Letters to the editor with pictures since 2002. Published on Big Pine Key’s garbage days, Tuesdays and Fridays.
[Mini Lobster Season vs Local’s Health] Basically it comes down to Mini Season divers’ fun vs the health and safety of Keys residents. You cannot possibly have the numbers of people who traditionally participate in Mini Season pack into the stores and gas stations and other amenities and not leave behind a trail of infection that will spike right about the time the decision to open schools will need to be made. I’m unclear if the power to cancel the season lies with Monroe County officials or the State, but Gov. DeSantis has already proven that he is out of his depth regarding the management of this crisis, so I’ll bet he sits on his hands on this one. |
| [“Lobster mini season”] I sent an email to the governor requesting that mini season be shut down and that the US1 roadblock be setup again. Please help me stop this nonsense. At the time of this writing there were 582 cases in Monroe County. When the roadblock was setup, it was 107. That’s about 10 new cases every single day; and that’s if we only have the number of tourists we have now. What do you think it will be when we invite 20 to 30,000 more people down here for mini season? It’s ridiculous to even attempt an argument for the sole purpose of profit. |
 [Vacation Rental Owners] I own a small housekeeping company. Please impose a 24 hour interval between departing guests and arriving guests so the virus can die. The 6 hour window between departing guests and arriving guests is foolish and ridiculous. I know I am cutting corners to get the houses ready by 4pm and so are the other cleaning companies.I think if we all do our part to mitigate the spread of Corona Virus, we will be able to resume operations faster while keeping everyone healthy and safe. In order to do this my prices will have to increase. My employees’ will have to spend more time trying to sanitize the house. I have received much resistance about raising my price for the extra service. I charge $10 a room extra to mist with disinfectant. The home owners don’t want a mist on their furniture, surfaces, floors etc. and don’t want to spend the extra money—sometimes an extra $50-60. The purpose of this letter is to tell you that it is irrational and absurd to think that all surfaces including but not limited to all door handles, light switches, and remote controls are fully sanitized and disinfected prior to guest arrival. There is not enough time – 6 hours is not enough – and that is one reason the virus is spiking—sick tourists leaving sick germs and the replacement tourists picking up those germs and spreading them. I ask that you impose 24 hour interval between departing guests and arriving guests. |
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| [Bailout Recipients] Does anyone know why this President won’t allow anyone to know where all the trillions of dollars of virus bailout money went? Everyone wants to know. It’s our money not his. |
[Wayfair.com] How do they sell furniture so cheap? We just bought a couch for less than half the price we’d pay in a store. The catch is we have to wait 6-8 weeks for delivery and they only drop it off at the house. No unwrapping or bringing it upstairs or removing the old one. That’s not a problem when we’re saving more than a thousand dollars! I think they have each piece manufactured to order in China. I don’t think they have a warehouse here. I don’t think they have anything. They just order from their Chinese supplier as needed. I think that is why their selection is so great. Also, the fabric is man-made and the framing is plywood and not hardwood. Who cares, we saved a thousand bucks. |
| [Close US1] Florida Department of Health reported 75 new cases of COVID-19 in Monroe County. This is more than double the number of cases seen in a single day to date. The cumulative case count for Monroe has risen by 74 cases to 544. This won’t stop until people stop passing it around. Please, please, please wear your mask and stay away from people. Stop passing it around—wear a mask. Think of others. Don’t take chances. Wearing a mask should not be a political statement unless you’re stupid. Even if you are, I don’t want to lose you! |
Does anyone know if this is a USCG approved flotation device? I’m asking for a friend. |
| [Inmates Running The Asylum] ~15,000 new cases of Covid-19 in Florida in one day [Sunday 7/12] setting a new world record. Link ~Trump administration launches effort to discredit Dr Anthony Fauci, the only person in the government who speaks the truth. Link ~The Secretary of Education wants to reopen all schools, but she refuses to say if they should follow CDC guidelines or if Trump will withhold funding. Note: She’s an ultra rich,unqualified political appointment who has never been to a public school. Now is the time for leadership not political favors. Link |
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| Florida has 15,000 new cases in one day. COVID-19 is out of control! No leadership. Mixed messages. The Governor’s state-imposed mini season invites 20-30,000 divers from Florida, the most infectious state in the Union. Again, no leadership—politics first, people’s safety second. |
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| [Suicide deaths of despair will rise in wake of COVID-19] Federal agencies and experts warn that a historic wave of mental-health problems is approaching: depression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide. The mental health toll of the coronavirus pandemic is only beginning to show itself, and it is too early to predict the scale of the impact. Link |
[Robot Birds] Drones are cool, but robot birds are better. BionicSwift’s wings may be made of foam, but just watch those things soar. Video |
| [Contagion] How risky is visiting a museum? this graphic about Covid-19 transmission provides some answers. From going to a library or museum, to visiting a concert, the Texas Medical Association created a graphic to assess the scale of risk, on a scale of one to 10. Link |
[Don’t wear masks. God loves you and will protect you] Ignorance is alive and well in Abilene, TX. This is from a doctor’s office where sick people congregate. |
| [Mini Lobster Season] In light of the horrendous increase in COVID-19 in the past few days in Florida would it be prudent to allow 20,000-30,000 lobster hunters to flock down to the Florida Key from the three most hazardous counties of Florida, the place with the most new cases — in one day, in the World!? Think about the ramifications of the health risks just for the chance of capturing 12 salt water lobsters?
It’s not worth the risk because those “Lobster Mobsters” historically, haven’t paid attention to social distancing or legal limits of lobsters takings. Have some consideration on the local voters of the Florida Keys. Don’t just throw us under the bus for the sake of a few saltwater cockroaches. |
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| [Electoral College] The Supreme Court clearly got it right on Monday when it ruled that the Electoral College can keep working the way it has worked for the last 200 years. The justices did not address the much bigger problem, which is the existence of the Electoral College itself. Link |
Kelly Preston Dies at 57. Ms. Preston, who was married to John Travolta, was known for her role in “Jerry Maguire” as the hardhearted fiancée of the Tom Cruise character. Link |
| [“Idiot woman driver”] I don’t think you are allowed to say this anymore. Careful, you could be cancelled by the SJWs[?] and Deer Ed too. |
[Trump’s Bleach Cure] Florida men charged with selling bleach as COVID-19 cure, threatening “a Waco”. “Church of Bleach” members allegedly failed to comply with court order, threatened judge. Who said no one took Trump seriously when he talked about injecting bleach? Link |
| [Our Afterthought Society] Ornithologists and birders are pushing to officially rename McCown’s Longspur which was named after a Confederate army officer who also fought against Native Americans. Link |
Close US1 again to outsiders, especially Floridians. |
| 500 people died in Florida this week—Land of the Pandemic. Close the damned highway! Link |
 [Blood Collecting] There will be two blood drives on Big Pine Key in July with links below to register for an appointment which is required. The appointments fill fast, so please click on the link for the day you want to donate. If you can’t make it, be sure to cancel so that another donor can sign up. One Blood does antibody testing. Do not present to donate if you have a fever. You must wait at least 14 days before donating if you have been exposed to someone who has or may have COVID-19, have recently been tested and are pending test results for COVID-19 or if you have a confirmed active case of COVID-19.
As a thank you for saving lives, all blood donors will receive a free OneBlood tote bag. Plus, all donors will receive a wellness checkup including: COVID-19 antibody test, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, iron count, cholesterol screening. Thursday, July 23 12:30pm-5:30pm – Keys Real Estate, 30362 Overseas Highway, BPK. Link |
| [Building Collapse] Recovery of bodies begins next week at Hard Rock Hotel site in New Orleans. Who needs terrorists when you have lousy architects? Video |
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| Hospitalization list with primary diagnosis of COVID-19 broken down by county. Link |
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| [Murder By Cop Of Handcuffed Criminal] Friday our CT had a couple of contributors who were hacked that anybody would dare to mention that George Floyd was a violent thug. They correctly pointed out that even a violent thug has an absolute right to be treated equitably by the cops. I suspect that the contributors are unaware that Floyd’s penchant for violence will play an important part in the trial of the officers.
The jury will learn that Floyd was either 6’6” or 6’7” and weighed about 230 pounds. He was a bouncer at a bar. The jury will learn that Floyd had severe heart disease and at the time of his death he was under the influence of meth and fentanyl. We still do not know all of the facts and circumstances of the episode. Most importantly….how and why did Floyd wind up on the ground. If Floyd was resisting, thrashing about, kicking, butting, perhaps biting, pushing and pulling in an attempt to avoid being put in the police car, that would be vital to determining the appropriate amount of force that was used. And more importantly, did Floyd’s own actions trigger the heart attack that killed him. The jury will want to know! Now it’s being reported that Floyd was resisting violently being put in the police car….so violently that he injured himself. The facts are not yet all in, to make a judgement at this point is foolish, but there is no question but that his history/reputation for violence and thuggery will play an important role in the trial. |
If you’re paying $3 for a bottle of “smart” water it isn’t working. |
| [Mini Lobster Season] Why cancel it if the divers will only return a week or so later for the first day of the official lobster season. That would really creating havoc between idiots and commercial fisherman. |
 [Lousy Tech Support] I keep getting an unsolicited “Driver Support” pop-up. I don’t know if it is real or a virus. Also they are trying to install MS Edge to replace Chrome. Am I in trouble? I don’t trust anybody.Answer: Driver support is a 3d party bs thing you don’t need. Try to remove it. Link Install the new Edge browser but do not click yes on “make Edge my default browser” Then exit. |
| Disney World is open and I’m going! What could go wrong? Video |
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