PITTSBURGH JOHN

Friday night at the Chart Room. A good night! Tons of people. Interesting people.

Sat and chatted with John for a while. From Pittsburgh. In the concrete business. Responsible for concrete sales in several states.

John visits Key West three times a year. Religiously. February, July and October.

His youthful experiences unusual.

John was the bat boy at the Pittsburgh Pirates ball field. For the opposing team. Worked with visiting stars like Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and Mike Schmidt.

Not only was he fortunate to be a bat boy to professional players, he also got to shot hoops with another baseball luminary. Rocco Clemente. John lived in the right neighborhood. The Clemente family neighbors five doors away.

Ron and Tresha from Michigan. Interesting people. Ron a psychologist. Tresha owns a Midas operation. Used to own two, sold one. Between the two, they have 5 children and 3 grandchildren.

From out of the blue came Carol. Carol from New Hampshire. She visits Key West every season for two months. Rents the same apartment on Whitehead. We met the last time she was in Key West. At the Chart Room, of course.

Her downstair neighbor was with her. From Memphis. An annual renter, also.

In between, chatted with John. The best bartender in Key West!

Stopped at Outback on the way home. Prime rib.

Sat next to two interesting people. Husband and wife. Never got their names. The conversation interesting.

He is a retired executive from a pharmaceutical house. Just behind the banks in screwing the American public.

He obviously did not agree. Gave me all the stock reasons why prescription drugs have to be so expensive.

He buys his drugs from Europe. His actions speak louder than his words.

Spent a couple of hours on the deck yesterday afternoon. Reading some Civil War history. I took my first course in Civil War history my second year in college. Have been hooked on it ever since.

Parking for charter buses the brain child of the Key West City Commission. Took away many vehicle parking places in the lot and on the street.

So far, the lot is a failure. From my perspective. I have only seen one bus parked there. One time.

This morning’s Key West Citizen has an article setting forth the glories and successes of the parking lot. My experience not the same as reflected in the article.

The article says City representatives claim 4-5 buses using the lot a day. Again, I have only seen one one time.

The City charges $100 a day to park. The lot has been open six months. The buses still parking all over Key West. Illegally now. The City is going to start ticketing the buses. Fine $250.

I assume more buses will then be parked in the lot.

On this day in 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in Key West briefly. He was driven down from Miami. Did a quick tour of the inactive U.S. Naval Base. Then on the USS Houston to watch Caribbean war games.

Trump will not be giving a State of the Union address. A new President does not make such a report his first year in office. Makes sense. He has been President less than two months.

Trump will address Congress, however. His presentation is listed as an Address. February 28.

I worry. Trump is going to go a step too far at some point. Further than any mishaps to date.

It has been reported that a plan is being circulated in Homeland Security to activate 100,000 National Guard. Purpose to round up unauthorized immigrants. In one big swoop.

Don’t know if anything will come of it. Dangerous if done. I remind you once again to recall Germany in the late 1930s and Germany in the rest of Europe during World War II. Nazi soldier driving up to homes/apartment houses to arrest Jews and other enemies of the State.

We are better than that.

Enjoy your day!

7 comments on “PITTSBURGH JOHN

    • But the alt-news right media called Obama a Muslim, ISIS founding terrorist and immigrant sympathizer. You mean it was TRUE after all Obama was actually seriously enforcing the US immigration laws? Who knew? Obviously not Republicans. Or, more precisely, they knew but used their fake news to spin their masses in outright lies.

      The National Guard issue, if real, IS very troubling. Let’s hope Trump will not go that far in a free nation, at least it was a free land last year. As Obama did so well with immigration enforcement under his administration (you said so, see above), enforce the immigration laws on those that came here illegally and then committed crimes. Make them serve their time and deport them forevermore. That is simply common sense and just.

      In other words, President Trump should keep up President Obama’s great work in this area.

  1. I didn’t say obama did a good job, and, never will because he didn’t. Talk about typical liberal spin.

    He did a bad job on immigration.

    He did deport more than most folks realize, far more than liberals realize. But, he did not deport enough although all along he was importing too many.

  2. Trump’s policies, like his rhetoric, are rooted in prejudice, hate and fear. His thin message of hope is at the expense of humanity and the benevolent reputation this nation has built. Obama did what he did in policy and action without malice. Yes he conducted more drone strikes and deported those who needed to be removed. He did not however demonize an entire group based on ethnicity or religion. To go further, he did not pretend as if we haven’t allowed a transient labor force in area’s our citizens had not filled. Trump is Trump and that’s not a compliment. He tosses in common sense topics like more jobs and less taxes, all good, but the cake under the icing is foul and distasteful and I’m not biting.

  3. If one hasn’t taken a bite then how does one know what it tastes like. You may think you know what it seems like, but, really can’t be sure.

    • I’m pretty sure we can agree a steaming pile of dung is distasteful without a tasting. Enough said, with certain things sometimes you “just know”.

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