Al Sharpton, a Snake on the Loose

     By Florida Bill

          Here in South Florida, in this land of sunshine and tropical storms, it is not unusual to run into a serpent here or there. The most frequent of these encounters is typically with a common black snake, which can startle most people with its size and quickness.  Though these nasty looking reptiles are essentially harmless, backyard encounters are usually unwelcome and almost always unnerving. Nobody likes to come face to face with any critter with its body coiled in anger and its tongue darting.

           The bothersome presence of these Florida reptiles reminds me of that New York hisser, Al Sharpton.  However, over the years, Sharpton has come to be more like the rapacious python  that is ravaging the Everglades than the harmless garter snake popping up in backyards. Like the invasive Florida snake, Sharpton moves stealthily about with his jaw unhinged, threatening to squeeze the reputation out of anyone who gets in his way. And like his counterpart in the Florida landscape, Sharpton is amazingly hard to get rid of. And, like other snakes in the grass, he typically leaves fear, anxiety and bedlam in his wake.  

            Sharpton, who likes to be known as “the reverend” maintains that he is a Baptist or evangelical minister who was ordained when he was just 4-years-old by a trusted Bishop Washington, who he apparently met on the sidewalks of New York.   Sharpton maintains that he preached his first sermon during his kindergarten years, and that he has been passing out his advice and counsel ever since, primarily to those men and women who claim abuse and discrimination against them by Caucasians, who are usually policemen.  But occasionally,  he provides his wisdom and counsel to President Obama  in the plush setting of the White House.   

              During his real heyday, Mr. Sharpton weighed in at more than 300 pounds, though nowadays he hits the scales at about 140.  Sharpton used to be seen often in an African garb as he waved a fist in one hand and a bull horn in the other. Nowadays you will find him, shriveled looking in a neat business suit, sometimes on a television screen, but still screaming about racial discrimination, which he finds under almost any rock or anywhere an angry crowd is assembled.

            Sharpton has been especially visible as a promoter of the “Black Lives Matter”  movement. Of course, he is generally silent when policemen are gunned down, but was right in there as one of the lead rabble rousers in Ferguson, Mo,. when a white police officer shot a black criminal who had attacked him. In every subsequent conflict between police and African Americans, Sharpton has quickly arrived on the scene to make sure there is abundant news coverage and community outrage.

       “Do I think Al Sharpton is a legitimate civil rights activist? Are you out of your mind?” said former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. “Are you living on Mars? If you can’t figure out Al Sharpton is a con man, you’re not a reporter. 

“Al Sharpton stands for something,” he went on.  “He is involved in every racial or quasi-racial issue that has involved any police officer … always on the side of whoever is against the police. Some of them have been legitimate, many of them have been illegitimate. We’re talking about a man with a record that is astoundingly outrageous, a man who was a tax cheat, a liar … who has made allegations against police officers constantly.”

Sharpton got his start in the l980s in New York when he, along with two lawyers, accused a policeman and a prosecutor of  the rape and abduction of a 15-year-old African American girl, Tawana Brawley.  After six months of an intense grand jury investigation, the story was proven to be a hoax and subsequently defamation lawsuits were filed against  Sharpton, the alleged victim and two other lawyers, by the police officer and significant awards  were entered against the hissing "minister" and the other defendants.   But nonetheless, Sharpton’s reputation as a police-hating activist became nationally known and his presence was a given at protests in which police or others were accused of racial animus.

             With his antics and activist personna, Sharpton’s wealth has grown and he is said to be worth many millions of dollars. Through the years he has been sued many times, and reportedly numerous judgments and liens have been filed against him.

He says that claims he is in debt to the IRS to the tune of nearly $4 million are exaggerated, and that he has already worked out a repayment plan with the government for whatever amount it is that he has failed to pay.  

Though sometimes characterized as a race hustler and a tax cheat, Sharpton appears to have become a close advisor and friend of President Obama.  Records indicate that he has visited the White House some 80 times since Obama’s election in 2009.  Giuliani has said he believes the anti-police sentiment sweeping much of the African American community has been given legitimacy by the portrayal of Sharpton as a confidant of President Obama on the issue of race relations. Perhaps this close association with the chief executive has also contributed to giving the nation’s top race activist a Teflon coating of protection and an air of importance.

  Several years ago, the snake was uncoiled on NBC television and given his own talk show, reportedly earning him millions, which allowed him to hiss about his theories of police discrimination and expound on the doctrines of Obama.   

When Obama ran for president, he promised the American people that he would be a uniter, not a divider; that he would bring harmony to the enmity that exists between many whites and African Americans.

 Yet racial tensions are higher today than at any time in the recent past. Perhaps the President of the United States should reconsider his friendship and admiration for the man who is so anxious to slither onto center stage at every racial confrontation in America today.

Louis Farrakhan, Obama's Chicago Friend

                 



   By Florida Bill


                     Does Louis Farrakhan get a pass when it comes to the use of incendiary language which clearly calls for violence from his followers?  Farrakhan has been spewing his white hate and anti-Semitic venom over the airwaves for many years with complete impunity.  But is he getting close to the edge in his current cross country "Justice or Else" crusade?
              President Obama and Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, better known as The Black Muslims, are longtime friends from Chicago. Their relationship is strong and when Obama ran for President in 2008,  Farrakhan told his followers that Obama was a "Messiah" whose words are to be followed.  With those credentials, is it "anything goes" for Minister Farrakhan?

                      In a  recent speech at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., the iconic minister of the NOI called upon Blacks to retaliate against those persecuting them.
                        Aiming his poison at white police, he asserted that "if the federal government will not intercede in our affairs, then we must rise up and kill those who kill us.  Stalk them and kill them and let them feel the pain of death that we are feeling."

                         Not long ago, in the aftermath of the San Bernardino murders by a radicalized Muslim couple,  United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch  threatened to prosecute anyone who speaks ill of Muslims in a way which "edges toward violence." Farrakhan's vitriol does more than just "edge" towards violence.

                         The attorney general should not be playing favorites.  If she wants to get after rhetoric which "edges toward violence" she need look no further than the classic orations of Mr. Farrakhan.  But so far, not a peep about Farrahkan's hate-talk rallying his followers to "stalk and kill" in retaliation.  The ball is in the court of Lynch, the first female African American woman to serve as Attorney General.  She was appointed by President Obama last April.          

                       At the very least, Lynch should call out Farrakhan for his hate talk which is clearly over the line.  Also, she has the authority to impanel a grand jury to investigate this kind of speech which incites violence and crime. There has been no reluctance for federal authorities to investigate police bias in Missouri, Los Angeles, Maryland  and in other parts of the country.  

                    My sense and experience tells me that if you are African American, you do not ever step on the big Chicago shoes of Louis Farrakhan.  After all, her boss, President Obama, is from Chicago and he would never have made it in Windy City politics without the endorsement of Farrakhan who backed Obama and spoke of him as a "Messiah," to be listened to and followed.
                     Dr. Vibert White Jr., a scholar of Black history who split from the Nation in 1995, has written a book critical of Farrahkan and the NOI.  In it he explains that a black man goes nowhere in Chicago politics without the Nation's leader, and around the Windy City, there is no dispute of that fact.  White, now a university professor of black history, also says that the relationship between Farrakhan and President Obama "runs deep."

                    Dr.White was a member of the NOI for 20 years, and a top deputy to Farrakhan.  He describes the NOI as a cult that utilizes black nationalistic and religious dogma  to exploit poor and working class African Americans for the leaders' economic and political gain.         

                       The 82-year-old Farrakhan" has been the leader of the Nation of Islam since the late 1970s when he succeeded Elijah Muhammad who was recognized by followers as a Messenger of Allah.  The NOI counts as members well known athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Shaquille O'Neal and Kareem Abdul- Jabbar; entertainers including Ice Cube, Kanye West  and Snoop Dog and the well known television personality Dr. Oz and political writer and commentator, Fareed Zacaria.  Actors Will Smith and his wife, Jada, recently donated  $150,000 to the NOI.   

                         The NOI is an Islamic religion which teaches that black people are the original people, and that all other people come from them. Critics call the Nation a black supremacy organization. Members follow the teachings of the Quran which recognize Allah as the one true God. They observe the holy month of Ramadan, pray five times daily and make at least one visit to the Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Other stated goals are the improvement of spiritual, social and economic status of African Americans.   

                          Farrakhan is revered by its members and he delivers long, spell-binding messages such as his recent "stalk and kill" proscription in the "Justice or Else" crusade.                               Frequently in his talks, he denounces Caucasians as " blue-eyed devils," and "Satanic."  He is fiercely anti-Semitic and has labeled Jews as "bloodsuckers" who have brought disharmony to the world. From time to time, the media reports the orations of Minister Farrakhan, but the publicity does not dissuade Farrakhan to be gentler in his messages.
                         Leader Farrakhan, born Louis Eugene Wolcott,  was a talented violinist and calypso singer before he dedicated his life to the Nation and to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.  He became a foot soldier to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad who changed his deputy's name to Farrakhan.  He also at one point functioned as an assistant to Malcolm X, who was assassinated in 1965.

                     Is Farrakhan's rhetoric protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech?  Yes, but there are "time, place and manner" restrictions which can legally impact a first amendment right.  The age old example is the prohibition against screaming "Fire" in a crowded theater, when there is no fire or when the cry is in jest.  Say the words and you pay the price because there are time and place restrictions on the speech.
                   So, can Farrakhan's rhetoric be curbed by force of law?Just because it is hateful and biased, is not enough to make it illegal.   Many lawyers believe that it can be illegal since it clearly calls for the commission of violence and injury to citizens. However, I am guessing that the Justice Department under Obama won't be bothering Minister Farrakhan.  Let's just say, he is special. 


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Enough of Obama

 By Florida Bill

                       He rose from his work as a "community organizer" in Chicago to become President of the United States.  His mentor was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, a pastor who preached denunciation of Jews and disdain for America; and his friends included the notorious Bill Ayres who backed him in his run for public offices. Ayres was a radical opponent of the Viet Nam War and organized the underground "Weathermen," an organization which bombed the Capital building and the Pentagon in Washington in protest to the war.  To this day, Ayres is classified by the FBI as a domestic terrorist.
                            Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley selected the smooth talking, Harvard educated Obama as his water boy, and then backed him in his election as a member of the Illinois legislature and then as United States Senator. You could say that Obama was "ordained" by the powerful Democratic machine of Chicago.  No other organization in the country carried the clout and power of Chicago Democrats, the organization that pushed John F. Kennedy into the oval office and also backed Jimmy Carter when his prospects appeared minimal.
                            In 2004, as a little-known Illinois senator, Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic national convention, and his style and bold passionate delivery garnered for him national attention.  In his speech, he asserted, to heavy applause, that "there is not a liberal America and there is not a conservative America.  There is the United States of America."  Obama was articulate and pleasant looking, and the fact that he was an African American was of strong appeal to a country worn out by its long history of  racial tensions.  It was the beginning for Obama, a man who promised he could help America heal and remove racial animus, and who pledged to move the country forward as a strong and exceptional nation.
                             As a presidential candidate in 2008, he boasted to Americans of his talents and ability to speak with our enemies and to persuade them of our good will.  We will offer a handshake rather than a closed fist, he said.  He told of being a Christian who followed the teachings of Jesus Christ and of his belief in marriage as a union of one man and one woman.  Asked when he believed that life begins, is it at conception?  Obama said that because of his pay grade, he was not equipped to answer that question.
                             And the nation applauded as the first African American was elected President, affirming that racism and slavery days had died and were forever buried.  Life-long Republican and military icon Gen. Colin Powell hailed the Obama election as "historical," and said the nation had elected the right person in these difficult times.
                               But America was hoodwinked.  What Americans wanted and what America got were like day and night.   The new President promptly demonstrated an innate disdain for all conservative values and called for the redistribution of wealth. He promoted a huge increase in spending so that national debt ballooned from the $10.6 trillion at his inauguration to nearly nearly  $19 trillion in 2015. He opened up the food stamp program which now serves 47 million persons. He eviscerated America's military strength to the level of readiness which existed prior to the beginning of World War II.  His comments as to race served to aggravate tensions and he blamed Caucasians and racist policemen for wrongdoing and mistreating and mishandling situations in which Black men were involved.
                                Obama had assured Americans that he was a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ, yet he has looked the other way at the beheading of religious persons and  declined to call out radical Islam for its savagery and hate.  In fact, this President has declined to even say the words "radical Islam," apparently believing that this characterization of the enemy would somehow offend his Muslim friends, many of whom are in his administration.
                               Obama had been raised in Indonesia and attended Muslim schools and practiced the religion of his father and his fanatical step father.  He has never explained his "conversion" to Christianity, and 50 million Americans are said to believe that Obama is more Muslim than Christian.  In his travels, Obama has given credence to this belief by bowing to mullahs, and visiting mosques, one of which has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. He has spoken of his reverence and respect for Islam and the holy month of Ramadan.  One of his closest advisers, Valarie Jarrett, is an outspoken Muslim, as are others in his inner circle of friends. He has endorsed and promoted the appointment of a Muslim woman as a judge and she was sworn into office with her hand on the Koran. 
                                 With control of both the Senate and the House, President Obama pushed through a health care program which has been tagged "Obamacare." Not a single Republican voted in favor of the new program. The President  promised Americans "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor; and if you like your health care plan which you have, you can keep that plan."  Those declarations were simply not true, and Obamacare drove up the cost of health care premiums and deductibles for millions.  After the bill was passed and the law went into effect, it was acknowledged by Congressmen that no one had ever read the terms of the law.
                                  By what he has said and from decisions he has made, it is abundantly clear that he is incapable of functioning as commander in chief of the military forces. He has never served as a member of the military, and has never exhibited genuine respect or admiration for men and women who wear the uniform of their country.  He seems to view the cuts to military air power, sea power and man power as a portal to making friends with hostile nations.  Despite continued objections from members of Congress, he is forcing a reduction of defense spending at the rate of $40 billion annually through the year 2022.  He has in fact eviscerated the military so that its manpower and readiness is as it was before the beginning of World War II.
                                  Without any doubt, Israel is America's only genuine friend and ally in the Middle East.  Yet, Obama's  support of the Prime Minister is open to doubt as he seeks to please the theocracy of Iran, a country dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the extermination of all Jews.  Iran has been designated by our state department as a primary supporter of terror in the world, yet Obama has allowed the lifting of all sanctions against the country along with giving its Islamic leaders $150 billion dollars in exchange for that nation's "promise"  to not go forward with the building of atomic bombs for 10 years. It was a very bad deal made in an effort to please Iran, a nation which professes its hatred of America, which it labels,"The Great Satan."
                                    Despite existing laws and the prohibition of negotiating with terrorists, Obama has released five mad dog killers from Guantanamo prison in exchange for an American soldier who deserted his unit in Afghanistan  and was willingly captured by the Taliban, America's savage enemy. That soldier is currently awaiting a court marshal trial accused of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. His National Security Adviser described the soldier on national television as a person who served his country with "honor and distincton."
                                    He has dismissed as "workplace violence" the murder of 13 soldiers by a radicalized army major screaming "Allah is Great" in Fort Hood Texas;  and he has displayed little emotion as Americans were beheaded by Muslim fanatics.  Rather than prepare a plan to defeat the ISIS terrorists, Obama called for "containment" of the radical Islamic organization which he has defined as a JV (junior varsity) group.
                                    He continues to blame the prior administration of President George W. Bush for domestic problems, but he does nothing and recommends nothing for Americans, including African Americans, who are worse economically than in past years.  Seventy-five per cent of African American babies are born to single mothers every year, yet instead  of using his office  and bully pulpit to encourage and strengthen families, he praises same sex marriages and homosexual lifestyle.  He has done a complete turn around on the meaning of "marriage" which he described when he ran for office in 2008 as a "union between one man and one woman."
                                     Obama has said that he would bring about a "fundamental transformation of America,"  and he has certainly worked toward that end. He has made the country worse.  But despite the Obama years, citizens remain optimistic that there will be better days ahead when Obama returns to Chicago's south side streets as a community organizer in January, 2017.  There is hope for a  new president who loves America and believes in it as an exceptional force for good in the world.  

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Hillary :Trust me. "I would never Lie."

 By Florida Bill 

                 Hillary Clinton is running for President and declares that she has earned the trust of Americans. Her latest misstep, misuse of emails, is just hogwash, she assures.  Nevertheless, non partisan surveys tell us that 60 per cent of Americans consider her to be dishonest.  Is there any basis for her reputation as a liar, or is it just sniping by her political enemies?                  
                Her name has been in the headlines for more than four decades, and just recently in a campaign appearance she told her followers that she has never in her life told a lie. And of course, that was a lie and she knew it. It is amazing that the media continues to fawn over her as she dodges the truth and offers little more than a phony laugh and wooden explanations for her "mistakes."  

          As First Lady of Arkansas and in Washington, she busied herself trying to keep track of her husband's bimbo eruptions, and in her free time dabbled in Whitewater real estate in Arkansas and investing in the commodities market.  In the latter 1970's, she invested $1,000 in "cattle futures" and in ten months saw a  return of $100,000.  There was much speculation about Clinton's windfall, but never any official investigation.  

         There was nothing of note of her activities as a  New York senator, other than walking in as an anointed  Democrat with little opposition.  As Secretary of State under President Obama, Mrs. Clinton contributed to America's downgrading in the eyes of other nations, and she was out front supporting her boss as he ordered the withdrawal of all troops from Iraq allowing ISIS to take top spot as an entity of terror.  

          From her early days as a graduate of Yale law school, she has distinguished herself for being less than honest in many of her dealings.
         In 1973, as a 27-year-old staff attorney on a Watergate committee, she was castigated and fired by the chief counsel Jerry Zeifman, for dishonesty and lying in the preparation of a legal brief.   In an interview, Zeifman, a Democrat, said that Clinton "was a liar..an unethical, dishonest lawyer.  She conspired to violate the constitution, the rules of the House, the rules of committee and the rules of confidentiality," he said.
        As First Lady in the Bill Clinton White House, she gained a reputation for fudging answers  when investigations arose.  There was Travelgate,Whitewater real estate and the Vince Foster Investigations and there was always speculation that she was not telling the complete truth as to what and when she knew of the Monica Lewinski dalliances with her husband.  In 1995, while speaking at a breakfast, she told of a 1975 attempt to enlist in the Marines, but was turned away because she was too old for the military.  That story has left fact checkers with skepticism, wondering about her compulsion to enhance her special credentials. The late New York Times columnist William Safire once branded her as a "congenital liar."             

           In boasting of her travel and demeanor as First Lady, she once claimed that in 1996 she and her daughter, Chelsea, were set upon with sniper fire after landing in Bosnia. With humility while a candidate for President in 2008, she told of escaping without injury as she recounted in an interview the story of her bravery.  However, films later surfaced showing that she and Chelsea arrived in Bosnia amid smiles hugs and handshakes, and no gunfire.  Clinton acknowledged that the story was a lie, characterizing the episode as a "mistake." (Brian Williams paid a much higher price for his "mistaken" helicopter attack.)
              She also told the story of how Chelsea was jogging in the vicinity of the twin towers on that fateful day of the 9/11 attack.  She was shaken but escaped injury, said a thankful Clinton.  Later it was determined that Chelsea was in her apartment at home watching TV when the attack occurred. And in another little fib, Clinton told of how she was named for Sir Edmund Hillary, the New Zealand mountaineer who was the first to climb Mt Everest.  She later acknowledged this was a  mistake since Sir Edmund climbed the mountain six years after her birth.
               Now, in her second run for the world's most powerful office, she is trying to double-talk her way clear of criticism about how she handled her email accounts as Secretary of State.  Her stories keep changing.  She should have followed her mother's long ago admonition that "if you tell the truth you won't need a good memory."  Even her faithful boot-licking members of the media are finding it difficult to maintain the spin of what a great lady she is.
            The Benghazi attack has again found Clinton jiggling explanations about what she did both before and subsequent to the attack on the American compound in Benghazi, Libya.  Clinton acknowledges that the security at the compound was grossly inadequate, but she says she delegated security matters to experts under her and the slain ambassador's repeated requests, in emails, for more security, were never brought to her attention.
            After the attack, Clinton told associates and leaders of other nations and her daughter in a communication that the compound had been hit by Al Qaeda terrorists.  Nevertheless, for more than a week, she made public statements that  the attack and slaying of four Americans, including the ambassador who she described as her "friend," was a spontaneous crowd reaction to an internet video criticizing the Prophet Mohammad.  She told this same untruth to members of the families of the Americans killed on the compound.   She lied about the episode in order to assist Barack Obama's re-election claims that his leadership had brought terrorists to their knees, and that Al Qaeda was on the run.  Her dishonesty and double talk were abundantly clear in her testimony before the House committee investigating the attack on the embassy. 

            According to current polls, Clinton leads the race to become her party's standard bearer in the 2016 election.  And in the face of surveys questioning her honesty and integrity, the liberal main street media continues to treat her as the female Messiah destined to succeed another master liar, Barack Obama.  (Remember his assurances about Obamacare:  "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.")

            It has become alarmingly apparent that Clinton will lie whenever she feels the necessity to do so.  She has been telling whoppers throughout her life and has always gotten away with it.  She wears a smug look and appears confident that she has earned the right to become America's 45th President.  Will her track record of double talk and lies eventually do her in?

         

Trump and Megyn Kelly

    By Florida Bill 
   
                          The 11th Republican debate was held in Detroit and Senators Rubio and Cruz took turns accusing Donald Trump of being a dishonest "con man," who proposed grandiose programs devoid of any sense and substance.  They inflicted some damage on the "The Donald," but it was relatively mild compared to the roasting administered by his media adversary Megyn Kelly.
                             Actually, it was round two between "The Donald" and "Malicious Megyn."  Round one may have been Trump's, at least temporarily, but the second round in Michigan clearly belonged to Kelly.
                              Kelly, a Fox News reporter and host of her own show, "The Kelly File" joined Chris Wallace and Bret Baier in questioning Trump, Rubio, Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, who are all competing to become the Republican party standard bearer in next November's presidential election.                             
                            Trump and Kelly had met six months ago at the Republican's opening debate and they sparred over Kelly's question in which she asked Trump to explain why he had referred to some women as "fat pigs, slobs, dogs and disgusting animals."  Trump bristled at the audacity of her asking such a poisonous question, but avoided answering it.   Trump continued to castigate her in television interviews and on the social media as a "bimbo, biased and out to get him, and not very good at her job."  Kelly was sent on vacation after the debate, and it appeared she had gotten the worse of the exchange.
                       But in interviews following the debate, Trump followed up his outrage over being questioned about his treatment of women with yet another misogynistic comment. 
                       Trump said the Megyn had "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her where ever," insinuating that menstruation had caused her to lose control and ask such an unfair and vicious question. However, in the midst of the uproar that followed his unpresidential remarks, Trump insisted nothing about Megyn's period had ever occurred to him during his rant. Not many women seemed to find that credible. 
                        Kelly took the higher road, and in the months following that August "blood" exchange,  made no further comments on their feud publicly. 
                       In January, it was announced that Fox would sponsor the 7th Republican debate in advance of the kick off to the Iowa caucus, a pre-presidential voting primary with historical significance.  Kelly, whose star was continuing to rise, was named as a panelist.  As news of the debate circulated, Trump said "No way" would he participate with the biased, unprofessional Kelly, whom he claimed was out to get him.  
                     He called upon the Fox News station to contribute $5 million to a veteran's charity in exchange for his participation in the debate.  The station refused.  Bill O'Reilly then had Trump as a guest on his show and importuned him to participate, stating he should not be cowed by Kelly.  But despite the prodding, Trump kept his word and declined.  Instead he participated in a town meeting event nearby which was successful in raising $6 million dollars for wounded veteran organizations.
                Kelly, meanwhile, patiently awaited another turn. That opportunity came at the Detroit debate scheduled as a prelude to the Michigan, Florida and Ohio primary elections.  
                             Trump versus Megyn.  It started out pleasantly with Megyn's  "Hi Mr. Trump, how are you doing?" Trump replied with a condescending, "Nice to be with you, Megyn; you're looking well. "You too," replied Kelly.
                           Kelly, an experienced attorney, then grilled Trump and showed films of how he had flip flopped on a number of issues.  Trump conceded that he had changed his mind and had become "flexible" and that it was the right thing to do. Just a little damage. Nothing heated.  
                           Rubio, in responding to a question,  charged that his opponent's venture, Trump University was a scam which had enrolled thousands of individuals who wanted to develop business acumen and learn the secret of Trump's real estate success.  One individual who had paid more than $15,000 to the university had contended that she was suckered and cheated out of her money, all of which led to a class action lawsuit with 5,000 plaintiffs. 
                              Enraged at what he called a false accusation,   Trump shouted that the Better Business Bureau had given his venture an A-minus rating and that 98 per cent of the attendees   were pleased, not displeased.  The lead plaintiff, he said, was dropping out of the suit because "it was bad for her." 
                              Kelly then decided to set the record straight. 
She said that the Better Business Bureau had given the school a D-minus rating, not an A-minus, and that you, Mr. Trump, were told to pay the legal fees of an unhappy plaintiff who you sued for defamation and lost.  She went on to add that a third of the enrollees who paid thousands of dollars signed statements noting their dissatisfaction and contending they had been "fleeced."                               Kelly, a lawyer, noted that the Trump countersuit was thrown out by the court which ordered Trump to pay legal fees of nearly $800,000.  In a subsequent appeal of that action, Kelly said, the court of appeals found that "the plaintiffs against you are like the Madoff victims" and that "victims of con artists sing the praises of their victimizers until they realize they have been fleeced."  
                              "Gimme a break," blustered Trump, with the white makeup under his eyes starting to look streaky.  He argued that the original case against him is actually still pending and urged a wait and see attitude.  
                           Round two with Kelly was now over, with Kelly the clear winner. Not only was she still standing, but she took the battle up a notch by letting the damaging court records do the talking.  
                               Just before the Kelly exchange, Trump was asked by Chris Wallace for his reaction to being called a "fraud" and a phony and a landmark for dishonesty by Mitt Romney who had been the Republican standard bearer in the 2012 Presidential election.  Trump  responded by calling Romney a "choker" who conducted a terrible campaign and who begged him for his endorsement, which he provided.  "He wanted it so bad that he would have dropped to his knees if I had asked him to," bragged Trump, in a fresh exhibition of vulgarity.
                                All in all it was not a pleasant night for Trump, but it appeared to be favorable to the other candidates and to the media moderators.  It was a plus for Cruz (lying Ted, as Trump calls him).  At one point, Cruz directed Trump to stop interrupting him and--"breathe deep and count to 10 before you speak."  At the conclusion of the two-hour session, all of the contenders promised they would support the nominee, whomever he may be.  In the past Trump has hinted at the possibility that he would, "if treated unfairly" become an independent candidate. 
                             At times, however, it seems that no one can slow down the apparently bullet-proof Trump, whose popularity never seems to diminish. At this point Trump has 378 delegates; Cruz has 295; Rubio, 123 and Kasich 34.  For the nomination, the magic number to become the nominee is 1,237.  
                            With the Detroit debate behind her, Kelly's political talk show, "The Kelly File" is said to be growing in popularity, and she seems to be winning the admiration of women for standing up to the sexist insults of Trump.                                                             In an interview with a late night talk show host, Kelly said that the questions she has asked of Trump have been tough, but then all of the candidates get tough questions.  "They all want to be George Washington.  I am a member of the press and it is my job to press them to see if they are worthy."  
                             Prediction:  You have not heard the last of "Malicious Megyn" and "The Donald." 
                                                 
                  

  

The Hillary Mouth

      By Florida Bill  

                         One never knows what might flow from the mouth of Hillary Clinton.  Over more than 40 years in the public eye, Mrs. Clinton has distinguished herself as an all around liar, and manipulator of the truth. Now on the campaign trial, seeking to become America's first woman President, she actually barked like a dog in one speech. 
                  Even her fans did a double take at hearing her shrill canine imitation.  But, if the truth be known, she burst out with a series of  loud barks to make a point designed to denigrate Republicans. This is just a mild, although rather odd, example of her demeanor and the ill-tempered way in which she is said to vent with sailor-style rhetoric. 
                  Clinton is competing to become the Democratic  nominee against Socialist Bernie Sanders, a Vermont senator. His goal as President is to reshape America into a socialist nation, modeled after Denmark, with free college and health care for everyone, all financed by across-the-board tax hikes, with massive ones reserved for the richest citizens. 
                  In the opening primaries, Clinton dominated, winning the majority of committed delegates.  The primaries will continue through March and into June, but it appears that Mrs. Clinton has a lock on the nomination which will be made official at the Democratic convention next summer.  The election will be on November 8.                  
                  Seemingly one of the job requirements for her years as both the first lady of Arkansas and at the Washington White House of her husband, was hosting dignitaries in fancy dresses and speaking in soft demure ways. She then served as a New York senator for six years and the nation's Secretary of State under President Obama from 2008 to 2012. Yet when she is "off stage," she apparently presents quite a different persona than that displayed by the "dignified" courteous and compassionate public official. 
                For years she has been accused of fudging answers in a whole battery of investigations. In a recent Gallup survey, a high percentage of Americans considered Clinton to be dishonest, a liar, untrustworthy or of poor character.  Yet in her public appearances, she shakes her fist in righteous indignation at any suggestion that her answers are politically motivated and somewhat wide of the truth.  But there is a vast collection of books and articles about her behavior behind the scenes, and in perusing them, you have to believe that lies are not the only unappealing things to come tumbling out of her mouth.             
                   As a first lady Clinton was always treated as a queen by her staff and has always been protected and kept under the watchful eye of the state police in Arkansas and by the Secret Service and FBI in Washington. Yet it is rare to find men and women in these ranks who would describe her as "likable."  
                  Many books have been written about her and about the Clinton first family.  They are not very complimentary of her as a person and a number of the authors tell of her ill temper, abusive nature and startling vulgarity.  She is described as demeaning to members of the staff and to the police and secret service men and women assigned to do her bidding and protect her, not just in one or two, but countless books and articles which have been written about her and her family. Among the books are "Crossfire"  "Unlimited Access," "Inside," "The First Partner," "American Evita" and "Inside the White House."
                   Clinton apparently had little respect or consideration for the Arkansas state troopers guarding and running errands for her.  She was short tempered to say the least.  In "American Evita, p 90", it is reported she told a trooper:  "F--- off.  It's enough that I have to see you shit kickers every day.  I'm not going to talk to you, too. Just do your goddamn job and keep your mouth shut." She allegedly called another "you f---ing idiot," when his driving displeased her. (Crossfire,p.84).
                     Joseph Califano is an attorney who has served as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare in a Democratic administration.  In his book, "Inside," (Page 213) he recalls his first "introduction" to young Hillary Rodham, then a first year law student at Yale.  Califano recalls that he was representing corporate interests at a senate hearing and Hillary was attending. At the close, he wrote, Hillary ambled by him on her way out and said, "You sold out, you motherf....er, you sold out" and left.  Some years later she interviewed with him for a job at his law firm and Califano said he remembered her but made no reference to the incident. Clinton completed law school at Yale, but subsequently flunked the Washington D.C. bar exam. (She has a law license in Arkansas where she took and passed that bar exam.)
                      Hillary was peeved that a Democratic lawyer would represent a cause in apparent opposition to Democratic positions, but, presumably,  she was just young, ambitious and  dedicated to the party on the left.  When she is angry, she just lets it fly.
                       But Clinton is  definitely a patriot, as Ronald Kessler reveals in his book when she passed on an order to the staff at the Arkansas Governor's mansion on labor day, 1991:  "Where is the G-damn f..ing flag? I want the G-damn f...ing flag up every f...ing morning at f...ing sunrise." (Inside the White House, Pg 244)
                        She can be tough, too, when it is necessary. When a secret service agent told the First lady that he wished to keep his hands free in case of incident, she demanded service: "If you want to remain on this detail, get your f---king ass over here and grab those bags," she yelled. Joyce Milton's book, (The First Partner page 259) 
                    For me, Clinton's salty language does not bother me and serve as a barrier to her becoming President.  Presidents Truman, Johnson, and Nixon were also known to let go with profanities here and there. It is perhaps surprising that she seems to devote so much of her vituperative language to those dedicated to serving and protecting her.  But then, this is the 21st century and what was taboo years ago is no big deal now. 
                  In my mind, her tendency to prevaricate is a more dangerous quality for a presidential candidate. Clinton remains adamant that she does not lie, though she has been dogged with accusations that she is dishonest. 
                 Just recently, in response to questioning, she told a reporter that she doesn't lie and cannot think of any lie which she has told; and that she will continue to be a straight shooter, and will always be honest. Even back in 2004, when she was a candidate for the Senate in New York and there were comments about her truthfulness, she told a crowd, "why do I have to keep proving to people that I am not a liar?" Still in all, she never gets the message. The late and great New York Times columnist William Safire once branded her as a "congenital liar." 
                     Clinton has been in public life for years and she has her detractors, and some quotes attributed to her might be fabricated.  Who knows?  There are scores, maybe hundreds, of her vulgar and tasteless comments in books and articles. You can make your own judgments.            


                                 

               
                     


   

The Python Challenge

      By Florida Bill


                                Hats off to the thousand hunters from 29 different states who went after that nasty Burmese python now making his home in the Florida Everglades, one of the most remarkable ecosystems in the world.  When the 30-day Python Challenge ended in mid February,  the weary stalkers had bagged 106 of these slippery invaders. 
                        Rousting big snakes in the marsh and reeds and swamps of the Everglades is no easy task.  Tom Rahill, known in Florida as the "Snake Whisperer," has said "Be careful--they bite. 
 A big Burmese likes to coil and crush and has hundreds of razor sharp teeth."  Rahill was among those participating in the 2016 Challenge.  
                        The Challenge, with registered hunters,  was the second such event sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.  The first was in 2013 when 68 snakes were removed from the marshy area full of sawgrass, mud, water, reeds and tree islands that make up the millions of acres of the Everglades in south and central portions of the sunshine state. 
                         In a ceremony marking the conclusion of the hunt,  FWC Commissioner Ron Bergeron and Executive Director Nick Wiley saluted the intrepid winners with certificates and cash prizes for removing the pythons from this area where they were never intended to roam by Mother Nature.
                        Twenty-two year-old Daniel Moniz from New Jersey got bites on his face, neck and arm from an angry 13-footer who refused to surrender easily.  In all, Dan nailed 13 pythons and received $4,500 in prize money for finding the reptiles in and around the levees, warming themselves in the sun.                         
                          Another big winner was Bill Booth, team captain of the outdoor-minded Cypress Boys which captured 33 snakes including a 15-footer, largest of the reptiles.  His team won $8,000, and hardy applause from others at the ceremony. 
                           That 15-footer made a lasting impression on  Booth, a Florida firefighter.  "Sometimes they are lethargic, other times they are ready to fight," said Booth. 
                        "Reading the body language is a must.  This guy wanted to fight and actually wrapped me up a bit and pulled me into waist-high water," he recalled.  "Teammate Dusty Crum got hold of the snake and pulled us both out. Then we grabbed him, one behind the head and one on the tail, and we tucked him into a bag.  Story over.  Fewer pythons in the Everglades." 
                           "We are pleased with the success of this year's hunt," said Commissioner Bergeron.   "While the Everglades may have tens of thousands of these unwelcome reptiles, each python that is removed makes a difference for native wildlife." 
                           The Challenge emphasizes "awareness" which will keep the public involved as we continue our fight against the invasive intruder that can harm one of the great ecosystems in the world,  he added.                                
                           The Burmese python is a non-venomous constrictor, tan in color, and native to India, lower China, the Malay Peninsula and some islands in the East Indies.  The average size is 8 to 10 feet, but the  python can grow to twice that size.  It is tan in color with irregularly shaped blotches on its back and sides.   
                           So how did this unwelcome and unlikeable reptile make it to the Florida Everglades from thousands of miles away?  Experts opine that there are tens of thousands, maybe more, of these critters residing in the marshy reeds, gobbling any bird, fish, rabbit or squirrel in sight, not to mention the eggs of our native creatures. Their new home in the Everglades dates back to the early 1980s ,when they were first seen and identified.
                            It is believed that the genesis of this snake in Florida came from owners who became disenchanted with their exotic pets, maybe because they got too big or ate too much,  and discarded them in the "the wild" --that being the beautiful Florida Everglades. The Burmese population took hold, and now 35 years later, thanks to the serpentine version of the birds and the bees, there is a daunting overpopulation problem. Lady pythons lay hundreds of eggs at a time and too many survive other predators, and grow.  Adult Burmese pythons here have no natural predators, experts tell us.  Even alligators do not always fare well in one on one combat. These pythons can attain lengths of 20 feet or more and weigh 200 pounds.  
                             Bergeron told the attendees that the fight against invasive snakes and other exotic non-native plants and critters shall continue unabated. Too much is at stake here, he said. Captured snakes are euthanized and examined by herpetologists and other experts in that field in an effort to locate nesting spots and movements based upon weather conditions and stomach contents.                           We do know that the cooler weather, as in the past few weeks, was helpful to the Challenge, since snakes are more likely to slither out of their homes below the ground and come to the surface and bask sleepily in the warm sun.
                               Concern over the natural beauty of the Everglades is widespread.  One Chicago snake aficionado, John Siewers, long recognized for his knowledge of large snakes and their habitats, commends the Florida authorities for their continued programs to preserve the Everglades and to drive away invasive elements and critters such as the Burmese python.
                                                   xxx