islander's blog

Pioneer brought up a point in another thread that personal attacks are becoming numerous enough to where we might be numbed to them.  It was an excellent point.  I took it to heart myself.  Recently I wrote what was to be a sarcastic blog and it turned out to be one that others considered inflammatory. I reread it several times, and while I still agree with its basic contents, the method of delivery was improper.  For those who I inflamed, I apologize.  For those who thought it was sarcasm, no apology is needed.  If you took offense, please accept my apology.

I realized how I irritated people when people who normally write excellent blogs, took aim with their shotguns to me.  Comments included "lower than a snakes belly", "moron", "crass", and "get your medicine regulated."  I didn't get called a  "zero" though.

I am sick and tired of the same old blogs on MCS.  You guys must be too pompous to realize we have real issues in the good old USA.  We are in the middle of a protracted long, and unvictorious war in Iraq.  We have lost too many good men for what?  Geez, who knows.  While you guys whine away about taxes, Clay county and CTLAC, we are in the middle of a who knows what kind of economic hiccup.  Wake up Clay. Look beyond your manicured golf course backyards.  Pay attention to what is going on in the world.  The American Eagle (dollar) is worthless.  What if the Chinese decide to cash in?  What about the Euro, a stale, but obviously strong currency!!!

I hope this blog takes off because we all need some humor in our lives.  People described in this blog should remain nameless as you might personally know some of them.

I have the wackiest group of neighbors in Clay county.  I live on the island, hence my screen id.  I live on a cul-de-sac in a community with a homeowner's association.  It is for the most part a sleepy little neighborhood, but we have our days.  Here goes.  I swear that what I am about to write is the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Neighbor #1.  He is disabled from an auto accident. He sustained some serious life threatening injuries, and recovered, but he is in pain most all the time.  I call him mister leaf blower.  Since he doesn't work, he spends hours in his yard.  Granted, I would kill if my yard looked like his, but he takes it one step further.  If a single leaf blows in his yard, he will fire up the leaf blower and blow it from one end of the road to the other.  He blows morning, noon, and night.  My next door neighbor told him one night about 10pm to put that @#$@# blower up.  In our neighborhood we don't have many dogs, but what we lack in dogs, we make up in cats.  He spreads shell fragments instead of mulch.  The cats believe they have gone to kitty litter heaven and make profound use of all that litter.  So, he collects his urine, and pours it in the yards of the owners of all the cats.  Something he readily admits.  He says that marks territory and the cats won't come back to his yard.   He moved to the neighborhood several years ago from a large lot in the country.  He likes to bathe in the front yard and clean up before he goes in the house.  Yep, you heard that one right.  I'll leave the rest to your imagination.  He tried to sell his house FSBO, but when the interested people took the home tour, not a single one ever came back.

One of the greatest things about reading blogs is that you get to know total strangers who in most instances reveal themselves much more online than they ever would in person. Cases in point, when I see the bloggers name, I can almost guess what their opinion on a particular topic is going to be. I classify most of the bloggers into the categories below. Am I in one of those categories, of course I am.

Blogging personality types:

Conspiracy Theorist

Cynic

Dreamer

Agnostic

Pie in the Sky (can't we just all get along)

Realist

Grumpy old Men/Women

This came to my attention in an article in Clay Today. I am using part of their article in this blog, and paraphrasing my own parts.

Apparently, the county issued Camarda Brothers a permit to erect a sign in front of their new building. I looked on the county website, and it is explicit in what information must be included in an application for a sign. If the Carmada sign application was entered correctly on the form, the county needs to fix their error. The Carmada's invested heavily in the sign since it was permitted. County staff comments produced say "Please note that part of the history of the development is that the applicant was erroneously issued a permit for a ground sign that exceeded the maximum sign area per the sign ordinance." OOPS! Hey mistakes happen. Whoever makes a mistake, usually eats it. So, Camarda goes for a request for a zoning change to a zone that would allow the existing sign. County staff: a problem exists, changing the zoning isn't needed. Of course they cited making a precedence that might come back to haunt them. Yada, Yada, Yada, back and forth..... The Fleming Island Advisory Committee; "BB zoning is not something we have not looked favorably on. Sign use = Special exception. A member asked, is the sign just a mistake. Response from attorney (unintelligible, and not answering the question - what attorneys do best), Zoning is the issue here, not the sign, as far as zoning, the sign is irrelevant. Yada, Yada, Yada. They point out, they have never had added a BB zoning in more than 20 years. Sorry guys, it's your mistake. Bottom line; DENIED!

Even though I am working for medical insurance, I have some real problems with government healthcare.

Considering our governments recent accomplishments.

We invaded a country that had weapons of mass destruction on good advice from our intelligence agencies. We destroyed the existing army and its infrastructure. We underestimated the number of American troups needed to maintain order. We didn't understand the idea of extended families and how they will protect their members. We didn't realize the countrymen hated each other as much as they despise us. We assumed that after years of training, their army could control its internal population. We believed that a democratic government was right for every country on the planet.

I thought I would throw around the recent Presidential commutation of Scooter Libby's sentence as a blog topic. How do you guys feel about this one?

I have my own ideas, as usual. Of course it was politically motivated. The issue is that he was convicted and sentenced in a court of law. He received a sentence within reason considering he was found guilty. Harsh sentencing has been a cornerstone of the Bush administrations. The only difference is that he worked for the Executive branch of the government. So, Scooter rides free. The fine for a person of Scooter's importance is spare change. He is the fair haired boy of a lot of influential and wealthy people. He can accept a dinner invitation and pick up that kind of cash.

I am certain to get a lot in interest on those topics.  Having seen Clay county grow from, grass to gridlock, how do some of you feel about the growth around here?

How about describing it as insane?  How many of you are stuck in the Clay County Municipal Parking lot in OP daily?  How about the NASCAR races on Fleming Island every day.  How bout some russian roulette taking the short cut from Walmart to Target on 220?  Oh, I almost forgot, how about the boulevard that has a traffic light every block or so for its entire length, AKA, Blanding?  How many houses can be built on an acre? How about the demolition derby at the entrance to Eagle Harbor?  Where are we going to put all those kids that show up at the front door of our schools each year?  Portables, oh excuse me, relocatables.  How about the county dumps filled with everything and the county commissioners calling us irresponsible. Because we don't take out our trash they make us pay for their and our garbage cleanup?  PS guys, I always made it to the dump with all my refuse. How about all those new county roads that don't exist?  Is it too late to set aside some land for commercial growth, without tearing down an existing development?