THURSDAY/FRIDAY

The weather was dry when I woke up then it rained very heavily in the middle of the day so I didn't go to the Lenten lunch at the Presbyterian Church.

The Kiwani speaker is Director of the Aviation Campus at the local Technology College and was very interesting.  I did not know that aviation is the largest employer in Oklahoma, but it makes sense.  Tinker Air Force base, which is between here and OK City, is the largest military base in the world and it employs 9000 aviation mechanics.

In the evening I went to the movies downtown with Pattisue, we saw 'Big Miracle', and it was very good.  A true story of three whales who were trapped in the ice in Alaska, and the efforts made to free them, which also involved the President, Reagan, asking the Russians - and this was during the Cold War - for help. The Russians sent an ice breaking ship which eventually got through the ice and the whales swam free.


I was concerned because the film was in what they called The Penthouse which is up two flights of stairs, and it was a terrific struggle for Pattisue to climb the stairs.  I think it took her by surprise.

I think I photographed this tree in the garden at the end of the very hot dry summer we had.  It looked completely dead so I was surprised today to see some green leaves on it.  All the moisture of the last couple of days has obviously got to it.


The Republican nomination momentarily dropped out of the news.  It was replaced by an event which has completely outraged the nation, even the President was asked about it.  He had to pick his words very carefully when replying, not to be seen to be laying blame anywhere.


A young black teenager, who was obviously a nice lad from a good home, was walking home from a convenience store with a bag of skittles in one hand and iced tea in the other, and was spotted by a white middle aged racist, the self appointed head of the local neighbourhood watch,  who called 911 and told the police the lad was "acting suspiciously, obviously up to no good, on drugs or something" and he said he was going to follow him.  The police told him not to, but he did anyway, and shot him.  The tape of the racist's conversation with the police despatcher has been played and replayed over and over in every news broadcast.  The outrage is centering round the fact that the racist hasn't yet been arrested because he told the police he shot him in self defence, which is allowed in Florida.   But the FBI and the Attorney General have taken over and have promised a thorough investigation.  So hopefully the racist will soon be arrested, charged with second degree murder, found guilty and locked up.


The President said he thought of his own children, and that if he had had a son he would have looked like the young lad who was shot.