HAPPY BIRTHDAY SMOKEY THE BEAR…..75 YEARS OLD

Smokey the Bear. We grew up together. I am 84 and Smokey 75. He was in newspapers, on the radio, and on TV frequently. Not sure when I began seeing less and less of him. A time did come when his presence slowly began to diminish.

Smokey was a bear. A cartoon character. Created as a tool to help prevent forest fires. Every showing of Smokey carried the admonition: “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires.”

Verbiage changes with time. “Forest fires” became antiquated. The verbiage was changed. “Wildfires” replaced “forest fires.” The new admonition: “Only you can prevent wildfires.”

Smokey was always attired the same way. A yellow ranger hat and blue jeans. No shirt. Always depicted carrying a shovel.

Smokey became popular almost immediately. A federal law was adopted protecting his name and image.

Note that Smokey’s name contains an “e.” An intentional misspelling when the concept of Smokey was being developed.. The adjective smoky is spelled with out the “e.”

Forest fires a concern even before Smokey’s time. Walt Disney’s Bambi was in effect the first Smokey. Smokey replaced Bambi.

I have written about Mom’s Tea Room several times over the years. As recently as last week.

Mom’s was a house of ill repute in the 1940’s and 1950’s. The Navy did not approve of its sea men frequenting a place such as Mom’s. The Navy constantly pressed local authorities to close Mom’s down. Sometimes the local authorities having to do something would raid rather than close a place down.

Note Mom’s was operating in an era when the Mafia controlled prostitution.

One such raid took place on this day in 1941. Mom’s location near Fort Taylor. Three women were arrested and charged with prostitution.

A woman’s way of doing business today has changed dramatically. Changed specifically in the way the solicitation and acceptance takes place.

With rare exception, there are no whore houses per se today. Meeting a lady of the night is via the telephone. An escort service listed in the yellows pages is called. Also via computer. The internet lists such ladies as part of a club. Pictures and all. Call in and ask for whoever turned you on picture wise.

Then there are gentlemen’s clubs. Ladies met and arrangements made for services after the club closed and away from the club.

The closest thing to the whore houses of old are today’s massage parlors. Generally Asian in nature. Springing up all over.

The massage parlors seem to have come in as a wave. No one was aware. They were and are being opened in the corners, nooks and crannies of most buildings. Not obvious to the public.

Last night was the Chart Room. John bartending.

Tonight is John’s last night for a while. He leaves at 6:10 tomorrow morning for Columbia for a week. My farewell words to him were be careful and stay out of trouble.

He laughed.

Burger King’s new Whopper is available. The Impossible. The meat is not meat. The Impossible is made from a plant grown protein. The entire patty meatless.

Burger King advertised you will not be able to tell the difference. I could not. Looked and tasted like hamburger meat.

David Wolkowsky. My good friend who died at 99 several months ago.

The Key West of today would not have been were it not for David. He is the father of Modern Key West.

David is responsible for what today is the Pier House. One of Key West’s leading hotels. Home to the Chart Room.

David started the Pier House as a motel. Fifty units. Erected where the Pier House stands today.

It was on August 11, 1968, that David opened the Pier House Motel to business.

One of his first customers was Truman Capote. He spent almost a year and wrote one of his novel’s while at the Motel.

There is a picture of the Pier House Motel in the History Section of this morning’s Citizen. A magnificent edifice. Not what I expected. Ahead of its time design wise. Should have known. David was on top of everything. He was tomorrow when every one else was still yesterday.

Forget not Captain Tony’s 103rd birthday party tonight at 8. At Captain Tony’s. The world will be there!

I have a double header tonight. Dinner first with Donna and Terri. Donna cooking. The meal will be magnificent. She could make a leather shoe taste like filet mignon! Then to Captain Tony’s party.

Dayton and El Paso seem to be having an effect. All the shootings do. The politicians are finally going to do something. And then nothing gets done!

Even Trump this time says something must be done. He is pushing for detailed background checks. That is it as far as I can see. Mitch McConnell says he does not know. He will decide when the Senate returns in September.

This could be the time! However what will be offered will not be enough. A more detailed background check will only offer a minuscule improvement to a gigantically horrendous problem.

Time to go for it all! Assault weapons and magazines MUST be part of the package. The Republicans will want to walk away offering next to nothing if they can.

Assault weapons won’t fly with a Republican Senate. After next year, things can change. The election of a Democratic Senate. I am assuming the Democrats will continue to control the House. I am further assuming/hoping the Democrats win the Presidency. If Trump were to win again, this country will deserve whatever it gets: Nothing good.

At 7:30 this morning, Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide. He hung himself in his cell. The cell being one under “suicide watch” since authorities believe Epstein tried it a couple of weeks ago.

I wonder whether a court proceeding was the motivating factor today. Two weeks ago, a federal judge ordered papers in another case to remain sealed. Friday, a different federal judge ordered all papers in 2 cases to be opened.

Thousands of pages involved. Names. It is anticipated many will reveal the names of prominent persons. Political and business wise. The names of persons who enjoyed the pleasures of underage ladies at Epstein’s Florida and Caribbean homes.

Enjoy your Sunday!

31 comments on “HAPPY BIRTHDAY SMOKEY THE BEAR…..75 YEARS OLD

  1. Mr. Epstein’s suicide convenient? Case now closed, right?

    Wasn’t the last time we saw something like this convenient, when Trumps sister Maryanne abruptly retired/resigned from the bench when she was being investigated for her role in fraudulent tax schemes with her siblings, thereby closing down that investigation?

  2. Oh boy! Epstein’s body is still warm, and the conspiracy theories have already begun. He somehow manages to hang himself while locked in a federal cell, stripped of anything useful as a ligature, and under 24/7 suicide watch with video surveillance. This is going to be a good one. I hope I don’t run out of popcorn!

  3. I’m glad to hear you stayed on island to eat and drink last night, Lou. Don’t go up islands after dark, it just isn’t safe and I worry that you might fall in with the wrong kind of people.

  4. Too late, NRA and GOP already let the toothpaste out of the tube, never will get it back in. Best to just stock up on body bags, will be just the usual part of American life from now on.

  5. Please explain what “a$$ault weap0n is, that you want to ban?

    Sorry for code, unable to post otherwise for some reason.

      • So you are admitting that Dems want to ban all guns. Because all guns shoot bullets.

        Instead of getting emotional and using name calling, try to explain what the difference is between what Lou wants banned and what he doesn’t.

        • Total BS and you are just trolling to pick a fight – Same old BS from you.

          Killing has to stop – Lou doesn’t know or care which gun is which.

          No one is calling names – you’re just trying to provoke so that you can cry and complain how there is no respect for your trolling opinions.

      • Any gun that shoot shoots bullets needs to be banned. That’ll work. Another additional gun law. How about another gun free zone, the whole world.

    • ….because when you say Smokey “the” Bear, nobody knows what you are talking about.

      And if you say Smokey “the” Bear, the New York State police will come after you with scorn and ridicule, probably even call you a looser!

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