CAPTAIN TONY…..I BEAT THE MAFIA

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Captain Tony Tarracino an icon. Part and parcel of Key West. Died at 92. His 102nd birthday being celebrated friday night at 8 at Captain Tony’s.

A crowd guaranteed. Family and friends. Tourists.

A unique personality. Tony is remembered as a salon keeper, boat captain, rum runner, gun runner, politician, gambler, Key West mayor, and a story teller.

Married several times. Actual number not certain. Perhaps 4. Married to his last wife 38 years. Fathered 13 children.

Jimmy Buffett a good friend. Ran one of Tony’s mayoral campaigns. When Tony died, Buffett wrote a song commemorating him: Last Mango In Paris. The song’s opening line…..”I went down to Captain Tony’s / To get out of the heat / Heard a voice call out to me / ‘Son come have a seat’.”

Tony’s father was a bootlegger. Tony dropped out of school at 9 to sell liquor. Illegal at the time.

Tony was lucky to get to Key West.

He got involved with the New Jersey Mafia. Screwed them on some horse races. Became persona non grata. The Mafia thought they killed him in retribution. Dumped his body somewhere in New Jersey. He was not dead. Got out of Dodge. Escaped to Key West.

I only know one of Tony’s children. A daughter nick-named Tony who is a concierge at the Marriott Beachside. Warm and charming. Look forward to seeing her friday night at the birthday party.

Key West a money maker for investors! Developers have faith Key West prosperity will continue. It was announced yesterday that a San Francisco group KHP Capital Partners had purchased six Key West guest houses. A package deal. One hundred nine million dollars. Two hundred twenty two guest rooms.

The Key West City Commission gave formal approval to the proposed “pocket park” at the Atlantic end of Duval. A group will rent the last block from the City. Perhaps the pier. I am not sure.

Tables and chairs will be set in the street. Nine parking places to be removed. Food will be served from the Southernmost Beach Cafe and the Southernmost Guest House. A food truck will be located on the Guest House property.

I do not approve. The Bubba system at its worst. The street and its view should be left as is. Nature already perfect. Does not require upgrading.

The Chart Room first last night. John bartending. A friend from last year at the bar. Gordon Anderson from Tombstone, Arizona.

Gordon runs the Larian Motel in Tombstone. Two blocks from O.K. Corral.

A year changed nothing re our political views. Gordon remains firm in his conviction that Trump is the right guy to be President. He has faith in him. Believes in him. Has hope for Trump’s Presidency.

Gordon appears to be one of the 89 percent Republicans who remain supportive of the President.

The give and take was excellent. Just as it was last year.

Then to the Blue Macaw for ribs and a drink. Met Doug. Ten years a Key Wester. Works at the Hemingway House as a guide. Loves the job.

Doug is from the Boston area. We chatted re Boston, Hemingway, his wives, his girl friend who eventually moved to Key West, etc.

A nice guy. Enjoyable conversation.

The weather man’s advice in simple terms for today: Nice day, nice night.

Thank you.

Trump was going to clean the swamp. Good luck! It is worse than ever. A culture of corruption pervades. From the White House down. A fish rots from the head.

The most recent alleged wrongdoer is upstate New York Congressman Chris Collins. A Republican. Represents the Buffalo and Rochester areas.

He was arrested for insider trading. His son and son’s fiance’s father, also.

Collins was the first Congressperson to support Trump. He seconded Trump’s nomination at the convention. Served on Trump’s Transition Team.

We may not know the winner of the Ohio Congressional race for a while. The Republican candidate is ahead by 1,504 votes. However more than 8,000 provisional and absentee ballots remain to be counted. They are required by law to be tabulated by August 24.

I close with my thoughts re Federal District Court Judge Thomas Selby Ellis. He is hearing the Manafort case.

Ellis has been a Judge 31 years.

He is obviously cantankerous on the bench. Disrespectful to attorneys. Involves himself in questioning too much. Etc. He is aware of how he conducts himself. He once said, “I am a Caesar in my own Rome.”

He should be off the bench. I wrote and spoke re judges who sit too long two weeks ago. At that time re the Supreme Court where Justices sit for life. Thirty plus years not uncommon. Justices in their 80’s common.

Too old to serve. Judges do not get better with age. They get cantankerous, mean, disrespectful. Know everything. Tempers short.

I advised at the time that the reason our Founding Fathers did not set an age limit for federal judges was the length of life back then. The average life of a white male was 35 years.

All Federal judges sit for life.

Judges are like everyone else. People think because they wear black robes they are supposedly fair and without human shortcomings. Judges are just like everyone else. If they have a bad night or morning with their wives, the lawyers feel it in the courtroom. Some are prejudiced. Dislike persons of color, certain ethnics, etc. They don’t know it. I have never met a bigot who knew he was a bigot.

And so on.

Ellis is to old for the job. It is time that thought be given to a Constitutional amendment setting a fixed number of year for the job. Justice will fail to be served in all instnaces otherwise.

I missed doing the blog and Key West Lou Live show yesterday. A new pill. Reacted adversely with my other medications. I was in rough shape yesterday morning. Kept feeling I was going to pass out.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

A FEW COMMENTS

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Short blog this morning. Barbara leaving. Have to get her to the airport for an early flight.

Still biting my tongue re Trump. People voted for a change. He is giving us change.

Some food for thought.

  1. The United States does not operate in secrecy. A federal agency media freeze is un-American.
  2. The President works for the people. The people do not work for the Presidnet.
  3. We have a B Cabinet: Billionaires and bankers.

The Key West City Commission has been considering making Key West a Sanctuary City. Still up in the air. Perhaps, fortunately. Trump is expected to target Sanctuary Cities today.

My blog talk radio show last night. A good one from my perspective. A lot of China and Mexico and the U.S. interplay with them.

Pythons back in the news.

I wrote a lengthy column about four years ago in KONK Life re the Florida python problem. Primarily in the Everglades. The bottom line was they are here to stay. In excess of one hundred thousand. The State is trying to manage the problem. Eradication not possible.

The State has hired two tribesmen from India who have had success in India with the problem. The State is also in the process of bringing in dogs trained to sniff out pythons.

Syracuse won a game last night! A close one. Beat Wake Forest 81-76.

Bocce and the Sons and Daughters of Italy hand in hand this weekend. Makes sense. The Sons and Daughters and the Key West Wildlife Center are having a Bocce Night Fundraiser saturday evening. 5:30-9:30. Bocce courts across from the White Street Pier.

Cost minimal. You even get to learn and play or play if you already know how. $20 for adults and $10 for children.

I will be at the fundraiser teaching. It is like riding a bicycle.

William Blakley. Fifty eight degrees this date in 1856. He “made up a fire in the stove.”

Fifty eight degrees in Key West is like 20 degrees up north.

Enjoy your day!

ARROGANT PARKING RATE PLAN

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Key West is a small island. One and one half by four miles. It has been buried with too much construction, too many hotels, restaurants, bars, vehicular traffic, and tourists. I am surprised the island has not yet sunk. Key west is a new Atlantis in the making.

The Key West City commission is money crazy. Always the need for more money. Only to be not spent or spent to do totally illogical things. Last night, the Commission voted to increase parking rates by $1. Parking is already too expensive. Street parking $2 per hour, Mallory Square $4 per hour, the Bight $2.50 per hour.

The Commission says don’t worry, tourists will be paying it. They forget there are people like me. I do not live in Key West proper. I am 2.5 miles outside Key West in Key Haven. However, I drive into town twice a day. Costs me $8-10 a day to park. Now to go up by a dollar an hour.

In addition to which I spend a ton of money in Key West.

Key West workers have been told not to worry. They can park at one of the two municipal garages and be bused wherever.

The Commission is also going to require the Parking Department to chalk mark ties to better control time/overtime. Brilliant! Most if not all cities were doing it 60 years ago. None today. They depend on more sophisticated means to ascertain time violators.

The Commission does not realize this is the 21st century.  Get with it, guys!

Hurricane Matthew. Wow! By the grace of God, Key West will miss it. However, the mainland is in for a beating. This is one of the worst hurricanes ever. A high 4 with the probability of becoming a 5. Destruction galore!

Tomorrow morning at this time, Matthew will be over Palm Beach.

Good sized water vessels have already come into Key West for shelter from the storm. More expected. They are primarily dropping anchor in the Outer Mole and the Coast Guard sector.

Don’s Place first last night. Good conversation with Don, Stan and Clare. Clare promoted! She is now the Manager of Dion’s at White and Truman. A big place, a big job.

Then to Back Door and Mark Watson.

David stopped by. He educated me. The sky had a golden hue. He said it was called the Golden Light and appeared when a hurricane was on the way.

Met Jan and Kim.

Jan is a snowbird. RV lover. A retired Marine master sergeant. Drove to Key West from northern Georgia. I enjoyed her company. A knowledgeable person re world events. Especially Russia and the Middle East.

Kim arrived in Key West a few hours before appearing at Back Door. From Los Angeles and Portland. Came a long way to spend some time in Key West. She is here for several months, perhaps forever. A biologist by education and a journeyman electrician by experience. She appeared to enjoy the electrical work better.

October is the tenth anniversary of Girls’ Night Out. From 16 the first night to 2,000 ten years later. Good job, Mary Lou Hoover!

Greater love hath no man…..A tale of morbid obsession. The story of Carl Tanzer aka Count von Cosel. Tanzer is the whacky hospital employee whose love died. He dug her body up two years after burial. Took her to his home. Kept her in his bed seven years before being discovered.

Tanzer was arrested on this day in 1940.

Syracuse/Wake Forest saturday. Wake Forest a 2.5 point favorite. I suspect Wake Forest will beat Syracuse by a much higher number. This not the year for our football team! We continue to wait. Patiently.

One of the giants of the 20th century was Anwar Sadat. Egyptian President, Nobel Peace Prize winner, peacemaker with Israel.

Sadat was assassinated this date in 1981. He was in a stand reviewing troops. Islamic extremists did not like him. Two reasons. First, his peace efforts with Israel. Second, that he permitted the deposed Shah of Iran to remain in Egypt to await death from cancer. He refused to return him to Iran to be tried for war crimes.

A vehicle with armed troops drove up in front of the stand Sadat was standing on. Their guns blazed, grenades exploded. Sadat took four bullets and died.

The event was filmed/recorded. I can still see Sadat standing tall and glaring into their eyes. He never budged, never attempted to duck nor avoid the assassins.

Enjoy your day!

 

HERMINE FICKLE

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I learned from sailing that wind is fickle. It blows every which way. Even at different levels at the same time.

Hermine is fickle. It has been blowing every which way for the past two weeks. Started out in the Atlantic as a 99L tropical wave. Then turned into a tropical storm. Followed by a class 1 hurricane. Back to a tropical storm. Today, perhaps back to a hurricane.

Initially, Hermine was to hit Key West as a tropical storm. Maybe even a hurricane. That was 9-10 days ago. I stocked up on hurricane food and water.

Missed Key West completely. Went out into the Gulf.

Turned around in the Gulf and headed back to Florida. Hit north Florida as a tropical storm. Did a number on the area. Turned into a hurricane as it moved up the Atlantic coast.

Veered out into the ocean around New Jersey. Supposedly to continue going east into the Atlantic. Diminishing in speed.

All of a sudden yesterday, it reversed course and headed back to shore. It is now a tropical storm. May become a hurricane again.

It is anticipated Hermine will sit in the Atlantic off the U.S. northeastern coast. New Jersey, New York and points north will suffer. Wind and rain. Rip tides. While Hermine rests for a few days.

If that ain’t fickle, I do not know what is!

Spent more time than I normally do yesterday writing this week’s KONK Life column. A lot of facts.

The title is Star Spangled Banner…..Birth To Today. I was motivated to write the article as a result of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s actions.

An interesting tale.

The column hits the stands wednesday.

I was tired afterwards. Unusual. Decided not to go out for a few drinks and dinner. However, I did have to leave the house for a short while. A prescription pickup at Walgreens and a few items of groceries at Publix.

The Key West City Commission continues to screw up. The group a disgrace.

The carport solar panels at the new City Hall. Bite the bullet and correct the situation. The City is in violation of its own carport law. If the City in this instance were a private property owner, the owner would be required to tear down and relocate the solar panels. Regardless of cost!

The sadness here will be the taxpayers dollars required to pay for the corrective work. Justice would be to have the Commissioners and City officials involved pay out of their own pockets.

Another City Commission screw up on the horizon. The GM mosquito problem. The Commission will discuss the issue at its wednesday meeting.

My suggestion is they keep their noses out or back the Key West residents who are opposed. Better, they stay out of it completely!

Citizens’ Voice in this morning’s Key West Citizen had an interesting comment/observation. The City had closed off a block of Duval for drinking and partying as part of Brewfest saturday night. At the same time, a drunk driving check point was located on Northern Boulevard at the intersection with Bertha and Palm.

Does not make sense to have had both events the same evening.

The great English actress and Academy award winner Helen Mirren will be in Key West, Big Pine and Marathon September 13-16. She is filming a new movie The Leisure Seeker. Production people are already in the area seeking locals to perform as extras.

Pasternak’s Dr. Zhivago was published this date in 1958 in the United States. An immediate best seller. Soon made into a movie.

Pasternak was awarded that same year the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Soviet government would not permit him to leave Russia to accept.

The movie continues to be well received to this date. I cannot recall how many times I have watched the film. It is frequently shown on television.

Tolstoy’s War and Peace is another great historical Russian novel. Written in 1869. Movie starring Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer released in 1956. One of my all time favorite movies!

The problem is I have only seen the movie two times. When originally released in 1956 and several years ago on television. For some reason, War and Peace is not rerun as frequently as Dr. Zhivago. Why, I cannot understand. Both outstanding films based on outstanding novels by outstanding writers.

War and Peace, where are you?

Enjoy your Labor Day!

 

BACK DOOR WITH DONNA AND TERRI

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Three weeks since I had seen Donna and Terri. The drought ended last night. A Donna/Terri fix always good. Ran into them at Back Door.

Terri looked like Terri. Fine, except for a bit of strain showing on her face. It has only been three weeks since her heart attack.

Donna was Donna. Always looks good. Shared with me Terri’s strict diet. In detail. Terri eats nothing. What she does consume, Donna prepares.

Donna the good spouse.

Terri sings saturday night at Little Room Jazz Club.

Tim was part of our chat group. Tim of Joe’s Chicken Shack. Next door to Bourbon Street. He was outfitted in orange and blue. Also had an orange pen. Dressed Syracuse!

Todd and Katey at the bar also. Katey on vacation from Buffalo. A high school softball coach and English teacher.

Almost forgot. Mark Watson. One of Key West’s best.

Needed to eat something. Stopped at Submarine on the way home.

The Key West City Commission took another step re Truman Harbor last night. Not one that meets with my approval. Voted to investigate the Harbor problem further. Authorized the City Attorney to engage the services of a law firm familiar with such problems. Will probably end up being a Washington one.

A waste of money! Forget the Harbor! Get to work building. This project began 15 years ago and at best is only .00005 percent complete.

Sometimes, we have to be reminded. The United States is presently engaged in four ground wars. Boots on the ground! Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya. The United States can also be found in 100 other countries. Not fighting.

This week’s KONK Life column is on the stands. Mommy, I’m Hungry. The article was also linked to my Key West Lou website this morning.

Venezuela is now at the famine stage. People are raiding zoos, stealing animals and eating them. Last week, a group snuck into a zoo in the middle of the night. Went for a black stallion. In the morning when the zoo staff appeared for work, all that was left was its head and ribs.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

GROOVIEST EVENT IN MUSIC HISTORY

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After three days, Woodstock ended. This date in 1969. The event described by many as the grooviest event in music history. I don’t know. I was not there. However, Larry Smith and Larry Flynn were. Two Larrys. Today, Smith lives in Key West and Flynn in the Utica, NY area. Contact them personally to get their thoughts.

I do have a recollection of Woodstock even though I was not there. It took forever to leave. To get out. One to three days. Woodstock was in the middle of no where.

A client’s son telephoned me. He was stuck in Woodstock. Asked if I could get him out. How? Helicopters were not even permitted in the area. I recommended patience.

Spent a bit of time yesterday afternoon fine tuning last night’s podcast show. Good show! In a quick half hour, I covered topics involving Libya, Wyoming, Iowa, Germany, Monsanto, Malia Obama, cannabis, Donald Trump, Paul Manafort, and more.

Roostica for a light dinner. Artichoke dip. I was not that hungry.

I stopped my beloved anti-gravity treadmill last week. It was making me tired. I had cut back from five days to three days. Still tired afterwards. Went at slower speeds. Tiredness lasted 4-5 hours.

I am not tired this week. Feel terrific. Wide awake. Me thinks the treadmill was too much for me. Got to figure it out. Has to be my heart. Enlarged problems. I get tired exerting myself. Even a little. The heart has to pump harder to move the blood through.

Exercise is a must. Some type. Not as much. I am walking, but not that far nor fast. Will be visiting with my doctors. We’ll work it out.

I mentioned the other day that Maine lobster was cheaper to buy in Key West than local lobster. Now, I learn that fish is being trucked in from outside the area. The reason claimed is that local catch have become too expensive. Does not surprise me. Everything else has shot up dramatically in Key West the past few years.

Greed part of the problem.

The Key West City Commission is jumping into the hospital problem with both feet. As I suspected. Not healthy for resolution of the problem. The Commission has authorized the City Attorney to explore several avenues. One, a lawsuit.

Local politicians have a propensity to screw everything up. Why should the hospital problem be any different.

Another example of political lunacy is what the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District board is doing. The board is elected.

The board announced a 45 percent increase in taxes. To pay for a new building they claim is needed. It was announced yesterday that Oxitec will lease space in the old building to rear genetically modified mosquitoes for other counties. At $25 a square foot.

I fear the board has already made up its mind re the referendum. Recall, it is non-binding. I see the board rejecting the referendum result and going ahead with the testing.

I call the residents of Key Haven guinea pigs. Someone recently referred to us as lab rats. Both fit.

Common Dreams published an excellent article on 8/16/16 re the problem. Florida Keys Residents Resist Controversial GMO Mosquito Trial. Interesting reading.

An item in the article involves profit. Oxitec is a subsidiary of Intrexon. It is estimated Intrexon will profit $400 million if tests are successful and the GMO mosquitoes can be sold nation wide. The only test scheduled in the United States is Key Haven.

Trump gets his first intelligence briefing today. I fear he will not be able to keep secret that which he learns. I visualize him at some future date spouting of during a speech something he learned at one of the briefings. The man is a loose cannon, not stable.

My column in this week’s KONK Life is Mommy, I’m Hungry. The story of starvation in Venezuela. Hits the stands later today. Recommended reading.

Enjoy your day!

 

BUBBA SYSTEM

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Bubba system. A term used mainly in the Florida keys. Means friends taking care of friends. In Key West, Conchs taking care of each other as well.

Almost a year ago on July 14, 2015, my blog was titled Bubba System At Work. Concerned the Key West City Commission and its treatment of Uber. Uber drivers were being arrested.

Key West is still with out Uber. Many want it. Tourists and locals alike. Thus far, their requests ignored. The City Commission finally discussed the issue last night. Passed the buck.

The City Commission entertained allowing Uber to operate on the island. Fifty persons present. Many spoke. The City Commission decoded to delay a decision. The excuse was that the Florida legislature was studying the issue and Key West should take a wait and see attitude till a State decision was forthcoming. It was contemplated the decision would take one to two years.

A bubba decision! There is no reason why Key West could not take a position at the present time. No State law prohibiting Uber. No assurance the State will take a position at any time.

What the City Commission did was take care of their local friends. The people who own the cab companies.

Money was not involved. Perhaps if it was, a swifter decision could have been made. Like the $12.5 million Peary Court decision. A bubba action if there ever was one. Key Westers are still waiting to find out who the principals are who will benefit from the decision.

Vote those City Commissioners not acting in the best interests of Key West out next election! Replace them! How many times do the people of Key West have to be screwed before they act/react?

Yesterday was cholesterol blood work and an echo test. See my heart doctor next thursday for the results.

Following the blood letting, I went to the Creperie for breakfast. Second tine I have been there. Should go more often. Terrific food! Great coffee!

The Creperie is in K-Mart Plaza.

Started my night on the town with a visit with Mark Watson at the Back Door Bar. Zoey joined us. First time I met Zoey. Charming company. Zoey works at Havana on Duval. The old Camille’s.

Orlando and American medical treatment discussed at length. Good conversation.

Then to Duffy’s for another Maine lobster. I’m hooked!

This week’s KONK Life hit the stands yesterday. My column this week is The Rape of Social Security. Read it. Revealing.

The column was posted thus morning to my Key west Lou website. It can be read there also.

One of the Orlando victims is Patience Carter. She survived. Shot in her legs.

A 20ish Afro-American. Lovely.

Yesterday morning, I came across a video of her reading a poem she had written while in the hospital concerning the shooting. Tears sliding down her cheeks.

I noted she was an intern at FOX in Philadelphia.

Read the Wall Street Journal yesterday at breakfast. Patience’s picture on the front page. Large. The by line stated she got out of the Pulse Club ok. However went back in to find her friends. That is when she was shot.

Rudolph Murdoch owns FOX. He also owns the Wall Street Journal. Patience has a great career ahead of her. A jewel inadvertently discovered. A star rising out of tragedy.

I am considering a trip to Europe. Italy. Greece too dangerous. Italy has some safe spots. If I go, it will be to two places. One is Courmayeur. I have visited before. Chalet living half way up Mont Blanc. The other, Camogli on the Italian Riviera.

We shall see.

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln was running for the U.S. Senate. A race he lost. He said on this date that a house divided could not stand. He was paraphrasing a passage from the New Testament: “…..a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

We are a divided nation once again. The issues different. Yet we are divided. Divided for many years.

How long can we survive so divided? The division is like a cancer eating away at a body. Will it be cured before it is too late?

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

TRUMP…..GOD HELP US!

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Indiana pretty much sewed it up for Trump. Good for him! Bad for America!

I fear he is going to go all the way. The campaign will be dirty. The end will find him left standing. The four years following will tell whether I am correct. I hope I am wrong.

The American people are angered. About everything. Politicians are the first they can get at. They are doing it by nominating outsiders to be their leaders.

Sanders is another example. He has won a lot of States. He won Indiana last night. I suspect he will come up short, however. He will end up the also ran.

Sanders represents an extreme. His not bad in comparison to Trump’s way of thinking.

My blog talk radio show went well last night. I worked during the day fine tuning the show. I went on the air five minutes late. Technical difficulties. If you tried and failed to hear the show, it is archived on Blog Talk Radio, You Tube and my website Key West Lou.

The anti-gravity treadmill later this morning. I am going to cut the time back to 15 minutes. Monday proved to be too much.

Perry Court. Why did the Key West City Commission approve a $12.5 million dollar transfer of land authority money to make the transaction work? I thought the people voted down the acquisition of Perry Court. The Key West political powers are a conniving group.

My column Afghanistan and America’s Heroin Addiction appears in this week’s KONK Life which hits the stands today. Heroin is an issue to which we have closed our eyes. Time to wake up! Read the article. An eye opener.

Audrey Hepburn was born this day in 1929 in Belgium. She spent the World War II years in Nazi occupied Holland with her mother. She is reported to have suffered many hardships.

My friend Anna was born and raised in Navaro, Italy. She lived through a Nazi occupied Italy during the War. Though Anna was probably 10 years younger than Hepburn.

Anna was four when the Americans arrived to free Navaro. Anna’s recollections are many. During the occupation, the German soldiers and the executions against a brick wall not far from her home.

As to the Americans, she distinctly recalls their arrival. She was given gum by one of them. She had never seen gum before. Did not know what it was. She ate the gum as if it were candy.

Enjoy your day!

INSANITY

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Insanity continues to prevail in Key West. As regards the actions of the Key West City Commission.

I am beginning to think the City Commission considers itself omnipotent. That every issue is one for their consideration. No limits exist.

Every time the City Commission steps out of the box, time, energy and cost is wasted on an issue that is none of their business.

Road construction, trees, parking, contracts, the Police Department…..examples of what should be on their plate.

Not their most recent trip into never never land. I refer to the resolution that will be voted on regarding smoking in public places and parks. The resolution is scheduled for a vote tomorrow night.

As I understand the situation, the City Commission watched a movie regarding the dangers of second hand smoke. They were appalled. Decided a local law was required to prohibit smoking in public places and parks. Then found out they did not have the authority to do so. Smoking bans are the exclusive province of the State.

Not to be dismayed, the City Commission decided to pass a resolution instead. You can wipe your behind with a resolution. It has neither power nor effect.

The resolution asks the people of Key West to please not smoke in public places and parks…..to have consideration for others. Simultaneously, the City Commission is seeking a way to get the State to permit municipalities to rule on the issue. Not the State.

The City Commission is not elected to tell me or anyone else that smoking is prohibited in public places. It is a step too far as regards the smoking issue. Especially by a City Commission that assumes more power than it has.

Drums tonight! Not Drums Along the Mohawk as was written a few miles outside Utica. Near La Te Da Christopher’s home town also.

Tonight, it is Drums for Peace in Key West. At the corner of Truman and Duval. From 6-10. People can participate or listen. Whatever their pleasure. Drums will be provided.

I spent the better part of yesterday writing this week’s KONK Life column. It took a while for me to decide on a topic. I zeroed in on a political fray. As Tom Cruz stopped the government, so too did Washington ladies during Andrew Jackson’s Presidency. An interesting story. Shades of David and Bathsheba. Titled The Petticoat Affair.

KONK Life and the column hit the stands wednesday.

Michelle Obama is not going to the World’s Fair in Milan alone. Daughters Malia and Sasha are accompanying her. Together with grandmother Marian Robinson. The two day trip includes in addition to Milan, stops in London and Venice.

Michelle has responsibilities at each stop. Speaking in support of women’s education, health issues, and visiting American troops. A full plate for a 48 hour visit.

The Greece situation is reaching the boiling point. Perhaps one from which there is no turning back. Discussions sunday ended in 45 minutes. Nothing decided. Both sides adamant.

The unknown awaits. A European recession? A world wide one?

All interesting. Proving to the world that global activity is not necessarily in the best interests of those involved. The proposed Asian pact being another.

Today is the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta. No man above the law. Not even a king. The right to justice and a fair trial spelled out.

A freedom recognition document.

These freedoms are being trampled upon in the United States today. By Congressional decisions and Supreme Court opinions.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

JIMMY BUFFETT RETURNS

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I begin with good news and bad news.

The good news concerns Jimmy Buffett. He returns to Key West wednesday evening. He will appear at the San Carlos. The place is booked solid. No room at the inn.

Being Jimmy Buffett, he once again went a step further. He has financed the placement of a big screen on Higgs Beach wednesday night. His concert from San Carlos will be aired live on the beach screen. Free!

The beach will definitely be overloaded.

Buffett’s concert is at 7:30. His daughter is starting the Higgs Beach event at 4:30. A mini Woodstock in the making.

The bad news. The Key West City Commission has under consideration paying retired police and firemen a 13th monthly check. The union has asked for the generosity advising that the pensions of many are under the poverty level. Many are struggling on fixed incomes and most do not have health care.

My response is simple. A big NO!

There are many in Key West living on fixed incomes and do not have health plans. What of them?

The union has a hell of a nerve asking for the extra check. Why didn’t they negotiate more money and a health care plan back when?

Social Security is the sole income for many seniors. Monthly check payments for most are definitely below the poverty level. Will they get a 13th monthly check?

The problem police and fire retirees are experiencing is the same many others are in the United States. Retirees from other occupations included. It is part of the times we live in. Unless part of the 1 percent, we are all in bed together.

It is reported the City Commission is wary of the request and has tabled it for a vote. I am wary of the City Commission. They blow taxpayer dollars on a consistent basis. They spend money like they are the Koch Brothers. The difference being that with the Koch Brothers the money is theirs. With the City Commission, it is not. They are taxpayer dollars as opposed to personal monies.

Pru Sowers has written an excellent article on the request for a 13th monthly payment to police and fire retirees. The article is pure factual reporting. It appears in this morning’s KONK Life E-Blast.

Vehicle traffic is unquestionably a Key West problem. Especially during tourist season. Too many cars for too few and too narrow streets.

Today’s Key West Citizen’s Citizens’ Voice suggests a solution. Limit the number of cars permitted in certain areas of Key West.

Paris began such a system this past week. They have devised a plan used once before. It worked then and is expected to work now. It will cut the number of cars coming into Paris center by 50 percent.

The Paris problem is different from Key West’s. The solution perhaps the same. Paris has an extreme pollution problem. It is now said that Paris is the worst city in the world for air pollution. So bad, that on mist days smog completely envelops the city. The Eiffel Tower cannot be seen.

The Key West City Commission should study the Paris solution. Of course, they probably will only do so after spending $200,000 on a study. And then, they will neither use the study nor provide any solution to the traffic problem.

I spent yesterday writing this week’s KONK Life column. Things We Should Know. Very interesting! An eye opener in many instances. The article publishes wednesday.

Enjoy your day!