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Sunday November 30, 2008

[The Fight Continues] On November 19, we celebrated the swearing in of our new board of county commissioners. Attendees were jubilant and our commissioners respectful of our concerns. An atmosphere of civic cooperation, not authoritative confrontation. Hurray for the Red, White and Blue!

Confused? Upset? Call, write, no run to your local Commissioner’s office before it’s too late. If this monster sneak-a-round passes on Dec 3 without a public forum with a question and answer format, we will back where we started.

[Rice For President] You know what would really anger the Democrats? Bush should resign now. Then Dick Cheney becomes President (that would really tick off the liberals). Then he appoints Condoleezza Rice as VP. Then Cheney resigns two weeks later and Condoleezza Rice becomes the first black President and the first woman President—a Republican!

This site offers users the ability to store e-mails and documents that will be sent to up to 63 e-mail addresses six days after the rapture has occurred. $40 per month until you're raptured. Why didn't I think of that? Don't you want to send your final "I told you so!" from beyond? You've Been Left Behind

Then there is the worry about your pets; who will look after them once you've raptured out of here?  Not to worry, another entrepreneur offers a solution for a one-time $50 fee.  best of craigslist : Your Pets Will Not Be Flagged For Removal By Jesus During the Rapture

There's a sucker born every minute.  ~P.T. Barnum

[Free Shipping] Hi everyone and Happy Holidays. I have just had a meeting with my son Ryan the Winemaker about doing something special for the Holidays with Big Pecker Wines. He has given me the okay to offer as a Holiday Gift from Rvino, Inc. a No Shipping Cost Deal from the web site to all states listed.

Happy Holidays and looking forward to 2009, Keb Leeman Rvino, Inc. Big Pecker Wines www.bigpeckerwines.com

[Winn Dixie] After checking out the Taviner Winn Dixie we found that the BPK WD is still the best one around. So stop whining!

Turn your computer off and go fishing. It's Sunday for god's sake!

Huh? Obama Puts Faith in Bush's Defence Secretary | CommonDreams.org

Right now 23 million soldiers serve in armies around the world. Can't we find ten times that number that will dedicate themselves to peace? 100 times?  ~Deepak Chopra

[Obama has a small donor] Obama won fair and square, but it wasn’t quite the whupping that some folks are crowing about. It is interesting to learn that the hype that the lions share of Obama’s support was from the “little guys” and that the vast majority of his campaign donations were from the little guys, was donkey dung.

Recent analysis by AP shows that Obama raised 80% more from large donors than small, outstripping all rivals and predecessors. His small donor percentage amount was about 26%, Bush’s was about 25%, and McCain about 21%. Obama is the dude of choice for the fat cats. Did you know that Obama won Florida only because of the early voters?  It turns out that McCain beat Obama by 5% in the regular voting but Obama won Florida because of the early and absentee votes. It looks like the more folks learned about Obama the less they liked him.  I sure hope that changes after he’s inaugurated, and that he gets a lot more fair shake than Bush did. 

[Whiz bang] Now here’s an idea to help with that pesky urine test. http://wizbangpop.com/2008/11/25/men-guilty-of-selling-prosthetic-for-drug-tests.php

[This Year's First Christmas Joke] Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates. 'In honor of this holy season' Saint Peter said, 'You must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven.'

The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. 'It represents a candle', he said. 'You may pass through the pearly gates' Saint Peter said.

The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, 'They're bells.' Saint Peter said 'You may pass through the pearly gates'.

The third man started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's panties. St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, 'And just what do those symbolize?' The man replied, 'These are Carols.'

And so the Christmas season begins.

Auckland's Boobs on Bikes Festival http://www.pbase.com/craigsyd/boobs_on_bikes

[Plastic Wrap Dispenser] I’ve been looking from Key West to Marathon for a plastic wrap, waxed paper and tin foil dispenser. I saw one at somebody's house once and know they make them. The one I saw was wall mounted and had three compartments, each with a course metal cutting blade. A rod ran through each roll affixing the roll to the compartment, no matter how hard you pulled at the roll.

Sarah Palin gets ignored not because she’s tough, but because her 15 minutes are over. She lost so now there’s nothing to talk about her for. We’re not in Alaska.

[Expert Drug Dealer] I shouldn’t be writing this, but I saw a real professional yesterday. I went to my long time pot dealer for resupply. He said he was so good he almost didn’t need a scale anymore because he could estimate an ounce of pot. I laughed and he said he was serious so I put up my money and he took out a brick, broke away part of it, removed another piece, put it back and took it away again, and said it was an ounce, 28 grams. I laughed again until he put it on the triple beam. A goddamned ounce!

Obama has thus far done many odd things. He, so far, has done nothing in terms of actions that currently impact our society; he has not yet been sworn in.  Nonetheless his sycophant press covers his every twitch with slavish love and devotion. His histrionic “Office of the President Elect” crap is way over the top in hubris. But, his announced cabinet/advisor picks to date are not nearly as left wing as I had anticipated; in fact he seems to setting himself up for an administration that embraces right wing Democrat dicta, nearly Republican on some issues.  So far he’s picked some real bozos, but his penchant for appointing retreads from both Dem and Rep admins calms, to a minor extent, some of my deepest concerns. 

One has to wonder if he’s just going with the flow or perhaps he simply hustled the left wing of the liberal progressives for their support and bucks. He could go a long way in getting support from centrist folks if only he would make real effort to sanction the Legislators who had the responsibility of oversight of Fannie and Freddie, it is those dastards who dropped us into this pit. I now expect that his will be a very, very regal Presidency full of pomp, circumstance, and fluff. I’ve got problems with spending the amounts of tax dollars that we’ll spend on his inauguration in these tight times. It will be the biggest and most expensive ever! He could earn some serious respect points by simply cutting back in the name of economy.  I have great hope, but little confidence that he can lead us out of this mire.  

Endeavour is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center, Fla today, Sunday at 1:19 p.m. EST.

[What are the locals doing] Ed ran all the locals off.  He has become a true Big Pine Key Politically correct soul.  Not offending Bill Becker, George Neugent or any of the stars of the Florida Keys.  ~salkeylargo@keylargokey.com

[Deer Repellant] T

When I read the fine print, it turned out that the ingredient list for Liquid Fence is putrescent egg solids, garlic, sodium laureth sulfate (soap) and potassium sorbate, a preservative.   So Bob paid $125 for a jug of rotten eggs, garlic and soap, the exact same deer repellent that our friends make in mayonnaise jars.  Woops!

It makes me think that while the people at Liquid Fence use the motto “It Really Works” on their label, they might have a different motto in-house.  I’m guessing it’s something like “I can’t believe that people will pay such inflated prices for rotten eggs and garlic.”  Of course, now that I have the recipe we’ll never ante up for Liquid Fence again.  And now you have the recipe, too. 

[Secret Garden] Thought to have been planted by a Victorian explorer nearly 170 years ago. Gardeners were cutting back some shrubs on the other side of the valley and suddenly this wonderful vista opened up. Ananova - Lost jungle found - in Cornwall

Ocean currents can power the world. Now, this is news I like to hear!http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/renewableenergy/3535012/Ocean-currents-can-power-the-world-say-scientists.html

The Iraqi Government, in their grand charitableness, has decided that they will "allow" us to stay in their country for another 3 years while they suck the lifeblood out of our nation.  This means that there is a good possibility that they will last longer then we do at the rate we are tearing ourselves apart.

I am looking for a used clothes iron.  I purchased an iron less then a year ago at K Mart.  I paid $10-12 for it. (You get what you pay for) The other morning as I used it to get ready for work I smelled the wires burning up inside.  I went to K Mart and decided that I did not want to buy an iron from China.  I have purchased other things from there (China)  and have not been happy.  Missing parts, poorly drilled and aligned pieces.  Well guess what, they were all from China.  Proctor Silex, Black and Decker, Hamilton Beach, all good American names--all made in China.  I went home and Googled irons, the only one made in American is a Oreak (?) cordless. Price $129, way out of line for this single mom.  If you have a decent  clothes iron you do not use please call me at 393-4284.  Do you think this issue is part of our economic downfall?  Please be careful what you purchase this holiday season and boycott China products.  Make our businesses bring the jobs home.

[Dead Deputy] How come we hear so much about the Sheriff’s deputy that passed but nothing about the other people in the accident he caused? Their lives count too. Condolences and best wishes to everyone’s family involved.

Featherlady Studio:  wildlife art  by Northwest artist Julie Thompson

[Mumbai] In the news, there is speculation that Pakistan aided the terrorists in the Mumbai attacks. As I recall my history reading, at one time Pakistan was part of India. After Gandhi was killed, the Indian Muslims demanded a separate nation and Pakistan was carved out of the northwest portion of India. Relations between Pakistan and India were never very good; there were ongoing border wars and saber rattling. So it wasn’t far-fetched to wonder if Pakistan had a hand in the Mumbai attacks.

Cathy and I spent a good bit of time strolling the waterfront in front of our hotel. The ocean was nasty looking. The only fish being caught were saltwater catfish. The air was filled with swarming flocks of aggressive black-and-white crows. They came to our table at the rooftop restaurant at our hotel, begging for and even trying to steal food off our plates. I saw a swarm of those crows in an online photo of the Taj Mahal Hotel smoking with fires from the recent terrorist attacks.

Two good reasons why people dream of moving south!
Reason Number One Video
Reason Number Two Video

Dangerous Places to Visit.  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/3534072/In-pictures-worlds-most-dangerous-places.html

Holiday screen savers. Holiday Lights from Tiger Technologies

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Sunday November 30, 2008

Saturday November 29, 2008

[Texas Border Volunteers] We're attracting some favorable notice from State and Federal agencies. Homeland Security has visited us three times.  They recently installed an insta-cam  at one of our hot spots.  Think of this camera as being like one of those $99 deer-picture cameras that you can buy at the store.  Except, this camera is silent IR and is hooked to a satellite feed and triggers some very, er, umh…uptown recorders and e-mail accounts.  HS doesn't (presently) do anything to intercede but they're regularly recording images of criminal trespassers.  During a mission down on "the ranch" a couple weeks ago, I got a call advising me that the camera had spotted subjects crossing the hot spot.  I thanked the agent and advised him that we had people out on post and they'd already spotted them. We had members maneuvering so as to be able to observe the group from 4 sides as they ran around in the dark--with hi-powered spotlights.  As it turned out, 14 out of 15 observed criminal trespassers grew weary of trying to run and hide and stumble thru the dark and the brush. They sat down and waited while Border Patrol Officers came to give them a ride to town.  The camera worked as well as it could and validated the nature of the illegal immigration problem, but it didn't replace boots on the ground. 

I've been advised to expect about 3 more brand-new State and Federal agencies to appear at our December operation.  To meet and greet and 'observe' (what's up with that?).  It is way above my (volunteer) pay grade to interpret, but I'm hugely suspect that those HS images that have been generated for less than 30 days may have shot some pop-bottle rockets up the asses of a bunch of somnambulant bureaucrats.  I hope so. 

When I saw the new movie Australia the other night, I figured it heralded yet another spirit journey down under, that is, into the subconscious, spirit, etc. Such happens every time I have an “Australia” experience in dream or waking time. In the movie was a the evolution of a half-caste – creamy – boy’s relationship with his aborigine paternal grandfather, who was still completely tuned into the old ways far beyond the ken of white Australians, or for that matter, any white people.

I related to that boy, who was inexorably drawn to going walkabout with, and being initiated by his grandfather into the old ways; instead of the ways the white Australians were imposing on half-caste children to “civilize” them.

In November 1995, I was near Darwin, where Australia is set. I was in the back of a SUV, backpacking with several white Australians half my age, when two aborigines, a man and a woman, came out of dreamtime into the SUV with us. Only I saw them. I knew who the were, what they were, for I had read of them in Marlo Morgan’s book Mutant Message Downunder. I then was in the habit of asking spirits what they wanted from me when they came visiting. When I asked  these two what I had that they wanted, they laughed, said, “What could you have that we need? We are real people?” I apologized, felt like an idiot, because they were real people who viewed modern people as mutants. So I asked why they had come? “To welcome you into our tribe,” they said. I wept, as they went back to where they had come from. Then I went back into civilization, to try to live there as the real people live in the bush. Live like the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. I’m not kidding. Those two have been with me ever since. I can tell by the heaving in my heart as I write this. Austrailia

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[$250,000 A Year Boat Rides] $680 per day to park my boat near Pigeon Key.  What a sweet gig. How many passengers do they take a day? How much does it cost us to ferry each passenger?

[Mumbai] 183 killed, over 300 wounded, 5 Americans. The only good thing is that we all got another geography lesson. Now we all know that Bombay is renamed Mumbai. That’s a pretty big price to pay for a geography lesson.

Governor Palin has departed the national political stage and has resumed her duties in Governing the state which provides our nation with more energy than any other. How long ago was it when the hue and cry was to whup up on Big Oil?  Palin did just that and won. Governor Palin demonstrated great courage in defeating and ousting members of her own party that were corrupting government. She consistently earns some of the highest citizen approval ratings of any Governor. McCain’s selection of her as a running mate was genius. She is common sense and rectitude personified, the very anti-hysteric of the liberal progressives amongst us.  She breathed excitement and new life into his moribund campaign as no other candidate could. 

The opposition chooses to ignore all of that and instead levy nattering criticism and crass ridicule. I think that Governor Palin should take great pride in these attacks for it most certainly shows that they are convinced that she is a real and present danger to the next Democrat Presidential candidate. Were she not seen as a serious threat by them, she would be but a memory. It’s worth noting that she seems to be getting more ink than our VP elect, old Joe What’s His Name.

If Pigeon Key wants to be an amusement or historic tour it should pay for itself and not rely on local help. It’s not that big a deal of a place to justify a 34 million dollar bridge. Are people nuts? The tiny island’s value lies in the state’s historic interest. They should pay for anything to do with that place as well as private contributions and support from other historic interests in America.

[Southern Border] Mrs Vickers, whose ranch is regularly trampled, littered and looted by those crossing illegally.  The TBV is very welcome there. Be sure to watch the video. It’s a sin that we have to have volunteer rednecks patrolling our southern border to help capture illegal aliens. It’s fairly obvious to me that our country doesn’t want to stop the aliens for one reason or another. http://www.newschannel5.tv/2008/11/26/1001773/NEWSCHANNEL-5-Investigation--Freedom-Toll 

NASA video progress reports, which have been produced quarterly beginning in August 2006, have been used to visually share progress with the NASA team at all levels and to record the historical work being completed on America's newest fleet of spacecraft for future generations. Now, in an effort to share the Ares development with a broader audience, NASA is posting the full library of reports on iTunes. The programs range in length from 5-15 minutes. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/nov/HQ_08-314_Ares_iTunes.html

[Happy Thanksgiving!] Recently I received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. I tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else I could think of to clean up the bird's vocabulary. Finally, I was fed up and I yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. I shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. So in desperation, I threw up my hands, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that I'd hurt the parrot, I quickly open the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto my outstretched arm and said, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior." I was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude.

As I was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

The totem pole pictured yesterday was carved from a dead tree.  Please check your facts before posting statements. 

[Greed Kills] Death Trample at Wal-Mart Store. See this and draw your own conclusions. worker_dies_at_long_island_walmart.html

305-872-7847(?)

[Blonde] Where’s my chips? Video

[Extreme Recycling] This will be the answer to the water and sewer problems for the Keys.  SPACE.comVideo Player: Video - Drinking Water From Urine and Other Unmentionables

[Time Clocks] There is no need to call Human Resources, we already know that employees fill out their own time sheets. What the posters seem to be saying is that they want time clocks to guarantee that the citizens are getting the full time from County employees that we are paying them for. What’s wrong with that?

[Threatened by web server to disconnect because of foul language and dirty pictures on this site] Come on ED, let’s keep our priorities straight. I cite this article for the good of mankind:

"Staring at women's breasts is good for men's health and makes them live longer, a new survey reveals. Researchers have discovered that a 10-minute ogle at women's breasts is as healthy as half-an-hour in the gym. A five-year study of 200 men found that those who enjoyed a longing look at busty beauties had lower blood pressure, less heart disease and slower pulse rates compared to those who did not get their daily eyeful.

Dr Karen Weatherby, who carried out the German study, wrote in The New England Journal of Medicine: "Just 10 minutes of staring at the charms of a well-endowed female is roughly equivalent to a 30-minute aerobics workout. Sexual excitement gets the heart pumping and improves blood circulation. There is no question that gazing at breasts makes men healthier. Our study indicates that engaging in this activity a few minutes daily cuts the risk of a stroke and heart attack in half. We believe that by doing so consistently, the average man can extend his life 4 to 5 years."

She added that sexy stars like Dolly Parton, Heather Locklear, Anna Nicole Smith and Demi Moore had proved to be especially good for the men's health." (Jonathan Hayter)

The Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce cordially invites you to our December Business Social hosted by First State Bank of the Florida Keys at their brand new location on US 1 and Wilder Road, Big Pine Key from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm. on Thursday, December 18^th featuring hot and cold hors d’ oeuvres, libations and a special visit from Santa! Business card and 50/50 drawings will add to the fun so plan to come out, enjoy the opportunity to network with other Lower Keys Chamber businessmen & women, and take this opportunity to check out First State Bank’s new “digs”.   A $10.00 per person donation helps supper the Lower Keys Chamber.
For more information Bulletin Board

Here are some pics of the Human Peace Sign event. Enjoy peace and love. Island Girl Gallery - Photography of the Florida Keys and Islands Around the World - Photo Greeting Cards and Prints by Jan L.

Not hard to tell the snowbirds are back in town. The canals are full of lawn and tree clipings. Can fish carcasses be far behind?

[Old 7 Mile Bridge. DOT is paying $250,000 a year for the ferry service to Pigeon Key] Yes, but only for 3 years. Then what happens when FDOT's money stops?  Who pays for the ferry service then?  Yup, the good old Monroe County taxpayer. Time for Pigeon Key Board or managers to ask for ownership of the road, float a private or park bond, and fix it themselves, or buy their own boat, or hire their own ferry service.

Because, as a resident in Florida, a taxpayer in Florida, a gas buyer in Florida, I do not want any more of my taxpayer money being spent on ferry service to a private operation.  To clearly prevent any misunderstanding, I am not "against" Pigeon Key.  I am against public money supporting and being spent on Pigeon Key. There's too many agencies, organizations, groups going to the public coffers with their hands out, and not enough pennies to go around.

Black Friday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUJmkRatgB4

Obama bin Biden?

[Sloan: I wrote of feeling pain in my left arm when I left a candidate forum after speaking there.]  Maybe you should start dating your other hand.

[Ass] Sorry to tell you but ass is a legitimate word with many meanings; and the nicest is the 4 legged donkey relative.  Arse: like in stupid ass, or a real curse word or the description of the buttocks.

This goes to show that people, especially the great uninformed are now ruling our rock. Shame on us real thinkers.

Print what you want to say, and print it big!  ~G. Orwell

NASA’s Picture of the Day http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_image_1230.html

Crane operator required 2257 ft high. Further applicants for window cleaning will be screened, skydiving experience a must and a pair of strong arms as you will be cleaning 111500m square (that is 17 football fields) of glass and metal? by hand. At a good pace you will only be able to clean the same window 4 times a year. Even if your wife stays 96km away she will be able to see if you are at work. Current height 688m that is 236m higher than the Patronas twin towers.  In case of fire, jump naked!

[Taxpayer’s Money] Officers in Torquay, Devon, England said drunken women to be given flip-flops. Sometimes female revellers wear inappropriate footwear and can either fall or take their shoes off and risk cutting their feet. The flip-flops will have messages about safe alcohol limits printed on them and will be paid for by Government funding.

What are the locals doing?  Are they all gone from this site? Tired of the politics!

A bin Laden Christmas. Video

[Kid Makes Mechanical Cake] I have a hard time believing this little girl could make this without some grown-up help. Real cake, fondant, Rice Krispy squares, fiber optic lighting, and pure love, the cake features several Super Mario Galaxy features and characters, including the under-glass pill-shaped puzzle area and Princess Peach's castle. And then just when you think it couldn't get any better, the damn thing moves. http://kotaku.com/5099269/the-super-mario-galaxy-cake-+-king-of-all-game-cakes/?rss 

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Saturday November 29, 2008

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Friday November 28, 2008

[God is Great] Terrorist in Bombay have killed about 140 people so far and wounded more than 300. When will this end? There are too few places in the world where we can go and feel safe any more. Worst of all is what this will do to our tech support. “Hello I’m ‘Nick’ form Bombay.” Will it get worse? Can it get worse? Allah Akhbar!

[Hendrix] On the 27th day of November in 1942, Rock/Blues guitarist and songwriter Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle, WA.  Jimi Hendrix was the most influential guitarist of his generation, and is among the most influential of all time.

Watch him play Red House. This is one of the few videos of Hendrix that film him actually playing the guitar. All other videos usually just show his face, the faces of the crowd and a few flicks of his fingering, but this video shows it all-- his thumb wrapped over the fat E string and all. It must have been shot by a guitar player.

Hendrix was born on the 27^th and he died when he was only 27 years old which puts him in the infamous "27 Club" with Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjOQ9r35uiU

[Phone Scam] We received a call last week from the  809 area code. The woman said “Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you--get back to us quickly. I Have something important to tell you.' Then she repeated a phone number beginning with 809.” We didn't respond.

Don't dial area code 809, 284 and 876. This is very important information provided to us by AT&T. If you call from the US you will apparently be charged $2425 per-minute. Or, you'll get a long recorded message. The point is they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges. Unfortunately, when you get your phone bill, you'll often be charged more than $24,100.  

The 809  area code is located in the Dominican Republic. They are not  regulated by the US telecommunication laws. The charges can become a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.

[Savage polar bear attack]  These are pictures of an actual polar bear attack of a hiker above Mosinee, Canada last summer. These pictures were taken while people watched and could  do nothing to stop the attack. Reports from the local newspaper say that the victim should  make a full recovery.

[County Workers Watchdog] People will say and write anything to get you all riled up, can't you see that? If you want answers to your questions regarding work hours why not call Human Resources and get it? No need to rant and rave. Enough already, it’s time to move on.

[More bar wisdom] The most criminal thing about pot is how much people charge for it.

Three or four lanes--it doesn't matter.  Floridians don't know what the left lane is for anyway.

[Where's Waldo] Where in the world has President Bush gone? Him and Dick Cheney seem to have abandoned ship in the middle of the worse financial meltdown in our time. And where in the heck is John (I have to run back to Washington and save the financial markets so I’m cancelling my campaign) McCain. This proves John McCain’s attempt to cancel his campaign was nothing more then a stunt. Now it’s where’s Waldo and where's George and John?

Regarding the attention disorder kid in the marching band, he may have noticed the un-noticed event that saves the lives of all at hand. He is not a sheep that follows the herd, he is the artist, the task master and the pioneer.

[Civics Test] I'm smiling. I have such smart friends. Between us, we all got in the 90% on that Civics Test from the 11/27 CT. We all missed #33--we're all such democrats. Civic Literacy Report - Civics Quiz

Pinup totem pole. The artist uses live trees.

[Old Bridge] The plan to repair the seldom used old Seven Mile Bridge has been suspended indefinitely. The county was to pay for half of the $34 million repair. Whew, that was close. Let’s spend that money on something we all use. We have enough bridges to nowhere in this country already. The DOT is currently paying for the ferry service to Pigeon Key to the tune of $250,000 a year.

[Dream Diseases] Maybe two months ago, I wrote of feeling pain in my left arm when I left a candidate forum after speaking there. I wrote that I took the pain as a sign that I should go back to the forum and hear the candidates for the other races, and when I went back the pain went away. Several concerned Key West friends got all over me about going to a physician immediately. My reply that I should be so lucky as to have a heart attack and depart this world did not seem to affect their pleadings. Nor did my description of other situations where I had experienced the same arm pain when I did or did not do something I wasn’t supposed to do, and it went away as I took care of it.

I told two of my worried friends of being asked in my sleep in the early 1990s, “When are you going to write a book about your leukemia?” I awoke properly freaked out and made an appointment with an internist I had only recently met, who seemed to be open to spiritual workings. When I told him what I’d heard in my sleep and that I felt we needed to do whatever tests were used to see if I had or didn’t have leukemia, he said he agreed. The tests came back negative. I said what I heard must be a spirit thing. He agreed.

That same day, a friend happened by my home and I told her about it. She was involved in dream work and right away said, “Sloan, leukemia is a blood disease; that dream is about your bloodlines.” Chi-ching. My father’s father had died of leukemia. The dream was about the sins of the fathers effect on me. Later I wrote several books, each in its own way, about that leukemia.

Essentially, my paternal grandfather was a control freak and thought and behaved as if he was God. An inheritance I would have to come to terms with, and there would be many opportunities to work through it.     More...Today'sFloridaKeysDrivel

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Friday November 28, 2008

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Wednesday November 26, 2008

[Today’s Gossip] Oh boy, legal trouble for Dr. Norman at Big Pine Key Chiropractic. Sexual harassment? Is he ever going to learn? Stay away, he is trouble. ~ohboy200010@yahoo.com

[The Saga Continues] Not long after Hurricane Ike slammed into Texas, Sandy Downs’ husband, Nick, took Tarzan’s Tree Care’s crew and operable equipment, and other Keys people, to east Texas, to get work with clean up and restoration of damage caused by Ike. Eventually Nick linked up with what would prove to be a very crooked company from Nevada, which was owned by foreign interests. This company’s Texas operatives got subcontractor companies to carry it on their insurance policy, because it had no insurance of its own. It got sub companies to do work and then did not pay them. When Sandy refused to add this company to Tarzan’s insurance policy, and when she started playing sheriff and asking questions, all hell broke loose. The company reported her to Texas and Monroe County law enforcement for stalking its employees by telephone. Nick became evasive and accusatory. He ran up debt on the corporate credit cards and stripped the corporate checking account. Sandy got a local Texas police officer involved, then a Texas Ranger, and finally, because of the insurance part of the scam, the FBI.

From what I heard from Sandy, (name removed by request) is under the care of a psychiatrist. (name removed by request) and Nick were in collusion for quite a while before Nick went to Texas. Tarzan’s employees and subs in Texas were not fully paid for the work they did. (name removed by request) appears to have been the prime instigator of the corporate plot against Sandy; Nick followed (name removed by request) lead. (name removed by request) herself told me the very first time she and I met in her office many months ago, with Sandy present, that once she had gotten demonically possessed in her stomach and had to go to a person to get the demon removed. (name removed by request) said she wanted to discuss it further away from her office, but she never brought it up again when I visited her twice at her home with Sandy. Maybe the demon didn’t get removed. Or maybe, as Jesus said in the gospels would happen, it was replaced by seven worse demons.  More...Today'sFloridaKeysDrivel

This site is so un-Big Pine. No fishing pictures, no boating escapades, no weird creatures in the sea have been seen lately, no wife beatings, no husbands lost, no alcohol stories, no cool boats, no anything!

Now I just read comments from political Nazi pundits and the rare obituary. When I lose my job up north I am coming down to join the homeless of Big Pine and that seems like it will be soon. I hope there will be a Welcome Wagon to greet me.

[Life Is Beautiful Virus] Email with this in the subject line contains a Virus PowerPoint presentation called "Life is beautiful.pps." If  you receive it do not open the file under any circumstance. A message will appear on your screen saying: "it is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful", subsequently you will lose everything in your computer. (Ed: We got one yesterday about a UPS tracking number. Don’t open it.)

[Christmas Lighting] Last year, we were fortunate to win second place in the street-front Christmas lighting contest.  We planned to add substantially to the display this year since so many seemed to enjoy it.  With the word out about the bottom-dwellers stealing lights and other belongings along Wilder Rd, and with so little police patrol in this area, we've decided not to decorate this year.

We're glad we could make last year's Christmas a little merrier for those who enjoyed the display, and we wish all the decent residents of Big Pine a Merry Christmas this year.  Perhaps next year will be better for us all.

Obama wants to create 2.5 million jobs. Great, but that will not quite cover the estimated 3 million jobs that will be lost if the Big 3 go down.

Obama is making progress. The stock market needs 1100 more points and he will finally break even with the points lost since he was elected. He has started listening to the Clintons and will not be taxing the rich.

[Fishing Charter] Does anyone know of the best way of contacting a part time fishing charter?  I would like to take 2-3 people out fishing and would prefer a local who can do it affordably. 

[Bailout] You can roll a turd in powdered sugar but that don't make it a jelly doughnut! Why are the rich getting bailed out and the common Joe get's nothing but screwed? At least pay for the Vaseline, this stinks.

[Muslims] Indeed, you have every right in the world to be very concerned about the influx of Muslims in Europe. They are already a concern in America. Muslims do not assimilate into the culture that they emigrate to, instead they go about setting up there own culture and laws. The birth rate for Muslims is approx. two and a half times as that of native Europeans. Many predict Europe will become Muslim, it is just a matter of time. Sharia law (Muslim) is already in effect in Europe. Many predict that the U.S. will go the same way. Read Mark Steyns’ book America Alone, the end of the world as we know it, which pretty well lays out the situation. The book has been banned in Canada where they’ve already made inroads. This is not a peace loving bunch. It is their way or the death-way.

How hips are broken. Video

[Third Lane Big Pine Key] Why not just 4 lane the highway the whole way from Fl. City to Key West and be done with it? It’s idiotic to think that a narrow road is going to keep the keys from getting built up. All it does is cause a dangerous inconvenience to locals and visitors alike. There is no one who dislikes the way the keys have been over developed than me, but the reality is that there is a lot of traffic on US 1 and there will be more. We are always going to have someone poking along 5-15 mph below the speed limit with 25 cars stuck behind them and another idiot trying to pass the whole parade. The result can be bad. With a 4 lane road, people who have to be somewhere can get around those here on vacation.

[Coral Castle] Are you fascinated by the great pyramids, Stonehenge, the Mayan ruins, etc? We have our very own spot right here in south Florida. Have you been to Coral Castle? There are many videos on YouTube telling the story, but it is still a mystery today. Go see for yourself and tell me how one man made it alone.  Wow!

Sponsor an Executive    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDC0qcf0kzE

[Tool Bag Lost in Space]  The tool bag can be seen through binoculars, a few minutes ahead of the space station's orbit. The satellite tracker predicts that the bag will be visible through binoculars from Europe and western North America during a series of passes this week. By late next week, the tool bag should appear in the evening skies over most of North America. That woman must be so embarrassed to have lost her bag.

[Blame it on the Black Man] I'm a 45 year old white male who didn't vote because they didn't have a box for “none of the above”. I'm not bias or prejudice and mean no offense to anyone, this is just my opinion.

I see the recent situation of the fleecing of America as some sick scheme by the politicians (who consider gov't corruption to be business as usual), they know the country is about to collapse so they are all just out for themselves and filling every pocket they have anyway they can. Obama is no savior, but think about how low the outlook and moral of the country was a month ago. Unfortunately, Obama is just smoke and mirror used to divert our attention, to give us hope that things will be alright until they can finish off the job. Then when America collapses in the next few years it will all be unfairly blamed on the fact that we put a black man in office.

[Bailout] They us that Bush was a jerk for getting us into this mess, (I totally disagree, it is a Democrat failure). They say this mess never would have happened if we had only followed Democrat fiscal policies. But now Obama is appointing his Secretary of the  Treasury  one of the dudes who’s been a darling of the Right wing establishment, that’s Geithner.  Geithner is a rock ribbed capitalist whose been the President of the New York Fed., and has been working hand in glove with Hank Paulson, a Bush appointee, on general fiscal policy even prior to the melt down.  There are strong indications that Paulson will continue to be an important part of the new admin. Further, there are strong indications that Ben Bernanke will not be canned.

If Bush was a jerk for his fiscal policies and appointments, what does that make Obama who makes no substantive changes? Please understand that I’m convinced that our current bailout ideas are a sure fire ticket to perdition.  If GM, Citibank, or any other business is so poorly managed that it fails, it should not be artificially propped up with tax dollars.  That’s precisely what bankruptcy laws that demand reorganization were designed for.

[Third lane on US 1 through the business district of Big Pine] Is this a good thing? Do BPK people want this to happen and support it? If the answer is yes, good luck. Hope it gets you what you want.

If the answer is no, ask FDOT about this at all the public meetings and in all your letters:  Where is the factual  data, written studied reports, traffic data evaluations which verify that a 3rd lane is the solution to traffic delays.

[Dog doctor] I live in the beautiful central part of upstate  New York. Yes, some of taxes are high, but our homes appreciate in value by an average of 5% annually--even this year. The cost of living is reasonable. Even so, I pay around $150 a year for my dog to get her annual checkup, she's worth that and more. My kudos to Dr Cindy (DVM) for saving her life 2 years ago.  

How come the BBQ negative comment didn't get an e mail address?  The corn bread I got was yummy. (Ed: No restaurant or person was named.)

Human peace sign bumper stickers are available at the Good Food Conspiracy Health Food Store on Big Pine Key and are being sold to raise money for the Vietnam Veterans Fundraiser on Saturday, December 13th from 3-10 p.m. Live music from 7-10p.m. Bulletin Board

[Somebody is Lying] If the submitter could read, he would discover that Washington said “Christian religion” not Judeo-Christian values.  Values are such things as those  found in the ten commandments or Jesus saying, “Do unto others as you would like to be done to you”, or marriage is between a man and a woman. These are religious values founded upon a religion such as the church of England or the church of Rome  as the official state religion.

Is this statue-tory rape or just a moose-demeanor?

[Your Honor, my client is an idiot] Police in Covington, Ky., arrested Gregory Griggs, 19, at the USA Motel, a suspected drug market. Though several people were booked that night, Griggs was the one wearing the T-shirt that read, "It's Not Illegal Unless You Get Caught."

What's this fascination with county employees' work hours?  Does someone have so bad of a career that they have to complain about other people's jobs?  County employees are just like you and me.  They pay taxes, pay for their medical benefits, and take time off just like the rest of us.  And if I'm not mistaken, most are salaried.  So what difference does it make what their work hours are, as long as they are doing their jobs?  Whoever has this problem really needs to get a life. 

Welcome home Vietnam veterans and thank you! Vietnam Wall replica returns to Key West | KeysNews.com

There comes a point in your life when you realize:
Who matters,
Who never did,
Who won't anymore.
And who always will.
So, don't worry about people from your past; there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.
Give these flowers to everyone you don't want to lose.  

The Horsehead Nebula in Orion http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

[Darwin Award Video] http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/animals/Roomba_Kitty/#58763

[Third Lane] Look what they've done on Plantation Key, they are sneaking in a third lane, slowly, 100 years at a time and without public reviews. DOT will not stop until the entire keys are four-laned, developers can build indiscriminately, and people can scream through the keys and get to Key West fast. Time to leave, this place just isn't what it used to be--and not for the better.

[Jail John]  Do you really think John is reading this from behind bars; and I don’t mean the tiki bar. Yes, John is a good person and needs help. As was said, you first must admit your problem then work to conquer the problem. Been there done that. Good luck John and God bless MD.

[Secretary of Defense] Obama asked Bob Gates to stay on at the Pentagon when his administration takes office. Now that’s an outstanding decision. I applauded him during Bush’s term and this is an outstanding plan. I’m starting to like this Obama guy more and more as time goes on. Hopefully he can hit the ground running in January and he has the sense to not let the wackos from both sides distort his judgment. I’m actually starting to feel very positive about our government for the first time in years. (fingers crossed) I hope Gates accepts.

[Speak not of things you know nothing about. Do what is right and concentrate on the County needs. The cost of living is substantially more than in other counties. High taxes, small businesses losing their livelihood, hunger. Make a difference if you dare waste any of your precious time.]

And personal opinion comment - your last comment about making a difference and wasting precious time is extremely infantile, and reflects immaturity, and inability to maintain civility and balance.

Envision Peace. Throw your heart over the fence, and the rest will follow.  ~Norman Vincent Peale. Finding Joy Movie - MIAM

Big truck load of fresh fruits and veggies coming in this morning. Green beans, fresh corn, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes, blood oranges, cherries and much more so stop by for your last minute Thanksgiving goodies. Wow, what a big surprise we have Blueberries, Blackberries, Honey Dew stop by

The waxing crescent Moon emerges from the sunset glare just in time to join Venus and Jupiter for their conjunction.

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Wednesday November 26, 2008

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Tuesday November 25, 2008

[Welfare] Although the video clip on the Jihad has been seen by me before it is important to keep watching it in order to keep the issues in perspective.  I know from talking to people from Britain that there are a lot of Muslims there.  Is that what we want in America?  We already have issues with the illegal immigrants and now the post from the lady telling us about the immigrants taking our money for education and giving nothing back.  I am a single mother worried about the future of her son and how to make my bills this month.  I hope that the change in the wind is positive.

[Time Sheets] The post defending county employees said they write their times in on some paper. That is not the same thing as a time clock. A paper time sheet isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. That poster should have read the other posts on this matter because that’s all they were saying. The County needs time clocks to protect the taxpayer’s money. County employees must be held to a higher standard than private sector employees because they have 75,000 bosses and should not forget that fact.

The stock market is up about nine hundred points in the last two days. I guess it’s because of lack of confidence in Obama (ha, ha).

These hand carved birds are made by my 85 year old father who has been making these birds since 1976. A lot of time and detail has been put into them.  They are unique and all made of solid wood.  Some Cherry and some Georgia pine and are exquisitely detailed. 
Classified Ads > gifts

Happy losers are fools, this sore loser has decided to get a dog to kick, I think I’ll name him “Obamist”.  Hate is stock and trade to be learned well from the Democrat partisans who wrote the book on ill will and hate at the conclusion of the 2000 and 2004 election cycles. Readers of this site are all too well aware of the depth of hate and rancor that many liberal posters display even today, 8 years later. Of course, the “sore loser” and “dog to kick” are satirical comments that are probably beyond the understanding of Obama cultists. 

President Bush is to be strongly commended for his total commitment to making an orderly transition of power. How many of us remember the chaos of the Clinton transition?

[Believe it or Not?] No this isn't a damn Ripley's. These are the Super Highways planned  by the NAC (North American Community) where goods are received in cheaper Mexican ports, and trucked north by less paid Mexican drivers. Who's interest would this serve you ask.multi national corporations, and multi national banking. It would sure cut into the pocket of US truckers and lower the revenue of US ports.

Most people think that the CFR (Council on Foreign Relations) is just a think tank. Bowine Scatology are the ones that instigated the NAU (North American Union). The name was changed to Community because it sounds friendlier. Believe me there is nothing friendly about it, they mean to screw you out of your country.

[Message to Derrick]  I am proud of you, man, for a skin head with Little Man Syndrome I have not seen your picture in the Sheriff's mug shots.  I am glad you are finally learning to stay out of trouble.

[Review: BBQ place on Cudjoe Key]  $9.00 for a chicken plate. The chicken was good, but two tiny sides (cole slaw was tasteless and soggy) and a tiny lousy corn bread.  What a joke. I won't be back.

[Yaba-daba] Did these kids just forget the words or what? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_2ES3dbBeY&feature=bz302

[Experts] It never ceases to amaze how the uninformed are so informative!

No vet clinic is allowed by state law to dispense heartworm medication without having a current heartworm test (within the last year) on file.  When we have not seen your pet in over 20 months we legally cannot sell you the meds or approve someone else to sell you the meds.  That is the reason PetMeds has to get your vet's permission to sell it to you--there are laws involved.  No one would risk their job or license to practice by breaking the rules for you or anyone else.  If you can't afford a vet, you can't afford a pet.

[Welfare] I wonder if all charities, welfare, hand-outs, unemployment and whatever, were shut off for a year, would America get back to reality and a much reduced population?  Would we have our jobs back? Would our kids smarten up in school? Would the rest of the world respect us again? Let's try it, huh?

[PetMeds] Have you been able to find a cheaper local vet since last year?  At the clinic where I work we tell people right off the bat:  For a yearly exam, vaccines, intestinal worm check (fecal), heartworm test, heartworm meds, and flea/tick prevention you will looking at $150 to $200.  It costs that anywhere.

[Amphitheater] I went to the free rock concert at Islamorada too. I had a good time, but I was particularly impressed with the amphitheater. What a nice design for the keys.

Yes, the pack and ship shop is closed; and yes, Sue and Donna (from Bagel Island) are with Winn-Dixie now. Yea for Winn-Dixie, both of these girls speak English!

John, you're in trouble.  You're not the guy I used to know according to the arrest reports.  It’s none of my business, probably, but an old friend worries about you. I got myself help and so can you.  The first step is admitting your problem. God Bless you.

Pumpkin pie, anyone? http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=HY27482779

I'm looking for a Mary Kay representative. If there is one around can you please send me your contact info at flakeysgurl@aol.com  Or post back here. 

Holiday cards to the Military should be addressed and sent to:
Holiday Mail For Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Please be sure to affix adequate postage. Cards must be received no later than December 10. Cards received after this date will be returned to senders. To help speed the sorting process and delivery of cards and notes before the holidays, mailers are encouraged to refrain from sending “care packages,” monetary gifts, using glitter or including any other inserts. For a full list of recommended guidelines and best practices, please visit http://www.redcross.org/holidaymail. Cards are also available to print out from the website.

Someone's lying!

[Acai] Does anybody know about this berry or have any personal experiences?

Rats in Africa have been trained to use their sensitive noses for the benefit of humans by sniffing out land mines and diagnosing tuberculosis. The rats involved in finding land mines in Mozambique have been bred to be the size of raccoons. http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Rats_trained_to_sniff_land_mines_TB_999.html

[Biker's Toy Run] Have I missed information on the annual motorcycle Toy Run?  Is it the same time and place as previous years?  This Sunday (Nov 30)?  Big Pine group meets across from CVS?  What time? Thanks again for the information. 

Congrats on the line “I know he was hung, but how did he die?" I sure wish that I had thought of that line myself.

[County Employees] The champion of Monroe County employees has mucked it up again. The other day the angry dude told us that county employees were not required to use a time clock in and out of the work place. Now the poster tells us that work attendance records are nothing more than fill in time sheets. If these “time sheets” are like most employee executed time documents, then they are filled in by the employee, kept in the possession of the employee and finally delivered to management at the end of a pay period.  The boss relies on employee integrity and diligence to fill in the actual hours worked and the times in and out. This type of document can turn an honest person into a cheat.  Thoughts like “what the hell, it’s only 15 minutes early/late”, “everybody does it” are seductive.  15 or 20 minutes a day, every day, multiplied by scores of workers means serious and expensive labor lost.  If I’m wrong, I’ll be happy that our county management practices may be sound.  If not, then there is virtually no accountability, and it’s almost certain that it’s costing you big bucks.  If management relies on employee self-executed take home vehicle mileage logs, and then there is no accountability.  I have no beef with any public servant; it’s a demanding but rewarding profession.  I do have a real problem with any public management that permits, or perhaps even promotes, a wasteful work ethic.

I want to believe that our County Employees are diligent, honest and hard working persons.  I do believe that their jobs are vital for the well being of our community.  Public service is a proud and honorable career path.  But remember, too, not a single public employee is owed a taxpayer-paid pay check.  Every one of them has a personal responsibility to prove that they are efficiently doing the important job for which they are paid. Management bears the primary burden to ensure that your tax dollars are prudently spent by imposing and enforcing prudent workplace standards and rules. 

Are the Republicans so ignorant that they don't know they built the ship that is sinking? Row Obama, row or we’re sunk. This Republican just got off on the last Island. I think I’ll go make another piña colada under these beautiful coconut trees.

[You might be a redneck if: You've never protested about seeing the 10 Commandments posted in public places] Or if you wrote something as stupid as that line!

[Third Lane] The state has been planning for more than 10 years to add a third lane to US 1 through the business district of Big Pine. That project has been delayed many times due to planning issues with the Habitat Conservation Plan, but FDOT has the planning and design work for that project scheduled for next year, and construction bids on the widening are tentatively scheduled for release in early 2010. Traffic engineers have said for years that the only long-term solution to traffic delays through Big Pine is to add the extra lane.

[Sleepy People] I recently read where Thanksgiving Day is a time for lots car accidents being caused by people falling asleep at the wheel. Also Thanksgiving is supposed to be the worst audience at any venue because they’re all drowsy and half drunk.

[Auto Not the President] Buy Ford stock for $1.56 now while it is a super bargain. but be careful because I bought a lot of Kmart stock when it was at a dollar and they filed for bankruptcy and I lost it all!

Winn Dixie is preparing for Thanksgiving. They have moved more crap to block the aisles and around the registers. It will add a fun time as the long lines need to snake around them. They will be slowing down incoming customers by putting the semi-permanent display between the alleged "customer service" counter and the always out-of-order self-registers. 

Remember when it was suggested on this site they remove the crap blocking the far isle and they listened. This group of managers are the dumbest group of people. Last year I thought they were getting their act together.

I learned that in the Grail tradition, Rosa Mystica is what all Grail aspirants seek to achieve in themselves: the pure, quickened holy female essence. For all these years, I have been turned this way and that, as she has been awakened in not only my dreams and writings, but also in my waking life. In the time of Jesus she manifested as Mary Magdalene.

Living in Boulder, I learned that the sacred Chartres Cathedral in France is dedicated to Rosa Mystica. In the basement is a labyrinth put there by the people who built the cathedral: Catholics who lived very differently from mainstream Catholics. Today, walking the labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral is frowned upon, viewed as pagan, or worse, as witchcraft. This writing would be viewed by the Vatican as heresy, doubly so were I to toss in that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were mating partners, and their relationship was the deeper work they were doing for God, which today is unknown in mainstream Christendom.

So I have somehow brought her to me. I can conjecture that what did it was the Blind Justice appeal I filed in the High Court a few days ago. After that, my dreams told me to leave Birmingham, where I dreaded spending the winter. In route back to Key West, Mary Lou, Rosa Mystica, Mary Magdalene, some or all of the three, came to me in love and passion. When I walked into my apartment in Key West, where all of my soul drawings hang, I felt a sense of home. ”Abstract” drawings inspired by the holy female, which just jumped out of me. Like her poems and novels just jumped out of me. Like dreams and revelations just jump out of me. Like sudden changes in my life just jump out at me.    More...Today'sFloridaKeysDrivel

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Tuesday November 25, 2008

Monday November 24

[Sore Loser]  At least you admitted you are sore.  It's unfortunate that your anger and bitterness have caused you to wish ill will on the country and the next administration.  You must get up every morning kicking the dog and throwing things.  So much for patriotism and supporting the troops.  And whether you realize it or not real change is simply getting rid of Bush and his minions who tore this country apart both abroad and at home. 

Doctor Cruz and his staff rock! You need a vet on whom you can call when your critter needs medical attention in the middle of the night or on a weekend, etc. The online folks can't help you then.

Ford's most advanced assembly plant operates in rural Brazil. Detroit and UAW, eat your heart out! This is how it should be done. http://info.detnews.com:80/video/index.cfm?id=1189

We were robbed in the spring in Eden Pines.  The robber had to know where we stashed our rods. They were stashed up on the boat out of sight, way high up on the lift laying down on the boat.  The police thought they probably came from the canal and they picked a very windy night so any noise would be hidden. They had to be very agile to climb up the lift structure and grab the rods and they left some hanging out of the boat that got tangled.  The insurance was very quick to pay as I had pictures of all the rods stolen.  Run out and take pictures and if you can prove you had the rods they have no problem.  I now have all new rods that are locked up each and every time we leave the house.  In fact we lock 4 doors before we go for a walk let alone out shopping or boating. The lights we had installed make the property look like a landing site if anything ventures on the lots. There are lots of electronic goodies are out there that are pretty cheap to aid you in passively "watching" over your property.  Where are these folks selling all these rods?  I keep looking for little row boats in the canal late at night but haven't seen a thing yet.

[Winn Dixie] Sorry you don't like the BPK and Marathon WD stores.  I love the Tavernier store. The management is always walking around checking and watching, the store always looks good, shelves stocked, the meat and produce are fresh, both departments' staff is always around and very helpful, the cashiers are friendly and competent, and the computer charges the correct prices. 

I never knew that cashew encrusted grouper was simply the plain fish with pieces of cashews sprinkled on top.

You might be a redneck if: You've never protested about seeing the 10 Commandments posted in public places.

[Dr. Cruz vs. Pet Meds] Might I also explain that when this happened I just overspent $150 for my dog’s annual checkup?  (She was a 2-year old dog, there was nothing wrong with her, I just wanted heartworm pills).  After this exorbitantly priced examination, Dr. Cruz and cronies wanted an additional inflated price for heartworm medicine, which I can get cheaper elsewhere.  Do you think an $150 office visit entitles me to have the office personnel spend 2 minutes to look at my file so I can decide myself where I buy my pet medications?  I think so.  I'm all for buying locally, and I usually do, but I just don't like to be scammed. Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice shame on me.  Don't ask me to bend over twice. ~rubysieg2@hotmail.com

[Saint O] Does being a "contrast" automatically make him great?  Is there no "earned it" between just won and great?  Let's all take a breath, wait around for the curtain to go up, watch a few acts and see how he plays in Peoria before we anoint him to sainthood.

How do they get back up? Video

[Poor Man’s Hunter S. Thompson Review] Only in the Keys can you go to a free concert and drive right up to the stage and sit in you car and watch. That happened last night in Islamorada at Founder’s Park. There were 5 rock and roll bands playing for free. The headliner was Year Long Disaster, a trio of absolutely hard core screaming rockers. It was a great show. They have better rock up there than the bar bands we have down here. There were no Buffett songs and no one played Mustang Sally either. They all played original tunes which was really refreshing.

I made a mistake yesterday when I posted my review of the free performance of Sid Brown at the Zane Grey Saturday evening. I wrote that he was the lead singer for Year Long Disaster. He’s not. He is his own act. I would have know that if I had listened to him when I “intervied” him before his performance. Hunter Thompson drank as much as I did before interviewing people, I though I could too, but I guess I’m no Hunter S. Thompson!

Buy your food in bulk on line. $1200. http://www.efoodsdirect.com/products.html

[God] Thomas Jefferson, who was commissioned to write our nation’s Declaration of Independence. The Preamble mentioned God in four different ways, none of which were Christian ways, perhaps because Jefferson was not Christian.

Maybe I should say that I feel some mirth in this moment over the bashing I often receive for saying God/angels put me up to run for office and speak out in ways that often are not very well received. Many of my critics go to church, wave the America flag, support George Bush’s wars, say the Pledge of Allegiance (“One nation, under God), and they bash me for bringing God into a political campaign. Ironic, when the very nation they tell people to love or leave came into being in God’s name, in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence.

Maybe I also should say that when the founding fathers of our nation later passed the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, they did not mean to write God out of our national government. What they meant to write out was religion, which they understood was a human creation and had no place in government. Maybe I also should say that the “Jefferson Bible,” which Thomas Jefferson was moved to create by cutting and pasting various portions of the New Testament together, was slightly deficient, in that the finished product was devoid of God, which struck me as astounding, given how Jefferson began the Declaration of Independence. Astounding.
More...Today'sFloridaKeysDrivel

Link for the Monitor Calibration s/w and many more great tools! http://www.hex2bit.com/

London from above at night.

[Welfare] This is a subject close to my heart. Do you know that we have adult  students at the school where I teach who are not US citizens and who get the PELL  grant, which is a federal grant (no pay back required) Plus other federal grants to go to school?  One student from Mexico told me that she didn't want me to find a job for her after she finished my program, because she was getting housing from our housing department and she was getting a PELL grant which paid for her total tuition and books, plus money left over.  She was looking into WAIT which gives students a credit card for gas to come to school, and into CARIBE which is a special program for immigrants and it pays for child care and all sorts of needs while they go to school or training.

The one student I just mentioned told me she was not going to be a US Citizen because she plans to return to the Mexico someday and that she loves her country.  I asked her if she felt guilty taking what the US is giving her and then not even bothering to become a citizen and she told me that it doesn't  bother her because that is what the money is there for! I asked the CARIBE administration about their program and if you are a US Citizen, you  don't  qualify for their program. And all the while, I am working a full day, my son-in-law works more than 60 hours a week, and everyone in my family works  and pays for our education. Something is wrong here. I am sorry but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish - enough is  enough. 

Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish, German or any  other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts that gave the translation were not even close.

What’s that coming out of my toilet?

[Critics of Monroe County Workers] Speak not of things you know nothing about. The post did not state, "that critics should shut up or get out" and should not alter statements to further his/her anti-government agenda. The county employees fill out time sheets but do not "clock-in". There is accountability in place. The county employees do not have 100% free medical coverage. They pay to have medical benefits.

They are contributors, taxpayers, workers, and citizens. They are your neighbors, your friends and are entitled to be employed as much as any other resident. Many of them have been employed with the county for 10, 20 and 30 years. Those salaries are deserved. They've earned it. True, a very small percentage of those employees have been given large salary increases under golden boy Tom Willi. That was how he created his own gang. It is a very small fraction of the county workforce. Mr. Gastesi leaves the county workers to continue to do their jobs. They are good and hard working people. Do not be influenced into unnecessary actions because some citizens hate the county government. Don't feel pressured because it is politically correct. Do what is right and concentrate on the county needs and not on people writings about subjects they know nothing about. Monroe County workers are not on the same pay scale as other counties employees doing the same jobs. It's a documented fact that they earn substantially less, and the cost of living is substantially more than in other counties.

The critics should vent their anger in other arenas truly important to all and our Nation’s well being. It’s no secret the country has major issues. You want to fight for something, argue and criticize? Start with high national unemployment and from there go to the thousands of people losing homes, lower education funding and standards, higher crime rates, illegal immigration, bad national health care, high taxes, small businesses losing their livelihood, hunger and a very important issue in my opinion would be our senior citizens have no place to go because their social security benefits are in jeopardy. And soon, my friends, that will be or already is you! Start with that.

Stop whining about county workers, step up to the plate and make a difference if you dare waste any of your precious time. Remember, you are never more discontented with others than when you are discontented with yourself. To any and all County workers who might read this, keep up the good work.  A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her.

If you disagree with Obama, you’re a traitor and you should be killed, hung! Those are the words of an Obama cultist yesterday.  Gosh folks don’t you feel the warm winds of Obama led Change? Does that mind set cause you any trepidation? It sure sounds like the Taliban, Nazi Germany, Sharia law, or the Spanish Inquisition. Judging by the left wing reaction to Governor Palin and their visceral bloodthirsty hate of Bush/Cheney, it seems a sure bet that the hate filled thought processes expressed by yesterday’s slavering poster are pretty common in the liberal progressive gang.

Think about Rahm Emanual’s knife wielding tantrums and his sending a dead fish to his opponent. Or is the poster just another drooling Obama cultist seeking affirmation by embracing violent anonymous fantasy?  By the way, it’s reported that a disproportionate number of right wingers are hung; perhaps the hateful posters ire is fueled by his pee pee peeking and his feelings of shame because of inadequacy or jealousy. As my sainted mother used to say, “I know he was hung, but how did he die?

[Memorabilia] He's not even inaugurated yet and the advertising of Obama memorabilia junk crap has already started. Uncirculated coins of his face for $9.95, commemorative banner for $14.95 for 2,  and now on TV 2 more O junk ads for - oh who cares.   I sure hope O is making some money off all this junk. We're going to need it for the next bailout of whatever.

[Robberies] It's endemic. The whole freaking county is at risk, and based on all the social problems, and cutbacks in social services, and daily transit into MC by Florida City residents, and the large and still growing immigrant (many illegal) contingent already residing in MC (yes - some slumlords are getting rich), it's got nowhere to go but worse.  So, here's an idea. Let's close down a lot of places, put a lot of people in the "no income" bracket, build big roads so people can go non-stop fast to a big hotel for gambling, make a big deep port for boats to take US money to Cuba  -- oh wait, that's already being done.  Yep, we’re doomed. 

Second and longer thought: At first I thought Okay, robbery.  But as I gave it more thought, it came to me Robbery with a capitol R.  Like the kind some BOCC did to the citizens, and Ed Swift and Jerry Coleman do to the housing and development rules and Willi did to the sewer funding.

So the same answer works for both, the whole county, and the vigilance is our county-wide voices and votes, and of course, since this is Florida - guns.

[FOX News] In response to Obama's complaint that FOX News doesn't show enough black and Hispanic people on their network, FOX has announced that they will now air "America 's Most Wanted" twice a week.

Larry the Cable Guy at Home Depot. Video

[Your Virtual Pet] This is cute. Tell it to sneeze and see what he does. Type a command and see what happens, like  sit, roll over, jump, etc. It's also cute if you type in a command that's not recognized.  Make sure you type in Kiss too, but do it last. Click here: I Do Dog

[Acai] You'll be hearing a lot more about this rain forest fruit going forward. Acai is the off the chart for almost everything that kale is, in addition to naturally occurring Omega-3, 6 and 9 oils."

The Florida Keys Dragon Boat Club since its formation in 2007 has raised more than $3000 for local non profits, Habitat for Humanity, Florida Keys Children's Shelter and Reef Relief . We are always looking for some type of coverage by the news media as we are a new sport on the water that involves a team effort by paddlers, steers-person, and drummer to keep the timing for this large crew (20). We have been meeting for two years now and have entered many events around South Florida and local Florida Keys events. Our recent first place award in the Fantasy Fest Parade shows our enthusiasm .

Our membership fee is $35 per year is in the form of a check made out to one of our local charitable organizations. I am inviting you aboard one afternoon to get an idea of this team sport that has hundreds of thousands of participants from around the world paddling in ernest in teams young and old.

There are no revved up engines , no fuel bills , nor pollution of our waters , just a crew of people really enjoying the waters that surround us . We paddle every Sunday at 4:30 from the docks of Parrotdise Restaurant Bar and Grill on Little Torch Key .

We practice paddling techniques , sprints(250 - 500 yard ), distance (4 miles) , and have a lot of fun

Ms Karen Bowers of Little Torch Key is bringing back "The Battle in the Bay Dragon Boat Festival" which will take place on May 9th 2009 at Sombrero Beach , Marathon. It’s expected to see 25- 35 teams from all over the country participate.

Captain John Duke, 305-304-5100, http://www.floridakeysdragonboat.com

Electrolytes, a dangerous subject. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolyte

[Change] For heavens sake folks, change does not mean you go out an hire 25 Joe the Plumbers to run America. Change means you run the government in a different manner. You think of what’s best for the taxpayers first—that’s change. You tell your enemies face to face that either they change their way or here’s the dire consequences you will receive. You don’t refuse to talk to them—that’s change. You let al Qaeda know that you will hunt them even if they are in Pakistan and you will cross that border to get them. Bushies wanted to hang Obama when he said he would enter Pakistan to hunt al Qaeda. Change is hiring a wise qualified person to head the Fed when the economy is failing—that’s change. Being wise enough to understand that the current defense secretary would be the best for America right now so you ask him to stay and not change. Sound reasoning, that’s a huge change. It’s not the people you change it’s the direction of the country. So far I see excellent change for America’s future. Try and understand what the word change means. Obama didn’t say he would change heads only; he said he would change direction. God bless our new president; he’s got one hell of a mess to clean up. There’s a lot that needs changing and it’s starting to happen.

A Norman Rockwell Redneck Thanksgiving

[In the Line of Duty] Officer Keith Breiner, suspended from the police force in Beaumont, Texas, for crossing the line during an undercover prostitution sting (that is, he actually had sex), defended himself in an August hearing: "It was a job, sir. I didn't have pleasure doing it." It was, he said, "something I did for the city."

English is bad for your health. Video

10 billion a month wasted in Iraq and now we are hearing that Obama might of lied about withdrawing our troops. He better keep his word and not lie about leaving Iraq. He already is changing his story about taxing the rich, now what’s up with that?

[Gitmo] Those five released detainees from Gitmo were from a group of six petitioners, one of that group was denied release.  They were Algerian jihadists captured in Bosnia very shortly after 9/11 while engaging in a bombing plot against Americans (according to Bosnian authorities).  Their capture was a Bosnian military operation, not an American criminal investigation. The grave problem presented by their release is that granting American rights to non American combatants on foreign battlefields will present an impossible burden on American soldiers. That judicial philosophy extends American Constitutional rights to non American combatants seeking to kill Americans on foreign battlefields.

Will our troops be required to carry Miranda cards into battle and to announce those rights to their foes prior to attack? Will an American attacks on our enemies become unlawful assaults on the part of American forces?  Would the invasion of Normandy be a massive trespass and mass murder? The end result likely will be increased enemy deaths; there will be no reason to take prisoners, prisoners will become a burden not worth bearing.  Will the released five rejoin the ranks of other Gitmo released jihadists who have been recaptured or killed engaging in terrorist activities including combat? 

It must be noted that the rest of the world sure loves the American government at times of international strife and catastrophe when our government is the first to be called to the rescue.

Buy and Sell Electronics, Sell Cell Phone, Recycle Electronics - gazelle.com

What's up with Winn Dixie I see the owner of Bagel Island and Sue from Pack ‘n Ship working the front end. What a breath of fresh air for that place. I approached them with a issue and It actually got resolved and that doesn't happen there much. The Bagel lady was running from register to register happily fixing problems--definitely not the usual “don't give a crap” attitude we normally see there. Hey, Winn Dixie manager take a look at how they handle situations and maybe some of your other employees will follow. 

[Toy Drive] Tavernier Volunteer Fire Department  Annual Holiday Toy Drive is Saturday December 12 from 9 AM - 5 PM. Winn Dixie in Tavernier Town Plaza. Last year was a tremendous success due to all of the community's generous support. This year, with more of our kids needing our help, we are once again asking our friends and neighbors to help us help our kids. Bulletin Board

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Monday November 24

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Sunday November 23, 2008

When is the County going to hire a manager for the new park? Our group would like to meet there, but we’re not allowed until they get a manager. Can’t someone who already works for the County manage it in the interim? We’ve waited years for the park and would like to use the meeting room on a regular basis.

[Investigate Clinton’s recession] What are you nuts? Clinton left Bush with the strongest economy in my lifetime. And you can’t blame overspending on the Democrats who were only in control for two years of the republican spending spree.

Sid Brown, lead man for Year Long Disaster sang a couple of songs at the Zane Grey Lounge in Islamorada last night and the Zane Grey will never be quite the same. He rocks and his lead guitar player is a girl! She reminded me of a pretty Keith Richard. Man, can she cook that machine. To put frosting on the cake they had the best go-go dancer I’ve seen. She looked kind of like a little Mary Lou Retton with bangs—all muscle and curves. Talk about shaking your booty--this little ball of fire wrote the book. The full band will be performing at a free concert at the Amphitheater at Founder’s Park in Islamorada tonight at 6:30. I’ll be there. It’s about time we got some real good modern rock and roll in the Keys. Also I want to see that little hottie shake her maracas again. Bulletin Board

Florida Keys Dragon Boat Club has changed its time to paddle to 4:30 pm Sunday at the dock Parrotdise Bar and Grill, Little Torch Key. Call 304-5100 if you have questions. http://www.floridakeysdragonboat.com

[Pet meds, when we have 40 of these faxes come in every morning]  40 every morning?  That’s 10,400 a year. Give me a break!   

[Tim Geithner] This sore loser congratulates Obama on his apparent choice of Tim Geithner as.  It’s likely that the news boosted the market substantially.  Of course the Geither appointment is further evidence that O is abandoning his promises to “Change” because Geithner is an old hand.  He is now the NY Fed President. He’s been working closely with Paulson to manage the Wall St bail out, and he’s worked for five Secretary of the Treasury's in three administrations.  Investors have been scared of O’s avowed socialistic theories and they are worried about the consequences of Obama Change. Hence the market plummeted because of Obama jitters.  Geithner is a capitalist swine, he is no socialist, even if O is. Geithner is no change agent, that fact resonates with investors.  You can be sure that a lot of O’s left wing base are in a snit. If you’re an O cultist and you aren’t pissed at this appointment, then you don’t understand what’s going on. Neat, but it figures.

I like Dr. Cruz's Veterinary Clinic.

[The Written Word] People who write not using the true meaning of the words, but "Infer something all together different can not to be trusted!  

[Excel Spread Sheet Does anyone know how to keep the tool bar with all the icon shortcuts to different tasks locked] For 2007 version, keep the Standard and Format on separate rows, and the Custom tool bar below them. When doing the customizing, there is a radio dial or check box to keep that position, which locks the Custom toolbar for all documents. I hate Office 2007.

[Change] Damn, it’s getting confusing trying to keep track of all the Obama changes. Changes that we all can believe in. Yep, he changed his mind on Hillary, remember that he said her foreign policy ideas were full of crap, that only he he had the smarts to manage foreign policy. I guess I get it now, she wasn’t quite good enough for VP, but she’s good enough for Secretary of State. Obama has changed his mind on needing support from the left wing of the Democrat party, and they are really pissed. If you doubt it, take a look at the Huffington Post.  They are livid about Obama stuffing his cabinet with Clinton retreads. It’s just like Alice in Wonderland, things just get curiouser and curiouser. This Right winger was really worried about the next two years, now that we’ve seen something of O in action; I’m looking forward to it.  It’s really going to be a hoot.

[Market up 500 points] I voted for Obama, but the way the stock market keeps tanking because of him is scaring me.

A handy site to sort out those file extensions. http://www.file-extensions.org/

[Exel Toolbar]  Which version of Excel are you using?   I don’t have a problem with 2007, using Customize from the Excel Options button.  All icons I added are still there after close/reopen.  If you don’t have Office 2007, I would highly recommend it.

[Fried Needles] Considering the way the Orientals use logic and try to sound like English, how the hell are we going to communicate with them when they buy us out and take over America! http://engrish.com/

Here is a Thanksgiving turkey recipe that also includes the use of popcorn as a stuffing - imagine that. When I found this recipe, I thought it was perfect for people who just are not sure how to tell when poultry is thoroughly cooked, but not dried out. Give this a try.

1 12- 14 lb Fresh Turkey
1-cup melted butter
1-cup stuffing (Pepperidge Farm is best)
1-cup uncooked popcorn (Orville Redenbacher's low fat)
Lightly salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush turkey well with melted butter,
Then salt and pepper. Fill the cavity with the stuffing and popcorn.
Place in baking pan with the neck end towards the back of the oven.
Listen for the popping sounds.
When the turkey's ass blows the oven door open and the turkey flies across the room, it's done.

What I really want to see is how they got it out! http://www.snopes.com/photos/accident/housebridge.asp 

This is the one of the best presentations of the sixties online.  It is very well done. Just click on the link and sit back and enjoy the memories.  Great at photos and facts. http://objflicks.com/TakeMeBackToTheSixties.htm 

Redneck Revenge or why you shouldn’t cheat on a crane operator. http://break.com/index/cheaters-trailer-destroyed-by-boat.html

[Next, a security guard at Winn Dixie]  It's no wonder considering the prices these super markets charge today.  $4.50 for half gallon of milk, $35 for a carton of cigs, $10 for a pound of lunch meat. No wonder Columbia is giving up on cocaine, they are boot-legging lunch meats, for a higher profit margin!

Last reminder. The Big Pine Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 1303 is holding Boating Safety & Seamanship classes beginning Monday, December 1 from 7:30-9:30 pm at the Habitat for Humanity building, MM 30.5, Big Pine Key.  For more information on these classes Bulletin Board

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Sunday November 23, 2008

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Saturday November 22, 2008

[Pet Meds] The purpose of the $17.25 charge for using Pet Meds or the like is this:  Our fax machine receives a huge stack of these requests on a daily basis.  For any medication request the files have to be pulled to see if the pet is actually on the meds and if it is ok to dispense them.  Some meds require that the pet has blood work done once a year to check liver and kidney function. A doctor is not allowed to keep a patient on medicine that is causing more harm than good.  For Heartworm meds, the State law says that we may not dispense them unless we have a client/patient relationship and there has been a heartworm test within the last year (giving heartworm meds to a dog with heartworms could kill them). 

A vet office is not allowed to act as a pharmacy.  So, as you can see, when we have 40 of these faxes come in every morning it takes administrative time to complete these tasks throughly for every client.  So not only are we losing income from not selling the products here, but we are occupying a paid employee to handle all of these requests which could take hours.  It's insane to think we would get any "bonus” for such things.  How could that be good business?  Supporting your local Keys businesses should be important to everyone.  Everything is more expensive here, veterinarians are no exception.  As a final thought, when your dog or cat breaks a leg, gets attacked by a raccoon, or gets bit by a rattlesnake in the middle of the night, who are you going to call to save his life--Pet Meds? 

Stock market was up almost 500 points yesterday.  Let's see if the sore loser who keeps trying to blame the stock market volatility on Obama posts today declaring a new found confidence in the president elect.  I doubt that he will.

[County workers] Yesterday a poster, angry at suggestions that serious tax dollars could be saved by small county work place reforms, lashed out at any suggestion of further reform. That response was predicted by this writer. The poster claims that some reforms have been put in place, but he unwittingly told us that time cards are not now in use. As predicted, anger was expressed at the suggestion of recording employee’s time in and out. Why? If tax dollars are buying 8 hours of work, shouldn’t every employee deliver 8 hours of work and be proud of it? The use of take home vehicles as a perk or salary supplement steals dollars that could be put to use in keeping good workers on the payroll in tough times, the practice cries out for extreme scrutiny.

Frankly, having a good mechanic or sewer plant operator is one hell of a lot more important than having a paper stacker drive a tax paid car home. It’s wrong and unfair for any public employees to be at the workplace for anytime less than 8 hours every day when they get paid for 8. Pay cuts and unpaid furloughs should be a last resort, but lazy or featherbedding employees should be out the door.  Dedicated hard working core staff shouldn’t have to subsidize their featherbedding lazy asses.

Management should earn its premium salaries by actually enforcing policy and encouraging top performance. No one, that’s not one single person, is entitled to a job on the public payroll, that job should be earned every single day of employment. The poster claimed to be a long time Keys resident and said that critics should shut up or get out. Doesn’t that sound a hell of a lot like the notoriously corrupt “Bubba” practices of yesterday’s Monroe County? Perhaps the complainer has some idea as to what happened to Bum Farto? This Keys regular and resident since 1949 will continue to be critical of government because government is here to serve and protect you and me, not the other way around.

We had an SR-71 Blackbird in Key West Harbor back in the early nineties, or was it '89? A friend from my former home (NYC) called from Texas to say he'd be putting in at Key West for rest and provisions.  He was a curator at the Intrepid Museum at the time, and it turned out he was hauling their new acquisition by tug and barge because the highways weren't wide enough to accommodate the jet.  Come to think of it, I think they left the barge in the mooring field and brought just the tug to Mallory Dock.

Unemployment has hit a 16 year high.  Who can we blame, Clinton, Bush, or Obama?  How about the party that has been in charge for the past eight years.

I'm so sorry for the people who were robbed and lost the grand child's rod.  That rod is probably priceless to a child.  Go buy that gun for sure.  If criminals know citizens are armed they will think twice.  I, like you, moved here because I liked the idea of no crime and not locking my doors.  My heart goes out to you.

The poster who said not to sweat the economy had a couple of good points. Unfortunately one is on top of his head. FDR put in place a whole gang of socialist programs that did not impact the great depression one iota.  His programs were lifeboats for citizens suffering from the depression; they did nothing to restore the economy, some argue that they slowed recovery.  The economy healed with the advent of WW2 and the massive manufacturing effort necessary to win the war. Check it out yourself at FDR’s own library.

FDR Library: http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/depres24.html#

Jim Warren, fantasy artist. http://www.zuzafun.com/jim-warren-painted-worlds

[Cards For Soldiers] If you go to this web site, you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How amazing it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one! This is a great site.  Please send a card.   It is free and it only takes a second. www.LetsSayThanks.com

While the financial markets keep falling apart I’m starting to wonder where in the hell is the President and John--I’m so worried I have to cancel my campaign--McCain"? Are they both hiding? Uh...Mr. President the ball is still in your court. Come to think of it, maybe it is best the Republicans stay in hiding. I would hang my head in shame too.

Too much power in the hands of the wealthy produces bailouts for Wall St (Paulson said, now that he’s got the money, he’s not going to buy toxic assets like he said), AIG and Detroit. “To hell with the taxpayer.”

[Amero Coin conspiracy] I am totally amazed that since that video about the Amero the other day not one person commented or inquired about the subject.

Through my search engine I found out a lot more about the Amero. Plans are afoot to merge Canada, US of A, and Mexico, into the North American Union. Coins have been struck, billions of them. The web page states that a few coins have been made by a medal  manufacturer for coin collectors. If that is so, why is the proof mark of the Denver Mint on them? The coins were struck in 2007. The history of the US of A is not that extensive. History does repeat itself. How did Texas became part of the United States? This will be the Mexican’s revenge. It is much easier for me to see this from the outside. In a few days when I find out more about it, I will tell you more.

[Let’s analyze the stock market]  What an ignorant post, it really shows the mentality of some voters in this nation. The poster undoubtedly haven't got a clue what purpose the market serves and yet has been enjoying it's benefits all his life, some folks really live in a vacuum.

Sign up now to play Bocce. League starts mid January to April.  Call Angie at 305-395-1332, let her know what day of the week your team wants to play.  Mon thru Thurs are still available.  There is only enough spots for 8 teams a night, so don't wait call now!  Cost is $20 per person and $100 team/sponsor fee. 

If you want to learn how to play, come on down now and meet us at the Big Pine Park on Wednesdays 6pm-8pm.    

[Mile Marker 24 Band] We are getting ready for Thanksgiving and would like to invite you to a party. We are having our official DVD/CD release party November 28th at Boondocks on Ramrod Key and you’re invited. Our new Live On Duval DVD/CD double disc includes scenes from my boat, my back yard, and over 500 pictures. And of coarse our live concert filmed on Duval Street in Key West. If you have been to any of our shows, there is a good chance you are in it. If you are in the area please stop by and say hello. If you are not, we’ll send you some warm sunshine and tropical breezes. Also, you can now order the new CD/DVD from www.myspace.com/milemarker24 or just get them at our show.

[Evolution vs. Intelligent Design] When deciding between two competing theories, always go with the one that doesn't involve a magic spell.

According to CNN, Barack Obama's mother-in-law might be moving into the White House with them. Although, he may be able to get out of it under the domestic terrorist law.  ~Jay Leno

Change?  You betcha' we’re headed for change. It’s back to the future. Obama’s latest Clinton-recycle appears to be Eric Holder who was second in command in Janet Reno’s AG’s office. Holder and his predecessor Jamie Gorelick were responsible for the Justice Dept rules that stopped our  intel services from sharing data and information. (Gorelick went to Fannie Mae) The result was 9/11/01. Even though Justice had been alerted by a sharp FBI type, the plotters went happily unmolested about their planning and preparation right here on American soil.  

I think Holders' AG office will be a kind and gentle hand that taps the wrist of terrorists and that waves an accusatory finger at that nasty old U S of A for its lack of empathy and understanding towards the poor underprivileged terrorists. Gosh, I feel all warm and fuzzy.

[America, Land of the Free] They have just released 5 detainees from Guantanamo. The detainees were held without a hearing for seven years on the say-so of a paid informant of the US government who was always a dubious source of information. Imagine if they were your sons. Now maybe some of you rednecks will understand why the rest of the world hates our government. They hate our government, but like our opportunities and our people.

[Pet Meds] Asking a doctor to take the time to telephone an online business in order to undercut his prices is totally classless and clueless. Do you think doctors are in business for fun?

AAA Auto Club South, Alex’s Auto Wrecking and BK Towing will be protecting everyone on the road for the Holidays by providing a free ride home and towing of the car of an intoxicated driver from Thanksgiving until New Years Day, 2009.

“Alex’s  and BK Towing encourages all motorists from Key West to Big Pine Key to call ‘Tow to Go’ for a safe ride home and a tow for your car, we do not want anyone to drive whose sobriety is in question. “Our families are on the road too.” said Christine Rodriguez owner of Alex’s and BK Towing.

You do not have to be an AAA member. Anyone can use this service for free! Call 1-800-AAA-HELP

[Link TV] Arab Labor is a half hour hit Israeli sitcom (captioned) poking fun at a 32 year old Israeli-born Palestinian journalist searching for his identity in an Israeli society while trying to seek high status. And poking fun at the cultural divide. www.linktv.org/arablabor

[Excel Spread Sheet] Does anyone know how to keep the tool bar with all the icon shortcuts to different tasks locked? I customize the toolbar to suit my needs and saved the page, but when I reopen Excel the toolbar goes back to the default tool bar settings.

Mr Gastesi, Current Monroe County salaries and related benefits are too much of a financial burden on Monroe County citizens, and must be reduced. Decrease county spending on (non-union) county employees.
Reduce employee salaries (by graded %, the higher the salary, the higher the % of reduction) and keep the same number of total hours worked
-- or -
Reduce total number of hours worked (flat 20% reduction)
Decrease county spending on all county employees. Reduce the 100% free medical insurance currently given so everybody contributes some of their salary to pay for their health insurance.
County employees are no more entitled than the citizens who pay their salaries. As the citizens adjust to reductions, so to must county employees.

Everybody who lives in Monroe County, pays taxes in Monroe County, and thinks Monroe County salaries and related benefits are too much of a burden on Monroe County - send the following (or similar) email, fax, phone call, snail mail to County Administrator Roman Gastesi.  We have to get some sort of mass communications started to affect any positive relief.  And we have to start now. The next budget's planning start in less than 6 months. ~nancykeys127@yahoo.com
gastesi-roman@monroecounty-fl.gov
Phone (305) 292-4441
Fax (305) 292-4544
1100 Simonton Street
Key West, FL 33040

What is up with Winn Dixie?  You can't even get your shopping cart through those aisles especially by the customer service area.  They have displays all over the store blocking walk ways.  It is impossible to get through some of those places. And they have things stocked up on cardboard that look like if you blow on them everything will tumble off. I don’t like it.

[Kudos to the Democrat led Congress]  Does the author of that post know that Democrats have led Congress for the past two years?  Does that author realize that the economic downfall started while the Democrats led Congress?  The post should have read "kudos to the Democrat led Congress for finally making the right decision."

[Correction from the government] The Navy Lieutenant who returned from deployment was Lt. Jackson Habeck not Havek. I apologize for the misspelling of the last name.

[Pet Meds] For those of you complaining about Dr. Cruz's charge to send info to an online store--give the guy a break.  He's trying to run a business and employs a staff, pays taxes, etc.   Online purchases take money from our local economy.  While the $10.00 you may save is important to you, every dollar that leaves the Keys is lost and not reinvested in other businesses that makes up the little circle of the life we love down here.  Those few dollars won't seem important if we have a disaster and you need some here and now.  That being said,  if you are unhappy, I would like to suggest Dr. Edie Clark and The Vetmobile.  She is wonderful - comes to you home and does a great job of caring for your pets  AND she will bring to you your heartworm treatment at a great price.  You can't beat it - not at PetMeds or anywhere.  Her service is second to none.   The only drawback is in case of emergency - enter those wonderful folks from Marathon Vet.  Dr. Doug and the gang are fantastic.  They are always there when you need them.   They coddle your loved ones just like they were their own.  I know my girls are in competent hands when they need it most.  So, thanks Doc Edie, Dr. Doug, Dr. Kirsten & Dr. Jen and all the techs - Willow, Buffy & Foxy think you're the best!

Great combat photography.  Gives you greater appreciation for the kind of tough terrain in which our forces operate. http://www.boston.com:80/bigpicture/2008/11/afghanistans_korengal_valley.html

I went to Winn Dixie last night. It's been awhile, but I was shocked when I walked in the door to see a close circuit TV scanning the parking lot. Next we will have a security guard at the door.  What has happened to Big Pine Key and the lower keys? I called a friend, they said it's for my safety. I've never had to worry about being safe in the keys, never had to take my keys out of the car, never had to lock my front door.  It's turning in to little Miami. What a shame.  One comment hit me on the head.  It was the fact that we brought in public transportation.  So where do we move to now?

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Saturday November 22, 2008

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Friday  November 21, 2008

We were robbed last night.   They took 15 fishing rods and reels, they even took our 5 year old grandson’s little rod and reel from Kmart. Lack of crime is one of the reasons we moved to the Keys nine years ago, but one of the main reasons was the fishing. We will not be able to do any fishing anytime soon, and now are victims of a felony.  These items will be expensive to replace and were acquired over the years, many with sentimental value. 

When we filed the police report we were told there has been an increase in robberies in Big Pine.  This happened off Ships Way, and it appears to have been done by water, as that is the only way that equipment could have been seen or removed.

To our neighbors: please keep an eye out for unusual boats and activity in your canal, and on your neighbor’s property.  To our thieves: our first new purchase will be a gun.    

[Part II] Last night my parents were robbed in the middle of the night while they slept in their beds. What was taken was a collection of fishing poles my father had collected over the years, also my 5 year old son’s first fishing pole, plus fishing poles he stored for a close family friend. I am so disturbed by the fact that when the police were notified, that they had mentioned there has been several robberies in Big Pine recently.

My parents and my family have worked and lived in the Keys for over 8 years, and never have felt the need to lock the doors on our homes or cars.  We have always felt safe in our homes and were proud to live in a community that was not plagued with crime. We work very hard to live and stay here because we had fallen in love with Big Pine Key. It saddens me  what has become of the Keys the last few years. Everyone is struggling, and to steal from your neighbors is not going to making anything any easier for anyone. As for the thief, karma is a serious thing and it is a small town, people talk you will be caught.

Father Bourgeois the Vietnam veteran and Maryknoll priest for 36 years is being excommunicated from the Catholic Church next month for ordaining women into the priesthood. Father Bourgeois points out that the Church took over twenty years to respond to the massive child molestations by Catholic priest and that the Church only took one month to respond to his ordaining women.

Muslims and Catholics both treat their woman as second class citizens and view them as unworthy to serve God. Both religions require their women to cover themselves in the presence of God. The similarities don’t end there.

[Democrats got their man and they are still moaning] I didn’t understand that complaint. Just what was the writer writing about? I haven’t read one democrat complaint here since the election. The only negative posts I’ve read have been dissing Obama and blaming him for everything since the great flood and the extinction of the dinosaurs.

[Salaried Workers] The post yesterday that supported County workers’ hours on the job failed to challenge us to call the county on any Friday afternoon and to try to talk to anyone over the rank of secretary. They are all at “meetings” or out in the “field”. It’s the same with the City of Key West. There’s no one there Friday afternoons, but we still pay them all for the time off.

[Survey of 12 young voters] These people voted for Obama, but if they asked 12 young voters who voted for McCain they would find the same level of ignorance. Only old people know the answers to those questio0ns in the survey.

[Financial Meltdown] Do we all agree that a major factor in our current fiscal implosion is the outrageous mal-management of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Who was/is responsible? Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelick, James Johnson, Penny Pritzger, even Erick Holder were/are policy makers, decision makers, management, or high ranking employees of Fannie Mae. Every single one of them is/was a Clintonista and/or a brand new Obama acolyte. Every one of them stuffed their own pockets with millions of our tax dollars.  It was Democrat policies that drove Fannie and Freddie to encourage folks who could not afford mortgage payments to sign up for homes they couldn’t afford. The Legislative committees charged with the responsibility of oversight of Fannie and Freddie were/are run by Senator Dodd and Rep. Barney Frank, both Democrats.

Republicans shouted long and hard warning that Fannie and Freddie were heading for disaster, Republicans tried to pass legislation to avoid the implosion, they were silenced by the Democrat majority. Another major component of our current mess is the total lack of confidence in the future of commerce and in the stability of the United States.  The stock market is nothing more than a gauge that measures public confidence. American and foreign investors began announcing their lack of confidence about 10 or so months ago, as evidenced by the beginning of market slide and the general decline of our economy.  That unease was amplified with the election of Obama, a man who unabashedly proclaims his socialistic core beliefs.  Remember that for more than the first 6 years of the Bush presidency, stocks soared to record highs and the economy flourished. The tumble began shortly after the Democrats took control of Congress.

Scary video as the flames hit their car in passing. LAist: Classical Musicians Drive Through Wildfire on Freeway.

[Vigilantes Unite] We are way ahead of you friend.  If the bad guys come calling on Cudjoe Key, they won't leave. Got that?

While they’re not getting shot at they get down! Fun is Contagious

Let's analyze the Stock Market. It makes people rich who do not work for a living. It takes money from hard working employees. It places all working class people at the mercy of speculators. I think we could do without it and have a good life.

[Auto Bailout]  Let them die! These jackballs see a shot at some cash and are taking it.  I listened to the impassioned pleas of these 3 and the moron Union president. The prepared speeches were full of errors and misuse of verbiage. I'll be damned if I'd loan money to a CEO who when asked the financials of his company could not answer (GM).  The guy from Chrysler is a right-winged conservative-religious-nut who ran Home Depot into the ground before he went to cars. When Ford's rep was asked if he'd take a pay cut to help improve things at his company he said he was "Fine" where he was in his millions of dollar pay scale!  Why should we take a stake with a guy who's not willing to do his part? I did note that when asked, they all said they flew to the hearings on their individual corporate jets, they wouldn’t even jet-pool to the hearings.

Unfortunately, it appears Congress is going to grease the auto industry too. I'll never buy another car from GM, Ford or Chrysler again, phriggin moochers.

[Can't Possibly Be True] Residents of an Austin, Texas, neighborhood undergoing a federally mandated sewer replacement noticed that, for several weeks the work crews would spend the first three hours of their 12-hour days digging a huge hole in the street, and the last three hours re-filling and paving over that hole (repeating the process each day). The 20-by-20-by-20-foot hole in Monroe Street was too big to be covered with metal plates, and the city's "policy" of minimal traffic disruption required repaving for nighttime use, at least doubling the cost of the work.

The 2008 Darwin Awards are in. Here are the top 4:

1. When his 38-calibre revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach , California , would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine and, after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.  http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2008.html

[The Economy] Don't fret the economy too much right now.  It should start slowly coming around in the next couple of years.  Remember that Franklin Roosevelt rescued the country's economy from the depression during Herbert Hoover's term and Bill Clinton turned around Bush One's recession.  I'm confident that Obama will do the same to the shambles Bush Two has left us in.  The world economy then usually follows our lead.

[Marsh Rabbit Hullabaloo] Why doesn't FWS just acquire two breeding pairs of endangered marsh rabbits, let them do their thing (after all, they breed like rabbits), and release the progeny back into the refuge? It's cheap, no trapping, no licensing, no chipping, no extra personnel, no intrusion into our human habitat by quasi-police. Or, do they really want to make this a big deal? Something is fishy about this "problem".

[Economy] I reckon it's just coincidence that the entire decline came after the Democrats took over both houses of Congress, with the bulk of the slide taking place since Obama's election.  After the tumble caused by 9/11, the market nearly doubled in value up until that time.

[Monroe County Road Closures] US-1/Overseas Highway MM 35.28-MM 36.56. Bahia Honda Bridge. One Lane of a two lane section will be closed during the day Monday-Friday on the southbound Bahia Honda Bridge from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

US-1/Overseas Hwy - Plantation Key MM 85.7 to MM 86.8. This is a two lane section of US-1/Overseas Highway. A daytime lane shift is in effect adjacent to the Weigh Station and Venetian Shores entrance.~ Please exercise caution and obey the reduced 35 MPH speed limit throughout the limits of the project

US-1/Overseas Highway Marathon MM 51.6. One Lane will be closed during the day Monday-Friday on the Northbound US-1/Overseas Highway from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

US 1 Overseas HighwayOne northbound lane on the Overseas Highway at mile marker 51.5 is closed weekdays, from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, through November 21, 2008.

Please note that these schedules are tentative and could be impacted by bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances. For more information call 305-797-0962; or contact us via email at info@fdotmonroe.com.

Madonna got divorced this morning. I’m so broken up over it that I'm taking the day off to grieve.

[Merry Christmas] I can not believe someone would ask a stupid question like that. Anyway, I will share this once again. My friend and I each year, wish each other the best. When I see him, I say, "Merry Christmas!" He looks at me and says, "Happy Hanukah!" He is Jewish and I am Christian. We have done this for years and there is nothing offensive, or wrong about it. 'Tis the season. If someone says "Merry Christmas", then if you want to resort to the lame "Happy Holidays", then do that if it makes you happy. We should not have to wear buttons that says that it is OK to say Merry Christmas to me. That is ridiculous. So, Merry Christmas to all of you!

Does anybody know why theweeklyfisherman.net hasn't been updated for weeks? Are there new papers still going around?

You know your getting old when you have to wear your glasses during sex to watch the porn movies!

[Vigilantes Unite] That is why I live in Florida--a Capital punishment state. I am researching to confirm it, but I do not think that a person has to actually enter your house anymore. I don't know for sure, but I will find out. Trials cost too much money and jails are over populated.  If they are low enough or that stupid: See ya, wouldn't want to be ya.

[No Photo Available] I turned 63 this month, so as a follow up to my physical exam, my internist referred me to a urologist. I saw her yesterday and she is gorgeous. She's one beautiful, unbelievably sexy female doctor. The first thing she told me was that I have to stop masturbating.  I asked her why, and she said, "Because I'm trying to examine you”.

[Crossing Guards] I heard today on the radio that Monroe County is firing school crossing guards in order to meet it's budget. Good thing Becky Herrin is making $100,000!  How many crossing guards would a reduction in her salary pay for?  All she ever does is promote the TDC.  Not to mention other inflated MC salaries.  Yes, I resent the County Nazi's (aka Code Enforcement, et al) making large salaries to take away my personal freedoms whilst School Crossing Guards are being fired.  Sorry, but the county needs to start paying attention to what really matters around here.

The County Commission meeting began sharply at 9:00, to a standing-room-only crowd. After awards were handed out to the Gang of Three by the Gang of Three, amidst much applause, and after Dixie and Mario spoke briefly, followed by much applause, Sonny spoke for a pretty good while. Mostly it was a compressed history of Sonny’s life, somewhat reminiscent of his remarks at candidate forums during the campaign.

Twice Sonny referred to the two incoming commissioners, Kim Wigington and Heather Carruthers, saying he liked them and knew they would make good county commissioners because they really wanted the job.

Amidst much applause, I found myself in two different places at the same time. In one place, I wondered how the county commissioners were going to be tough enough to do what needs to be done in the plummeting economy? In the other place, I wondered what really wanting to be county commissioners had to do with actually being good county commissioners?

After Sylvia Murphy was sworn back in, amidst much applause, and Kim and Heather were sworn in amidst much applause, the five commissioners chose George Neugent as the new county mayor and Sylvia as mayor pro temp, amidst much applause Feeling it was time to leave, I said a few more temporary goodbyes.

Outside, I saw John Hammerstrom and told him of a dream I’d had about him being President of the United States. When he said he wouldn’t be able to live up to that, I said the dream told me how high he, a retired Navy carrier pilot, stands with God for taking on the U.S. Navy over the Super Hornet and AICUZ on Stock Island.

On the mainland about a hour later, I received a phone call from Capt. Conch at bigpinekey.com, asking if I had a post for that day? No, I said, I was en route to Birmingham, might be there a couple of months. Didn’t know if I would be posting during that time and would let him know. More...Today'sFloridaKeysDrivel

South Roosevelt Blvd in Key West this morning.

Huge kudos to the Democratic lead congress for refusing to just give a big handout to the 3 auto makers. No business plan--no money. Finally a party bringing accountability back into politics. Now that’s change I can live with.

[Caption this Animation] Hey Ed, let’s try and break up the monotony. Let’s have your readers play Caption this GIF. It might have some of them use their imagination.

[Vigilantes Unite and handle this "Old school"]  Do you mean "Old school" Keys style, like they did to Bum Farto?  Sign me up to run the fishing trips. There will either be a significant decline in the number of homeless, a decline in crack sales or an increase in missing teens. It's one of these three groups that has the sticky fingers.

[SR-71 Blackbird] Tribute to a remarkable aircraft and her excellent crews. SR-71

Liberal Democrats strike again.  Even during these difficult economic times liberal Democrats can’t stop spending.  After initially defeating the $700 billion bail-out bill with 95 “nay” votes the Dems, lead by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid did a little bit of refining to the bill which then easily passed.  The refinements?  An extra $110 billion in non-bailout money from the taxpayers’ pockets.  Included in this are over 2000 pet projects (pork) lurking in the votes.

Obviously there is no room to cite all of them but they include:  Wooden toy arrow manufactures will receive $2 million; $148 million to “research” new markets for wool in the U.S.; $179 million to squander for unspecified “Investment” in the District of Columbia; $192 million for Virgin Island and Puerto Rican rum producers; $33 million for unspecified development in American Samoa; $100 million for a 7-year recovery period for motorsports race track facilities; $478 million for film and TV productions; $243 million for unspecified “domestic production” in Puerto Rico; $10 million for “fringe benefits” for bicycle commuters; $49 million for those who already were paid punitive damages for the Exxon Valdez spill.  And the list goes on and on and on.

Democratic Sen. Harry Reid said, “No one knows what to do.  We are in new territory here but inaction is not an option.”  So, of course, they start spending.

The next computer club meeting is coming up tomorrow,  Saturday, November 22, 10 am at the BPK library.  It’s free and we try to help others with their computer problems from showing you how to turn it on to backing up your files.

The Big 3 car companies have been downsizing for years while giving the public what it wanted at the time. Now all of a sudden everybody wants a small car or a Hybrid, which they have been making,  but it takes time to but them into production.  They have been hit by the financial meltdown and the spike in gas prices like everything else.  Credit has dried up so that people can't

get car loans like they used to. Car companies all over the world are in trouble today.  Take a look around, sales of all things are down. It does seem sometimes that a lot of people are so anxious to see the American car makers fail they can't see or don't care what further damage this will do to our teetering economy.

[Vigilantes Unite] What street is under siege; and where can we sign up?  Enough is enough.

Dr. Cruz tried to pull that stuff on me as well, charging a fee to certify to the online pet pharmacy that my cat needed the meds.  He said would not charge if I brought the cat in for an exam.  (Not needed in my mind since the prescription was just a renewal of an ongoing treatment he'd previously prescribed.) Not only did he not get my $17.50, I'll never take any of my pets there again.  A pretty unproductive way to do business if you ask me. ~Tryin2FindIt@aol.com

[Sick Dog] Put him to sleep. It is cheaper and he will not suffer. Pain meds for life? That is no life. And by putting him to sleep, it is cheaper and all dogs go to heaven.

[PetMeds are Cheap] I also got "ticked" at Dr. Cruz and his animal hospital on Ramrod when they wanted to charge me an "administrative fee" to get my dogs' heartworm medicine at a significant discount from PetMeds.  (All they had to do was tell PetMeds on the phone that I was a client. I'm not sure that cost him $17.50 in administrative fees.  I wonder if the office person got that added to her salary.  I was so irritated that I reported him to the State Vetinary overseers, but they said there was nothing they could do.  Also I thought his treatment of my dog while there was rough and unduly abrasive.  While I was there all he did was talk on the phone about going fishing with someone else.  I will never bring a pet to him again. ~rubysieg2@hotmail.com

[Human Slinky] http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/2/HalfTime-Basketball-Creighton-University-Omaha-Neb-457715.html

Navy Lt. Jackson Havek, right, the director of Facilities Engineering and Acquisition Department for Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast Detachment Key West, greets his wife Shelly and their dog "Dixie" at the Key West International Airport, Wednesday, Nov. 19, after returning from a six-month Individual Augmentee (IA) deployment to Iraq.

More than 72,000 Sailors have served as individual augementees in the war on terrorism, and more than 40 have been from Key West. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Rachel McMarr)

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Friday  November 21, 2008

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Wednesday November 19, 2008

[Time Thieves] If the county management is really serious about stretching dollars there are plenty of strategies that could easily be employed.  Posters on this site claim that it’s routine for employees to report to work late, and leave early. A ruled yellow pad can cure this. Simply require that the first employee arriving personally sign in on the pad noting date and time of arrival in their own hand.  Each subsequent arriving employee would then sign in and note the time on the next line. The process would continue at lunch break, each staffer signing in and out noting times.  At the end of the work day the process repeats with each employee signing out noting the time. In order to cheat on this system every employee in every work place would have to be complicit.  As in every system it would require management commitment and audit. If you doubt that this system would work, simply listen to the howling that mere suggestion of it will engender.

A basic attitude shift is necessary, county vehicles must become nothing more than a tool, not an employment perk or salary supplement. It must be emphasized that the employees duties begin at their place of employment, not at their front door.  County management should set specific economizing goals and time parameters. They should establish a policy that failure to economize system-wide will result in unpaid furloughs for all system staff including management.

[Military Photos] These are some really great pictures of the military in action. http://www.tom-phillips.info/images/cool.pics.military.htm

[Carpool User] We’re looking to do a success story about a few of you who are successfully using the GLEE carpool site.  We’re doing this so that we increase interest in carpooling and get more participants. If you are getting rides on a regular basis and are willing to be profiled for a newspaper story about our carpool, please email me. I’ll then contact you directly. We’re hoping that you’ll be willing to help us make the site a bigger success!  michael.welber@gmail.com

Watch out for break-ins on Big Pine Key, especially in the area off Ships Way.  There’s been a bunch in the last week or so. Lock your doors.

Like Church and State I was under the impression there was separation of pubic government and private business, but that line is rapidly disappearing.

So Commissioners, let's see if you have the fortitude to do what the voters elected you to do.

[Pluck Yew  Motha' Plucker] Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous English longbow was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as 'plucking the yew' (or 'pluck yew').

Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodentals fricative F, and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute!  It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as 'giving the bird.'

[How to Buy Beer at Winn Dixie] Let's all petition WD to make a separate drive-in window for beer, guns, ammo, smokes, adult toys and whatever else needs a pucking ID!

CVS is renovating the exterior of their BPK store. Is that because WD opened a pharmacy and Walgreens is going to build next door?

Someone is blaming Obama for the current stock market decline? Oh wait, that was yesterday, today the stock market rose so I guess its "Thanks George Bush for the great stock market rally". I have a feeling Obama will again be responsible if it drops tomorrow. I am honestly not laughing at that person, I am truly laughing with them.

[Subject] (Ed: Ladies and Gentleman please write the department you want to reach in the subject line of your emails. [i.e. Coconut Telegraph, Bulletin Board, Classified Ads, Advertising] Because of numerous malware threats we've installed newer heavy duty filters that delete everything without a department in the subject line of your email. Don't write what the email is about--that doesn't help at all. It only sends you to the junk mail folder and gets reported as junk mail; and the next time your mail might not get through at all.

If you don't write the department in the subject line and your email does get printed anyway it is because we search the junk mail folder looking for familiar emails. But going through hundreds of junk mails daily sucks and it's too easy to miss yours. We hate to lose your comments or notices so please only write the department you wish to reach in the subject line. It's really easy and only takes a few seconds.)

Southern Californian is burning again. NASA - Fires in California

One again WD BPK is pushing customers away with there alcohol restrictions. That store sells more beer and wine than all the stores in the keys put together. They better come up with a better solution to underage drinking.

I haven’t heard anything about Paris Hilton in a while has she retired from being a celebrity?

[Legacy Payments] People are complaining about the legacy payments the big three car companies make- What about the legacy payments the state and federal government pays their retired employees? They get the best retirement package around, and our property and income taxes reflect this. 

When writing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address.  If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful, special people who have sacrificed so much would get.

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical  Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

[Obama’s Cabinet] We had a choice between old farts and a young gun. At least Obama's club will know how to use technology and the internet instead of stone tablets.  The "gene pool" in D.C. (Disinformation Central) is shallow and finding experienced help on either side of the aisle is reserved for a select few and their disciples. Here's one of Obama's picks; I fear strictly because of her association with pond scum:

Stonebridge Principals: Samuel Berger, H.P. Goldfield, Warren Rudman, Charles O. Prince, Anthony Harrington, Michael Warren

[Citizens Not Serfs] At the next Board of County Commissioners meeting, a resolution is likely to be introduced requesting the board's support on working with State & Nat'l Representatives to renegotiate with FEMA and work towards a better solution that will continue to safeguard the community's participation in the National Flood Insurance Program while offering a better remedy to individuals with downstairs enclosures. This will be on Wednesday, December 17th at the Marathon Government Center. Once the agenda item has been posted to the website - we will be asking you to write letters of support to be included in a packet we are giving to the BOCC and of course, we'd request your attendance at this meeting.

Discussion regarding the Sandra Carter case will be discussed at tomorrow's BOCC meeting to be held in Key Largo. For details visit: http://monroecofl.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/MonroeCoFL_BOCCAgendas/11192008/S5.pdf
At our next meeting, I'd like to discuss this case with all of you a bit further. I encourage you to read the item, attend the meeting or contact a commissioner to understand their position.

[Marine Mammals] This Saturday, November 22, the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center will be holding their "Discovery Saturdays" for ages K-5th Grade.  This event's subject will be Marine Mammals and is from 9:30am to 11:30am.  Admission is free for all but space is limited, so reservations are recommended.  Call 305-809-4750 for more info.

If you've never been to the Eco-Discovery Center, you are missing one of the best things the lower Keys has to offer.  It is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 9am to 4pm, and is always free admission, with parking available right at the door!  Bulletin Board

[Poor Acoustics] Yes, it is so sad regarding the sound in the courthouse.  Upon being present for a hearing I too experienced the "sound" bouncing around and actually hurting my ears.  It was just so frustrating because you could not really tell what was going on, what was being said, due to this echoing and enormous room.  How could this happen? I feel sorry too for the courthouse staff, putting up with this everyday. 

[Space Shuttle] Not long after the opening of the payload bay doors on space shuttle Endeavour, the crew was able to get a first look at cargo and hardware located in the bay from windows on the aft flight deck. http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1221.html

Have you seen the new 1040 form?

[Ford takes 12 years longer than Japs to build hybrid] There is a cab company in Key West that has been using the Ford Escape SUV Hybrids for some time now. Ford will sell you all you want.  But that's not what Joe Public wanted until gas prices went through the roof.  People have always bought plenty of smaller economy vehicles from Ford.  Ford will build whatever is needed, from bombers to Mustangs.

[The Hungarian’s Fan Letter] You have this amazing ability to turn back the hands of time and get right back to the moment you are writing about. In the Sounds of Guns you write the story as told through the eyes of a young boy. Later on when you were in your teen years in the States acquiring your first classic cars, the reader lives through each experience with you. In your book African Adventure you tell the world exactly how it was through the eyes of a dedicated soldier. It's as if the reader is right there with you. I can almost taste the smell of grease and oil in your shop. I can feel the heat and I know I felt your thirst in the bush whilst reading.

It's amazing that you have this ability to make the reader, "feel" what you felt riding your first race and tasting that dust, and all the other experiences you went through. You don't do it with fancy words. You do it just by telling it how it was. Very few people have lived the extraordinary life that you have done. It makes me thrilled that you want to capture those times and share with the world on paper. Some other fellow would be sitting back on a rocking chair watching the world go by. You are certainly a rare specimen Mr Baka Sir. (Ed: Imre, please note that this is on the internet.)

[Publix, Publix, wherefore art thou Publix?] Publix has tried at least 3 times in the last 5 years to put a store on Big Pine. Every time they were shot down by the powers that be and the locals alike. So don't complain now. You got what you asked for.

Tuesday's edition of the Telegraph was notable for the absence of the stooges - Sloan, Sandy and Sal. Funny how they all begin with the letter "S". Maybe this is the start of a trend? We can only hope.

[Old English] Shake off all fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God, because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear. ~Thomas Jefferson

This is the anti-coal slogan I submitted to the Sierra Club. Click here to submit yours www.coalisnottheanswer.org

In the Congressional hearings yesterday the bailout Secretary couldn’t define a financial institution! He said the definition has become muddy. Yeah, so has he. And these same people want more of our money to bailout the big 3 auto makers.

YouTube - How To Get Jail Time For A Speeding Ticket

The waning Moon passes Regulus and Saturn in the feet of Leo in the early morning hours.

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Wednesday November 19, 2008

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Tuesday November 18, 2008

[Appointment of David Paul Horan to the Human Services Advisory Board ] Dear Commissioners, This past election cycle has reaffirmed the Citizens commitment to transparent and honest representation within our government.  This proposed appointment of David Paul Horan is reflective of past appointments that have been blatantly problematic and not in the best interest of Monroe County.  Mr. Horan is well known for his control of government and influence within our County.  As voters, we had hoped that our current BOCC would eliminate such bias appointments altogether.  If he is the only candidate being considered for this position, why is he not being publicly vetted prior to this appointment?  Was this future vacancy advertised to the public for recommendations of individuals from Monroe County communities?  Is he the best that Monroe County has to offer?  Is citizen input being dismissed as harangue by our new commissioners?

The closed party hosted by the Gang of Three is officially over.  Now let's throw out the trash.  ~pcaruso@texas.net

Trauma Star letter.

Curious cockroach gives traveler trauma. http://www.phuketgazette.net/queernews/index.asp?ref=200732011239

[Turkey Vultures] Just prior to the cold front Sunday, the soaring birds, mainly turkey vultures lost their thermals and crashed into the Florida Bay. Here is an article I wrote based on interviews and my own understanding.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1214999/the_great_buzzard_bailout.html?cat=62

[County Engineering at its Worst] New Key West Courthouse Fiasco. It is not bad enough the new courthouse was way over budget and behind schedule. What is worse, it was designed by amateurs who apparently didn't even talk to any of the people who have to work there.

When courtrooms, large halls, churches and such are designed, the contributions of acoustical engineers are a critical part of the architect's design. How sound travels in a space, like a courtroom, is extremely important and has to be planned in advance. Apparently nobody in our incompetent county government ever thought of that. The courtrooms are giant echo chambers. They are so acoustically live that understanding conversations is difficult. Court reporters, lawyers and visitors hate it. Even a judge remarked from the bench that even the Romans thousands of years ago understood acoustics and used the science to construct their theaters. Apparently nobody in a position of power in Monroe County has any clue whatsoever, but hey, it is mighty pretty.

The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason: The Morning Daylight appears plainer when you put out your Candle.  ~ Benjamin Franklin

Ford is introducing its first hybrid car--twelve years after Toyota introduced their Pirus! And they wonder why Detroit is in trouble. The big three are obsolete behemoths and should not be bailed out. They fouled up and if bailed out they will continue to make the same mistakes. They have no plan to change. Bailing them out would be just pouring good money after bad policies. We bailed out Chrysler some years ago and nothing changed. They continued to make the same mistakes that got them in trouble in the first place. They want more of our money. The solution for them is to file for bankruptcy. That way they can shed the union’s legacy cost of over a thousand dollars for each car Detroit builds.

Israel feeds 450,000 Palestinians because they are too busy attacking Israel to grow their own food or create enough industry to buy it. If they ever agreed to a peace the Palestinians wouldn’t know what to do with their time. It’s hard to be productive when you’re steeped in hate. If you go to a poor Israeli’s hovel it will be spotless and well organized. On the other hand if you go into a Palestinian’s hovel it will look like a hovel, filthy and falling apart.

[Bankrupt] There has been a 30% increase of bankruptcy filings this October over last year.

I have to say we sure miss Ken at Parrotdise. Is he going to turn up somewhere else?  He was all about quality and a good chef.

[How to Buy Beer at Winn Dixie] If you’ve tried to buy beer at WD you’ve probably been upset that you had to wait for an elusive manager to show up with a special key for the register to authorize your purchase no matter how old you are.

A helpful cashier explained to me that because of employees selling beer to their underage friends in Florida and WD losing law suits related to those sales, WD has instituted a corporate edict that all beer purchases must have manager approval and they must use a key in the register to confirm that you are of age. This is new policy in all WD stores, not just in this store.

The cashier said that you can avoid the long wait by offering your ID. If you offer your ID there is no wait or special key required. The catch to this stupid process is that you must offer your ID—the cashier is forbidden to ask for your ID. She said that was to discourage beer sales. They are not allowed to ask for your ID!

The American auto industry, contrary to the caterwauling, is alive, well, and making money for the companies and for the employees. It’s the unions of the big three, Ford, GM, and Chrysler that are in trouble. The following foreign marquees have manufacturing facilities in the USA that are not currently beset with fiscal woe: BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, and others. The union/Big 3 problems are not a product of the current melt down, nor are they a cause of it. 

The legacy costs of each car produced, and work rules have made it nearly impossible for the Big 3 to operate at a profit. No profit, no business, no jobs, no pensions, no joke. If the Big 3 are to survive, they must undergo major reorganization and renegotiation of existing contracts. The best route to reorganization is though our bankruptcy proceedings.  To flood them with bailout bucks will not only waste the bucks but will prolong the agony. The vast majority of jobs will not be lost in bankruptcy and the companies will reemerge as leaner and stronger entities.

How to neatly stack a tire--the hard way. Video

[Bailout Greed] CitiBank is defending it’s use of bailout money to gobble up healthy banks in a feeding frenzy using our free money. They say there in no written requirement for them to use the money as it was intended to be used; and that is to loan to borrowers to get the economy moving again.

[County Salaries]  My brother is a captain for American Airlines - he took two substantial salary cuts and guess what - it worked. It kept the company afloat.  The County’s administrative staff, some of whom are guilty of falsifying their time cards and leaving work early on Friday, after around 10:00 AM,  have shown that they don't really care that  Monroe County taxpayers are paying them handsomely to work a full day on Friday.  We need to insist that the administrative staff take a salary cut before they raise our taxes again.  ~Fortsonphoto@earthlink.net

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until, 'all Hell breaks loose.'

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls entering Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until, 'Hell freezes over.'

So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa Fanning during my Freshman year that, 'It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you' and take into account the fact I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over!

The corollary of this theory is since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct…leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting,  “Oh my God.”

State Representative Ron Saunders will host a Future of the Florida Keys Summit on Wednesday, December 10th, 2008 at the Marathon Government Center beginning at 2:00pm.  The meeting is open to the public and will be televised. 

The summit is being held solely for information purposes and there will be no decisions made or votes taken. Bulletin Board

Pray for a greener earth and a hell of a lot less people and, maybe, a little more recycling. Slide Show

Barry Patterson's bail was set at $35,000. He could be sleeping with Leroy tonight.

[The Domino Effect] 3 News > Video > Lifestyle > New domino toppling record set

[Stock Market] The news reported on the Obama stock market collapse tonight. They said this is the 1st time in history that a prez-elect has ever seen such losses in the market. Wall Street does not have confidence in him and his promise to bail out the auto unions is really going to hurt the middle class who are not making 68-70 dollars an hour like the auto unions he is bailing out. I hope he changes this market for the better.

Shamu misses out on lunch. Video

[Crime Wave] Who's doing the B&Es on Ramrod and Summerland Keys? The Tiki Bar was hit Saturday or Sunday night and several homes have also been robbed. Life is getting tough in Paradise. Lock and load!

Color Therapy. Slide Show

[Moving Products] I cannot understand why the super markets are putting up with the nut case who keeps moving products from all the shelves to other shelves just to be a pain in the butt.  With all the cameras and stuff you would think that screw ball would be caught by now. It makes shopping a royal pain!

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Tuesday November 18, 2008

Monday November 17, 2008

On May 29, 2005 we had a really bad car accident because Darren Bell was in a big hurry. My sister-in-law Michelle Rivera (Harpin) died. She was my best friend and I miss her very much. I was also in the car. I am on disability now due to the accident. I have lost so much, but at lest I have my children. Michelle's children are doing fine living with their dad.  I still struggle everyday with pain and dealing with crazy bill collectors calling all the time. I am still waiting for my back disability check. I am not sure I will ever see it. Mr. Bell went to jail in Jan 08. He could have had 14 years, but he pled down to 7. I guess he only has to serve maybe 5 of those seven.  It’s weird how things go. I know it must be very hard on his family too, but they will have him back in a few years and they can go see him. I can't go see Michelle and her family can't go and see her.

I am in pain every day from my back and left hand. Kelly, the other adult in the car has pain everyday too from her arm and back. I don't think the pain will ever go away. My heart is broken, my life is so different. One thing I wonder is if the County would ever put up a guard rail in Big Pine on US1. I feel it could have saved Michelle.

I really wanted to thank the people of Big Pine as well as everyone who stopped to help my family that day. We were treated so well by everyone. I heard the voices of everyone helping my son and Michelle's 3 children out of the car. Then I cried for help. I didn't know I was upside down. The people who took me from the car didn't drop me even a lilt bit. They held me up in the air like I was a small child. I was at lest 150 pounds then and I thought I was going to fall, but they held on to me. Then i saw our children--I guess I passed out a few times. My wedding rings mean the world to me, they were damaged in the accident and the big diamond was gone. My husband can't replace it now, but I know he will someday. I can't wear a ring on my left hand now, anyway, but I know he loves me. I guess I have said enough for now. I’m getting a little to sad. Sorry for taking so long to thank Big Pine's EMS and all the people who jumped out of their cars for my family. 

[New Coin—the Amero]  Or maybe just another internet crackpot? http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1954933468700958565&hl=es

[Dave Koppel] I think he is a good engineer.

[Climate Change] As previously stated, oceans have a near limitless ability to absorb CO2 you say we must eliminate CO2 emissions, yet current volcano eruptions spew out more CO2 than all of mankind in recorded history, looks like we will just have to pass a law against volcano eruptions,  Professor Tom V. Segalstad  one of the worlds foremost scientists on the governments panel of climate change's  says the IPCC"s models disregard facts and irrefutable science and instead they substitute their faith, constructing a kind of science fiction or fantasy world in the process.

[No Conservatives] Are you kidding? No more Conservative majority in Congress and no Conservative in the Presidents office pretty much makes just about anything else manageable. Sorry, but it’s going to take a lot more then another doomsday-Republican’s rant to scare anyone again. (insert large smile here).

Tonight Nurse Ginger calls bingo, 7pm, at the Green Parrot for MARC House. Join in whatever time you get there , especially my Ladies Night Out buddies. 

Also, tonight at Bobby's Monkey Bar at 8pm. The No Name Players reunite to pay tribute to their departed friend and fellow No Name Player, Charo.  Donations will be accepted and given to the Sister Season Fund in her name. Don't forget the benefit for Barbara Vogel at Lucky St Gallery starting at 6pm

The gay rights folks have been demonstrating in Key West against the recent passing of Amendment 2. In case you are wondering who and what they are demonstrating against, here's a rough translation: "Hey, all you voters who passed Amendment 2 to the Florida Constitution by a 62 percent vote, we don't like your vote. In fact, we don't think you had the right to do that. Only our votes should have counted. You might say that we are marching to revoke your choice to pass that amendment, after the fact. We are anti-choice!"

[Zombies Playing SlotsI asked Commissioner George Neugent about David Paul Horan, an influential Key West/Keys lawyer, because David represents one of the major developer players in the Safe Harbor Marina (Stock Island) development changes to our Comprehensive Plan, which I recently read in Key West Citizen has been worked out between the various Safe Harbor developers, Monroe County and the US Navy, and now only needs the County Commission’s formal approval at the next Commission meeting in Key West. Then it will be sent to the Florida Department of Community Development (DCA) for its approval, which, from what I read in the Citizen, seems likely.

So far, what has been proposed, according to what I heard last week from one of the major promoters of this change in our Comprehensive Plan, will provide no public boat launches, even though the whole schlemiel is being touted as redevelopment of a working waterfront and marine industry. So far, what will go in first, according to what I’ve been reading in the newspaper and hearing from people in the know, is a 400 unit upscale hotel, and comparable smaller hotels, adding up to a total of 800 much-needed hotel units, due to our existing hotel stock suffering a 125 percent occupancy rate year-round. The comp plan change also calls for a mix of much-needed so-called affordable and un-affordable condominiums; much-needed due to our critical Keys-wide existing condominium and single family dwelling busting-at-the-seems occupancy. The comp plan change also calls for some plans for a ferry service and a yacht-class working waterfront and marine industry.

After writing to George, I learned from a Key West friend that the Human Services Board makes recommendations for charitable contributions out of money allocated by the County Commission for charitable projects. I told my friend that I didn’t feel anyone should be on any county board, who then might bring something before the County Commission that would, if approved, put money in the bringer’s own pocket. Someone like David Paul Horan. My friend agreed. This is not one of my crazy friends. This is a prominent mainstream Key West businessman. Maybe he will chuckle to read that maybe the Advisory Board will see fit to give money to a working waterfront/marine industry museum at Safe Harbor, to remind visitors in 2020 of what Keys working waterfronts and marine industries used to look like.

Maybe I’m paranoid. Maybe I have reason to be paranoid, when I hear all the talk about bringing gaming into the Keys, and I don’t mean hunting Key Deer, manatees, dolphins, wild chickens, American crocodiles and mermaids and the like. Maybe I have reason to be paranoid when I start getting weird dreams. When I see an image of someone bringing a proposal to the County Commission asking it to change the name of the Key West Airport to Vegas West Airport. When I see an image of the City of Marathon allowing a casino on Knight’s Key and a big Knight’s Key Gamblers Anonymous welcome booth in the Marathon Airport. When I see an image of a great big fox being put into a hen house. A great big fox. Like, bigger than a brontosaurus. Like a lot bigger than a brontosaurus. But with big sharp teeth like a T-Rex. Today'sFloridaKeysDrivel

Happy Holidays! We are open everyday at 11am serving full menu all day.
Daily Specials are:
Mondays--- 2 for 1 Martini’s.
Tuesdays---Fresh Stone Crabs pulled from the Ocean on Monday.
Wednesdays---Maine Lobster
Thursdays---Mac & Cheese offered with 20 Different Items your way.
Fridays---TGIF & Fresh Stone Crabs pulled from the Ocean on Thursday.
Saturdays---Prime Rib served 3 different sizes
Sundays---Gram’s Home Style Cooken.

Thanksgiving Day
We will be Open for Thanksgiving serving Full Menu; plus, Traditional Turkey from 11AM.

Beach Party News
Wednesday 11/26 Sir CW Colt 3pm Keys Time
Friday 11/28 CW Colt and Brian Roberts

Christmas is just 5 weeks away! (Sorry, we’ll be closed Christmas day)
Make plans for you Holiday Party at Parrotdise Waterfront
Save Time Shopping---Parrotdise Waterfront Gift Cards make great stocking stuffers
All “Big Pecker Wines” Merchandise marked down 15% until sold out.
Bottles of “Big Pecker” Wine and Etched Glasses are always Great Party Favors.

New Year’s Eve is in the Planning
New Year’s Eve just a week later. Open both New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day. New Year’s Eve Specials are in the planning!

From all of us here at Parrotdise Waterfront, may your days with family and friends bring memories of great joy and happiness. We're all looking forward to seeing you here on the Waterfront.

Our friends, Volcom Recording Artist –Year Long Disaster- will be performing Sunday Nov 23^rd at the TiB Amphitheater at 7pm next week. This has been months in the planning and the hard work of so many people has now come to fruition.  Please tell your  friends and clients, as we want this free concert to be a tremendous success for ICE and the band, as Volcom and ICE are in the planning stages of a second all out Volcom event next year, and we want to show our support for the Band and ICE as all proceeds will go directly back into the community for music scholarships for youths in our community.

Our friend Sid Brown from LA will be performing Saturday at a free Band, Meet and Greet at the Zane Grey from 7-9. Opici Wines and Boo!ya tequila will be pouring complementary beverages and Sid will be performing a warm-up LA style for a small group of locals. REAX Music Magazine will be in town for the weekend to cover the whole event.

The band has been voted Top 10 New band to watch in 2008 by Rolling Stone magazine and won top prize in Yahoo! Music’s “Who’s Next” Best new band. www.yearlongdisaster.com

This is a great free event for our community and the Keys.
2-5pm Skate Jam with 4 pro skaters
5:30 Baga Tricks
6:30 Sid Brown
7:pm Year Long Disaster

If anyone has any questions, feel free to email me or call the number listed on the site at. www.keysice.com

If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed. ~ Albert Einstein

Airport Nonsense. Can we please have the idiots shut up. There never was a plan to rename the airport. The issue is naming the new terminal building and putting a bust of McCoy there. This has nothing to do with the name of the airport itself. Personally I think it should be named The Overbudget Behind Schedule Deathtrap.

[Local supermarket penalizing you if you buy beer and are over 40] Sue them! Sue the ball bearings off them and the holy rollers who are pushing this crap. Freedom ain't cheap anymore!

[Stay Sandy] We need her in the news. All her ranting amplifies her incompetence to serve. ~fxrp@embarqmail.com

[No Global Warming] Have you ever hear of Dr. James Hansen? He’s the HMFWIC of NASA’s shop that monitors global temps, and he’s the scientist that’s most responsible for the current global warming boondoggle.  He’s also Gore’s primary scientific guru on global warming. Until last week he and his had been claiming that October was the warmest global October on record. His organization made that claim while ignoring worldwide reports of heavy early snows and record low temps. Hansen, et al, have just been forced to admit their data was flat, totally, utterly wrong.

Temperature readings from September had been re-submitted by the Russians as the October temps. This is the same crew that was forced to admit error in their claim that 1990’s were the 20^th Century’s warmest decade when in fact, the 1930’s held that record. How much of his global warming swill is based on similar bad data?  You’ve got to wonder how many billions of tax and private dollars have been wasted in the service of this fabricated global warming boogey man story. I’ve got to wonder how many billions have been made by characters like Gore. Check out the full story in the UK Telegraph of 11/16.  By the way, why don’t any American major media mavens report any of this?

[County Salaries] You might not agree, but usually if you pay well you get better employees than someone making minimum wage for doing an important job. Who do you want defending you in court--a fifty dollar an hour lawyer or a $500 an hour expert lawyer?

[Fix the problem by eliminating CO2 emissions] After we eliminate all industrial causes, we will have to eliminate the last one, all life.

[Plastic Bags--not the best of ideas] Once in the slideshow, use the scroll bar on the right side of the screen to scroll through the panels. http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/80505016

Maybe Sandy Downs can serve on Obama's team.  She is as arrogant as Hillary and as ignorant as Obama.  The perfect mix to make a Democrat.  ~thekeysguy@gmail.com

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Monday November 17, 2008

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Sunday November 16, 2008

 

Never having been an ardent supporter of the military industrial complex, nor a member of the armed forces, I approached my participation in last nights United States Marine Corps birthday celebration with some skepticism.

However, upon my arrival at the American Legion Post 333 in Key Largo where this festivity took place, I was immediately put at ease with a friendly welcome and warm reception by the Marines who had assembled there. I was profoundly moved by the positive energy which radiated through them. It was contagious and created an aura that electrified the room.

John Donnelly, the Marine who served as master of ceremonies, was awesome. He delivered an ardent and breathtaking description of the courageous efforts that Sheriff Rick Roth and the Monroe County Sheriffs' Department had put forth in rescuing a community that had been devoured by violent crime. For that action, Sherrif Roth was later given a 'Lifetime Achievement Award'.

Marine John Donnelly brought out a 'drum and bugle detail' from our high school and drilled them through their sequences, which culminated in their impressive rendition of taps. Then Marine Norm Higgins read the Commandant of the Marine Corps birthday message, along with giving an account of the actions of a Marine which lead him to being awarded the Medal of Honor. Mr. Higgins spirited presentation was magnificent.

Two ladies, Barbara and Gloria (I can't remember their last names) contributed to this celebration in a spectacular manner. Barbara read one of the most beautiful poems I've ever heard and Claudia spoke of her heroic an unending efforts (Her son is serving in Iraq with the Marines) in putting forth 'care packages' for those serving overseas.

A Marine named Russ came forward and told of how his sergeant from 40 years ago, whom he had named his son after, suddenly contacted him while in the Keys; and they recently spent the day fishing. He then led the gathering in a 21 Bell Salute, to honor their fallen comrades.

The Marine Corps Hymn was played as the oldest and youngest Marine grasped hold of a saber and cut their birthday cake. The wide assortment of food they made available for their guests was enormously delicious. Linda provided two rotisserie dishes and Mr. Paul Bean, the Publix store manager in Key Largo, donated two beautifully arranged platters for us all to enjoy.

This eclectic evening was charged with excitement and fascination. I have a new found respect and admiration for the Marine Corps. I learned a lot last night. I think I have come to understand a little more about what their motto Semper Fidelis (always faithful) means. I will never forget the events of yesterday, and I will forever cherish the company of the Marines I met.

[Dope] I kind of think that anyone that socially uses narcotics is a dope.  It doesn't matter if it's hard stuff or pot. You use it--you surely are a dope!

[Editing] Kudos to Ed. I'm glad to learn of your recent decision to decline publishing the kooky politician's rants against people: drugs, sex and murder. At least rock n, roll has been spared for the moment. He has moved from an eccentric ex-lawyer's policy rants to publishing despicable comments without any proof except hearsay from the angels. 

He kind of reminds me of Jim Jones. Since he is paying BPK.com, maybe he should be removed from the blog back to the advertising side so you don't have to read his vicious drivel. I would think you have enough work editing the bad stuff out daily. Plus, I don't think you get paid enough to risk being a party defendant when the inevitable lawsuit for libel and slander is filed. He has crossed the line. Good luck.

[No Food at Restaurant] Saturday night my wife and I brought some of our friends to the Looe Key Tiki for drinks and dinner. The waitress told us the manager shut the kitchen down early in the afternoon and sent the cooks home.  This is a real bonehead move as we got up and left. The  Cat Four Band sounded real good doing Pink Floyd. I do not understand why, in these hard economic times, would a bar that serves food shut down. I guess you can't make sense out of nonsense.

[The Fall of Rome] You folks who are ragging on the Big Three car companies should remember one thing. The rest of the world is saying the same thing about this whole country.

[How all phones should be answered] Good morning, welcome to the United States of America. Press 1 for English. Press 2 to disconnect until you learn to speak English. And remember only two defining forces have ever  offered to die for you,  God And the American Soldier. One died for your soul,  the other for your freedom.

[White Guilt] I’m not thrilled with America ’s flirtation with neo socialism. But there’s a massive silver lining in those magical clouds that lofted Barak Obama to the Presidency. For today, without a shred of intellectually legitimate opposition, I can loudly proclaim to America : The Era of White Guilt is over.

History does not entrust the care of freedom to the weak or timid.  ~Dwight D. Eisenhower 

Wood sculptor Bruno Torfs has his rainforest garden as a display gallery in Australia. http://www.flickr.com/photos/benrobertsabq/sets/72157594468071832/show/ 

[Fire Dave Koppel] Monroe County Administrator's immediate change in airports project management oversight is extremely good and welcome news, but Mr Gastesi does not go far enough, or completely address the problem(s) to finish the job. 

The proper finish is the termination (or resignation for incompetence) of County Engineer Dave Koppel.  If Mr Gastesi does not do that, then the very least he absolutely must do is reduce County Engineer Dave Koppel's exorbitant and outrageous salary.  And in case no one has told Mr Gastesi this part of the airport history, Koppel had the airport responsibility. It was taken away, and then Willi gave it back to Koppel and at that time Willi also increased Koppel's salary an extra $15,000. Everything County Engineer Dave Koppel (formerly a road engineer) has touched has been, for one reason or another, some level of screwed up, costing county more money.

So, Mr Gastesi, finish the job. Really fix the root of the county's Engineering Dept. Bad management, like sewerage, flows from the top down.  ~nancykeys127@yahoo.com 

[Renaming the Airport] Logically, all airports should be named as the city or country they are in, but that is too simple for the dreamers and ego freaks to swallow.

I am so sick of hearing Sandy Downs on her "Poor Me' soap box I want to throw up.  The election is over.  The people have spoken.  You lost.  Accept it, shut up and move on.

earth album alpha - a slicker google maps + flickr mash-up

[7 Years in January] Let's make Monday Editor Appreciation Day.  Thanks for the six years of amusement and information on the Keys. You rock!

[Global Warming Is Over] Did you see the headline suggesting that the Keys will be history in less than hundred years due to rising sea levels? It’s pure nonsense. I’ve got to wonder how many people are making a pile of money on this crap. The Gore true believers steadfastly refuse to acknowledge the fact that the earth is ever changing; right now it's cooling, not warming. Gore and many others have huge investments in carbon sequestering schemes that will suffer if the general public suddenly realizes that global warming is bunk. That’s why the major media refuses to publicize news such as the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) has released data that shows a dramatic increase in sea ice extent in the Arctic regions. The growth over the past year covers an area twice the size the nation of Germany. This year the Arctic has seen a gain of about thirteen percent in ice cover. Furthermore, recent research has revealed that  Antarctica too is in a long-term cooling trend.

The Michael Bane Blog: More Gun Control Is GOOD!

[Read My Lips, No New Taxes] More bad news for the Obamaists amongst us. There is a groundswell of international pressure to reduce top end taxes worldwide, especially the capital gains taxes, in order to free up capital to re-energize the global economy. It seems many are finally realizing that abandoning the socialization of industry and adopting the Irish model of extremely low taxation is a sure fire path to prosperity for all. Ireland dropped it’s tax rates to the lowest in Europe and has become the European financial champion. America has the 2^nd highest corporate tax rate in the world, and our plunging economy shows it.

[Sandy for U.S. Attorney General] This is a great idea whose time has come.  The AG should be a leader, a manager, a director.   Why must the AG be a lawyer?  Lawyers are a dime a dozen, she could hire any shyster she wanted to be her underling.  Who else but Sandy has shown us her amazing ability to identify injustice and corruption in officialdom.  Who else but Sandy has the perspicacity to ferret out pernicious schemes by citizens who would corrupt our government to their own evil purposes.  Who else but Sandy has the background and zeal to pursue evil doers who would rape our precious mangrove branches.  Who else has the depth of empathy for the underdog, an empathy keenly honed by her very own incredible personal history of incredible victimization at the hand of incredibly ruthless officialdom.  (Miriam-Webster: in·cred·i·ble :  too extraordinary and improbable to be believed [making incredible claims] ). 

Will everyone please stop talking about Sandy Downs.  Treat her like the child she behaves like.  If we stop talking about her she will stop thinking she is important and she will go away.  Just like any other 5 year old she will quit if we ignore her.  ~deedeesails@hotmail.com

[Tabloids] Every time I go to the supermarket, I check out  the tabloids by the checkout. They all say something about Angelina or Jen being pregnant again. How many kids do these women have? And does anybody really buy these rags? What a shallow life the buyer must have, to live vicariously through movie stars' lives.

[Wiseguy] I have to disagree with the great American that tried to tell us how bad Bush was. I think Bush has been the greatest president in American history. His financial deregulations helped bring on our booming economy and his job creation promises have led to the greatest job growth in over 100 years. More people then ever are in brand new homes and Americas infrastructure is almost as good as new. We are not involved in any war with any country that didn’t attack us and prosperity is the new American way. Americas leading the way around the world and our industries are leading the pack. Bush has taken down the walls of secrecy in the back rooms of Washington and Dick Cheney has changed the job of Vice President and removed it from the Executive branch. Yes sir, thank the heavens above for George Bush, the greatest and most honest President the world has ever known. Bush has shown America that Republicans are the leaders in this world and you can say what you want about George Bush, but it’s best to use the words of George Bush himself when he says, "All you need is the right strategy".

[ID Check] Our local favorite supermarket is now penalizing and humiliating you if you buy beer and are 40 or over.  You have to stand and wait while all your frozen food and ice cream is melting while the manager is called to put a key into the register.  What is up with this new policy?   I didn't get any explanation from the manager  whom I had to wait extra long for because he was all the way at the other end of the store. 

[Saturday Night UFC fights at Rob's]  I am not too  interested in this fight, but I would pay to see our Ed take on the Hungarian in a Texas-style cage match. My money would be on Ed. (Ed: The Hungarian would win. He’s a for real badass. That’s why I’m glad he can’t get back in the country.)

For the person looking for a photographer, Abi Bell does excellent work and is a pleasure to work with.  Contact her at http://www.abibell.com .  Her phone number is 305-395-8085.  She does excellent work!

[CO2 can't stay in the atmosphere more than 5 years] Like most facts, scientific facts can be manipulated by leaving out certain other facts such as the fact that mankind is continually adding to the initial amount of CO2 in the atmosphere by hundreds of thousands of tons each year. And that number is growing. CO2 would leave the atmosphere only when no more were added to it. We can only fix the problem by eliminating CO2 emissions.

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Sunday November 16, 2008

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Saturday November 15, 2008

[Sandy Downs] I work in the court system.  I will not and can not release the court records on Sandy's son because he was a juvenile.  But I will say that the dates given yesterday by Sandy were not accurate.  The actual dismissal date was later than the date of the child's death.  Also, the chronology of events she listed were not accurate.  The story she gave is not consistent with proper legal procedure. In the ten years I've known Vogel, I've never seen her handle First Appearance.  She's the Chief Prosecutor and that is not her job.  Like someone else said yesterday, perhaps it's time to just let it go.  

[Roman Gastesi's First  Strike] Monroe County Administrator, Roman Gastesi, announced today that there will be an immediate change in project management oversight of the Morganti Group construction projects at both Key West International and the Florida Keys Marathon Airports.

No decision has yet been made whether Morganti will remain as the contractor of record for these  projects. Gastesi and Horton plan to make a project update report to the BOCC at their November  19th meeting in Key Largo.

[Monkeys and Shakespeare] The correct quote is "If you put an infinite number of monkeys at typewriters, eventually one will bash out the script for Hamlet". Where "eventually" refers to an infinite period of time. We haven't yet had an infinite number of monkeys, or people, on the Internet nor has an infinite period of time passed. But your misquote, actually just a copy and paste of some other monkey's misquote, just proves that neither infinite period is near.

[Sandy Downs constant complaining of being a victim] I worked with Deputy Cuervo as a partner for several years in Big Pine and he always treated people with respect and upheld the law which he has sworn to do. Contrary to Mrs. Downs allegations, Deputies do not just go out and try to "get anybody" for no reason. If you end up in handcuffs in the back seat of a cruiser, its because the deputy determined there was probable cause to arrest you.

Are there bad cops? Yes, but not near as many as some would have you believe. The good cops are always looking to get rid of the bad apples because the bad ones drag down the good ones’ reputations. Deputy Cuervo is a good Deputy. Are there bad kids? Yes, I dealt with a lot of them when I was a Deputy. Why were they bad? Lots of different reasons, some did one-time stupid things while others were permanently stuck on stupid. My job was to protect the good from the bad. And yes, there are a lot more good folks than bad.

[Birds] I like all the different hawks flying around lately. One snagged a lizard yesterday about four feet from my window. Bam! It woke me right up.

I was reading that Vultures have the weakest chest muscles and that is why they are seen flying in the thermals all the time and that hawks have strong chest muscles and are seen flying at the top of those same thermals, always above the vultures.

Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances.  ~Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina

If a local politician chooses to keep posting his/her comments on a blog like this, then they are opening themselves up to ridicule.  Sandy will be left alone when she stops posting.  

[The Hungarian]  I am Baka Imre, and live in the village of Dömsöd 50 km. south of Budapest. I lived here as a child in the late forties, and early fifties. After the revolution of '56 I went to the USA where I lived for 44 years, returning to Hungary in 2000. I have written a story about my life in Dömsöd as a child and as a teenager in the USA. Dorrance Publishers of Pittsburg are publishing my work in English. However, I would like to have "The Sound of Guns" published in Hungarian and other European tongues. Would your publishing organization be interested in taking on such project? Be kind enough to let me know.

About the Story. Perhaps "The Sound of Guns" is not the best title, but it was the one I liked. In the main, the story is about a child becoming a boy in a rural environment with his peers. Experiencing forbidden adventures, and sanctioned ones. The village and his surroundings is his and his friends’ turf.  There is violence, larceny, humor, and pre-pubescent contact with the opposite sex. He moves to the capitol before his teens, and has to readjust to the new environment. All along there is the struggle of the family for daily existence. Barely into his teens, the revolution breaks out, and shows him death and destruction. Curiosity drives him, and his friend towards the sound of guns. Even after seeing death from up close, it doesn't deter his curious, and adventurous nature. With his city practically destroyed, and occupied by foreign invaders, the family must escape. Traveling west, further adventures await him at the border, and beyond.  Arriving in the USA he experiences culture shock, and has to adjust,  wrestles with the language. New surroundings, new schools, new friends. All taken in stride, and life is enjoyed in the adopted country. Never to shy away from the sound of guns, here too, dragons have to be faced, and slain. Fulfilling his love for motorcycles, he enjoys being a teenager. His father is sentenced to death in absentia, by the communist regime.

After his seventeenth birthday he enters the armed forces of his adopted country. Only weeks after entering the service, his father succumbs to a long illness. The boy becomes a man. Best regards, Baka Imre.  imba@vnet.hu  (Ed: Disclaimer: For those who don know it, this letter is on the internet.)

Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, “You stay here, I'll go on a head.”

The folks who whine that this site is boring when it contains comments about national politics sure have a low threshold of boredom.  We’ve just lived through one of the most exciting election seasons ever!  It was full of intrigue, sex, lies, double dealing and pure hustle.  The stakes couldn’t have been any higher.  I ask you, which is more important: Was it fair to fire a waitress over the phone? Or, how long will it take our new unchecked liberal progressive government to cause a total collapse of the world economy? Will you lose your job? How long will it be until our enemies attack us because they perceive our new government to be weak and ineffectual?

Why watch a phony TV soap opera when you can live the real thing?

Minimum wage for politicians. Politicians are always playing to our sympathy about how they spent their lives in community service. Hell, I’d spend my life like that too if I could get the same pay and benefits that they do. I think they should all work for minimum wage and let’s see how fast things change in this country!

[Sandy Downs] Maybe it’s true that Sandy downs doesn’t know how to let go, but without her we wouldn’t have had the important issues discussed during the campaign. She is a pioneer being the first woman to run for Monroe County sheriff and also the first candidate to bring up serious issues of corruption and bubbaism.

[411 on the 420 News flash] Pot is not referred to as "dope" by anyone that smokes it. Heroin is "dope" a.k.a. smack, dirt, sh*t, brownstone, china white, etc. 

The bailout money already delivered is being used to buy out smaller, successful banks instead of being used to enable them to make loans. This bailout helps the banks get richer instead of helping troubled homeowners. It’s Wall St looking out for Wall Street.

[Hip Hop] The person complaining about a special rap music event at Marathon High School seems to be out of touch. That’s the music teens have been listening to for over twenty years. I know, you’d probably rather the event featured Steppenwolf doing Born to Be Wild. Times have changed and you have not. You sound like your father.

[Sheriff-elect Peryam] Hey Bob, I was just thinking about the new spot for Cindy. How about Capt of the Marathon Sub Station? I think there is a opening there and I am sure she will do a fine job. Once again job well done. “Sheriff Bob” kind of has a ring to it. History is written by the winners, you may start writing now.

Horse Race Marriage. Audio

You put my email address in the comment that I wrote for the Coconut Telegraph. I can promise you that I am without a job at the Sheriff's Office now , thanks a lot. So much for “anonymous”. (Ed: You can’t say bad things about people without having your email published.) FAQ

The stock market seems to be banging its way from rock to rock in its fall over the cliff.  The investors that make up the market are casting their votes on their belief of where our economy is headed. Those are the same folks whose money is the juice that is supposed to keep our economy humming.  They’re selling in droves and taking their bucks to the sidelines.  The first few rock hits and bounces were probably as a result of investor fear of an liberal progressive managed economy, no sensible investor is ready to risk capital when there is a real danger of his investment  being nationalized. But then there was a slight bounce up which quickly reverted to near free fall as it became obvious that whoever is managing the bailout is failing miserably. The savvy investors see no change in the leadership of the committees that failed to properly regulate our credit markets and they see no prospect of change for at least two years. Look for unemployment to increase and look for a return to Jimmy Carter economics and his misery index. Hang on to you shorts George, this is going to hurt.

Will the a**hole who stole the solar lights from my driveway on Wilder Rd please put them back. They were unique and if I find you with them it's not going to be good. Leave poor people alone. We can barely survive. Those little things are all we have to bring joy to our hearts, chump.

[Paranoid] We were raised middle class and when we left home, knew how to be poor.  We got by and were happy.  After inheriting the kingdom and enjoying a much higher income bracket, folks came out of the woodwork wanting free lunch.  They were fed well, but were envious and soon faded away.  Today I opened the financial statements from the past two months and we are still golden.  Thankfully, we did not invest in much real estate.  Money isn't everything-unless you don't have any.  Many people will do anything for it.  Especially in hard times, getting harder. 

Be careful and start locking your homes. I watched a bogus exterminator case several streets this morning. It is going to get worse and do not count on police protection. YOYO: You're on your own.  Paid for by Smith & Wesson.  And Glock.  And SigSauer.

A new site for political and anti-anything post. This is their logo.

[Re-naming the Airport] If it needs a different name this would seem a golden chance to use "Conch Republic".  Maybe leave off "Republic".

Some kids sure are cute. YouTube - Who Needs Pockets?

Thank you for posting a link to Sloan's comments.  It's much better than having to scroll past it.  As for Sandy, until she stops commenting, other's will not stop disputing her comments.  Otherwise, she's just throwing fuel on the fire.

[Coco Tele Causes Rape] The dumbing down of America is in full swing! That's quite the leap, from joke to rape. After reading that stupid reply about rape, I have a suggestion for the jingle writer: You need a can of "Bitch be Gone"

(?)Looks like all of you who have envied the American autoworker for years are going to have your desires fulfilled.

[White House Dog] A group from Peru believe they have the perfect dog for Barack Obama and his family when they move into the White House - the only problem is it's bald and toothless. Mr Obama revealed he wanted his daughters to have a dog when they moved but the pup would have to be hypo-allergenic as his daughter Malia is allergic. The Peruvian Hairless dog, dates back 3,000 years and depicted in pre-Hispanic ceramics.

Claudia Galvez director of the Friends of the Peruvian Hairless Dog Association told the Daily Telegraph: "We want to give a male puppy to Obama's daughters, so they get to experience all the joys of having a dog but without any allergies." Mrs Galvez has delivered a letter to the US embassy in Lima containing details about a 4-month-old pedigree puppy currently known as Ears ready to send to the family.

[I'm Blue-Collar] My family is blue-collar. If you cut me I would bleed blue. I say this to point out that I'm not unfamiliar with work and it’s rewards. I can understand being paid for your knowledge and experience in a job, and the possibility of receiving an additional reward or bonus if the job exceeds expectations. I can't remember the number of US Savings Bonds I received over the years from my previous employer, but I do remember the time I was rewarded with a new outboard motor for a job well done.

Having said this I can understand the salaries paid to CEOs and top managers of large corporations. I can even understand that they deserve a bonus just like I did. What I don't understand is how a person can get a bonus for managing a corporation into needing to be bailed out by the United States Government. I would really like an explanation from someone at to why I could only get a bonus for exceptional work as a blue collar worker while a CEO can get a bonus for driving a business to the brink of bankruptcy.

(?)Welcome to Kentucky Key!

Hi, I’m Buster Brown,
I live in a shoe,
This is my dog Tide,
He lives there too.

[Bimbo II] Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.   ~Mariah Carey

[Lucky Hat] My considerate, loving husband invited me to go hunting with him,  and being the generous, thoughtful man that he is, he even gave me an 'opening day' present.  I'm so lucky to be married to him. I never thought I'd find a husband so unselfish and willing to share his 'guy time.'

[Coco Tele Causes Rape] That was the most ridiculous thing I have ever read on this site. Is this person for real? Why do you automatically assume a man wrote that? The tampax joke came directly off of a family sitcom "Two and a half men". Maybe you should write to CBS.

Who the hell are you to think you are better than anyone else that we need to "earn your respect"? If you want to lead the younger generation by example, try reading what’s on the lines instead of reading things between the lines that are clearly not there.

To think someone will be raped because of a g rated sitcom joke; and that the poster or editor are to blame is alarming and disturbing. What about the other joke about prep-H? That is an equal opportunity joke since we all have a butthole. Now we all know your partner has two!

[Ballet] They just hang them there until they are needed.

[Coco Tele Causes Rape] Sandy, is that you?

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Saturday November 15, 2008

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Friday November 14, 2005

[Anti Sandy Berger]  The guy is pond scum. Here's a couple of excerpts from my new book (in editing) that will point to the moral turpitude of many Clintonistas who stand for appointment in the new administration.

Betrayal-Murder Over The High Seas includes hard evidence that senior Clinton administration officials and friends, such as Sandy Berger and Gov. Bill Richardson knew in advance of the Cuban Government’s plans to “deal with” and/or shoot down the Brothers to the Rescue planes.  Even though it can be reasonably shown that they recognized or should have recognized Cuba’s intent to kill Americans, these officials and others inexplicably chose to remain silent and not intervene.

In November 1997, while National Security Advisor, Berger reportedly paid a $23,000 fine to settle conflict of interest allegations from his failure to sell his stock in Amoco Corporation as he was ordered to do by the White House.  He said he planned on selling the stock but then forgot to do so.

In 1999, Berger was criticized for failing to promptly inform President Clinton of his knowledge that the People's Republic of China had managed to acquire the designs of a number of U.S. nuclear warheads after he was briefed on the issue in April of 1996 - Berger did not inform Clinton until July of 1997, fully fifteen months later.

Berger's biggest blunder however, involves his attempts to cover up and destroy documents relating to the events of September 11, 2001.  On April 1, 2005, Berger pled guilty to the unauthorized removal and retention of classified material.  The documents Berger removed were top secret classified paperwork taken from a National Archive reading room prior to testifying before the 9/11 Commission.

Bill Richardson has been tapped to be Secretary of State for Obama's Administration. I wonder if they'll bring his old pal Peter Bourne into the mix, you know, birds of a feather...

[The Hungarian Responds] I have read your piece in your blog, it is interesting how much your opinion has changed of me since you ripped me off. I never tried to sell myself to you as a genius (like some people on this blog) I told you up front all about myself. I told you I had no formal training in journalism. You were the one who picked one one of my posts as "Editors Choice" I have not seen one of those since. Now you label me as dumb, and boring. In one respect you are right, I was dumb, because I didn't know that you can just take others peoples work at will off the Internet. That is not exactly true either, because I see many things that states "Not to be copied without consent" I am not a chronic whiner. I take life's lumps as they come. You knew very well (I told you) that I was thinking of putting together a book from all the stories, and you being the smart person neglected to tell this dumb Hungarian "Imre if I publish your work everybody in the whole world with a PC will have access to it. I will not institute a suit, that's not me. After listening to advice of friends, who told me, "Imre you'll be pissing up a rope." I'll take that advice. I can't recall who was the author of this quote, "Stay close to your friends, your enemies even closer."

Kudos to Sheriff-elect Peryam. He said he will find his wife, who is head of Internal Affairs, another position in the department and that she will not be reporting to him. I only wonder why he didn’t say this during the campaign. As a matter of fact he did not say anything during the campaign.

[From Sandy to the anonymous, lying, damned and ignorant poster] Ed was not sticking up for me, he printed the truth.  My son turned himself in on April 29th for the "felony" offenses you refer to, and would have remained in jail 'till May 21st had the felony charges not been dismissed (because of the mandatory incarceration period based on the point value of these offenses--which is why I called you ignorant).  They were dismissed by the Judge at first appearance on April 30th 2005, Saturday morning at 9:00 AM, the day after he turned himself in, for “No” evidence. (It was dismissed 5 days before he died which is why I called you a liar.)

Det. Cuervo had tried to make this case (and others) against my son for 3 months, of which he could not produce any evidence of a crime so he tried to make up some.  But the State Attorney, Catherine Vogel, did not buy it, so she closed the case in March, 2005. And there the case sat, with Cuervo looking like a heinous predator of my son for stalking him for 3 months.  So Cuervo tried to concoct more cases against him, equally as heinous with no supporting evidence.

On April 25, 2005 my son was tried in Court before a Judge for "trespassing" (playing hide and go seek at a school). The Courtroom was packed with Cuervo's 20 subpoenaed witnesses which included: the principal from the school, numerous MCSO deputies, several kids and their parents. Not one of Cuervo's 20 witnesses, including his deputies, placed my son at the school. Those in attendance watched Cuervo's desperation, and then his humiliation as the Judge threw his case out. Ashamed and angry, Cuervo assaulted my son outside the Courtroom

The next day, April 26th, I went to Judge Perry Fowler and swore out a restraining order against Cuervo, which Fowler denied, and promptly thereafter signed a warrant for Preston's arrest in the case that was closed by Catherine Vogel. With no evidence or sworn statement at the time, and no legal reason behind it, Fowler ignored legal requirements, signed that warrant and set Preston's bond at $50,000.

These were the felony charges you say were dismissed only because he died? The case was first closed by Vogel for no evidence, then thrown out by the Judge for no evidence. And yet you still try to convict my son after he's dead. This is why I called you damned. And there's a few other things I could call you too.  ~Sandy Downs

Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson are being considered for Secretary of state. I think they are both excellent choices.

[KW Refuge] Join us in Key West this Saturday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. Guest speakers include: Key West Mayor Morgan McPherson, Kevin Meyer, Avian Research and Conservation Institute Mike Bresette, Inwater Turtle Research Capt. Mike Vaughn, Keys Flats Guide Tom Wilmers, Refuge Biologist Jim Kurth, Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System and even Teddy Roosevelt!  Bulletin Board

[Aged Smugglers] Back off before you get cained or run over with a wheelchair!

Instead of getting shots take the doctor's approach. When you go for a  shot, what do they do first? They clean your arm with alcohol. Why? Because Alcohol kills germs so…
I walk to the liquor store. (exercise)                 
I put lime in my Corona. (fruit)                   
Celery in my Bloody Mary. (veggies)                     
Drink outdoors on the bar patio. (fresh air)           
Tell jokes, laugh. (eliminate stress)               
Then pass out. (rest)                                 
The way I see it, if you keep your alcohol levels up, flu germs can't get you. My grandmother always said, 'A shot in the glass is better than one in the ass!'

[Nix Politics] I have always enjoyed getting up and reading the Coconut Telegraph but the opinions on politics are getting annoying. I thought after the elections this would diminish. Can you please have a separate page for these opinions.

That video of the Chinese Landing evidently is a fake.

What I see in nature is a magnificent structure that we can comprehend only very imperfectly, and that must fill a thinking person with a feeling of humility. This is a genuinely religious feeling that has nothing to do with mysticism. ~ Albert Einstein

[The Hungarian] The timing of the return of this jerk is perfect. With the slowdown of vile from the loser sheriff and commissioner candidates, it's nice to have the stupid guy back. He sends you portions of his manuscript and wants you to post them and you do and now he wants to kick your butt or sue you. Duh!

It seems to me that people who keep bashing Sandy Downs need to get a life. The elections are over. Everyone needs to shake hands and go back to their corners.  I do not know Sandy nor have I ever met her, but come on people, get over it already . Live and let live.

[Global Cooling] This article was in the New York Times yesterday. It appears their global warming frenzy may be cooling off a bit.  http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/will-next-ice-age-be-permanent/

[Bail out GM] Fellow hamburger flippers unite. Help bail out our auto industry where the going wage after union demands is over $73 per hour,  with no end in sight. Be patriotic and do your duty!

[County Pay Checks] Monroe County dips deeper into our wallets while the administrative staff receives outrageous salaries.     Why didn't the county administrator mandate a shorter work week  for the county administrative staff  instead of  raising our taxes?  I suggest a regular eight hour work day, four days a week, Monday through Thursday.  It is widely known that many of the administrative staff leave work early on Fridays anyway--after about 10:00 AM.  If you call  on a Friday, asking for the head of a department, the secretary covers for that person and says the staff member is a a meeting or out in the field. I wonder which field they are out in?   

In addition, I was told by a county employee that she was instructed to falsify her time card to say that she works from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM daily, even though this was not true. So why not save  the taxpayers money by shortening the administrative staff's work week to four eight hour days, and pay them for a 32 hour work week instead of an imaginary 40 hour one?  In conjunction with a fair and equitable salary cut across the board, the savings would help streamline the county's top heavy budget without dipping into our pockets again or decimating additional community services and non-profits.

I  am appalled by the "just us" system. It would be appropriate for the county administrator to act in the best interest of the citizens of Monroe County and trim the excessive salaries of the administrative staff.  It sure seems like we are paying the county administrative staff so they can figure out more ways to take our money. What a sad  and corrupt state of affairs.  ~fortsonphoto@earthlink.net

Free calculators for almost any task. http://www.freeonlinecalculator.net/index.htm

The elections are over. I enjoyed this column a lot more when it reflected the  local color of a small community and kept you informed as to what was going on locally.

Sandy, your stories don't make any sense and leave too many unanswered questions.  I think the time to hang it up has long since passed.   

[The Hungarian] Deer Ed, I don't know enough about computers to send a virus, but if I did I'd send him one he would never forget. Maybe then he would know what the internet is.

Obama’s new Air Force One. Video

[Without CO2 in our atmosphere life could not exist]  True, but not any where near the 1,190 million tons of CO2 released every year into our atmosphere. It’s time to get you head out of the sand.

[Bailout] Secretary Paulson said they are buying stock in many failed financial companies and not using the bailout funds to buy toxic assets. What this means is the financials will get the new money on their balance sheet for the bad assets and retain them. And guess what, nothing for you. No plan for jobs, no plan for energy worth a damn. Failed financials get to keep foreclosing, get the money from treasury for stock in a failure, and will later on end up selling the bad assets to the government anyway, after Obama takes over. The truth be told, both sides should resign from Congress. Both banking chairpersons are democrats. Where have they been while blaming everyone else for what they should have had a handle on.  www.ireport.com 

The beauty of color. Slide Show

With regards to the Hungarian. No good deed is left unpunished. And how the hell did he find a publisher?

[Coco Tele Causes Rape] I don't know who has the least class; the guy who wrote the "jingle" about a ladies personal product or "the editor" for printing it.  Your earn respect and you just lost mine. What a great example you give to the younger generation. The next rape you read about could be someone you care about, done by someone who has no respect for women.

Time to start thinking about that Thanksgiving turkey. Audio Mr. Obvious - The Turkey

[We're all just ants] This will rattle your cage. Video

[Bad Rap] What the heck is going on?  On Wednesday night, I received a call from the school district asking me to buy tickets to some kind of MTV rap music concert at Marathon High School.  Is this really the kind of business the school district ought to be in?

I've been to Little Knockemdown Key.  From the side of the island the fires were on, you could walk to Summerland.  It's ankle deep at low tide and thigh deep at high tide.  Also, it's all scrub on that side with a couple of long piers that extend over a marsh area.  There is no beach.  This fabrication to try and get some kids out of trouble just keeps getting deeper and deeper. 

[Health Care] If you’re all warm and fuzzy about the prospect of free medical care, you’d better chill, that isn't coming either. If you make 42k or more p/a, get ready for a tax increase next year.  Why? It’s simple, tax revenues are plu