Chief of Stuff

In a surprise announcement, the white house has released a summary of Alonso Morning's daily presidential brief for June 26 in the continuing celebratory spirit following NY state's approval of same sex marriage that caused the swell and a raucous at the annual gay pride parade.

The good news from NY caused tremors of excitement in the oval office also as seen here in this official photo of the president with his long-time 'Personal Aid', Reggie Love. Rahm Emmanuel took the midnight express from Chicago to join in the inner circle of congratulatory knuckling and high fives.

For Love, the blessing of NY governor Cuomo is a bitter sweet personal victory, a slam-dunk in the end-zone for a guy who has risen to the top yet secretly yearning for the one thing that will validate his respect and unyielding devotion to BFF Barack.

Obama and Love depart for unscheduled trip to NYC, perhaps to participate in Sunday's parade.

NYC is their favorite place to shoot the hoops and horse around w the guys.

Whether in Washington DC or in Washington Heights, the brotherly buddies are often seen together enjoying the company of each other.



Reggie is Loved by those he touches. But no one knows the power of his charm better than our commander in chief who sometimes needs a firm hand to comfort him in these troubling times of persecution and intolerance.

Leon Panetta sent a personal message to the happy couple and made a public statement to the effect that perhaps it is not too late for him and Colon to ride of into the sunset.

It is a glorious day indeed for New Yorkers, rainbow people everywhere and the memory of Harvey Milk. It is not the Onion that makes for tears, it is the victory of a long fought battle for secular equality in the eyes of the law.

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Surf and Turf

At sunset this past father's day, some folks on the beach must have thought the Town of Surfside was a bit early with their Fourth of July fireworks display.

Who but the residents of this slow-paced seaside town would know that the celebration was for the much anticipated soft opening of our grand new community center.

Nearly six years ago, setting aside a nostalgia for worn and familiar, town interests bullishly moved forward with the costly controversial demolition of a perfectly old building and the new construction of a bigger, better oasis. Trouble was the ambitious plan was often compared to the re-invention of the wheel. The project seemed to languish with the southern drawl of small town bureaucracy, distracting promise of a sunnier tomorrow and finally the sentimental loss of a fragile connectedness with neighbors.

The heat was on to get work done on time for the promised grand opening. With hardhat nipping and tucking frenzy, manual labor pressed the site into service and the official ribbon cutting went off without a hitch, kinda.

One interior space puzzlingly resembling a Sobe sitting room, a charming long-time resident stood confounded by the new glass enclosure smelling very now where our quiet old library once stood. She made a graceful perplexing smile when i told her we were standing in what will one day be a virtual media center with kindles.

Volunteers dressed in commemorative tee's hurriedly posed for a snapshot before scurrying for cover from impending thunderhead storms. Soon after an Early Lightning Warning Siren system was triggered signaling the evacuation command with 'the russians are coming' screeching blasts.

Father figures of Surfside, Mayor Dietch and Cub Scout Master Howard ushered in the new era of community vitality. These guys are comfortably smart, fair, casual and reassuring.

Surfy and Turfy, locals gather in support of the not so wild side.

Time will tell how well this shiny new shell will accommodate the diverse needs and desires of the residents who fund its existence. Our next big ticket item is the revamping of the town plumbing.

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Class of 2011

School's Out ! From coast to coast high school seniors that have completed their primary education requirements are eligible for certificates of graduation. With rented caps and gowns they readily line up to receive the earned recognition for toughing it out in what is perhaps the best or worst four years for every adolescent since the invention of books.

Each year hundreds of kids and their proud families crowd the enchanting Olympia Theater in downtown Miami. The recurring ritual is always marked by a sentimental blend of peculiar pomp and populous partaking.

Notable speakers this year included the Arts philanthropist Rosa DeLa Cruz seated left of center next to the utterly perplexing poodle Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall who represented the local school board. By far the most impressive and inspirational words were delivered by the kids themselves. Their spirit for ambition restores the weary with hope for the future of the swamp.

Families celebrate the Graduating Class of 2011 outside the Gusman Theater Downtown Miami.

I can not understate the accomplishments that our teenagers continue to achieve knowing the hurdles and obstacles of an education system that is like many other functions of our society, on the verge of collapse but too big to fail.

For some luck and well deserving princesses , no graduation is complete without a visit to the historic and schmaltzy emporium of shiny things, the jewelers Seybold Arcade downtown where proud dad's are obliged to dig deep for a tangible demonstration of their affection.

The place is a 14k house of smoked mirrors.

The next place for many kids is the classifieds...

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Turning Yemenis

The Napoleon (far left) of the little country of Yemen has left the building...

Over the weekend, tens of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets to celebrate the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He's in Saudi Arabia being treated for injuries suffered in an assault on the presidential palace.

High Fives by Low Lives. It is no surprise that for a few willing to sell their soul, absolute power is a just a hand shake away. But who would have guessed that a popular uprising in the middle east could be engineered from without. With such romantic names like Jasmine Revolution or Arab Spring, the media will portray this peoples' revolution with monotone shades of camouflage blood crimson.

Like old camels put out to pasture, each and every world leader that is not up to the test of kowtowing to Imperial Financial insistence of complicity in the domination of the masses will be ousted one way or another. The twilight of the old american century is giving way to a new dark age.

Yemen is a fascinating place geographically. Nature created an oasis in the desert by the sea. Their god also deposited enough oil under the sand to make them a target of the petroleum dragons.

And so they syphon the sludge to fill barrels with crude for sales that reap obscene profit. But little of the wealth benefits the citizenry of common people.

Your average Yemeni guy may be an illiterate superstitious block-head but they are still people of their land and deserve better opportunity than what their current leadership offers.

It is a crime against humanity to criminalize the downtrodden, but it happens all the time.

A young man must have dreams and opportunity or he will get very upset and perhaps even go ape-sh*t one day.

Likewise, a young girl is entitled to the same opportunities and respect, or she too may go ape-sh*t one day.

Where i come from, this looks like a permanent funeral not a lifestyle choice.

Oops, you never know who's under that burka...

... or what they might get up to given a wardrobe revolution.

While most people live in places like these...

... they worship in places like this.

While intolerant old men waste their time like this...

... your average Yemeni prefers to waste their time like this.

One thing is certain, America's Imperial yearnings of the last 100 years have got us chained in a bed of thorns with incompatibles. We have squandered our wealth on blowing shit up and killing our children.

Mark Twain The War Prayer

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