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The Coconut Telegraph
An Historical Diary of what Keyheads were talking about
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Monday May 31, 2010

[Talent] I don’t agree with the poster who said only Dennis Hopper had talent. Here is why. Art Linkletter was adopted as a child and became a successful businessman before becoming an entertainer. He made no secret of his background and always gave his adoptive parents credit for his success. His TV program was very funny and I enjoyed watching it. Gary Coleman was a Black child star and he also entertained me and, I’m sure, many others. If you think Dennis Hopper was good in Easy Rider you should watch a movie called True Romance. All three were very talented and the world is a poorer place without them. Rest In Peace.

[Mayonnaise] I added something new to my hurricane supplies this year. Dawn dish soap and 2 gallons of mayonnaise. I read in the news that mayo is used for an animal or person who has oil on them. It cleans eyes and can be used if your dog steps on tar balls and it’s good on baloney sandwiches.

First you wash the dog’s feet with Dawn dish soap, then apply mayo and rinse. If your dog licks his feet with oil on them he could get very sick.

I have heard the strangest stories about mayonnaise. One guy told me that as a small child some older kids dunked his head in a drum of oil. His mother washed his nose, face, mouth, ears and hair in mayo. Another woman told me in the 60s it was used to get rid of lice in hair. She also used it as a hair conditioner to make her hair shiny.

[Bigpinekey.com had 84,000 visitors]----83,999 are idots....Most folks from Big Pine are inter-breed....could be cause  for mutable hits.
(Ed: unedited post)

Happy Memorial Day! Thank you for The Coconut Telegraph. Without it we would not be able to read all the beautiful postings about Memorial Day. We are so lucky.

Thank you all you veterans and your families that suffered for our freedom.

[Addiction] It's hard to quit diving.  It’s almost as hard as it is to quit smoking.  Sure hope that oil does not help me stop spending so much money on scuba diving addiction.  Travel to exotic places to scuba dive is very exciting but I am poor now that I am dive addicted.  It rents space in my head.  Have started an intervention and am backing off.  Scuba diving is only for multi-millionaires.  Free diving is for people who never smoked but it seems to be taking over diving.  I am blessed to have seen the Florida Keys underwater. It is much nicer thirty feet down then it is on land. 

Let's all keep praying for our beautiful reefs. It seems to be working.

To all our fallen heroes and patriots, this Memorial Day we thank you and honor your service and sacrifice! RIP.

When you think, what can I do? Perhaps her examples are a bit outrageous to you; but the world has become outrageous. The actions of each and every one of us do count. United we stand, divided we fall.

[NO EDIT SATURDAY And you edited my submission]  Ok, minimal edit Saturday.

Russia now has #1 fighter plane in the world, the SU-30- Vectored Thrust with Canards. As you watch this airplane, look at the canards moving along side of, and just below the canopy rail. The "canards" are the small wings forward of the main wings? The smoke and contrails provide a sense of the actual flight path, sometimes in reverse direction.  This video is of an in-flight demonstration flown by the Russian's-30MK fighter aircraft. You will not believe what you are about to see. The fighter can stall from high speed, stopping forward motion in seconds. (full stall). Then it demonstrates an ability to descend tail first without causing a compressor stall. It can also recover from a flat spin in less than a minute. These maneuver capabilities don't exist in any other aircraft in the world today. Take a look at the video. This aircraft is of concern to US and NATO planners. We don't know which nations will soon be flying the SU-30MK, hopefully China isn't one of them.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Note: Friends worked with advanced aircraft flight control systems and concepts for many years as an extension of stability control and means of control. Canards and vectored thrust were among the many concepts examined to extend our fighter aircraft performance. Neither our current or next generation aircraft now poised for funding and production can in any way match the performance of this Russian aircraft that is now flying in any near combat situation. Somehow the bankrupt Russian aircraft industry has out-produced our complex politically tainted aerospace industry with this technology marvel. Scratch any ideas of close-in air-to-air combat with this aircraft of the future. Video

[Bureaucracy in Action] The local government of Bolton, England, responding in March to a citizen's report of a discarded mattress on the side of a road, sent an official to assess the scene. He wrote a work order for four men (a driver, an assistant and two supervisors) and a 1.7-ton construction vehicle, and the pickup was scheduled for the following week. When a Bolton councilman saw the schedule, he, with the help of a friend, drove a council van to the scene and hauled the mattress to a dump site.

AA Basher sounds like he's having some very deep problems of his own. "Fake it till you make it" refers to the idea that if you practice the behavior the attitude will follow. So, if you practice the behavior that allows you to be truly happy (maybe just reading the twelve steps, instead of going to a meeting where you are not comfortable). If you find yourself bashing AA, either don't go there or find another meeting. You have to answer to yourself what your true feelings are. Find some faith within yourself and find a good sponsor.    

[Kung Fu Bear] I’d like to see what he can do with a pair of nun chucks.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghgg_fukbvU

[AA Basher]  This video is one of the most positive videos I ever watched about Alcoholics Anonymous. AA religious cult members beware, this video is not for you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tPNgHrIkgo&feature=related

OIL SPILL

Methinks it would behoove us to buy respirators and plenty of filters, washable long sleeved jumpsuits or overalls, knee high rubber boots and rubber gloves. On the bright side, we will set the new fashion trend for the very near future.

Toyota auto assembly plants have pull-cords hanging everywhere along the assembly line. If any worker sees something wrong he can pull the cord and stop production. Toyota figures it’s better to lose some money than lose customers due to a bad product.

BP should take note of Toyota’s system.

[Able to handle any catastrophe] Great theory, but how do you test equipment and procedures like that?  The only thing even close would be NASA's preparations to go to the moon; and they still had to fix Apollo 13 on the fly.  That kind of makes the case for giving ingenuity a free reign.

[Nuke the Leak] Wouldn't that just make a bigger hole?

[Oil Eating Microbe movie: morphing into giant monster]  I smell sequel.

Message to BP. No matter how far behind schedule you were, you are way the hell behind now. Was it worth it?

[Sloan] I told some friends when BP’s oil spill hit the news that there could be no good outcome. BP represents something much bigger and far more horrible than most Americans are even able to conceive, much less accept.  Even after all that has happened since BP’s well exploded, even after all that’s been reported about it, I bet half of America still is willing to cut BP more slack, just as they are still backing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which always were about oil. Iraq, for its oil and refineries; Afghanistan for the pipeline that could be built through it to the Asian oil fields below Russia.
 
You can’t wage war without oil, lots of oil. You can’t have massive numbers of disabled veterans without oil, lots of oil. You can’t have massive numbers of cases of battle shock (post traumatic stress) without oil, lots of oil. 
 
If BP pays for all of the emotional and physical damage it has done to Americans and this planet in this oil spill alone, BP will not have any money left to pay for the letter notifying its stockholders that it went out of business. No way in hell are American courts and politicians, Republican or Democrat, going to let BP be gutted like that, because Exxon or Chevron, or some other Big Oil Brother will go next to the gas chamber.
 
Are Americans going to give up their cars and trucks? Are they are going to go back to riding horses and burning candles at night? Are they going to put the U.S. Military on oil rationing?
 
All is not well this Memorial Day. Americans who believe all is well, or who believe BP has told even 1/10 of the truth in this holocaust, ought to be banned from ever voting again.
 
As for our armed forces, no American military non-com or officer should ever again go to war over oil. An order from the President, the Commander-in-Chief, to go to war over oil should be respectfully disobeyed. Such patriots should be held in the highest esteem by all Americans. The rest... goodmorningfloridakeys.com

NATIONAL POLITICS

Even Adm. Thad Allen, who's overseeing the government's non-response, responded to Ken ("boot on their neck") Salazar's remark that BP should be pushed "out of the way" with: "To replace them with what?" Obama? Janet Napolitano? Oil rig expert Rahm Emanuel? Salazar? It requires some degree of managerial competence but these chaps don't do competence -- just symbolism, such as Obama showcasing Janet Napolitano as proof he's been handling the oil leak manfully.

The ever-shrinking ranks of Obama defenders still insist that this is not Obama's Katrina. Obama can't even handle an oil leak, much less show the crisis management smarts to deal with the wrath and aftermath of the levee-breaching wind and wave mega-monster with the 27-foot storm surge.

Five weeks into this, Obama's just figuring out no "bi-partisan commission" or speech or press release can plug a hole at the bottom of the Gulf or clean up the mess. His peculiar fetish for dialogue isn't a good bet either, since that broken riser pipe may be open, but not to dialogue. Bring back Bush and Cheney.

[Obama from Uruguay] Now that they have his birth certificate, proving he was born in Africa, and he is not an American, will he stay President?

[FTR guy] The pie may be cut into equal pieces, but everyone doesn't get the same. One percent of the people get ninety percent of the pie.

[Editor a Commie] You should be ashamed of yourself. Now I know that you are a pro-Obama socialist and want to see the US perish as we know it. That statement from John Voight was the absolute truth. If you were any kind of American, you would have passed on the message. You chose to ignore it. It is your blog and you do as you wish, but I did not think that you would be such a traitor. You and your ilk will be defeated in 2012, but by that time it wouldn't make that much difference.

[Obama born in Uruguay] After reading yesterday's post that said President Obama never went to church and prayed at a Mosque, I decided to look up the rumor on the Internet.  Wow, were my eyes opened up.  What horrible, evil rumors are out there.  So many lies and so many stupid and ignorant people to believe them.  Honestly, how can people believe that trash?  Why does anyone care about any of those things?  Let our President be our President.  Stop believing rumors. To these ignorant folks I would suggest to channel your interests to the important matters of the world like our two wars, education, the oil spill, immigration issues, energy, the economy, unemployment …get my point? 

Who cares about what Obama had for dinner and how many times he attends church?  Who cares?  Small minds think about small things.  Let's focus on the important issues of our time.  President Obama has more huge problems to work on than almost any other president we have ever had.  He is one man.  He needs our help and not our foolishness.

[Foreign Press] Ever wonder why we have to depend on the foreign press to find out what's "really" going on in our own country. It's a good thing that Obama and the democrats don't own the Canadian press.

Wrong again, wombat breath.  The FTR guy doesn't know it all, but he damn sure knows more than you.

[Crowd Control] It seems as though people bless war and hate abortion, but which is worse? The Military Industrial Complex of course, which controls all. People have offspring incapable of self-sustaining themselves without support from everyone else, but the government will pay out millions to keep such person alive if taken ill, then they’ll send the cured, looser to kill or be killed for Flag and Country while those leaders warm their leather seats watching the chess game. War is hell of course and so is over population and the two are one of supply and condemn. No one has the testicle fortitude to petition for the culling of the massive ineptness ruining this planet. Politics and politicians work to cover the tracks of the New World Order, bankers and three major religions that are fighting for world dominance. This world is breaking up and Big Bro, or rather, Big Priest will be bending you over for God and Country sooner than you think.

[From the Right] If anything good came out of Viet Nam and the national shame of how shabbily our ‘Nam Vets were treated, that good is a ground swell of respect that we now have for our Vets. Every single American, every single day, should give some thought about the fact that we are what we are because of the bravery and willingness to serve of so many millions of Americans dead and alive. It was and is fact that their service welded our disparate states into a solid union that has become a bastion of freedom and justice.  Members of our military have been in harm’s way somewhere in the world nearly every day since our Civil War. The real meaning of Memorial Day will be lost on most of us. Most of us will simply view it as a chance to chill, to enjoy ourselves. Let me respectfully suggest that at sometime during the day, you take just a moment and actually thank a Vet who has served or a service person who is now serving. Please thank them for what they do and what they’ve done. It is virtually certain that you have a family member or a friend who is or was in the service of our nation. It’s may be that your friend or loved one was not in combat; nonetheless they were at constant risk of being in harms way. Their efforts permit us to be us. They are proud of their contribution; please tell them that you're proud too. It might be just a little embarrassing for you, but it is the right thing to do and the Vet will appreciate it more than you will ever know. You will be the better for it.

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Monday May 31, 2010

Sunday May 30, 2010

[BigPineKey.com] April gave us the most visitors yet with 84,000 visits and 7,506,388 hits (hits are how many times a visitor clicks on something while at the site). Advertisers: This is like getting 84,000 people to look at your store for only twenty bucks a week. It's the best deal in town.

I just returned from young Frank Randleman’s Memorial Service. It was held at the Vineyards Fellowship. Pastor Steve didn't know this young man, I didn't either. His mom and grandmother are both long time friends of mine and I felt I should be there. I am very glad I was. Pastor Steve asked one thing that hit home for me and, I hope, for all the young friends that came to say good-by. Can we learn any thing from this? I sure hope so. Armed home invasion and young folks being shot and killed just don’t happen on Big Pine Key.

To all my young friends out there: Did we learn anything?

What do Gary Coleman, Art Linkletter and Dennis Hopper have in common? They all died this week. Question 2: Which one had talent? The only one with talent was Dennis Hopper.

The Stock Island tree snail is an endangered species. They are the most colorful of all the snails in the Keys. This photo of the 3/4 inch long mollusk was taken on Big Pine Key.

[Shark attacks] The study from the University of Florida shows that the great sea predators are fondest of swimmers in black or white bathing suits. The peak day for shark attacks is Sunday, with Saturday coming in second.

[IKC Summer Camp] I just heard about the new summer camp on Big Pine. I'll be signing up my two boys, ages 13 and 11 for the first session of the IKC summer camp for kids. What a great way to get the kids away from the TV, the computer, off the couch and the junk food. An eclectic array of courses will be offered such as camping, survival skills, tracking and recon and how to use a compass.

Xbox is okay, but it can't compare to the thrill of your child's first iguana kill. Look for the discount coupons available at selected locations on BPK. There will be two sessions, each running two weeks with a festive awards ceremony and cook-out featuring all the iguana you can eat. Fried, sautéed, boiled, roasted and grilled. My boys can't wait. A tip of the hat to the IKC board of directors and its many members.

What’s so wrong with a little cow tipping?

The old Veterans are dying out. The WWII/Korean War Version of Before You Go - Before You Go

A cool drizzle in the late afternoon of April 3, 1980 didn’t dampen any of the enthusiasm of Willie McDonald and about a dozen of his friends when they decided to shoot craps in the gritty neighborhood park of a small north Broward city.  I don’t know if today’s police still consider a public craps game to be a threat to public safety, but in 1980 we did.  Gambling was illegal.  Fights, stabbings, and shootings were to be expected when the emotions of the illegal gambling boiled over.  Knives and guns were as common as socks.  Armed robberies were routine, most never reported to the police.  The raucous activity often prompted civilian complaints.

On this day, 19 year old Willie James McDonald, proud of his nick name, “June Bug,” and his friends were just hanging around in the park.  Someone broke out the dice and the game began.  It quickly got loud and a complaint was made to the police department.  Complaints about the illegal activity had been mounting.  Police managers decided they would attempt to make an arrest of as many players as possible, as a deterrent to further activity. In 1980 the offense was a misdemeanor.

The police plan was to watch the game from a distance and out of sight of the players, who routinely posted lookouts.  Usually as the game progressed the lookouts got sloppy and became engaged in the festivities.  The plan was to have three patrol units quickly converge from different directions and several officers would rush the party and arrest as many gamblers as they could.  For reasons that will forever be unknown to me, a raid on a game was akin to jumping a flock of quail, with the players explosively jumping and running full speed away in all directions.  The offense was a simple misdemeanor; but resisting arrest could lead to felony charges.  Often the gamblers would abandon the pot of money.  For some old line cracker cops, busting crap games was great sport and became an alternate source of income.  By 1980 the usual unwritten protocol for the gamblers was to just ignore the “pot” and leave it on scene.

The lookouts got lazy, distracted, and the patrol units swooped in.  The spectators and gamers exploded, a panicked herd of about 20 bolting away, tripping over one another with several cops in chase, like lions jumping a herd of antelope.  June Bug slipped on the damp grass and had almost gotten back to his feet when he was grabbed by an officer.  June Bug, boiling with testosterone, adrenaline, fear, and his hatred of cops, resisted.  He tried to pull away; he flailed about, and nearly broke away from the officer. Then he fell backward onto the grass and again began to flail about in an attempt to push the officer away.  The officer, boiling with testosterone, adrenaline, anger at being resisted, and committed to making the arrest, pulled his service revolver.  What happened next will always be the subject of dispute, but there is no dispute that Willie James “June Bug” Williams was dead as a result of a single gunshot wound to his head.  The officer was white and June Bug was black.

In April 1980 south Florida racial tensions were high.  The Dade County officers who had been charged with beating to death black motorcyclist Arthur McDuffie in December of 1979 were on trial in Tampa.  Tension, anger, and hatred were palpable in the Black communities of south Florida.  The community distrust or outright hatred for all cops, especially white cops, poisoned both camps.  Within a half hour of the shooting, the news had spread through the Black communities of north Broward.  Many angry residents took to the streets.  Cars occupied by white people driving near the Black neighborhoods of this small city were being attacked. There were injuries. True Crime Stories ... continued

15 unusual uses for baking soda that are Earth friendly. 15 Unusual Uses For Baking Soda - Shelterpop

[Bike Path Railings] Did you notice the only people that are for those stupid railings along the bike path are mothers and mentally disabled bike riders? If the County is now going to ticket bike riders for failing to obey traffic laws, does that mean those who ride on US1 and not on the official bike path get a ticket too, or can we just knock them off the road?

Interesting info about sunscreen. Skin cancer is prevalent in the Keys.EWG Asks FDA To Wind Up Study of Vitamin A In Sunscreen | CommonDreams.org

[NO EDIT SATURDAY] And you edited my submission.

The reason we have so many named storms is because they name every damn thunderstorm coming down the pike.

[Dennis Hopper Dead]  He will always be my Easy Rider. http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/dennis-hopper-creator-hit-easy-rider-dies-ap

[Police Scanner] Sunday 5/30/10  4.20 AM. Motor Vehicle Accident McDonald Ave - Single vehicle vs pole.  4 people in car (2 ejected immediately, 1 extricated after 25 minutes, 1 deceased.)  

Station 8, Station 9, Key West Rescue, NAS Engine, Trauma Star, Lifenet, and the electric company all responded. Lifenet and Trauma Star on ground at Bernstein Park at same time.

It is the veteran, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion. It is the veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble. It is the veteran, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the veteran, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote. It is the veteran who salutes the flag. The only person not standing is the man in the wheelchair. It is the veteran who serves under the flag.

[Most Annoying Commercial] The current nomination is Cialis with that whiny, plinky guitar music behind a slightly older couple whose house rotates bit by bit into some outdoors scene.  If they're about to get steamy I can guarantee they won't head into the woods.  Then they end up in twin bathtubs by the water's edge somewhere.  What is up with that?

[California to tax and license indoor pot growers]  They’ve got to find them first.  I foresee the revival of the 'Revenooers'.

I’m looking for a reading coach for my 4th grader.  Summer session.  305-304-8622 Classified Ads Special  > Wanted

Let's be honest about marijuana. http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/05/28-12 

[Landlord from hell]  One day a storm blew off a gigantic branch from a tree which I was unable to move.  Being untrained on chainsaw, I rang mister Landlord telling him about this monster branch in the yard.  He enlists his meddling next door neighbor to snap a photo and e-mailed it to me. Then Mr Landlord hollered at me that his paint-chipped, unkempt, tacky shack looks like s**t.  What he forgot was the very large (dead) palm tree which crossed the rainbow bridge and sat in our view for eight months without him removing the eyesore.  You need to share this so other renters do not move in to hostile environments.

[ISS Transits the Sun] Thilo Kranz, a staff member at DLR, the German Space Agency, took this image of the transit of the International Space Station ISS with Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-132 mission.

Kranz photographed "the ISS as it passed across the solar disk in just 0.51 seconds. At this time, preparations for undocking of space shuttle Atlantis during its final mission, STS-132, were ongoing. You can see the still docked shuttle in the 11 o'clock position. Also, you may recognize the solar panels and the large radiators. In the full resolution version of this image, you can also see the Soyuz capsule. Close to the centre of the sun, a group of sunspots is visible."

I like being high. There is nothing more exciting in the world than being high. It's like being in another dimension while walking among straight people. I’m sorry if I offend you folks who don’t know what I’m talking about, but those of you that do, understand what I mean.

Tax me, I'll pay anything. That's why we call it dope!

[California to tax and license indoor pot growers] Not taxing dope is the only reason dope hasn't been legalized. When the government gets its act together and starts getting their cut from dope, all dope will be legalized. This will be great news for the mobs because they can sell it without going to the slammer.  I can see the TV ads now. “Buy a pound of fresh hash for only $29.95 plus S&H"

[Manatee Bacon] In the book "What Happen" by Paula Palmer, she talks about the old folks on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, remembering fondly about eating Manatee bacon.

[Come to the USA] We may have a laugh or two at these lyrics of the song below, but this is what will take away our children’s future. The political leaders of America don’t get the message that we will not re-elect any politician who does not enforce our immigration laws. The invasion of America and the lack of law enforcement is the number 1 problem this, almost ex-nation faces. Let us destroy the political career of any politician who lets or helps the invaders take over this country.  http://budurl.com/cometotheusa

[Memorial Day Demonstration] I will be at the light on BPK from 10 - noon on Memorial Day demonstrating to bring our heroes home. Please, wave for peace as you drive by. There are now 1,000 dead Americans in Afghanistan; 1,000 more reasons to get the word out on Memorial Day.  

[Refrigerator Odor] A while back there were a lot of helpful suggestions for removing fish and other odors from a refrigerator. I just found another and I think it is the best so far. Place an opened 5 pound bag of charcoal in the refrigerator and that will remove almost any odor.

How come BIC lighters don’t ever explode? You would think that a small fuel tank next to an open flame would sometimes blow up.

Hilarious Mugshots. Don’t forget to smile! http://www.urlesque.com/2010/05/24/41-hilarious-mugshots/

In 1949 the Walnut St Bridge in Philadelphia was the first pre-stressed concrete bridge in America.

[Dragon Boats] The guy who beats the drum on galleons is called a hortatory. He’s got the best job as long as he can keep a beat.

Shred of the month. http://www.ssiworld.com/watch/shred.htm

[Harmonizing] I was dreaming and in the dream I was with the Five Satins and when my part to harmonize In the Still of the Night came and I was off key and it woke me up. Even in my dreams I can’t harmonize.

[The Movies] I watched one the other day where Orson Wells played a bad imitation of a Mandarin and today I watched as Helen Hayes played a bad imitation of a Chinese woman torn from her lover. Couldn’t Hollywood find a Chinaman who could act? And of course we all remember Marlon Brando playing a bad imitation of a Chinaman in the Flower Drum Song.

Just don’t get me started on Italians playing American Indians.

Florida’s Coral snake’s bite is almost painless and it kills by shutting down your lungs. If you are going to get bit by one and hope for anti-venom you’d better do it by Halloween because after that date there won’t be any more anti-venom in the United States. It is not a big money maker for Pfizer who hasn’t produced it in five years and the existing stock will expire by October 31. There is a drug company in Mexico that makes coral snake anti-venom, but getting FDA approval is too costly for them ($3-5 million dollars for studies).

[Red Square Game] How fast are your reflexes? Escapa!

OIL SPILL

[Opportunist] Stock Island Captain suing for $5,000,000 in damages from the oil spill before it hit the Keys.

BP's top kill effort fails to plug Gulf oil leak (AP)

[Exxon Paid Zero] Senators target Supreme court's Exxon ruling, in effort to make oil companies pay for spills. http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202458951519&rss=newswire 

Lots of people are blaming the oil leak on Bush or Obama. The truth is Presidents don't have any control over what we do.

[BP Fails again to stop leak] Why can't we demand that BP try every existing known solution available to stop this from coming here? The microbes, hay, skimming, Kevin Costner's invention; anything non-chemical. Spend the money now. Do everything now. Louisiana begged to build berms weeks ago--before a hurricane. Screw the rules. All bets are off. They may never be able to cap it. Enough. We need to take control of our destiny. Or we will be treated just like Louisiana. Let them try and really solve this nightmare with any and all technology available starting today.

[Redneck Oil Eaters] It is amazing how we humans want everything done the easy way. Take the new process for cleaning up the oil.  Some sort of microbes. There are better useless food eaters like rednecks, illegals and welfare grabbers that could clean up the Gulf in only a few days. However, we will not have to pay unemployment benefits to the Microbes.

[Nuke the Leak] You all laughed and thought I was nuts when I recommended that we use a nuclear weapon to move the earth and seal the leak a month ago. If they had nuked the leak a month ago this disaster would be over. As a side benefit to nuking the leak we’d have a whole lot of already “cooked” fish to sell.

Before anybody ever drilled the first well in the Gulf or any other body of water they should have been responsible enough to make it a point to be able to handle any catastrophe. Unfortunately greed fuels big business so, as usual, they are trying to close the barn doors after the horses have escaped.

[Sloan] David Harris’ letter to the editor in today’s Citizen is especially disturbing. Harris leads off by saying he has a background in marine life and maintaining water quality in public aquariums. He then says:
 
“BP is not injecting the dispersant chemicals into the well at 5,000 feet to get rid of the oil, it is making sure that the oil does not float on the surface, where it would face a fine of $15,000 per barrel that is skimmed . . . The dispersant chemicals, a light kerosene, ethanol, and some form of acid, along with other proprietary chemicals, are all toxic by themselves. This cocktail, called Corexit, is meant to be used on the surface. Wave action and the warmer surface waters would allow the oil to be attacked by bacteria. This is how it was meant to be used . . . By injecting the dispersant at 5,000 feet below the surface, the lack of  high oxygen content and the cold, 5 degree Celsius water inhibits the growth of bacteria. The chemicals bond with the oil and form globules. These do not float. They cannot be skimmed and BP does not get fined for the oil on the surface. It is in their best interest to keep the oil off the surface. Money is the name of the game — as always. Our government has some pretty smart scientists. I don’t understand why they haven’t stopped BP from injecting the dispersant chemicals. This is such a travesty.” The rest... goodmorningfloridakeys.com

This really is fascinating.  Sometimes you only see the gusher, but many times you can watch the various types of equipment as it is being used. Live video link from the ROV monitoring the damaged riser

BP Gulf catastrophe typifies corporate behavior in America ...

[The Movies] Oil eating microbes are used to clean up the oil leak. Because of all the “food” they grow and morph into a giant building-smashing monster in a rubber suit.

NATIONAL POLITICS

China offers S Korea condolences for ship sinking. This kind of leaves North Korea with their pants down around their ankles. China offers SKorea condolences for ship sinking

[Borders] Mr. President, do your job, secure our border! The lower one, I mean. Not the upper one. Canadians don't bother me.  ~Sarah Palin

Patton giving one of his last public speeches in Los Angeles, 1945, before he returned to Europe and died after a freak automobile accident. Narrated by Ronald Reagan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYjnWXFTQkM

FTR knows everything. Just ask him. Then sit back and wait for his long-winded tome.

[Obama’s a Muslim without a Birth Certificate] Since taking office he hasn't been to Church on Sunday, but a recent picture shows him taking his shoes off and praying with the Muslims in a Mosque.

[From the Right] Hillary recently speechified that: “The rich are not paying their fair share.”  I wonder what that means.  As I recall, a pie is cut up into 8 or so equal pieces, everybody gets the same size slice. That’s fair.  Right now the top 50% of wage earners pay 96.03% of income Taxes.  What’s fair about that? And, no my Deer friends, I’m not one of the top 50%. So, if the rich bastards are not paying their “fair share”, does it mean that the “rich” use up way, way, more of public resources than we middle class or poor folks do? Do they use up way, way, more public paid medical care than middle class or poor folks do? Are the rich folks filling up our prisons? How about welfare, are the rich folks using up our welfare dollars? Maybe it costs a lot more to move rich men’s poop through a sewer system than a poor man’s. I suppose that rich folks are emptying the coffers of the food stamp programs. It must cost the community a hell of a lot more to have a Beemer drive on the road than a ’94 F150.  I’m really at a loss to figure out why the rich people are more expensive to the public coffers than us poor and middle class folks are. I wonder why gas costs the same per gallon for me as it does some rich bastard. What about movie tickets, they are too freaking expensive, why shouldn’t a rich bastard have to pay more than I do so that my ticket will be cheaper? If I pay a couple of bucks for a beer at Robs, why shouldn’t a rich bastard pay way more? Why doesn’t a rich bastard have to pay more for macaroni and cheese at Winn Dixie than I do?  I wonder what the rich bastards “fair share” is. Who gets to decide what the rich folks “fair share” is? Me? You?  If Hillary is being honorable, she will tell the world why she and her husband avoid paying their "fair share" of taxes by sheltering millions of their dollars from taxation by placing their millions in the various Clinton foundations! Can it be that she, herself, is avoiding paying her own personal “fair share”?  Sure it is.  How long will it be before they (I mean some government dudes) decide that the folks who make $60K are the new rich bastards?  What say you, our liberal/progressive pals.

(Part II) Here’s something brand new. It’s a new website that is a forum for folks on all sides of the aisle. The site invites you to submit your ideas to improve the American condition. The idea is something like right here; the difference is that the Congress is the audience. It’s a red hot chance for our liberal/progressive pals to really give the Congress the benefit of your wisdom. It’s your chance to tell even more folks about how foolish the Conservative mind set is. I know that I am going to join in the fun. Who knows, it might even make a tiny difference. http://www.americaspeakingout.com.

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Sunday May 30, 2010

Saturday May 29, 2010

(eD:  No edIT SatuRDAY!!!!!!......b-cuz u assd 4 iT!!!!!!!!!

[No-Edit Saturday] For those of you visiting for the first time, don’t judge the Coconut Telegraph by today’s un-edited episode. This is almost the Editor's day off. Tune in tomorrow for the edited version. You’ll find its format and graphics more pleasing. (Note to friends of the Editor: I can get out of here a lot sooner on Saturday if you don't send in any photos, attachments or Classified Ads for Saturday publication. That's because it takes a lot of time to resize and re-format them. Please email them to us by 6am on Sunday  for Sunday's publication. I'll appreciate it a lot.)

The rest... goodmorningfloridakeys.com

Badass vs Badass

Tonight, Saturday at 10pm at Rob's Island Grill

Once again, the AA basher is confused about purpose. “Fake it ‘til you make it” is not about lying to yourself or anyone else: it’s about changing your state of mind first, before anything else can change. It’s pretty much the underpinning of legitimate psychology’s number one drug-free method to combat mental health and addiction. It’s called Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Are you an expert on that too? 

OIL SPILL

NATIONAL POLITICS

Saturday May 29, 2010

Friday May 28, 2010

The Moondogs are Back! Come out for fun and dancing with The Moondogs this Saturday May 29 at the Looe Key Tiki Hut on Ramrod Key.

We are also getting geared up for Wetstock 6 on July 10. We are trying to locate a better boat for a stage, but if not we will keep on rockin’ like we have for the past 5 years. Bulletin Board

[Cutting Tree] it looks like your neighbors are ratting you out. They know the tree. I say screw your neighbors, they are not your friends. Cut the damn tree, build your pool and enjoy your private life as you should be able to do.

[Catch and Release] The blue marlin pictured in Wednesday's CT certainly appeared to be illegal in size.  It was a sin to kill a baby blue marlin in any event. I hope you are proud of yourself. You certainly are not a sports fisherman.

[Metal Bike Path Fences] What are they made of and where is the nearest scrap yard that wouldn't ask questions? Those battery operated metal saws sure come in handy.

In 1967 Kim Thornton, (not her real name), was a beautiful blonde 21 year old trying her wings as an independent single young woman.  She was employed as a secretary in a real estate firm, she lived alone.  At 1:30 AM on a sultry summer night she was returning to her home in eastern Broward after leaving a dinner with friends in the western part of Broward County. She was driving a red Fiat convertible with the top down.  Her route took her through a dark commercial neighborhood, which, at that time, was only sparsely occupied.  The road was not lit. Kim was in a fine mood; she had enjoyed a wonderful evening with good friends; she was enjoying her independence, her friends and her life.

Kim’s screams were heard by the only resident of that commercial neighborhood.  About a hundred yards from the scene, Joe Perry, (not his real name) a Caucasian, operated a small kennel and slept in an adjacent apartment.  Kim’s screams had aroused the dogs which, now coupled with Kim’s screams, roused Perry from sleep.  He grabbed his gun, a tiny .25 cal. pocket semi-automatic handgun, and ran toward the scene.  As he drew close, in the light cast by the Chevy’s headlights, he saw the two men attempting to force Kim into the Chevy, and could see and hear her screaming, kicking, flailing and resisting with every fiber of her being.  As he ran closer, just before he reached the fray, Joe shouted and fired a single warning round into the ground.  The passenger immediately released Kim and fell to the ground onto his face with his hands spread above him.  He had surrendered and was begging Perry not to kill him.  The driver paused, and then ran north into the darkness toward a small grove of trees.  Kim was hysterical, shaking and crying.

[More bar wisdom] Do you ever wonder if you are the douche bag?

“Drinking” neat vodka through your eye for a quick buzz? It sounds insane, but countless young people are risking their sight in this new craze  Young people 'drinking' neat vodka through their EYE for a quick buzz | Mail Online

[Life after death] My wife says she can tell which of our friends believe in life after death. They're the ones who let me drive.

[Cow tipping]  Cows are pretty stable.  If you get close enough to try to tip one over she'll likely swing her head around and send you flying.  If you did get one rolled over it's probably very sick.

There will be a Memorial Day Vigil at the light on BPK on Monday from 10am to noon in honor of all our service people and to remind you that peace is still an option. Bring our heroes home. Thank them for our freedom.

[The Nature Conservancy] I have the highest regard for the TNC, unfortunately they are victim of the lack of professional workforce in Monroe County. In a community as small as Monroe County non-profit organizations need to remind their employees that they represent the organization 24/7 and anything that they do reflects on the organization.  I don't care that the TNC hired a former executive of Goldman Sachs, as long as he is honest and has the welfare of the Keys first on this agenda.  Non-profit organizations in this county face the challenge of hiring employees that are creative, loyal and professional.   Why aren’t the schools and the local college turning out a quality workforce?

[Mario DiGennaro] For every pro Mario post, I guarantee there will at least double that amount calling Mario out for what he is.  Mario flags to young school kids while they were at a Veterans Day parade.  That's his idea of an acceptable press opportunity. Sitting on the BOCC's dais, listening to public speakers, then having his campaign manager chase after the speakers when they leave the meeting room is his idea of acceptable politics. (Does he know how many times she followed people out? We do. It was quite entertaining.) He is blatantly bargaining, trading his office. Watch the last BOCC meeting. Every time he opened his mouth it was campaign central. 

The upcoming Atlantic hurricane season will have between 14 to 23 tropical storms, including up to seven major hurricanes, the U.S. government predicted Thursday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that eight to 14 hurricanes would form. Scientists forecast that three to seven of those hurricanes would be major storms that reach Category 3 or higher _ meaning they bring sustained winds of at least 111 mph. "If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record," NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco said in a statement. "The greater likelihood of storms brings an increased risk of a landfall. In short, we urge everyone to be prepared."

The forecast is based on the weakening of El Nino. The Pacific Ocean phenomenon creates strong wind shear that weakens Atlantic storms.

This is one of the weirdest freak accidents ever. A plane crashed head on into a Ford SUV shortly after take off. Luckily, nobody was killed. There were 3 people in the Ford and 2 in the plane. (Johannesburg, South Africa)

Cow tipping for points is a sport at a couple of the local watering holes. The first person to tip five cows wins. This game is usually played during the season when the big ones come down from New Jersey. Some of these cows will tip over by themselves (you get no points for that). Taking one home will automatically disqualify you from the game. The highest score so far was established in 1989 at a bar on Ramrod. Ten cows were tipped.

Vacuum Sewer Systems and the downtime to repair.  If a vacuum sewer monitoring system were installed, then any problems would be identified and the public works department notified to dispatch maintenance to the exact area of the problem and repair the problem before the entire section goes down.

[The Nature Conservancy] Just what is his problem? http://ataxingmatter.blogs.com/tax/2006/01/the_nature_cons.html

Some century-long variations in solar activity are connected with major climatic shifts. Why NASA Keeps A Close Eye On Sun's Irradiance

The Japanese plan to build a scientific research center on the moon's South Pole in order to study the surface within a 100-kilometer radius. The station will be able to produce its own electricity and take surface samples. Some samples will then be sent back to Earth for further study. Japan Draws Plans To Build Research Center On Moon

A woman goes to the doctor, beaten black and blue. Doctor: "What happened?" Woman, "Doctor, I don't know what to do. Every time my husband comes home drunk he beats me to a pulp." Doctor: "I have a real good medicine for that. When your husband comes home drunk, just take a glass of sweet tea and start swishing it in your mouth. Just swish and swish, but don't swallow until he goes to bed and is asleep."

Two weeks later the woman comes back to the doctor looking fresh and reborn. Woman: "Doctor that was a brilliant idea! Every time my husband came home drunk, I swished with sweet tea. I swished and swished, and he didn't touch me" Doctor: "You see how much keeping your mouth shut helps?" 

They learn eventually!

[How to Make A Bomb] People are finding these bombs in mailboxes and in their yards, just waiting for you to pick it up intending to put it in the trash. But, you'll never make it!!! It takes about 30 seconds to blow after you move the thing.
1. A plastic bottle with a cap.  
2. A little Drano.
3. A little water.
4. A small piece of foil.  
5. Disturb it by moving it and boom!  
6. No fingers left and other serious effects to your face, eyes, etc.
7. Boom!

[Cow Stumbling] Cow tipping isn't a myth. My friends and I did it over 30 years ago. The cows didn't fall over, they did stumble and we bounced off. Plus cow crap on our sneakers sucked, but it isn't a myth.

[High Seas Expedition] St. Peters Church Vacation Bible School. We've got the solution to summertime boredom!

Send your kids to High Seas Expedition VBS at St. Peter Church. Our one week long Bible School is open to the entire community. Children ages 4 years to 6th grade will take part in fun scripture-themed activities that will help kids connect their faith to real life. Older teens can help shepherd the little ones and earn community service hours.

Each morning at 9:00 a.m. kids will check in with our puppets: Sailor Inez and Jack, and the SS St Peter and hear about the latest drama on board the ship. Kids then visit their classrooms and different stations until noon when they gather for the closing prayer. Bulletin Board

[100 pound Marlin] Are you aware that Federal and State minimums for keeping a marlin are 99" fork length and a NMFS HMS Permit is also required in order to keep any billfish or tuna? Inadvertently you have provided great evidence to the prosecution.

[Neil Young] "Pants on the Ground" http://www.hulu.com/watch/120690/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-neil-young---pants-on-the-ground

[Marlin] In the US anglers go out to catch the biggest and baddest fish of the targeted species--the breeders. The rest of the world (except for the industrialized fishing boats) catch the younger ones to eat and leave the breeders to do their job. How can US anglers wonder why the FWC has so many rules and regulations?

Marlin is eaten everywhere across the Caribbean except in the Southern US.

Reservations Rental Assistant. Cudjoe Key. Full time, great pay.  We are looking for you if you have a pleasant personality, professional attitude and are outgoing and energetic. Duties include taking reservations, check-ins, and general office work. Submit resume to ...  Classified Ads > Help Wanted

The metal fences along the bike path suck! Whose brother-in-law got that contract for that useless mess?

[Ed Sucks Pictures] It looks like Ed is determined to piss me off as he chose to delete that most amusing picture I submitted yesterday. Yes, this is his web site and he can do as he pleases, but don't ever, ever think of this as a forum of free speech. Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one. Tip to new submitters: Ed is more likely to delete controversial pictures than text. Stay tuned. I think things are about to get interesting.

(Ed: I apologize for not posting your picture, although I don’t know which picture you are writing about. Sometimes the picture doesn’t fit the post, but the main reason we don’t post pictures and links is that we have been threatened by our web host with cancellation if we post any more pictures they find sexually revealing. Maybe your picture fit that category, I don’t know.)

[Metal fences on bike path] They offend some because they are new. In two months you will not even notice them. Paint them green if that is your color.

My question is why are they even there?

[AA Basher] “Fake it ’til you make it” I have heard this hundreds of times in the AA meeting rooms. And then on the next breath I heard “This is a program that demands rigorous honesty.” In other words, lie and fake it and pretend to be getting great results from “working the program” to fool the newcomers into believing that the program really works. Everybody is deceiving everybody else, all of the time. And now the bleeding deacons sit in meetings like the dead hypnotized weights they are, spouting slogans and helping no one but their big inflated egos, flashing sobriety medallions like AA deputy badges.

Alcoholics Anonymous is truly a program that demands rigorous honesty.

OIL SPILL

[Oil Spill] It really warms my heart to see that the most monumental, damaging, and what will be the longest lasting man-made disaster ever in all of the history of our short stay on this planet is only being used to re-ignite the old “left vs. right” “liberal vs. conservative” “democrat vs. republic” bulls**t.

I am appalled that my fellow human beings are fighting each other over this oil spill. We are all in the same little boat, and its sinking. While we’re fighting over the few life vests we’ve been given, the men and women who caused this, allowed it, and will find a way to profit from it are riding around on a luxury liner. Divide and conquer at its finest.

Even as I read here on the CT and other places daily people are fighting each other over bulls**t left vs right politics (when anyone who knows anything about the situation knows they are merely different heads of the same seven headed beast), I cant seem to give up hope on you people. So, here is my heartfelt plea:

Please, do not use your fellow man as an outlet for your rage. Whether right or left, red or blue, liberal or conservative, we will all be negatively impacted. We will all be hurt. We will all have loved ones who will die as a result. It is not our fault, and anyone telling us that is a demonic, lying shill for the elite. It is the corporations, and the subservient government, and the lapdog mainstream ‘news’ that has allowed this. They have caused this, and they are bullshitting every step of the way, delaying measures that will truly help, and position themselves legally so they will lose as little money as possible.

Teachers are being fired daily, education is in the crapper, public programs designed to improve our quality of life were signed away in the multi-trillion dollar blank checks given to the banks that went straight into the pockets of the same elite that rigged the system. They sold off our quality of life, our health and safety, our children’s education, and every other aspect of our civilized life wholesale without a second thought.

Divided, they will defeat us. They will make us fight each other any way they can (race, politics, class are big ones) while they drain the planet and all her inhabitants of every last drop. The TV and all of the entertainment were bombarded with on a daily basis is designed to re-enforce these stereotypes, keep us thinking we are all different and that everyone else is wrong for it. This is not true.

Only united will we stand strong. Only united we will once again experience true freedom, health, and safety. Only united will we be able to defeat the ruling class. Obama is as much to blame as Bush, Clinton, and Bush Sr. because they all supported the corporate pillaging of America. They all supported repealing the very laws designed to restrict corporate control and influence. They are puppets, illusions, talking heads put there to distract us from the men behind the curtain.

Oil spills, foreclosures, bank runs, wars in 5 countries, police brutality, corporate corruption, government corruption, bankruptcies, increasing gas prices, increasing food prices, riots, austerity measures, massive layoffs, widespread unemployment, hate speech, sanctions, nuclear threats, terrorist attacks, warrantless wiretapping, extrajudicial killings. The list goes on. These are all a product of our corrupt system. Middle and lower class human beings gain nothing from these. Only the elite profit from such misery.

The people are waking up. Their eyes and minds are opening. The new awakening is upon us. We are all in the same little boat, sitting on an oily ocean, and we’re sinking fast. Target those who really caused this mess. The system needs to be purged.

BP makes $97 million day in profits. How many Americans can't even fathom that?

[Oil gobbling microbes] To disperse these little Pac men is really not that hard and there is no real need to get that elaborate. The US Air Force has several C-130s all ready equipped for spraying. These are the same type of Aircraft used by the Hurricane Hunters. They are used every year to spray around military bases with mosquito control and are flown, manned and maintained by the Air Force Reserve. The equipment is there, the trained personnel are there; what are they waiting for?

Feds allowing the Coast Guard to help BP prevent journalist access to areas already being destroyed] That's because if there is any real proof of how big oil, and all the other big one-thing-or-another, control the economy, control the people, control and be part of big Government, we would get to find out how screwed we've been getting a little sooner. I'm sick of the big powerhouses in and around our government being so much a part of and so invested in oil. I'm just very disgusted with our federal government, our state and local governments, and the blatant corruption, cronyism, the very obvious bubba system, and all the other garbage that we're exposed to regularly. Lack of good jobs, lack of affordable housing for the middle class, which is slowly being swept away by the wealthy folk who migrated down here like vultures, who keep trying to turn the Keys into Disneyland. They have caused a very serious lack of hope. I am having a very difficult time trying to remain hopeful that there is a way for us to survive the economy and the destruction of the environment, the incomprehensible greed that gobbles up all sense of honesty and ethics.

The oil leak is possibly four times bigger than the Exxon Valdez.

I've been waiting to hear, too, how those oil-eating microbes are working.  Now you tell me they aren't being used?  I live in Texas and Houston TV was interviewing that company the day the disaster started. They'd already made their pitch for business to start work, having contacted BP about their product.  Yesterday I saw more coverage that there's a Dutch company with tech to collect large spills who has offered their help also.  They cite great success in cleaning up smaller spills.  Govt shouldn't be doing the work; they should be hiring competent help.

NATIONAL POLITICS

[Obama's not going to Arlington] President Obama will be participating in a Memorial Day ceremony at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood , Illinois.

1983- Pres.Reagan did not attend. Sec. of State filled in.
1992- Pres. George H.W. Bush did not attend. Dan (draft dodger) Quayle filled in.
2007- Pres .George W. Bush did not attend. Cheney filled in.

Of those three, only Reagan was not on vacation; he was at a summit meeting. So what's your point?

How can we not appreciate the FTR guy? He always knows what is best for everyone. Just excuse the smell in here; you have to put up with that if we're going to put up with him.

[Great White Father in Washington]  Say what!?

[Somalis over the Border] Security experts tell FOX News.com that the influx of hundreds of Somalis over the U.S. border who allegedly have ties to suspected terror cells is evidence of a porous and unsecured border being exploited by groups intent on wrecking deadly havoc on American soil.FOXNews.com - Feds Issue Terror Watch for the Texas/Mexico Border

Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.  ~William F. Buckley, Jr.

This border fence is a joke and a huge waste of money. I think even that fat cop could get over it. Fence isn't a cure-all for America's porous border

[From the Right] Do you remember the tut-tutting denials that Obamacare would result in health care rationing? Do you remember the scorn and anger directed at those who resisted Obamacare because of the prospect of health care rationing? Check out this headline in CNS: Obama's Nominee to Run Medicare:  Who said: 'The Decision is Not Whether or Not We Will Ration Care--The Decision is Whether We Will Ration Care With Our Eyes Open' And so, the equation changes, it becomes: The question is not whether we will repeal Obamacare, The question is when.

(Ed: I do believe the FTR guy finally ran out of words. This is his shortest post ever.)

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Friday May 28, 2010

Wednesday May 26, 2010

106 lb blue marlin, caught on Tuesday off of American Shoal and weighed at Dolphin Marina.

[Tree cutting]  As far as I know Key West is the only place with a tree ordinance. The rest of the Keys are fair game. Cut away if it’s your property and you want a swimming pool.

Please bring your read paperback books to the Big Pine Library. They need them.

The Polka Dot Wasp pictured on Monday is the adult form of the oleander caterpillar. If allowed to thrive they can completely defoliate your oleanders. Pretty as they are, they are not good news in your garden—even one!

I finally restored this arbor in our garden that was destroyed by hurricane Wilma. It just took me a while to get to it.

I killed a lionfish on the inside edge of Hawk Channel South of Loggerhead Key today. it was really dark colored and about a foot long.

[Cow tipping] I’m a city guy who’s never had the opportunity to see if I could tip over a cow. It that something that really can be done or is it just a joke?

[Re: Deer Ed Sucks Words] The person who submitted that post complaining that Deer Ed had changed their wording to the point where it did not mean what the author intended must be new to the CT. This has been a long standing complaint that many have expressed to the editor of this forum over the years. He (or they) claims that they are only doing this because so many of the submissions are so poorly written as to be unintelligible. This is, of course, is complete BS. Having seen No Edit Saturdays we all know what grammatical disasters people are sending in, but the Ed feels the need to modify other posts for his own hidden agenda. I have had many texts that were perfectly acceptable, in terms of grammar and topic, altered for no apparent reason other than it rubbed Deer Ed the wrong way. One bit of hypocrisy I noted was how Ed complains about the amount of time required to assemble the CT every day yet he still found the time to edit a picture I had sent in with an amusing caption. The caption was removed from the picture and re-written in a slightly less humorous version in the text portion of the column. There was just no rational explanation why someone who was so pressed for time would do that. Another time I was involved in an argument with someone because of what they posted only to discover that the point of contention was only because of editing by Ed. Newcomers to the CT should also know that there are certain people here whom Ed will not allow any serious criticism of.

I know that editing a daily website is a difficult and mostly thankless job and I applaud Ed for providing us with a place to voice our opinions. However, visitors should be reminded that not everything they read here is exactly as the author intended, some topics are taboo and that if you read something funny no doubt the original version was probably twice as humorous. And my last, but not least, gripe is that the so-called No Edit Saturday is in fact edited.  (Ed: This post was edited.)

[Airlines] Those were the good old days when flying was fun.

[Sloan] In 2007 the citizens of Key West made it very clear (by an overwhelming vote of 68.9%) that they did NOT want the City of Key West to annex Wisteria Island (take the island into the city limits) for the sole purpose of allowing the Bernstein and Walsh (think Westin and Sunset Key) families to develop the island with 168 units compared to the TWO (2) units permitted under the current Monroe County land use regulations.  Now they are back, this time with a somewhat smaller but still substantial development proposal, which, as was explained by county staff at yesterday’s Monroe County Development Review Committee meeting in Marathon, will make Wisteria Island look like Sunset Key.

The development application currently on the table depends entirely on the City of Key West entering into a three-way agreement with the Bernstein and Walsh families’ and Monroe County, for the City to provide sewerage collection and treatment for the development. Under the current development application, raw sewerage will be collected on Wisteria and sent through as yet unconstructed underwater piping to Sunset Key, where it then will be collected and sent on to Key West though existing underwater piping, for transfer with Sunset Key’s raw sewerage to Key West’s sewerage treatment plant on Fleming Key.

While the Bernsteins and Walshes were still haggling with the County over various side bar issues, it seemed at the DRC meeting yesterday that they are going to get most of what the want from the County, if they get Key West to take care of the raw sewerage coming off of Wisteria Island. What the Bernsteins and Walshes want is two things. First, a marina with a mooring field and an upland support facility, which DRC staff said the Bernsteins and Walshes are entitled to by right. Second, permission to build 75 residences on the rest of the island, which DCR staff said the Bernsteins are not entitled to by right, but need County approval and a Comprehensive Plan change to allow it.

I sensed before yesterday’s meeting that the Bernsteins and Washes thought they were entitled by right to everything they want to do on Wisteria Island.  I sensed they thought Monroe County has to give them everything they want; they are legally entitled to it. After listening to the Bernstein brothers and their representatives, and representatives of the Walshes yesterday, I became convinced their position is they indeed think the County has to give them everything they want, and if they don’t get it, they will litigate and argue it is a “taking” and the County has to pay them what the island is worth with 75 residential building permits on it.

Right now, Wistera Island is appraised by the County Tax Assessor at $150, 000, and has been so appraised for about 20 years. The Bernsteins had paid taxes at that valuation for all of those years, before recently taking the Walshesin as investors for the island’s development. The Bernsteins did not pay taxes at a valuation they now say the property is worth, based on their having a legal right already to build 75 residences on the island. In fact, they paid less taxes per year for 20 years than I have paid each of the last three years, and will pay this year, on my one acre of land on Little Torch Key. Yet the Bernsteins said yesterday, that’s okay; they are entitled to build 75 residences for profit on an island they have said to all the world, by paying the taxes, is only worth $150,000. And County staff seemed to agree with them.

Just for discussion sake, let’s say $40,000,000 is what Wisteria Island is worth with 75 residential building permits. That is what ... The rest at goodmorningfloridakeys.com

What Memorial Day events are happening in the Florida Keys? I sure would love a parade and a burnt hotdog or hamburger. The American way.

[Iguanas] A good neighbor would never feed iguanas. That only attracts armies of other iguanas, raccoons and rats. Just what the entire neighborhood doesn’t want. Did you know there is a proposed new law that will allow people to hunt iguanas in south Florida? A pellet gun is not considered a firearm in Florida.

[Memorial Day] Remind those of our sacrifice and don't confuse arrogance with leadership. The count is 104,366 dead, brave Americans. 

That six foot iguana would make the IKC guy his bottom bitch. Let him try his pop gun on that thing.

[Abortions] Dozens of women in UK have had at least seven abortions, but overall rate is falling. Number of abortions in UK falls (but 48 women have had at least SEVEN) | Mail Online

[Won Ton Jackson] A four-year-old Chinese boy is a natural born thriller when it comes to impersonating Michael Jackson's most famous dance moves. Four-year-old channels Michael Jackson | Stuff.co.nz

[Gringo Masks] It seems that the Miami based Hispanic Advertising company, Zubi has come out with a mask that makes everyone look like an Anglo in response to the Arizona Illegal's Bill. Small problem with this gimmick. Gringo in Spanish means foreigner and in all probability is derived from the Spanish word for someone from Greece /a Greek = Griego. So Anglo's and legal residence are being called foreigner's in their own country. If we are Gringos so are you. There is no need for a mask.

[BPA is a Bad Chemical] BPA was found in 92% of canned goods, not just baby products, and reusable drinking bottles.  BPA has been linked to cancer, infertility and obesity.

Police pursue leads in Big Pine Key teen’s death. Someone will talk. Police pursue leads in teen death | KeysNews.com

The Brevard County doctor who was arrested for groping a woman while dressed as Captain America with a burrito in his pants will not go to jail. Instead, Doctor Raymond Adamcik will take part in a diversion program for first time offenders, which includes community service, fines and random alcohol and drug testing. The charges will not show up on his criminal record.

Interesting neighborhood you got there, Butch.

[Adopt a Pet]  I have to wonder about those of you who object to what you consider the "third-degree". What are you hiding?

[Politics] When I was in college the saying was, if you flunk out of your major go into education. If you flunk out of education take journalism. If you flunk out of journalism, run for office.

Now, this is a shooting range! Do you think the new range on Big Pine will be like this one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyq90LEZe4k&feature=player_embedded

Female Viagra.  Yeah! FDA Considers Approval of 'Female Viagra' - AOL Health

The full Moon shines in Scorpius this month.

[Teen murdered on Avenues] To Shelly, Betty and Uncle Tim, sorry for your loss, If there is anyway I or my band can help you, let me know. Being a single parent myself, I feel your pain.

[Adopt a pet] The fees that the animal shelters charge for adopting are very inexpensive compared to what a pure bred can cost. An ad in the K.W. Citizen: rat terrier puppies $700. That’s another great reason to adopt rather than buy.

[The Nature Conservancy]  The greenies, are a bunch of hypocrites and free loaders.  Some live on boats, dumping waste into the ocean.  Others are sleeping with the County in more ways that one (if you know what I mean). They are not naive souls, and they have most people royally fooled.  The greenies have manipulated and fleeced Monroe County, including the TDC. Aren't you tired of getting manipulated by groups like this?   ~isagrand5600@hotmail.com

On Memorial Day, don’t forget!

[Animal Shelter] Do you love the comments from the county about their reaction to Stand Up For Animals' contract proposal?  "We just budget contract renewals at the same figure with a little added for circumstances." 

Employees at SUFA work there because they love the animals.  They already have had their hours cut.  None of them receive paid sick time or paid holidays.   They have no medical benefits.  I wonder how the County employees would react if their annual raises didn't show up each year?  What if the County decided not to pay them for every holiday imaginable?

SUFA has not had an increase for the last two years.  Their contact proposal will cover the next five years without any realistic expectation of any additional monies.  While the percentage rate of the request may seem somewhat high, that's only because they receive so little money in the first place.  Let's put it in perspective.  SUFA's entire requested increase is less than the cost to the County of hiring one secretary.

Childhood photos sure do bring back memories and they sure do explain a lot.

[Conspiracy II] So, you foresee that “in just a few years when a super blow job from the Atlantic destroy all the junk they built, the islands will be a mass of mansions and closed estates like they want it to be.”  So what’s the problem?  Worst case is that Winn Dixie will start selling soap again.  Best case is that we’ll trade out the Wal-Mart tourists for the Neiman Marcus tourists.  Personally, I can’t wait.

Astronauts Michael Good (left) and Garrett Reisman look through the aft flight deck windows of space shuttle Atlantis during the mission’s third aspacewalk. During the spacewalk, Good and Reisman completed the installation of the final two of the six new batteries for the B side of the port 6 solar array. In addition, the astronauts installed a backup ammonia jumper cable between the port 4 and 5 trusses of the station and transferred a power and data grapple fixture from the shuttle to the station.

[Endocrinologist] The Monroe County health department ought to be able to tell you where to find one. Home - Monroe County Health Department

Things you didn't know about. http://discovermagazine.com/columns/20-things-you-didnt-know

[IKC] Has anybody down here ever met the IKC guy? By this time some people should have met him if he is a local. I have a feeling this is a bored snowbird from a flyover state that has nothing better to do with his time than to try to jerk our chains. Just ignore him, the only shooting he is doing is shooting off his mouth.

I then joined Alcoholics Anonymous because they told me I was insane and my life was unmanageable. The wanted me to stay away from the seven deadly sins, practice the five C’s of conversion and the four absolutes as they believe my drinking is because I am a wretched sinner. Remember AA is spiritual not religious. "Fake it until you make it," AA steptards will actually tell you this. That slogan sounds more like something my girlfriend would do.

OIL SPILL

A memorial service for the 11 workers killed was held by Transocean. Remember the crew.

[Liability] An existing federal law limits liability of oil drillers to $75 million! Where did this one come from?  Somebody signed it, someone gets credit – or blame. Who?

We all know BP wouldn't lie. Perish the thought. Gulf oil plume darker; not good news, expert says

Why is the Army Corp of Engineers not allowing New Orleans to construct six foot barrier islands to help protect them from the oil? Are the environmentalists behind this travesty? Something is very wrong with this picture and it is not coming out on the news shows.

Local scuba divers videotape the swarm of oil beneath the surface in the Gulf. This is frightening video. Divers Go Beneath the Surface

[OSHA Oil Course]  The $69 course offered online is the full course. Don't let FKCC fool you. Check it out for yourself and I bet you will take it online. http://oshacampusonline.com/

NATIONAL POLITICS

[Quarter Truths] Following is an example of why FTR is not a liar, but clearly a 1/4 truth guy. He is often accurate, but usually incomplete. Since the BP oil spill, He has written the following over and over again:

The huge big oil contributions to Mr. Obama.

Mr. Obama and his team have taken long tons of money from big oil

BP gave Mr. Obama more money than any other Presidential candidate in history.

It is Mr. Obama who has received more money from BP than any other politician in history.

Mr. Obama has collected more BP political money than any politician, ever.

Mr. Obama is the top recipient of money in the past 20 years from oil giant BP and BP Political Action Committees.

I checked with the Center for Responsive Politics website that tracks donations. According to the site, Obama received $77,051 dollars from BP. Yes it was the most for any candidate. But seriously, can you buy a president for less than a hundred grand? The FTR guy fails to note that the amount of their donations doubled in 2008 compared to 2004. BP has spent 3.5 million on election campaigns over the last 20 years. BP donated $531,124 during 2007-08, 60% to the Republicans and 41% to the Democrats. Under Energy/Natural Resources Industries, during 2007-08 McCain received $4,090,435 and Obama $2,782,904, 60.2% for all Republican candidates and 39.7% for all Democrats.

[Borders] Obama sends in 1200 National Guard troops.

Representative Grayson's proposed War is Making you Poor Bill is before the House.  I always thought the opposite argument should be made.  Namely, make it clear to Americans it’s their duty to pay higher taxes to fund the wars we wage. I guess people would rise up then. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TexNkbNToA

Sarah Palin now considers herself a feminist. I disagree because I’ve always thought a feminist was a woman who believed in equal rights for woman and complete control over her body—as in abortion.

[Polls] Here’s an interesting factoid. In January 2007, Mr. Bush’s job approval rating was 41, his disapproval was 57%. On April 25^th, 2010, Mr. Obama’s job approval rating was 42%, his disapproval was 56%.  That sure is interesting, can dawn be coming?

Today the Senate is voting to give another $45 billion for war.

[Obama's Nominee to Run Medicare] The decision is not whether or not we will ration care--the decision is whether we will ration care with our eyes open.  CNSNews.com - Obama's Nominee to Run Medicare: 'The Decision is Not Whether or Not We Will Ration Care--The Decision is Wheth..

New definition of teabagging: Tee-bagg-ng (verb); To talk endlessly about integrity while demonstrating absolutely none.

[Borders] Obama is sending in the National Guard to the border to try and stop illegals. The teabaggers will find something wrong with his actions I'm sure.

[From the Right] Imagine that you’re a 15 year old kid, you’re home, alone. You live in a nice neighborhood, you love your Dad and you’re proud of him. Suddenly, 14 school buses pull up in the street in front of your home, several hundred angry screaming and chanting people storm from the buses, most are wearing black shirts and red hats. The sameness of the clothing is of itself scary, it reminds you of uniforms. They are waving banners and are being exhorted to shout and chant louder and louder. They don’t stop at your sidewalk, they stream onto your front lawn,  they trample your carefully tended shrubbery. Then they mob onto your front porch and pound on the door. The mob’s screaming, pounding on your front door, terrifies you.  Finally the mob disperses. The busses load up and drive away. There is a dispute as to how long the union assault on a citizens home continued, some say nearly an hour, some say only a few minutes. Does the length of time of the assault really matter? All that matters that that kid and his home were assaulted by union thugs. Does that matter to you? The facts are that union thugs, stormed a residential neighborhood and attacked the residence of an American citizen. Their purpose was clear; they wanted to intimidate the citizen, his family, and  anyone who would have the temerity to oppose them. The term “bully” is much too mild. The term "terrorist" seems much more apropo. We are now reaping the seeds that were sowed 18 months ago. Those seeds have sprouted a weed regime of Chicago thuggery.  That my Deer Friends, is the new norm for union protesting. That is exactly what happened just the other day at the home of a Bank of America executive. The SEIU (government workers, police unions) were protesting home foreclosures. They are proud of their new tactic, we will see more of it. Think of it. Thank God that the 15 year old hid in a bathroom and did not grab Dad’s gun and shoot through his front door. The mob would have torn him apart in the name of union solidarity. Take a look at the video below and then see if you think the union tactics were thuggery was it terrorism. Websters defines the word "terrorism": "the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion."  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5_rXBuEW7k&feature=player_embedded 

(Part II) More and more of us are mad as hell at the amount of Federal spending. The anger began  early in the Bush admin with howls by the Democrats that the Republicans and Mr. Bush were running up the national debt. The spending dramatically increased when the Democrats took control of the Congress and the purse strings in 2006. Since the elections of 2008, the debt has stopped its on ramp increase and has begun a skyrocket climb that has now exceeded even the most outrageous predictions of just a few years ago. More and more of us are demanding that spending must be stopped.  Congressman Eric Cantor has begun a new project to start us down that road. He has put up a web site at which you can vote every week for one of five programs to that you would choose to cut from the Federal budget. The items will change every week.  Cantor promises to bring to a Congressional vote, each week, the item that gets the most votes for being cut. He can’t guarantee that the item chosen will be cut, but at least it will come to a vote and your voice will be heard. Try it, you’ll like it.  I just voted to cut federal raises.

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Wednesday May 26, 2010

Tuesday May 25, 2010

[Editor sucks words] Deer Editor, I don't understand why you feel the need to edit my punctuation and/or reword my submissions.  I know exactly what I want to say and some of your recent edits have clouded my message.  Please refrain from changing my words, or at least explain why you're doing it.

[Adopt a Pet] I don’t think anyone minds a high fee for a companion they will have for many years. It’s the third-degree we get trying to adopt. It’s almost as troublesome as adopting a child. It seems the pet agencies are cutting off their noses to spite their face. They want us to adopt, but place every obstacle they can think of in our way because they are afraid we will sell the animal for research. So they will let the animals live a rotten life in the shelter. They would do better to empty the shelters into homes of people who want a pet, but don’t want the third-degree. So-what if their landlord doesn’t allow animals? Just let the person bring the critter back to the shelter and forfeit the fee. It’s better than letting the animals languish in those smelly, over-crowded shelters.

Can you really just cut down a huge tree on BPK to build a swimming pool?  It may be a buttonwood, I am not really sure. Probably 30' high and the canopy spreads for about the same.

A Key Largo home was burglarized and bunches of jewelry stolen by one of the landscape crew that regularly maintained their yard. These minimum wage employees get complete access to the grounds of million dollar  houses and are able to “case the joint” to see where security is weak when they come back latter to rob the place.

Six foot Iguana lunches on kid? You might want to re-think feeding those non-native creatures of destruction. I hear their tail tastes like chicken. Have dinner with a friend. Six Foot Iguana Lunches on Oakland Park Kid, Panther Gets More Room to Roam - Broward Palm Beach News - The Juice

In March of 1979, there were Black law enforcement employees in south Florida. They were not rare, but there were only a few. Lucile Benson was one of the few. She was married, she had two kids. Lucille was a meter maid in a small south Florida community. The community had been a small farm town that was cautiously casting off its sleepy farm town roots and was on its way to becoming a major suburban community. The community had a small police department that was still in the process of reinventing itself as a modern law enforcement agency. The Police Department was turning the page on employment prejudice and the community’s segregationist history. Lucille Benson was a part of that journey.

She had been hired as a part of a one year federal grant. Lucille was making friends within the community of old line cops. She was well liked; her coworkers described her as being friendly and outgoing. More importantly, her work was respected.

Patrolman Dick Colwell (not his real name) was a relative newcomer to the police department, having been a part of the department for only about a year. Colwell, too, was well liked. He was seen as being a good natured cop who got along well with his fellow workers. Colwell was not a star, nor was he a slug. He was seen as being competent, but a “class clown”.  At that time whenever a police officer killed or wounded a civilian, or whenever a police officer was killed, it was routine practice for most of the agencies in our jurisdiction to contact our agency. I was always on call and nearly always responded to the scene. 

Depending on the circumstances, our agency would conduct the investigation or we would simply monitor it and act as an advisor. As I recall I took the call in the mid-afternoon. The Chief of Police called, but he declined to discuss the circumstances on the telephone, he advised that his agency had a serious problem and asked that we respond to his police department. When I arrived, about 20 minutes after the call, the Det. Sgt. immediately took me to the uniformed officers briefing room which was now empty. I was then taken to the ladies room which was immediately adjacent to the back wall of the briefing room.  The door on one of the two stalls was hanging open. That wall of that stall was the same wall as the rear of the Uniform Briefing Room. Lucille Benson was sitting on the toilet, she had a small wad of toilet paper clutched in the fingers of her right hand which was hanging limply on her right side. Lucille Benson was dead.  True Crime Stories ... continued

[Peace Park Update] Members of the Coral Shores Student Peace Alliance in Tavernier have successfully lobbied the County Commission for Peace Parks within the county's parks. All of the parks in unincorporated Monroe County will soon have sections dedicated as Peace Parks. Peace Alliance President, Annabelle Brickner, says placing plaques in each park that say "Community Peace Park: We are all the Keys to Peace" will bring awareness, and that awareness is the first step to peace. The group has raised $900 and pledged to fund the plaques for the parks in the upper Keys. The students are seeking donations to purchase plaques for the rest of the parks in the County. The Coral Shore Peace alliance was founded in 2007 as a response to Brickner's brother's first tour in Iraq. Contact Denise ddmermaid22@bellsouth.net  or Ron Ronaldwcole@aol.com to help in any way. Thanks. Peace begins with us.

[The Nature Conservancy]  Mark Tercek, the Conservancy's president and CEO came directly from Goldman Sachs. It doesn't take a whole lot to get money from the greenies, just wave some green flags and say "sustainable" a few times.  These naive souls are being royally fooled, fleeced and f***ed by this group and others.

wwwoooooOOOOOOwwwww...really cool banner on Monday!

[Alcohol was involved] Donald Wolfe, 55, was charged with public drunkenness in March in Brookville, Pa., after neighbors spotted him giving, as he described it, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a road-kill possum along Route 36.

[Classified Ads] Why won't people take a minute to delete their advertisements on the CT after they have sold their items?  They will take the time to advertise; all that the editor has ever asked for his free ads is that you notify the CT when the item is no longer for sale.  Here's an example: 6 drawer dresser w/ matching end table. Wicker. From Pier 1, $250. Call 305-304-4314 4/24/10. After calling and leaving messages -- none of which were returned -- I reached a woman who said that the items have been sold. I politely suggested that she remove her ad, but I still see it every day.

Thoughts on AA basher. This person was probably convicted of multiple DUIs and ordered to fulfill a number of meetings (usually 90 meetings in 90 days) as part of his or her sentence and failed so he's blaming AA. I don't think anyone should be forced to go to AA because if they haven't received the "Gift of Desperation' it will not work for them. Then when they really hit bottom they won't try it because it didn't work for them before.

If you have friends or family who have a problem with alcohol or drug abuse (and  who doesn't in the Keys?) and you need help, Al-Anon is a wonderful place to go. It's a safe place to share your pain and find out what you can do to help yourself. Even in our small community there is no gossip and nothing you say is shared. There are meetings in Big Pine and Key West. BPK's is held at St Peter's Church on Wed. night at 7 PM in the trailer in the back.  You can call (1-800 al anon) for more info and local contacts. Al-Anon: Continuing Events

[Border Patrol helicopter] If they used a gunship it would make the job easier and quicker and greatly reduce aliens crossing the border.

A Polka Dot Wasp is probably not going to lay eggs that turn into a butterfly.

[Child’s Play] Oh, this can't be good, kids learning how to play outside again. Preposterous! Preschools in forests take root in the US

[Tricky Answer] In response to the person who asked why George the bartender got fired -- good question! The answer is also in the form of a question, who's working his shift?

[Green Industries-Best Management Practices Educational Program Workshop” (GI-BMP)] Monroe County Landscapers, Nurseries, Pest Control Operators, and other interested parties who work in the lawn, landscape, pest control, or municipal grounds areas: UF/IFAS/Monroe County Extension Services is offering a free workshop.

The GI-BMP workshop will be held on Monday, June 21, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Monroe County Regional Service Center (Marathon Government Center), in the EOC meeting room, 2798 Overseas Highway, MM 47.5, Gulfside, Marathon.  For more information and to pre-register call Kim Gabel at (305) 292-4504. Bulletin Board

[The Ultimate Conspiracy Theory] After first read I thought this is kool-aid and a giggle. After second read (just to confirm first opinion) --not so implausible in a wild, maybe, sort of way. After third read (because now the question mark in forming) - well, maybe? I’m not going for a forth read. This is how conspiracy collusion starts to spread. I’ve  got to get a grip. But, maybe .... No!  No! No!  Get me to Google. I need a reality check fix-- now!

Is there a gyno or Endocrinologist in the Keys who will work with patients needing bio identical hormone replacement?  Is there a compounding pharmacy down here?  Any info you have discovered would be greatly appreciated.

[John Donnelly] He may have been exposed to agent orange, as many Vietnam veterans were. I have become acquainted with this man through the years. He is unassuming, poised, confident and compassionate. I will share with you some of the things that I have come to know about him.
 
For the sake of brevity, I will present this information in an abbreviated manner: Combat wounded veteran, purple heart recipient, disabled and disfigured by wounds, battlefield promotion for meritorious conduct under fire.
 
Master of Science Degree, Summa Cum Laude, recipient of the Mayor Stephen P. Clarke Children's Award as an outstanding educator for his work with handicapped and disabled children. Veterans Council of Monroe County Citizenship Award for his continuing contributions in the veteran and civilian community, recognized with the Disabled American Veterans Appreciation Award and the Veterans Administration Distinguished Achievement Award for his readjustment work with veterans and their families.
 
Initiated a Monroe County Response to the juveniles incarcerated at the Everglades Maximum Security Prison. Maintained a weekly program at that institution for these young men for 3 years. 
 
Created and maintained the Hurricane Andrew Outreach Program, clothing feeding and providing shelter for citizens who had become disenfranchised because of a catastrophic event. For his commitment to this project he was featured in a Miami Herald editorial, which identifying him as an “angel in the night”.
 
He served our country as a United States Marine. He is a passionate, courageous and intelligent individual. I have never known him to be an idiot.

[Another Great Email Opportunity] Dearest one,
How are you? hope all is in good condition, dear pls i want to relocate and invest in your country. I really need your kind assistance concerning my new project idea in your country. hopping to hear from you soon and also introduce myself.
Regards,
Cyril.

[Jamaica Emergency] Raw video of police gun battles. Coming soon to a city near you. The BBC's Nick Davis in Montego Bay says the capital is a city under siege. Do you think Jamaica or Mexico will become the first Narco State? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-eISboAPOc&feature=player_embedded#!

[Blood drive at the Moose today for Terry Miller. Will the Moose relax their rules and let me in just for tomorrow after I donate?] It's not just the Moose rules, but, in fact, the law that non-members may not be served unless you are accompanied by a member and sign the guest book.  However, you may want to chat up a few folks while you're waiting to donate and ask a member to invite you in as a guest.  While you're there enjoying the Lodge hospitality, you should consider joining this fine organization of men and women that do so much for our community.  It's easy, affordable; a great way to participate in all of the great things the Lodge does, in addition to being able to enjoy the comfortable Social Quarters.  See www.bigpinemoose.org for an overview of the Lodge.

On Wednesday and Thursday, May 26-27, the Department of the Navy will hold public scoping meetings to provide information and allow public comment on a proposed environmental impact statement (EIS) regarding flight operations at Naval Air Station Key West's Boca Chica Field.

Scoping meetings will be held from 3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. on the following days, at the following locations: Wednesday, May 26: Doubletree Grand Key Resort Conference Room, 3990 S. Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, and Thursday, May 27: Tennessee Williams Theater at Florida Keys Community College, 5901 College Road, Key West (Stock Island).

The Navy is initiating the scoping process to identify community concerns and local issues that will be addressed in the EIS. The proximity of NAS Key West to the Key West Range Complex, year-round fair weather for aviation training, and relatively unencumbered airspace makes NAS Key West the premier facility for air-to-air training for military

[Morning Dove Chicks Killed by IKC] That picture was not the first thing I wanted to see on Monday. I would suspect another animal killed them but a cat (or another predator) would have taken the bodies to eat. Why are they both still in the nest? Leaving the mutilated bodies seems like something a twisted mind that delights in killing might do. Now who does that remind us of? Hmmm, I think we all know who the police should be questioning first.

[Paying to Watch Commercials] I was annoyed while watching the Lifetime Channel because of so many commercials. It just seemed like a lot. I timed the programming with a stopwatch: ten minutes of programming and five minutes of commercials. Half their programming is commercials. Is this the service I pay over a hundred dollars a month for?

Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees went a bit crazy at London's Heathrow Airport over the weekend, and then decided not to take his scheduled flight to Los Angeles. The Sun newspaper says Gibb, 60, flew into a rage. The paper quotes a witness as saying he "went absolutely crazy and was swearing his head off at the check-in team."

The incident was reportedly sparked when Gibb, who had been hanging out in the British Airways first-class lounge, was chosen before boarding for a random pat down as part of extra security. A spokesman for British Airways said while the airline doesn't name names, indeed, "A customer due to travel to Los Angeles refused to be subject to secondary searches at the gate and chose not to travel." The spokesman added, "BA is obliged to conduct searches by the U.S. authorities."

Gibb performed with his brothers Maurice and Barry in the popular 1970s group with hits including "Staying Alive" and "How Deep is Your Love."

OIL SPILL

The rest... goodmorningfloridakeys.com

The lawyers are already foaming at the mouth. Krupnick Campbell Malone Buser Slama Hancock Liberman & McKee are having seminars in Key West and Islamorada this week so you can hire them to sue BP.

FKCC is offering a course for volunteers online for $69. The $500 course is for people with boats to get training for testing and sampling and all course costs for both classes are going to be reimbursed by BP. 

University of Fla. Monroe County Extension. Gulf oil spill. What you can do to help. Gulf Oil Spill: What You Can Do To Help

Please do not take or clean any oil you find on the beach. That is the property of British Petroleum and we will sue you.

You should read these posts by an oil industry insider. http://is.gd/cmjDm and this http://is.gd/cmmk9

Watch an incredible interview with a member of the crew, the chief technician of the Deepwater Horizon. He has a horrific story to tell. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-05-22/60-minutes-video-of-bp-oil-rig-accident-survivor/?cid=hp:beastoriginalsL4

[Boycott] BP is worth billions and billions and billions. We can screw them up if we stick together. Let's turn their gas hose off.

BP execs acknowledges public frustration over spill.11 people dead. 264 birds, sea turtles and dolphins have been found dead or stranded because of the oil spill--so far. Please, take a minute and acknowledge them. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100524/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill 

It'll be interesting to see if those of us who are in Keys' waters for a living will get something worse than staph from the oil spill. Staphlylococcus aureus: Usually shortened to staph, staphylococcus aureus bacteria are everywhere, including in the noses or on the skin of healthy people. Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus, or MRSA, is a drug-resistant strain of the same bacteria. Infections often start as a small pimple or boil and can spread to the rest of the body.

NATIONAL POLITICS

University of Arizona professor was booed at commencement ceremony. The student reaction was encouraging when she began with La Raza BS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSppVDbEZkg&feature=player_embedded

FTR, referring to illegal immigration, stated that "the aim of the Arizona law is to accomplish that goal in a constitutional fashion".  So sorry FTR, there are many Constitutional lawyers (who are much smarter than you pretend to be) who would disagree with your statement.  President Obama and Lindsay Graham are among these.  President Obama and the Judicial Dept. are looking into this. It’s a far cry from "declaring war on Arizona"!    

North Korea torpedoes South Korean ship. Lee: NKorea must pay for torpedo attack on warship

[From the Right] Mr. Obama and his team of not so merry persons (pc at all cost) really, really, I mean really wanted Arlen Specter to beat that upstart Joe Sestak. Obama personally campaigned for him. Joe Biden campaigned for him, the Unions campaigned for him. The Democrat machine gave him millions to spend on his campaign. Then they tried a bridge too far. They offered Congressman Sestak a job in the Obama admin if he would not run against Spector. The buzz is that it was the Secretary of Navy position, Sestak is a retired admiral. Sestak said “thanks, but no thanks”. At this juncture it’s unclear if Sestak is an honorable man, or perhaps he didn’t trust Obama, or perhaps he was aware that the Obama job offer was a felony. Yep, a felony. Robert Gibbs, Obama’s, flack in chief, admits that a job was offered. Gibbs refuses to confirm that a job was offered to Sestak in a quid pro quo deal. But he also refuses to deny it. He will only say that “nothing inappropriate occurred.” Gibbs refuses to identify the culprit who offered the job. But, a huge hairy butt, Sestak himself says that a job was offered.  So there we have it. Mr. Obama suffered immense loss of face and political clout Specters drubbing. Mr. Obama’s existing SECNAV, Ray Mabus, must be feeling all warm and fuzzy now about Mr. Obama. And worst of all, there now is a political/criminal storm a brewing in and around Team Obama.  If you are an Obama supporter, but you are feeling gut level twinges about him and his, you’re in good company. 55% of American likely voters disapprove of Mr. Obama’s performance, while 43% of them strongly disapprove.

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Tuesday May 25, 2010

Monday May 24, 2010

The blood drive at the Moose tomorrow for Terry Miller is a fine thing. I’m not a member of the Moose and would like to buy a beer after giving blood (just to build up my strength). Will the Moose relax their rules and let me in just for tomorrow after I donate? It is a good cause.

Andy Griffiths' recommendation that Monique Acevedo does house arrest or work release rather than go to prison just shows what some of us have been saying throughout the scandal.  He was just totally unaware of the magnitude of the corruption and remains totally unaware of the attitude of the community toward the perpetrator of the crime.

I suppose we should not be surprised, however.  Andy's strong suit has never been overseeing other people's money.  Wasn't he on the Board of Keys Federal Credit Union when the feds came in and took it over?

Giving back to the community is a noble idea, but the community is not well served when you're not very good at what you're trying to do.

[Polka Dot Wasp] My wife shot this picture of a polka dot wasp moth, also called an Uncle Sam Moth on our desert rose the other day, laying eggs.  We've seen lots of them lately, and they lay eggs on our desert roses that turn into orange caterpillars with black fuzzies who voraciously eat the leaves.  We flick them off (literally) when we see them, but we deliberately leave one or two to support the local butterfly population.  If you like butterflies, you’ve got to share your plants with a few caterpillars now and then.

[Tournament] Due to high winds this weekend, we have extended the Florida Keys Triple Slam Fishing Tournament.  The Captain's Meeting will be on Friday May 28th at Reef Light Tackle, with fishing on Saturday May 29th. We need the community's support for our local food bank.  We have reduced the entry fees to only $75 per angler along with one non-perishable can good.  There are $6,000 in awards and trophies.  Come on out and support your local food bank.  Can goods from non-angler's would be appreciated as well. Stop by Reef Light Tackle anytime this week to make a non-perishable donation to the United Methodist Church Food Bank.  Entry forms for the tournament are available at Reef Light Tackle in Big Pine Key.

Howard Livingston and the Tiki Boat at Picnic Island last Sunday. Go Howard!

[Drama] It’s interesting to see the drama on this site is spreading beyond the political section. It’s very entertaining!

[Jump!] Top 10 biggest and best jumps ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqhlfz9GQPE&feature=
player_embedded

[Married 10 years] When your wife says, "Make it quick" you know it's not going to be one of those Valentine's, honeymoon night kind of moments.

Have you ever watched "House"?  I didn't even know he was a Brit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNoS2BU6bbQ 

Let the breasts fly! It's my duty as an American woman. Hah! Happy 4th of July. Topless protest planned | KeysNews.com

[Terry Miller Blood Drive] Community Blood Centers of S. FL is holding a blood drive at the BPK Moose Tuesday, May 25 from 2 - 7 pm. If folks want to designate their donation for Terry (Josephine) Miller, it will save her a tremendous amount of money. She's receiving a lot of transfusions and those are out-of-pocket expenses for her.  Every pint donated, no matter what the blood type, gets her a free pint. So come on out and help this great lady who's done so much for our community.

Redneck ceiling fan.

[Adopt a Pet] A poster complained yesterday about all the things that SUFA (and apparently the Key West SPCA) requires in order to adopt an animal.  Personally, I'm glad they are so careful and thorough in their screening process.

While I understand his complaint about the amount of the adoption fee, that's just part of the problem they're currently facing.  The County just doesn't pay enough for them to run the shelters without meeting the shortfall with fees, soliciting donations, and doing external fundraising.

[Game] Let's go, it's Apple pickin' time! Can you get 50 apples in the pail? I only got 39. CLICK HERE

[Acevedo is like Jesus or Joan of Arc] I think she would be better compared to Bonnie & Clyde or Jesse James.

However, a growing alcohol addiction will be demonstrated by the fact that the person isn’t finding enough relief in any of the above activities but turns to alcohol as a way to forget the inner pressures (albeit temporarily). The more socially acceptable forms of release just don’t do it for the person. Does this sound like yourself or someone you know? If so, find a mangrove, live in it and stay away from the general population.

[Morning doves] The male dove shows up at 4:00 and the female dove goes with him, leaving the chicks alone.  That's usually called Happy Hour.

[To AA Basher]  Keep coming back.  It works if you work it.   And look where your best thinking got you. 

Night by night, the bright Moon passes under Saturn, the close telescopic double star Gamma Virginis, and then Spica

Border Patrol helicopter with night vision directs agents on the ground.  Tough, dangerous duty. YouTube - Apprehension of 27 spotted by the Texas Border Volunteers

[Animal Shelters] County personnel seem to be having a problem with SUFA's budget request, which in my mind is totally reasonable since they operate two shelters and cover more territory than the other two contractors.  Given that they give the SPCA in Key West nearly $400,000 to operate one shelter and cover all of 17 miles of US1 (which in area probably equates to Big Pine and Big and Little Torch Keys), how can they deem SUFA's request for $327,800 too high to operate two shelters and cover 52 miles of US1.  SUFA's bid is only $57,800 more than the County currently pays to the Key Largo shelter (one shelter) which covers 43 miles of US1.  SUFA operates two shelters and covers more territory than the other two contractors.
 
Let's really be fair about this.  The County wants SUFA to reduce their bid, meaning they do not want to pay what's fair to SUFA.  So, take $400,000 plus $270,000 plus $300,000 (a reduction to please the County), add them together for a total of $970,000 and divide that by 4 shelters. That equals $242,500 for each shelter.  That's the fair way to do it, but when is anything fair in this County?  It's time for County officials to stop playing favorites and do the right thing - acknowledge that there are four shelters in the County and fund them based on that. Either give SUFA it's requested and very reasonable $327,800 to operate two shelters or divide up the money equally for four shelters.

Why did George get fired from Looe Key tiki bar?

[Torture Animals] When people, due to immaturity or otherwise, decide to torture animals, the law should be used to its fullest extent to protect others from their actions. Standing by idly while letting these people run amok isn't going to do us any good.

I do agree that talking here isn't going to achieve much except raising people’s awareness. I hope that educating this guy about the current Florida law should make him think twice before breaking it. This was a fair warning that I plan to act rather than keep talking.

The Busch wreck has a gigantic lionfish at the back of the vessel.  It is real big.  I rang FWC and they directed me to ring another number which I did not call.  Now I ring the Coconut Telegraph and hope a collector adopts it.  Did I say it was a very big lionfish?  It is near the square opening right by the line.  I feel bad being a snitch and even worse for the five lionfishies I turned in last month. 

John Donnelly probably started the fire(?). He's a Vietnam vet that maybe had been exposed to a little too much agent orange. The guy's an idiot.

I want to thank Florida Keys Satellite for hooking me up with DirecTV and all their cool features. They did an awesome job. Thank you guys.

[Conspiracy II] Wisteria Island will fall into the hands of the greedy and unscrupulous developers just the way the rest of our homeland islands will in the near future. We will not stop the banks and builders from trashing out the last bit of reality. In fact it is almost gone completely already with the wall to wall junk houses being stuck everywhere to reduce the values of the land and drive out or divert anyone with taste and dignity. No, the Keys are dead and in just a few years when a super blow job from the Atlantic destroy all the junk they built, the islands will be a mass of mansions and closed estates like they want it to be.

OIL SPILL

The Nature Conservancy faces potential backlash from ties with BP.  Be aware of what dogs you lie with. Nature Conservancy Faces Potential Backlash From Ties with BP | CommonDreams.org

Boycott all of BP's products- ARCO, Castrol Motor Oil, AM/PM stores, Wild Bean Cafe and in Europe ARAL. 

BP CEO Tony Hayward called the effects of the spill to be, "very, very moderate".  He never mentions the 11 dead or the others on the Deepwater Horizons who had to jump for their lives--many who were severely burned and had to swim for their lives to safety.  They continue to use dispersants that send the oil and dead marine life to the seabed, thus polluting the Gulf and hiding the evidence. Out of sight, out of mind.

BP doesn't care and neither should we. It's time to peacefully protest in front of BP's stores from the public right-of-way, suggest alternative gas stations to potential customers.  Be sure to "use" the restrooms in BP's stores and "leave your message".  Make sure BP's delivery vehicles drive the speed limit (or less) when you're in front of them on the road. 

BP Investor Relations: 281-366-4937

[Emergency Response] Key West residents are organizing their own ...Citizen Emergency Response Team Services (CERTS) has met three times for emergency planning and to provide information to volunteers. 

Just to keep the acronyms and organizations straight, CERT is the Community Emergency Response Team,  a national "program" which operates through Citizens Corps.  CERT Teams are volunteers trained help their neighbors after disasters.  Currently, there is an active CERT Team in Key West, and the Upper Keys team is now forming. http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/about.shtm 

NATIONAL POLITICS

I mistakenly labeled Rand Paul as a dentist the other day. I apologize to dentists everywhere.  Rand Paul is actually what we used to call a "shoemaker", a nitwit pretender with a very thin veneer of aptitude.  He cut and ran from Sunday's scheduled Meet The Press appearance feigning "exhaustion".  No doubt he's bedridden; curtains drawn, wondering what he's going to do about his depleted nerve.  Through a spokesman the golden boy says he won't be sitting around any lunch counters pouring that 100-proof Libertarian for a while.  That's too bad. It's great stuff for loosening the tongue but probably best to avoid when you have an identity crisis.  Meanwhile, fellow shoemaker Sarah Palin, who can relate, sends her deepest sympathies.  

At first I was glad that our friend FTR has been feeling all vilified and crucified because of all his vilifying and crucifying, but upon reflection perhaps we have been a bit hard on old Ahab.   After all, he didn't say that our president had an extramarital affair.  He just heard that it might be possible and thought he'd pass that along -- as a sort of public service.  I thought he did an excellent job describing the physical charms of the possible co-fornicator.  It was really believable, like, who could say no to a babe like that?  And when he calls our president "intellectually corrupt...an arrogant weasel" why, he's only exercising his red white and blue freedom of speech and don't you dare try to take it away from him!  It could happen.  It's also true that we torment him by not turning in those term papers on Obama's successes that he's always demanding, and we really shouldn't be making fun of what is no doubt a serious drug habit.  Yes, I think it's time to exercise some compassionate liberalism and prove that we do have hearts like when a neocon cries “uncle” we can lighten up and show mercy.

Sorry teabaggers, but your joy didn’t last long with Paul’s election victory. He’s already being told what to say and how to act by the RNC. He’s even been forced to cancel interviews on national TV until he’s deprogrammed. Your rhetoric of "we want someone different" is as hollow as a chocolate Easter Bunny. He’s in the RNC’s hands and he’s already lost his credibility. The Tea party has been high jacked by the RNC. The extreme right wing of the Republican Party is all the tea party is turning out to be.

Carl Hiaasen's column appears to be a rebuttal directed at our FTR guy. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/22/1642462/get-guvment-off-our-backs-but.html

[The Movies] Political review of Iron Man 2. God bless Milton Friedman for such wisdom and joy. I'm definitely going to see Iron Man 2 after his review, which I should've known the lame-streams got wrong. http://www.pjtv.com/video/Afterburner_with_Bill_
Whittle/We_Are_Iron_Men/3608/

[Immigration] You can buy cheap ranches close to the border and charge a toll for the illegals. It’s better than selling veggies here.

Palin: I'm a big supporter of offshore drilling. Palin: I'm big supporter of offshore drilling - Yahoo! News

[The Ultimate Conspiracy Theory] Major operations are going on right now.  Activation of National Guard units in select areas, Obama considering using nuke to stop the oil spill, however, I know that it was caused to allow the slick to reach the coast.  Why?  To cut off the food supply and justify moving residents from the gulf region.    Why?  This will allow the Russians, Cubans, and Chinese to invade through East Florida coastal areas, along the La. Katrina area, and along the Southern Calif, New Mexico, Az. and Texas border areas.     Over 2 million UN troops are already here! They are working with the government under the title of MJTF--Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force; in virtually every state; and will appear once the trigger is pulled.  The anti-immigration law passed in AZ was worthless as a benevolent act it was to inflame and justify riotous acts and division soon to come.  Russian and China have submarines on both coasts and will launch an attack once all is in place.

[From the Right] Yesterday’s poster who wailed on the Tea Party and Arizona’s SB 1070 was an interesting study. An interesting study in party line propaganda. One wonders if he/she has taken the time to actually read Arizona’s new self defense legislation. You can read it at the cite listed below. The scenario painted by yesterday's Liberal/Progressive poster  could not happen under the provisions of SB 1070. The latest slogan that has gone viral in Liberal/Progressive propaganda revolves around the propaganda of “let me see your paper’s” that propaganda scene is designed to elicit visions of a WW2 German storm trooper victimizing some innocent citizen who is peacefully walking down a dark street. Folks that just is not real life! Read the law! The only aim of the new law is to identify, prosecute and deport illegal immigrants. Further it is the aim of the law to accomplish that goal in a constitutional fashion in keeping with American law and custom. Illegal immigrants  are bedeviling Arizona, these are the same illegal immigrants that the Federal Government protects instead of protecting American citizens.  The Obama admin has declared war on Arizona and all Americans who abhor illegal immigration. It is especially revealing of character that his decision is driven by politics. Politics that are in conflict with American security.  The Arizona law could never have passed if the Federal Government was doing its job. Here’s how it works. First:  a person going about their business in a lawful manner cannot not be hassled under this law. An illegal Daddy taking his legal or illegal kids to a store to buy ice cream is immune from the law as long has he obeys all other laws. That is true even the whole family is wearing sombreros, serapes, burgas, or lederhosen.  Second: If, and only if, his actions, not his appearance, create a situation where in he is lawfully approached by a law enforcement officer, i.e. traffic, nuisance, etc.., can he be delayed. Even at that, the officer can make no inquiry about the subject’s immigration status unless the officer has reasonable suspicion that the subject is an illegal alien.  If the circumstances are such that the officer decides that there is “reasonable suspicion” to believe that the subject is an illegal alien, then the statute requires that “ a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person”. It’s that simple, and that direct. The statute and Arizona law enforcement are not the villains; the villains are those who want to protect illegal immigration. All we have here is a new law that requires cops to do the job that the feds should do. There are no brown-shirted thugs lurking here to snare Jews or freedom fighters. There are only Americans trying to protect themselves from the ravages of illegal immigration.  

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Monday May 24, 2010

Sunday May 23, 2010

[Key Largo Fire Hero!] The Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park on Card Sound Road in North Key Largo would have burned to the ground and incinerated much of the surrounding area last Saturday night if it were not for the bold and gallant action of John Donnelly.
 
A heavy piece of equipment was ablaze deep within the park surrounded by approximately 100 dried out telephone poles, downed trees and brush. This fire was burning unseen in a secluded section of the park.
 
I was riding my bicycle with Mr. Donnelly when he was alerted to something burning. Although the fire and smoke were not yet visible the diesel fumes drew John's attention and he tracked it down to its source.
 
I followed his lead as he went into action. He called it in and we cleared a path as best we could to the smoking inferno. He removed most of the barriers and obstacles that were blocking access to the fire.
 
We then rode 3/4 of a mile to the entrance of the park to await a response. The Key Largo Fire Department and the Monroe County Sheriff's Department were absolutely spectacular, as they arrived immediately. John apprised them of the situation and guided them to the fires' secluded location.
 
As we all approached this difficult to get to site, in convoy fashion, John was not done yet, he single-handedly disassembled a large wooden fence that was blocking the entry of these rescue vehicles.
 
This beautiful park, along with its surrounding neighborhoods and the citizens residing therein, were spared the fiery destruction that was headed their way through the actions of an exceptional man.

[18 year old shot dead on Big Pine Key early Sat. morning] A teenager who was not far from his grandmother's house in Big Pine Key was shot to death early Saturday. Officials say the 18-year-old identified as Frank Randleman Jr. was found dead at the Seahorse RV Campground on Mile Marker 31. People who heard the shots sometime around 4 a.m. immediately dialed 911. The Monroe County Sheriff's had not released any additional details by Saturday afternoon. Officials with the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office said they would conduct an autopsy.

It’s very sad because he was so young.

Andy Griffiths, have you lost your mind? I do not want Monique Acevedo getting house arrest so she can sleep in the comfy bed we, the taxpayers, bought her, sit under the chandelier we, the tax payers, bought her, or playing sex games in costumes we, the taxpayers, bought her! I think ten years without (possibility of parole) and restitution is a sweet deal for her. And they shouldn't let her out until restitution is paid in full. I have always voted for you, Andy, because you were a calm voice of reason, but house arrest is unreasonable to us, the taxpayers. You just lost my vote.

Defense attorney: “Acevedo is like Jesus or Joan of Arc.”  Oh yeah, well even they paid for their sins.

[Sloan] I suppose what bugs me most is the developers (the Bernsteins and the Walshes) are trying to persuade the Key West City Commission and Mayor to de facto annex Wisteria island into the city, despite the fact that, by law, the city can only acquire or annex real estate approved by registered Key West voters in a referendum. Make no mistake, this is what the developers are trying to talk the City Commission and Mayor into doing. If you live in Key West and this blatant scheme doesn’t cause you to want to get out your tar and feather supplies, then you are part of the problem we need to tar and feather.
 
So as not to be accused of twisting what I read in the developers’ Comp Plan Amendment application, here is the lead paragraph:
 
Wisteria is a blighted, disturbed, man-made, spoil island created in the late 1800’s as a dumping ground for abandoned vessels and dredging material. Notwithstanding the owners’ attempts to the contrary, the property has continued to serve primarily as an illegal  maritime dumping ground. The property is also regularly used for the related upland activities associated with the surrounding illegally moored vessels, including dumping, bottom cleaning, bottom painting, fiberglass repairs and fabrication, dog walking, camping, etc. Squatters have long inhabited the property contributing to an extensive history of criminal activity.
  
After reading that I wondered how the Island still stays afloat with all of that debris sitting on top of it? I wondered why it didn’t already sink to the bottom of the sea and all of that debris and waste with it? I also wondered if the developers got mixed up and confused the criminal activity that occurs ongoing on Duval Street and throughout Key West with what they say goes on on Wisteria Island?
 
Fortunately, we don’t have to rely completely on what the developers put into their application for a Comp Plan Amendment. Here’s an email I received yesterday from an eye witness.
 
Sloan – Don’t believe all you read or see in a movie.  Especially a developer’s movie.  I was recently on the island.  There is a campsite with three tents – one is for garbage and could be cleaned up pretty fast by a few energetic people.  Other than that, there is some junk here or there, mostly sunburned and old.  The boats that beached should have been cleaned up by the owners, or by the state at the request of the owners.  Most of the island is natural – i.e. in a natural state as controlled by mother nature, without manmade shelters.  There are trails here and there, new low growth finally coming in after the Wilma saltwater over-wash, dead trees yes, but they provide a home for bugs, which attract birds to feed, finally fall to the ground (naturally) and provide mulch and home for other organisms.  The high part of the island is quite lush in places – and like the central mangrove zones, unaffected by Wilma.  There is a “meeting area” with benches around a fire pit, that is fairly orderly.  It might make a nice meeting place for county or city officials for their first look.  Probably only Rossi has been out there in the recent past.  It is not a “pretty” island, but is is a place where 95% of the time any bird or animal can rest, find food, and not be chased by a dog or child or fool. 
 
Putting a fueling station, a bunch of boats with copper bottom paint, houses, people, constant activity on the shoreline, etc. will be a disaster to the little, unspectacular pieces of life – both flora and fauna – that are part of the chain.  Just as the carrying capacity study told us, we can’t keep expanding into “wild” areas without doing away with the life that exists there now.  It is a tiny piece of the overall puzzle, and there is absolutely no overriding reason for humans to take that piece out of circulation at this time.
 
I can’t help but wonder, if the developers fudged a little about how junked up Wisteria Island is in their application to amend the Comp Plan, what else did they fudge on?
 
I also can’t help but wonder why US Fish & Wildlife, the US Coast Guard, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Monroe County Sheriff Office, and Monroe County Code Enforcement have not already straightened out what the developers claim is wrong with Wisteria Island and the water around it? If those government agencies, duh-wee, will just do their jobs, won’t that would pretty much wipe out the basis for the developers’ application?
 
The fact is, under the existing Comp Plan, Monroe County is supposed to take care of Wisteria Island. Monroe County is supposed to protect it. Monroe County is supposed to oppose development on it. The fact is, giving the developers what they want and claiming that solves the problem will allow Monroe County to conveniently dodge the fact that it is the cause of the problem, because it didn’t do its job.
 
What’s the difference between the County not protecting Wisteria Island, and the County not enforcing its own building code, and now we have 7,000-plus illegal downstairs enclosures FEMA is making the County get rid of and destroy the economic, social, psychological and spiritual fabric of our community?
 
What’s the difference between the County not protecting Wisteria Island, and the US Government not enforcing its own laws and regulations on BP, and now we have the worst oil disaster in history just a few hundred miles away?
 
When the Bernsteins purchased Wisteria Island over 40 years ago, they also purchased legal responsibility to keep the Island clean. If, as the Bernsteins and Walshes claim in their application to amend the Comp Plan, they were unable to get the various government agencies to do their part, then it was their legal responsibility to hire people to do it.
 
I know this is the law because I have been cited by County Code Enforcement for things other people brought onto my property when I was not living there. So I know for a fact Code Enforcement could have cited the Bernsteins before they teamed up with the Walshes, and could have kept citing them and taking them to judicial enforcement, if Code Enforcement had wanted to do that. 
 
Duh-wee, we don’t need any more buck-passing disguised as development. Duh-wee, we need responsible government.
 
Let the Bernsteins and the Walshes clean up their own property on their own dimes.
 
Ignore the Bernsteins and Walshes’ implied claim that this is a taking and they are entitled to just compensation if they don’t get their development application approved.
 
Let the Bernsteins and the Walshes have the two houses on Wisteria Island they are entitled to have under the Comp Plan.
 
Do not let the Bernsteins and the Walshes talk the City of Key West into de facto annexing Wisteria Island, in violation of its own City Code that requires voter approval of city acquisition or annexation of real estate.  www.savewisteriaisland.com The rest... goodmorningfloridakeys.com

[No Music] You won't get FM99.5 or FM92.7 in the middle keys for a while. They lost a 600 foot tower and it’s going to take some time to replace it. This comes from the engineer who works on all the local stations equipment.

[Alcoholism] Whatever the scenario is, no one talks about it -- that's the unhealthy crux of the problem. It's a family secret, and it leaves children with powerful feelings that they learn to repress.  That's what alcoholic parents do for their children.  It's not a disease.  It's selfish, depressed behavior and they all ought to die a quick death instead of the slow alcoholic death that they do and bring family members along with them.  Yes, I'm a child of an alcoholic. No, I'm not over it. Yes, I married an alcoholic. No, I'm not over it.  

I got addicted to hope. People often get addicted to hope--the hope that the person will change.  Before anything can change you first have to deal with that addiction to hope. You have to start setting limits. You have to figure out a plan to change things; one that makes sense. Then move through those steps, not allowing any backpedaling.

If they don't change they will die alcoholics.

[Iguanas] To the person trying to reason with the animal killer—forget it! This is the kind of guy that started torturing animals as a kid and has continued.  How do you spell S-O-C-I-O-P-A-T-H?  He's getting his rocks off taunting you, and believe me, he doesn't care how much he hurts you or anyone else.  Give it up.  Let him babble on the CT and read the interesting stuff from decent people instead.

Sloan, Please hurry up and put your money where your mouth is. Put your name on the ballot and stop threatening, or maybe you are waiting for the “board of directors” to guide you. Everyone is tired of hearing what you are going to do. Thank you so much for the voting lessons. You really honestly think the voters of Monroe County don't know and understand the rules and regulations on voting on their county.

What is amazing to me is how you can proclaim to live/listen by the board of directors, but all that spews out of your mouth and somehow finds there way to words is, hatred.

If anyone votes for you shame on them. We find you to make a mockery of the very foundation that this country was founded on. For someone who really has nothing, wants nothing and is nothing you sure do have a lot of opinions.

I mean really, why don't you just go back to Birmingham where you belong and suck off of that system rather than Monroe County? You are the last person Monroe County needs to take care of, because you really are not nice to anyone. Most everyone here finds you to be poison.  Grow up, get a life and for God's sake or the board of directors, or who ever you listen, do something productive!    ~Danny@DannyColl.com

[Anyone who comes into a shelter and wants a dog is a pretty serious customer]  Obviously you've never worked at a shelter or even knew people who have.  How do they know that you want an animal for a pet?  How do they know that you will not turn around and sell the animal to companies for use as medical guinea pigs?  How do they know that you will not return the pet in a couple of days because your landlord says, "No pets" after you adopted one? 
 
Animals are in shelters because they've already been abandoned once.  They don't need to be abandoned twice.  That is why shelters like to know about the people taking one of their rescues.  As for the money, consider it a donation.  Despite what you think, the County doesn't give shelters enough money to operate.

[Labs] Rich people have yellow labs, poor people have meth labs, and Willy Wonka has a chocolate lab.

[Developers] Are you all watching what is going on with Wisteria Island? These developers are trying to do an around-the-end sneaky play after we passed the 2007 ordinance amending the Key West city charter. If the County allows and supports what I would call the illegal development of 75 units on the island since only 2 units are permitted per county land development law, then isn't it the same as if the City of Key West annexed the island? I mean it is KW's infrastructure – police and fire; and resources - water, sewer, etc. We would get none of the tax revenue. I don't want to give our services away and I don't want their money in the form of taxes. Can you believe they only pay taxes on the assessed value of $141,000 for 23.41 acres with development rights for two houses and 15.59 acres of submerged bay bottom? Something is definitely rotten in Wisteria.  www.savewisteriaisland.com  

[Dirty Laundry] My dear friend Kurt, in response to the trashing you tried to dish out, here’s my reply: Mistake 1, mentioning my girl. You never should have done that.  She’s got nothing to do with anything, but I understand your bitterness. If I had anything in my life that looked like your girl I’d be bitter too. Mistake 2, our weight loss. We like to call it watching what you eat and not eating what you watch, unlike your porky girl friend. Be lucky she hasn’t eaten you yet. Mistake 3, somehow in your non-detective mind you seem to think we wrote that article on the CT-- wrong again. If you think I’m the only one that’s on to you guys’ scam, your not as smart as I thought you were. Mistake 4 beats them all. That is thinking you know me! I love you, bro, see you soon. ~djgeorge007@comcast.net

[Soldier Shoots HP Printer] I'm not sure what's with these 'P' companies, but HP is right up there with BP for me. I don't buy their stuff.  The soldier was right, they are useless and overpriced.  I use a lot of printers. I switched to Brother and can usually find an all-in-one with auto feeder for $99 on sale and the best part is that I can get ink on eBay for a couple bucks a cartridge (HP is even putting logic into their cartridges to prevent use if they've been refilled.)  Good shooting soldier!

Just as the disease of addiction is evidenced by definite symptoms, so is recovery made manifest by certain obvious signs: a tendency to think and act spontaneously, a loss of interest in judging or interpreting the actions of anyone else, an unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment and frequent attacks of smiling.

[13 Year old Kid Climbs Everest] Jordan Romero, the 13-year-old Californian teenager with the looks of a budding pop star, silenced his detractors by reaching the top of Mt Everest after almost four years of hard training. Romero, who plans to conquer the other highest peaks in six other continents, is now the youngest Everest hero. The record was earlier held by Ming Kipa Sherpa, a 15-year-old schoolgirl who had climbed Mt Everest in 2003 from the same northern route via Tibet that Ming Kipa took to circumvent the age restriction imposed by the Nepali authorities.

Roughly 1 in 10 climbers who attempt Everest die doing so. Some parents would focus on the 90% who survive, others the 10% mortality rate. The kid trained 4 years for this: that suggests a rather substantial level of motivation. Thus, to all appearances, he was well-trained to make this attempt. There certainly have been climbers with less training who have successfully climbed this peak. I would be far more harsh on the parents if it appeared the lad was pushed to live THEIR dream or THEIR pursuit of 15 minutes of fame.

[CT Banner] That bright pink color and headline picture (by Dan Schwab) are very appropriate for no-edit Saturday.  Maybe it should be standard along with the warning?

[Acevedo is like Jesus?] Maybe we should get a few people to show up outside the court with signs on June 3rd at 4 p.m. at the Freeman Justice Center. The signs could call for her crucifixion!

[Capt George Rockett Sr.] Capt. George passed away. He was a great guy. He built our hookah rig 15 years ago. It is still going strong. Stop by the dive shop on BPK and say hello to George's wife who still runs it.

[Pee-wee Herman on Broadway] The Broadway limited engagement follows the 57-year-old's comeback earlier this year with his acclaimed stage play "The Pee-wee Herman Show" at the Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. The stage show is a revised version of a play he performed in the '80s, and features characters from the popular CBS television show, Pee-wee's Playhouse, including Cowboy Curtis, Chairry, Pterry the Pterodactyl, Jambi the Genie and Miss Yvonne.

I can understand why some folks will groan, but there is humor in here somewhere. But would it be safe to let him sit behind you when you watch this one?

[New Best Friend] Be wary of a woman that only shows up when you’re winning.

[Where’s Captain George Rockett] I think that you are referring to George Rockett Jr. who did recently pass away.  George Rockett III is alive and well and still diving away. 

[Body Shop] I recently needed some glass and body work on my vehicle and took it to Big Pine Paint and Auto Body (behind the flea market).  Their service was excellent, the work on my vehicle was perfect and their final cost was hundreds below their original estimate.  I would highly recommend this business to anyone who needs auto damage work.  All work was completed on-time, as stated, and with professional courtesy to me as a customer.  It was a pleasure to do business with a local company who has the best interests of their clients in mind.  Kudos to Tom, Bruce and Larry at Big Pine Paint and Auto Body.

Medical marijuana facing a backlash. Damn! http://cbs4.com/national/Medical.marijuana.backlash.2.1709054.html  

[Technical description of the Entabulator] Who’s on first? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXW0bx_Ooq4&playnext_from=TL&videos=v0MGgP5f-TU&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_fresh%2Bdiv-1r-2-HM

[Polar Bear Attack] This is from the Northwest Territory. This chap is lucky to be alive. The guy survived the bear attack. The bear jumped on him while he was sleeping in his tent. He managed to get it off of him and shoot it. 

[AA Basher] In the first step all alcoholics are told that they need to admit their lives were unmanageable.  In step two they come to believe that they are insane and only a higher power is somehow going to make them well again.

Hmmm, let me see.  So I walk through the door of A.A. and you want me to entrust my sobriety to someone who believes they were insane and could not manage their own life?  Worse still, that I can believe in the power of the AA group as a whole to make and keep me better? Remember that everyone in the meeting room admitted they were nuts and their own lives were unmanageable. Yet if I use my own thought, reason or will-power to stay sober on my own I am somehow deluding myself and in mortal danger of relapse? You can never use your own reason and logic in AA. They have a slogan in AA “look where your best thinking got you” that should be changed to “look where your not thinking got you, into A.A.”

Going to a different meeting room in AA is like going to a different McDonalds. They all serve the same crap; only the counter help is different.

OIL SPILL

The loop current might swing west and lessen Keys’ oil threat.

[Nuking Oil Leak] Adding radioactive contamination, which lasts for over a thousand years. I don’t think that’s true any more. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were both thriving cities just forty years after being nuked. How come there’s no discernable radiation from the 50 nukes Russia used to seal under seas gas leaks?

Russia will be drilling soon between Florida and Cuba and if they get a leak they will most certainly nuke it. What then?

Hair booms are not being used because they retain too much water and sink. Straw is the best answer.

However, updates posted this evening “indicate an almost stationary motion. The tropical wave mentioned this morning has pretty much lost all convection, and appears to have diminished quite a bit.”

BP is sticking with its dispersant choice, Corexit. Even amid environmental concerns.

BP stands for British Petroleum which bought AMOCO, an American company. Boycott BP!

[Rip-off] Why is the KW Community College trying to rip us off with a possible disaster coming with the oil spill? They offer their OSHA course for $500. You can take the course on-line for $69. I'll do nothing else with the college.

NATIONAL POLITICS

[Phony Veterans] Hey, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal! I was a real Vietnam War veteran before it became popular.

Dragnet Against Healthcare. Video

[Kinder, Gentler] Kudos to FTR who has been receiving a legitimate beating on the CT. Lately he seems to be less cantankerous, less nasty to those who disagree with him and a little more balanced when offering his opinion. I hope he keeps it up.

[From the Right] It’s a privilege to be able to climb up on the Coconut Telegraph soap box and tell the readers just about whatever is on our minds. I wonder how many folks who post here are aware that every month about 70,000 sets of eyes read what we write. That’s not shabby at all. It is a big audience, worthy of respect.  It’s no secret to regular readers that this writer is no fan of the Obama administration. It’s more than obvious that there are a lot of CT posters who are of a different view. God Bless them. In my postings I attempt to inform and editorialize with the intent of convincing the reader that my point of view is well thought out and is worthy of belief.  Posters like me, try to back up our views with citations. It is enlightening that those who support the Obama administration only rarely post an opposing point of view. They rarely try to convince. Rather, they attack the style of my postings or engage in personal attacks. From my point of view, that is a very good thing. It gives us a long hard look at the quality of thought of the Obama supporters. It is very enlightening. These folks are not able to refute the message so they must refute the messenger. I have come to believe that the attacks on “FTR” and posters of a like mind, in microcosm, demonstrates the shallowness of the Obama admin and its followers. I believe that the FTR critics are but a microcosm of the Obama supporters. We see it played out in the media on a daily basis. We see that personal vilification and persecution of folks who act against the Obama agenda are the knee jerk reaction of the administration.  Usually there is precious little push back against the ideas proposed by the Obama critics, just personal attack. In the last few days there have been serious postings about the perfidy of Mr. Obama’s Financial Reform Act, about the failures of the Obama admin in regulating BP and the admin’s failure to prevent the Deep Horizon spill. And then it’s abject failure to minimize the damage. We’ve had postings critical of illegal immigration and Mr. Obama’s war on Arizona when he should be at war with illegal immigration. The list is longer. And yet, the Obama supporting CT posters have treated us to actual, genuine, no joke, gibberish, yep, true gibberish in support of Mr. Obama. Now, that is apt! We’ve received a lecture on 19^th literature. We’ve read several foolish factual mistakes. And of course a slew of silly insults. It’s clear to me that most of the Obama supporters who post here lack any real understanding of the Obama philosophy or his agenda. If they did, they would try and convince us that he is right. I believe that these folks are a microcosm of Obama supporters everywhere. It’s clear that these folks are totally enamored with style rather than substance. For this writer, that too is a good thing. Simply because the thousands of CT readers who are not CT posters are treated to the spectacle of what Obama supporters are really all about. For now, being an Obama supporter is still “stylish”. Fashions and style change, the truth does not.

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Sunday May 23, 2010

Saturday May 22, 2010

(eD:  No edIT SatuRDAY!!!!!!......b-cuz u assd 4 iT!!!!!!!!!

[No-Edit Saturday] For those of you visiting for the first time, don’t judge the Coconut Telegraph by today’s un-edited episode. This is almost the Editor's day off. Tune in tomorrow for the edited version. You’ll find its format and graphics more pleasing. (Note to friends of the Editor: I can get out of here a lot sooner on Saturday if you don't send in any photos, attachments or Classified Ads for Saturday publication. That's because it takes a lot of time to resize and re-format them. Please email them to us by 6am on Sunday  for Sunday's publication. I'll appreciate it a lot.)