THINGS I LEARNED FROM TWO HURRICANES

Preparation and Probabilities

I grew up in Pittsburgh, so I experienced hurricanes only on television. When my partner and I retired to Venice, Florida five years ago, we were greeted by Irma, our first hurricane. For that one, we put up the shutters and got out of town. Irma brought us only minor damage, the most serious being the live oak tree in the backyard being bent thirty degrees toward the house.

As for hurricane Ian, we decided to hunker down in our home and wait out the storm. We suffered from a ridiculous myth that Venice was built on a Native American burial ground and a direct storm hit couldn’t possibly happen. We were naïve, and wrong.

So, what did we learn from our encounter with the angry tempest, which the science guys call a CAT FOUR? Initially came all the traditional preparation, buying batteries of every denomination, filling the bathtubs with water, getting as much bottled drinking water as possible and putting up the shutters. That became my first lesson: know your limitations. As a senior, seventy-something guy I didn’t realize how out of shape I was and should have put on those knee braces before doing the work. By the time Ian hit, I could hardly move.

Our home was built under the strict codes of six to seven years ago, and it’s basically a concrete fortress. Ian brought us minimal damage, but that live oak repositioned by Irma is now on the ground, completely uprooted by Ian. I’m not sure living next to tall trees is advisable, but the state and county demand we have trees. Now that Ian knocked one down, we must replace it at our expense. Another lesson learned.

Taking pictures for a friend who owns a mobile home in a park, I saw Ian’s terrible wrath, and I’ve concluded it’s immoral for such construction to be allowed in Florida. The wind acted like a giant, demonic can opener, ripping apart the metal structures and destroying every carport. I’m surprised more folks weren’t killed. I understand mobile homes are a form of affordable housing, but Floridians shouldn’t live in them. Another lesson? If you live in an older or mobile home or in a low-lying area, don’t stay during a hurricane.

Now let’s talk about the power gird. Of course, we lost electricity. Ian made sure millions of other Floridians did also, but I’ll send props to those radio stations that managed to stay on the air. One nifty idea was several stations broadcasting the audio of their TV affiliates. Sadly, there are too many automated radio stations incapable of providing helpful storm reporting these days, so hats off to all the NPR stations with real news and weather experts, not disc jockeys faking it. Another lesson? Always have a radio on hand during a hurricane. I think you can still buy one.

Cell Phones are a problem during a disaster. Why? I heard a radio discussion where a caller said, “I thought with this G5 we would never lose service.” Well, until the government mandates phone company towers have generators or powerful solar batteries, your relatives up north watching the disaster coverage on TV will assume you are dead. We need a better system of communication, and it is well past time to demand the cash rich phone companies step up and reinforce their systems. They should have already done this.

We learned our book reading lights came in handy, strategically placed throughout the house and tapped to supply dim lighting in the rooms. That Sharper Image miner’s light I bought a few decades ago also came in handy.

This brings us to post storm. Oh, the wind was cool and pleasant, but don’t think opening the windows and getting a good night’s rest was possible. The drone of generators on our street was so loud it was like living in a beehive. And instead of burning gasoline for hours, isn’t it time for us all to have solar panels that feed a large Tesla-like battery that can power our homes for forty-eight to seventy-two hours? Climate change, and thus massive hurricanes are here to stay. Let’s start using the sun to get through them.

Then there’s the drainage systems. Our street water must travel a pipeline that eventually lands in a swale, which drains into the Myakka River. However, the system appears to be stuffed up and ineffective at moving water out of our subdivision. The county experts need to step up and tell us why. Maybe it’s time to invest in a more substantial infrastructure instead of flying immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Let’s reallocate that money to helping Florida.

Old buildings without substantial engineering improvements will never be able to deal with a CAT FOUR or FIVE. Even our Venice Theater, which was recently remodeled, had its roof blown off. I believe it’s time to have serious talks with our vendors, contractors and builders about the fortification of our cities and towns. In Venice’s historic district, several of those brand-new, decorative, black metal streetlamps crashed to the ground. What are their wind ratings? Also, why on earth was all the red paint blown off our stop signs? And those slick talkin’ builders who put up “walls” around your community, well, one of them on Venice’s east side was blown away by the hurricane and revealed the wall was made of Styrofoam! What the hell?

Irma may be forgotten, but Ian continues to affect us and that will probably continue for years. It’s time to figure all this out and reinforce against the next one! Future storms will be just as powerful because the earth is too hot. Stop ignoring the realities and find smarter people who can make better plans.

Now, here’s one final experience. All the comradery and community we experienced right after the storm, with folks pitching in to help one another, melted away in a few weeks. Just the other day, one of my neighbors rattled off how much he hates President Biden. I didn’t ask his opinion, his was an unsolicited remark. So, you see, people don’t change. They forget.

JUMP, MOVE & ACT UP AMERICA

Trump Cannot Stop US from Being Great, Again

Is it time for some positive news? The cable and over-the-air network news outlets have been adding an additional story at the end of each hour to make us feel better. I get it. That’s great programming, but it doesn’t help us deal with the next hour. All too soon we learn about more damage caused by both the virus and the Trump administration. Let’s face it. America, and quite frankly the world, were not ready for a global pandemic. “Who knew this could happen?” I guess only the experts, scientists and doctors who focus on health issues, and they tried to tell those in charge.

Donald Trump has been using the phrase “pent up demand” to express the desire of people wanting to get out of their homes and do the things they could do before this pandemic came ashore. His mantra is more salesman than realist. No matter how many times he says “pent up” that alone won’t make it happen. We need lots of smart ideas to get back to business, education and entertainment. What we get instead is a ton of hype and misinformation from the White House and this President. The latest hook, “…We’re Back!” is just another lie from his puckered little lips.

The man first told us this virus wasn’t going to hurt America, then it arrived and hurt this country terribly. He told us about an “off-the-shelf” drug for malaria that would be a big “game-changer” that did absolutely nothing other than harming some patients. We were told many lies and opinions that will do more harm than good, like drinking disinfectants. And if you need some stats, as of today, May 16, 2020, there have been 1,484,579 Americans infected with the curse, and over 88,000 people in this country have died. More than 300,000 people have been taken worldwide.

We were told that the national stockpile of ventilators, PPE and medicines were left bare by Obama. Really? What Dr. Rick Bright laid out during a House of Representatives’ hearing into the Health subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is not exactly the wonderful report card that Trump always gives himself. Most workers in the Trump administration avoid any subject that angers the boss, so they never discussed the possibility of a pandemic. The Donald surrounds himself with only agreeable people, not the best people. Trump views agreement as loyalty.

Had the President been more proactive, honest and helpful with the states, we could have opened the country earlier. Instead he offloaded the responsibilities and duties to the states instead of using the bounty of help that exists on the federal level. We have FEMA, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Indian Health Service, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the United States Public Health Service and even more. Sure, they are all involved in the fight against COVID-19, but Trump doesn’t want them to get too involved. Why? Could it be he wants to cloak the seriousness and deleterious effects of the coronavirus in a hope it will make him more re-electable?

There is little expertise in world governments about handling a pandemic, but that cannot be an excuse for not protecting the planet’s citizens. While Trump fumes and foments hate and fear through his minions at Fox News and by his tweets and pressers, the rest of the country must deal with a serious viral threat. I want to face Donald Trump right now and ask him this question, “When did you become the president of everyone?” I know he would talk and talk and talk and go down his list of performance slogans, clichés and conspiracy theories, repeating his tired, old, hackneyed taglines. Of course, he wouldn’t answer my question. More likely he would accuse me of being a “never Trumper” or “Trump Hater” or some other besmirching name. He’s a fool.

Until I get a better picture of the spread and toxicity of this virus, there are places I will not go and activities I will avoid. Being in the demographic and health categories considered to be most vulnerable, I will tread lightly. My age, however, doesn’t keep me from saying that the depth of ignorance in this administration is stunning. They blather about wanting us to be safe, yet they are urging America to get back to work, school and play with no certainty that it’s safe to do so. When a state judge rules that a stay-at-home-order is unlawful, they are complicit in a coverup of the truth. Remember that “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” doesn’t work on a dead person.

Look to smart corporate leaders like McDonald’s that issued their own guidelines for safely opening their stores and franchisee’s properties. It’s a specific, detailed set of smart procedures designed to keep employees and customers safe. Companies that employ smart standards are good neighbors and should be patronized. I’ll have a Big Mac please. Those who engage in fraud and deception during this critical time should NOT get your money. Most Americans know how to analyze data and can recognize plans and practices that will keep them safe. They will reopen America safely, not this lame-ass, broke-dick President.

This global pandemic has really changed me. My pissed off retorts to people on Twitter got me suspended. I’ve become less caring about Trump fans and know that if they follow this man into battle, he will sacrifice them if need be to look good. By the way, in this context “sacrifice” means death. Why should Americans put their lives on the line for a buffoon? Why do we have to suffer the pain and experience the disillusionment of bad governance when we are the richest and smartest country in the world? I’ll tell you why. It’s because Donald John Trump has no comprehension of science. He’s a pilot who cannot take off, fly or land the plane. How can we possibly avoid a crash?

The energy of protesters demanding their states to reopen is just one example of the poison that results from Trump’s grip on the militia types. Maybe he was test driving his civil war forces, but he should not be so cocky. We saw small groups of support that the National Guard or State Police could easily defeat. For the most part, people respect their local governments and law enforcement. The also tend to social distance from Neo-Nazi, Klan sympathizers and white supremacists, just like I do.

We will conquer the virus, and even though Donald Trump is President we will make America great again. He’s not helpful and we need to use our intelligence and common sense to do what is right, and STOP LISTENING TO THIS IDIOT PRESIDENT!

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AFRICAN AMERICAN PROBLEM

Trump’s Lack of Vision Keeps Us All Down

During the calamity of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, we experienced a totally inadequate effort to rescue the people of New Orleans. FEMA was ill-equipped to deal with the massive disaster and displacement of locals. 1,883 people perished during that catastrophe and, while people were dying, President George W. Bush said to FEMA Administrator Michael Brown, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job!”

Some people remember that line, which nullified some of the great things George W. said during the 9-11 attacks, but I remember another line. During the fundraising event, A Concert for Hurricane Relief, a young black man jumped on stage and took the microphone and uttered these words, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” Do you remember who said those words? It was Kanye West. I wonder what he would say about the new death figures coming out of America’s COVID-19 crisis.

We are seeing disturbing statistics about the latest coronavirus hot spots in the United States. African Americans are suffering death at a much greater rate than white citizens. According to the Washington Post, “In Milwaukee County, home to Wisconsin’s largest city, African Americans account for about 70 percent of the dead but just 26 percent of the population. The disparity is similar in Louisiana, where 70 percent of the people who have died were black, although African Americans make up just 32 percent of the state’s population.” Why is this happening? During his press briefing last night, Donald Trump said that we don’t know why this is happening, right after Dr. Anthony Fauci explained that African American suffer from more incidents of overweight, high blood pressure, asthma and other preexisting conditions that places them at greater risk. So, here’s yet another example of Trump talking and not listening.

Some people become defensive when I am critical of the head of the free world, but this is not a small issue. A black religious leader reminded me that the use of the “war” metaphor in the virus pandemic possibly encourages violence and should not be used in that way. It’s a valid point and there’s another reason it’s a bad euphemism. During war, we look the other way when it comes to civil rights and ongoing programs. That is precisely how we got the Patriot Act which led to torture and war crimes. Trump knows this and is using the term as justification for taking more power.

Obamacare brought healthcare to millions of Americans, and the Trump administration is doing everything possible to nullify or slow its benefits to low-income and minorities in this country. If we had a better healthcare system, we might have been able to keep people healthier and lower the potential for illness and death in this crisis. I am not ready to jump on stage and grab the microphone away from Taylor Swift and yell, “Donald Trump doesn’t care about black people!” but I am ready to say that his racism and xenophobic policies absolutely hurt African Americans. I realize those are shameful words, but if you analyze the actions taken by this administration, they hold water.

NBC is reporting these COVID-19 fatalities by race in New York City: 34% of the deaths were Hispanics (28% of the population), 28% were African American (22%), 27% were White (32%) and 7% were Asian (14%).

What these terrible statistics suggest is that lower income groups gravitate to cheaper foods, more fat, more salt and less doctor visits as compared to suburban soccer moms. You can see these figures and say, “Well, that’s strange,” or you can figure out what’s truly in play.

Some Republicans are much less altruistic than Democrats and Democratic Socialists and most conservative viewpoints contain that old suggestion that poor people should pull themselves up by their bootstraps and go get a good job. This myopic philosophy keeps minorities and poor people down in our society. Rich people in power don’t understand that an unhealthy population will cost more money than a healthy, well-cared for workforce. More than $156 billion is lost productivity from smoking, including $5.6 billion is lost due to secondhand smoke exposure. If we cannot solve this healthcare problem, how can we possibly help poor people now that a coronavirus epidemic is here?

We will not make our country healthier with Trump’s vision for America. Ponder this. Republicans and Trump said it was crazy offering everyone universal healthcare, but we are doing exactly that right now. People made fun of former presidential candidate Andrew Yang when he suggested sending every adult American citizen a monthly check of one thousand dollars. In fact, we are doing that right now, although not each month.

We heard Donald Trump say that he would never make America a socialist country, but he openly endorses giving both large and small companies big bailouts. Donald John must be monitored and moderated because surely, he will attempt to use the stimulus money to pay donors and fans who have said nice things about him. The My Pillow man will probably get a fat check just because Trump likes him. There needs to be oversight! As I write this, a massive Federal effort to redistribute the wealth of this country is underway without the supervision of an Inspector General.

When this crisis is over and objective minds analyze the data and dig into the truth, we will learn that Trump lied and ignored warnings that this plague was coming. He lied to the American people again in yesterday’s press briefing when he said that he never read Peter Navarro’s memo. ABC News is now reporting, “As far back as late November, U.S. intelligence officials were warning that a contagion was sweeping through China’s Wuhan region, changing the patterns of life and business and posing a threat to the population.” Either Trump is totally ignorant or doesn’t care about AMERICAN PEOPLE of all races. What a total incompetent, lying bitch of a president! WHY ARE WE LETTING HIM CONTINUE? The American people of all races, religions and persuasions deserve better. WE NEED TO HOLD TRUMP ACCOUNTABLE!

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THE PRESIDENT AND PUERTO RICO

Out-of-Focus Trump Ignores His People

When the President of the United States takes his oath, we all assume that the words, “…will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States” also means he or she will protect its people. Recall that President Trump has stated many times that the reason we need a travel ban is to protect the people of this country.

For years, Puerto Ricans have debated whether they should be the 51^st state of America. Many don’t realize that the island was given to the United States, along with Cuba and the Philippines, after our victory in the Spanish-American war. Cuba and the Philippines gained their independence, while Puerto Rico took a different path.

On July 4, 1950, President Harry S. Truman signed an act that not only let Puerto Ricans draft their own constitution, but also granted the country a commonwealth status. People who are born on the island are citizens of the United States because Puerto Rico is a US territory.

The people of Puerto Rico have a non-voting representative in Congress, but they don’t get to vote for President. This brings me to the dark thought that Trump’s attention span on Florida and Houston doesn’t extend to Puerto Rico because he loses nothing in the voting game with his inaction. Until he finally heard the cries and made plans to go there next Tuesday.

100% of Puerto Rico lost power for days, while the President was sitting on the john blabbing about NFL football players. While people were without water for five days, the great Orange Leader was out making speeches for Luther Strange running for Congress in Alabama. When does Donald Trump become the President of all the citizens? Finally, after six days, the President turns his thoughts to Puerto Rico with this tone-deaf Tweet: “Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble. It’s old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities – and doing well. #FEMA” They know they have financial problems, why talk about that when they need our help most?

The President has two major issues going on with North Korea believing our country declared war on them because of Trump’s stupid comments on Twitter. And major weather events have changed millions of American lives. Judging by the number of Trump’s tweets on the subject, the kneeling-arm-locking at football games is a pressing problem that must be solved. Really?

When I saw Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, bring his team to the field, before the Anthem was played, and take a knee in Arizona, I was so proud. I was proud of America’s team and proud of the NFL and proud of our freedom of speech. Trump won’t back down, and that is exactly why people must speak out. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers said, “[America] It’s the land of the free. But we still have problems just like everybody else and when we have those problems, we have to figure out a way how we come together and be as great as we can be as a people. Because the people run this country. Not one individual. And damn sure not him.”

So, how do we convince an out-of-focus President to concentrate on important issues and put out the flames of unimportant controversies? How do we get the President to stop adlibbing what he thinks is funny to a small crowd of rabid fans? It’s time for him to stop running for office and actually do the job to which he was elected. He is a flawed person and a damaged politician. Trump is a failure in so many ways. I laughed when someone from the cult said, “But he’s gotten so much done.” Really, what has he gotten done?

There will be time to dissect this presidency by historians in the future but, for the present, would someone please save our country from this madman? Yes, he and the “rocket man” are both deranged guys who are not good for the world. When do the men and women in Congress finally wake up and realize that this president must be stopped?

Ask people in the South Florida Keys, Houston neighborhoods and the millions in Puerto Rico if this President has their back. He has to step up and do something for our citizens. Let’s forget about that stupid wall and start to re-build the infrastructure in all our communities. Why do you take a knee on important issues Mr. Trump? Stand up and lead!

The First 200 Days Of Trump

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THE WALL VS. THE WATER

Trump’s American Carnage

In the election in 1992, Bill Clinton’s campaign hit with the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid!” In the world now, the slogan should be “It’s the environment, stupid!” The Trump Administration fails to comprehend that what has happened in Texas is going to occur more and more because of Climate Change. And the definition of that term includes over-building (man-made) where concrete had replaced wet-lands and levees. When you get 50 inches of rain, it has no place to go.

First of all, if you build a wall that keeps out people, you are going to create an ecological disaster. Animals migrate to find mates and food and when we block their migration patterns, we could kill out a whole species. And the flooding that is taking place now, could be made worse by a wall that redirects water flow. Are they really thinking about that at all? Besides, the money wasted on the wall could be used for better things.

The “Fake News” that the Donald spews out about moving business forward, even if our environmental protection lags the world, makes him look foolish. Our leader is floating on the flood of his ignorance. Our President doesn’t understand that his message to his heads of departments and agencies was actually a not so subtle nod to the denial dingbats. Tell the people in Houston that the water is a “hoax.”

When Congress comes back into session, it will be important for both Democrats and Republicans to step up and send a message to the White House that we don’t need to spend money on fantasy campaign promises in the United States, we must grasp the need to send aid to our own cities.

Environmentalists have always been viewed as lunatics and tree huggers. We have no problem trusting scientists who predicted the exact moment there would be a total eclipse of the sun, but we scoff at their statements that icecaps and glaciers are melting. They warned us that the temperature of the water in the oceans and the gulfs will warm and that would increase and intensify the power of hurricanes and typhoons. Now we see that the volume of water those storms can deliver to the land is nothing short of devastating.

Our government is not paying attention to history. Did they forget the aftermath of Katrina in New Orleans? Did they not learn anything from that tragedy? We depend on local officials and their experiences to determine if we need to evacuate citizens from harm’s way. We also need a federal effort to study and evaluate these storms and build models to understand worst-case scenarios in these environmental events. Will Trump figure this out?

This brings us back to whether this President is fit for office. With things being complicated and the earth being our most precious priority, will our great Orange Leader even understand what the environment is? The fact that anyone would have to ask this question about the President of the United States is more proof that we have the wrong guy.

Why would a country like America spend billions of dollars to build a wall to keep people out, when our very own people are being forced from their homes by high winds and floods? Donald Trump has a lot to learn, and he will find that his campaign bullshit doesn’t play during a disaster. People want him to hear the cry, “It’s Climate Change, stupid!”

The First 200 Days Of Trump