Attila was cruel and arrogant. People referred to him as the Scourge of God.

Instead of Rome’s army meeting him, an old white haired man in shabby clothes walked to him and knelt. It was Pope Leo I. A feeble elderly man who wanted to save his flock.

The two talked.

History reports Leo said to Attila: “The people of Rome, once conquerors of the world, now kneel conquered. We pray for mercy and deliverance…..We pray that you, who have conquered others, should conquer yourself. The people have felt your scourge. Now they would feel your mercy.”

Attila capitulated and left leaving the Vatican and Rome untouched.

Religious historians claim Attila retreated without causing any deaths or damage because as Leo spoke to him, Attila saw two apostles flanking the Pope. The apostles, Peter and Paul. They were standing over the supplicant Leo who was kneeling before Attila as he spoke. Flashing flaming swords.

Attila saw an army ten times greater than his own behind Leo. Also with flaming swords in hand.

Attila retreated.

The religious aspect of the story has little solid proof. However one thing is certain. The humble Leo on his knees convinced Attila to walk away.

As a result, Leo became the first Pope to be known by “Great” following his name. Leo the Great.

Some sexually related tales from yesteryear.

This a live and learn one. I took several English classes in college. A lot of Walt Whitman. College for me was 1953-1957.

Never heard of Walt Whitman being gay. Yesterday read Whitman and Oliver Wilde may have had sex together. Both homosexuals.

Advertising in the days of Roman brothels. Roman brothels had pictures of the prostitute’s specialty above the door to her room.

Blackbeard and his crew of pirates had a special horn that they inserted into their personals. The horn was then used to flush mercury inside which was believed to be the cure for syphilis.

In World War I, British spies would use semen as invisible ink for their letters.

Benjamin Franklin was a sex hound. Respectfully stated. He enjoyed sex with older women because they couldn’t get pregnant. He wrote literature on the topic.

Embarrassing! French President Felix Faure died while being orally copulated. He was with his mistress Marguerite Steindheil. Their relationship had been ongoing for some time. The French President referred to her as his “physiological advisor.”

As the story goes, when the Presidnet died one of his hands had a handful of Marguerite’s hair in his fist. They had to cut away a part of her scalp to remove it.

Faure’s demise was news immediately. His method of death caused Marguerite to be dubbed “la pompe fandre.” Meaning “funeral pump.”

Oh, the embarrassment of it all!

Enjoy your day!

Tonight, the Presidential debate. The most significant in history. I am anxious to watch. It could determine who the next U.S. President will be.

Would you believe? Republicans threaten a government shutdown unless Congress makes it harder to vote. 

Government funding involved in the threat. September 30 the date by which the federal government must be funded.

Religious dogma speaking Speaker Mike Johnson is a whore. Young, good looking, always spouting God, a leader of the movement. He and a group of Republican Congressmen and Donald Trump want to use the September 30 deadline to force legislation that would make it harder to register to vote in all 50 states. Such conduct is not consistent with a good, moral heart in operating government. 

Yet Republicans don’t care. Down and dirty is their play program.

In the end, the American public will hopefully regardless of party, not accept this way to run the government.

My friends, regardless of your party registration, vote Democrat this time. It won’t kill you. It is the only way to save our government and way of life.

James Earl Jones died yesterday at the age of 93. What an actor, what a voice! Personally respected!

May he rest in peace.

Why do major sport figures these days get knocked badly in their debut performances. I refer specifically to Caitlan Clark and Tom Brady.

Clark survived and established herself in short time as a player. Brady apparently was not that great in his opening performance as a sport announcer. Give the guy a break! He will be one of the best in short order. A professional is a professional.

Nostalgia from the 1950’s. May you enjoy. I enjoyed writing it.

I was in high school, college and law school during those years. Also married in 1957 prior to law school. Here’s what it was like. A different time, different days. 

The memorables: Five and dime stores, home milk deliveries, rotary dial phones, color TV born, kids always played outdoors, average marriage age for females was 20, 2 movie tickets cost under $1, a half gallon of gas less than $1, super markets not common, kids smoked fake candy cigarettes, the Soviet threat always lurking.

Also, you watched Ed Sullivan on TV, the family car required a choke be pulled, toys were simple, boys played marbles, drive in theaters on friday night were a WOW, high school dances were called sock hops, high school athletes wore letter sweaters, 3D movies were cool, the twist was the popular dance, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned, telephone booth stuffing was a pop-culture challenge, Marilyn Monroe the ultimate sex symbol, Moms cooked all your favorite foods from scratch in the kitchen.

The U.S. has changed! That is the way life is.

Remember to watch the debate tonight. Your immediate future years will depend on it. Good or bad. No indifferent.

Enjoy your day! 

The glory will fade.

The Monroe County Tourist Development Council, aka the TDC, has recently won several marketing awards.

I am not thrilled. Nor impressed. The TDC has done an excellent job for the organization, but the results have not been the best for Key West. They have changed the island. Additionally brought some corruption with it.

What now?

The “glory” will not last. It will fade. Fade because of what it is turning Key West into and because of what the results of the present criminal investigation may reveal.

The New York Times Editorial Board this morning: Donald Trump Unfit To Lead. “He is dangerous in word, deed and action. He puts self over country. He loathes the laws we live by.”

Need more be said.

Trump is scumbag #1. And yet the race is close. Woe be we should he win!

Mary Trump is Donald Trump’s niece. We are aware from her prior comments she is not a happy camper when it comes to Uncle Donald. 

Mary is a psychologist by profession. She says, “Donald is dementing…..We deserve to be told there is a maniac on the loose.”

The things I recall. This day in 1956. Elvis Presley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Sixty million viewers watched. The figure translates into 82.6 percent of TV viewers.

I watched. Presley was a big deal already! 

He sang Don’t Be Cruel, Hound Dog and Love Me Tender.

A WOW performance!

On this day in 1919, the Boston police went on strike. A no no.

Calvin Coolidge was Governor of Massachusetts. His handling of the police strike eventually led to his election as President of the United States. His handling of the strike made him appear a man of decisive action.

His words during the police strike could not have been  more appropriate: “There is no right to strike against the public safety by anyone, anywhere, any time.”

I close with a few words by Queen Elizabeth II. A wise sensitive woman. She said, “Grief is the price we pay for love.”

A more fitting statement never said.

Enjoy your day!

Italy’s Amalfi Coast is in the news. The claim is influencers have been hyping the Amalfi Coast for years. Turned a “great place” into a “theme park.” High costs, too many tourists, traffic jams and the like.

Sound familiar?

It is happening to Key West. It has been happening for several years and is getting worse. The town is changing dramatically and not for the better.

Recent Trump observations.

Trump says women love him. Maybe when he was younger and a rich playboy. Not today! He is an old f–k who only wants to screw women in a fashion that hurts them. He has become an even worse misogynist in his old age. 

Trump said Friday that he doesn’t buy claims that Russia is trying to sway the Presidential election his way.

Why would he claim otherwise? Putin is his buddy. Trump never sees evil in the man. Putin has Trump bullshitted every which way.

If you vote for Trump, you’re crazy!

Trump is already predicting reasons for a possible Harris victory in Tuesday’s debate. He claims it will be the media’s fault.  Reasoning the media will say he was “humiliated.”

If Trump loses, it will probably be because not only did Harris humiliate him, he humiliated himself!

Trump is warning Harris’ campaign donors that they will not escape his retribution if they play a role in a 2024 election “steal.” The legal actions will be unprecedented.

Trump will probably do it even if he wins. He’s a “get even” guy. Bad news!

I’m sick of hearing about more school security, mental examinations, etc. as the means to reduce school and other mass shootings. The key to less shootings is fewer guns. Simple!

Our laws are too lenient. There are more guns than people in the U.S.  Significantly more.  We need fewer guns. Personal protection and hunting does not require the number of guns people have in the U.S., especially AR-15s.

One of the world’s most beloved works of art is “David.” A 17 foot 12,000 pound marble masterpiece. The artist Michelangelo. Only 26 years old when he received the commission.

“David” was unveiled this day in 1504 in Piazza della Signoria in Florence.

Michelangelo carved it from a single block of marble that other artists had rejected as defective. The work took three years to complete.

It was intended to be placed on the rooftop of a Church. Its final 12,000 pound weight made the task of getting it up there impossible. So it was decided to have it placed at street level.

When the piazza location had been decided upon, it took 40 men four days to move the statue one half mile.

“David” is the Biblical hero who used a slingshot to slay the giant Goliath.

Live and learn. Airplane windows are round or rounded at corners. Why?

Airplane windows used to be square. When commercial airlines graduated to higher, faster and longer jets in the 1950’s, some planes began disintegrating midair. Investigations determined the cause to be the squared off corners of the windows. They tended to collect the stress of the pressurized cabin  and became prone to fracture. It was determined that 70 percent of an airplane’s stress was concentrated on the windows’ sharp angles.

Thus was born the round window or rounded corners on them.

Ho ho ho, Yogi Bear! Syracuse beat Georgia Tech yesterday 31-28. 

The game was not as close as the numbers would suggest. Georgia Tech had a hell of a final quarter playing catch up and came up short.

The numbers suggest it was Syracuse’s game. Syracuse ended up with 515 yards as opposed to Georgia Tech’s 371. Syracuse earned 27 first downs as opposed to Georgia Tech’s 19. Syracuse quarterback McCord made 32 of 46 pass attempts, scored 4 touchdowns with his passes.

Hope Syracuse keeps up the good work!

Gotta make money! In 1698, Russian Tsar Peter the Great imposed a tax on beards.

Jews seem to always have been imposed upon. In 1750, a Decree was issued in Paderborn, Prussia allowing for the annual search of all Jewish homes for stolen or “doubtful” goods.

Flyweights Gene LaRue and Kid Pancho KO’d each other simultaneously in 1923.

The weather and lifestyle (the older one more than today’s) of Key West must contribute to longevity. I am 89 and still going. There is a Key West resident that went to 108. Thomas Romer. He lived in Key West 65 years before dying in 1891. He is considered Key West’s longest living resident.

Enjoy your Sunday!

I believed in my professional days and still do today, that “you have to know the enemy.” Otherwise, you may not defeat them. It is preparation for battle.

I occasionally watch FOX, the TV home of the enemy politically. This past week, I watched  Trump give two talks before a more intellectual group than shows up at his rallies. One was the Economic Club of New York.

Two conclusions I have arrived at. Both concern tuesday’s debate.

Trump and his people have been saying he is not practicing for the debate. Only doing some questions and answering on occasion. 

The other is the two Trump’s presentations that I watched. He was quiet and subdued. No shouting or insults involved. Serious. Trying to appear knowledgeable. Lied like hell, however. Misspoke constantly. He was difficult to follow.

My conclusion is Trump will not be his usual self in the debate. He may break at some point because of Harris and/or the pressure of the debate and resort to his usual self. I believe his game plan is to come over as a subdued knowledgeable Presidential candidate. Good luck! Don’t think he can make it through a whole debate.

I am confident such will not fool Harris. The smart woman she is, the capable staff she has, should find her prepared to defeat the “new Trump” should that be the case.

Liz Cheney said re Trump and Vance: They are “misogynistic pigs.”

Go, Liz! Right on! A perfect characterization for two men who exhibit hatred and prejudice against women.

Yesterday, Liz announced her father Dick Cheney would vote for Harris. Big! A die hearted black Republican. I would not expect it of him. At the very least not made known publicly. It will cost Trump votes.

Trump beat the system again. He gets preferential treatment as no other person ever has in the courtroom.

My experience as a trial lawyer taught me how difficult it is to get a trial date changed. Always a legitimate reason involved for the request. Many judges were and still are more concerned with their trial calendar status than justice.

Many judges are not mentally swift. Florida’s Aileen Cannon a perfect example. Nor are they kind, considerate, thoughtful and fair. Contrary to the black robe image they portray.

Judges were like playing cards. You played the hand you were dealt. Sometimes a good judge, sometimes the worst.

I was a respected trial lawyer. Moved my cases. Always ready for a scheduled trial. I had one case that presented a problem and I wanted the trail moved to another date.

My grandfather had died during the night. The patriarch of our family. The man I was named after. A person I loved and respected.

I called opposing counsel early in the morning and told him I wanted to adjourn the trial. He understood. He was no problem. A gentleman, a person I had tried many cases against and on the same side with him. I had 2-3 days standing by my grandfather’s body in a funeral home, then the service and burial. No way I could proceed, nor was I in a mental condition to proceed.

We met with the judge early that morning. I always thought he was an asshole. A political hack who lucked his way onto the bench. However he always received from me the ultimate respect his black robe demanded.

He proved my thoughts concerning him were correct that morning. I advised my grandfather’s death. He refused to adjourn the case. I couldn’t believe what I heard. The other attorney jumped in and said he had no problem with my request. The judge looked at me and said, “He’s only your grandfather, not your father.”

The judge in due course with great reluctance agreed.

I share this story to show how difficult it is  to accomplish simple understandable things in court proceedings. Things that have nothing to do with the case itself. Merely human things.

Trump has gotten away with murder re his cases. He has received all sorts of preferential treatment. Treatment that is neither available nor afforded anyone else.

Wrong!

I must concede however the judge made the correct call in the sentencing portion of the Stormy Daniels case. He adjourned the sentencing date from September 18 to November 26. The November 26 date being after the election.

Correct with the election less than 2 months away. An unusual courtesy nevertheless. No other person whatever that person’s reason would have been extended such a courtesy.

The COVID shot must have caused the reoccurrence of gout in my left foot as Dr. Norris diagnosed. Two days on the gout pill Colchicine and the swelling is completely gone this morning. The foot still a little painful. I attribute it to the unusual swelling for a few days.

Love Dr. Norris!

Syracuse/Georgia Tech at noon today at the Dome in Syracuse. Georgia Tech favored.

Enjoy your day!

Raise hell Key West!

DeSantis and Florida Republican leaders are neither good people nor supporters of LGBTQ. Actually, sneaks. Florida’s tourism marketing agency quietly removed “LGBTQ Travel” from its website in the past few months. No notice to any Florida LGBTQ business owners, including those in Key West.

Though not a crime, a dastardly act. When are Florida voters going to wise up and throw these Tallahassee Republicans out of office?

Note Key West has a strong Republican business community involved in LGBTQ matters. I wonder how they feel knowing they have been stabbed in the back by DeSantis and his cronies? And not for the first time.

Key West really has no friends in Republican Tallahassee, though many Republican Key Westers believe they do. How many times has Tallahassee screwed local Republican businesses? More than you can count. And they continue to do so. Wise up Key West Republicans. You are bending over and saying to Tallahassee do me some more.

What a week for me physically! Sick, sick and more sick!

It all began tuesday with my COVID and flu shots. My arm hurt like hell tuesday night. Never happened before.

Following physiotherapy wednesday morning, my left foot hurt. Pain increased during the day. By night, it was horrendous. I thought I might have broken a bone doing some balance exercises. Thursday foot not just swollen, continued swelling all day. Spoke with Dr. Norris. He thought it was gout. I failed to tell him about the COVID shot.

Norris put me on the gout pill. Twenty four hours later, pain and swelling down 65 percent. Saw Norris this morning. One more day on the pill and I should be fine.

Turns out the COVID shot can cause gout. By tomorrow, the pain should be totally gone.

Forget the other two problems. One corrected itself. The other under examination.

Dr. Norris is wonderful! An excellent diagnostician!

A former Marathon resident Bryan Roger Bishop, age 52, was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release thereafter for his July 6 participation in the terrorist attack on the Capitol.

He pled to coming out of the Capitol crowd following which he aimed and sprayed a chemical irritant at a line of police officers.  One police officer was sprayed directly in the face, a second by aiming the spray at an upward angle in order to spray under the officer’s face shield. After spraying the officers, Bishop entered the Capitol building and walked through various rooms.

A leader!

On this day in 1861, Major William French issued an order that all male citizens of Key West must take an oath of allegiance to the U.S. within 60 days, or they would be removed from Key West. A valiant, brave move by Major French. The Civil War was underway. Key West remained loyal throughout. The rest of Florida went Confederate. Key West was  vital to protecting Union shipping and preventing Confederate shipping.

Liz Cheney announced she will not vote for Trump. She will cast her vote for Harris. He announcement was expected. Cheney said she is voting for Harris because Trump will set the Constitution on fire in a second term.

Hunter Biden pled guilty yesterday in the tax case against him. He will be sentenced on December 16. He faces up to 17 years in prison and fines up to $1.3 million. He was “required” by the prosecutor to plead guilty to nine federal criminal charges.

His plea acknowledged he failed to pay $1.4 million in federal taxes from 2016-2019. He has since paid the amount, however.

My professional past included working out federal tax pleas for some whose problems resembled Biden’s.

Tax attorneys and CPAs would have their clients retain me to handle the federal charges. A basic in every case was the taxes first had to be paid in full or in an amount satisfactory to the government. None of my clients ever did jail time, though they were heavily fined.

Biden did wrong. But the Republicans have forced him to pay a price for his sins far heavier than in my experience. The Republicans are punishing Hunter beyond normal to embarrass and cause pain to President Biden.

Wrong!

If Trump ends up with jail time for any of his wrongdoings, he should not complain. He set the modus operandi by which he will be judged.

Trump said in a speech this week that global warming is not a problem. 

I view it as every nation’s problem. Especially a nation that pollutes heavily. The U.S. is one.

Trump said his concern is not global warming so much. It is minimal from his point of view.  He is concerned with “nuclear warming.” I fear he would drag us into a nuclear war. The man is dangerous! Trump does not know what he is doing. He can wipe his derriere with his bravado!

No, no, no! JD Vance calls the reality of school shootings a black “fact of life.” Means we can do nothing about it. Vance said schools should beef up security, rebuffed stricter gun laws.

He speaks what the NRA dictates.

Who needs a Vance one breath from the Presidency! 

Harris raised $361 million in August. Nearly three times more than Trump did.

Go Kamala!

The pain continues. Four souls gone, four lives ended. Because of a whacked kid who may not have received the attention he required from his parents.

Yesterday the father of the 14 year old shooter was arrested and charged with murder and involuntary manslaughter. He bought his son an AR-15 for Christmas. The AR-15 was used in the shootings.

Rome is considering charging tourists to visit Trevi Fountain. Only one or two euros. Not to make money, but to control crowd size.

Thirty five-forty years ago, I spent an entire month in the Rome area with my family. We visited Trevi Fountain several times. Never a crowd.

Steve and Cindy Thompson were in Rome in the Spring. Visited Trevi Fountain. Told me of the crowd, showed me some pictures they took. I found the crowded condition hard to believe.

The plan being formulated will not only charge tourists a minimum fee, but also require scheduled times to visit. Make an appointment!

It might work.

As far back as I can recall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has done the same for certain short term major exhibits. The system worked. You knew when, went and had your quiet uncrowded time enjoying the exhibit. There were many people, but not shoulder to shoulder. No aggravation involved.

I close with a live and learn addage.

The snack food you can thank monks for inventing. The pretzel way back in 610 A.D. A soft variety made from leftover bread, baked and twisted into the well known pretzel shape. Supposedly to look like arms crossed in a prayer pose.

Enjoy your day!

Another school shooting yesterday. Four dead. Two students, two teachers. Nine students hospitalized.

Will it ever end?

The place Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. The two students were 14, as was the perpetrator. A schoolmate. The assailant has been arrested. No one else involved. He has been charged with murder and will be tried as an adult.

The teachers were 39 and 53.

Kids go to school today with run and hide instead of read and write. Has to stop!

We keep talking cease and desist. Our elected officials do not react accordingly. They used to submit solely to the NRA. Now to their gun owner/carrying constituents who “want” their guns, also.

What Louis thinks.

For years going back to my early days as an attorney, I have disagreed with the public’s “absolute right” to bear arms. I have always thought the opinions of the Supreme Court “blew it” in United States v. Cruikshank (1876), Presser v. Illinois (1886) and United States v. Miller (1939) where it was recognized the Second Amendment protected the right  to bear arms from being infringed upon by Congress and that the right to bear arms preexisted the Constitution thereby making it lawful.

Precedent supports the right to personal gun ownership.

Note clearly, something we all understand today, that the Supreme Court can decide to change precedent when “they” deem it proper/feasible. Roe v. Wade the latest example.

I have been of the opinion that the Second Amendment is constantly read in error by the Supreme Court. The Second Amendment states: “A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

The coma between “state” and “the” is significant. The Supreme Court has refused to read the writing properly into its decisions. To me it allows a simple one. The accurate one.

When the Constitution and Bill of Rights were written, the United states was a young nation without as a practical matter a standing army of any significance. If war was to occur, citizens had to be mobilized.. They needed guns. The government did not have a sufficient number of weapons. Men took their own guns with them when they went off to war. Therein lies the necessity for the right of people to “keep and bear arms” so as the nation would be prepared to fight with guns.

Certain decisions distinguish between “possessing” and “bearing” arms. A stretch one from my perspective. It would take pages to analyze the distinction. However, my simple conclusion is why would a person need to bear or possess an AR-15 for personal protection?

We need a new Supreme Court not only to correct the abortion abuse but also the crazy and improper right to bear arms.

One last point. The population of the United States is somewhere around 333 million. I read somewhere last year and mentioned it in a blog that there are more personally held guns in the U.S. then there are citizens. The recent count is 393 million personally held guns.

Today’s painting.

Jack never named his paintings. I did some of the ones I purchased. This one’s name obvious. The Madonna and Child. Or, the Blessed Mother and Baby Jesus.

Jack knew the Madonna was special. He had outdone himself. Whereas his acrylics normally sold for $3,500, Jack added another $1,000 to the Madonna. Several of us wanted it. None of us wanted to spend the extra $1,000. Jack would not budge.

In the early Spring, Key West has a street sale every year. Covers half of Whitehead and runs tangently into some Truman Annex Streets. Big!

I came upon Jack’s white tent. Sitting prominently for sale was the Madonna. My Madonna! I yelled at Jack: “You’re selling my painting!” He responded: “You never bought it!” I answered: “I just bought it! $4,500!” Jack said: “It’s yours” and hung a SOLD sign on it.