Monday, November 4, 2013

[Grinder Pump Meeting Tonight] Please everyone in the lower keys turn out for Monday’s meeting with the FKAA if they are trying to stick you with useless grinder pumps. We are smart people who have done our research. We know they are a terrible idea for our situation down here. If we don’t show up in force and voice our concerns, we will be stuck with them. Show up and be heard. Please! Events

[Crook] To whoever removed my two crab traps from south Little Torch Key, congratulations on doing the most low-down thing a person can possibly do. When you succumb to inoperable disease, even your mosquitos will not miss you.

Someone’s in a huff about Diana Nyad‘s possible statue. Why does the other alternative have to be donating money to a charity? How is the Mayor on a “high horse?” This person needs to get over them self. There are monuments to lesser things in life. It happens. A statue isn’t going to ruffle many other feathers except this pissy dork.

[Marathon Journal] The Journal interviewed Islamorada Councilman Dave Purdo at Island Grill.

Are you a commercial fisherman? No, but when time presents itself, he enjoys his own boat. Why did I ask this question? Because he looks like a commercial fisherman with his rugged looks and disposition.

So, what’s going on? He was proud of his good health. His cancer is in remission. I can relate, because I am in remission for two years now. Islamorada Council takes up lots of his time, but worth it. Big issue is wastewater/stormwater projects. I asked about reuse water like Marathon has. Reuse water is not practical considering the long distances involved. Dave was concerned about a 91 million dollar contract that takes money away from affordable housing projects.

How many years a councilman? Purdo answered 3 years with 1 year left this term. I asked him if he was going to run again. I didn’t get a clear answer, but he did say that he has another two-year term left.

What other controversies? Islamorada changed to electing all five councilpersons in an at large election. Dave wants to split that in 3 at large one year and 2 at large the next year and repeat. Electing five councilpersons at once can result in five new faces. That would have a negative effect on local governance. We discussed the effect of at large elections versus elections conducted in seats. People with low budgets are cutoff from at large elections. So people well off including getting campaign contributions have the best chance to get elected in the at large elections. At seat elections allows more people to run.

Last thoughts? Purdo talked about representing the “little guy.” He wants to put more time and effort in helping the local economy. Dave talked about creating more off-season events as well.

The Journal will interview Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Robert Dube next.

[Flight to Communist Cuba] Go to Calle Ocho in Hialeah and ask them why.

I really don’t think anyone other than the Miami Cuban community cares a whit about any embargo or any other foolishness regarding Cuba. I certainly have no dog in their 50 year old losing fight.It’s way past time to get over it, disregard whatever vote block the Cuban community in Miami has that the politicians are afraid of and join the rest of the world in international relations with Cuba. Like it or not they are still there and will remain so.

[Karl Marx]I can’t quite believe that I just sat through ten minutes of BBC television in which British journalists Owen Jones and Zoe Williams have defended Karl Marx as the prophet of the End of Capitalism. Unbelievable because I had thought Marxism was over with the fall of the Berlin Wall – when we discovered that socialism was one part bloodshed, one part farce. But unbelievable also because you’d have to be a pretty lacking in moral sensitivity to defend a thinker whose work sent millions of people to an early grave.

I don’t want to have to rehearse the numbers but, apparently, they’re not being taught in schools anymore – so here goes. Sixty-five million were murdered in China – starved, hounded to suicide, shot as class traitors. Twenty million in the USSR, 2 million in North Korea, 1.7 million in Africa. The nightmare of Cambodia (2 million dead) is especially vivid. “Reactionaries” were sorted out from the base population on the grounds of being supporters of the old regime, having gone to school or just for wearing glasses. They were taken to the side of paddy fields and hacked to death by teenagers. Link

[Autumn Sucks]  Turning all the clocks and appliances back one hour is a pain where the sun usually doesn’t shine. Spring is great. Setting all that crap ahead one hour is like a May breeze, a soothing blow. You’ve got to love May!

Opening Reception/Exhibition at Gallery on Greene St. 

I realize that this could happen to any of us, a deer darting out suddenly and the unavoidable collision resulting in another Key Deer road fatality.   The fawn was struck by the SUV’s front bumper and tire and jumbled sickeningly underneath the entire length of the vehicle, that the fawn could have survived was not a possibility.  That the SUV driver didn’t realize he/she hit something was also not a possibility.  My husband and I watched helplessly and pulled off to the side of the road thinking this SUV would do the same to find out what he/she had just hit, if it was okay or if there was anything they could do.  To my horror, the SUV’s brake lights never came on before or during the strike and, unbelievably, afterward.  It just kept on going without even slowing down.  Traffic stopped behind us as I watched the SUV disappear and I sadly dragged the fawn off the road, still twitching in the throes of death.  

Did I mention that this occurred on Halloween night?  Did I mention that it was around 7:00 pm, the peak time when trick-or-treaters  were out and about?  Did I mention that the SUV driver didn’t care what they hit–or perhaps who?  There are far more frightening things than what we concoct for Halloween, beware the monsters that live among us.

[Political correctness gone bonkers] Navy SEALS are no longer allowed to wear a patch that symbolizes the American spirit of freedom and self-reliance. Was it the “Don’t tread on me” message that bothered so much upper brass that they forbade the proud display of the patch on SEALS shoulders? Link

Here’s what a polyethylene grinder pump pit might look like in a few years when they get brittle from heat and off-gassing. This is what FKAA thinks is better than our trusty concrete septic tanks that they call leaky? Leaking septic tanks are a rarity. This whole sewer thing is a scam and a grinder pump “solution” is an abomination. Stop the FKAA insanity! Attend tonight’s meeting. Events

[Pat Condell] There’s no racist like a liberal racists. Video Editorial

[Private Planes Flyover]  Govt shutdown prevented military participation so citizens picked up the slack.  Nice formation! Link

The sob story about the Cudjoe woman who broke into tears when told of the grinder pump odor was a big fat lie. ( Ed , please don’t soften this. It was.) The contractor has nothing to do with pump placement. The contractors are bringing the pump lines to the property lines and no farther. Placing the pumps will be done much later.

And no, I do not work for the FKAA. I’m just sick of the outrageous lies that are being told in this grinder pump fiasco.

[Sewers] The following is an excerpt from the Sarasota website (http://sarasotan3sewers.wordpress.com/) that chronicles the public protest of plans to stick the N3 district homeowners with an LPS grinder pump sewer system. This details what Sarasota County will now provide instead of grinder pumps and makes sense. At least their county listens!

What is a hybrid gravity system? As the name implies, a hybrid gravity sewer system is at heart a traditional gravity system. A gravity system is what most people think of as a “normal” sewer system. Sewage flows downhill from the home through pipes that descend gradually deeper into the ground until they arrive at a lift station. At the lift station, sewage is pumped up to a higher level to continue its flow toward the treatment plant. In a traditional gravity system, lift stations can be 20 feet or more underground and collect wastewater from hundreds of homes.

In a “hybrid gravity system,” there are more (but smaller) lift stations and the pipes are not buried so deeply in the ground (3 to 6 feet, rather than 6 to 20 feet).

For our neighborhood, there will be approximately 6 to 10 “mini lift stations” located underground in concrete chambers serviced through manholes. The manholes will be flush with the ground or street. Near each mini lift station will be an electrical control panel affixed to a chest-high concrete post. The electrical control panels will be the only above-ground component of the system. (Incidentally, these control panels are similar to the control panels that each homeowner would have been required to install to operate the grinder pumps.)

The mini lift stations will be placed inside manholes in the county right-of-way (either under the pavement or in the shoulder of the road). The precise locations of the mini lift stations have not been determined, but the county has identified some potential locations that are minimally intrusive. However, it is possible that at least some of the mini lift stations will be located so that the control panel will be in the right-of-way between two homes (similar to where a utility pole would be sited).

Is the hybrid gravity system good for us? The proposed hybrid gravity system answers many of the criticisms the Area N3 Committee raised concerning the grinder pump proposal:

-The mini lift stations will be in the public right of way. The grinder pumps would have been on our property, within 30 feet of our homes.
-The county will supply the electrical power to run the mini lift stations. The homeowners would have provided electricity for the grinder pumps.
-In the event of emergency, the county will only have to pump out 6 to 10 mini lift stations, instead of 200 individual grinder pumps.
-The homeowner will not be required to install electrical equipment. The grinder pumps would have required each homeowner to install an electrical control panel affixed to the house.
-The mini lift stations will send an electronic signal to alert the Utilities Department in the event of malfunction. The homeowner would need to call the county to report a grinder pump malfunction.
-In the event of pump failure, the mini lift stations will overflow through the manholes. In the event of grinder pump failure, sewage could back up into the home.

Even in 1905 road rage was a problem. A Franklin equipped with a machine gun.

The problems we face today exist because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.

Mr. Hanky got more petition signatures on Halloween at the Tiki Bar because nobody wants a sewer grinder pump station in their yard! A few said they wanted time to review the petition fully before signing, so they were told they could find either one with an on line search for “grinder pump petition”. The widespread use of these pumps is not a viable sewer solution and will put rates through the roof.

Boy, oh, boy, that Kickin Back store should advertise on The Coconut Telegraph aka Big Pine Key.com. I’ve been down here in the winter since 1962 and have never heard of it or seen it. So what do they sell?

Iran is now allowing women to drive.

If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments!

[Charlie the Produce Man] I can’t believe Charlie is no longer at Winn-Dixie. He was the best thing about the store. He always greeted you with a genuine hello and smile and did his job with pride and made his customers feel special. Winn-Dixie has lost the best employee they ever had. Hope Charlie is well and enjoying his retirement. We sure will miss him.

[Geography Game] How well do you know the world?Think you’re good at geography? Know your rich countries from your poor ones? Ready to do battle with our sometimes cryptic pictures? And most of all, can you stay cool as the clock ticks down? Then play the Global development game: identify the world’s countries and territories, rank them according to GDP (gross domestic product) than have your fingers at the ready for the picture round! Link 

Please get involved with the just say no to grinder pumps movement. Attend the sewer meeting at the Lower Keys Property Association’s building (Bogie Road, first right just past No Name Pub), Tonight, Monday, November 4th, at 7:00 pm. The use of these grinders will be one of the biggest mistakes the county and FKAA have ever made (they know it but are sticking it to us anyway). Get involved, stop the madness before it goes any further. Events

Naked beach goers break skinny-dipping world record in Haulover Beach. Link

Climate impacts poised to decimate human & earth systems.  Link

Thanks to Joe and Meri-Lynn Britz for their support of Coconuts Ukulele Orchestra. Just a correction to yesterday’s post, we are meeting this coming Wednesday, November 6 at Coconuts, 7-9 PM. It can get confusing as we meet on the 1st or 2nd Wednesday of the month. You can check us out on Facebook for our schedule. We always have extra ukuleles and song sheets.

[Boating Skills and Seamanship Class] Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 13-03, Big Pine Key, has scheduled its first Boating Skills and Seamanship Class of the 2013 – 2014 season. Events

[“Kickin Back Store”] On Cujo Key? Isn’t that where a rabic St. Bernard lives to conduct a reign of terror? Oh, you must mean Summerland Key, because that’s what your mailing is on our computer system here.

What’s the big fuss about going to Cuba?  Is going there the latest cool hip status symbol?  Anytime I wanted to see a rundown ghetto slum I just drove into downtown Detroit. I had no problem at all doing that.

[Captain Doom and Gloom] “Grey Water”  It is all well and good to think gray water is ok to dump on the ground or in your garden, but you must ask yourself how many of your kids and you pee in the shower, spit in the sink and dump bad chemicals down your sinks.

This is the problem, how are they going to spend my money? Just because we hopefully got rid of the grinder pump fiasco and saved ourselves bookoo funds with gravity, does not mean the bubbas will not inflate our monthly bills to get that divine profit margin they wanted with the GPs. Who is to say what charges they will hit us with? Who is in control of the books and who judges what to charge for what services? Just because we think we have won, is not enough without verifying the costs and billings.

[Famous Last Words] Read my lips, no new taxes. Mission accomplished. You can keep your existing policy. 

Obama Care website is shutting down every night from 5 pm to early morning. This is a perfect example of how out of touch President Obama,his staff & advisers are. Working folks are off during those hours. Anyone who worked for a living would know that. If your going to facilitate workers with this system, have it open when they can use it. From 5 in the evening to early morning, reverse it on weekends. I do understand it’s hard for President Obama, his staff & advisers to grasp this,as they have never worked for a living. “Were from the Government, we’re here to help.”

The Republicans (otherwise known as Fox News) are saying that Obamacare is “failing”  because the President has no business experience.   Check into this and you will find statistics that say 95% of new businesses fail to meet initial expectations.  So tell me what were the chances that Obama having business experience would have helped the roll out of Obamacare in some magical way?

Yesterday my VCR was showing the wrong time. Obama’s Daylightcare is a huge failure!

You also can’t keep Your doctor. I had great cancer doctors and health insurance. My plan was cancelled. Now I worry how long I’ll live. Link

ObamaCare website hours for closing have been changed. I now understand the site is closed from 1 am to 5 am.

The new forever stamp.

FTR really got upset about Americas enemies saying for the 1 hundredth time they hate us. Hes really pissed about terrorist killing more Iraqis. The very same Iraqis that have taken our treasure and said they want us out. I don’t give a flip if they kill each other by the tens of thousands. Im thinking its not far from the time where FTR becomes a human shield for Americas enemies. Have you ever seen another American so upset about terrorist killing terrorist supporters? Its a very said statement of how the Conservatives have become our enemies biggest group of supporters within Americas borders.

Poor, poor Iraqis and Iranians are mad at us. Wahhhhhhhhh. Screw them.

Maybe an FTR/Jane Fonda Presidential ticket will be next. We get it FTR you are worried about the terrorist getting mad at us. I love the fact they hate us.

Now Democrats know what’s in Obamacare. Obamacare is faltering under its own bureaucratic weight.

“We have to pass the (heathcare) bill so that you can find out what is in it.”  ~Nancy Pelosi  Link

[“President doesn’t gloat about these incidents”]  Probably because he’s as uninformed about what our military is actually doing as he is about all the things his appointees are up to.

FTR, please recall The facts about the Iraq SOFA. Do not muddy the water. You like facts?

“The U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (official name: “Agreement Between the United States of America and the Republic of Iraq On the Withdrawal of United States Forces from Iraq and the Organization of Their Activities during Their Temporary Presence in Iraq”) was a status of forces agreement (SOFA) between Iraq and the United States, signed by President George W. Bush in 2008. It established that U.S. combat forces would withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, and all U.S. forces will be completely out of Iraq by December 31, 2011. Link

There is something very strange about Team Obama’s State Department’s refusal to place the Benghazi murderers on the “Rewards for Justice” program. That programs offers multimillion-dollar payouts for tips leading to nabbing wanted terrorists, but for some unknown and unfathomable reason it the list does not include the suspects in the Benghazi terror attack. Why?

We know the identity of some, if not most,  of the murderers. We have video of the attack. It has been announced that charges have been filed against several suspects. Nonetheless, all but one remain at large. The in custody suspect is not even in American hands. Most of the suspects are at large even though the media has tracked down at least one of them and interviewed him. CNN interviewed one of them for two hours. Fox news tracked down and interviewed Libya militia leader, Ahmed Kattahla. He admitted to being at the scene.

The FBI has identified at least five of the shooters. One had been detained in Tunisia, but they released him.  One had been in custody by Libya, they released him. Egypt has/had custody of yet another of the suspect, they refuse the FBI access to interrogate him. The CIA, the FBI, and all of the forces of the USA can’t or won’t find the rest of them and bring them to justice. Why not add these mutts to the long list of mutts who have a huge price on their heads!

Benghazi is not going away, as more answers come in, more questions arise.

Three CIA employees, not Embassy staffers, who were eyewitness to the end time of the attack are expected to testify in a closed-door session before the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations during the week of November 11.

One Senator has declared that unless Mr. Obama ceases and desists in refusing to allow the Embassy staffers who survived to be interviewed by a Senate committee that he will block every Obama appointment. I agree with him. There still are so many unanswered questions and great suspicion the Obama admin is purposefully stonewalling.

Part 2) Team Obama is composed of far too many people who lie with alacrity. Persons who give lip service to accountability, but then duck and bob and weave in actually accepting accountability. Obama is the “not me” President, and he is surrounded by “not me” sycophants. One such person is HHS Secretary K. Sibelius. Recently in a TV interview she placed much of the blame for the roll out disaster on the law itself. She stated that the law required that the roll out occur on 10/1. She stated that if they had had more time for testing and fine tuning that the problems would not exist. This after she paid lip service by saying “blame me”. Just for a moment forget that they had at least 3 years and have spent about a billion  on the system to date. And then realize that she lied. The ACA law clearly states that the enrollment start date shall be “determined by the Secretary.”  That Secretary is K. Sibelius. She should be gone.

Part 3) There is a reason and a sequence of events that have led us to the looming fantastical increase in our Keys flood insurance rates and the flood insurance rates of all Americans who live in potential flood areas.

The villain is the Waters-Biggert act. (aka H.R. 1309 Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011). Congress enacted the Waters-Biggert flood insurance legislation. It was signed into law by Obama on July 6, 2012.

The bill, as written, seemed to have little warning that it would lead to ruinous rate increases for residents of coastal communities.  The “Waters” in the title is the very well know Democrat Congress person, Maxine Waters. The “Biggert” was a Republican Congress person from Illinois who has since been defeated. Maxine Waters is now backwatering (pun intended).

The bill passed through the House and the Senate with only moderate opposition. The single biggest voice of opposition was Conservative Republicans who  voted against the bill. The reason for little opposition was probably the fact that the bill had been folded into a larger transportation bill and the “Restore” bill. But conservative legislators voiced concern that the bill went too far and too quickly. Some urged an “affordability clause”. None appeared.

The carrot that was irresistible to the legislators was the “Restore” component. That component transfers 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines from the 2010 BP oil spill to the five affected Gulf States. Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu warned of the dangers of the flood insurance hikes, but nonetheless she voted for the bill. It’s worth noting that yesterday, the Tampa Bay Times reported that our Republican Senator Marco Rubio joined other Conservative Senate Republicans in voting against the bill, but Democrat Senator Bill Nelson voted for it.

The proponents of the bill claimed that its passage was vital to bring “stability” to the national flood insurance program. One noted that the program had lapsed 18 times in previous years.

The bill had a powerhouse of backers that included the American Insurance Association, American Land Title Association, Building Owners and Management Association, CCIM Institute, Chamber SWLA, Council of Insurer Agents and Brokers, The Financial Services Roundtable, Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, Institute of Real Estate Management, International Council of Shopping Centers, Manufactured Housing Institute, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, National Association of REALTORS, National Ready Mix Concrete Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

But now many of legislators who voted for the bill are now voting for legislation to delay implementation of the bill.  According to the New Orleans Times Picayune, The House of Representatives has passed legislation delaying implementation of the bill. So far the Senate, under the leadership of Democrat Harry Reid has not budged..

Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, said: “Unfortunately, (the act) has been implemented in a way by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to make the insurance unaffordable…….”

As in all items of legislation, there is the prospect of flexibility in the enforcement of the law. We can recall that Mr. Obama has declined to enforce segments of various laws that he disagrees with. In this instance, Mr. Obama, can, with the stroke of a pen delay implementation or enforcement of this legislation.

The Waters-Biggert act was sold as being a fiscal necessity to rescue the National Flood Insurance program.  But Garret Graves, Chair of Louisiana’s Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, recently reported that the flood insurance program hasn’t been the drain on taxpayers claimed by proponents of Waters-Biggert. He said the program collected $65.3 billion in premiums since 1978, but only paid out $56.4 billion to policyholders.

Let’s get behind the efforts of Republicans Governor Rick Scott, Rep. Holly Raschein, Rep. Ilena Ros-Lehtinen, Rep. Manny Diaz, Senator Marco Rubio  and politicians of all stripes who are working hard to drive a stake in the heart of this bill which will bleed our homeowners and business people dry. A tip of the FTR fedora to those politicos and to FIRM.

The good news is that late last week The Miami Herald reported: “A bipartisan group of legislators from the U.S. House and Senate have reached an agreement to delay flood insurance rate increases for at least four years for millions of homeowners.”  Delaying legislation had already passed in the House in June. Now we will have to wait and see if the Democrat Senate blocks that agreement.

The bad news is FEMA head, Craig Fugate, Obama appointee, is quoted as saying that he intends to enforce the “letter of the law.”

Part 4) While the Obamacare roll out is devouring nearly all of the news-o-sphere, the world is slipping further and further into turmoil.  Now Iraq is asking us to provide them with assistance to battle the ever growing AQI. That nation is wracked with deaths by terrorist attacks. More than 8,500 terrorist attacks killed nearly 15,500 people last year. Please recall that Mr. Obama failed to negotiate a Status of Forces agreement with Iraq after the end of the Iraq war. Such an agreement would likely have tamped down AQI. Look for Iraq to soon become a total client state of Iran, and yet another home base for AQI and the sundry other Muslim fundamentalism fanatics.

Mr. Obama has been dumped from first place in The Most Powerful Man in the World ranking  to second place. Forbes magazine has elevated Putin to the Big Mac Daddy of the world power seat.  Putin’s ability to bring Syria to surrendering its chem warfare supplies when Obama failed is largely responsible.

Israel is furious with us because the White House leaked that it was the Israeli’s who launched an air strike into Syria. They expect that Syria will now be empowered to launch an attack on Israel.

Iran’s elites have upped their hatred for the US by launchin even more “Death to America” rhetoric. “The slogan Death to America is the symbol of strength and determination of the Iranian nation against the dominance of the United States, which is an oppressive and untrustworthy nation,” said the Revolutionary Guards on their official website. Now,  even Leon Panetta is reporting that we may have to use military force against Iran. It has just been reported that Iran will likely have enough fissile material to make a nuke within two weeks.

The Chinese now have the military and naval assets to launch nukes against us. They recently published a news story describing their targeting goals and methods. Welcome back to the Cold War.  Thank you Mr. Obama. Sleep well.