KICK ‘EM WHILE THEY’RE DOWN…..THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

The U.S. and Turkey are supposedly friends. Both led by authoritarian figures. Trump and Turkey’s President Erdogan. Birds of a feather.

Turkey has always been considered a key American ally. The U.S. has a large military base there. There is also a NATO base.

Friends no more. A pissing match instead. Trump is irritated Erdogan will not release an American minister it has held prisoner since 2016. Trump suggested an exchange. Some Turkish citizen the U.S. has been holding.

Erdogan said no. No one says no to Trump. Especially another authoritarian figure. As far as Trump is concerned, it is his way or the highway as far as Turkey is concerned.

Turkey has been hurting economically. Its currency fell to a record low this morning. Inflation 17.75 percent. The country is on the verge of an economic meltdown.

Turkey’s crisis has made the American dollar strong when pitted against Turkish currency.

Friday Trump delivered a major blow to Turkey. All because Turkey continued to refuse his demand that the minister prisoner be released. Trump doubled the tariffs already imposed on Turkey as part of the tariff wars. Aluminum rose to 20 percent and steel 50 percent.

Trump tweeted friday with the news: “Our relations with Turkey are not good at this time!”

European and Asian stock markets have reacted to the tariff increases. The feud perhaps the start of a world wide recession similar to 2008. Though not considered imminent at this time. Turkey’s economy ranks only 17th world wide.

My concern is it only takes a spark to start a forest fire. One of the major California fires still burning a perfect example.

Trump is kicking a “friend” while the friend is down. Not what friends are for!

Now to my yesterday.

Brunch 10 to 12 at Hard Rock Cafe. Terri White was singing with Larry Baeder. A WOW! Great show! Performances outstanding! Be certain to go next week. Terri and Larry will regularly appear at brunch time every sunday.

For a blind woman, my girl does terrific!

Terri has another gig tonight. She is singing with Dueling Bartenders Tom Luna and Rick Dery at Aqua.

Go girl, go!

Spent the afternoon watching the PGA. Excellent golf. Brook Koepka won. By 2 strokes over Tiger Woods.

Brook has won 3 of the last 6 majors. Only 28. He has only one other win. A tour win. Unusual for someone who has won three big ones.

Tiger gets better every week. He is due back as a winner soon. And then a consistent one.

Tiger shot a 64 yesterday. His putting not yet what it was. Had a few dropped, he would have won.

On one of the last holes, he hit a 40 foot plus putt. It hung on the lip of the cup. Everyone holding their breaths waiting for it to drop. It did not.

Jean Thornton and I partied together last night. Began at the Orchid Bar. Victor bartending.

I meet a lot of interesting people. A couple I met at the Orchid Bar last night, one of the most interesting.

Dan and Pam. Now hail from Largo, Florida.

Dan is retired from the New York City Carpenter’s Union. Pam still working. Bookkeeper for general contractors.

Dan described two jobs he was especially proud of. One was the scaffolding when the Statue of Liberty was being shaped up. The other involved something to do with a major job at the UN where he had 80 men working under him.

Then to the Rum Bar. Jean and I not traveling together. Jean rides her bicycle all over town.

The Rum Bar will be a regular sunday stop for me. My friend Lauri the bartender there sunday evenings. Left Aqua after 17 years to work the Rum Bar.

With Lauri running the show, the Rum Bar is quickly becoming a new locals place. Donna and Terri, Sally, Ingrid, Art and George there when Jean and I arrived.

Jean and I decided on Antonia’s for dinner. Closed. Must be shut down for the slow days of August and September.

No problem. We went across the street to La Trattoria.

We had a terrific time! Jean a wonderful companion.

Tiffany bartending. She mentioned we have known each other for 25 years. True!

Dinner done. I was tired. Jean still raring to go. I went home. Jean peddled her bike to Vino’s.

The white nationals/supremacists were holding a major rally in Washington yesterday. Publicized Unite The Right 2. Turned out to be a flop. Only a small contingency of the group appeared.

Why?

These are bad people. Fascists, Neo-Nazis, and KKK members. They believe there is only one race. The white race.

They became empowered by Trump’s statement following Charlottesville last year. The President supported them. Seemed to legitimize them.

I think they realized though the President supported them, most of the people did not. The vermin disappeared back into the woodwork instead of participating in the rally.

This does not mean they will not return to raise havoc another day. They will. They are mostly young whites. Some are your neighbors, though you are not aware of their political leanings.

Be on your guard.

For the past several years, I have written and spoken re Afghanistan and its opium fields. Ninety percent of the heroin on American streets comes from the poppy seeds grown in Afghanistan.

How so if the U.S. has been engaged in a war in Afghanistan for 16 years? The poppy fields neither attacked or destroyed. Poppy farming goes on. Heroin a thriving business.

I have consistently suggested someone has to be on the take.  More than one. Too much drug money involved for it not to be so.

A recent government report indicates that as the Afghanistan war progressed, opium production increased. Even though the U.S., separate from war dollars, has spent $8.62 billion between 2002 and 2017 in an effort to eradicate the opium problem.

The attempt to eradicate an absolute failure. As the report stated: “Afghanistan remains the world’s largest opium producer, and opium poppy is the country’s largest cash crop.”

Enjoy your day!

TODAY COLUMBUS DAY…..EXPECT TURMOIL

Today is Columbus Day. A national holiday. In honor of Christopher Columbus. Commonly referred to as the man who discovered America.

Expect turmoil. From two divergent groups. African-Americans and Antifa groups.

African-Americans disparage Columbus because of his involvement in the slave trade. He captured and transported West Indians to Spain. Primarily as a gift to Queen Isabella. Slaves were wealth in the 1490’s. For his benefit, also.

African-Americans want Columbus memorials torn down/removed.

Interestingly, a recent study indicates 76 percent of Americans believe Columbus should be judged by the standards of conduct during his time. Not by today’s standards.

Slavery existed in the Americas pre-Columbus. Native Americans, Canadians, some for religious reasons, some as a by product of war.

In addition to today’s African/American groups, two others have attacked Columbus.

In the mid 19th century, Friedrich Engels. Engels co-authored The Communist Manifest with Karl Marx. Communists to this day remain anti-Columbus.

The Klu Klux Klan, also. Began in the 1920s. The Klu Klux Klan was anti-Catholic as well as anti-black back then. Columbus was Catholic.

Antifa is a strange loose group. Antifa is a political movement of autonomous, self styled anti-fascist groups. They are opposed to fascism by direct action, anti government and anti capitalist, far left, anarchists, communists and socialists, against far right and white supremacist ideologies.

Note some Antifa positions are inconsistent.

The history of Antifa began in the Weimar Germany of 1932. They were tightly connected to Germany’s Communist Party. Violently anti Nazi.

Antifa wants this to be a day of defacing Columbus. Statues and mentally. Its slogan for today: Deface Columbus Day. The call is for violence in defacing the statues. Its slogans for the day include Fuck Columbus Day and Destroy Colonialism.

The Key West Citizen returned to daily publication monday through friday beginning today. A welcome return! A community needs a daily newspaper.

Twenty three years ago, Maria Gutsens was the administrator/matron of the Mercedes Hospital in Key West. The hospital was located in the former Gato home. Today, an apartment house. Referred to as the Gato House.

Gutsens an angel of mercy.

It is claimed/believed she still walks the halls rooms and porches of the Gato House. As a ghost. Several residents have reported seeing her walking the halls and porches. Some  while she was taking their pulse.

Terri White waiting in Sarasota for her 10/13 treatment to begin. Expected to be at least one month. In isolation.

The doctors have forbidden her to return home to Key West in the meantime. The mold.

Terri and Donna are staying in a Marriott motel till 10/13. Terri lonely. She does not do Facebook, etc. Please send her a card. Funny better. Her address: Terri White, c/o Donna Barnett, Marriott Residence Inn, Telecom Parkway, Temple Terrace, Florida 13420.

Linda Greenberg recently died. She and her husband Fred had homes in New York and Sugarloaf. A happy couple. Married 52 years.

Linda enjoyed singing. Sang with many groups locally. Also in her home. I recall a dinner party several years ago. The kitchen, living room and dining area one large room. Linda sang the whole time she was preparing the meal. Continued singing as she served the meal.

A wonderful woman! May she rest in peace.

Puerto Rico still without power. Ninety percent of the island.

What is to be done?

Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk visited with Governor Ricardo Rossello in Puerto Rico yesterday. Musk wants to use solar to power the whole island. He has already done it in American Samoa and partially in Hawaii.

Solar powering the island would be a fantastic thing. Here in Florida we have the sun to solarize. However, the electric companies control the State legislature. Laws have been passed making it difficult for the Keys to go solar.

Enjoy your day!