TOUCHED MY HEART

Love to read! Began in early grammar school. Books from my parent’s small library. Many words foreign to me. I sat with a thick dictionary at my side. An example, I read all of John Steinbeck’s works by the time I was 12.

High school was easier when it came to reading. My pleasure continued. The world opened up to me.

Then came college. Wow! The literature classes exciting. I was introduced to new writers and through them new places and life situations.

One of my favorite all time readings took place in a college literature class. O’Henry’s short story The Gift of the Magi. Deeply sensitive. Magic in itself.

The Magi is the story of a poor but devoted couple who each sacrifice their most valuable possession to buy a Christmas gift for the other.

The story was published  April 10, 1906 as part of O’Henry’s short story collection The Four Million.

The Magi should appear alone several places on the internet. Look it up. The tale is short. Read it. Excite yourself emotionally.

Last night my podcast show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Excuse my lack of humility…..A great show! The topics interesting, came together well. I was excited doing it. Sure my listeners enjoyed hearing it.

Easter Sunday around the corner. The 24th. A week from this Sunday.

Love holidays! Family get togethers. Great food!

A bit of disappointment in recent years. Robert and Ally no longer receive baskets. Too old. Which means I will go without as far as Easter candy is concerned.

I started a tradition way back when Lisa was a little girl. Easter egg hunts. Graduated to Easter gift hunts. Held on the first floor of my Utica home. Everyone a winner. The one who found the most received a special prize.

When the children felt they were too old to participate, the hunt fell upon my parents. Years later, upon my former wife and me. By that time, the children had become parents in their own right and the grandkids became hunters for the Easter booty.

It was fun! We all yelled you’re hot, you’re cold, you’re close, oh no, and the like.

What would Key West have done without Harry Truman? What would Harry Truman have done without Key West? A mutual admiration society.

On this day in 1950, Truman left Key West to return to Washington. He had spent an entire month in Key West.

From what I understand, Truman would take a long walk through town in the morning. Stopping to chat along the way. He was a loved man!

Then work till mid afternoon. Following which he napped. Then dinner. His evenings spent at a round table in the Little White House playing cards and sipping his favorite drink. A letter to Bess. Early to bed.

Some days he would deviate. Go swimming or fishing.

The rest and enjoyment Key West brought to Truman deserved.

Geiger Key. We all know the place. On Geiger Key. A thatched roof eating place. On the water surrounded in large part by mangroves.

Geiger Key is named after John Geiger. Geiger died this day in 1885. He was born in St. Augustine in 1807. Came to Key West to work as a pilot for Commodore David Porter in 1823.

Geiger was the first licensed harbor pilot in Florida. Also worked as a master wrecker.

Geiger was one of the first settlers in Key West. He built what is now known as the Audubon House.

The things we know little about, the things that are kept from us. The government responsible for our ignorance.

We have intentionally been left in the dark or our leaders are too stupid to recognize our weaknesses, etc. Probably a combination of both.

I spoke concerning this problem on my podcast show last night. What I said re Venezuela and a U.S. invasion of Venezuela the part shared last night.

Several weeks ago, Trump suddenly became interested in the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. The people had insufficient food and power.

It was like…..Donald, welcome to the 21st century! The two problems have existed for at least 5 years. Was Trump even aware how the Venezuelans 5 years ago had run out of food, ate their family pets, then the animals in the zoos, followed by grass and foliage, then roots dug from the soil?

I am sure he was not. I cannot believe he even paid attention.

All of a sudden several weeks ago, Trump is concerned about the humanitarian crisis. Bullshit! His concern, as is Russia’s, for Venezuelan oil. Venezuela has the largest reserve of in the world.

Trump sent troops to Columbia and sat them down on the Columbia/Venezuela border. I think 3,500 ground troops. My number may be incorrect.

The U.S. is supposedly the world’s greatest military power. We are learning such may not be the case.

The troops never moved into Venezuela. The reason is that Venezuela, in spite of all its economic problems, has a radar system vastly superior to anything the U.S. could put in the air.

U.S. ground troops could not survive without air coverage. Our troops would be destroyed by Venezuelan air power.

Turns out Venezuela has a highly effective radar system. Referred to as S-300 Anti-Air System.

It has 6 of these systems. Each can identify and knock out 25 U.S. planes in a sortie. Six of the systems being utilized at one time means 130 U.S. planes, etc. destroyed.

These numbers applicable to U.S. fighters, bombers, attack planes, and ballistic missiles.

The S-300 System has a hit rate of 85-90 percent.

Notice we have heard nothing further about an invasion of Venezuela. Don’t even know if U.S. troops are still sitting on the Colombian border.

I would like to know why Trump did not know that our “air force” was ineffective against the S-300 Systems. Why didn’t his generals know? If they did, why didn’t they tell him? Did they tell him and he ignored their counsel?

All of a sudden small ineffectual economically depressed Venezuela can ward off an American invasion. Unheard of! At least till now.

Re military power, the story does not end here.

Lets talk about the U.S.’s terrific fighter airplane the F-35. The stealth fighter plane. The beauty of the F 35 is that it cannot be seen. Modern radar cannot identify it either.

The preceding is what we were told. Turns out it is not the case. The F 35 fails against modern cutting edge air defenses such as the S-300 and S-400.

The F-35 is worthless. The pitch re its stealth worthiness false. Pure bullshit.

An F 35 sold to Japan recently went down. No one sure yet why. Japan said it is grounding all F 35’s.

The F 35 suggests the U.S. is not capable pf building up to date effect weaponry. The U.S. no longer superior as concerns military equipment.

Some are already suggesting that such is occurring because U. S. leaders the past 40 years have not paid attention to the military. Just as the U.S. has not paid attention to infrastructure.

Instead our leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, have served the “elite.” Permitting U.S. companies to move to Europe, approving favorable tax legislation for them, etc. In effect, our government for 40 years has dramatically helped to develop the ultra rich one percent. To the detriment of the rest of the country in more ways than one.

A closing note. The U.S. spent billions of dollars developing what is turning out to be the useless F 35. It was just last October that Trump said the F 35 was a terrific plane…..You can’t see it!

Good luck!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

6 comments on “TOUCHED MY HEART

  1. We’re way more interested in a few football players kneeling during our national anthem, than we are about wasteful military spending. Anything for the optics, nothing for the truth!

    Now we’re giving (selling?) Nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, gee what could go wrong (sarcasm, Patrick)?

  2. ” Socialism is a scare word they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years. Socialism is what they called public power. Socialism is what they called Social Security. Socialism is what they called farm price supports. Socialism is what they called bank deposit insurance. Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations. Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people…” ~Harry S Truman (1952)

    • Why is everyone so afraid of socialism? It would seem to me, that socialism as it is being proposed, is WAY better than the fascism we seem to be hurtling towards.

    • Socialism is a basic tenet of all religious faiths. Yet somehow it has been weaponized by some politicians to keep people scared.

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