Kuzinz aplenty

Several of the Reynolds clan have moved to Arizona so we got together for dinner.  From the left the cousins are Donna, Mary, Cathy and Mike with their respective dates or partners.  We are expecting to move down here to save money.  Cost of living, housing and food, are substantially less than Seattle.  If we want to be able to afford Europe travel and maybe a house in  Sicily, a move will be necessitated.  At least we'll both have family down here for company, and we'll need it because the social attitudes down here are pretty poor.  

Last spring the state's primaries were all fucked up.  The state changed it's method of voting by creating a series of 60-some voting centers where all voters had to go to vote and only put 8 in the Phoenix metropolitan area where the majority of population resides.  This resulted in thousands of voters standing in line for hours in 90+ degree temperatures, many more, like my brother, gave up after trying a couple places and seeing the lines.  Of those that stayed, many were denied the opportunity when the poll closing time came.  A state election official, I think it was the Sec of State, lamely tried to explain away the problem and its origin as a simple mistake.  I doubt it.  This plan was internally expected to disenfranchise voters, especially minority and poorer voters, like other states have done with new identity requirements.  It's blamed on non-identified consultants and lower level bureaucrats.  No mention  made of why those ultimately responsible, the elected a-holes, did not even consider the possible consequences.  The reactionary officials do not want Latinos, blacks and other "less desirable residents" to have any means of actually getting political power.  Remember, this is the state that refused to honor Martin Luther King Day and, if you look deeper into history, enacted the first anti-marijuana laws back in the 1920's as an anti-Mexican measure.

The anti-minority attitudes still run deep.  Check this out.

Old Bigot's House in Sun City.  An outright insult to our country's flag.  All this a-hole is missing is a Trump sign.  Let's make America great again, like in the 1860's.

I grew up in a bigoted city in central Illinois.  Our name ended in a vowel and we were Papists.  The WASPs in the town were bad enough but the German and Irish Catholics were almost as bad.  Black folks were restricted in where they could buy housing.  A black family moved into our parish, where I went to elementary school.  Our pastor, Monsignor O'Reilly, informed them that they should attend church at the cathedral, which was located below the bluff in an area of town that blacks and my Sicilian grandparents lived.  See, in this town Italians were only a step above the blacks and Mexicans.  I grew up w/bigotry and die-hard, rock-ribbed, republican WASPs, who were proud of their lifestyle attitudes. I got out in my mid-20's and never looked back.  I've always said it was a good town to be from.

My best friend  in the town is Irish.  He's BIG in the Irish community and has been for years.  Years ago we were in town for a funeral, it may have been my brother's or mother's, when I realized something about this burg.  

Years ago, during Prohibition it was a "no-mans" land for the mobsters in Chicago and St. Louis.  In the 20's the Sicilian mobs drove the Irish and German mobsters out of the business in these major cities. They used to travel to this town and were safe since neither town's families had claim to the gambling and prostitution.  They simply left the less profitable business in this farm center town to the Irish, and I've ribbed my buddy about it since then.

Now, as you can see, even worse shit goes on here in Sun City.  My brother isn't upset about it, but I sure am.  

Now, I'm no flag-waving partriot.  I'm a Vietnam era veteran.  I did my time. I will admit that, as a result, I find that it, and many of the ensuing wars we've sent our boys into, as enormous mistakes.  I do not believe in my country, right and wrong.  Our incursions in the Middle East and questionable support of anti-Arab policies have contributed to the ISIS problem as much as the Bush wars.

However, I find it an immense  insult to the American flag to hang the symbol of segregation and slavery with it.  The owner of this house is not an American.  

For those apologists who try to explain away their reason for flying the confederate battle flag as their statement in support of state rights we have to respond that the ONLY state's right at issue at that time was the right to own slaves, and any black person was considered slave material.  States had the right to form militias and raise troops, control sale of property, voting privileges, and commerce.  In fact they still do, unless they run afoul of Federal laws and civil rights.  That ragged-ass flag and all it represents are a stain on the USA.  I  took the photo so that the asshole bigot's name plate at his door is hidden behind the tree and I can't make out the license plate number when enlarged but the house is located at the intersection of a couple arterial streets and I'm sure many down here know where it's located.  I am truly surprised that no one of color down here has done a drive-by on this house.  

Now, for the disclaimer.  If the republican nominee can do this so can I.  I'm not encouraging anyone to perform violent action agains this bigot, maybe even racist bastard scum sucking pig, but I would find it hard to blame them if they did.

Tomorrow we're off to sin-city on our way to Reno and in about a week, home. 

Ciao for now.