CONGRATULATIONS MR. PRESIDENT, YOU DID IT AGAIN…..CHILDREN BAREFOOT, IN DIAPERS, CHOKING ON TEAR GAS

First, it was ripping babies from their mothers’ arms. Now, tear gassing children barefooted and diapered.

You are a big man Mr. President. A bully.

Next bullets fired and immigrant parents and children killed and wounded?

What could be expected of a people who have walked 2,000 miles in hope of gaining admission to the U.S. The beaming light at the top of the hill is growing dim.

If I had walked 2,000 miles, I would have run up the hill trying to get into the U.S. as were the asylum seekers. Persons having every right to enter the U.S., be interviewed by a Judge to determine if they might be eligible for asylum status, and then given a date to return.

In the meantime, you are trying to “buy” Mexico to help with “our” problem. The money being offered will have to be gigantic to bribe the new Mexican officials to go along with any arrangement.

The backlog of asylum cases is estimated at 1 million with a projected time of 2 years to be heard. You and your predecessors should have appointed more Judges years ago to work the problem.

One more thing my President, you are solely responsible for the critical situation now existing at the border. You have created it with your thrusting fear into the hearts of some Americans about the bad immigrants on their way to hurt us. A falsehood you well knew and continue to know.

You did the same thing with Kim Jung Un. Got into a pissing match with him. Names exchanged. War possible. Suppose Kim decided to drop a nuclear device on South Korea or the U.S. instead of meeting with you? It was possible. Hundreds of thousands dead because of your ill equipped mind.

People are going to continue trying to cross the border till you come up with a better solution. One to help, not hurt them.

Barbra Strunk reads this blog. Has so for some time. Never met her.

She is a stalwart Trump supporter. We are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Adamant in her feelings. I can sense it when she responds to something negative I might have said about him. She hits hard!

There are times when Barbra will write a pleasant  friendly e-mail re my health or some other thing. Such messages are sweet. Gives one the sense Barbra is a nice person.

Barbra lives somewhere in north Florida. Spoke with her for the first time sunday morning. She is visiting Key West. Stopped at Hard Rock to hear Terri sing. She and Donna began talking. All of a sudden, Donna had Barbra on the phone with me.

What a nice person!

Barbra is here till friday. Hope we get together before she leaves.

Beard or no beard? Should have run a contest as to whether I would shave. Received about 20 comments. Equally divided. Male and female. Leave it on, take it off.

I took it off. Decided I looked homeless with it on. That and the weight loss. Decided I did not want to go another week developing it.

Out last night for the first time in a week. Planned on hitting all my favorite spots. It was the Chart Room first. John bartending.

John put a Beefeater on the rocks in front of me. I lit up a cigarette. The first for both in a week. Could not handle either. Two sips of the gin and 2 drags on the cigarette. Neither tasted right. Instead a diet Coke.

Left soon after. I was having no fun. Did not feel right. Probably because I have not physically moved my body for a week. I have to walk a bit today.

The Key West Cemetery is an interesting place. A lot of odd ball tombstones. Perhaps ghosts. I am not sure.

Two tombstones of particular interest.

One is the world famous headstone which reads” “I Told You I Was Sick.” Sits on the grave of B. P. “Pearl” Roberts.

The other is referred to as the Bound Woman. This one cool!

It is located as part of the grave of Archibald John Sheldon Yates. A statue of a nude woman with her hands bound behind her back. It sits at/on the head of Yates’ grave. On top of a long flat stone under which is Yates’ body.

Who is the lady and why? Part of a perverted joke by the deceased? Key West had its funky moments in his day also.

Two reasons as to who and why. Not sure which is correct.

One is that the naked bound woman represents Yates’ wife Magdalena. It is said he expressly told his son before he died that he wanted her to sit upon him for all eternity.

A problem. Uncertainty as to whether it represents his wife.

Another theory is that it represents Andromeda from Greek mythology. She was bound naked hands tied to a rock as a sacrifice to the sea monster Cetus. She was saved before the terrible event occurred.

There are a number of paintings of Andromeda as she was awaiting death. Some naked, some clothe from the waist down. Most standing tied to a rock. None similar to the supposed Andromeda sitting on Yates’ face.

My dear friend of many years Cheryl Keast sent me a FB message yesterday with an attachment. The attachment read: “Unpacked our Nativity scene yesterday. Removed all the Jews, Arabs, and foreigners. Ended up with a jackass and a handful of sheep.”

Enjoy your day!

CONFIRMATION…..NEW WORLD HAS ARRIVED

I am despondent this morning. Yesterday’s Senate vote the reason. The vote that passed the Senate Republican version of the tax bill.

What was a question in my mind now a reality. Government as we have known it gone. No longer of the people, by the people, for the people. Now government by and for large corporations and wealthy Americans. The people no longer count.

Patricians rule. Like 5 percent of the population. The rest of the people peons.

Money controls Congress. Its members bought. Thirty pieces of silver.

Michael Flynn. A nail in the coffin.

Finally got hot water yesterday afternoon. Without since tuesday. Cold showers and no shaving during that time.

Simple things do mean a lot. A warm shower!

Frankie the Plumber showed up to correct the problem. He and his wife Sandy friends. If I had known he was the fixer, I would have called him and had hot water the first day.

The problem took less than a minute to correct. The reset button was turned off.

Irma and Me selling. I am running into people carrying it and/or telling me they ordered it. Great!

Irma and Me available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KoboBooks.

Giorgio’s evening last night! Drinks at the Chart Room. Dinner at the Pier House’s One. I had intended to entertain Giorgio at Hot Tin Roof for dinner. Not able. Hot Tin Roof was having a private party.

Tom and Fran joined us at the Chart Room. One hour of great conversation. Tom and Fran recently joined the Sons and Daughters of Italy. Fran Italian.

Giorgio has decided to leave Key West tomorrow instead of monday. He is moving to the Villages. Already purchased a home there. His Key West home for sale.

I will miss Giorgio. We became good friends in the short year we have known each other.

Kevin and Che at the bar. I have not seen Che in months. He has become a recluse in his old age. He is one year older than me.

I thought it was Irma time again last night. Returned home at 9:30. No TV, wi-fi or land line. Comcast said it would take till noon today to repair. Fortunately, everything was up and running when I rose this morning at 6.

A big day today! I am seeing two friends I have only seen twice in 30 years. Bob and Helen Marks. I was their Best Man. They are in on a Viking cruise for the day. We will be having lunch at Louie’s Backyard.

Syracuse/Kansas tonight. Kansas ranked #2 nationally. An 11 point favorite. Early in the season. Let’s see what happens.

Conflict time tonight. The Christmas Parade. Immediately following the game. Hope to make the parade. Don’t know.

Tiger Woods doing well. In 5th place after two days. Seven strokes off. In the game!

History is a wonderful thing. We learn.

This morning’s Key West Citizen made mention of the cigar business in Key West in 1900. The Key West cigar industry turned out 1.5 million cigars this day alone in 1900.

Enjoy your day!