ABOVE FORT LAUDERDALE BEACH

"EVERY
GUN THAT IS MADE, EVERY WARSHIP LAUNCHED, EVERY ROCKET FIRED, SIGNIFIES
IN A FINAL SENSE A THEFT FROM THOSE WHO ARE HUNGRY AND ARE NOT FED,
THOSE WHO ARE COLD AND NOT CLOTHED."      PRESIDENT EISENHOWER

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Talk
about the 4th of July--I watched "1776" on TV and then the Capitol
Fourth followed by the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular, then
the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular after which I went down to The
Point and watched the fireworks set off from Pompano, Hollywood and Fort
Lauderdale beaches plus the barrage from downtown.  By the way I now
know ALL the words to "The Stars and Stripes Forever" until next year!

The
WOW! of the whole evening was Jennifer Hudson singing her signature
song from "Dreamgirls", "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"--talk about
setting off fireworks!!!

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Now
that President Obama has declared North Florida---the Republican seat
of the State---a disaster area I wonder if Governor Scott will refuse
help and how many Republicans will live in damaged homes and refuse
Federal Aid? None? I have a feeling they will take the handouts, or as they call them, 'entitlements'.

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AT&T
must be in financial trouble--they just raised their 'residential line'
$2 which also increases all the federal taxes and are cutting $4 off
the lifeline for poor people, which will now raise the telephone bills
of all poor people almost $7 a month.

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For
how many months are we going to be inundated with the"Tomcat"--Cruise
& Holmes--not to mention Scientology, in papers and magazines, on TV
and all the media beating it to death? Of course the 'gay--is he or
isn't he?--rumors' will start again--does anyone care about all this
nonsense? And when are they going to drag in the whole Travolta garbage?

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I
must be getting old--Eva Marie Saint is celebrating her 88th birthday--she made so many great movies including "On The Waterfront",
"North By Northwest", "Raintree County" to name a few.

Talking
about movies, if you are reading this early enough, TCM is showing a
forgotten gem called "Ace in the Hole" with Kirk Douglas and Jan
Sterling from 1951--as true now as it was then---8 PM (EST).

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How
does anyone read, let alone believe and quote anything from, the New
York Post?  It is one of Murdoch's worst scandal sheets.

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Doing
my 7 Decades series (by the way thanks for all the e-mails praising it)
I am amazed at what I remember and what I don't. I'll read an entry in
my diary and either names or places or surroundings while when I read
another I remember everything down to the last detail. I find this
especially true since I started the Memphis decade.

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(One plane carries the flag and the other plane carries the banner.)