DOTTIE CLIFFORD…..A FAMILIAR FACE

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One of the most thoughtful persons I have met in Key West is Dottie Clifford. We go back 20 years. We used to see each other often years ago. Less starting 10 years ago. The last time 5 years ago.

Dottie is being honored today. The Key West Citizen presents her front page as a Key West Familiar Face.

Dottie an almost Conch. Been here 40 years. The Citizen article notes that when she first arrived in Key West, it was a hippie outpost. Today, a world renown hospitality hot spot.

She has seen it all!

Dottie is President and owner of the Key West Attractions Association.

Calamity befell her a few years ago. Pancreatic cancer. Normally, the death knell. God was with her. Dottie survived. She has been cancer free for two years.

Her illness did not diminish her bubbly personality. Uplifted all the time. You hear her cheery laugh before you even see her.

Dottie, here is to another 40 years!

The Paradise Big Band performed recently. Its 20th anniversary.

I missed the event this year. Ralph De Palma’s photos appeared in this morning’s E-Blast. There were my friends! Holly and Peter Diamond singing and dancing, Skipper Kripitz on the drums, and Larry Smith the piano.

A special time. Sorry I could not make it.

Dueling Bartenders last night. One of the best events in town. Great singing! The kind that busts the walls. Tom Luna and Rick Dery the bartenders. Bobby Smith a guest bartender.

What a trio!

Tons of people.

Liz and her entourage of 4 came in. She is the Queen at Battling Bartenders and treated as such.

Liz looked magnificent! Like just off her motorcycle. Bright red turtle neck sweater, a necklace of white stones, and a black bikers jacket. I looked to see if Marlon Brando was following her.

Friend Liz is 83 and former Dean of two law schools.

With Liz were Josefina, Genevieva, and Debbie. Plus an unknown gentleman.

Skaneateles Dan Reardon and wife came in. Together with Dan’s visiting brother John and his wife.

Dan and I are orange hearted Syracuse fans. We talked about saturday’s defeat.

Then to Tavern ‘n Town for another prime rib. Great for my diet.

I was fortunate to get a seat next to Jean and Ron. They are from Eastern Maryland. Jean a retired school administrator. Ron a general contractor. Grandparents to three. This their third or fourth visit to Key West.

Ron a Maryland fan. Maryland was playing Michigan. Maryland lost by 1  point. The last 5 minutes exciting. A Michigan  foul shot with 1.5 seconds to go gave Michigan the victory.

I got into the game with Ron. Whooping it up! Especially a Maryland 3 pointer with less than a minute to go.

A Mike came from the other end of the bar. Asked if I was Key West Lou. Mike advised he is a loyal blog reader. Loved Mike!

Stopped by to say good night when leaving. Met his wife. Nice people.

I can see! Amazing! I have had my new prescription glasses since friday. The difference they make! Reminds me of when I had cataract surgery on both eyes.

I waited too long to get new glasses. Never again.

I learned I needed them when I escaped Irma. Road signs impossible to read. Turn offs not visible till upon them. Lucky I survived night driving.

Speaking of Irma, my book Irma and Me appears to be selling. If you have not ordered it, please do so. Guaranteed you will enjoy! Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and  Kobobooks.com.

My podcast tonight. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I have a ton of topics to share. Normally get through 10. I have accumulated 25 during the week in anticipation of the show. I will spend the afternoon selecting those to be used and organizing tonight’s format.

One of the topics will include Trump’s shithole countries comment. I read this morning the Alt-Right loves Trump because of the reference. They hate immigrants.

Think about what I am going to write. Immigrants are disliked and a problem world wide. The immigrants of today are the Jews of yesterday. Peoples need a scapegoat, someone to hate.

Enjoy your day!

 

THE SILENCING OF ELIZABETH WARREN

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We lose our freedoms a bit at a time. The cumulative effect at some point could be overwhelming.

America lost last night when Senator Elizabeth Warren was charged with impugning the character of a fellow member of the Senate. Jeff Sessions.

Does not make sense. Sessions the Senator was not the subject matter of the discussion. Sessions the nominee for Attorney Genera was. As such, he was fair game.

Especially since Warren was chastised and seated for wanting to read a letter by Coretta Scott Key re Sessions’ qualifications. Her letter of some 20 years ago when Sessions was a candidate for a federal judgeship. Read then, why not now?

The world’s greatest house for debate tainted itself last night by stifling fair comment.

My blog talk radio show last night interfered with watching the Syracuse/Clemson game.

Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou touched several Trump situations. Topped off with the Chicago Police Department’s unusually high suicide rate.

Syracuse, my Syracuse! Won again! By one point. 82-81. With a 3 pointer at the buzzer. God bless America! God bless Syracuse! Keep it up guys!

This morning finds the water level low. Tide out. Water calm.

A number of houses of prostitution existed in the Key West area in the 1930s and 1940s. The U.S. Naval Base provided most of the customers.

One was Alice Reid’s aka Mom’s Tea Room. She once was found guilty of bringing women across state lines for purposes of prostitution in violation of the Mann Act. Sentenced to three years. Another time, one of her ladies committed suicide. Cecelia Thompson Trunks. An overdose.

Whore houses are no more. Replaced by the socially acceptable strip joints/gentlemen’s clubs.

As well as escort services provided via telephone and the internet. Menu services. Order what you want.

Whether houses of ill repute of old or today’s more modern ways of finding sexual companionship, all wrong. Most of the women young ladies working under adverse conditions. In many instances, the products of human slavery.

Trump’s executive orders becoming cumulative. The orders and proposed legislation empower corporate America. The people losing along the way. A step at a time.

Stephen Bannon not happy with merely changing America. He is out to change the Vatican, also.

Bannon a Catholic. He is not happy with Pope Francis. A liberal. Bannon at best can be described as a far to the right conservative.

Politics everywhere. Even in the Vatican. Bannon has joined with Cardinal Burke to undermine and replace somehow Pope Francis. Burke a conservatve Church leader who was demoted by Pope Francis.

Lenin hoped his communist philosophy would ultimately take over the whole world. Bannon I suspect is hopeful that his far right beliefs will bring down not only government as we know it, but also the Catholic Church. Each to be replaced by new and radically different governments.

Yemen and the United States today. A perfect example of the tail wagging the dog.

Trump’s first commando raid was into Yemen last week. A disaster. One American killed, one $75 million helicopter lost, 14 al Qaeda soldiers killed, several citizens killed. One an 8 year old girl.

Yemen might be described as a split country. The U.S. recently assisted the good guys with an anti-terror ground mission.

Yemen is unhappy. Citizens were killed. A no no in most Middle East countries. Yemen’s people are upset. They have been burning the American flag in the streets.

They have also said they want no further anti-terror ground missions. No Americans to fight on their behalf. However, they will permit American military drones to continue their attacks. Also, they will permit American military advisers to remain.

A sort of biting the hand that feeds you situation.

Enjoy your day!

DEE…..AIDS HELP

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Two dear friends are fighting cancer at this time. One is Terri. I have spoken of her many times. Presently doing chemo twice a week.

The other is Dee.

Yesterday was World AIDS Day. Key West had its annual candle walk and ceremony. The ceremony at the former White Street Pier.

Dee participated.

Dee has a Doctorate in Psychology. After college, she ended up in the Keys. Bought a home on Cudjoe.

Found employment with AIDS Help in Key West. Spent the next 25 years of her life working with AIDS Help. Committed. Dedicated. Helping AIDS victims became her life cause.

Dee retired several years ago. Took a teaching position at Boston University. Returned to Cudjoe as frequently as possible.

Two years ago, she was diagnosed with throat cancer. A 4. Surgeries and chemo followed. She survived. She was in remission.

The cancer has returned.

Dee participated in the ceremony last night. She returns to Boston today. Monday she is back in the hospital to see what can be done.

I wish her well. As with Terri, two nice people who do not deserve what is happening to them. Nor does anyone.

I was landlocked all day yesterday. Could not get out of my home. Keys Electric was trimming trees. They had been doing so all week on my block. Finally got to me yesterday.

They spent the entire day cleaning my overhanging foliage. The pile grew ever so tall in front of my driveway.

I did not care. Had no plans for the daylight hours.

Last night, it was a manicure with Tammy. At 7. Her last customer of the day. She and her staff work hard. From 8 in the morning to 7:30 at night. Some of the girls work 7 days a week. Others, 6 or 5.

Tammy is from Vietnam. She has been here 15 years. Became a citizen last year. Married to Rick. They have two children.

Tammy not yet totally Americanized. Still no turkey on Thanksgiving. She cooks only Vietnamese food. Never cooks special on the holidays.

She says her family does not like American food. I tell her if she does not cook it for them, they will never know if they like it.

Santa Claus came up in our conversation. No Santa Claus. The children are 9 and 7. Just a story they have been told. Tammy is Santa Claus! She provides the Christmas gifts. They do have a Christmas tree.

Sounds harsh. Not. It is her and her husband’s way. The children have been raised to understand. Everyone happy. No one sad.

Tammy and the kids do celebrate Halloween. Tammy dresses, also. Accompanies her children to protect them.

I grabbed a quick bite at Outback afterwards.

Don’t forget Larry Blackburn’s photo show tonight from 6-9. He does great work. The place, Duval Square. I plan on being there.

Caught a news release on the internet this morning re the Michigan City Rotary. One hundred years old!

Significant! However, the Key West Rotary is 101 years old. Formed in 1915.

Why no national publicity last year for the Key West Rotary?

Diana Millikan is into William Hackley’s life! She writes the “negro” rent paid yesterday was to a different person than the previous. Which would mean Hackley has two rented slaves.

A major disgrace. Standing Rock. Native Americans seeking to protect their drinking water and ancestral remains. Federal, state and local governments fighting them. Working in effect on behalf of the pipeline company.

Though government forces have hit the Native American protesters with grenades, water hoses, rubber bullets, stunning devices, etc., the Native Americans have not fought back. Not one iota. They are protesting similar to Martin Luther King and Gandhi.

Things will hit the fan so to speak next week. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has told the protesters to move by December 5 or they would be trespassers subject to arrest. Six to eight thousand of them.

Those already arrested by local police for various reasons have been placed in large dog cages. Sitting on concrete floors. Temperatures freezing by day and night.

Terrible! The land the protesters are occupying is considered Indian land by the Native Americans and many knowledgeable in these matters. The federal government has no right to be on the land or telling the protesters what to do.

Never the less, the federal government participates against the Native Americans.  Supported by state and local police departments. And a mercenary group, Tiger Swan. It is presumed the mercenary militants paid for by the pipeline people.

An American disgrace. One that can only get worse.

Enjoy your day!