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In defense of Norma Jean
front page article (submitted as untitled Letter to Editor)
[Published in Key West The Newspaper on March 2, 2012.]
In defense of Norma Jean
There was a glaring error in your front page article “From the Very Beginning, the Real Purpose of the BCCLT was to Provide Norma Jean Sawyer with a Hefty Income”. The glaring error is that her income only came up to the “$90,000 per year” level that you mentioned for a very brief time (less than six months) at the very end of the Bahama Conch Community Land Trust’s run. People seem to assume she has made that much all along, but nothing could be further from the truth.
For well over TEN YEARS Norma worked for a pittance, running the BCCLT out of her bedroom and living in what many Key Westers would consider poverty. (more…)
Why we need Last Stand
Key West Reactor column
[Published in Key West The Newspaper on December 16, 2011.]
Why we need Last Stand
Let’s take an imaginary road-trip to the olden days….
You drive your ox-cart to the end of the road at the end of a small valley, to a nice little village. You’ve visited it in the past, love it — and decide now to settle down there. From time to time other villagers move away, so the population is pretty stable and most of the villagers get to know one another.
Eventually a few long-time villagers and a few well-off newcomers acquire significant properties in the village. And some of them get a “fever” to acquire more and more. And more. To make matters worse, tycoons from other towns hear about the beauty of your village and are also struck by the fever. Even some of those without much to show for themselves find that there are money-lenders willing to stoke their feverish flames. (more…)
More Key West Reactionaries
Key West Reactor column
[Published in Key West The Newspaper on December 2, 2011.]
More Key West Reactionaries
A couple of columns ago I wrote about how – if you go by local blogs, forums, Facebook walls or “the Voice” — Key West appears to be FULL of “reactionaries”. They’re experts at blurting sage advice or ridicule at the masses, without a hint of a notion that their reactions just might not bear muster. Many of them could stand to buy a vowel, Pat. So today I’ll examine a few more common overused blurtations….
[Like before, please note that, to avoid plagiarism, the quotes following are NOT direct copies of comments posted elsewhere. But they’re very close to what someone we know has spouted off in public media.]
I saw this rant posted recently… (more…)
We’re All Gonna Die
Key West Reactor front page article (under slightly different headline)
[Published in Key West The Newspaper on November 18, 2011.]
We’re All Gonna Die
In the last century, the seas around our island have risen 9 inches. In the rest of this century, if no change happens, the seas will rise over three FEET around us – could be as high as seven feet! Needless to say, the Keys as we know them will cease to exist. This is a fact. There is no global conspiracy of liberal scientists making this up to get more funding (or whatever other nefarious political reason Beck or Rush can dream up). Sometime in the not-distant future all of our real estate value will disappear.
But that’s NOT the biggest thing we must worry about! We need to worry about DYING. No joke. (more…)
Key West Reactionaries
Key West Reactor column
[Published in Key West The Newspaper on October 28, 2011.]
Key West Reactionaries
A previous column talked about how I’m partly known as “Key West Reactor” because of my public reactions to current events or the deeds of others. But few who know me consider me a “reactionary”, the term that commonly describes those who “shoot from the hip”. Those who “go off half-cocked”. Those who “engage tongue before putting brain in gear”. However, judging by our local daily newspaper column that calls itself the voice of our citizens or by some of the responses posted to local news stories or local blogs, Key West seems to be FULL of reactionaries…
[Please note that the quotes following are NOT direct copies of comments posted elsewhere. That would be plagiarism, or a usage violation -- and I must follow the “Journalists’ Creed”. However these quotes are very close to what your neighbor or my neighbor has spouted off in public media – usually under the protective cover of anonymity.]
Consider this common sentiment seen regularly in our papers: (more…)
Resisted Living Facility
Key West Reactor column
[Published in Key West The Newspaper on October 7, 2011.]
Resisted Living Facility
Back around the turn of the century, a group of Key West movers and shakers decided that the small assisted care facility on Stock Island – Bayshore Manor – wasn’t cutting it when it came to providing a facility where they’d be willing to “age in place”. And this is true. Bayshore can provide assisted care for less than 20 seniors. Many are subsidized, the waiting list is long. Though it does a good job taking care of those folks, it’s really not the kind of place where upscale Key Westers would want to spend a portion of their twilight years.
So the group got together to discuss what they could do about the situation. (more…)
Key West Reactions?
Key West Reactor column
[Published in Key West The Newspaper on September 9, 2011.]
Key West Reactions?
My internet handle has been Reactor for almost 20 years. The roots of that handle come from: 1) my relentless work ethic; and 2) my strong social media reflex impulse. The connection to an album by musical sage Neil Young (whom I venerate) also comes into play. Around the time I became a full-time resident here I expanded it to Key West Reactor. So if you see that on a blog comment or in a forum somewhere, it’s almost certainly me. (Unless it’s something that really pisses you off, in which case I may claim that it was hijacked….)
I bring all this up within my Blue Paper introduction, because in my head I’m calling this column “Key West Reactions”. I have every intention of keeping this column as local as possible. Though I routinely express solid political opinions, I’ll try to leave them at the door. I want to talk local issues and tell local stories, of interest to those of any political stripe. (more…)