PYTHON AND IGUANA UPDATE

It has been a while since I discussed pythons and iguanas. Two of Florida’s most disliked reptiles.

This past week, two workers at the Florida Python Elimination Program were working in the Everglades. They caught a record breaking female Burmese python. Just under 20 feet.

Besides its length, there is one additional factor involved. They caught the python with their bare hands!

Two crazy guys!

Iguanas are a total absolute pain in the ass! The only way to describe how they affect humans. They eat our flower beds, defecate in our pools, etc.

Florida was late in deciding to deal with the python problem. By the time Florida got to them, there were too many pythons to deal with. Like in excess of 1 million.

Florida is aware of its delay and the result thereof. Florida acknowledges pythons will never be eliminated. The hope is to control/manage the population.

Florida has equally been late in dealing with the iguana population. They’re all over the place!

When I first started visiting Key West 30 years ago, there were no iguanas. Then they began to appear on the golf course. In trees and on the ground. All sizes. Looked like tiny dinosaurs.

They are prolific. Enjoy sex. They frequently engage in the practice. Iguanas today without any doubt exceed the 1 million pythons.

For the past 2 years, Florida has been trying to deal with the problem. Good luck! Will not do any good. The State is too late again.

Florida now permits “private hunters.” Their game iguanas. They are hired by property owners, not the State.

One such hunter is Quentin Garcia. He has been in the business 2 years. In that time, he estimates he has killed 3,000.

The law permits snares, trapping, and BB or pellet guns. Garcia prefers the guns.

Iguanas are not an endangered species. Never the less, Florida law requires they be killed with one shot. The first one. Recommend a bullet to the brain. Garcia aims for an ear.

A problem arises if the iguana is not dead. Not supposed to shoot it again. In pain. However, I do not know what is done next.

The Villages in mid Florida is the largest retired persons community in the U.S. Most residents black hearted Republicans. Trump their hero.

My few Democratic friends who live there try to keep their politics secret. It’s that bad.

Some are coming into the new light of day.

Residents get around on golf carts. Signs have been seen on them in increasing numbers. The signs saying Go Biden. Note the increasing numbers no way compares with the number still supporting Trump.

J. Ronald Johns died. He was 84. His friends referred to him as Johnnie.

Johnnie had 2 homes. One in Utica, the other in Key West. Summers in Utica, winters in Key West.

We became friends. The Utica connection made it possible. We were not close friends, but knew each other. We both belonged to the Key West Yacht Club which brought us together with some frequency.

Johnnie was a mild mannered man. Everyone liked him.

He was a bean farmer. The farm just outside Utica. His grandfather established it. The family has run it since and continue operating it to this day.

I would run into him occasionally on the Key West golf course. He was an excellent golfer. Not scratch, but close enough.

My golf club in Utica was the Yahnandasis. Every summer a Member-Guest Tournament. I asked Johnnie to be my guest.

Understand, I am the world’s worst golfer. My handicap 35. Horrible!

I could be helpful in a tournament, however. A par or two, an occasional birdie, and I made my contribution. Especially where I got 2 strokes on a hole.

Three days. The tournament serious business.

We were in the sixth or seventh flight. My poor playing caused us to be that low.

We played wonderful for 3 days. Johnnie played a bit over his head, as I did. I smiled every time we won a hole. I would look at the guys we were playing, point to Johnie, and say, “My horse!”

Not only did we win our flight, we won the whole tournament. The result being based on overall score for the 3 days.

I felt terrific. I’m not supposed to win. I never win. We split $700 and each received a Gorham crystal bowl.

As I indicated before, Johnnie was my “horse.” We won because of his playing, not mine.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo continues to do an outstanding job with his handling of the coronavirus crisis. He continues to stay on top of the problem.

New York was in great shape till recently. Suddenly clusters began appearing in various parts of the City. One part those where Orthodox Jewish communities are located.

Cuomo limited all religious services to 25 percent. The Orthodox community went crazy. Argued a violation of their religious beliefs prohibited by the Constitution.

The Jews took Cuomo to federal court. The first hearing was friday. The Jewish religious wanted a temporary injunction prohibiting Cuomo from limiting their services in synagogues.

The federal judge ruled in favor of Cuomo. A telling portion of the Judge’s decision: “How can we ignore the compelling state interest in protecting the health and life of all New Yorkers?”

If Cuomo had been running the coronavirus pandemic for the whole U.S, we would not still be in the position we have been for several months.

A study recently concluded 59 Americans have more wealth than 50 percent of the population. The study further revealed the “59” increased their wealth substantially in the several months Covid-19 has been a problem in the U.S.

Syracuse/Duke today. Duke a 2.5 point favorite.

Hope I can get the game on TV. Getting Syracuse games on TV an absolute pain in the ass in Key West! And, I have a special sports package. The problem arises because of a war between the ACC and Comcast.

Enjoy your day!

17 comments on “PYTHON AND IGUANA UPDATE

  1. Pellet guns are way more powerful than a bb gun and can do severe damage to people. You better know what you are doing when using one.

  2. Some post here intimating too much politics on the board. I offer an observation. Few replies are posted when politics is absent.

    • True. Lou allows political discussion while some other bloggers do not. This is certain to generate conversation, which is desirable. My only disappointment is that our political discussions evolve so quickly into heated and angry attacks, We would have better exchanges if we could avoid that.

      • My only disappointment is that our political discussions are usually interrupted with deliberately dishonest political trolling, only meant to provoke angry attacks which then evolve into complaints by the perpetrators that their “opinions” are not appreciated and that this blog should be more about fun stuff. We would have better exchanges if we could avoid that.

        • And this why political discussions don’t work here. In this case we get an angry response even before a political opinion is offered.

    • Coming on Lou’s blog and complaining about too much politics seem to me like going on the weather channel and complain there’s not enough sports coverage.

      I think there is probably some other, not so hidden, agenda?

  3. RE Cuomo’s handling of Covid I think there are vastly differnt viewpoints about this.
    Some facts per worldometer
    Deaths per million for US are 663- for New York State-1716
    Total US deaths 219,296 so if you extrapolate NY deaths- US total would now be 567,589
    Of course NY city is a totally different environment than rural South Dakota
    But shutting down businesses, schools, etc also causes both economic and health losses.
    So like many issues before us today- there are different ways to look at how to manage situations.
    My issue with Cuomo’s handling is his very outspoken demand for federal resources to handle Covid patients so field hospitals, even ships where set up and never used wasting $ and effort.
    Just my observations

    • NY state was ground zero #1, before anyone new it was coming and before ANY treatments were developed. Start counting from the day South Dakota had their first case (or with any other state) and compare that with New Your State from that point on (per million) and you might have an entirely different perspective.

      Thank GOD for Cumo’s demand for help, particularly since the guy in charge of dolling out help (Trump) specifically said he would NOT be helping NYS in any way and was even caught diverting supplies obtained directly from people willing to help NYS (China).

      You can have what ever “issue” (opinion) you want with Cuomo for his handling of the Virus in HIS state, but it seems rather disingenuous and political that you would come on this blog and complain about Cuomo, yet not a peep about Trump’s rather more well know handling of the Virus in noth just NYS itself, but the rest of the country as well.

    • If it hadn’t been for NY and Cuomo pioneering the handling and treatment of this pandemic early on, we’d be in much deeper problem, than we are. He led while Trump denied.

      Can you imagine if DeSantis, the Guv in Florida had taken the initial problemm? Hell, he’s still acting like it’s no big deal and that he need do nothing to better handle the problem.

    • It is posts like “Steve” that create angry responses on this website. He seems to be trying to stir unnecessary unrest by attempting to ‘sound’ reasonable, with his presentation of misleading FOX news talking points, in rebuttal to Lou’s more accurate azzessment, on the issue.

      Maybe Steve should avoid trying to create political arguments on this website and better please that Sergey guy.

  4. My post was only in response to Lou’s praise of Cuomo.
    I did not criticize any one and politicize anything as you responders to my thoughts have.
    So who is creating angry responses ??
    Not me but you

    • In Steve’s first sentence he admits that there are vastly different viewpoints about Cuomo’s actions. He then offers a series of facts that he believes to be true. He is not being hostile in any way. It seems to me that this would be an excellent opportunity for someone to calmly dispute what he says, and then offer their own reasoned comment. That’s called civil discourse.

      Instead, Steve is immediately attacked and called out for trying to politicize the topic and to stir unrest on the blog. Incredibly, FOX News is even brought in as a reason to condemn Steve! What?

      So an opportunity for reasonable discussion is lost. The attackers wait for their next victim. And Lou’s blog loses even more credibility as it pretends to allow back and forth comments when it really does not.

      • Most of these critical attacks come from one person…the moderator for Lou’s site. She uses several different names but you can easily detect her writing style. Just ignore her.

      • Alternate facts for political points during a primary is not reasonable discussion. As in claiming Wisconsin Refused to allow the National Guard, when in fact they did use it. That’s deception.

        Insisting that only 19 people died in the Hurricanes in Pureto Rico, LONG after official figures pushed that figure well into the hundreds and eventually the thousands, does NOT need to allow back and forth discussion.

        Saying that Biden “Raped” Tara Reade, when even she never accused him of that is not back and forth commenting, it is intended deception intended to start an argument.

        Calling Chinese “chinks” should never be immune from criticism.

        Suggesting that Lou’s blog was never about Politics until now is worthy of exposing hidden intentions.

        Several posters who have been called out for doing just what you are saying about calling out Bull Sh*t posting, have (Like Patrick and Sandy) openly admitted that they have posted strictly for the purpose of agitating and starting problems.

        Worst of all is people who come on here and try and make it sound like being called out for doing these things is some how a bad thing.

        I say, if you want to have an opportunity to have a reasonable discussion, say something reasonable and stop with the deception and lies.

        • All of those news stories and events that you listed would have made great topics for a civil discussion. Without taking the time to go back through this blog to look, I’m betting that they never came close.

          I love your last line. If you want to have a reasonable discussion, say something reasonable. Would that be your “reasonable” or mine?

    • My God Steve, Ron’s response was entirely reasonable and not angry at all, and so was that other response. It looks to me that you may have made your misleading post just so you could complain about ANY response. Get a grip.

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