The Monday Musings

Running off at the Android

***While I had endured over a half-dozen major hurricanes since 1979, in May of 2020 during the earliest days of the Coronavirus Pandemic, my phone started buzzing about a tornado warning only a few miles from my home in Tallahassee. I remember that it was a spectacularly sunny day and within minutes, the sky became as dark as dusk; the sounds I heard were similar to a train whistle as the house shook for about 20 seconds and, just like that, the sun was back out and the sounds of chirping birds returned anew. Fortunately, that tornado was neither massive nor deadly as it only managed to knock down several trees, ripped some shingles off of my roof, and tossed trash cans and trash as far as the eye could see. 

While I was lucky, this past weekend, tornadoes ripped through Kentucky, Tennessee, and three other states in a fury of violence that killed at least 80—with many more missing.

Among the missing is Jamie Hall of Tallahassee, an acquaintance who was on a hunting trip in Tennessee when the storms hit. 

My sincere prayers are with the Hall family as the search continues, as well as with the families and communities that have been devastated over the past few days. 

*** This past Saturday, my extended family and FAMUly gathered at the Allen Temple AME Church in Tampa, Florida to commemorate the life of Dr. Walter Lee Smith, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and President Emeritus of Florida A&M University.

The tributes from current FAMU President Larry Robinson, former FAMU Presidents Fred Gainous and Henry Lewis, former FAMU Director of Alumni Affairs Tommy Mitchell, AME Senior Bishop A.J. Richardson, and Judge Greg Mathis perfectly captured the essence of a life well lived, one that presided over the expansion of FAMU to eleven schools and colleges, including the School of Journalism (Media/Graphic Arts), School of Allied Health, and the FAMU/FSU College of Engineering, among others. 

Pictured with Cousins Walter II, Salesia, and President Larry Robinson following the services.

As we viewed his mortal remains for the final time, I turned and commented to my childhood friend (and fellow pallbearer) Tommy Griffin that Uncle Walter looked peaceful and like he would awake at any moment demanding to know whether we had finished raking up the leaves and cutting the yard 😆. But alas, he has "laid his burdens down" and will rest peacefully until the final trumpet is sounded for him and all of us to join the Heavenly host!

***After much fanfare, former President Donald Trump embarked upon his latest rally tour, this time with former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly in South Florida. Right on cue, Trump exclaimed, "I said loud and clear, We won (the 2016 election) the first time, and the second time we won by even more. And it looks like we might have to think about very strongly a third time."

So, while Trump did win the 2016 election quite comfortably, he was soundly beaten by Joe Biden in 2020 no matter how many times he repeats this false narrative to his loyal (and gullible) followers. Still, I am willing to wager that there will be no third race in 2024, mostly because Trump already seems exhausted and three years from now at the age of 79, he very likely will be even more exhausted. Not to mention that Trump’s ego very likely could not take losing in the GOP primary much in the same way that Teddy Roosevelt, one of his heroes, lost a GOP primary challenge to incumbent William Howard Taft when he tried a come back in 1912. (Nota Bene—Roosevelt then ran as leader of the "Bull Moose" Party and watched the following year as Democrat Woodrow Wilson became president).

***Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence just may run for the GOP nomination in 2024, and he has already begun visiting New Hampshire and Iowa to stoke up excitement for his potential candidacy. 

The issue for Pence is that with over 60 percent of potential Republican voters believing that his former boss actually beat Joe Biden last year—primary voters who also believe that Pence "sold Trump out" on January 6th, it will be interesting to see whether he can place well in a primary where Trump's presence will loom large whether Trump runs or not.  

Stay tuned...

***This weekend, “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace announced that he is leaving the network after 18 years to join CNN’s new streaming service. Wallace said that he desires to “try something new, to go beyond politics to all the things I’m interested in.”

Wallace, son of legendary CBS journalist Mike Wallace, was the last remaining moderate on a Fox platform that is dominated by Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, both fiercely loyal supporters of former President Trump. Wallace's willingness to question not only Trump, but other conservative politicians and platform planks, often led to his being disliked by the network's viewers who prefer the cheerleader styled support of conservatives.

Now, it will be interesting to see whether Wallace will be met with suspicion by CNN viewers who may be skeptical of the host due to his Fox News past. Either way, as I often lament, the hyper politicization of the news, the "our" news vs. "their" news, is a major part of the intransigence that we witness in Washington and state capitals across America. Here’s hoping that Wallace will do his part to continue asking the tough questions, even if it upsets the political home team cheerleaders.

*** This past weekend, the United States reached 800,000 Covid-19 deaths. Lest we forget...

Proud Hobbs Clan moment

Back in 2017, I was driving through Tallahassee with my nephew, Amir Rasul II, during a break in classes before he needed to head back to the Florida State University campus for football practice. 

As we talked about our shared passion for history and writing, I told Amir to send me some of his writings so that I could see what he could do; when he e-mailed me several essays, I beamed with pride as I read every paragraph (while remembering something his mother, my First Cousin/Sister Andrea Cambridge Rasul, had said since he was in elementary school: "Chuckie, this boy is JUST like you.")

In many ways Andrea was right, with the glaring exception that I was never a state and AAU national champion 100 meter sprinter, or a Rivals Network 4-star running back that played three years at FSU and one season as a graduate transfer at Middle Tennessee State University. No, that part Little Amir inherited from his father, FAMU Hall of Fame and Buffalo Bills running back Amir Rasul; his mother, a star sprinter at Miami Killian High School and FSU in the 80's, and his grandfather, Rudy Cambridge, a star running back at Florida A&M and the CFL in the 1960s (each of whom were outstanding students as well).

FAMU Hall of Famer Amir Rasul, Sr. dragging a Morgan State defender circa ‘89

My uncle Rudy Cambridge, backfield mate of Olympic sprinter Bob Hayes, running for yards circa ‘64

But again, seeing Amir graduate from FSU in three years back in 2019, and now earn his master's degree from MTSU yesterday in little over one year (during the Covid pandemic), makes my heart burst with pride in all that he has achieved! Even more, the fact that he will finish his collegiate playing days in the Bahamas 🇧🇸 Bowl—over in the very islands whence many of our ancestors hailed—is the icing on the cake!

I look forward to watching Amir Rasul's professional career, be it in football, real estate, or both—with great admiration and interest!❤

Thank you for subscribing to the Hobbservation Point—have a wonderful Monday!