Thursday, March 12, 2009

Conch Republic should be celebrated Keyswide

In 1982, I was stopped by the federal government roadblock in Florida City. I had my car searched. The border of the Conch Republic and the United States is at Florida City.

I have been a Conch for 27 years. My children were born, raised and graduated Coral Shores High School in the Conch Republic. I have proudly flown the flag, worn the T-shirts, adorned my car with decals and license plates. I have celebrated the Conch Republic at Upper Keys restaurants and festivals.

Please do not tell me I should name my celebration Bogart Days. The northernmost territories may not have the population of Key West, and our parties may not have been as frequent or as grand, but we have a history of celebration, and will continue to celebrate. In the true spirit of the Conch Republic, each and every one of us has the right to celebrate and name our celebration as we see fit.

I would suggest everyone read the proclamation -- especially our county commissioners. Upon the objections of Sir Peter Anderson, Secretary General of the Conch Republic and organizer of the Key West Conch Republic Independence Celebration, the commission voted against the Tourist Development Council recommendation and denied funding for a Northern Most Conch Festival.

This was a dastardly blow reminiscent of the acts of the federal bureaucrats in 1982. ... This is and should be a Keyswide celebration. The commissioners should be ashamed of themselves, to think only one individual can "own" the Conch Republic. The commission voted along north-south lines. This commission has dealt a tremendous blow to the true spirit of the Conch Republic. ...

I applaud what Sir Peter Anderson has done to promote the Conch Republic. The crux of this matter is simple. In these troubled times, a group of Conchs of the north talked to Sir Peter to perhaps consult on a more organized Keyswide celebration. Compensation terms were not reached. Sir Peter believes that no one else can hold a Conch Republic festival.

The Conch Republic belongs to us all. It would be absurd to think that no one could have a Sunset Celebration just because there is a Sunset Celebration in Key West. Our first Conch prime minister in the proclamation said: "We call upon the people of the Florida Keys to join us or not, as they see fit." Note, it says the people of the Florida Keys.

To the honorable Sir Peter and our Conch brethren of the south, lay down your loaves of stale bread (the weapon of choice in the Conch Republic) and make no demands for compensation or licensing on the north. Withdraw your objections to TDC funding. Avoid a civil war. Join us and let us all work, profit, expand and celebrate a unified Conch Republic.

Marty Katz

Tavernier

Red Mass blessing falls short of justice

So the Catholic clergy are blessing and advising our judges and attorneys at the Red Mass Day here at St. Mary Star of the Sea. Yet many priests have a record of pedophile assaults on Catholic children.

Perhaps the Catholic clergy could follow up Red Mass Day and announce that henceforth (1) all Catholic priests are required to notify first the police and only then their clerical superiors when they have evidence of a fellow priest abusing a child; (2) the honest priest must then be a willing witness at the trial of an accused priest; and (3) those same honest priests must also testify as to their bishop's management and transfers of pedophile priests around other dioceses. None of this has ever happened.

Paying out $2.2 billion, so far, to the victims of pedophile priests does nothing to punish the guilty priests. They get a walk. And the Catholic faithful are left staggering with the realization that the priest they trusted had performed such evil assaults on their child.

Red Mass Day does not start to deal with this threat to Catholic children. Could the church ever move forward and produce honest priests and protect children?

Stephen P. Dawkins

Key West