I am the past half-owner of Seaside Dawgs & Beef in Marathon.  I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and patronage.  I made many wonderful friends during my time in Marathon.  In January I left abruptly and need to explain why. 

I came to Marathon to live my dream, to live in paradise and start a new business.  I retired and took my retirement and life savings to invest in my dream.  I left due to mental and physical abuse inflicted by the current owner.  I literally packed my car with my most important belongings, leaving everything else behind and left for fear that I would suffer the unthinkable.  Many customers and friends heard and saw the abuse.  I called people on my phone while the abuse was occurring so they could hear first hand what I endured. 

I write this only because, even being 1800 miles away, the abuse and harassment continue.  He continues to call, text and e-mail not only me but my family.  The only reason I did not have him arrested while living there is because I was trying to save the business.  Also I don’t believe there are laws against mental abuse and physical abuse such as throwing air punches to make me cower, throwing items and hitting me, but leaving no marks.  I made audio tapes of the abuse of which he knew and didn’t care, which I still have. 

I wrote daily e-mails to friends and family in case something happened to me.  I am now penniless and am trying to get my life back in order which is difficult with the daily harassment from him.  I write this as I have no legal or financial means to make him stop so I’m hoping that by writing a public notice he’s on notice to stop. 

My family tried to buy him out, he wouldn’t leave so I had to.  I purchased all the equipment and 98% of all the funds that went into the business were mine which is proven.  Therefore, I am publicly asking the owner (by default) of Seaside Dawgs in Marathon to stop harassing me and my family. Please do not call us, do not text us, do not e-mail us anymore. 

It’s sad that I had to leave all that I worked for and the great people of the Keys. ~nischant@aol.com

[Sharks] While it is possible that the world in general might be suffering a loss of sharks the Keys have no such problem.  We are facing an overpopulation of several species of shark.  On top of that we have a problem with sharks learning to steal fish from fishermen leading to problems with the catch and release fishery of tarpon as well as the reef yellow tail and wreck Amberjack catch and eat fishery.

Sharks are not the mindless feeders that they are made out to be.  They are quite trainable and will set up shop and go for the easy meal.  Once a shark has learned this trick they should be dispatched, like a bear that has become used to raiding a neighborhood for garbage.

[It’s Official] Circuit Court Judge David  Audlin issued a “writ of mandamus” Wednesday ordering  Monroe County to issue building permits needed to connect  No Name Key homes to power lines.

Springers is having their first annual Memorial Day Pig Roast starting at 3 pm Monday, May 27.  Live entertainment by Dawn & Tim from 7 pm – 10 pm  with a special appearance by Charley Possum. 

Why does it usually rain in the afternoons? Does it have something to do with the rock heating up? The morning will be beautiful and by the time I get my act together, the boat loaded and ready to go, the clouds arrive. 

[Hug A Muslim] British soldier hacked to death in suspected Islamist attack. Video

Fanci Seafood will be closed on Sundays until August. Everyone have a great summer!

[Thought for the day] Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.

Report says old 7 Mile Bridge repairs would be financial boon. Historical displays; creative lighting; benches. Link

Congratulations to Bonnie & family at the Good Food Conspiracy Health Food Store on BPK. She is a new Grandmother! Sure doesn’t look like one though; we’re always young in heart.

Don’t worry about how close the drug store is in the lower Keys, you’re only a couple of yards away from drugs no matter where you are!

[Wind turbines] Those are some noisy things. They say they are only 40 decibels, but I doubt it. A 500 foot blade makes a lot of noise as the air moves it. Put a bunch of them together and the noise will drive you insane. 

To the person who noted no looting in Okie. It’s not fun looting when it’s all rubble.

[Championing feral invasives]  Sadly, it doesn’t make any difference.  The most destructive invasive exotic — people — have already infiltrated the Keys environment.

[The Movies] The 1960 B movie Hercules vs Hydra was so bad I had to watch it for about a half hour. Whenever anyone stabbed another he would stab into the dirt next to the ‘victim’ or in the armpit. It looked so phony I thought it might be a spoof on Italian films, but they didn’t make satires in those days.A punch would miss the punchee and the punchee would fall. Another scene had a man touch a mounted soldier with a stick and the soldier fell off his horse and died. You could see the sheets of metal that made the ‘marble’ columns of the temple.

The only saving grace was that it starred two terrible actors, muscle builder Mickey Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield. She had enormous boobs, they were really something. Mickey and Jayne were married when the movie was made and they were the hot Hollywood couple. The producers wanted to add some sex and star power to the slew of Hercules movies in theaters at the time. This is worth a watch just to see the funny un-special effects and Jayne’s boobs.

Jayne’s movie career ended when she got her head cut off in a traffic accident. Mickey never had a career. 

[United Way of the Florida Keys] Thanks to generous giving by individuals and organizations throughout Monroe County, the United Way of the Florida Keys has just announced more than $150,000 in annual grants to 13 local nonprofit programs.

The United Way is able to give out 20 percent more money to programs in the Keys this year, thanks to ongoing payroll deductions from loyal residents, annual gifts, and corporate gifts including our top donor Publix Supermarkets.

How to open a beer in novel ways. The ultimate compilation! Video

Peacocks, peacocks everywhere?
Peacocks, peacocks in your hair?
Not in your hair  ‘cause they are caught in a snare
That was put there
By people who don’t care.   
Will key deer be next?
Or should they learn to text?
Groups like PETA
That have helped save the cheetah.
Just treat them kind  
And all will be fine.
Just don’t be uptight  
Or give up the fight  
Show those people this just isn’t right.
Stand your ground  
Don’t be pushed around
And in the end all will be sound.

The next meeting of our Big Pine Computer Club is coming up this Saturday, May 25, 10 am at the senior center.  Hope to see you there. Bulletin Board

[What’s in a name] Call a lady a bitch, and you are struck with the anything close by. But women can call themselves a bitch, and it’s all smiles, they seem to be proud.

I don’t understand.

A little research would give the true story about the wind turbines on Cudjoe. Link

In the real world, I used to proof read legal documents. Shouldn’t the first paragraph in Tuesday’s KW Citizen have read: Floundering Crane Point Museum etc, etc.

[Trust] It wouldn’t hurt my feelings one bit if we deported every Muslim in this country. The recent machete murder in England and the Boston bombers prove that they can’t be trusted no matter how nice they are to your face. Americans are wary of them now and it will only get worse.

Roping a grizzly?  I’m pretty sure I remember seeing this when it was first on TV and thinking, even then, Really? Who thought that was a good idea? Video

 I have a beautiful house for sale in Eden Pines. Please watch this Video. ~Nira Tocco

[Wind turbines] There are fields of wind turbines all over Scandinavia – most in the water. They are not strung out for miles along a single road. You can sail a boat through the fields, but the fields were not on my charts, which was a bit of a shock. They do take care of most of the electrical needs of the countries they serve, so no one is overly concerned about the looks.

[Captain Doom and Gloom] When was the last time you sent back a meal you did not like in a restaurant? Did you have the guts to tell the chef the meal was not fit to eat? No, you probably chickened out, smiled at the waitress then paid the grossly over-priced check for the garbage you hated, right?

This is common in Florida because most of us are used to such places serving such goop!

We just never go back there. That is the problem, we are running out of places to eat, drink and may have to cook our own. Oh, gad!

“Sewers” Does anyone know how much interest we sewer payers are getting on our pre-paid sewer contract bill?  Do we have to call an FKAA offshore bank to find out?

“Yard Sale” n. A frustrating effort to gain profit from debris you would never buy yourself, but want an arm and a leg for, from strangers looking to make a fortune hoping to find that long lost Picasso painting and offering you 50 cents for it. SEE: Secondhand debris sales. 

It’s funny when Democrats and Republicans argue back and forth as if both parties aren’t full of lying a-holes.

[Frontline on PBS] Top Secret America – 9/11 to the Boston Bombings. After watching that I want Bush back in that command chair instead of Obama.

[Muslims and Politics] Soldiers wounded in the Fort Hood shooting spree in November 2009 have a new problem on their hands: getting the shooting’s classification changed from “workplace violence” to “combat related.”

As reported by Dallas-Fort Worth’s NBC 5 Investigates, the injured soldiers are struggling to pay their bills. Because the government doesn’t classify the shooting as an act of combat or terror, those injured don’t receive additional pay or Purple Hearts. Receiving the “pay and medical benefits earned by those wounded in combat” would be a big help to these soldiers and their families, reports NBC 5. Adding to the soldiers’ concerns: Major Nidal Hasan, the man charged in the shootings, continues to be paid his salary and has earned more than $278,000 since the shooting, which resulted in 13 deaths and 32 injuries.

The news team reported that the Department of Defense confirmed that Hasan has continued to receive his salary because he has not yet been proved guilty. The salary rule is documented in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. NBC 5 spoke with Retired Army Spc. Logan Burnett and his wife, Torey Burnett, about the “workplace violence” designation. At the time of the shooting, the reservist was about to deploy to Iraq. He was shot three times by the gunman.

Now I get it. I can empathize with all folks that said or felt a strong dislike for President Bush. The 8 years you had to live with this overwhelming disgust for a man you knew was unfit for Office. I feel the same way about President Obama. It’s eating me up ,breaking my heart to see President Obama run America into the ground.

Next up on Fox News: The FBI shot a man during questioning in the Boston bombing case. Was Obama tying up loose ends?

FROM THE RIGHT

Kudos and a tip of the FTR fedora to the poster who discovered a couple of little nuggets that I was not aware of. Yesterday’s poster claimed that the McClatchy chain of papers had been reporting that Amb Stevens on two occasions had been offered additional security, but that Stevens had rebuffed both offers. All of this gets “curioursior” and “curiousior”! Just like Alice in Wonder land.

It is astounding that this news would just now float to the surface given that the issue has been floating around for months. It sounds very much like a cover up or a dodge. There is absolutely no doubt but that Stevens requested additional security from the State Department additional security four times. There is no doubt but that there was an 18-person special forces security team headed by Lt. Col. Wood that Gen. Ham signed off on that the State Department said no to. The records are very clear that people on the ground in Libya made numerous requests for additional security that were either denied or only partially granted. On the day he died, Stevens asked for more security.

CBS news reported that In the weeks before his death, U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens sent the State Department several requests for increased security for diplomats in Libya. Steven’s memos to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is investigating attacks, show he personally pressed for strengthened security. Ambassador warned Libya was “volatile and violent”. Those requests were not honored.

On July 9, 2012, Stevens sent a “request for extension of tour of duty (TDY) personnel.” That refers to a 16-man military temporary security team with expertise in counter terrorism. They were set to leave in August, but Stevens asked to keep them “thru mid-September.”

After the slaughter in Benghazi Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cautiously took “responsibility” for Benghazi attack

On August 2, six weeks before he died, Stevens requested “protective detail bodyguard potions,” saying the added guards “will fill the vacuum of security personnel currently at post who will be leaving with the next month and will not be replaced.” He called “the security condition in Libya … unpredictable, volatile and violent.” It’s not known what happened to that request.

On Sept. 11 — the day Stevens and three other Americans were killed — the ambassador signed a three-page cable, labeled “sensitive,” in which he noted “growing problems with security” in Benghazi and “growing frustration” on the part of local residents with Libyan police and security forces.  These forces the ambassador characterized as “too weak to keep the country secure.”

It seems perfectly logical and in keeping with all of the facts that we now know that after having been rebuffed in his many requests for additional security from Team Obama, that that he had been ordered by Team Obama, not to accept any help from the military.  Keeping a low profile and a light US footprint in Libya was all important to Obama. I suggest that you read the following cite and try to figure it out for yourself. Personally, it smelled to me like mendacity aborning. Link 

Part 2) While you’re trying to so sort out the foregoing, please give some thought of the bizarre performance of IRS executive, Lois Lerner, she’s Team Obama IRS heavy hitter who triggered the IRS scandal on May 10 when she acknowledged that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups applying for a tax exemption. She appeared before a Congressional committee this morning under the order of a subpoena and surprised many by reading a strong statement to the panel.  “I have not done anything wrong,” she said. “I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations, and I have not provided false information to this or any other committee.” She and her lawyer seemed to be convinced that her and Team Obama’s actions are criminal in nature. That’s why they have embraced their right against self incrimination. The way it was done was a massive, royal screw up. By her giving an opening statement denying any wrongdoing, she opened herself up to cross examination. You can be certain that she will be back to testify again. My guess that she will get some sort of immunity and will hand up the entire scheme that used the IRS to savage enemies of the Obama. If she does not make a deal for immunity, she will be savaged.

Part 3) The saga of Team Obama vs the United States Constitution becomes more and more visible with every passing day. Currently there are at least 4 scandals, any one of which could bring the Obama house of cards crashing down. Please take a few minutes and check out Team Obama’s war on the First Amendment. Team Obama is fervently engaged in trying to gag some news outlets that are high on their enemies list. It beggars belief, but they have actually gone after the parents of one reporter.

Part 4) Certainly we’ve all heard of TripAdvisor, it is the Mac Daddy of web sites that review all matters pertaining to travel.  Customers inform the TripAdvisor web site of their individual experiences at restaurants, hotels, etc. Their experiences are ranked.

A huge kudo and a huge doff of the FTR fedora to our very own Big Pine Restaurant which has just been recognized by TripAdvisor with a 2013 Certificate of Excellence.

This prestigious award, which places The Big Pine Restaurant in the top-performing 10% of all businesses worldwide on TripAdvisor, is given to businesses that consistently earn high ratings from TripAdvisor travelers.

Congratulations to John and Sam, they do an awesome job, that’s why Mr. and Mrs. FTR are nearly daily customers.  Good job. Link

Judge orders county to issue electricity permits ~BY TIMOTHY O’HARA Citizen Staff

Circuit Court Judge David Audlin issued a “writ of mandamus” today ordering Monroe County to issue building permits needed to connect No Name Key homes to power lines.

The writ comes a week after the Public Service Commission (PSC) ruled that No Name Key residents are entitled to commercial power and the county’s land use policies can’t prohibit utilities there.