Caribbean American Passport News Magazine - October 2020 - West Orange Special Edition

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Your Passport to the Caribbean American Community

Oct/Nov 2020

10 - SPECIAL ELECTION EDITION WEST ORANGE EDITION -

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L I F E S T Y L E

Guenet Gittens-Roberts, Publisher/Editor

For what it's worth I am excited !

Samuel J. Roberts

I

do believe that this election is the

most important one of my lifetime. I thought that was true when Barack Obama ran for President. I remain profoundly grateful that I was alive to encounter a candidate who was able to speak to my fears, my hopes, my dreams. It was the first time that a candidate represented me in such a profound way.

Owner/Publisher/Editor

I was proud of the empathy he exhibited, the brilliance, the ablity to rise above hatred and negativity.

He was elected to that office and carried with him the hopes of millions. Billions even, because across the world people were able to look at him and see themselves and be proud. He didn't let us down.

But his character is one part of his

Minimum wage was increased by an executive order to from $7.25 to $10.10 for all workers on federal contracts.

The Paris Agreement central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change.

Immigration reform was done by executive power to create work. DACA which would allow illegal immigrants currently living within the United States to legally stay and obtain a work permit.

A pandemic response unit was formed under Obama in 2016, President Barack Obama expanded the National Security Council to include the Directorate of Global Health Security and Biodefense.

This election is important for negative reasons that I will not even go into in this editorial.

legacy. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden went into office during an economic downturn and turned that around and did the following: The Child Care and Development Block Grant of 2014 was signed into law. This act provides grants to states so they can assist low-income families in finding child care for their children.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act become law. The bill makes it easier for people to challenge unequal pay complaints and is designed to help address the wage gap between men and women.

The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 became law. This act sought to provide increased protection for women under the law by improving law enforcement tools to combat the violence, improving services for victims of violent crimes, and improving awareness and violence reduction practices.

The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act became law to help jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute hate crimes more effectively.

The American Taxpayer Relief Act extended tax breaks for the majority of Americans while raising the tax rates for top earners.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, became law. This was the most significant regulatory makeover of the U.S. healthcare system since the 1960s.

I don't even need to. The Democrats have provided me with a slate that I am excited about. Joe Biden proved that in his work with President Obama. Kamala Harris is a qualified woman of Caribbean, Black and Indian descent, I see my friends, my community, my family in her. I am more than good with this slate, I am excited!

1969 Alafaya Trail • Orlando, FL 32828 Office: 407-427-1800 Fax: 407-386-7925 Toll Free: 877-220-8315 For Media Information email: Publisher: sroberts@caribbeanamericanpassport.com Info: .Info@caribbeanamericanpassport.com

Should you desire to review past copies of the publicationgo to http://caribbeanamericanpassport.com and click on the 'Print Archive'.

Editor & Publisher................................................................................... Sam Roberts Publisher ............................................................................. Guenet Gittens-Roberts Graphic Design & Layout .....................................................................Aleia Roberts Contributing Writers: ................................................................................ Tony Dyal ..................................................................................................................Aleia Roberts Contributing Photographers ............ .......................................................Ted Hollins .....................................................................................................................Dilia Castillo

Central Florida Distribution........................................................Kadeem Roberts South Florida Distribution .............................................................Norman Williams

NorthFlorida Distribution .....................................................................Theo Jack Jr. Tampa Distribution ..................................................................................Julian Pina Copyright (C) 2016 GGR Marketing & Public Relations. All rights reserved.

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VOTING

Orange County Wrap Up

On October 26th, 134,239 Orange County residents have voted in person and 208,817 residents have chosen to vote by mail. Statewide, 2.2 million Floridians have voted in person and 3.8 million Floridians have voted by mail.

For Orange County residents, visit https://www.ocfelections.com/ to find your polling place.

MAYOR'S GOALS OF THE WEEK • My goals of the week continue to be slowing the spread of COVID-19.

• We will continue to offer free COVID-19 testing through Orange County Health Services to anyone who needs it.

• We will continue to offer crisis assistance to individuals, families, landlords and businesses • We will offer crisis assistance to non-profit arts organizations.

TESTING Barnett Park 4801 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808 Wednesday, October 28 – Thursday, October 29, 2020 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

All testing facilities operated by Orange County Government provide free coronavirus tests to individuals who are +12 years old, hand out free facemasks and hand sanitizer to those tested, and do not ask for insurance. To book an appointment visit ocfl.net/Testing and click on #1 on the testing map for details.

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TT$297M and Barbados, almost TT$200M. Guyana’s trade deficit meant that this country only sold TT$78M worth of goods to TT. Jamaica and Barbados sent even less, TT$61M and almost TT$50M in products, respectively.

ENERGY SERVICES HUB Stressing that the TT “energy sector is now in major transition” he acknowledged, “The challenges posed by the global energy industry and the associated over-supply situation as well as our own declining rates of production in the gas and oil sectors require us to develop our remaining oil and gas resources in a cost-efficient manner.” “We are seeing demand destruction also arising from the COVID-19 shutdowns on a scale not seen before,” Mr Imbert added.

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CaribbeanTales Int’l Film Festival 2020 went online

Windrush Caribbean Film Festival Invites You to Their First Media Launch & Sneak Preview

Patrick Vernon OBE and Natalie Barnes (daughter of the late Windrush campaigner Paulette Wilson) join forces with award-winning film producer and director FrancesAnne Solomon to launch the Inaugural Windrush Caribbean Film Festival.

The theatres were booked, the movies picked and the stars were making travel plans to come to the city to walk the CaribbeanTales International’s (CTFF) red carpet this September. However plans were changed and while the show went on, it did not take place in any bijous in the year of COVID-19!

“It is not happening in theatres this year. It will be a livestream festival,” festival spokeswoman Fennella Bruce told the Caribbean Camera. “ It won’t (be held in any movie house), unless there is a drastic change in COVID-19 protocol from Provincial and Toronto Health Officials.”

Turns out there wasn't any change - but that didn't stop viewers from tuning in and enjoying the festival!

The 15th annual movie fest ran from September 9th until October 2nd and took place online with eight nights of films and 2 short films of live-stream entertainment. During the summer months there were community programming made available through the festival’s innovative subscription-based digital streaming platform as well.

The Video-OnDemand CaribbeanTales-TV (CT-TV) platform offered and TV African & Caribbean-heritage films programs to a worldwide audience. “For 15 years CaribbeanTales has amplified our Caribbean stories and allowed Toronto audiences access to films they wouldn’t otherwise see,” said Festival Director Diana Webley.

“Now that we have had to move the festival to an online platform due to COVID-19, we expect to have had even more people watching our live-stream from the comfort of their homes. The evening’s festivities included a retrospect of CTFF’s history, cast and filmmaker talk-back and the screening of CTFF founder Frances-Anne Solomon’s award-winning film Hero: Inspired by the Extraordinary Life and Times of Mr. Ulric Cross.

As part of the festival programming, a free screening of Hero was also be made available for viewers in the Toronto area who can’t make it to the launch..

The award winning film stars Trinidad’s Nickolai Salcedo in the lead role of Ulric Cross, Peter Williams (Stargate SG1), Joseph Marcell (Fresh Prince of Bel Air) and Ghanaian superstars John Dumelo, Adjetey Anang and Prince David Oseia.

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Organisers of the UK’s first Windrush Caribbean Film Festival (WCFF) did a virtual launch on Tuesday 29 September. The event offered a sneak peek at some of the exciting films in the festival schedule, that will run from 17 October – 8 November 2020. Over the six days of the Festival, audiences will watch films, engage in discussions, and participate in master classes, from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

The six day digital festival of screenings, discussions and master classes aims to celebrate the contributions and impact of the Windrush generation on life in the UK today.

The festival is the brainchild of Solomon whose awardwinning film HERO, inspired by WW2 and Windrush hero Ulric Cross, toured the UK to critical acclaim in 2019.

Its success was the inspiration for this full blown festival.

“As a child of the Windrush generation, I am passionate about sharing the stories and struggles of the men and women who paved the way for me and for all of us who are Black in Britain” said festival co-founder, Garry Stewart of Recognize Black Heritage and Culture. “Our partners from across the UK have worked tirelessly to turn a planned physical festival into a dynamic virtual event. “ WCFF is sponsored by Solomon’s Caribbean Tales Media Group and led by a core team including Stewart, Joy Coker of Alt-Africa Magazine as Lead Programmer, Shiloh PR’s Evadney Campbell and Patricia Hamzahee of Integriti Capital, with support from The Funding Network and Unison.

Festival 2020 will also see the launch of the first ‘Paulette Wilson’ Windrush Award to be given in memory of the prominent Windrush campaigner who was wrongly detained by the Home Office, and who went on to become the face of the Windrush Scandal campaign. The award will be presented to an individual who has been instrumental in advancing the narrative to achieve justice for the Windrush generation.

“We’re thrilled and I know my mother would be too, to have this prestigious award named after her,” said Natalie Barnes, Paulette’s daughter. “My mother was a humble woman but she was passionate about seeking justice for everyone caught up in the Windrush scandal. To see her honoured in this way is truly a wonderful legacy for her to have left.”

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One Caribbean - One Future - One Yard Virtual Benefit Concert

Mr Anthony N. Sabga III, Group Chief Executive Officer of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, the ANSA McAL Group on Thursday launched, the ONE Barbados, Ms Betty Alleyne – Headley joined the conference CARIBBEAN. ONE FUTURE. ONE YARD VIRTUAL virtually. Minister Powell thanked the ANSA McAL Group BENEFIT CONCERT. for the ONE YARD initiative and stated, ‘It is difficult to It will be held on Friday 30th October 2020 8.00 p.m. (AST) imagine the future of education without technology”.

7.00 p.m. (EST) and televised on CNC3 TV, CNC3 YOUTUBE Channel and on Permanent Secretary, Mrs Alleyne expressed optimism at WWW.ONEYARDCARIBBEAN.COM. the initiative and looked forward to the collaboration Mr Sabga was joined at the Press Conference by Mrs between the Group and the Ministry of Education, Frances Bain-Cumberbatch, Chief Legal and External Technological and Vocational Training. The Group also Affairs Officer of the ANSA McAL Group and Dr. the declared, in the first phase to assist twenty-five (25) schools Honorable Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, Minister of Education, throughout Trinidad and Tobago with devices valued at Trinidad and Tobago. The Honorable Jonel Powell, Minister of Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, for St Kitts approximately TT400,000.00 towards the Ministry’s Adopt a School Program. and Nevis and the Permanent Secretary (Ag.), Ministry of Cont'd on pg 9

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One Caribbean - One Future - One Yard Virtual Benefit Concert Cont'd from pg 7

The ACCESS TO REMOTE LEARNING FOR EVERY CHILD IN THE CARIBBEAN educational component was announced at the conference. Through the ANSA McAL Foundation (Est. 1993), the Group has created a special ONE CARIBBEAN FUTURE FUND where donations made prior, during and post-concert, will be used solely towards technology to support home-based learning.

There will also be text to donate platforms, details of which will be announced soon. The ONE CARIBBEAN FUTURE FUND donation platform will be operational from Friday 23rd October until Friday 13th November 2020.

The ANSA McAL Group, through the ANSA McAL foun-

dation will work with regional arms of the Ministries of Education in providing support to the Education Sectors challenged by the effects of the pandemic.

The concert will feature an all-star regional cast of Caribbean artistes from Jamaica to Guyana.

ONE CARIBBEAN. ONE FUTURE. ONE YARD virtual benefit concert invites the world to our ‘yard’ and showcases the resilience of Caribbean people in what continues to be a challenging year.

The concert is being produced by Ultimate Events Ltd, a member of the Tribe Group of Companies.ANSA McAL’s investment towards this concert is valued at TT$1.5 million dollars.

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Turn Up Turn Out Vote! your questions about the voting process. For the TurnUps, Voting IS Black Culture! and is a family affair. Each family member has a unique story that leads them to the 2020 ballot box.

Turn Up Turn Out Vote!

A joint venture between Black & Blu Research, LLC and Real Women Radio Foundation launched a unique civic engagement program, Turn Up, Turn Out, Vote! to drive participation of Black voters during this critical election season.

Turn Up, Turn Out, Vote! is a multi-generational Black and African American Florida voter education program, that places all the information you need in the palm of your hand to become a knowledgeable voter, through a mobile app. The Turn Up Turn Out Voter Pro App 2020, contains videos, frequently asked questions, election tools, and covers every county of Florida.

Participants will follow the adventures of the TurnUps, a civic minded-multigenerational family, addressing all of

Xiomara TurnUp, Puerto Rican born, and proud of it, provides motherly advice to ensure you have everything you need and are prepared on election day. Little sister, Tiffiny TurnUp will keep you informed on what steps you need to take to cast your 2020 Florida ballot successfully; while her big brother Trey, will use the TurnUp app to help him decide how he wants to cast his first time ballot.

Will he vote by mail and if so, does he need a stamp?

Or will Trey vote in- person, and what about ID should he bring?

Join The TurnUps on their journey to share accurate upto-date Florida voting information for all 67 counties!

Text TurnUp-APP to 90407 to download the Turn Up Turn Out Voting Pro App 2020 for in your pocket, onthe-go voting info. Click on the merch button for a free T-Shirt, mask or stickers (while they last).. Voting IS Black Culture!

Statehood is on the ballot for Puerto Ricans this November Puerto Ricois poised to vote on statehood — and make political waves from NYC to Washington, D.C. this November.

On Nov. 3, millions of the island’s residents will cast their ballots and answer an important question: Do they want to ask for statehood? If so, it’s a decision that would dramatically shake up the political status quo from the Bronx to Washington, D.C. For Ritchie Torres, the soon-to-be congressman from the Bronx, statehood, or estadidad, is simply about Puerto Ricans getting the same rights as any other American citizen.

“If you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re going to be on the menu,” said Torres, who will succeed Jose Serrano (DBronx) as representative of the most heavily Puerto Rican congressional district in the nation. “The people on the island should not be at the mercy of presidents and Congress.”

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Statehood means Puerto Rico would get two U.S. senators and an estimated five seats in the House of Representatives. It would get a crucial seven electoral votes in presidential elections.

More importantly for statehood advocates, it would be much more difficult for President Trump or anyone else to treat Puerto Rico differently from the other 50 states.

“The momentum of history is with statehood,” Torres added. Polls show more support for statehood than ever before, especially compared to past disputed referendums. Puerto Ricans favored the measure by an 18-point margin in a recent poll.

And Americans on the mainland are also surprisingly supportive of the idea of adding new stars to the flag. A recent poll said Americans support statehood for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, if they ask for it, by a powerful 59%-26% margin, including a huge 70% backing from political independents.

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Paid for by New Florida Majority Education Fund

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The Caribbean Democratic Caucus of Florida (CDCF) unveiled a new logo.

The logo was designed by the GGR Marketing & Public Relations, the sister company of Caribbean American Passport News Magazine.

"GGR Marketing was pleased to work on a logo that expressed the diversity, vibrance and energy that the Caribbean Democratic Caucus has brought to the community." Said CEO Guenet Gittens-Roberts. "All flags of the Caribbean are represented as they cover Florida from top to bottom. This reflects the fact that people of Caribbean descent are found throughout the state of Florida." Gittens-Roberts continued. The fact that Kamala Harris is of Jamaican descent has energized the Caribbean community. The caucus wanted to share that energy as we head towards election day with a new logo.

However behind the new logo the dedicated team continues their work. Led by Mayor Hazelle Rogers, the caucus has been working behind the scenes to engage Caribbean voters throughout Florida.

Jamaica to Increase Shipment of Mangoes to USA and Other Countries Floyd Green, Jamaica’s Minister of Agriculture, recently announced the government’s plans to establish several mango orchards on the island to take advantage of the high demand in the United States for Jamaican mangoes.

According to Green, the project will be undertaken in partnership with private investors. Green said that 100,000 pounds of mangoes have been sold in the US since the beginning of 2020, with one importer suggesting that over 10 times that amount could be sold there.

The initial effort will place 60 acres in Clarendon into mango production beginning in 2021, with plans to use the public-private partnership model to expand to 1,000 acres in mango production to meet market demand. The Ministry’s National Fruit Trees Program is distributing the trees as part of its program to support food security for Jamaicans and protect the environment through sustainable farming practices.

Ultimately, some 4,500 trees will be provided to farmers and other individuals through the program. On October 1, 2020, 247 fruit trees were distributed at an event at the Commodore New Testament Church of God in St. Catherine. The project, encourages farmers and others to plant fruit trees on unused lands.

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"The trees represent an important element in mitigating climate change. By planting the trees, food security is increased, rainfall is promoted, people can take part in feeding themselves, and protect water resources for everyone.

The government believes planting the trees is an inexpensive way to ensure an abundance of locally grown fruit. " Said Carla Green of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS).

The process of gaining approval for mango imports from the US Department of Agriculture began in 2009 and required changes to be made to existing regulations as mango imports had to be produced according to methods that targeted the mitigation of specific fruit flies, soft scale insects, and diseases.

At that time, Jamaica’s export of mangoes involved less than 0.08 percent of US mango imports. Through a partnership between the Jamaica Direct Distribution Company in Washington DC and Season Farm Fresh, Inc. in Miami, Jamaican and Caribbean communities in New York City and other cities in the Northeastern US received 4,500 pounds of East Indian and St. Julian (Julie) mangoes from Jamaica. The first fruit for sale arrived in June of 2020 in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens.

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Why Vote?

By Katia Saint Fleur, Political Strategist with Florida For All.

Katia Saint Fleur, Political Strategist, is working with Florida For All, leading the Caribbean & Black Constituency Voter Outreach. They are leading an unprecedented voter outreach coalition to engage and motivate 1.5 million black voters in Florida.

Florida For All has built a very deliberate and detailed program to engage Caribbean voters because they could be the difference-makers in this election.

As a first-generation Afro-Caribbean woman, there were many things I was told and taught from an early age by my parents to succeed in America. Words I’m confident every Black child heard growing up, that I needed to be twice as good as anyone else just to stay afloat. I needed to study twice as hard and work twice as hard just to get my foot in the door, and if I expected to make it further, I’d have to do even more. I was told to dress a certain way and talk a certain way just so people who looked at me didn’t have an extra reason to think less of me. I spent my entire life with these little things drilled into the back of my mind, and in light of everything that has happened in 2020, those words and teachings never seemed more relatable, never seemed more real.

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I was taught to survive in a country where even if I were an outstanding citizen and the nicest person in the world, I could take one wrong step, be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and it could all go to waste. The scariest possible timeline had slowly become a reality in the back of every black person’s mind: that no matter how hard we’ve tried to be kinder, smarter, better, we’re still viewed as less of a person than our peers. However, despite their persistent efforts to keep us down, there are certain liberties and truths that can never be taken away from us, namely the right to vote.

Black America plays a huge role in the upcoming 2020 election, with the Afro-Caribbean voter staring as the belle of the ball in this election cycle. Florida, in particular, is notorious for its close elections, as seen during the debacle of Gore/Bush, the narrow margins in the Hillary/Trump election, and the last gubernatorial election which was won by less than 52,000 votes. As in any swing state, campaigns look for any advantage that they can find, every voter they can talk to, and any group they can persuade, because in these states every vote does in fact count.

In a recent visit to South Florida, Vice President Joe Biden made a special trip to Little Haiti in Miami and was met with a number of community leaders and made it very clear that he believed that Caribbean and Haitian Americans can and will decide who the next president of the United States will be.

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Why Vote?

By Katia Saint Fleur, Political Strategist with Florida For All.

On the opposite side of the coin, President Trump’s campaign is focused on targeting young Caribbean males, unlike past republicans, knowing it would lead to a more secure victory in the 2020 election.

Our community is only made stronger when we vote, and the more people that participate, the louder our voice is.

Want a say on how money should be allocated across your neighborhoods? Vote. Want better infrastructure and more support to allow yourselves and your families to have more opportunities for higher education and better-paying jobs?

Vote. Are you angry or disappointed with the way that Caribbean people are being treated in your own neighborhoods and abroad? Vote. Are you worried or scared about the future of your city, town, state, or country?

Vote.

Haitians and Jamaicans make up the majority of 800,000 Afro-Caribbeans in Florida, with half of all persons of Haitian descent in the United States living in Florida(460,000). Both political parties courting AfroCaribbeans and organizations like Florida For All Education Fund have created ground-breaking voter empowerment and education programs directed specifically to engage Caribbean voters for this simple reason. Caribbean In her memoir, Becoming, former First Lady, Michelle Americans will decide the next President.

Obama said, “There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using So why vote? To vote is to make your voice be heard, with your authentic voice. And there’s grace in being willing to Merriam Webster defining the word as simply, “to express know and hear others.” Take the time to think about your an opinion.” While you may think to yourself, a single vote wants, your needs, as well as your community’s. Our voices doesn’t matter, remember that no one knows what you matter, your voice matters, and this coming Election day, want, better than yourself, and if you don’t vote, if you take the initiative to not only make sure your voice is heard, choose to not speak up, you won’t have an elected official to but your family’s, your friends, and your neighbors are represent you, and the ones you do have will not cater to heard as well. you, or your needs. Remember that, voting not only represents your individuality and power as a citizen and Engage and encourage them to take their opinions to the member of this country, but it also highlights the power of polls and make sure the Caribbean voice of Florida is loud your community, your city, your county, and your state. and clear for all to hear!

2020 GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT AMENDMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Find your voting location and down ballot candidates at https:// sunshine.vote No. 1 Constitutional Amendment Article VI, Section 2 Citizenship Requirement to Vote in Florida Elections No. This amendment is not expected to result in any changes to the voter registration process in Florida.

No. 2 Constitutional Amendment Article X, Section 24 Raising Florida’s Minimum Wage Yes.

No. 5 Constitutional Amendment Article VII, Section 4 and Article XII Limitations on Homestead Property Tax Assessments; increased portability period to transfer accrued benefit.

No. No. 6 Constitutional Amendment Article VII, Section 6 and Article XII Ad Valorem Tax Discount for Spouses of Certain Deceased Veterans Who Had Permanent, CombatRelated Disabilities Yes.

No. 3 Constitutional Amendment Article VI, Section 5 All Voters Vote in Primary Elections for State Legislature, Governor, and Cabinet.

No. No. 4 Constitutional Amendment Article XI, Sections 5 and 7 Voter Approval of Constitutional Amendments No. The financial impact of this amendment cannot be determined due to ambiguities surrounding the amendment's impact.

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Tony Deyal | White House Down And Dusted Ronald Reagan, actor and United States President, spent his early life living above a variety store in the Illinois town of Tampico, so when he made it to the White House and heard the hundreds of noisy tourists downstairs, he said to his wife Nancy, “Honey, I’m still living above the store.” He saw himself as a prisoner and complained: “More than once during the eight years I lived there, I stood at a window looking out across the big lawn of the White House, through its black fence and the people strolling along Pennsylvania Avenue and found myself envying their freedom. I’d say to myself, ‘You know, I can’t even walk down to the drug store and look over the magazine rack anymore. Will I ever be able to do it again’?”

Even though Jackie Kennedy said the White House made her feel “like a moth banging on the windowpane”, Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) claimed “It’s not the kind of place you would pick to live in”, and Harry Truman referred to it as “The great White Prison”. Only one president, Grover Cleveland, plagued by the endless flow of tourists and worried about the safety of his baby daughter, Ruth, dared to take the drastic step of not living in the White House during his presidency. Truman and his wife, Bess, seemed to have eventually settled down because as one story goes, Mrs Truman said to the White House usher, J.B. West: “We have a little problem. It’s the president’s bed. Do you think you can get it fixed today?” It seemed that two of the slats on the bed had broken during the night before when Mrs Truman returned from a long summer holiday in Missouri, and evidently, the president was very happy to see her.

It does not seem to have been the case when Donald Trump staged what CNN called “a reckless departure from Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre … before posing for a mask-less photo-op on the White House balcony”. The New York Times said that the White House then went into “full-blown chaos, even by the standards of havoc of the Trump era”. In fact, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at the White House amounted to 14.

IS THAT THE WORST THING? Is that the worst thing that has happened in the White House? During President Jimmy Carter’s term in office, singer Willie Nelson was not on the road again but on the rooftop, with a beer in one hand and a huge Austin Torpedo spliff in the other while taking in the sights of Washington.

He claimed, “I guess the roof of the White House is the safest place I can think of to smoke dope.”

Actually, Willie didn’t know that an even safer place existed during the John F. Kennedy (JFK) era: the president’s bedroom. According to “Great American Anecdotes”, in July 1962, Jackie Kennedy’s friend and JFK’s lover, Mary Meyer, brought along a “small box with six joints”, and after they shared one, JFK laughed and revealed that they were having a White House conference on narcotics in a few weeks. They smoked two more joints, and Kennedy closed his eyes, refusing a fourth joint because, “Suppose the Russians drop a bomb?”

In Dark Side of Camelot, writer Seymour Hersh claimed that Kennedy frequently used the Secret Service to help him

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smuggle women into the White House, and some of them were often prostitutes supplied by organized crime figures.

Boston Globe writer Wyatt Redd confirmed: “Kennedy famously complained that if he didn’t have sex at least once a day, he would start getting headaches. He seems to have taken that very seriously, with a long string of extra-marital affairs that spanned over the three years he was in office. The women JFK was involved with ranged from film stars like Marilyn Monroe to young White House interns and even women who may have been closely linked to the Mafia.” One of them, Judith Campbell Exner, admitted to being a courier between mobster Sam Giancana and JFK in their plans to assassinate Fidel Castro. JFK’s womanizing was so bad that one day, Mrs Kennedy handed her husband a pair of panties found in the presidential bed, saying: “Here, find out who owns these.

They’re not my size.” She even pointed to a White House staffer and said to a French photographer in his native language, “And this is a young lady who is supposed to be sleeping with my husband.” An intern, Mimi Alford, wrote about a relationship with JFK that was similar to Monica Lewinsky’s with Clinton but not blown up to the same extent.

BEHAVIOUR How does Kennedy’s behavior compare with Richard Nixon’s obsession to “ off” Washington columnist Jack Anderson? Or Lyndon B. Johnson giving interviews while seated on the toilet? A biography, The Years of Lyndon Johnson, claimed: “LBJ wasn’t remotely shy about his bodily functions – or his private parts. If the need to pee hit him, he’d whip out his member - which he affectionately dubbed Jumbo” - and let loose right then and there … .” Grover Cleveland married his adopted daughter, George W. Bush insisted on traveling with his favorite pillow, and Barack Obama was known to crave cigarettes at times of tension.

All this led James O’Shea of Irish Central to write, “In that context, Donald Trump going to bed early with a cheeseburger for company, watching three television sets and shouting back at the screen seems like pretty normal behaviour.”

This is why, when I think of American presidents, my favourite is the taciturn Calvin Coolidge after whom “The Coolidge Effect” is named and who might have been JFK’s model as well. It is essentially that the sexual activity of both males and females increases when they are introduced to a new and receptive partner. He and his wife were being shown around separately on a government farm, and on passing the chicken run, Mrs Coolidge asked one of the staff how many times a day the rooster mounted the hens. “Dozens of times,” she was told. “Please tell that to the President when he passes by here,” she said. The president turned up to see the chickens, and the hapless worker passed on Mrs Coolidge’s message. “Tell me,” replied the president, “does the rooster choose the same hen each time?” “Oh no,” the guide answered. “A different one every time.” “Please tell that to Mrs Coolidge,” advised the president.

Tony Deyal was last seen asking, “How do Mexicans feel about Donald Trump’s wall?” Angry, but they will soon get over it.

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