CINDY LYNCH…..WE MET IN KEY WEST

Cindy Lynch, a love of my life. We met about 12 years ago in Key West.

Cindy and husband Tom are from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Until recently, spent 2 months a year in Key West.

Special. She has had 7 operations for 6 different cancers. Two for brain tumors. Lost one of her legs. All of it to the groin. Cannot be fitted for a prosthetic. Uses a wheelchair or titanium crutches or skips around short distance on one foot.

Cindy falls a lot. She tries to do too much I suspect with one leg. On the other hand, she is living life. A rare personality. Always up. Never complains. Fun to be with.

Her husband Tom a gem. Retired early to care for her. With her most of the time. Occasionally, Cindy goes off on her own.

She did this tuesday. Driving their car. Involved in a three car accident. Saw a picture of the cars. Bad!

She is home recovering in bed. Next week, a parachute jump!

Ernest Hemingway penned many true words. Words reflecting his life experiences. A quote attributable to him is…..”Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.”

Makes sense. I know.

I guess I am into quotes today. Winston Churchill said, “The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.”

Sounds like some who comment to this column.

The votes still coming in. Being counted for the first time. Simultaneously, some States are already at the legally mandated recount stage. Florida and Georgia examples.

What initially appeared not to be a blue wave has definitely become one.

Another shooting. A college student hangout. Twelve killed.

A physicians’ journal recently carried an article decrying the NRA and its power. The NRA shot back. In effect saying to the doctors not your business, stay out of things you know nothing about.

The doctors hit back. One wrote and said we are involved. Challenged the NRA to stand next to a child coding from a gunshot wound.

Doctors involved in every shooting!

November 9 a day of significance.

On this day in 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. It had been up 30 years.

Two years earlier. Reagan spoke standing before the wall. He said, “Mr. Gorbachev, take down this wall.”

A story little known goes with the statement.

Reagan’s speech was constantly being revised by his speech writers in the weeks preceding his appearance before the wall. Reagan kept adding “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down the wall.” His speech writers kept taking it out. Too harsh, they said.

The day before leaving for Berlin, Reagan was going over the speech again. The words had been omitted. He asked an assistant standing next to him…..I’m the President, aren’t I? The assistant responded….Yes sir. Reagan said…..Then it stays in!

This day in 1938 significant also. Sadly, however.

An event that took place in Germany and Austria. To Nazis the evening was known as Kristallnacht. Also referred to as The Night of Broken Glass.

It was the beginning of mass suppression of persons of the Jewish faith. Occurred prior to the Holocaust. The Nazis launched a campaign of terror against the Jewish people, their homes and businesses. The event marked a dramatic escalation in Hitler’s plan to purge Germany of Jews.

Local police and fire departments were told not to interfere.

Trump held a major press conference wednesday. CNN’s Acosta and he had words. I watched the entire press conference. Acosta asked a couple of questions. The President did not like them. He became extremely abusive to Acosta.

The event was videoed.

Trump took back Acosta’s White House press credentials.

A female intern attempted to take Acosta’s mike away from him while Trump was shouting sit down. The next day when the White House announced the removal of Acosta’s credentials, the video was shown.

Not similar to the original which had been shown the night before and earlier in the day. The White House video appeared to have been doctored. The White House version indicated Acosta had assaulted the intern. Not the case. The White House presented an altered version.

Today, friday. Love going out friday nights. Not tonight. Remaining in. For a better good. Syracuse playing Louisville at 7 in football. Syracuse 7-2 and a 21 point favorite.

Love it! We have not had even close to a decent team in 20 years. Hopefully, we are there.

Enjoy your day!

 

SHITHOLE COUNTRIES

“Shithole countries…..”

Racist. Bigoted.

Nordic. Aryan.

Authoritarian today. Totalitarian tomorrow.

Democracy being tested as never before.

Finally! Got new eyeglasses yesterday. Took 2 months and 3 prescriptions. I can see! Everything distinct and visible. Street signs, buildings, etc. Colors vibrant. Like when I had cataracts removed 35 years ago.

Dinner last night at La Trattoria with Jean Thornton. My  Birmingham hostess following my escape from Irma. Husband Joe was supposed to join us. He has pneumonia. Very tired.

They return to Birmingham today. Will return 3 months from now. Two months at home in Birmingham followed by a one month trip to some part of Europe.

Following dinner, Jean went to Vino’s and I to the Chart Room.

I was to meet Kentucky David at the Chart Room. He was waiting when I arrived.

Met David here a few years ago. He and his wife are snowbirds. They own a second home in Bahama Village. Kentucky home. David a die hard Kentucky fan.

The blog brought us together. Occasionally, we watch a game together at Jack Flatts. On an evening when both Syracuse and Kentucky are playing. Though not each other. We sit at the bar next to each other. Two TV sets in front of us. One with the Syracuse game, the other Kentucky.

David has taken to writing. A mystery. He told me about it.

Takes place in Key West. His fact pattern amazing. David has a vivid imagination. Characters and events I could never come up with.

My publisher advised me once to write a mystery or love story. They sell the best, he said.

I could not get into the mystery. I lacked the necessary imagination. Tried a love story. Publisher said lots of sex. Thought the writing would be a snap. No, again. I found it difficult to put on paper that which I might have experienced.

Met Laura and Jamey. From Iowa City, Iowa. Told them how much I admired Iowans. Shared with them the loving story of my Iowa friends Cindy and Tom.

Jamey sells financial products. Laura a stay at home Mom. Three children.

Laura and Jamey were married at the Pier House 9 years ago. They have returned to Key West once a year since.

Walmart announced yesterday that the new tax law made it possible to do something for its employees. The starting hourly wage was raised to $11 an hour, employee benefits expanded, and bonuses up to $1,000 depending on length of employment.

Sounded good.

Walmart failed to announce plans to close  60 or 63 Sam’s Clubs. Affects 11,000 employees. They received notices of the closings via FedEx during the day. Some went to work before receiving the notice to find locked doors and signs indicating the closing.

Give with one hand and take back with the other. Hero and heel at the same time.

I am old enough to remember Amos ‘n’ Andy. A popular radio show when I was a kid. A comedy.

Two fast talking black men from the Deep South who moved to Chicago to seek their fortunes. However, the black men were not black. They were white men imitating black men. Freeman Gosden and Charles Carrell.

Amos ‘n’ Andy became the most popular radio program in American history. Ran 22 years.

I mention Amos ‘n’ Andy because I recall frequently listening to it. And because on this day in 1926, the show first aired.

Broadway Joe Namath. Alabama football star. New York Jets star quarterback.

Super Bowl III time. Pro football divided into two leagues. The NFL and AFL. The AFL relatively new. The NFL tried and true. Considered superior.

Two teams met this date in 1969 in Super Bowl III. New York Jets vs. Baltimore Colts. The money on the Colts.

Three days before the game, Namath announced to the world the Jets would win. In fact, he guaranteed it.

The Jets did win. 17-6. One of the greatest upsets in American sports history.

Enjoy your day!

 

IS TRUMP FEELING THE HEAT?

Is Trump feeling the heat? Is the Russian probe revealing possible Trump involvement?

Whatever, Trump’s firing of Comey last night indicates something is going on. Behind the scenes. Matters we as a people are not aware of yet.

The people made a mistake in electing Trump. It is becoming increasingly obvious. The chaos he is causing world wide is now happening here at home.

Washington is being called upon to test the fundamental issue. Balance of power. Trump does not respect it. He does not understand it. Will Congress remember it and do its duty. Duty before destruction of our democracy. We are neither a third world country nor a banana republic.

What is happening is a stress test of our basic beliefs.

The chorus for a special prosecutor is becoming thunderous. Hopefully, Congress will recall its duty and the balance of power which imposes that duty on them.

Rod Rothenstein requires comment. The new Deputy Attorney General. In office only thirteen days. A Judas in Comey’s midst. His 30 pieces of silver the job and who knows what further in the Justice Department.

The grounds Trump relies on for firing Comey occurred in July and October. Some nine and seven months ago. If Trump was concerned, he should have fired Comey as soon as he took office.

Trump’s letter to Comey included the following: “It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission.”

I would change the quote a bit to evidence what is going on in our country: “It is essential that the Nation find new leadership in the Presidency that restores public trust and confidence in the office.”

Enjoy your day!

 

IS THIS MY COUNTRY?

I spent yesterday lying around.  Taking things slow. Concerned about my health. Probably not that bad. In my head. But, that’s me.

As a result of a do nothing sunday, I have no Key West goodies to share. Today, a political blog.

The Presidential campaign makes me ask whether this is my country? Your country? Our country? It is so different. Destructive. Sick.

Is democracy so fragile? I would not have believed it. Disagree, yes. Threaten violence and move to violence, no.

Gabriel Schoenfeld shared some thoughts re Trump this weekend in the New York Daily News.

He referred to Trump as a moronic Pied Piper. Hard to argue with. Many are blindly following Trump.

Schoenfeld stated our democracy is fragile.

Further and most scary, as Trump’s campaign flails, the violence and threads of violence multiply by the day. Bloodshed possible/probable.

Bloodshed, a heavy word.

Saturday night, a local Republican headquarters in Hillsborough, North Carolina was firebombed. The headquarters was also spray painted with a swastika and the words: Nazi Republicans leave town or else.

Trump responded to the event with a tweet stating the event was perpetrated by…..Animals supporting Clinton.

I find it hard to believe the event was Democrat caused. Hillsborough and the county it is a part of is 3-1 Democratic registration.I sense a set up by Republican supporters creating a situation to blame the Democrats for.

I could be wrong. It is a gut feeling.

Trump tweeted re Saturday Night Live yesterday morning. He is now anti SNL. He has lost his sense of humor.

He referred to SNL as a “hit job.” Said it was “time to retire the show.” Finally, Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of him “stinks.”

Sensitive! He can hand it out, but cannot take it.

That is all for this morning. Enjoy your day!

 

AUTHORITARIANISM

Still nursing/babying myself. At 80, you do this. Cold much better. Another day should do it.

Yesterday was typical of a person on the mend. I read, watched TV, and napped. A lot of napping.

I took my time researching tonight’s blog talk radio show. Great topics! Authoritarianism and Trump, Gaddafi and the predicted Jihad that followed his death, an Israeli study showing marijuana an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s, Congress adding $64 billion to Budget Bill for Ukrainian neo-Nazi party, Saudi Arabia buying up water deprived farm land in California and Arizona, Uber getting into helicopters,and more.

June Nelson e-mailed me an article she thought would interest me. It did. I am going to talk about it a bit this evening on my blog talk radio show. I share the theme/tenor with you at this time.

It is an article in Politico. Titled: The One Weird Trait That Predicts Whether You’re a Trump Supporter. It is by Matthew Mac Williams 1/17/2016. I recommend you read it. It can be found on www.politico.com.

Briefly, authoritarianism is a blind submission to authority. The authoritarian leader generally having a short tenure. It is the opposite of Democracy. It involves the loss of individual freedom.

Authoritarianism has been studied by social scientists since the rise of Nazi Germany.

With authoritarianism, people rally and follow a strong leader, respond aggressively to outsiders (especially when feel threatened). Things such as I will make America great again, build a wall on the border, close the mosques, bar Muslims, and the like.

An interesting article.

My blog talk radio show Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou is at 9 tonight my time. Join me for a quick moving half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!