As You Might or Might Not Imagine . . .

>>> SCOTT’S WEE GLEE-FEST OF YESTERDAY:

1.      While I cannot say that I alone caused NC state Sen. Thom Goolsby (Rep.) of Wilmington to decide not to run again, I am CERTAIN this blog played a major role. That said, being at least PARTLY egomaniacal (and having FEW opportunities to display as much without pissing everyone off, understandably), I have decided to avail myself of this chance and CLAIM TOP CREDIT – whether that is true or not. My Aunt Doris Russ’s now GENERATIONS of descendants will all be ready to skin me alive (should I return to the Wilmington area), they being Thom’s HUGE SUPPORTERS, except a couple, including Lena Ludwig Lapper who lives in London, L-fully.

2.      I actually felt I had no time to follow the link I posted to the WWAY-TV story, so have not read it and have no home internet that allows more than updating of databases and spying on me. And when I first got online, yesterday, that story had NOT come into email before I blogged. I only noticed it when I went to email out the posting – and added it before doing so. My comments about the Senator were written before I had any idea of it. NOW, he doing the right thing, and I will lay OFF him as much as possible, and I’d also like to say that I found his ENTIRE FAMILY CHARMING – some of the first people I met in Wilmington.

Although the Senator was not there, one afternoon I was walking up Dock Street and began talking to the friendliest people about to load into their mini-van, they having noticed this GIGANT-O-BODY I always walk around in (and can never escape, myself, except in a way I do not CARE to leave it). My height really CAN open a conversation with ANYONE. It’s the GREATEST GIFT (other than Mind and Heart), that God ever gave me.

So I had a wonderful, if fairly BRIEF conversation with them, and besides Mrs. Goolsby and the kids, Thom’s parents were there as well, his Dad since having passed on (if my memory serves me correctly). TWO things I particularly remember were that they were ALL most welcoming and invited me to come back to speak with Thom – even saying they really only use the back door (makes sense since parking is behind the house and it is a corner lot), and to just knock at any reasonable hour. And what lubricated this so well was my last name and that Frank Hawkins Kenan was someone Thom Goolsby ESPECIALLY had looked up to, Frank having died in 1996.

In 1992, Frank had helped form a group of retired friends who became the “Five Old Men”, a sort of idea-generation think tank to inject some conservative ideas into Durham Politics, which has always tended to Liberalism. The only person I’ve ever heard of in this group was Frank, so I assume he was the most dynamic. And indeed, when I met him then, early 2011, the recently dethroned head of the Republican Party (the Tea Party tossed him because it was well known, “commonly”, that he was gay – and he had married by then and has since produced about four kids to resurrect himself – BEATING a difficult cancer as well), Tom Fetzer, former Mayor of Raleigh, he TOO spoke of Frank Kenan as if he were Jesus returned to Earth – and INDEED even in Kenan Chapel at First Presbyterian in Wilmington, there is a bass relief in the side wall of Jesus wearing the crown of thorns – in memory of Frank Kenan -- ENTIRELY incompatible with Presbyterian tradition which is almost as strict about IMAGES of Jesus – and even the bare cross – as Muslims are of images of Muhammad. Rev. Jim Holderness pointed this peculiarity out when giving his tour of First Prez’s amazing stained glass.

Frank Hawkins Kenan had a HUGE EFFECT on North Carolina politics (to say nothing of business), but I have NO IDEA what his ideas actually WERE. Back then, Republicans had still not launched some of their best ideas like RomneyCare, and it was only LATER, that the conservatives had bullied everyone so badly that Democrats ran mostly JUST TO THE LEFT of Attila the Hun, Republicans to the right of him. And to clear something up, while it is TRUE that when Frank’s brother James G. Kenan of Atlanta referred me to his wife’s nephew, a writer, lawyer, test pilot and race-car driver, Gregg Loomis, when I hoped to get legal help regarding my incarceration and charges in 1990, Gregg DID tell me not to DARE MENTION to any of the Kenans my then silly theory (only because Kenan appears in the Old Testament, so I thought maybe Jewish, no???), because they HATE Jews entirely (and blacks as well).

Well, James Kenan’s wife was Catholic, so ALL their kids are too – and presumably Gregg as well. In those days Catholics – especially in the South – were considered to be practically SATANISTS by many Protestants, so maybe this was untrue and vindictive – or maybe the LATER Kenans are just more evolved. I don’t actually know, but their CHARITIES serve all equally as far as I can tell.

Remember TOO, that James G. Kenan’s AND Owen (Thomas S. Kenan III’s brother) Kenan’s children are NOWHERE again mentioned in the book THE KENAN FAMILY – except that they were born. TWO of James’s children I DID track down to find they became SIGNIFICANT Catholic clergy.

Betty and Frank Kenan OBVIOUSLY delighted in each other.

BOTTOM LINE on this is that in Frank Kenan’s day, Republicans were still made up partially of nice people with valid ideas – it was about the time of his death in 1996, that that Party became possessed by the Devil (or similar).

But back to Sen. Goolsby: one of my TOP GOOD MEMORIES of Wilmington was watching Thom, his wife, and the younger kids RUNNING and hollering with GLEE down Dock Street to the Oyster Bar near the river. This is how I will recall Thom Goolsby and family (other references likely to appear – like I still tell the truth of my own immediate family’s former crimes, despite being PERSONALLY over it).

And my OWN glee, yesterday, caused me to nearly jump out of my skin thanking God, but I mostly restrained myself while shopping before returning home. And YES, I then called my mother to tell her I am now beginning to get some “trophies” in my political battle (after I’ve retired – LOL!!!), and I intend to place them ALL AT HER FEET. This DID strain our new pleasant conversational tone a bit, particularly when I added that I have PROVEN that no matter WHAT anyone thinks of my peculiar behavior when I was under CRUSHING ATTACKS, I was NOT mentally ill, but just needed to work out my understanding of my life, and ANYONE who promoted the idea I needed LITHIUM, especially, was WRONG.

You see, THIS is the remaining strain between me and my immediate family (Mom, Jane, and Julie, especially and MOST VEHEMENTLY). Not a single one of them has ever said anything like that they are sorry I had such a ROUGH FOUR YEARS. They act like I brought it all on myself, and my blog posts which embarrassed them was a FAR GREATER CRIME than the crimes committed against me – some of which they did personally commit (Jane and Julie LYING to Stone Mountain Police about how I needed to IMMEDIATELY be committed when neither of them had had recent contact with me), and the help they gave to operatives of the Republican Party, my PROVABLE in COURT top “persecutors”.

And NONE of them have acknowledged that THEY made any mistakes AT ALL!! So for now, I guess I can speak or even visit any of them for a few minutes, but their apparent HEART-DEAD consciousnesses just annoy me too much after a short period of time. I do NOT feel this way toward my Dad or brother Mike for reasons too many to list here. I am NOT looking even for apologies – just some sign that they know I suffered NEEDLESSLY, and that they made some errors, MOSTLY by believing my mother’s TOTAL NAZI LIES – but they NEEDN’T mention that very last part.

And this is true for Falconer St. Just, who ALWAYS said he disagreed with my politics -- but loved Tennessee Williams. ALWAYS quick to help me in practical ways, he TOO has NOT ONCE given me a BIT OF CREDIT for handling all this -- and often urged me into the arms of my enemies, thinking there would be NO CONSEQUENCES for his help in trying to get me killed. Well, HE'S RIGHT -- because I told him his practical help means I will not ever abandon him should he ever be prosecuted, as LONG AS HE CONTINUES TO PLAY THIS GAME.

I did NOT get drunk last night – sobriety (semi), was my victory lap.

3.      There are some political observations from Sunday AM CNN that I don’t feel motivated to write about – the country continuing to LISTEN BETTER, the Republicans again DOUBLING DOWN with well-disseminated, mostly-lying, talking points – and they’ve even been getting coached on body language, apparently. But they CONTINUE to talk or even YELL over the THINKERS on TV – doing ANYTHING to distract from logical dialogue and avoid answering DIRECT SIMPLE QUESTIONS. It is working less and less, as they CLING to roots and vines as they fall into the HELLS OF THEIR OWN MAKING and cannibalize each other with wailing and gnashing of teeth on the way down.

They certainly don’t have to go there, but to open their hearts to LOVE and their minds to REASON is still too much for them, it seems.

Well, they will NEVER be able to claim anyone did it to them other than themselves – a TRUTH that is not actually pleasant.

Scott

PS: I should have mentioned yesterday that Sean, Ligia, and I got PERMISSION to play on that fabric sculpture in Brazil – in fact the security guards ENCOURAGED us when they saw what fun people we were. One guard took about two dozen photos with my camera – HIS idea!!!

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