[Slideshow "number2" not found]
Since 2002. Anonymous Letters to the Editor with pictures. Published Monday through Friday by Noon.
[Fighting For Your Country] I watch a lot of action movies. Just about all the current war movies about Afghanistan and Iraq have the soldiers fighting for each other not America. It was a lot different in the second world war when John Wayne would give his great patriotic speeches. It seems that today our soldiers’ only fighting concern is staying alive and keeping their buddies alive — not protecting the US. I believe that our invasion of the Mideast was the worse thing this country has ever done. There were, and still are, other violent ways for us to kill those that want to kill us instead if invasion. A lot of those people who want to kill us are just pissed that a foreign power has invaded their villages. I know I’d be out there with my gun picking off invaders one by one if it happened here. |
[“Something in the water”] After reading some of the posts in Wednesday’s CT, particularly that first one, I’m beginning to think there’s something to the worries that some have about our water supply. |
Contact Us. Click this link to post any opinion, ads, changes to an ad, complaint, kudos, or anything else. One link fits all. We read them all. Contact Us |
[“Round House”] How would you like trying to sleep inside a wind tunnel. The monstrosity construction is not only offensive visually, it also makes noise day and night. Thank you Monroe County building department! |
[Grammar] Yesterday’s post chiding FTR’s loyalty over his reason, caused me to notice that grammar has changed for the better for once. An error of the English language has always been putting the article ‘an’ before words beginning with h: “…was an homicide. An homicide at the …” Yesterday’s post reflected the improved English”…was a homicide. A homicide at the …” Also there should be a more clear plural of ‘you’. I suggest ‘youse’. |
I wonder how much money the Florida Keys Power Company pays it’s lobbyist to keep solar and wind from taking away their extremely high electric profits? Coalition seeks ballot measure to expand Florida solar power. Tea Partiers, Libertarians, conservative Christians, Florida’s largest retail association, and clean energy advocates announced Wednesday that they are joining a petition drive aimed at expanding the use of solar energy in Florida. Link |
[Winn Dixie appliances] If you accumulated enough points to get a free or reduced price appliance at Winn-Dixie, they are now giving out rain checks. You need to take your rewards card in by the 27th and they will scan it and then scan the bar code for the appliance you desire. All orders are submitted after January 27th which is the close of the promotion to redeem points. They told me 4-6 weeks for delivery to the store. That particular appliance will be reserved for you. |
We are set for our first Chamber Business Social of the new year tonight, January 15 at Seacamp from 5:30-7pm. We have a slightly different procedure this time and they would appreciate your RSVP to info@seacamp.org should you be attending. They have invited KW, Marathon and our Chamber so numbers for food are vital for happiness. Members may make a donation for admission, non-members $10. |
[Better dead than Muslim?] I posit that no amount of misguided appeasement will pacify or subdue radical Islam for any protracted length of time. Sooner or later, the same Muslims will bite the hand that fed them. A long line of military officers who refused to live a lie retired prematurely, as they knew the price of not only not being politically correct, but also, more importantly, of having to live with their own consciences. |
Contact Us. Click this link to post any opinion, ads, changes to an ad, complaint, kudos, or anything else. One link fits all. We read them all. Contact Us |
Think about it for a second. |
[Crazy Drivers] I’m lucky to be sitting here writing this comment on my computer. Friday night my husband and I had dinner at Coco’s. As we went to cross the lane to get to our car and a truck stopped to let us cross. Then a blonde, wearing glasses, in a brown station wagon with Monroe County tags flew around the truck and almost hit us. Thank you to the courteous driver of the truck. And to the blonde, learn some manners, patience, etc. |
[House for Rent] BPK, 2/2 on a canal, fenced yard, screened porch, W/D, long term / unfurnished, $1850 F/L/S, available immediately. Call Classified Ads > For Rent |
Has Radio Shack closed/moved/vacationing? Someone told me it was closed. I’m talking about the one in WD plaza on BPK. It seems as though a lot of store fronts in the plaza have the dreaded “brown paper” covering the windows. (Ed: It’s alive and well. I got a good deal on a Motorola smartphone there Tuesday.) |
Here is the January 2015 Orchid Society Newsletter. Our January meeting is on the 18th, and the speaker is Quest Orchids. They are planning a very interesting hands-on program. We’re going to learn how to fertilize orchids to make hybrids.
All memberships are renewable on January 1. There is a form on page 2 of the Newsletter. Full Menu > Ongoing Events |
[Car Show] The Florida Keys Southernmost Car Club will hold their monthly“Show & Shine”
Sunday, January 18th from Noon till 4 at the Sugarloaf Lodge Parking lot (West end). MM17. Antique, classic, hot rod, specialty cars, trucks & motorcycles will be on display at this FREE event. There will be great music, a 50/50 drawing, and t-shirts and tanks for only $12. New members are always welcome. Contact Dick Moody (305) 942-1758 Events |
[Friends of the Eden Pines Canals] Many Eden Pines residents attended the canal restoration subcommittee meeting November 21, 2014 and learned that the county was considering dropping the Eden Pines canal restoration project in favor of yet another effort in Key Largo. Due in part to the large turn out of Eden Pines residents this suggestion did not go forward and a final decision was postponed until this coming meeting tomorrow, January 16. It is more important than ever for us to have a large turn out from our community showing solidarity for the Eden Pines canal restoration project that would pump fresh marine water to the back ends of our canal system. Please plan on attending the meeting this Friday. It is scheduled to begin at the Marathon government building at 9 AM. If you could arrive 15 minutes ahead of that time we could meet in front of the building, exchange names, ideas, etc. Thank you in advance. |
[Nuts] To all appearances, Eleanor Longden was just like every other student, heading to college full of promise and without a care in the world. That was until the voices in her head started talking. Initially innocuous, these internal narrators became increasingly antagonistic and dictatorial, turning her life into a living nightmare. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, hospitalized, drugged, Longden was discarded by a system that didn’t know how to help her. Longden tells the moving tale of her years-long journey back to mental health, and makes the case that it was through learning to listen to her voices that she was able to survive. Link |
I’d love to see the look on the fundamentalists’ faces when they find out that God, Yahweh, Allah, etc is female. |
Contact Us. Click this link to post any opinion, ads, changes to an ad, complaint, kudos, or anything else. One link fits all. We read them all. Contact Us |
[“Pot holders”] Someone asked if anyone knew where they could get pot holders. My daughter makes them and has a supply available. her name is Kathy Fasano, Tel 305-744-9901. |
I used to think the Keystone Pipeline would be good for America because after we do a cold war with China we will then use the oil from the pipeline. Canada and America can then tell the world we don’t need their oil anymore, but I just found out the oil that comes from Canada is so crappy we could never clean it enough to ever use. China would be the only country that can use that junk oil |
What are they fighting for? In the interim, our veterans are committing suicide at an alarming rate. This is being attributed to PTSD, though the underlying reason may well be a result of our hypocritical policy. Our war fighters are told they are being sent to fight nebulous terrorists, but the reality they face is a great deal more complex and strenuous. They are seen as infidel fighters who are desecrating Islamic soil. That trauma is not only not recognized by officialdom but is ignored by an insane policy line: Islam is peaceful and only a few Muslims are radicals.
When they return to our matriarchal society where they cannot be permitted to be alpha males in their own households and cannot earn their keep, the mental trauma becomes unbearable. |
[Quo Vadis America?] We have allowed ourselves to be gerrymandered for decades at the peril of losing our society foundations. The level of “Mother may I” control over our lives has reached epic proportions. It started with restrictions on personal habits. Now even language deemed too offensive to left wing apparatchiks, feminists, sexual deviates, race baiting activists and all those who dream up of ways they might have been suppressed, is being controlled or modified. One day it is a furor over Washington Redskins and the next terms, such as waiter or waitress, that become offensive to officialdom. Yet, the same shadowy “officials” decide to allow calls to Muslim prayers on campus, etc. |
[Islamic Terror] Let us hope we will wake up in time and stand up for our beliefs and our rights before it is too late. Politicians certainly do not show much intestinal fortitude when faced with Islam’s blasphemy laws, whether they be Muslim sympathizers or not. They take the easy way out. “I got mine” and after me the deluge is all too often their modus operandi. |
Pork Chops with Cara Cara Oranges & Parsley. Recipe |
[Situation Wanted] We are looking for a 2 bedroom 1 or 2 bathroom home. We have been told by our landlord that he is selling the home we are living in. We have been living there for 6 yrs and now that it is season it is hard to find a place. We both have jobs and have been at our jobs for years. We need to be out of our place by Feb 28 if not sooner. Please, if anyone knows of a place in Big Pine or Ramrod give me a call. Cathy Classified Ads > Situation Wanted |
[Pot Holder] Go to eBay and type in “quilted pot holders”, they have a bunch. |
[“Increased sexual pleasure”] Unfortunately, the pot spray for women requires a doctor’s note from California. |
Contact Us. Click this link to post any opinion, ads, changes to an ad, complaint, kudos, or anything else. One link fits all. We read them all. Contact Us |
This observation is attributed to Mark Twain: “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” I guess he never went to Fantasy Fest. There are plenty of people under the influence there. He also pointed out that “Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.” Not to worry, though, Twain says you “Go to heaven for the climate. Hell for the company.” See y’all there! |
[“ACA ‘tax'”] The insurance fee is what you called a tax. Each and every citizen must pay for their insurance policy/premium under the ACA with a monthly payment/premium or they have no insurance coverage. No, insurance isn’t given away free, just like your Medicare. Undocumented immigrants can not register with the ACA. Low income individuals have their premium/payment subsidized by the taxpayers, just like Medicare. |
[Keystone Pipeline] Big Oil wants to build a pipeline to ship low grade crude oil the Far East. They want to build a pipeline across a fifth of the planet instead of having Canada ship it to China itself. I don’t get it. |
I suggest FTR change his moniker to something that more correctly describes his way of thinking. Perhaps FAP (From Another Planet) would be more appropriate. |
[CT Policy] I cannot understand it, if someone posts something derogatory about someone else of a business, they get their email address posted with the message. How come all the personal put-downs about FTR guy, never have who sent in the post? (Ed: Good point. It’s because FTR is the toughest old bird I’ve ever met and he can handle just about anything anyone can throw at him.) |
Forgotten Felines of the Florida Keys will hold its quarterly meeting at the Martin Luther Chapel (behind the NAPA store in Marathon) on Monday, January 26th. The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. and the public is invited. Refreshments will be served.
Forgotten Felines is an all volunteer organization which provides food and veterinary care to homeless and abandoned cats in the Middle and Lower Keys. They also place adoptable cats in loving homes and strive to educate the public about the imprtance of proper care and spay/neuter of pets. In the nearly two decades of its existence, Forgotten Felines has spayed/neutered more than 3,000 cats. They also maintain a number of daily feeding stations which service several hundred homeless cats. Anyone interested in becoming a Forgotten Felines volunteer should call (305) 743-2520. Events |
Contact Us. Click this link to post any opinion, ads, changes to an ad, complaint, kudos, or anything else. One link fits all. We read them all. Contact Us |
Hi there from Springer’s Bar and Grill. Today’s special is a Shrimp Po’ Boy. This New Orleans original is always a palate pleasing treat. So come on by and enjoy this Mardi Gras for your mouth. Friday Special is Fish and Chips. There’s always something special at Springer’s. |
If the Muslims are exempt from paying for Obama care, are the Jews too? How about the Catholics, the Hindus, the Snake Worshippers, and all the other Fire Dancers living in dreamville? Looks to me that the only suckers paying their freight are us sweaty working class dummies! |
[Rental Wanted] In search of a rental in Big Pine for the month of August. Must be able to accommodate dockage for a 34′ boat and 4 adults 3 kids for at least one of the weeks. We will rent the entire month of August, but will only be there for 2 weeks unless we are able to find a house to purchase while we are there, then we might be there another week. We prefer the Bogie Channel side and under $3500. Please email, call or text 251-209-3076. Thank you. Classified Ads > Situation Wanted |
I’m a-scaret! Man, am I glad it’s wintertime. All this talk about how the Muslims are coming to get us has me sleeping with the sheet pulled up over my head just like I did when I was about 5 years old. |
That post Monday about FKAA’s poor water quality really go me thinking. I think it was real, all the info seemed too technical and commonsensical to be made up.
(Ed: Here it is again:) [“Corrosive water”] Metal plumbing fixtures rot out here even without FKAA’s water in them. They rot on the shelf. FKAA controls the pH to a little over 9, partly so that the water will not be as capable of picking up metals from the piping. That is not to say that FKAA water is advisable to drink. Lots of nasty chemicals and drugs are in the aquifer that supplies most of the water to the plant, and these go right through the main treatment plant and then are piped to your faucet. Many contaminants are not tested for. The Consumer Confidence Report that you are sent every year is not at all representative of what reaches your home. That report is mandated by the state to make the customers feel better about what they are drinking and is another exercise in deceit. Sometimes the very fine print will tell you that the numbers in the report are not even from the past year. You can get your own Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) meter online for about $15. My water in BPK contains typically 2 to 4 times what the report says. I tested a friend’s water in Bay Point and found 16 times the TDS! What is in it besides calcium? who knows? When FKAA water evaporates it leaves a lot of nasty looking brown crud behind that can plug your showerhead and make it look like you never clean the sink. The water is disinfected with chlorine and ammonia (chloramine) in Florida City. Both disinfectants are corrosive and carcinogenic. The disinfectant is depleted along the way creating disinfection by-products (DBP) that are powerful carcinogens. Additional chlorine is added along the way for the lower Keys. Because certain people at FKAA insist on over-sizing water pipes, there is a good chance that if you are near the end of a side street, your water has no disinfectant left– just the DBPs. FKAA also adds fluoride to the water to protect your teeth, which is nonsense. If you live in the Keys you may not have many real teeth left, but even if you do have a few, the fluoride in water goes right past as you ingest it. Fluoride then carries the aluminum that was added to the water past your body’s blood-brain barrier that would normally block it. Hello, Alzheimer’s! Fluoride also disrupts your endocrine system, reducing thyroid function among others effects. It is stored in your bones where it makes them brittle. Hip fractures were found to be near double in fluoridated communities. Fluoride is strongly associated with bone cancer, especially in boys. Fluoride reduces IQ by about 10 points in children, and was used as a pacification agent by the Nazis. You may know that fluoride is a very hazardous industrial waste also used as an insecticide, and is now mostly supplied from China. Testing of Chinese sodium fluoride has found shocking contaminants including uranium. At the least, you should put a carbon filter between FKAA water and your showerhead to prevent breathing chlorine fumes which are associated with lung cancer, and use a reverse osmosis (RO) filter system on water you drink to remove almost everything including fluoride. My TDS reading is about 200 before and 0-1 after the RO filter. Here is a very informative letter discussing the hazards of tea drinking, just because of the fluoride content. Link |
[“Dhimmitude Dude”] ‘Libtard’? Really? Did you even read my post? I said Obamacare sucks. Did you even read your own posts on Monday? You posted the same B.S. twice — almost verbatim. If you are going to cut and paste junk that other people write, you should at least read it first. And what does all that other stuff you posted on Wednesday have to do with your claim that Muslims are exempt from Obamacare? If you were to read more of the legislation than the part that you mistakenly think proves your point, you would find that you actually have to submit an application for a religious exemption, which may or may not be approved. Rest assured, if Muslims were submitting tons of applications for exemptions, your favorite websites — and Fox News — would be all over it. |
Contact Us. Click this link to post any opinion, ads, changes to an ad, complaint, kudos, or anything else. One link fits all. We read them all. Contact Us |
I looked at the master pump station details for the new sewer system and noticed more pending disasters right away. The Ramrod and Big Pine pump stations have three 114 horsepower pumps that are each a little bigger than a file cabinet. The wetwell can hold about 16,000 gallons of wastewater. Each pump can push over 1000 gals/min, so a broken pipe will result in a huge raw sewage spill in just a few minutes, before FKAA even hears about it. Suppose the Big Pine pump station has just one of its three pumps running at 864 gals/min, and the Ramrod pump station fails to operate for some reason. A high level alarm would go off and less than 5 minutes later Ramrod will be overflowing raw sewage just as fast as Big Pine, Little Torch, and Ramrod North can send it. A lightning strike put the Ramrod water booster pump station that is on the same site out of service in 2014 for days. The difference is- the water keeps flowing through the pipes when the booster station quits, but if the sewage pump station quits, sewage overflows into the mangrove wetlands until crews can stop the incoming flow. If they stop the flow with a valve, then the many idiotic E-1 grinder pumps that feed directly into the trunk forcemain from the Big Pine pump station will build up dangerous pressures until something breaks, and then all the sewage will go there instead. These disasters cannot happen with septic tanks, and this screwball central sewer is not an improvement. It is an expensive, very badly designed mistake. Just stop it now and dump the pumps, dammit! |
[New Cars] After taking a look at the 2015 line up of cars and other vehicles, I have come to the conclusion that the American auto industry has fired all real men and woman designers and hired cross-bread-gay-Japanese-Mexican-crayon-using-donkey-cart designers. In other words, it will be a cold day in Key West before I buy one of these distorted dildos! |
What gives with all the Muslim hate postings? People are just people regardless of what religion they were raised in. Being brainwashed at an early age to believe in a certain religion is no guarantee of any behavioral qualities. The few true Muslims I have personally known were loving and generous. While you may point to violent, angry Muslims as examples, you need not look far to find similar Christians, Jews, atheists, or you name it. Mass murderers and otherwise sinister people of all religions may be found: Adolf Hitler was a Catholic. Kim Il-sung was Presbyterian. Pol Pot was Buddhist. Vladimir Lenin was atheist. Joseph Stalin was Georgian Orthodox (Christian). George Bush was Episcopalian, then Methodist. Barrack Obama is….well we’re not really sure, are we? |
[Phishing] We have an International Cashier Bank Draft/Cheque package worth the sum of $800,000.00 USD in your name at our office. Open attachment for more details. (Yeah, right.) |
[George Bush’s Illegal Immigrant Speech] I just found this old GW Bush video on my hard drive. It about 4 minutes long, but worth your time. Video |
You are right that Obama should have gone to France to show solidarity with the rest of the world leaders. Just like when all the world leaders came to the United States after 9/11 to march and show their … Oh. |
[Captain Doom and Gloom] DEF: Business n, A manipulation of others hard work by greedy owners by doing nothing but increasing the retail price.
DEF: Imports n, Products made from recycled debris from products made from older recycled debris. |
I find it hysterical how the RWNJ (right wing nut job) have gotten their panties all in a knot about Obama not attending the Paris ceremonies. Just think if he had attended, their reaction would have been about the same. |
FTR must be so frustrated reading the feedback from a few detractors who obviously know nothing about reality or are Democrats. |
Maybe Obama did not support France as he was as upset by the satire as the shooters. |
Contact Us. Click this link to post any opinion, ad, changes to an ad, complaint, kudos, or anything else. One link fits all. We read them all. Contact Us |
Mr. President It was you who told an Islamic dinner – “I am one of you.” It was you who on ABC News referenced – “My Muslim faith.” It was you who gave $100 million in U.S. taxpayer funds to re-build foreign mosques. It was you who wrote that in the event of a conflict -“I will stand with the Muslims.” It was you who assured the Egyptian Foreign Minister that – “I am a Muslim.” It was you who bowed in submission before the Saudi King. It was you who sat for 20 years in a Liberation Theology Church condemning Christianity and professing Marxism. It was you who exempted Muslims from penalties under Obamacare that the rest of us have to pay. It was you who purposefully omitted – “endowed by our Creator” – from your recitation of The Declaration Of Independence. It was you who mocked the Bible and Jesus Christ’s Sermon On The Mount while repeatedly referring to the ‘HOLY’ Quran. It was you who traveled the Islamic world denigrating the United States Of America. It was you who instantly threw the support of your administration behind the building of the Ground Zero Victory mosque overlooking the hallowed crater of the World Trade Center. It was you who refused to attend the National Prayer Breakfast, but hastened to host an Islamic prayer breakfast at the WH. It was you who ordered both Georgetown Univ. and Notre Dame to shroud all vestiges of Jesus Christ BEFORE you would agree to go there to speak, but in contrast, you have NEVER requested that the mosques you have visited adjust their decor. It was you who appointed anti-Christian fanatics to your Czar Corps. It was you who appointed rabid Islamists to Homeland Security. It was you who said that NASA’s “foremost mission” was an outreach to Muslim communities. It was you who as an Illinois Senator were the ONLY individual who would speak in favor of infanticide. It was you who were the first President not to give a Christmas Greeting from the WH, and went so far as to hang photos of Chairman Mao on the WH tree. It was you who curtailed the military tribunals of all Islamic terrorists. It was you who refused to condemn the Ft. Hood killer as an Islamic terrorist. It is you who has refused to speak-out concerning the horrific executions of women throughout the Muslim culture, but yet, have submitted Arizona to the UN for investigation of hypothetical human-rights abuses. It was you who when queried in India refused to acknowledge the true extent of radical global Jihadists, and instead profusely praised Islam in a country that is 82% Hindu and the victim of numerous Islamic terrorists assaults. It was you who funneled $900 Million in U.S. taxpayer dollars to Hamas. It was you who ordered the USPS to honor the MUSLIM holiday with a new commemorative stamp. It was you who directed our UK Embassy to conduct outreach to help “empower” the British Muslim community. It was you who embraced the fanatical Muslim Brotherhood in your quest to overthrow the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak. It was you who funded mandatory Arabic language and culture studies in Grammar schools across our country. It is you who follows the Muslim custom of not wearing any form of jewelry during Ramadan. It is you who departs for Hawaii over the Christmas season so as to avoid past criticism for NOT participating in seasonal WH religious events. It was you who was un-characteristically quick to join the chorus of the Muslim Brotherhood to depose Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, formerly America’s strongest ally in North Africa; but, remain muted in your non-response to the Brotherhood led slaughter of Egyptian Christians. It was you who appointed as your chief adviser, Valerie Jarrett , who is a member of the Muslim Sisterhood, an off-shoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Just about says it all………………….Thank you very much |
Someone in a KW bar was taking about ‘Why do we need a government?’ One reply was about having to defend our country. Another was about who would fix our roads and supply water, etc. Yet another inferred that without a government we would have no laws and be a Wild Wild West. The last retort was ‘Because assholes like you would want free drinks and free everything!’ So the moral of this was: Reelect Obama! |
You might be a republican if you don’t think Bush and Cheney bullied the intelligence community into giving him the justification to start a war in Iraq over non-existent WMDs. . http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-11-15/paralyzed-iraq-war-veterans-writes-last-words-bush-cheney |
Wow! The critics sure crawled out yesterday. For example, there were two postings, probably from one author, that adopted the theme that I “…agreed with the cops that Eric Garner died of a heart attack. One of the postings seemed hung up on the ME’s use of the word “homicide” in his report. I suggest you read Time magazine’s explanation of that choice of words. Link The Readers Digest version is that the word “homicide” does not mean murder or any other criminal act. It simply means the taking of a human life by another human. A legal execution is a homicide. Homicides come in a wide variety of classifications such as “excusable”, “justified”, “murder”, “manslaughter”, etc., etc..
The death of Garner was a homicide, the Criminal Justice system, not the cops made the decision that the Garner homicide was not a criminal homicide. The Grand Jury who made that decision consisted of 23 persons, 9 of whom were of color. That Grand Jury heard all of the evidence, heard sworn testimony from the NYC Medical Examiner, sworn testimony from police and civilian eyewitnesses, and decided that there was no criminality on the part of the arresting officers. Please think about the fact that the cops were dispatched to enforce tax laws. Tax laws! Garner died because he violated tax laws. The cops were under the supervision of a black sergeant. The then commander of the Uniform Division, Phillip Black, is black. It was he who ordered the crack down on the sale of “loosie” cigarettes. The city of NYC, with its liberal governance, demanded savage enforcement of terribly petty tax laws. It’s hard to believe that the NYPD brass actually dispatched a squad of officers to force a single man to stop violating tax laws by selling “loosie” cigarettes. But they did. Garner was morbidly obese and no stranger to law enforcement. He chose to resist the lawful orders of the police officers, he resisted arrest. That resistance is a crime. He was taken to the ground with a “take down” hold. After that hold was released he repeatedly spoke to the officers. Had he been choked, that would not have been possible. News reports tell us that Garners hyoid bone was intact, and there was no tissue damage to Garners throat. Hence, Garner was not “choked” to death. His death was a cascade of failures in Garner’s morbidly obese body. There is a video that shows the cops caring for the prone Garner. At 6:37 into that video, a witness asks a cop why no one is doing CPR on the supine Garner. A cop states: “because he’s breathing.” The witness responds: “Oh”. Link The video makes it clear that the on scene cops were caring for Garner. If you have interest in learning more about the issue, I suggest that you read the article to be found at Link The ignorance and hubris of the critic is stunning. He wrote: “Ask him (FTR) how many times he reported a fellow officer for breaking the law. The answer will probably be zero. After a long career in law enforcement I’ll bet he never reported anyone for the crimes he knew or suspected his comrades of doing.” FTR’S RESPONSE: The fact is that the answer to that question is every time I learned of allegations of law breaking on the part of police in my jurisdiction or under my supervision. My agency and I personally have successfully investigated and prosecuted cops, judges, public employees, and elected officials for crimes ranging from Murder 2 to petit larceny. I’ve also disciplined cops that worked under my supervision with punishments ranging from suspensions w/o pay, demotions, and ass chewings to firing. That’s during more than 3 and a half decades in the business. Make no mistake……every barrel may have rotten apples. But the rotten cops are few and far between. The vast majority, the very vast majority of cops are hardworking, honest, dedicated public servants. I was and am proud to have been of their ranks. The rotten apples are but a tiny fraction of the force. The critics seem to be constitutionally unable to avoid insults. This critic chose to attempt to insult me by suggesting that I had been a “school crossing guard”. The critic failed. Working as a school crossing guard is honest and honorable employment. There can be no more honorable endeavor than protecting our children. Finally, just for the record, I suggest that you read my posting of Wednesday, January 7th, wherein I propose that an entire new methodology of investigating deaths at the hands of law enforcement officers is necessary. PART 2) THE MEDIA HAS CONVINCED MANY THAT THE REPUBLICANS ARE AT WAR WITH WOMEN! If that’s true, then many, many women have not gotten the message. There are a slew of younger women who are rising stars in the Republican Party. An excellent example is Senator Joni Ernst. Brand new U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, Republican, Iowa, is a person you’d be proud to meet. She’s the U.S. Senate’s first female veteran. In addition to being a Senator, she is also a lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard. She spent 14 months in Kuwait in 2003-2004 as a company commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She’s been in the Guard since 1993. Senator Ernst is a fiscal conservative, she has expressed her support for a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget, as well as a reduction in spending on entitlement programs and discretionary spending. Link |