Key West and Miami, April 2009

 

Here comes the Sun

 


The parking lot at North West School of the Arts.

Path by Lauren

 

Wisdom

In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress. --John Adams

If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed. --Mark Twain

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself. --Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. --Winston Churchill

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul but not of Peter's. --George Bernard Shaw

A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money. --G. Gordon Liddy

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. --James Bovard, Civil
Libertarian (1994)

Foreign aid might best be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries. --Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. --P.J. O'Rourke

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else. --Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. --Ronald Reagan (1986)

I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. --Will Rogers

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free! --P.J. O'Rourke

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other. --Voltaire (1764)

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you! --Pericles (430 B.C.)

No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. --Mark Twain (1866)

Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it. --Anonymous

The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. --Ronald Reagan

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery. --Winston Churchill

The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin. --Mark Twain

The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. --Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

There is no distinctly native American criminal class...save Congress. --Mark Twain

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians. --Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. --Thomas Jefferson

The woods in the wood

 

Capitalism Works! (by MJF)

Rafael sent you a message.

--------------------
Subject: Capitalism Works! (by MJF)

I was talking to a friend's daughter. The little six year old said she wanted to be President some day. Both of her liberal Democrat parents , were there.

I asked her, "If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?"

She replied, "I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people."
"Wow - what a worthy goal," I told her. "But you don't have to wait until you're President to do that. You can come over to my house and mow, pull weeds, rake my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then I'll take you over to the grocery store, where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $50 to use toward food or a new house."

She thought that over for a few seconds. And while her Mom glared
at me, the little girl looked me straight in the eye and asked, "Why
doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can
just pay him the $50?"

I said, "Welcome to the Republican Party."

Her folks aren't speaking to me.

. . .
Oh, Well ! ! !
--------------------

Lauren Self Portrait 2/21/09

 

Our form of Government

Future fan of Rodin

 

My view, My Poem

Take a deep breath.



They all bought into a blank slate



If they had been deaf



They may have listened more closely to matters best not left to fate.



I wish the President well



May God guide his hand



And keep keeps us safe from the plans of hell



Although I fear for the many issues he seems not to understand.



Godspeed to him and his Presidency



Pray that we not end up with a man who wants to be addressed as "Excellency"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hugo Chávez, Fidel Castro y Evo Morales en reunión

Monopolio Cubano

Saturday November 29, 2008

For Ethan

My Father's Passing

I'm sorry that you will never get to truly know my dad. You would have loved him as much as he loved you.

I feel like I’ve been preparing for his imminent death for a decade if not longer. He just wasn’t supposed to live as long as he did and after a certain point I think I got comfortable in his seeming immortality. Now I understand that you can never prepare for the loss of someone you love, even if imminent. There’s nothing that can prepare you for the void that happens when it’s over.

Papi died at the ripe old age of 82. As far as I'm concerned, he died way too soon. He was relatively healthy up until the last couple of years when the medicines starting taking their toll on him. You see, the fact that my father lived until he was 82, was nothing short of a miracle. A true blue miracle. When you hear the phrase love conquers all, well, it certainly did in this case. My father’s life expectancy according to his doctors and by all accounts and purposes should have ended years before it did. His memories and stories about his family and their exploits, his childhood, his adolescence, his struggle for work as a young adult and his ache to be a good son, brother, husband and father, were prolific and entertaining. The glimpses of history in his life were far better than any PBS documentary. I believe that he continued to live, because of his continued love of family.

He was a courageous man in the true sense of the word. I've seen him stand up to street thugs, abusive policemen and union strongmen. He was right in every one of those instances, and he won every one of those battles, via his wits, brawn or sheer force of will.

My father always spoke well of his mother. He thought the world of his father. Loved each of siblings, never had a cross word to say about any of them.

Never saw a man so happy to have a family. He adored us, both my brother and I, and he adored his wife even more. My father always said he was nothing without my mother.

He was generous to a fault, kind and always had a good word to say to make someone feel better. Always kidding around with people trying to make them laugh. Always had a joke, even if they were stolen from Alvares Guedes much of time. He hurt when he heard things on the news about children, animals or the elderly or even those in other countries at war.

He loved classic Cuban music. He especially loved a song called “Sabor a Mi” which he played over and over again, year after year. I grew up to all the best Cuban music and crooners. It’s why I love many of those songs till this day.

I’m just happy I realized these things before he passed away and I’m glad in the last years I was able to tell him so much of what I’ve written here.

Tell me that story again Papi, I miss you already.

Lauren does the weather on the local Fox affiliate

Jib-Jab

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Hope

 

Dark Sky

 

Dreams by Ed Nov 1st 2008

 

A nostalgic look at downtown Miami

Meet the neighbors,

 

"... All the plumbers in the house pull your pants up..."

Why i'm voting Democrat

Why i'm voting Republican

In the spirit of equal time.

Be very quiet, it's duck season! Ethan feeding the ducks at Davis Lake.

 

Best that Ethan learn this early

 

Ethan at the Gazeebo at Davis Lake