Key West Lou / CLASS NOT CRASS

What a difference four years makes. The Inauguration yesterday was a class act. It was wonderful to be back where we belonged. America rose from the dust.

Ashamed I am not to tell you I cried a bit. I spoke with several friends afterwards and this morning. Males and females. They all cried.

It was a new day and we knew it!

Amanda Gorman was a hit. Wow! Only 22 years old. A National Youth Poet Laureate. Her appearance, words, delivery…..Everything perfect.

She and Biden have something in common. Speech disorders. Stuttering. You would never have known it yesterday.

Where they found Amanda interesting. She was recommended by Jill Biden.

Amanda’s career is made. She will be an adult Poet Laureate in due course. She will pen America’s history for years to come.

Melania can’t win.

She left Washington yesterday morning in a black outfit. When she departed Air Force One in Palm Beach she was wearing a colorfully patterned Gucci dress.

Her new life had begun.

Some social media enthusiasts were critical of the cost of the Gucci dress. Retails for $3,700. Her business alone. If you have it, spend it.

Two points of interest regarding Proud Boys. Considered the top terrorist group in the U.S.

Its leader was arrested yesterday on several federal charges arising out of January 6.

He or some other person in leadership “pulled a Trump.” They turned on Trump. They were disappointed in his conduct and comments late in the game. Labeled it as “fleckless.”

Poor Donald. Everyone is leaving him. Deservedly so. He turned on many. It’s the old story. What goes around comes around.

Just because the terrorists did not attack yesterday does not mean they will not in the future. It does not take much in the way of brains to understand you don’t initiate a battle when the other side expects you to. Twenty five thousand National Guardsmen sufficient reason to be dissuaded.

This is the lull in the storm. The National Guard, etc. will leave in due course. Biden and his team will not. They will be ready for the next onslaught, however.

As of tuesday evening, Trump had given pardons and commutations totaling 143.

Steve Bannon should not have received a pardon. A bad guy through and through. His goal in life is to wreak havoc on established governments and bring them down.

He should have pardoned Giuliani. The man prostituted himself for Trump at every turn.

I believe also he should have pardoned his children. Ok to leave Jared swinging. However children are deserving of a father’s protection wherever possible.

Trump could not have pardoned himself. In my opinion it would not have been legally correct. Even if legal, it would have done him no good. The Manhattan DA and the Southern District of New York will get him. This year!

Biden showed an immediate toughness yesterday.

Peter Robb was appointed some 3 years ago as counsel for the National Labor Relations Board. A 4 year term. He had roughly 10 months to finish.

Biden wanted him out. The position a very important one. The Counsel alone decides which labor disputes are heard by the entire Board. Robb has been aggressive in providing the board with a pro business agenda. He cared little for labor.

To place his conduct in perspective, Robb was Reagan’s counsel when he fired the air traffic controllers.

Here is how Biden’s toughness exhibited itself. He wanted Robb out. Labor wanted Robb out.

Soon after being sworn in, President Biden had a letter delivered to Robb. Resign or you will be fired at 5 o’clock.

Robb refused to resign. Replied with a letter that might be described as a challenging one. Like take your best shot.

Robb is finished. He was out of his job at 5 pm.

There are many reasons why locals did not want cruise line ships coming to Key West. Besides ruining the waters.

The cruise line ships were at the bottom of the ladder economically. Generally, the cheapest to buy a ticket for.

Locals describe the passengers as “polyesters.” They spend very little money on shore. They buy T shirts and drink beer in local bars.

Evidence of their cheapness is most return to their ship for lunch. It’s already paid for. Then they return to Duval.

They are of no economic value overall to the community.

It was recently announced that 2 carriers were soon to fly into Key West. You might say great! Increased business!

Not all locals do.

A local’s opinion was shared in today’s Citizens’ Voice: “Low-budget airlines are now coming to Key West! Now the trash is going to fly in versus float in.”

I do not necessarily agree with the “trash” verbiage. However, I can understand the feeling.

Former President Ulysses S. Grant was in Key West this day in 1880. His parade down Duval was received with thunderous enthusiasm.

Following the parade, he was guest of honor at a dinner at the Jefferson Hotel.

The Jefferson Hotel was unknown to me. I did a little research.

Its location on the 100 block of Duval. The bank building still sits on the corner of Duval and Front Streets. Then there is the driveway entrance into Hogsbreath. On the other side of the driveway is where the Jefferson Hotel sat.

Three stories high. The Grant visit at a time when Duval Street itself was dirt. The sidewalks brick.

There was a fire at the Jefferson Hotel in 1957. The 2 photos I found did not reflect serious damage. However, I could not ascertain whether the building sitting where the Jefferson Hotel did is the same structure.

My thinking is yesterday. I always thought a whack on the ass was appropriate punishment when wrongdoing by one of my children was serious. Otherwise, their mother took care of the discipline. She was guilty occasionally of a whack also.

Today, I would be arrested for what I did yesterday.

I subscribed to the Biblical “spare the rod and spoil the child.”

I used the palm of my hand in exercising punishment. One good hard swat. Sometimes it hurt my hand more than one of their bottoms.

In May Johnson’s time, people did worse in punishing their children.

On this day in 1897, May was at Mrs. Sewell’s for tea. A Sewell child was named Dot. May wrote in her diary: “Dot, behaved like the Dickens, so her Papa whipped her with the razor strap.”

Corporal punishment! Child abuse today. Good for some jail time.

Enjoy your day!

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