Povey Prattle

Editorial: Kentucky clerk must obey law Published: Friday, September 4, 2015 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 7:18 p.m. After a federal judge ordered a Kentucky county clerk jailed Thursday for failing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, Rand Paul, a Republican presidential candidate and senator from Kentucky, said it was “absurd to put someone in jail for exercising their religious liberties.” Sen. Ted Cruz, the Canadian-born senator from Texas, and other candidates took the same tact — accusing the judge of exercising “tyranny.” Paul and the others putting forth these arguments have it wrong: The clerk, Kim Davis, was jailed not for her religious beliefs, but for failing to follow Kentucky law and defying a court order. The distinction is vital. In this case, Davis is the tyrant. She is the government official unrestrained by law or the Constitution. Davis is the one asserting that she, an elected official, can unilater...

" When life gives you lemons you cannot always make lemonade "   was the title of a Blog article I wrote last week about the apparent demise of my Veterinarian.  My posting was based on a conversation I had with a person who had sub-contracted for the good animal Doctor. It transpires that her information was not accurate.  I regret that I reported on what she said without double-checking, or tracing my sources. In a 'phone message I received today from the Veterinarian's wife, I learned that his building has indeed been sold,  (to the Humane Society), but  he will shortly re-open his practice in another building. ========================= As one who frequently urges others to be careful about what they post, and  often exhorts them to check with Snopes.com,   lest what they post turns out to be an urban legend  -   (there are a million and one false stories in cyberspace!)  -   I am very sorry that ...

Some of you may remember my references to Randie E, the wonderful Swedish born woman I used to  encounter in my morning walks.. I live at Glen Oaks Ridge , and Randie lived at the Glen Oaks Garden Condominiums.   Our serendipitous meetings were on the walkway around  the pond at Glen Oaks Manor. I was drawn to her because she would "take time to smell the roses": that is that she would stop walking, and take a long pause to enjoy a tree in bloom, or an Osprey, Hawk,  or and Eagle high above. She was never in a hurry.  Her walks were graceful and gracious times during which she fed her soul by a deep and careful appreciation of the natural world. I visited her  a couple of times at her home, there to enjoy good coffee and fine pastries, with profound conversation. Came the time that Randie moved from her Condo to a Retirement Community, situated no more than two mies from my home. I would pass this place at least twice a week, always...

It was at the Tehran meeting of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin (1943)  that FDR made fun of Churchill, not at Yalta as I stated yesterday. The account of this is to be found on page 304  of  "Citizens of London- the Americans who stood with Britain in its Darkest, Finest Hour"  by Lynne Olson, Random House 2010. Olson's source is the book she wrote with Stanley Cloud "A question of honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II" (Alfred A. Knopf - 2003) (which I am now reading  jmp)

MOST OF THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN GLEANED FROM "Citizens of London- the Americans who stood with Britain in its darkest, finest hour"  by Lynne Olson, Random House 2010. William Fiske was the first American to join  the R.A.F.  in WWII.  He skirted the American regulations that made it illegal to join a warring power's military service,or to  travel on a belligerent ship, or use a U.S. passport to go to a foreign country to enlist, by falsely claiming Canadian citizenship. He joined the RAF less than three weeks after Britain's declaration of war against Germany.  His plane was hit on August 16th 1940. He managed to nurse his plane back to base, but died two days later.   He is memorialized in Westminster Abbey, Seven American citizens flew in the Battle of Britain alongside five hundred other non-British pilots,  -  Poles (about which more in a day or two), Czechs. Belgians, French, New Zealanders,  and South Africans. --------...

Sarasota friends Jack and Donna Chrisman shared Sunday lunch with me yesterday at their home. They are gracious and thoughtful hosts. Jack, using his resourceful Anglophile side, tracked down some English Back Bacon (lots of meat and not too much fat), English Sausages, and Heinz Baked Beans. *  Donna got out her mixing bowl and made Buttermilk Pie for dessert.  This was a first for me.  It was utterly delicious -  and took the meal "over the top". Thanks good friends. This photo' is via Google images. Donna's pie looked even better,  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *  Heinz Baked Beans as made and sold in the U.K. are in a tomato sauce rather than the molasseses based sauces which are favoured in the U.S.A.   They are Britain's favourite canned "fast food", often served on toast, and especially necessary for a "full English" breakfast.  They a...

Our Mum's death was in 2001 (not 2002).  Sorry for my memory lapse.