Boycotting

Florida is winning by a nose over Texas. They would be neck and neck if I had not lived through some semi dark years in Florida in the 1960s. Yeah, I had to pick Florida when the following question showed up on my Facebook feed.

What are you boycotting until the day that you die?

I shot from the hip, gave a knee jerk answer, spoke before I thought when I answered "Florida". Now, a couple of hours later after scrutinizing my reasons for and my reasons against voting Florida, I realize that this knee jerked the answer does a fine job of reflecting my current attitude regarding the Sunshine State.

Making declarations that one cannot back out of without some redface time, well, that has never bothered me. Hell, I remember declaring in Second Grade that I would never ever kiss a girl, and well, that final, no doubt about it proclamation lasted until fourth grade when I kissed Tall Lois. No tongue mind you. I had no clue we were supposed to stuff our tongues in each other's mouth. If I had known that then, I most assuredly would have kept the faith with my proclamation through sixth grade at the least. 

The stupidity of Florida's majority party and their Dumber than dirt governor, Ron DeSantis along with the brain dead population that gave them their power is but some garnish for the longer lists of whine's I have about the state that gave us the word "Cracker". 

My family went through some internal strife when we lived there in the early 1960's. Later in 1977, when I was driving for Black Oak Arkansas, we had a day off in central Florida after a concert in Orlando. The crew and the band all went to the unfinished Disney World. We were busted for smoking joints on their aerial trams and all of us were banned for life. Florida was where I learned the harsh lessons of racism and segregation. It was the first time I felt shame for being white. 

The photo to the left was taken on March 27, 1964. It is of the Civil Rights demonstration in front of the capitol which my parents specifically told me not to attend. I went anyway and I was shocked at how nasty white people could be.

So, I will do what I can to not give Florida any more of my time, money, or presence.

Texas was a close second. But Texas holds fond memories of my time when I worked out of Dallas hauling Rock n Roll tours in the mid 1970's. I had many insane and wonderful times laying over in the Big D waiting for my next tour. I also have family there and a friend or two hanging out in or around Brownwood, Texas, about 170 miles South West of Dallas. But have no doubt I consider the political make up of Texas as much of an insanity as Florida.

I generally do a decent job of honoring my self imposed boycotts. I did not enter a Wall Mart for over thirty years. But then I did and so what? They did not get a penny out of my pocket for thirty years. That was what I consider a personal best boycott. At the moment I cannot think of any boycotts other vowing to never vote for a Republican again until they smarten up. Hmm.... Chances are that in the years I have left, they won't. They seem well entrenched in stupidity at the moment and we all know that current slogan, "You can't fix Stupid." Their continued quest to prove that point is testimony.

Keep it 'tween the ditches ..................................

__________________________

Musical pick today is a tune I found that gives me one more reason to look unkindly on the State of Florida. In 1978 in Jacksonville I broke up with my then "on the road" girl friend. Gave her a bus ticket back to her home in San Diego. She had been with me for several months. Anyway here is "So Far From Memphis", by Easton Corbin. For some reason this song reminded me of that moment in time.