Ted Cruz Suspends Campaign for Presidency

Donald Trump is leading in Indiana with 53% of the vote to Ted Cruz's 35% and Kasich at about eight percent.  It's called a "Decisive Victory" by the news pundits.  Ted Cruz delivered his speech "suspending" his campaign for President this evening when it's not yet eight PM in Indiana.  He invoked the "Shining City on a hill" image of Ronald Regan from forty years ago.  It was as spirited and defiant a speech as you'll ever hear.  Cruz said that the path to the nomination was now gone.  Here are some remarks from earlier.  Ted Cruz has really lit into Donald Trump.  Trump is a serial philanderor.  He builds big buildings like giant phallic symbols or something.  Trump is a narcicist and a liar, and instills rioting in his campaign.  Trump responds that the father of Raphael Edwardo Cruz was with Oswald in New Orleans in 1963 passing out "Fair Play for Cuba" pamflets.  It's a little known fact that the father of Raphael Edwardo Cruz was initially for the Castro revolution in Cuba.  The latest numbers indicate that Trump is leading by fifteen points in Indiana.  It's hardly even necessary to wait for the final numbers tonight in the Indiana Primary.  Meanwhile it's a statistical tie between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in Indiana.  One talk show host this morning stated there is a greater liklihood of an open or contested convention in the Democratic party in Philadelphia, than there is likely to occur with the Republican Party in Cleveland.  Bernie Sanders in a complete reversal of position saying that the super deligates should really vote for Sanders.  The latest poll numbers show Trump now beating Hillary in the November election.  Of course we here in California want out votes to make a difference for once.  My ballot had both democratic and republican ballots in it so I guess I have to choose.  Right now I'm registered as a Republican so I'll have to switch to democratic I guess if I want to vote for Sanders.   

Last week there was a reprint of a blogpost on the subject of Israel and its "distinctive nature" as a nation.   For one thing Israel claims to speak for all the Jewish people in the whole world.  As you may know there are almost as many Jews living in America as their are living in Israel, and most of them are significantly to the left of their Israeli counterparts.   Even on foreign policy there are more progressive.  Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump have both stated that we should "take an even handed position" in the dispute between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinian people.  Ted Cruz doesn't want any illusion of being neutral should he come to power.  He will be Israel's advocate and supporter straight out.  We know Ted Cruz wants to tear up the nuclear deal with Iran going out the gate.  The other way in which Israel is kind of a unique country is the fact that Israel doesn't have any set borders!  We know there were no borders there when Israel took over in 1948.  All we hear is that they want "militarily defensible borders" which means for instance if they want to take the Golan Heights, then they take them.  If they want to take the Palestinian's land and build Israeli settlements on it, then they do.  The world is their oyster.  There never seems to be any "treaty" or mandate from any power, earthly or divine, which "gives" Israel so much territory.  So I guess if the Israelis perceive Iran as a military threat they have the power to go and bomb Iran back to the stone age, treaty or no treaty.   Israel never seems to be a team player, except perhaps with Saudi Arabia, and with friends like that who needs enemies.  We constantly hear that if the US doesn't back Israel then they have nobody in their corner.  While this sounds noble and almost emotive- - in your more rational moments you wonder how one nation can alienate its neighbors so and raise such antagonisms in them.  Is it all some kind of pre fated "religious hatred" prophecied in the Bible.  Just where does it say in the Bible that Iran alias Persia and the Jews are destined to hate each other for all eternity.  Some will say that anyone who advocates Peace is working for the Antichrist.  It's almost a knee jerk reaction with Christians.  Nobody I know is anti Jewish religion.  But this sock puppet position that Israel is in where we are their "sustaining power" could understandably be cause for alarm by her neighbors, who don't like the United States anyhow.

Rhapsody in Black featured April of 1965 and I had to dig a ways down to find a page with a blank side.  I haven’t been writing on too many note slips lately.  They had “Down in Mexico” an early hit by the Coasters.  They had “I Want You to Be My Girl” by Frankie Linman and “My Blue Heaven” by Fats Domino and “The Magic Touch” by the Platters.  And it was “Long Tall Sally” and “Eddie My Love” and “Little Girl of Mine”, an early KRTH classic.  They played “Slipping and a Sliding” and “Ruby, Ruby” by the Drifters without Clyde Mc Phatter.   Their “extra” of the day was “Moonglow”, perhaps because the artist is white.  (?)  There was RADAR, a novelty song informing us of police technology of 1956.  “Cherry Lips” they said was by the Robins, and this case minus their lead singer.  It was one of the many versions of “Corina, Corina” and “The Treasure of Love” by Clyde Mc Phatter, and “Please, Please, Please” by Jaames Brown. 

Paul called at twenty to eleven.  We went straight to Marie Calendar and got there just after eleven.  Tim, Mom, and Marie would not arrive for another twenty minutes or so.  We spent the time talking about Ted Cruz.  Judy says there is no fix it quick solution to the economy’s woes.  So even if the economy goes to Hell in a hand basked after Ted Cruz cuts taxes and strips environmental regulation it isn’t President Cruz’s fault.  We got a table way back in the southeast corner.  Service was slower at Marie Calendar today than I’ve ever seen it.  Paul thought it was there were so few people there and they were trying to keep customers in tables.  I thought of having the French dip roast beef sandwich.  Perhaps I should have.  It was a dollar more expensive and I was afraid of driping beef spots on this nice shirt, which has gotten all sorts of complements.  I got coffee and it was a long wait for the second cup.  I had two pieces of their corn bread while we were waiting.  Mom criticized her queesh and also the soup, which I really liked when I tasted it.  Tim and Paul were puzzled at Mom’s negativity about all the food she’s had lately.  Tim and Marie got married in a courthouse May 2^nd 2006 ten years ago today and it was shortly before they had their reception in New York.  (?)  This was the only time Tim met his step granddaughter when she was thirteen.  Marie’s daughter’s husband died.  There was reminiscing about Marrie’s horrible truck accident in December of 2004.  Marie incorrectly thought that she and Tim got together in 1976 but Tim thought it was 1978 and I’m pretty sure it was 1977.  I had the Ortega chicken sandwich ou sour dough bread and French fried.  I would have gotten rice pilof if they had it (which I thought they did but they didn’t)  The waitresses gave Mom a single piece of pumpkin pie for her birthday with a candle on it as we all sang.  The pieces were spread among the group.  Mom just didn’t seem to have an appetite for anything this day.  I didn’t finish my fries and though I invited Marie to take all she wanted, she took very few.  I went again with Paul and Judy over to Mom’s place.  Paul suggested that there was a table full of men that Mom could join if she’s looking for male companionship.  I said I thought there were still more men than women in this place but that here the sexes were pretty well integrated.  Paul and Judy had to leave because Judy had a doctor’s appointment.  I stayed with Tim and Marie and we talked about politics.  Marie does not like Donald Trump OR Hillary Clinton and she believe’s it stupid to not be able to vote for the person you want just because they’re from another party.  I looked through some of Mom’s books wondering if there was one I wanted to borrow.  There wasn’t.  I left the Smithsonian magazine there also.  Marie began to fall asleep.  I think we left about ten after two and we went home in Dad’s old “new” car.  I was mentioning how Ted Cruz would make a hell hole out of planet earth trashing all the regulations.