Key West Lou / MORNING POST #49

Spent yesterday morning from 8 to noon undergoing some medical tests and blood work. Part of my annual heart check up. No time for the blog. By the time I researched and wrote it, it would have been 5 or 6 in the late afternoon.

Ergo, today a Morning Blog. My attempt to cover 2 days in 1. No order. You get my notes in the order they are stacked on my desk.

Enjoy!

Monopoly seems to have lasted a lifetime. Still ongoing. Remember from my youth. Played the game for generations with friends, my parents, my children, and my grandchildren.

The game will never die. Some variations have come out over the years. A new Key West Monopoly set will be available for purchase in the fall. In time for Christmas.

Casey Arnold is a Key West businessman. He came up with the idea of a Key West game. He contacted Hasboro Gaming who owns the rights to the Monopoly game. He received permission to proceed.

The new game is basically the same as the old. It will reflect Key West, however. Tokens will include a Kino sandal, slice of Key Lime pie, rooster, conch shell, manatee, and fishing boat.

No question. Most of us will be playing Monopoly again. For me, with Robert and Ally.

A South Beach update.

First, a possible murder. Two North Carolina men and a Pennsylvania woman. The two men raped the woman. She later died in her hotel room. It is claimed the two men gave her a pill before raping her.

The men were aged 21 and 24. The woman 24.

The men have been arrested.

I received a call yesterday from a friend. She wanted to share what she was seeing in South Beach.

Tons of people. Thought City government did the right thing in imposing the 8 o’clock curfew. Things were getting out of hand. A riot was inevitable.

The surprise was that the partiers were not college kids alone. Most were young adults. Those already out of school. Described to me as “young professionals.”

Interesting.

Filibuster. Biden has to get rid of it. I keep repeating myself.

He will have to crawl before he walks. First, a return to a Senator having to stand and argue his position for hours.

A few months later, a better way. Get rid of it in its entirety. By that time, Biden will have secured the support of the two recalcitrant Democrats or picked up some Republican Senators.

Biden and he country need the filibuster gone. Otherwise much needed legislation will move. McCullough will have succeeded “in scorching the earth.”

The word filibuster is derived from a Dutch reference to pirates. Evidence of its evil beginnings.

Filibuster became popular in the U.S. in the 1850s. I suspect because of the slavery issue at the time.

It has been used since in order to prevent action on a bill on the Senate floor.

There was a time when U.S. budgets were in the hundreds of thousands. Then millions. Followed by billions. Now, trillions!

Wow!

The recent stimulus package which has become law was $1.9 trillion. Talk now is of a $3 trillion infrastructure bill.

The condition of the U.S. economy today requires America to spend overwhelming dollars. The only way to stave off a recession.

Infrastructure is the best way to proceed. The money will create tons of jobs. Employment will rise dramatically. People will have money in their pockets to spend for items not necessary for survival/basics.

Biden has an immigration problem of magnitude on his hands. Especially involving children without parents. Now in excess of 3,000.

He thus far has played the game of blocking out news re the problem. I don’t blame him. However not healthy for the U.S. nor Biden.

The press have been a problem. They want access and ability to obtain news re the immigration children. Biden has been polluting press access. His conduct not one of transparency.

Critical though I am, I believe he will turn the problem around. Access however should be available even before he achieves his goal.

Mask wearing continues to be a problem. Many did not and do not want to wear them. Thank you, Donald. Government officials cater to their desires. The laws re masks are generally permitted to be flouted.

DeSantis advised last week he was not only opening Florida to businesses, he was also exempting old and new fines re failure to wear a mask.

Prior to DeSantis’ remarks, the Key West police were doing a better job re the masks. Giving out tickets. They stopped however based on DeSantis deciding the fines were not collectible.

Now no one wears a mask. Not quite accurate. A mere handfull at any given time.

The Citizens’ Voice carried an interesting comment re the situation in this morning’s newspaper: “It appears that on the one-year anniversary of the lock down, St. Patrick came and drove the masks out of Key West.”

Last week, 8 killed in Atlanta. Yesterday, 10 in Boulder. A gun problem unquestionably. I continue to wonder if we as a people are ever going to get the gun issue under control.

I thought progress was being made. The NRA had been weakened. However, then came January 6. Even I who have never handled a gun or cared to, wondered if maybe this was the time for me to carry.

If January 6 was reflective of what is to come, then I need to protect myself. The issue of personal survival now part of the mix.

A thought concerning the Asian women murdered in Atlanta.

Respectfully, I thought any Asian problem in the U.S. ended with World War II. Never heard of any since, except those Trump motivated against China.

With the shootings, groups, organisations, and individuals have come out of the shadows and advising how horrific it has been for Asian women. The racism ran deep.

Glad they were there to tell us who were unaware. They should have been more vocal, if at all, before the Atlanta deaths.

Such is not the point I wish to make however. It is with the massage parlors themselves. Generally advertising Asian women inside. Publically known Asian women were the workers. Most if not all knew or suspected the massage parlors were dens of inequity. Whore houses. Brothels.

A parlor provides “massage services for a fee.” As early as the 19th century, it became common knowledge the massage parlors were being used as a “euphemism for a brothel.”

In 2019, the Polaris Project estimated there were 9,000 massage parlors in the U.S.providing sexual services. “Full services” and “rub and Tug” available. The latter referring to only hand jobs being offered.

A 2011 study in New York city reported the “house fee” paid up front to the “mama-san” was $60 to $100 per visit. An extra $40 was required to be paid to the sex worker for a massage and “happy ending.” Oral and full service required an additional fee on top of the $40.

The massage parlors run like the whore houses in days old run by the Mafia. Girls are moved from one massage parlor to another for variety and safety purposes. A raided massage parlor reopened within a few days under a new corporation. The corporate trail made it virtually impossible to trace ownership.

My criticism once again is simple. Those now arguing in support of their Asian sisters should have been out there years ago arguing that their people were being used as prostitutes in the slave trade. Why weren’t they?

Their may be one explanation. They knew these women were working in the trade because they needed the money. To support themselves and their families. The apple cart was not to be turned over less the ladies not have a source of income to provide a somewhat decent life.

Key West has 2 Asian type parlors that I am aware of. I mentioned this 2 years ago in a blog. All of a sudden 2 appeared in Key West. One on Duval and the other on the corner of U.S. 1 and Eisenhower. Still there. Names Asian Massage Key West and Island Massage Spa.

On this day in 1775, Patrick Henry before the Virginia Provincial Convention spoke, “Give me liberty, or give me death.”

Syracuse, my Syracuse! I spent the season crying and moaning how terrible we were doing. Kept saying the best material ever player wise, but not getting it together.

Richard Nixon when discussing an election, said the campaign must peak as election day is reached.

Syracuse seems to be peaking. Wow!

First, I was shocked the team even got into the NCAA Tournament. Further shocked when I saw they were a #11 seed in the Midwest Region. Not bad.

Syracuse’s first game was against # 6 seed Sand Diego State. Syracuse won.

The next game this weekend pitted Syracuse against #3 seed West Virginia. Syracuse won.

Syracuse plays in the Sweet Sixteen this weekend.

They look terrific. Especially Buddy Boeheim. He has really come out. His shooting fantastic. He has scored 30 and 25 points in the 2 games mentioned.

I became irritated before the West Virginia game sunday night. In the pre-game show, the sportscasters analyzed the pending game. Gave all of 15 seconds to Syracuse. Spent several minutes thereafter talking about how good West Virginia was, that they should have been the #1 seed rather than #3, etc. Syracuse forgotten.

I do not know where Syracuse is going from this point forward. I hope their peaking continues. It would be nice to go to the Final Four once again. Even better, to win the whole thing.

I have tons more of notes. Blog already too long. I may be able to use some in tomorrow’s blog.

Tonight my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. Join me. I rant and rave. Love it! www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

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