[No Dredging] By nearly 3-to-1, Key West voters Tuesday soundly defeated the ballot question of whether the city needs a formal study on the impacts of dredging the main ship channel to better accommodate modern, longer cruise  ships.

[Crooks] A Miami man who robbed the Fairfield Inn on N Roosevelt Blvd at 11  p.m. Saturday lost his pants when two female employees fought back. Luis Rubin Torres Jr., 47, made off with whopping $64, but not before losing his pants and flip-flops in a fistfight with the women — both in their 60s!

[Jellyfish] I was out at the reef Sunday and couldn’t dive because there were so many moon jellyfish in the water. I tried but they brushed against me so I got out. What a bummer as the visibility was good. Damn, there were a lot of them! 

[“Life is Long, Come to Find Out”] I think the correct analogy is you don’t need to be concerned about being hit by a bus, but you do need to be concerned about your choices in your first 30 years, not your last 50! Shit happens, but all of it happened before you thought any of your activities were important.

Old age is not for sissies. ~Katherine Hepburn 

[“Tell me why we need central sewers“] For those who fall for the fallacy of septic tank seepage into the ocean, please refer to the Cudjoe Gardens water purity testing, an ongoing program that shows sea water to be as clean now as it was years ago. Please do not accept as factual the FKAA line nor their multiple spin masters who want to make money from fear mongering. It constitutes nothing more than an eventual “carbon tax” for water.

In 1835, the Texas Revolution began as American settlers battled Mexican troops near the Guadalupe River.

Deer vacationing FTR Guy, if you are in the area, try to see Falling Waters below Pittsburgh. It is well worth the tour! Link

[KW Musings] Here I sit in a supposedly nice Key West resort –a favor from friend. No smoking, limited tv selection, pool closed at midnight and a going room rate for tourist of $300 plus. The road isn’t killing business, the KW business plan is. It’s a wonder anybody still comes here. Nothing but bars and Disney-like sights and chain stores everywhere. I don’t get it. How do the idiots in charge not see the problems? At least the pro dredging study folks lost big. Next time they will get 4 votes on the city council and bypass voters. It’s coming folks, just wait and watch.

I finally got my sink fixed. I’ll send you the name of my plumber. Cheers! Not to worry, the left handle does white wine. The kitchen sink does the hard booze and has a sprayer too. 

If global warming is over, or never was, will the water in my canal go back down to where it used to be?

[Death to Lionfish!] The average Lionfish can spawn more than two million eggs a year. The gestation period is about 25 days. Studies have shown the omnivorous reef species eats more than 70 species of native fish and invertebrates and their high rate of reproduction makes them a threat to habitat. So why is it such a big deal that a lousy one day event takes 700 lionfish out of the sea? These derbys are just so people can feel good about doing something, but in the grand scheme, they do nothing to put a dent in the population if one fish drops 2 million eggs in a year.

The solution is to open up a kill-on-sight season on them. Anywhere, anyplace regardless of Sanctuary lines on a map. If we don’t, statistics say the majority of the fish on the reef will be lionfish very soon. Link

Vietnam POWs–40 years later. This is Rather moving for those of us who served during that time. Video

The American government is of the people, by the people and for the people. Which begs the question: what is wrong with you people?

[Mika Bresinski] The ratings for MSNBC  Morning Joe must be slipping.  They have been forced to copy Fox News and put Mika up on a stool with her gorgeous legs hanging out of a micro mini skirt. 

[“My womb–keep out”] Sure it’s your womb and it sounds all nice and modern to keep evil men out of it. But should the North have stayed out of the South’s business by that same rationale? I mean the South had its own business too. They called it slavery.

Bye-Bye Comcast, Xfinity and the rest. I got a ROKU about three months ago. It’s great for watching movies and documentaries and of course all my favorite programs, many more from Britain.

Yesterday, I signed up for Aereo.  It gives me all the local stations plus some others including Spanish language programming.  With Aereo I can watch TV on my computer, Roku, iPad, etc and coming soon on Android devices. Each Aereo “antenna” gives you 5 dedicated devices to watch on. I got the upgraded option for $12 a month so both TVs in my house get Aereo and separate shows can be watched.

My total monthly entertainment bill using Roku to connect to my flat screen is under $20 per month plus internet access. No more commitments either. Link

Someting about how many light bulbs or something.

I love you too, beer!

A Canadian and Italian from the Jersey shore having a conversation.

“Ehh”,
“Eh?”
“Ehh”
“Eh?”
“Ehh”
“Eh?”
“Ehh”
“Eh?”

Keys drivers. 

[“How come only Key Westers get to vote on the Utility Board when Keys Energy affects all county residents”] Wrong-o, poster.  North of KW,  Keys energy does not exist.  We’re all FKEC customers. (Florida Keys electric Coop., and we vote for the FKEC board members.)

[Sewer Scam] The whole sewer-the-lower-Keys is such a joke. “To protect the reef and inland waters.” Do these people ever get out on the water? With 6 or seven cruise ships going up or down outside the 10 mile limit (just off the reef) within sight most of them, and on any incoming tide is a small cities worth of grease, sludge, poop and chewed up toilet tissue. It is disgusting and I have pulled up my anchor many a time because it is just too thick. These ships should have containment for all the black and grey water or the reef will never be saved. No dumping in the ocean at all! No one cares they just want the t-shirt money. If you people just knew how serene and wonderful the old Key West was… Now it is just like any other cruise ship town. Been back to Charleston, SC lately? It’s ruined.

Tonight is Uke Night at the NUT! Be there and be Square!

[Bad Number] I called the number listed for the 92 jeep wrangler listed for sale yesterday. The owner of the phone number doesn’t know anything about any Jeep. Please check your ad and the phone number listed. (Ed: I copied and pasted the phone number. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll remove it today.)

The winner of the Homer Simpson look-alike contest!

[“Why do we need sewers in the first place”] Correction: that’s “eutrophication” not neutrification. Def: Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.

Safe travels, Mr. and Mrs. FTR. I look forward to reading your thoughts every day, but enjoy your time away!

I trained my dog to impersonate 6 political sex scandals at the same time. How smart is your dog?

[Diving Vacation] What is the best month to visit the Keys for scuba diving?  It seems like August is the choice month, but the jellyfish are abundant.  May, June and sometimes July are windy nowadays. Nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live down there because it’s only for the super rich now.  

[Idiots] I handed the teller at my bank a withdrawal slip for $400 and asked, “May I have large bills, please?” She looked at me funny and said, “I’m sorry sir, all the bills are the same size.”

[Road Sighs] I was driving to Marathon and I happened to glance at one of those large signs that are supposed to keep us up to date on road conditions. It said something like like ‘don’t text and drive.’ What’s next? Check your tires? Brush your teeth? Lose some weight? Control your drinking? Get a life? The damn signs must be programmed by my ex. They are however a nice waste of tax dollars, and they keep people employed that could not get a job elsewhere. Good work Government!

[“Sewer Scam”] Many thanks to this post from yesterday. It is 100% accurate and every property owner in the Keys needs to know and understand these facts that are worth reposting:

“Why do we need sewers in the first place” In reality we do not. This was mandated from Tallahassee and it is a huge lie. The percentage of excess neutrification that reaches our reefs that is generated in the Keys is miniscule. The real problem is agriculture. Everything that is fertilized between the Apalacian and Rocky Mountains including all of Texas and Mexico is dumped into the Gulf of Mexico, where it follows the currents to and through the Keys. It is impractical to tell every farm and golf course in the country to treat their agricultural runoff so they just make themselves feel better by blaming the source closest to the reef.

Central sewers are no better at removing nutrients from the effluent than a properly working septic tank. But none of the Bubbas can make money from your septic tank. They think that by pumping effluent 3,000 feet down that it won’t be working its way back to the surface eventually. It is a pile of BS and we are being force fed the whole stinking pile. 

Cute kittens in toy capsules. Video

The gender gap — the truth! 

[Captain Doom and Gloom]“How to tame feral cats” Tools: One 4′ long 2×4, One double trash bag, One Large trash can with lid. One Box of Kiddy Pops or Treats! One comfortable chair behind a blind. Fun, fun, fun!  Works for feral mutts, iguanas and neighbors too!

The real problem with the shutdown is that Americans have short memories and  at election time will forget that Republicans are fighting against democracy.

[Democracy] The destructive behavior of tea party crazies in congress has caused me to decide to ask the Board of Elections to remove my name from the list of registered Republicans.

While I disagree with many of the actions taken by the Democrats under the Clinton and Obama administrations I believe that as participants in a democratic society we have an obligation to abide by the outcomes of the democratic process. A congress elected by the citizenry enacted what we call Obamacare. The Supreme Court declared Obamacare to be legal. Consequently, it is now a part of the law of our country.

It is incumbent upon those of us who are opposed to the law to change it by pursuing the same process that was used to establish it. Instead, a group of crazies has hijacked the Republican Party and is determined to have their way by holding the country hostage and threatening to make us all (democrats, republicans, and independents) give in to their demands or suffer a meltdown of our government and economy.

This is not the way things are supposed to be done in a democracy. What is being attempted, if successful, is a far greater threat to the future of this nation as a democracy than gun control, reproductive freedom, or same-sex marriage can ever be.

A radical wing of the Republican Party is trying to kidnap our country and I, for one, am not willing to pay the ransom they are demanding.

[Common Sense] Wouldn’t it be nice, fair and the right thing to do if Congress had to accept the same Obamacare that we are being made, by law to accept.

I have posted on here quite a few times about how our President has given the finger to Vlad Putin and Syrias leader so now all of a sudden FTRs posting is filled with tales of Assad and Putin shooting Obama the bird multiple times.
I guess in FTR land if a person says it once saying it 15 times is better. Classic.
Then as expected the right goes into its usual lovefest for Vlad. Im thinking the next election cycle the Conservatives will run Palin and Putin.
I can see the bumper stickers now.
Lets face it Palin can see Russia from her house.

I’m going as a Democrat for Halloween. When kids knock, I’ll take half their candy to give to folks too lazy to go trick-or-treating.

[FTR: shutdown will not affect the payment of any of the government’s bills] Parks are closed and people are out of their paychecks. Aren’t payrolls bills?

Furlough Congress and stop all federal health benefits until they decide to get their adult act together. Who voted for these representatives? Remember this, voters, single moms and dads have one day of a paycheck coming this week. How long could many of us live on that?

[Hypocrisy] The members of Congress get paid thru the shut down. How come the right isn’t screaming “If you shut down the government you shouldn’t get paid” the same way they say that if you voted in the affordable healthcare act you should be forced to use it? Interesting lot.

[Affordable Healthcare Act] I am glad the government shut down. According to the American debt clock I owe the government $55,000+ for my part in the trillions of dollars our government has borrowed. Put that on the bottom of the two years worth of property taxes I owe Monroe County, my sewer bill that is coming, the few credit cards I owe and, oh yea, the health care I know have to purchase due to the government telling me I can not take care of my self. I will probably have to pay $200 a month or more for health care a year. That is over $2,400 a year. I have not spent that much on my health in the last 10 years, fortunately for me I am healthy and do not need much maintenance. I should not be forced to purchase health care until I feel I need it. I believe that people with pre existing conditions should be able to purchase health insurance, that you should be able to keep your kid on your policy even if they are over 18. But I do not believe that abortions should be paid for by the citizens. You did the act, you take responsibility for your actions; you can’t take responsibility for your actions, then you shouldn’t act. What ever happened to old fashion self control or rubbers?

Written by a women who paid for her own abortion, and truly regrets the act.

What a wonderful world we live in. I write this at about 35k feet above the Atlantic enroute to Hartford Conn. It’s now about 10:30 pm and it won’t be until about 1 am or so until we get to our motel.  The world moves on.

For decades we have prided ourselves as being the nation that is recognized as being the be the most powerful and influential in the world, the fact that we have today woken up  to find large swathes of  our nation closed for business is humiliating.

Thanks to President Barack Obama obduracy over his flagship healthcare policy, Democrats and Republicans have failed to reach agreement in Congress on the federal budget, forcing the US Government to close down for the first time in 17 years, with around 700,000 federal workers being placed on indefinite leave. Let’s keep that is perspective. There are about 3 million non military federal employees.

While the White House insists that essential areas of the government, such as the military, will continue to function, the shut down represents yet a further blow to the prestige of the Obama administration at a time when it is still reeling from its inept handling of the recent Syrian crisis.

There was a time not so long ago when the world looked to America for both political and economic leadership. But now that can no longer be taken for granted thanks to Mr Obama’s inability to provide decisive leadership on either front.

Republicans rightly argue that by pressing ahead with Obamacare before the implications of the program have been properly assessed risks adding to America’s debt mountain at a time when the American economy is still recovering from the biggest economic crisis in recent history.

The emergence of Russia, meanwhile, as the main power broker in the Syria and the mid east  has severely damaged America’s standing as a major global player.

We’ve yet to face the debt limit crisis, that will make this dust up pale in comparison.

In short, the longer the Obama presidency continues, the more America’s status as a superpower and having serious influence in world affairs ebbs away.