Florida Man

11/3/2024

mokowacom@gmail.com

Florida Man has been a little under the weather for a few days so I wanted to find out where the phrase “under the weather” came from.

I suspected it was nautically related because I once wrote a boot about sailing though I  never sailed before. One of the tricks of the book trade is to hire authors with a broad but thin knowledge of stuff who can do research.

Anyway, I was right. In the olden times when a sailor got sick he was sent below decks to the most stable part of the ship which was under the weather rail. The weather rail is on the side of the boat that faces the wind. Rail has been dropped.

I’m sure that’s more than you want to know about this important phrase. 

I won’t go into detail about why I was near the weather rail except to say that I couldn’t get very far from a bathroom. I followed the advice of Mort Bogdonoff, a doctor I wrote a book with many years ago. He said wait 72 hours and if things don’t improve see a doc. 

He wasn’t referring to cutting your finger open while slicing a pineapple only mild illnesses.

He has been right in the past and he was right this time.

So, yesterday I tested myself with Tom at  Wicked Cheesestakes Pizza and Wings, a place highly recommend by a former colleague. We got the traditional Philly. I thought it was good. Tom not so much. This was our second shot at a Philly spot. The first time Tom liked and me not so much. We decided we’d move on to Korean.

More importantly I kept my food inside my body.

Now, for those of you who are concerned that I’m too deeply in the rabbit hole of darkness, this wellness post should help you rest easy.

We’ll see what happens tomorrow.

Endorsement

Florida Man was glad to see the New York Times endorse Kamala Harris for prez today.

The headline says Harris is “The only patriotic choice for America.” The editorial says she has shown “care, competence and respect for the constitution.”

To me, that isn’t a very strong endorsement. How about most experienced, by far best qualified, smartest, good person, totally right choice for all Americans not just the wealthy.

Patriotism is a tricky proposition and has been since the country was founded and politicians started wrapping themselves in the flag. 

In 1775, a few years after I was born, Samuel  Johnson, said, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”

He meant any crime was tolerated as long as it was committed by someone who kept shouting he loved America. It is pretend patriotism. 

I’m not going to name names here.

Johnson didn’t mean true patriotism was wrong. He described a patriot as a person with a love of country with “neither hope nor fear,” who acts in the common interest.

He warns against those “who manipulate patriotic sentiments for personal gain or political advantage.”

No names here.

Another thoughtful American, Mark Twain, said, “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.”

Comedian Will Rogers said genuine patriotism means understanding and respecting the rights of all citizens and is rooted in justice and equality.

No names.

You seen one of the candidates wrap his arms around the flag on the stage at one of his screeds. His smirk is an embarrassment.

Perhaps you recognize the person.

You can hear Sam Johnson, Mark Twain and Will Rogers laughing derisively.

And in conclusion, my view of patriotism has nothing to do with grabbing my M16 and storming the capitol. 

An editor of mine, a smart and great friend, Bruce Kestin, asked me as we were working on stories after 9/11, if I was proud to be an American. 

My first response was yes. Then I thought for me a better description than proud was glad. Glad that I was in a country that would allow that question to be asked. Glad that I could say no I was not proud at the time but I was glad I wasn’t somewhere else.

Sorry this is getting long.

But . . . I remember when I was in the army, right after the war of 1812, the drill sergeant stressed duty, honor, country as our motto and our best friends were our rifles and the guy next to us.

Patriotism was never mentioned. It was understood that you would fight for your country if necessary. 

One of the candidates declined to fight for his country. But, he had his reasons.

 He was rich and had sore heels.

Florida Man

9/14/2024

I went to a service at a reform Jewish Temple last night with a friend who is a member.

There was a dinner before the service and we sat a table with four other women. The crowd, not really a crowd, but there were probably 50 people, was made up of senior citizens, some like me, really senior.

Politics came up and all the people at our table were very vocal about Trump. Mostly, there was disbelief that such an obvious fool could be elected president.

So this morning I looked up some relevant quotes from two old but wise humorists, Mark Twain and Will Rogers. 

Twain said, “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”

We’re observing that contrast right now. Trump couldn’t care less about the  country or government, he is only about himself and it’s obvious because he only talks about his persecution by everybody, how he is the victim and we are all perpetrators. He doesn’t have a clue what government is or does.

Kamala talks about country, about people, about improving government services.

  Another: “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."

Take the whopper about Haitians living in Ohio who are eating their neighbors’ dogs and cats and wandering ducks. Unbelievable as that sounds it’s going around the political world in the U.S, and even though it has been debunked the repubs won’t let it go.

This Chicago restaurant gets the joke.

Will Rogers was more precise.

“This would be a great time in the world for some man to come along that knew something.” He must have known the Trump type, the know-nothing who used to have his own party, a nativist political movement in the 1850s that promoted traditional American values, whatever they are.

The rabbi’s sermon was also was on point.

He opened by saying “I hope you enjoyed the cats and dogs.” Then he said he didn’t have a plan for his sermon but he had a concept, a take-off on Trump’s claim that he has a concept for health care reform. I don’t think he even knows what a concept is but was fed the word by one of his sycophants. The rabbi reviewed a previous service that talked about justice, about the king coming from the people but being beholden to the people and about equal treatment in the justice system.

The torah sometimes is remarkably up to date. So are the people in this congregation. I’m joining.

Florida Man

 9/13/2024

Florida Man is all in on free speech no matter how scurrilous, defamatory, derogatory, demented, or pure evil it is.

As long as you don’t slander me or endanger me or others by shouting fire in a crowded theatre (the Supreme Courts ruling on free speech in 1919) I can despise  it and you but I can live with it.

Still there is protected free speech that is so abhorrent, loathsome and execrable that it should be put into the “fire in a crowded theatre” category.

The impetus for these comments is the statements by a woman named Laura Loomer, an erstwhile Republican candidate for congress from my district in Florida who was defeated twice.

In case you don’t know she is now a consultant to Trump.

She, is in a word, nuts. Laura Looney would be a better name.

Here are some examples that her bigoted mind has produced. They need no explanation.

“No, we won’t accept the results of another stolen election.”

“Kamala is already plotting on how she can murder as many Trump supporters as possible after she steals the election.”

The Harris campaign is using “psychological warfare and election interference to manipulate her campaign photos and videos.”

“The United States is a giant third world shithole.”

“Jewish Democrats might as well put yourself in a gas chamber. You’re an enemy of this country if you do not vote for Donald Trump.”

Of Biden, “His administration plotted the assassination of Donald Trump and missed.”

Of Harris, “She is a brain dead bimbo who sucked so much c..k to get to the political position she’s in today.”

No need to go on. If you can stand it there 

is much more on the Media Matters web site.

Loomer is clearly a lunatic who has the ear of the other lunatic.

That’s plenty scary.

Florida Man

9/2/24

Florida Man is old and I know it because waitresses, store clerks and even strangers are calling me honey and sweetheart and offering to help me with whatever I’m carrying.

Since I don’t feel like I’m old it’s hard to accept that the way I look or walk or hold my body is obvious to many people.

At least they don’t yet say, “Do you need help with that old man.”

With that in mind, I put together a list of terms  people use for us olders.

Stodgy is one. It doesn’t really mean old, it means dull, uninteresting and boring. A lot of people, including some of us, can be dreary under that definition, but not necessarily old.

Spry is one of my favorites. “Hey, you’re pretty spry for your age old man.” I guess it’s supposed to be a complement but misses the mark. It also could be used to describe anyone who is active and energetic.

How about old fart. There is really nothing to be said about it except that it can rather endearingly self deprecating. 

I won’t go on in detail but there are more words: senior, grumpy, oldster, geezer, golden ager, pensioner, old bag, dinosaur and old timer.

My favorite among those is “old timer.”

Every western movie and TV show has an old timer. He always has scraggly grey beard and wears a floppy hat with holes in it and bib overalls.

Ah, but the old timers are wise. They help the hero with their deep knowledge of the old west. They’ll lead you to the local water hole, to Doc Holiday’s dental office and the saloon where they hit you up for a shot of rotgut and then they cook you up a mess of beans

In short, old timers are us. We are wise, we know the best water hole, the best whiskey and we can still cook up a mess of anything.

Florida Man

8/31/24

Florida Man was going to go light today but my focus has changed. 

I hope I’m not breaking any of the 650 commandments or some rabbinical code with this musing. I’m not afraid.

Be advised though that my interpretation could easily be all wrong.

This comes from today’s Kol Tikvah synagogue “Bagels and Bible” session, though mostly bagels for  me, since my knowledge of the Bible and Torah is severely limited. Still, it provided  food for thought.

First, as the rabbi said, there is the dichotomy of Jews being the chosen people and also being choosers.

Jews being the chosen has always troubled me as arrogant and self-important. We are 15.7 million, or 0.2% of the world’s 8 billion people, a minuscule, yet highly visible minority.  It also seems strange that the lord’s favorites are so unappealing to so many people and religions.

Being the choosers is better. Freedom of choice of the degree of Jew you want to be is a good thing and freedom to choose also offers great opportunity in the wider world. 

Then there was the idea that following rules (I’m not sure if it’s God’s rules or societies) benefits the rule follower. I think this essentially means in the eyes of God and your fellow humans.

The opposite, violating the rules, results in trouble in the form of retribution by God or society. Sure, robbers and violent criminals are usually punished by the law but many people get great rewards by violating the rules. Example One is the former guy. 

Of course, if violating the rules means going off in an unknown direction to create or discover, that’s a different story.

I’m going long again today and I’ll quit with this: The idea that Jews who get tattooed can’t get a Jewish burial is a myth.That’s certainly good news.

Your comments are welcome.