Since 2002. Published Tuesdays and Fridays
Letters to the Editor with pictures
[“Rifleman now ‘rifleperson”] Good gawd, the whining and sniveling of these old geezers that just have to run everyone’s life but their own. I’m sorry that your compassion for others died years ago. I’m sorry your ability to think died years ago. And I’m sorry many of you are waiting to die off soon enough. Well, being that I’m almost 60 years old, I don’t intend on living the rest of my senior days pining for something that was 60 years ago. Humans change, times change, technology changes, but I’ll be damned if my zest for life and change, changes. The rest of you old geezers can stay miserable in your hateful, whiny lives. This old geezer won’t die off soon like the rest of you should and will. For the older folks here that actually enjoy change, youth, new, excitement, we’re going to have one hell of a good time. The miserable old coots can kiss my grits. Cee you, Felicia. Have a nice trip to the cemetery. I’m waving bye, bye at you. And, oh yeah, I wore that eagle globe and anchor for 23 years, but I’m not living in the 20th century, I’m living in the 21st! |
The general population doesn’t know what’s happening. And doesn’t even know that it doesn’t know. |
Dear Commercial Fishing Vessel Owners and Operators,
A major proposed regulation change for the Florida Keys fleet will be the proposed regulation that all commercial fishing vessels operating beyond the three nautical mile line have onboard a survival craft that ensures no part of an individual is immersed in water. This proposed regulation change would eliminate the use of life floats and buoyant apparatuses on commercial fishing vessels operating beyond the three nautical mile line. The U.S. Coast Guard views public participation as essential to effective rulemaking, and will consider all comments and material received during the comment period. Your comment can help shape the outcome of this rulemaking. If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this rulemaking (Docket No. USCG-2012-0025), indicate the specific section of this document to which each comment applies, and provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation. The U.S. Coast Guard encourages you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at Link |
[Yuppie Flu] Cornell University research has linked unhealthy gut bacteria balance to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or “yuppie flu” as the cynical docs call it who think it is a case for the shrinks who prescribe anti-depressants to everyone. Pre-bionics and pro-bionics are the simple, economical remedy, with diet changes a probable good idea. |
Mia makes her first public appearance! All 4 of you are beautiful. It’s simply amazing. Meri-Lynn and I have a new Grand Daughter, Mia! 7 pounds, 11 ounces. Healthy and amazing & we are blessed big time once again. Mia was born in Naples, Florida, and a Piner at heart for sure. Congrats Tatiana and Joey for a job well done. |
You suffer for years with bad vision then go to an eye doctor who fixes it, and you can see for 10 miles like an eagle, but can’t see what’s on your dinner plate. You can’t win! |
[Crooks] I’d like to shake the hand of the officers that caught those scumbags installing the card readers on the pumps at Valero in Marathon. Let the punishment fit the crime on that one. Or we could just drop them off a bridge, preferably a very high one over very shallow water.
Maybe it’s time to go back to paying cash for gas. When I hear about those parasite thieves installing card readers on gas pumps I wonder how safe my account is. I’m going to ask my bank manager what happens in the event I get hacked and ripped off in this manner. Is this progress when we can have money stolen right out of our accounts by people that don’t even work for the government? Spooky, eh? I will let you guys know what my bank says. |
It is with great sadness that the 96-year-old man who owned the Ben Franklin store in Key West, on North Roosevelt Blvd, has died. The store is closed forever now. The whole contents of the store will be available at Codys Discount at the Big Pine Flea Market. We have many things on the flea market tables now–until the end of July, when we close for two months. Our prices will be much cheaper than store prices.
When we re-open on October 1st, we will bring out and sort as much as we can. There is so much stuff that it could take six months to do. If there is something special that you want, we will do our best to go through the storage unit and find it for you. The Flea Market is open Saturday and Sunday 8am till 2 pm. There are tools, tarps, sunglasses, homemade soaps, lotions, toys, kitchenware, RV supplies, jewelry, hats, comical signs and more. Please come visit us for great deals plus, now, lots of craft supplies! |
Airbag Recall – Florida. Acura Audi BMW Chevrolet Chrysler Daimler Trucks North America (Sterling Bullet) Daimler Vans USA LLC (Sprinter) Dodge/Ram Ford GMC Honda Infiniti Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mitsubishi Nissan Pontiac Saab Saturn Subaru Toyota Volkswagen (VW). Link |
[“Rust on gelcoat”] Ospho will not damage gel-coat. It will remove oxidation from your gel-coat. It will etch the stainless steel if not removed in a timely fashion. You can also use Goof Off or toilet bowl cleaner to save a few bucks. |
Good morning, lights of my life. Sorry to be silent, just waiting for something good to say. Hospital trying to get me home today. Feel better, but still very concerned about going home alone too soon. We’ll see, but been there, done that. So glad first diagnosis of pneumonia was wrong, Dr Bauer, Oncologist was right. 7 1/2 weeks (33 treatments) of radiation knocked down lung cancer fine. Now discharging dead cancer cells, will take a while. Scans & tests in 3 months will tell more, but definitely worked!! Didn’t happen overnight, won’t fix overnight, but better than chemo or surgery. Sure does test your strength and faith. Dr is outside, but I was sent to by VA. He saved my life! VA would have finished me off. Strength and love from family and friends has been the most important thing in this battle against the beast called cancer! Please pass on my thanks & love, as I don’t have the strength to get to all the important people who have been there for me. A long, strange trip it’s been. With a little more help from y’all, I have a good chance of seeing you again. Most important, don’t ever forget family and friends. they are what really keep you alive. Humongous love 4X. ~The Real RoyBoy |
[Sewers] What really will happen if I do not hook up to the sewer connection? Details please! |
[“Assault weapons”] It is widely accepted that ‘patriots’ want assault weapons in order to kill American law enforcement or American soldiers if they perceive that our government goes too far in repressing them or taking away their rights. Well the table has turned and a black man has used his assault weapon to attack our police, murdering 5 Dallas policemen and wounding 7 others. He just couldn’t take so many white police men murdering Black men any longer, so he stood up for his perceived rights, just like white ‘patriots’ are wont to do.
When will this madness end? When will the ‘patriots’ open their eyes, shed their paranoia, and allow us to outlaw assault weapons? When will they realize that no matter how many assault weapons are out there, they can never hope to have any impact against law enforcement or our military; should they think it necessary to revolt. Assault weapons are only for killing men and the ‘patriots’ are the problem. Those un-American ‘patriots’ think violence is the way, not the voting booth as true patriots believe. I’m disgusted with the whole Second Amendment. Link |
[Adding insult to injury—Peary Court] Balfour Beatty, argued that the local tax collector’s office owes the company two years worth of interest at 15 percent a year on $2.9 million in fees that the tax collector and property appraiser’s office made Southeast Housing pay to clear the title to sell Peary Court to group of private investors. |
Somebody mentioned all TV will be streamed by internet connections shortly and the Dish, Direct TV and Cables will be history. When? I can’t wait! |
I made the maximum burger possible using McDonald’s “Create Your Taste” Kiosk. For most toppings, sauces, etc. you can get 10X as much. Patties are limited to 2 Quarter Pounders. And you can only get one bun. Other than that, you can get pretty creative. Holy crap on a cracker–literally. Video |
It is time to embrace the second half of the American Legion Preamble:
To foster and perpetuate a 100 percent Americanism |
[FTR] Deer Friends, It just gets worse. According to Thursdays news cycle, the number of Zika cases in the USA is approaching 1000. About a third of those victims are pregnant women according to the CDC. Perhaps you’re wondering what our local mosquito control authorities are doing to keep us safe. The answer is simple: Not enough! They have decided that rather than fight the invader with the latest scientific methodology that they will simply put more “boots on the ground.” Very much like mounting a cavalry charge with swords drawn on today’s battlefields. Don’t get me wrong..it’s only a couple of board members who are waffling in their responsibility. Perhaps you’re wondering why they don’t fire every gun that they have in their arsenal, why do they dither? The answer is patently clear. A vocal group in opposition to the use of the latest technology has been ginned up by a small group of wealthy investors who are more worried that their property values might suffer than they are about public health. We know this to be the truth, because the “elite” have told us so. One can only wonder how much their precious property values might decline when Zika shows up in your home. They’ve told Mosquito Control to put the Oxitec project anywhere except in their neighborhood. Are they afraid of the project? Afraid that that a Frankenskeeter will carry them off and suck all of their blood? Nope, they have told us that they are afraid that it will hurt the value of their real estate investments. And that makes them mad as hell. The influence of these local “elites” reaches far beyond this current Zika crisis. Long tons of your money has been wasted, and millions more are about to be wasted by the Mosquito Control Board. This in no small measure as a result of the influence of these power brokers on only a couple of board members. It is time for big changes on the Mosquito Control Board. We need new faces, new ideas, fiscal responsibility, and most of all, we need to put public health above private profit. It’s time for a board that is responsible to all of Monroe, not just the privileged few. |
The next meeting of our Big Pine Computer Club is coming up this Saturday, July 9, 10 am at the senior center. Hope to see you there. Full Menu > Ongoing Events |
[Plan Ahead] Here’s one for all the kids out of school looking to get into trouble and all of us adults who never figured out how not to. It’s usually easier to avoid a bad situation than it is to get out of one! |
Can we all agree that the Department Of Transportation is run by a bunch of incompetent imbeciles who keep building and changing roads just to keep their jobs? |
[New Holiday] Tyson Food in Shelbyville, Tennessee has eliminated Labor Day as a paid holiday in favor of the last day of Ramadan because they have 700 Muslim employees. Tennessee is the newest Hot-Bed for Muslim immigration. According to the 2010 Government Census more Muslims are flocking to Tennessee than any other state in the union. Link |
Your truth is that the Old 7 Mile Mile Bridge is the City of Marathon’s major tourist attraction. It is not a tourist attraction for the voters/taxpayers of the CRWS. You truthfully stated it is free to use. Well instead of stealing the Monroe County Infrastructure Sales Tax voted to be used for the CRWS all the money for this Marathon attraction should come from the TDC, as you said it’s a tourist attraction. That Is the reason Commissioners Rice and Nugent, both City of Marathon residents, voted, along with Murphy from Key Largo, who got the $5 million to buy Rowell’s Marina and used the funds dedicated for the CRWS. I’m advocating that the State of Florida should pay for their own infrastructure and let Monroe county pay for a complete and fully funded sewer system. |
[Violent Bar Names] Since I will have to close my gun shop shortly, I have some names I am pondering to open new businesses and maybe a few bars: Arnold’s Arrows, Sammy’s Spears, Sally’s Swords, Ron’s Rebar Lounge, The Club, The Crossbow Bar, The Sharp Pencil Grill, Knuckles McGrath’s Lounge, Kong Feu Lou’s, Ronnie’s Reload Bar and Foxx Hole, The Sling Shot Bar, Sol’s Sports Toys. |
[Green Slime Algae] How would you like to get some semi’s trailer trucks and haul a bunch of green slimy algae to the front yards of the fat cats of big sugar? Yeah, me too. Link |
[Zika] Mosquito Control Board gets way too much money for doing so little. The workers on the ground, water, and air, are the ones who should be making the big money. The Board just rubber stamps what scientists advise. There is no good reason for them to be making such exorbitant salaries, receive free health care, cars, cellphones, computers and all the other perks they get for just going to a meeting or two. It’s another government racket that we blindly support. |
Put protein-packed quinoa to work in summer salads. Though commonly referred to as a grain, quinoa is technically a seed. Full Menu > Recipes > Quinoa Tabouli Salad |
Look at these cute little kids practicing their 2d Amendment right. How sweet! Video |
[“Rust on gelcoat”] I use WD-40 and a 3M sponge with the synthetic scrubby pad on one side. |
A handy chart for people with big families. |
I think this is the best bpk.com ever. It has everything, Bravo to the participants. |
I just read an article about the deaths from using marijuana. According to the CDC, last year 17,465 deaths from using hard drugs like heroin, cocaine, crack, PCP, etc. And an additional 25,760 deaths from prescription drugs. And over 30,700 deaths from alcohol consumption; plus an estimated 2.5 times more from drunk driving. The total deaths from marijuana consumption–zero, as in 0, nada, none, nulla (I’m Hungarian), ling (Chinese), nul'(Russian). So while the alcohol lobby is actively bribing Congress to keep pot illegal, thousands of Americans are going to jail for smoking a joint. A substance that had been medically used by Alexander the Great’s troops. The current medical professionals recognize the medical benefits yet our politicians continue to stick their collective heads up their collective asses. Welcome to the Banana Republic of America! |
There are 35+ mosques in the Miami area and at least one in Key West, should we be worried? Do they have bombs? |
[Fruit Cubes] When you want to save some or all of that fruit we get this time of year in the Keys, simply clean it, mush it, and put it in ice cube trays. Put the frozen cubes in Ziploc bags and you’re good for pies, drinks, whatever! |
Did you know you can watch CNN live on the internet. It’s only a matter of time until cable and dish are obsolete. Live |
I thought that the Zika virus was a new disease, but I have noticed some people down here appear to have contracted it when they were babies. They tend to congregate around the local watering holes and the Winn Dixie. |
Because there is no sarcasm font as yet, Apple introduced emoticons as standard fare in their operating system. |
What will salt water do to my grinder pump? |
I didn’t hear nuthin’, I didn’t see nuthin’ and I ain’t sayin’ nuthin’ |
Movie trailer for the film Path to Glory: The Rise and Rise of the Polish Arabian Horse. “What public television’s guru of history documentaries Ken Burns did for the Civil War and baseball, Jen Miller and Sophie Dia Pegrum have done in their intelligent, coherent, photogenic, and beautifully-produced documentary on the history of the Polish Arabian and its survival amid the ravages of war and turmoil. I urge anyone with an interest in the breed, or the effect of geo-political systems on national identity and history, to check it out.” Video |
[Old Soldiers Never Die … ] On average, 20 veterans a day committed suicide in 2014. That figure is down from an average of 22 a day in 2013. |
[“Mass shootings”] Blacks can protest all they want and have as many demonstrations as they want, but nothing will change until the power of the NRA is loosened in America. Machine guns are our biggest problem. Policeman out-of-control is our next problem. |
I’m sad to report the passing of my friend and longtime Keys resident, Darrell “Boppy” Mckee. He had just turned 42. Most people probably know him from the Summerland Chevron, where he worked for more than ten years. Boppy had a kind heart and a great sense of humor. He loved the Keys and brought happiness to all who knew him. He will be missed. R.I.P. |
An average of 20 veterans killed themselves each day in 2014, the latest figures available, and the rate of suicide among female ex-service members was 2.4 time higher than U.S. Link |
[Spectacular photographs taken from Drones] AirPano captured famous cities and natural landscapes from above, mainly using drones. Famous cities such as New York, Singapore and Barcelona are shown in a new perspective. The team consists of nine photographers and three tech specialists who have a portfolio of 230 locations. Link |
Enough with the Zika fear-mongering already! Zika has been linked (weakly) to microcephaly deformities in Brazil. Period. Since the discovery of Zika about 70 years ago, it has been a ‘mild flu’ kind of disease, and you are much more likely to get it from sex than a mosquito because it can be viable in semen about 6 times longer than in a mosquito. A doctor’s association in Argentina blames the pesticide dumped in Brazilian drinking water reservoirs as the more likely cause of deformities in Brazil. It might even be a combination effect of pesticide plus normally trivial Zika? The other distinct possibility is that the Oxi513A frankenskeeters are responsible for a more virulent strain of Zika.
But let’s just all panic like good American sheeple that swallow everything they throw at us on TV, and run right into the flames like driven animals. Meanwhile, the huge conglomerate that owns Oxitec is fueling the panic so as to sell mutant mosquitoes. It’s all about the money, fools! Did you think they were in it for the good of humanity in general and especially you? They want your tax dollars. Period. Meanwhile, Obama’s billion dollar Zika Prevention Bill has been discovered to be the “Zika Trojan Horse Bill”. It is a gift to big chemical companies to avoid EPA regulations on pesticide use, and would apply to the whole US, whereas the aedes mosquito is only found in Gulf states. If you develop Zika in New Jersey, it’s because you took a trip or got laid. Meanwhile, you develop cancer or a debilitating neurological disease from unrestricted pesticide use. You might not even be around to see that baby grow up. That baby that was never at risk from Zika anyway. The US educational system, TV hypnosis, subliminal messaging everywhere, and IQ depressing fluoride in water (and everything else) has filled this country with gullible fools. Do you count yourself among them? Do you need the approval of others to feel secure about yourself, so you go with the opinion most popular with your friends? You probably have the ability to think for yourself, even though you may not have really bothered for many years. Who guides your reasoning? Fox News? CNN? Someone at Mosquito Control? Someone with a radio show? Who do you trust? Why do you trust them? Follow the money. Typically, if someone stands to gain through salary, profit, commission, power, sex, or donations, they cannot really be trusted. That’s nearly everybody. I can still hear Tarzan say, “It’s a jungle, jungle out there, Jane.” And it’s full of mutant mosquitoes. |
British politicians are far superior to ours. Their a**holes are all quitting and ours seem determined to stay. |
[Cheap Gas] Many motorists are clogging their car’s engine by not using gasoline with enough added detergents. That’s the conclusion of a study released Thursday by the AAA auto club. Gasolines with extra detergents cost an average of 3 cents per gallon more. And that could be their undoing. The Michigan-based Center for Quality Assurance charges gas stations a fee to use the Top Tier seal of approval. Two executives of the group declined to disclose the fee. |
[Frankenskeeter Release] An effort to reduce mosquitoes and prevent the spread of viruses such as Zika in the Cayman Islands by releasing genetically altered mosquitoes is to start next week, officials in the British Caribbean territory said Thursday. |
[Old Bridge Repair] The way I see it after about the first 15 or 20 million dollars the fat cat contractors doing the 7-Mile Mess are going to realize they own the west end of Marathon and really turn up the heat. Watch the cost overruns. Listen to their excuses, oversights, unforeseen circumstances. You’re going to love it. Do any of you remember being asked if you wanted your tax money pissed away on this historic piece of concrete and rebar |
It’s is really kind of stupid that we do not have a one world money. It should be so simple except for the egos of the rulers to have 1.10, coins and 1, 10, 100, 1000 bills that can’t be counterfeited. If anyone does counterfeit these bills or coins, it’s life in prison, no parole. But of course, it will take a 1000 years for the them to settle on a design. Maybe a forehead barcode would be better like a debit card. |
I just read that the entertainer Matt Damon thinks that there should be gun control. Who cares what some entertainer says. It’s just more BS to distract us from the fact that the Government of the People, by the People, for the People doesn’t exist anymore. |
Sue Paul is back in the Keys after a TraumaStar ride to Kendal: 5 months in 3 facilities, and ambulance transport back. That’s why her Moose membership has lapsed. Friends can find her at the Key West Health and Rehab Center next to the hospital on College Rd., Stock Island, room 287-B (at last visit). She speaks softly and a little slurred, and still is half deaf, but we in the Keys that hang at the bars are used to that. Ha. She has had few visits from friends in many months. Friendly, familiar faces are welcomed. |
[KW Obituary] Another woman died whose sole accomplishment in life was being a prolific breeder. That’s it! |
[“Old Seven Mile Bridge repairs”] Where are the blueprints for the mods to this 77 million+ fiasco? I would bet they are for another two lanes of traffic to join up with a proposed 4 lane highway to KW from Miami! Save the Keys blow the bridges! |
Some say it is better to lose your eye sight than your hearing because you always wonder what people are saying about you. I say try crossing the Florida Turnpike during rush hour if your blind and then tell me what’s more important. |
[Bad Keys] I have lived in Key West for 36 years and believe me when I say this town is going to crash with all the scams and bad people coming here. It was always a hard core area, but in the past 20 years, it has become the sickest place in the country besides Detroit and South L.A. |
Habitat for Humanity needs volunteers. If you hate everybody, are a retired mercenary, an S&M advocate, or just plain mean to others, we need you to cut the bull shit about unaffordable homes for the useless eaters before the bleeding hearts take all our tax money. |
[FTR] A poster wrote: “FTR needs a CT scan or MRI of his brain (or tune into a different news feed). It was not the Democrats who refused to fund Zika research – The Obama Admin requested 1.9 billion dollars.”
It never ceases to amaze me that the left rank and file seem incapable of engaging in dialog without engaging in vitriol. Insults may be the current political stock in trade, but they really do not advance anyone’s narrative. The simple fact is that the Democrats did block federal emergency funding for Zika. There is no doubt about that. It happened. Check the record. They blocked all the funding simply because they did not get all that they wanted. They chose to toss out the baby with the bath water. (continued on the National Politics page …) |
The Old 7 Mile Bridge could be torn down and rebuilt new for 77 million dollars! How many screw jobs are you locals going to take up the butt before you fire all these junta whores? |
Submit anything but National Politics to island@bigpinekey.com For National Politics go directly to that page, log in, and post your comment. NATIONAL POLITICS |