Key West Lou / HURRICANE IDA WILL NOT BE SWEET AS APPLE CIDER

Hurricane Ida will not be as enjoyable as Eddie Cantor performing Ida Sweet As Apple Cider. Cantor brought joy. The Hurricane guaranteed not to be pleasant in any fashion.

It is anticipated Ida will hit the New Orleans area sometime tomorrow as a Category 4. Winds 140 miles per hour. Surges 10-15 feet. Ida’s force will be extremely dangerous. Life threatening.

A major blow! Interestingly, it will hit at the same time of the year as Katrina did.

Ida’s strength will be attributable to the warm Caribbean water it will be traveling over. The water will get warmer as Ida approaches landfall.

May God protect those that will feel Ida’s wrath.

Sirhan Sirhan might be paroled! The assassin who killed Robert Kennedy. Hard to believe!

Sirhan has spent 50 plus years in jail for his crime. Not enough from my perspective.

Kennedy was one of America’s heroes. He was running for the Democratic nomination for President at a time when the U.S. needed a person of his quality. We were in trouble as a nation.

I was involved in politics back then. A Kennedy supporter. I was running his campaign in my community. Kennedy was scheduled to speak in an adjoining community 14 miles away. My marching order’s were to be there to meet with Kennedy. I assumed for a hello, how are you and thank you.

Did not work that way.

Kennedy was speaking from the stage in a high school auditorium. When I arrived, I was taken behind the stage curtain. A few minutes later, Kennedy and an aide appeared. Three chairs were dragged over. We sat and I got my marching orders. It was not an hello, thank you, etc. meeting. It was business. What he expected, how he wanted things handled, etc. He knew all the players in our area.

We spent 15 minutes together. When he was done, he stood, thanked me, and walked away. Never a smile. Not a criticism on my part. Such was the man. Serious. He was on a mission.

If society is going to start taking sympathy for someone who committed a heinous crime and has spent a long time in jail for it, there are many similar criminals who should have been let out of jail. Like Charlie Manson.

Sirhan’s recent appearance before the parole commission was his 16th. His parole would have been denied, except for two of Kennedy’s sons.

Kennedy fathered a total of 8 children. Robert Kennedy Jr. and another son supported the parole. The other six have announced they will fight the parole recommendation at each and every step. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has to approve it.

I never met Robert Jr. However had an experience back in the late 1980’s which left me with a sour taste in my mouth as far as the man was concerned.

Kennedy was involved in environmental law as I was. He was teaching at Pace University. Pace had an excellent environmental curriculum. Kennedy was an adjunct professor and also headed Pace’s Litigation Clinic.

I was handling a major piece of environmental litigation in the area on behalf of an insurance company. At some point, I received a letter from my principal to turn everything over to Kennedy’s Litigation Clinic at Pace. Second and third year law students were going to handle the case from that point forward.

Was I pissed! You better believe it. It was a major piece of litigation. Now to move from my hands to students. An insult. In addition, I was being paid top dollars for my efforts. I was not one who enjoyed losing the opportunity to earn a significant fee.

Nothing I could do. I sensed what was going on. Kennedy’s son wanted his people to handle the case. Great experience to be had. My insurance company was not going to deny a request by the son of Robert Kennedy.

I have followed Robert Jr.’s career since. It does not surprise me he supports the parole of the man who killed his father.

Coronavirus continues surging. Yet some governors and states fight the tide of mask wearing and vaccination. They who do contribute to the deaths of many.

Alabama in a “crisis” situation. One of the hardest hit states in the nation. Deaths have reached an “extreme.” Alabama is at the point where it has run out of places to hold the bodies of the dead. The state is now using mobile trailers to hold the bodies.

Alabama reflects another problem. One of great concern. There has been a spike in child COVID-19 cases. Last week, 5,571 children tested positive. Forty two children died.

Deaths nationally are on the increase. Deaths in 14 states increased by 50 percent last week. In 28 others, deaths were up 10 percent.

New Zealand is experiencing a new set of numbers. Not encouraging.

New Zealand has fought coronavirus hard from day one. The country went into lockdown the first time around. Total lockdown. The people cooperated.

New Zealand had not had a new case since February. Last week, it had its first case since February. New Zealand went into immediate total lockdown. Did not catch the problem in time. In the last 10 days, New Zealand has had 347 new cases.

New Zealand’s lockdown has added another phrase to COVID’s book of phrases: Hermit strategy.

Locally, the Tropic Cinema announced it will be closing down the theater beginning September 2. The theater is concerned with the increasing number of cases in the Key West area and want to do its part in helping to prevent the virus’ spread.

I broke quarantine yesterday. For less than one hour. Got a haircut and manicure.

Drove Duval to see how the tourists were handling the COVID problem. No change. No one was wearing a mask. Not one, not even a child.

Enjoy your day!

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