31 January 2022

Tortuga Straits and The Parrot Hotel

 My new book, Tortuga Straits and The Parrot Hotel, is now available on Amazon. 



Tortuga Straits, a tiny village on the coast of a small island, floating in a forgotten corner of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. The Parrot Hotel, a once prosperous haunt, now rarely sees a guest. Yet those who still reside in town welcome the calm after decades of busier times.

It’s the anniversary of the day Trader first arrived in this beautiful, seaside town, some sixty-odd years ago. His plan to stay a few months turned into a lifetime, building The Parrot along the way. And with his hotel came jobs, and friends, and prosperity for the locals as well as the travelers who set down roots in Tortuga Straits.

Over food, beer, cigars, and rum, Trader and his friends reminisce about days gone by. Children born and raised and off to a better life in the Capital and beyond. Nature protected and saved from shady developers and ne’er-do-wells. Weddings of locals and travelers alike, brought together by events in Tortuga.  

Although the town may be slowly returning to its original state of only flora and fauna and tortugas and palm trees, all those who knew it are thankful for the years spent in such a magnificent place.

 

05 January 2022

The Berkeley Schools Continue to Destroy Lives


I am struck by the profound disparity between the actions taken by cities and countries that oppose masks and vaccines for children, and those of the city in which I grew up. For example, in the UK there is a fight to keep children unmasked in schools and a concerted effort to stand up against forced childhood Covid-19 jabs. In the US, Florida and other states have banned forced masking and Covid-19 shots on anyone, especially children. Yet in the State of California, the governor has mandated the shots for all children in public schools. The two California State university systems have also mandated vaccinations for students. And in the City of Berkeley, CA, they have taken on that task of continuing to destroy children’s lives with uncontrolled glee.

When the Berkeley Unified School District closed their doors in March 2020, a week before the scheduled two-week Spring Break, I had my suspicions that they would not return before Summer Vacation. I was correct. I then wrongly predicted school would reopen after the November 3, 2020, elections. Sadly, it was not until the fall of 2021, when children were finally allowed back into classrooms. And although being in an actual school building was preferable to staring a screen all day, what learners encountered when they returned was nothing short of a torture chamber coupled with harmful, draconian policies.

To this day, children in the BUSD are forced to wear masks the entire day, both inside and out. The sit separated from their classmates, at times behind makeshift plastic barriers, and eat lunch outside. They jog around the track and play soccer fully masked.

With all the hysteria over the Latest Variant, and schools across the nation going back to virtual learning, I assumed BUSD would soon follow suit. Remarkably, they have remained open, at least for now. However, what they subject their learners to is reprehensible.

The latest BUSD newsletter clearly states their goals, as seen in the heading:

                                               Let’s get Vaccinated, Berkeley!

                                                       Free, Safe, Effective

It goes on to state that by January 3, 2022, “All students 12 and over shall be fully vaccinated. Students who are not vaccinated by that date must submit to weekly onsite testing”.

“Additionally, the district will set a date four months from FDA approval, (which includes emergency use authorization) by which 5-11 year olds must be fully vaccinated or participate in weekly testing.”

Although the BUSD guidelines allow for opting out of the jab, it entails much more than weekly testing. Un-vaxxed students are prohibited from participating in any extra-curricular activities such as sports, clubs, and music. They are barred from fieldtrips and graduations, among other activities.

The newsletter goes on to instruct parents on where to get the jab and how to prepare children.

What I find most disturbing, is the section on “Covid Misinformation”. This is followed by:

                                                  “Get the Facts. Myths vs Facts”

“Rumors about the COVID-19 vaccines are circulating online within Californian communities, contributing to vaccine hesitancy across the state.”

“There are currently three different COVID-19 vaccines available to the public. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has full FDA approval for ages 16+, and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been approved by the FDA for emergency use. Only Pfizer vaccines are approved for children (under age 18).”


They then list the Myths, followed by several bullet points falsely labeled as Facts.

“MYTH 1: People who had Covid-19 do not Need to get Vaccinated”

Below this are the FACTS, which are nothing more than a lot of CDC and FDA talking points. All are lies, provable by scientific studies and common sense.

“MYTH 2: Covid-19 Vaccines have not been properly studied or tested.”

This, if fact, is not a myth and provable by Pharma and CDC’s own websites.

“MYTH 3: Covid vaccines don’t work against variants”.

Again, not a myth. If so, why are the majority of people getting Covid fully vaxxed?

“MYTH 4: Covid vaccines are not safe for children”.

This statement is verifiably true and calling it a “myth” is the most horrendous lie the BUSD could make to parents.

I no longer dwell on the people I know who may very well end up with serious complications or death from taking three shots of an experimental cocktail. They are all adults and had every chance to read and study all the information that I have seen.

But harming the children is another realm altogether. I want to scream and yell and beg parents not to submit their little ones to this deadly experiment. Regrettably, here in Berkeley, it is too late. The vast majority of the children over five have been jabbed.

I have written about the disastrous consequences of shutting down schools since the spring of 2020. It has led to irreparable damage to children intellectually, socially and emotionally. And now they have poisoned them.