Letters to the editor with pictures since 2002. Published on Big Pine Key’s garbage days, Tuesdays and Fridays.
[Big Pine Moose Lodge Friday Night Fish Dinner] Mahi or fresh Snapper, fried, grilled or blackened, French fries or scalloped potatoes and coleslaw. Beginning at 5:30. Open to Moose members and their qualified guests. |
| [Local Drug Dealer] Before Hurricane Irma there was a women who worked at the Big Pine Library who people liked and respected, but I am here to tell you the truth about her. She lost her home in Irma, and as her hippie friend would say, “that is Karma.” The lady is a slumlord and has been for the last 25 years. For the last 10 years she has been renting to a drug dealer, the SWAT team showed up twice trying to bust the dealer but they were not successful, maybe because he buried his stash behind his house in the woods. Not the issue. Her current renter was recently busted for: F 823.10.1 KEEP PUB NUISANCE STRUCTURE FOR DRUG ACTIVITY F 893.13.1a1 WIT SELL MFG OR DELIVER SCHEDULE I OR II F 893.13.1a1 WITH INTENT TO SELL MFG DELIV ETC SCHEDULE II M 893.147.1 AND OR USE Her husband was a big dealer that left the area after the storm because all his clients got pushed out after the Avenues got wiped out. Her brother is/was a dealer, not sure if he is not in prison yet. I hope so. She is the current dealer. She was able to bond-out and is back on the streets. If you know of a friend or family member whose life is a mess from synthetic drugs or any other kind of drugs, you should be outraged. I had discussed the drug dealing with the landlord and her husband before her husband died, but the greed of being a slumlord out weights the humility of doing the right thing. This sweet old lady from the library has been accepting drug money for 10 years from just this one family. Do you think she reports her incoming to the IRS? How would you like to live across the street from this mess, and the mess they placed on the right of way across the street? I have filed a report with code enforcement. Hopefully they have the balls to do the right thing. I am sure the landlord’s children would be ashamed, maybe not. We are our parents’ children. ~<emcadams50@gmail.com |
 [Execution by Police] Tuesday’s defense of the poster who suggested that George Floyd’s criminal background somehow justifies his treatment and subsequent murder, and the further suggestion that the police might be justified in their actions because he was on meth and was a big man, a bouncer, illustrates your lack of understanding of police procedures. The suspect was handcuffed! The fight was over, no matter what he weighed. And he was taken down–on his face. The body weight of a cop is sufficient to keep a combative suspect down, especially a handcuffed one (a principle of Jujitsu used by the police). Never knee on neck. Not procedure. And there were four cops! They did nothing. If Floyd was so dangerously out of control as you suggest, why didn’t all four of them help hold him down? Because he wasn’t that out of control. He was helpless. He had quite clearly given up. The jury will hear, multiple times, “I can’t breathe!” only to be completely and callously disregarded. The jury will see him dying under that knee. The jury will see the police not following procedures. So heinous and cruel were their acts that they caused the death of a defenseless person in their custody. The use of drugs, passing counterfeit money, being claustrophobic, and struggling to breath are not crimes punishable by execution by police. |
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| [I See Dead People] It’s Tuesday afternoon and 132 Floridians have died so far today. Where’s our leadership? Governor DeSantis does nothing and neither does the President. Please help us! |
[COVID Earth is Terrible] Let’s look to the stars. The pandemic news is worse than ever. Take time to take care of yourself and maybe look for a comet. Link |
| [Friday Joke] A pirate walks into a Key West bar with a steering wheel coming out of the zipper in his pants.He sits down and asks for a mug of beer. Bartender gives him his drink and says, “You know you have a steering wheel coming out of the zipper in your pants.” The pirate says, “Aarrrgggggg, I know. It’s driving me nuts!” |
This is the longest something made in China has ever lasted. |
| [Crooks] FWC received a call regarding multiple divers possibly spearing lobster under the Spanish Channel Bridge in the Lower Keys. Lieutenant Payne responded by land and observed five men diving from a small black skiff near the bridge. He called Officers Mason and Cobb to respond by boat to the scene. Once they arrived Lieutenant Payne and Officer Piekenbrock walked onto the fishing portion of the bridge and observed two of the divers with a yellow pole spear and a blue mesh bag. The divers dropped their equipment and swam away when the marked patrol boat arrived. They were collected and transported back to their skiff and identified. The spear and bag were retrieved, and the area was searched for additional resource violations. Two undersize speared lobster and two undersize hogfish were located. Four of the five divers were charged with the various misdemeanor resource violations. The divers were from Virginia, Vermont and various towns in Florida. In addition, the subject’s vessel contained no safety equipment and the captain of the vessel was also charged with several infractions. |
[Guns] Texas released a map of gun owners in the state. Each red dot equals one gun. |
| [Key West Makes Face Masks Mandatory] Because of the dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases, every person over the age of 6, while in the City of Key West and away from their residence, is required to wear a mask, regardless of whether social distancing is maintained. It continues to allow restaurant patrons to remove their mask only when seated at a table and eating or drinking.Individuals violating this directive are subject to a second-degree misdemeanor charge, which carries fines up to $500, and potential prison terms of up to 60 days, with higher penalties for repeated offenses. Link |
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| [Death By Car] In Manhattan, cars took a break from killing people. About 10 pedestrians die on New York City’s streets in an ordinary month. Under lockdown, the city went a record two months without a single pedestrian fatality. In California, vehicle collisions plummeted 50 percent, reducing accidents resulting in injuries or death by about 6,000 per month. |
[Bacon Salad] Stay tuned for more recipes. |
| What kind of border security do we have when a raft with 31 Cubans and an infant practically landed on the doorstep of JIATA, Key West? Ten turned themselves in. Twenty-one are still at large. This was reported 7/16/2020 on US1 Radio Morning and Noon news. We have JIATA, Joint Interagency Task Force South. We have the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Key West. We have the U.S. Naval Air Station. We have U.S. Customs and Border Protection. We have U.S. Customs Services. We have a Tethered Aerostat Radar System nicknamed “Fat Albert” on Cudjoe Key. Lots of people not doing their jobs! |
The official sports drink when I was a kid. |
| Blaming a criminal for the police murdering him when he was handcuffed and subdued and on the ground is mindboggling. This country certainly is divided. |
[Thirsty] For some reason this reminds me of the thirsty group at the Tiki bar waiting for their drinks. |
| [Florida Keys Will Have Nightly Restaurant Closures and Alcohol Sales Ban Starting Next Friday] The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners will implement a countywide closure of restaurants and bars nightly from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. and will prohibit alcohol package sales nightly from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m. (in conjunction with the normal 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. alcohol sale ban) starting on Friday, July 24 and extending through Wednesday, August 19. The ordinance will be re-discussed at the regularly scheduled board meeting on Wednesday, August 19 where it could potentially be renewed. Bars are still currently closed per the Department of Business and Professional Regulation Emergency Order but are included in the local ordinance should things change at the state level. The closures and alcohol sales will be in effect throughout the county and municipalities unless a municipality enacts different rules. Any person found in violation may be punished by up to 60 days in the County jail and/or a fine of up to $500. Violators are also subject to administrative fines of up to $1,000 for a first offense and $5,000 for a repeat offense. Each day a violation of this ordinance occurs is considered a separate offense. |
[300 More Houses in Your Neighborhood] The Monroe County Commission voted for a second time Wednesday to accept 300 state-issued building allocations. |
| [Back To School] Are you willing to let your children be part of an experiment with a deadly virus with no known cure? Would you let your little ones go to school during the great Plague? Or doesn’t this one have enough deaths to worry. Considering the population of the world, a half million deaths isn’t really that bad, is it? Unless one of them is your family? |
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[Bicycle vs Iguana] Florida man hospitalized after iguana runs into bicycle causing crash. A 62-year-old Florida man had to get stitches to his head on Friday after an iguana ran in front his bicycle and caused him to crash. The man told Monroe County deputies he was traveling on a bicycle path when an iguana darted out in front of him from the median grass area. The iguana became lodged in between the front tire and front wheel fork of the bicycle, causing the front tire to lock, which threw the man over the handlebars and onto the asphalt. The victim was taken to Fishermen’s Hospital in stable condition. The condition of the iguana did not appear as stable, according to deputies. |
| FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report June 26 thru July 2, 2020. Link |
How one lady attracts hundreds of hummingbirds to her California home. Video |
| Priests pray 4x a day, Muslims pray 5x, they both read from the old testament. Muslims=Tawrat, Jew=Torah, Catholic=Old Testament. Christian god is white, Muslim god – brown, Jewish god is white too. Whose god is better? We can’t even agree on whose god is best, how will we ever agree on anything else? |
[Reduction In Bridge Clearance] During ongoing construction, the opening in the Old Seven Mile Bridge west of Pigeon Key will have cables extended across it at a height of approximately 30 feet, and possibly as low as 18ft in some areas. The cables will remain in place until July 2021. Mariners should use caution when transiting the area and be aware of overhead hazards. |
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| Detroit Youth Choir raises its voice for racial justice in powerful new version of Oscar-winning song ‘Glory’ in a project fueled by Detroit Imagination. Video |
Dear white people, stop telling Native Americans like me, whether we’re offended by the Washington Redskins name. |
| Get the latest information from the CDC about COVID-19. Video |
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| [United Way of Collier and the Keys] On July 1, we granted $500 to each of our 9 partner educational facilities. These grants were to assist them with reopening their childcare centers or programs safely as parents return to work. We are glad to serve the community by continuing to ensure our children have safe, quality childcare. |
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