Occupation of Independence

Th e leaders of the Democratic party are struggling with a dilemma: how can they avoid appearing too friendly or not friendly enough to Muslim immigrants? And will they appear unsympathetic to their LGBT block? O f course, the LGBT block has nowhere to go outside the Democratic party. Its votes are taken for granted.   So the Democrats are spinning Orlando as a gun problem or as a hom ophobia problem , being careful to avoid mentioning Muslim immigrants, a t all cost. The very future of the Democratic party is at stake. The LGBT block is not a growing one. And the Hispanic block might betray the Democrats, if they act like the Italian immigrants of 1910. They will work hard, marry whites, and a generation from now there will be lots of Republican suburbs with residents that have Hispanic surnames, but don't otherwise seem too Hispanic. Imagine what a Democratic leader feels when it /she/he sees the juicy promise of a Europe that is being invaded by Muslims? If only they co

This May and June we have actually had clouds in the sky, and a bit of rain. There are no fire restrictions yet, despite being into the second week of June. What the sky is supposed to be like, in May and June. Ghastly! Sometimes I just sit out in a chair in the afternoon and marvel at how magnificent it is to have clouds and shade in mid-day. If the wind blows, it actually feels cool. Truly, this must be one of the greatest pleasures an outdoorsman ever experiences. I'm so glad I started years ago at trying to appreciate the Agony of Dry Heat, and the Ecstasy of moderate humidity and the southwestern monsoons. It isn't the obvious tourist-like approach. Perhaps it was just snobbishness on my part. At any rate, taking that appr oach has paid off . Last night, for the first time in a long time, I left the outer door open all night.