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Commentary, sarcasm and snide remarks from a Florida resident of over thirty years. Being a glutton for punishment is a requirement for residency here. Who am I? I've been called a moonbat by Michelle Malkin, a Right Wing Nut by Daily Kos, and middle of the road by Florida blog State of Sunshine. Tell me what you think.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

The Knuckleheads of the Day award

Today's winners are Ann Derison and Lorraine Thomas. They are both Boynton Beach Real estate agents for Century 21 Terrace Realty. Here is their address

3695 Boynton Beach Blvd
Boynton Beach FL 33436
Tel- 561-738-7495(Derison) 561-523-3737(Thomas)
Email- annderi@adelphia.net and raineknows@aol.com

These two women get the award for cluttering my mailbox with another offer to sell my house. I get these bs mails all the time but what I find most annoying are ones who don't even have the balls to put their return addresses on their envelopes. They know if they did their mail would go in my garbage can. Instead they waste my time dumping their tahe. If you can't even identify yourselves or use deceit to get my attention, what can that tell me about how you would treat me as a homeowner.

For being disgraces to their profession, Ann Derison and Lorraine Thomas are today's Knuckleheads of the day.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

The Knucklehead of the Day award

Goes to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker. He gets today's award for making wounded Iraq veteran First Lt. William ``Eddie'' Rebrook IV for not returning his bloodied body army after being wounded in January 2005.

This is a disgraceful and ridiculous episode of government bureaucracy, but Gen. Shoomaker is responisble. As he is for every single soldier in his command. When grilled about it by two US Senators, he replied.

“That is a very unusual story,” Schoomaker responded. “I have no idea why we would ever do something like that. We have issued body armor, the very best that exists in the world. Every soldier has it.

No General, repay Mr. Rebrook now. Investigations are a waste of time, this man is wounded and shuffling more paperwork. 200 Newspaper readers chipped in over $5,000 for this brave man, and you instead are going to investigate. What a joke.

As Chief of Staff, General Shoomaker is responsible for everyone in his command down to someone doing KP at Ft. Polk. He is therefore responsible for what happened to Mr. Rebrook and any other returning soldier who gets treated this way by the Army bureaucracy.

For allowing shameless treatment of a wounded veteran, Army Chief of Staff Peter Shoomaker is today's Knucklehead of the day.

Don Surber has more.
Open Post- Bright & Early, Basil's Blog, Jo's Cafe, Bloggin Outloud,

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Beverly Young and Cindy Sheehan get an apology

From the Capitol Police for their being removed from the SOTU address. My opinion from yesteday hasn't changed. Both Sheehan and Young had a right to do as they wished.

I like Beverly Young and the St Pete Times has given access to a feature story on her last December. Go and read it, she is an absolute hoot. I wished she would run for the Senate against Bill Nelson. That won't happen but God bless her.

Outside the Beltway is also commenting. I disagree with James Joyner when he said I blogged about Beverly Young's antics in the past. There is nothing about her kindness and generosity towards our wounded troops that qualifies as an antic.
Open Post- Jo's Cafe, Bright & Early, Basil's Blog, TMH's Bacon Bits, Right Wing Nation, Customer Servant, Is it just me,

WASHINGTON - Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and the wife of a powerful GOP lawmaker are free women, with apologies from the Capitol Police chief for ejecting them from President Bush's State of the Union address because they wore T-shirts with war messages.

"The officers made a good faith but mistaken effort to enforce an old unwritten interpretation of the prohibitions about demonstrating in the Capitol," Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer said in a statement late Wednesday.

"The policy and procedures were too vague," he added. "The failure to adequately prepare the officers is mine."

The extraordinary statement came a day after police removed Sheehan and Beverly Young, wife of Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young, R-Fla., from the visitors gallery Tuesday night. Sheehan was taken away in handcuffs before Bush's arrival at the Capitol and charged with a misdemeanor, while Young left the gallery and therefore was not arrested, Gainer said.

"Neither guest should have been confronted about the expressive T-shirts," Gainer's statement said.

Older drivers or I thought they had takeout


No details about this Juno Beach crash have been released yet. Want to bet the driver was 70 years old or older. Elderly drivers who don't have the wherewithal to drive any more are a big hazard in this state. Politicians pander to AARP lobby and won't do anything. A terrible tragedy will happen and then we'll get action. Unfortunately how many people will die before that.

Open Post- Bright & Early, Basil's Blog, TMH's Bacon Bits, Is it just me,

A car crashed into the Juno Beach Cafe this morning, seriously injuring one man and causing five others to be evaluated at the scene.

A crowd of elderly patrons was having breakfast at the 20-year-old watering hole, at 13967 U.S. 1, when a woman driving a silver Mercedes jumped a parking stall cement barrier and plowed through a side window and wall at about 10 a.m., according to police.

Police are still investigating the accident and have not yet released any identities. The man injured in the accident was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center for treatment.

The car landed in the middle of the cafe knocking over tables and a barrier wall in front of the service counter. Police towed the car by 11 a.m. and impounded it as part of the investigation.

Happy Groundhog Day

Phil came out and saw his shadow today. The big question now is- Is Phil going to Detroit for the Super Bowl or is he staying home to watch it on his Plasma TV?

Open Post- NIF, Jo's Cafe, Is it just me,

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. - Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, but it was hard to find a complainer in the crowd on Gobbler's Knob, where the morning temperature was well above freezing and Thursday's high was expected to hit 48 degrees.

There were a few boos at the groundhog's prediction of six more weeks of winter, but most of the hundreds of revelers instead turned the event into an impromptu Pittsburgh Steelers rally.

Fans in football jerseys sang "Here we go Steelers," and members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle — the top-hat- and tuxedo-wearing businessmen responsible for carrying on the groundhog tradition each year — threw black and gold Steelers "Terrible Towels" as they waited to rouse Phil from his burrow.

The furry forecaster may be popular, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday."It's been really wonderful. This is just a ball. I'm having so much fun," said Nancy Durr, who came from Paxton, Neb., to the small western Pennsylvania town about 65 miles north of Pittsburgh to celebrate her 50th birthday.

She had been outside awaiting Phil's arrival since about 2:15 a.m., a rub-on Punxsutawney Phil tattoo on each cheek.

Others latched on to the Phil frenzy for a publicity boost — for just about anything, from global warming to the lottery.

The Knuckleheads of the Day award

Today's winners are the City Council of St. Pete Beach Florida, Mayor Ward Friszolowski, Vice Mayor Deborah Martohue, and Commissioners Deborah L. Nicklaus, Ed Ruttencutter, and Nancy Markoe plus City Manager Mike Bonfield. They get today's award for suing the people of their own city! See the city wants to take property by eminent domain and some citizens are protesting by trying to bring it to a referendum. The Council is bringing suit to stop it, they even have the cajones to say they aren't using taxpayer money. What a bunch of horse bleep. This is just further proof of how dangerous Kelo can be abused. Elected politicians out of control who sue those who try holding them accountable. Its not a fair fight, city's have money that most of the public don't

For both fearing and abusing the democracy, the City Council of St Pete Beach Florida plus its City Manager are today's knuckleheads of the day.

Hat tip- Adam's Blog,
Open Post- Don Surber, Jo's Cafe, Bright & Early, Basil's Blog, TMH's Bacon Bits, Right Wing Nation, Customer Servant, Is it just me,


The city of St. Pete Beach, Fla., has filed suit against five residents who say they are opposed to a redevelopment plan officials claim will increase population and tax bases.

In what appears to be another case of eminent domain, with the city claiming an unchallengeable right to redevelop the quiet beachfront community, officials say they retained legal services after the rebellious residents collected signatures on a petition demanding the issue be put to a vote, WTSP-TV in Tampa-St. Petersburg reported yesterday.

According to the city's charter, citizens can call for a vote on "any adopted ordinance," but city officials decided to sue because they say the state won't allow citizens the right to vote on a redevelopment plan like the one under consideration.

What's more, they have denied they are using taxpayer funds to sue taxpayers.

"It's not about suing citizens," Mike Bonfield, St. Pete Beach city manager, told WTSP. But, he admitted, "that's the only legal mechanism we have in the legal system.

But Linda Chaney, one of the five residents behind the petition drive, said city officials "are using the unlimited funds of the taxpayers dollars to stop the taxpayers from voting and expressing their will on their own city."

Bonfield repeated, however, "it is not a matter of suing people, it's making sure what is put in front of the residents is valid."

Chaney remained undeterred.

"All we are asking as citizens is the right to vote on changes for our city so it is for the betterment of our entire community not a few select developers and land owners," she told the TV station.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Some personal notes

*- Due to big medical bills from last year and damage to our home, TFM is taking his first full-time job in 7 years. I'll be working 3rd shift for an ex-employer of mine. Pay is good but hours lousy, but dear wife and have only one car. It works out ok.

I'll continue to blog but whereas I post 4-6 times a day it may only be 3-4 now. TFM will try their hardest to keep up with daily knucklehead awards.

Pray this works out for me for we need the money and my health is still precarious. We'll see what happens.

*- My return to work will cut down on my blogging. I've got 131 Corr. Chess games, a blog, story writing and of course the honey do list. Whereas I blog 4-6 times a day usually, its more likely to be 3-4 now. I'll still work hard to find Knucklehead award winners.

My post on Beverly Young was prompted by me seeing heightened traffic to TFM. Like twice my normal volume and mostly google searches for Beverly Young. I began to wonder if Congressman Bill Young passed away. So I did a yahoo news search and found out about last night's SOTU.

A hard sell

The Philippines is in the news. The Total amount of HIV cases in the country has increased 85% in the last three years to a little over 11,000.

I think we're not at a crisis stage, is spite of AP's reporting. Yes its a health issue, and WHO is going to face a problem. This is heavily Catholic country, which takes the teachings of catholicism seriously. Condoms and birth control are not common practices in this country. My wife would never think of using them, and she's not typical for a Filipina. It will be interesting to see where these statistics go in the future.

Open Post- Third World County, Right Wing Nation, Adam's Blog, TMH's Bacon Bits, Cao's Blog,

MANILA (AFP) - An AIDS crisis threatens the Philippines as the number of people who are HIV carriers has doubled in just over three years, the health department warned.

A health department study projected the number of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) carriers to have risen to 11,168, from about 6,000 in 2002, Health Secretary Francisco Duque told reporters.

The widespread practice of unprotected sex makes AIDS a serious threat in the Southeast Asian country, he added.

Many people who are likely living with the virus are mixing with the general population and are unaware that they are infected, Duque said.

Men who have sex with other men, female sex workers, their male clients, and injecting drug users are the groups most at risk, Duque said.

However, these groups account for only 2,942 of the total HIV carriers estimated in the Philippines, said health department epidemiologist Enrique Tayag.

"A significant change in this estimation is that 8,000 of these HIV positives are now found in the general population. This means that current interventions miss a hidden population that would benefit and thus avert a major catastrophe," Duque said.

In the health department survey, one percent of injecting drug users in Cebu, the country's number-two city, are HIV-positive, Duque said.

"For the first time after nearly a decade of surveillance, another IDU (injecting drug user) has tested positive. This means that the transmission among IDUs has begun and, if left unchecked, will cause the repetition of an epidemic similar to that of Thailand," Duque warned.

World Health Organization country representative John Marc Olive said the discovery of HIV-positive injecting drug users should serve as a "red flag" for the Philippines taking into consideration Thailand's experience when those infected by the virus transmitted HIV by sharing needles.

Duque said many injecting drug users had multiple sex partners, did not practice safe sex, and shared needles.

Duque said the government had set aside 20 million pesos (383,000 dollars) to stockpile anti-retroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS sufferers. The virus destroys the human body's immune system.

"It's a dilemma for the (health department) to have to manage opposition from the (Roman) Catholic Church because it views condoms also as a family planning method and not just a tool against HIV/AIDS," Duque said.

He urged the church to allow the government to promote condom use among the faithful in this mainly Catholic country.

For goodness sake why?

Over a month ago I blogged about Congressman Bill Young and his wife Beverly. She was removed from her seat in the gallery at the President's State of the Union address. The reason according to Beverly- for wearing a T-shirt that says, "Support the Troops Defending Our Freedom."

This is just frankly unbelievable. I'm going to keep up on this story.

Update- Poliblog and Confederate Yankee are also blogging on the this. Welcome Outside The Beltway and Iowa Voice readers.

I have a pretty open interpertation of the Freedom of Speech. Some bloggers are pointing out the rule is rule, no matter whom. Cindy Sheehan was taken away. I support Cindy's right to protest, always have. I support Beverly Young's right to her view. People say demonstrations would disrupt the SOTU. Heck what did all that applause do? Besides how open are the seats given away? Very few people get them. The SOTU is a once a year show. Staged managed like a Broadway show except its as boring as watching grass grow. Some people complain of restrictions on speech untill they see someone saying something they don't like. I think everyone has the right up to till a danger is created. What was the danger last night? Someone's cueing and directing is not going to happen as planned?

Open Post- Bright & Early, Jo's Cafe, Is it Just me?, NIF, Third World County, Right Wing Nation, Adam's Blog, TMH's Bacon Bits, Bright & Early, Basil's Blog, Cao's Blog,

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - The wife of Representative C-W- Bill Young says she was ejected during President Bush's State of the Union address for wearing a T-shirt that says, "Support the Troops Defending Our Freedom."

That's according to the Saint Petersburg Times.

Beverly Young says she was sitting in the front row of the House gallery last night when she was approached by someone who told her she needed to leave.

She says she reluctantly agreed, but argued with several officers in an outside hallway.

In a telephone interview with the newspaper, Young said she told them her shirt wasn't a protest but a message of support.

Capitol Police Sergeant Kimberly Schneider says Young wasn't ejected from the gallery and she left on her own. She couldn't provide additional details.

Young's husband is a Republican from Indian Shores. He found out about the incident after Bush's speech and called it unacceptable.

History repeating itself

For the second time in ten days, someone tried to bring drugs into the Martin County Courthouse. First we had this, and now there is today's news. Did Ms. Tenclay think her DUI hearing was show and tell?

Open Post- Bright & Early, Jo's Cafe, Is it Just me?, NIF,

STUART — A week after a woman was caught bringing marijuana into the Martin County courthouse, another woman was arrested this morning for allegedly trying to bring a rock of crack cocaine with her when she showed up for a court hearing.

Ruth Tenclay, 45, was arrested just before 9 a.m., Martin County Sheriff's deputies said. She had been scheduled to appear in court on DUI charges.

Deputy Paula Neild said Tenclay placed a pack of cigarettes on a plastic bin near the court house entrance before she walked through the metal detector.

Signs near the courthouse entrance state that all items brought into court are subject to search at the door, and Neild said she always looks in cigarette packs in case someone tries to smuggle a harmful object into court.

When Neild opened Tenclay's pack, she said she found an opaque rock wedged between two cigarettes. Deputies said the rock tested positively as crack cocaine.

Tenclay, Neild said, was understandably not happy about being arrested.

"She said it wasn't hers," Neild said. "She said a friend of hers gave her the cigarettes this morning."

The arrest marks Neild's second collar in as many weeks of people accused of trying to bring drugs into court.

Sinking fast?

Republican and Florida Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher's campaign for Governor looks to be crashing. First he won a knucklehead for supporting an internet sales tax. Now his supporters in Broward County are upset over the local GOP endorsing Attorney Charlie Crist over Gallagher.

Supporters of Tom Gallagher's campaign for governor protested Tuesday that the Broward Republican organization's sudden late-night endorsement of Attorney General Charlie Crist violates party rules.

"This will divide the party. Every supporter of Tom Gallagher is upset by this deal by a small group of insiders," said William Scherer, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer and a key supporter of Gallagher, who is the state's chief financial officer.

Barbara Collier, chairwoman of the Gallagher campaign in Broward County, said the motion for the endorsement was sprung without warning on the monthly meeting of the Broward Republican Party by a small group of Crist supporters controlling the party agenda.


This is just whining. How many people care if GOP in any Florida county endorses one candidate? I'd say very few, most of voting public has little interest in this trivia.

The most troubling news for Gallagher comes from today's St. Petersburg Times. It seems he was trading in insurance company stocks while he was State Insurance Commissioner.

TALLAHASSEE - Florida Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher said Tuesday that he would ask his department's top lawyer to review private stock investments that Gallagher made in recent years that included stakes in companies he had a role in regulating.

Gallagher strongly denied breaking any laws but said he would seek the legal review to determine if there is anything "I need to correct."

The St. Petersburg Times reported Tuesday that federal tax returns show that in 2002 Gallagher traded millions of dollars in insurance stocks in his last year as the state's elected insurance commissioner.

In 2004, before and after the state Cabinet voted to allow AES Corp. of Virginia to lay a natural gas pipeline under delicate coral reefs off Broward County, Gallagher traded more than $1-million in AES stock, the newspaper reported. Gallagher, who is a member of the Cabinet, owned 1,000 shares in the company the day he voted to approve the pipeline.


Bad ethics, Bad policy, and not knowing what matters. I'm thinking my prediction(See #8)for the 2006 Governor's race is looking stronger than ever.

Hat tip- Peer Review of FL who says defense wins Super Bowls not Governor's Races
Open Post- Adam's Blog, TMH's Bacon Bits, Bright & Early, Basil's Blog, Cao's Blog,

The Knucklehead of the Day award

Goes to New Jersey Governor John Corzine. Gov. Corzine gets today's award for not calling a special election for a US House seat that became vacant. The reason? It would be too expensive.

TRENTON, N.J. - The U.S. House seat vacated by Robert Menendez's appointment to the U.S. Senate will remain open until the General Election in November, Gov. Jon S. Corzine said Friday.

Corzine, who named fellow Democrat Menendez to fill the final year of his Senate term after Corzine became governor this month, said a special election would be too costly. He also said voters in Menendez's district would be asked to go to the polls five different times over just eight weeks.

"I don't like the idea of having the 13th District unrepresented for as long as it is," Corzine said. "But I also have a sense for practicality of excessive expenditures, multiple elections," Corzine said.


This is absurd. A Governor denying representation to citizens of his own state. If Corzine was worried about the expense, why nominate Menendez in the first place? Better yet if Corzine doesn't want to serve all the people of his state, what the @#%^! is he doing in any political office. It's his running for Governor when he was already US Senator that caused the vacancy.

For abandoning a half million of his constituents, New Jersey Governor John Corzine is today's Knucklehead of the day.

Also Blogging on this- Outside the Beltway, Poliblog,
Open Post- Bright & Early, Jo's Cafe, Is it Just me?, NIF, Third World County, Right Wing Nation, Don Surber,

Just the cover charge

Is perhaps what Chico Marx may have said he'd pay to get these things back.

Open Post- Jo's Cafe, NIF, Third World County,

INDIANAPOLIS - Thieves have made off with dozens of hefty manhole covers and sewer grates in the last few days, leaving gaping holes scattered in streets across the city.

City officials believe the high price of scrap metal is spurring the thefts and have been warning area scrap yards not to buy any manhole covers they might be offered.

Crews worked Monday to put up warning barriers for the holes once protected by the covers, which can weigh about 300 pounds.

"This is a severe public safety hazard we have here," said Margie Smith-Simmons, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Public Works. "These manholes range in depth from 4 feet to 30 feet deep."

She said the profit motive for such thefts has escalated over the past two years as the price for a ton of scrap steel has gone from about $70 to $300.

While a thief would need to steal about 10 manhole covers to gather a ton of scrap steel, their replacements can cost the city from $300 to $2,000.

"Very tough, very time consuming, very expensive," Ronnie Sanders, a city public works project manager, said of replacing the covers. "It's taxpayer dollars going out the window."

 
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