Key West Lou / INTEGRITY REWARDED…..CHRIS WALLACE JOINS CNN AS ANCHOR
DEB AND LOUIS

In most instances, FOX taints those who broadcast for them. An honest FOX broadcaster a rarity. One is Chris Wallace.

Wallace has been with FOX a number of years. He was able to maintain an honest high profile news personality without relying on falsehoods.

CNN terminated Chris Cuomo rapidly. He was CNN’s top anchor person. In only a few days, the CNN/Wallace deal was made. Wallace will host a weekday show.

Both Wallace and CNN come out on top in this deal!

From his time as New Jersey governor to today, Chris Christie has learned truth is the way to go. His recent positions are more honest than in the past. Not hard to do if you are increasingly anti-Trump as Christie is.

Christie appeared on yesterday’s ABC morning show with George Stephanopoulos. His words re January 6 right on: “In the end the facts are going to come out, but let’s not kid ourselves. This was a driven-from-the-top-process executed by C-team players. And that’s why it looks like a Keystone Cops operation, because it was.”

Only 12 days to Christmas. How time flies!

The question arises this time every year as to the best place in Key West to welcome the New Year. Three from my perspective. All “street events.”

The three are Sushi the Drag Queen and her red stiletto heel drop at the Bourbon Street Pub, the Conch Shell Drop on the roof of Sloppy Joe’s, and the Pirate Wench Drop from a mast at Schooner Wharf.

Each Key West’s Time Square rendition.

Time’s Person of the Year Award announced yesterday. Sixteen year old Greta Thunberg. The Swedish climate activist. She is the youngest ever to receive the Award.

Proof again that climate change/global warming is a real problem deserving of everyone’s attention.

“The whole town is gone.” Words uttered by a female employee who was buried under the rubbish of the candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky.

Sex is a powerful force. Compels many to set duty aside for a few hours of decadent pleasure.

General Charles Lee was a British General who who joined Colonial forces.

Washington was in dire need of Lee and his men. Lee had his marching orders where to join Washington.

Lee was delayed on the way. For an evening of sex. He stopped to enjoy an overnight dalliance with a lady at Widow White’s Tavern in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.

Washington was pissed!

Things were already strained between the two. Lee was upset Washington had been given command of the Continental Army instead of him. It was easy to set aside the “rush” to aid Washington for a bit of sex.

Lee and Washington continued to have a strained relationship. Finally in 1778, Washington suspended Lee. In 1780, he outright fired him.

Enjoy your day!

DEB AND LOUIS

What a night! The Christmas Boat Parade was absolutely spectacular!

First one I have seen in several years. Every boat new, except for the Morah one.

Jean Thornton and I enjoyed the evening together.

First, the Chart Room. Steve and Cindy there. Recall I wrote a bit of Steve’s history a couple of months ago. He first came to Key West in the 1970’s. Made his fortune in tacos…..all over Florida. Cindy was Jimmy Buffett’s secretary/right arm for years when his headquarters was located above Fast Buck Freddie’s in the Kress Building.

We chatted at the round table for about an hour. The room filled during that time. To the point where the noise was so deafening we could not hear each other talk. Cindy and I left to go to dinner. Steve and Cindy remained.

We were fortunate to have a reservation on the Pier 1 deck. Right on the rail as requested.

It was already dark. The temperature just right.

The boats began appearing. Like race horses working out, one at a time. Each, oh so beautiful. All sizes, different type decorations.

We were enjoying dinner when the table next to us got up to leave. Two women and a man. One of the women approached me. Are you Louis? Do you Write?

Her name, Deb. She reads the blog every day.

Deb and husband Louis originally from Wisconsin. Now live in Cape Coral. Hop down to Key West on occasion to party.

My kind of people!

Louis is a retired attorney also. In addition, my age 86.

Louis retired only two years ago. He felt the urge to do something in retirement as I did. He captains a charter boat.

I apologize to Deb who is the one who follows my blog. I mention Jean Thornton often. I am sure Deb was aware of the Golden Girl and would have enjoyed meeting her. Being ill mannered on occasion, I forgot to introduce Jean.

My apologies to Deb and to Jean.

Andre waited on us. He has been affiliated with the Pier House since 2007. Told me he was able to work through the pandemic, but things were tough. Everyone earned less.

One of the Irma refugees at Jean’s Birmingham home Hayward stopped by.

In leaving, Jean and I had to walk past the Chart Room. We had agreed we would not be stopping in. Late and tired. As we passed the Chart Room door, there were Steve and Cindy at the bar. They had never left. Jean went in to say hello. I knew she would stay a while. If I went in, I would have done likewise.

Not for me, however. Kissed Jean and said good night. It was home to bed for me.

Key West has a birthday coming up. Its 200th. March 2020. The City is scheduling events for March 19-30.

Wild hurricanes! The damage as shown on TV similar to that done by a Category 5 hurricane. Blocks and blocks down. Irma did it in certain places along the Keys.

The worst damage I have ever seen was Andrew in 1992 in Homestead. The entire community flat. Like a pancake.

The tornado in effect was a series of ones. One series ran more than 200 miles.

Kentucky hurt pretty bad. A long time recovery ahead. Already 100 plus dead. There will be more.

Tennessee took a big hit also. Estimated 15-18 tornadoes ran through the state.

The best description of the tornadoes was you could see them “shredding nursing homes.”

Does this most recent natural disaster have anything to do with climate change?

Rand Paul represents Kentucky in the U.S. Senate. He has been a hard ass in previous natural disasters in other parts of the U.S. Always refusing to vote for relief funds. His conduct has been ongoing for 10 years. Disasters which included New Jersey’s Sandy Hook, Puerto Rico, and Texas’ Hurricane Harvey.

His time to ask/beg for assistance. Paul wrote to Biden yesterday saying, I “ask that you move expeditiously to approve appropriate resources for our state.”

Paul’s excuse in the past in voting against immediate assistance was that it should not be from new money which the government did not have on hand. There are never enough funds available for a new huge natural disaster. Paul has always wanted the money to be taken from from a place where it was already voted to go. Who should the U.S. screw? A foreign nation with monies already appropriated to its use?

Congress would take forever to decide who to take the money from. At a time when time is of the essence. Immediately following a hurricane or tornado is when money is most needed. Like yesterday! Not weeks or months ahead after Congress fights to the bitter end from whence the mones must come.

I watched the 1967 movie Camelot yesterday afternoon. One of the better musicals of all time.

Richard Harris played Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave Guinevere, and Franco Nero Lancelot .

I had the good fortune to watch Camelot on Broadway in its first year. Only Nero remained of the original cast. Outstanding then and again yesterday.

Grocery and restaurant prices continue to spike. Food is more expensive than it has been in decades. Consumers cannot win. It’s getting more expensive to dine out and it’s getting more expensive to eat home.

Enjoy your day!

FIRST CLOROX….NOW LISTERINE…..WHAT NEXT

Amazing! Absolutely amazing! Trump suggested we drink Clorox. Now comes Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisc) who recommends mouth washing with Listerine to kill coronavirus. In fairness, he doesn’t suggest drinking it.

I am curious. What next?

It seems insanity prevails in the highest ranks of the Republican Party. How can anyone believe that Listerine or some other mouthwash will solve the virus problem? Those that do claim that “standard gargle mouthwash, has been proven to kill the coronavirus. If you get it, you may reduce viral replication.”

Two leading mouthwash manufacturers have “extensive web pages on their company sites deterring customers from thinking that they are effective measures against the virus.”

Listerine has had detailed information on its website saying “available data insufficient and no evidence – based clinical observations can be drawn with regards to the anti-viral efficacy of LISTERINE.”

The information has been available on the Listerine website since March 2020.

Coronavirus is a virus, not a bacteria. Mouthwashes are antimicrobial, meaning they are designed to fight bacteria, not viruses.

The U.S. Supreme Court has always been considered the “court of last resort.” If no where else, justice would be done at the highest judicial level in the U.S.

No more.

Another consideration is justice is supposed to be blind. Such signified by the Statue of Justice being blindfolded. The blindfold has been swept away. Today a majority of Justices are one minded and know well before a case even comes before them that its subject matter will or will not be supported by them.

Justices have become “special effects” actors on behalf of radicalism, the rich, and certain favored classes. As workers of old owed their souls to the company store, Justices owe their positions to special interests.

High court decisions are becoming more and more convoluted. The Texas abortion case the most recent example. It does not make legal or common sense how the Court ruled yesterday that the lower ruling in the Texas case remains the law till the Supreme Court finally decides it. However, abortion clinics may continue to bring lawsuits in lower courts in attempt to override the specifics as to how specific curtailing actions might be lifted.

The issue in the Texas case is not really abortions. It has moved on to being whether a lower inferior court can override a Supreme Court decision.

The seats the Justices now sit on are unsteady. They can fall. People will only take abuse so long.

A solution is to pack the Court. Biden must add additional Justices to the Court to swing the Court’s balance.

I wish to address the insurrection issue from a different perspective.

January 6 was not the only day when there has been an insurrection. For days and months before and since, insurrection is taking place on a daily place. Attempts in certain states to change voting systems, control who does what, etc. represent a form of insurrection. Another way to overthrow the type of government American people have been accustomed to for a couple of hundred years.

An interesting comment in this morning’s Citizens” Voice re DeSantis’ civilian military: “Presumably the new private army in Florida will be used to enforce the coming totalitarianism?”

On this day in 1898, the Battleship Maine plot in the Key West Cemetery was dedicated. Ten thousand attended.

Such number would not be attained or even come close to today.

The Christmas Boat Parade tonight at 8. I am meeting Jean Thornton first in the Chart Room. Following which we have a table reserved at Pier One at the rail for dinner and then boat watching.

The State and wealthy Key West business persons v. the people of Key West in the continuing cruise ship battle.

Big boats are beginning to arrive at Pier B. Pier B is privately owned.

A Norwegian vessel with a capacity for 3,200 persons arrived. It was met by a contingency of those opposed to vessels coming and going. Hundreds on the docks and small boats in the water protesting the boat’s arrival.

As I mentioned yesterday, New York’s surge is in the northern part of the state. The heavy cold and snow belt area. I spent more than 50 years living in the area.

The State is concerned. A new rule has been placed in effect. Masks must be worn in indoor public places, unless the business or venue implements a vaccine requirement.

The mask mandate begins this monday and will continue to January 15 at which time it will be reevaluated.

New York joins Washington, Oregon, Illinois, New Mexico and Hawaii in requiring similar indoor mask mandates.

Enjoy your day!

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]