Tuesday February 9, 2010

[Fact Check] The best I’ve been able to determine is that there are 822 islands in the Keys, 27 bridges and the Overseas Highway is 127 miles long. Is this correct? Just about every source I’ve looked at gives different numbers.

[On S**t List] To the Boy Scouts of America and other private island owners. On Sunday, March 7 my friend, his 10 year old son and myself were asked to leave from in front of Munson Island while strolling along below the mean high tide mark.
 
Unless I misunderstand the law, we are within our local legal, let alone universal, rights to be doing so. We were just enjoying the day? Imagine that. Then we were asked, albeit mostly politely, by your counselors, security, or henchmen as you prefer to leave. We did and I’m pissed. ~johnnyyourtoobad@hotmail.com

[Pubic Shaver] After seeing the arrest mug-shot of the pubic-shaving queen it was obvious that she needs a lot more cosmetic attention than a quick pube shave.  Woof!

Yep, the Muslim faith is a peaceful one except when they feel like slaughtering. Attack on Nigerian town kills hundreds

NATIONAL POLITICS section. What a great idea Ed.

A French shipbuilding company joined with one in Monaco to build this yacht. It’s enormous, the WHY 58x38. (58 meters long by 38 meters wide) This is a "green" yacht. Wally et Hermès use green energy for 20 to 30% fuel savings and 40 to 50% electricity consumption on board. The solar panels produce a daily output of 500 kW.

[Comedy] Just in time for the Summer Olympics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t2yTd6QV0c

[Important] Anyone who thinks they're important is usually just a pompous moron who can't deal with his or her own pathetic insignificance and the fact that what they do is meaningless and inconsequential.  ~William Thomas

The rest...goodmorningfloridakeys.com

[Make Big Pine Key and No Name Key part of the National Park system] I know there are folks out there that don't think that's a smart thing to do. I do. Big Pine Key is as special as Yellowstone or Yosemite. We could use the federal funds for our sewers, waste water treatment, roads and all services that the State and County have trouble paying for. As land becomes available the Feds would buy it and our tax role would not suffer. As it is now we have a great many federal regulations and little help. Big Pine Key will never have hi-rises or condos. Building is and will all ways be under Federal and State guide lines. We Piners have had little to say about what happens here for a very long time. Take the money and make Big Pine Key a Federal Park. It's worth looking at.

[Shaving pubis while driving] I'm in Atlanta and my brother-in-law came outside laughing his ass off. He was listening to Neal Boortz’s radio show and they were talking about her.  He said, “I'd like to see the trailer she lives in.” I had to laugh and told him she's living in Monroe County's finest now.  As we say, “Only in the Keys, baby, only in the Keys!” 

[AARP Insurance] How serendipitous that someone posted regarding AARP auto insurance.  Here is my question to all who switched over to AARP auto insurance: Have you noticed any decreases or increases in service if, and when, you filed a claim?  The reason being I am on the fence over whether or not to switch from GEICO to AARP (Hartford) and would appreciate the public weighting in.  AARP offers approximately $100 less per year for me.  

[Spiritual Path] And how you ask are we to walk the spiritual path? We answer: Say little; love much; give all; judge no-one; aspire to all that is pure and good and keep on keeping on.  ~White Eagle

[AARP Health Insurance] A responder pointed out that AARP was a negotiator for group insurance -- a third party. That’s all fine, but the question was how come their health insurance costs are the same as for-profit corporations’. It seems they are using the money they “negotiate” for you to line their non-profit pockets. AARP is not operating in our interest.

[Dolphin Slaughter] This happens every year in Feroe Island in Denmark. In this slaughter the main participants are young teens.

[Develop the Keys post] Could it be more a matter of over-development that has robbed all the native species since we declared our God-given right to develop (read: steal) land already occupied by people who lived closer to nature than we did? We robbed them of the space they need to thrive. How and what is the rationale in use of the word "overpopulated"; according to whom? Everyone on the side of development, that's who. So who are we kidding?

Key deer are overpopulated because they're running out of living space because everyone wants their slice of the pie. I know there are plenty of people snickering at my rant, but really, haven't most of us as humans contributed to the degradation of this planet in some way or another? I know we depend on tourism.

Get rid of all that nonsense about downstairs enclosures. Let homeowners do what they have to do to survive down here. Part of the charm of the Keys is our different way of doing things. Let me tell you, if homeowners could rent out enclosures, whether long term or for vacation rentals, money would come back to what used to be the middle class. We might even be happy.

[Killing sea lions] So what do they want them to eat, tofu? Sea lions killed for eating too many salmon

To the iguana hunters. I found a use for them. I will take all freshly killed iguanas off your hands. I will pick up multiples in the Big Pine area. I don’t want road kill because it’s too messy. Send me an email to  petehascash@msn.com

[Eco-lies and eco-abuse] Yesterday someone posted information about the HCP, ITP, FEMA, the not really endangered species, extinct species, etc.  I thought that this post was well researched and factually stated (as I too have read the reports and know these things to be true). 

Why then did you, Deer Ed., chose to title that post as “Develop the Keys”? I don’t think that person suggested any such thing. I think that person simply told the truth about the eco-lies and eco-abuse which has taken place here.

From now on I'll only be making my donation to the SPCA. At least I know they are properly taking care of the animals and are doing so in an honest, reputable and responsible way.

NATIONAL POLITICS

[Closed Mindedness] Finally, From the Right guy has made a statement that is honest and without spin.  He stated, "I will proudly admit deep and chronic prejudice for the beliefs and political practices of anyone who subscribes to the tenets of liberal/progressive governance".  When a person admits to such deep seeded prejudice, it is clear that his opinions no longer hold merit in a debate. The debate is essentially over when a mind is closed.  Prejudices are the chains forged by ignorance.  William James, a well know philosopher, stated, "a great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices". 

[Filibuster] The country has major problems to solve from healthcare, energy, environment, economy, budget deficit, job, and foreign policies. This tactic used by Senate Republicans has delayed 80% of major legislation in 2009. Americans are getting weary and losing public faith in elected officials to represent the people and make progress on the vital issues.  During the Clinton years, the Republican began a kind of permanent filibuster. 

Needing 60 votes has made the debate over every bill on Obama's agenda longer and uglier which is exactly what the Republicans want.  However, real Americans are losing their jobs, can't afford healthcare (remember the Republicans had 10 years to do something) and hurting keeping the family together. While the Republican use the filibuster to make Obama look foolish, it will soon taint the public against the Republican Party and the country's mood is turning nasty. Many are already referring to them as the Party of No. 

I still have hopes that Americans elect people dedicated to public service.  The Republicans should not be afraid to work with the Democrats on legislation in a genuine and honest bipartisan fashion to make our government for the people. If the Republicans continue their vicious circle of politics nothing will get done. Americans will know who did nothing and that may backfire on the Republican Party because Americans want real solutions.  I have already switched my party registration and I know may others that are feed up that the two sides cannot find enough common ground to do what will be good for the American people.    

[Loony] How many times can you say, "I hate the President of the United States" before you start really looking like a loon? Start reading the From the Right guy’s posts very carefully, folks, it’s getting weird. Take away the insults and there’s nothing there. The poor soul seems lost.

[Healthcare] Regarding the millions of people without health insurance in this county, one thing should be understood. These millions of uninsured people include a significant number, mostly younger, healthy people who could afford health insurance, but opt to spend the money on other things like trips to the shopping mall. I have no sympathy for these folks if they get sick and can't pay their medical bills. Neither should the tax payers and the government.

[Conceit] It must be tough on self-described old farts to face each new day with the certain knowledge that most people in this country are immune to their pointless and futile diatribes against what they see as the slippery slope towards that nebulous thing called socialism.  Many of the folks on the right that I've had the pleasure of debating over the years decry what they refer to as the left's "appeal to emotion" in lieu of meaningful facts to support their arguments.  Ladies and gentlemen, in counterpoint I offer up Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and the nascent Tea Partiers. Histrionics, blatant diversion, obfuscation, and straw man arguments only work against the simple-minded.  Perhaps one day they'll actually articulate some type of coherent platform, instead of running around like 8 year-olds with bullhorns and platform shoes. 

Ever since the election we've seen them becoming increasingly frenzied in their attacks against the inevitability of social change that has been the legacy of the blind ambition and greed we've all seen coming out of Washington for generations.  Yes, we've all seen it and chosen to ignore it as long as our lives weren't too upset by it.  But those days are gone and now hard, tough choices have been forced upon us. 

It looks like the Dems will be able to push through healthcare reform after all.  Green initiatives including government funding and investment should soon follow.  Jobs will be slow to come back and current lifestyles will be harder to maintain for the rich, but that's life.  Mistakes will always be made.  Money will always be wasted and heads will always roll, but that's the nature of the beast no matter which side institutes reforms.  It won't be perfect and it won't be easy and the usual political posturing will continue to be arrayed around both sides of the issues, but in the end the nation will breathe a sigh of relief.  Some of you may not yet see the type of change you can believe in, but you'd do well to accept that a change from within is going to come.  Don't be afraid, we're all in this together.

[Black Teabagger] I'm sick of you Right Wing nuts who keep saying that you're not racist. The same goes for you creepy Tea Party whacko's. Here's just one of the racist speakers at a Tea Party affair that gives proof that you fools are racists.

http://www.examiner.com/x-35532-Dallas-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2010m2d28-Video-DallasTea-Party-Black-AlfonZO-Rachel-power-house-speaker?cid=edition-rss-Dallas

Ooops, wrong video...Sorry!

It is obvious that the Tea party movement is based on bigotry and racism. Of the hundreds of tea party protests, have you ever seen a single black person with them? No. They paint our President in whiteface, an obvious allusion to the repulsive black face of Al Jolson, and pass off the racism as unfair criticism. How about if we paint Bush in blackface? The tea party movement is just a front for the KKK. These radicals want to revolt, which is treason.

They have no right to protest because they are protesting the very thing that allows them to do so. They are traitors, pure and simple. The majority voted, and they voted for our President. Anyone who disputes that is a traitor and an elitist who wants to subvert the will of democracy because it doesn't fit their color.

[Healthcare] Mit Romney passed a form of universal health care in Massachusetts that is virtually identical to Obamacare. The Mass bill made no attempt at cost cutting. Cost cutting is a very large part of Obamacare, in fact it is key to a successful national program.

[Healthcare] I watched President Obama yesterday give a great speech in Pennsylvania about healthcare.  He explained, in detail, the ins and outs of the bill that he has proposed.  I watched it on CNN and noticed that MSNBC carried it also. FOX News didn't air it because they don't want anyone to support it. So much for "fair and balanced". 

I hope that I don't hear any commentators, in the future, complain that the American public doesn't understand this bill because the President hasn't explained it to them.

[Sarah Fan] The Commie lib is still after Sarah and now the commie is after her t-shirt. We’re watching you.

[From the Right] A few CT posters have leveled their biggest rhetorical guns at the Tea Party Movement. They want it dead, right now, dead. They copy it, but they want it dead. These snipers slander it’s members and denigrate the movement’s purpose and goals. Yet even while attacking they admit that they don’t know a damned thing about it. But they do know that they don’t like it because all too often its goals are to limit the powers of our government and especially to curtail the current admin's raping our economy. Shooters, listen up, here is what you should know about the movement. The Tea Party movement is only about a year old, it sprang from the mind of a CNBC commentator, Rick Santelli. In that short year, millions of Americans have eagerly jumped on board. Some uninformed folks believe that the Tea Party is the functional equivalent of a political party. It is not. It currently has no platform and no slate of candidates. It is ready to support Democrats and Republicans. The Tea Party is nothing more than a loosely organized group of very concerned Americans from all races and all walks of life who agree on basic principles of freedom. They despise an overreaching bureaucracy, out of control government spending, unreasonable taxation, the use of taxation as a tool for the redistribution of wealth and all forms of unconstitutional power-grabbing by Washington. Almost universally Tea Party folks are alarmed at the mindset and goals of this current administration. The name “Tea Party” does not suggest that it is a political party. Indeed it is intended to liken the movement’s goals and principals to those courageous founders who challenged British rule and taxation by dumping British tea into Boston Harbor in a tax protest. That act came to be known as the Boston Tea Party. It is possible that that episode might have been banned from the text books of our progressive educators. You might be a Tea Party fellow traveler if you: Believe that your taxes are too high and that your tax dollars are wasted. You’re in if you believe that government is grossly inefficient, or if you believe that no one owes you or anybody else a free ride. You might be a Tea Party type if you believe that reasonable taxation is necessary, but that wastrel government spending will doom our economy and way of life. You might be Tea Party material if you recognize that most folks who are Tea Party types are middle class folks just like you. You’re probably a Tea Party fellow traveler if you believe that you rule the government, not the other way around. You’re in if you believe that government is growing too powerful and it is intruding into too much of your private life. If you believe in the freedoms, rights, and limitations on government that exist in our Constitution, you are one of the chosen few.. If you believe that our founders were heroes. If you have pride in your nation and believe that it must have a strong defense, welcome aboard. If you believe that the U.S. must govern the U.S., and it must not be governed by foreign nations or interests, c’mon aboard. You might be a Tea Party mover and shaker if you believe that not all Democrats are demons, nor are all Republicans saints. And you are in if you believe in ousting the demons and helping the saints. Republicans and Democrats and Independents can share your views and might be worthy of political support. If you find yourself in agreement with most of the foregoing attributes, you should be a Tea Party mover and shaker, no matter what political uniform you choose to wear. The freedoms you help to save could be yours.

(Part II) I wonder why some folks refuse to acknowledge that Iraq is now a Representative Parliamentary Democracy. Can it be because they fear that Mr. Bush will get any credit? It an absolute fact that Iraq is a Democracy similar to ours. Like us they have a Constitution and that document clearly describes suffrage and citizenship. Their Constitution clearly says that their national religion is Muslim, but then it clearly states that every person, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or gender shall have equal suffrage, yep that means Christians, Buddhists, and Jews. Article 5, Sec 1 states: “The people are the source of authority and legitimacy, which they shall exercise in a direct, general, secret ballot and through their constitutional institutions.” Sec 2, Article 14 says: “Iraqis are equal before the law without discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, origin, color, religion, sect, belief or opinion, or economic or social status.” Article 20 says: “Iraqi citizens, men and women, shall have the right to participate in public affairs and to enjoy political rights including the right to vote, elect, and run for office.” C’mon folks, we won, Iraq is a better place with Saddam gone. It’s no B.S., take pride in it

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Tuesday February 9, 2010