Wednesday, September 1, 2010

What a difference six years makes

In a letter from the Monroe County Planning and Environmental Resources Department, dated March 24, 2004, in the first paragraph it stated: "Dear Mr. Gutierrez, I am responding to your request for information regarding the wetland status of the above lot. A site visit was made to the above property and it was determined that the property does contain wetlands. Furthermore, these wetlands are classified as being 'red-flag' wetlands as outlined below and are not suitable for development."

It now appears that the Tier Review Committee has walked the lot and come to the conclusion that this lot is a Tier 3 lot, and now is suitable for development.

Could it be they are doing this because the lot is in a lawsuit? Could it be that the Tier Review Committee does not know what it's doing? Could it be that useless bureaucrats did the determinations of "red flag" wetlands from the coffee shop? I think it's probably all of the above.

Tier 3 Definition: Any defined geographic area, where a significant portion of land is not characterized as environmentally sensitive and is substantially developed. New development is to be highly encouraged.

Salvador Gutierrez Jr.

Key Largo

Bashinsky's blog posts speak for themselves

Regarding Sloan Bashinsky's letter to the editor denying that he is a racist, anyone who writes slurs and derogatory stereotypes against an ethnic group is racist. Richard Sands' letter contained only one of Bashinsky's anti-Hispanic diatribes, that Danny Coll is part of a Cuban cabal to "control gringos."

But Bashinsky wrote far worse than that. He published a lewd metaphor of Coll performing a sexual act on Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen -- in language this paper would never print. He stated that Coll and our beloved congresswoman were part of the "remnants of the Batista regime," even though both were young children when Batista abdicated. He described a nightmare of "big Hispanic men" dressed in black taking over a community. Decide for yourself; read his blog archived on his website (7/27/2010).

Bashinsky's screed was the epitome of racism. Anyone who wrote of a fear of "big black men" taking over a community would be immediately, and rightly, condemned as a racist.

Given the outrageousness of Bashinsky's statements, his defense that he is not racist because he eats in Cuban restaurants is risible. On Southern plantations, many slaveholders no doubt loved the meals prepared by their black slaves.

The tactics of Sheriff Bull Connors in Birmingham were motivated by whites' fears that blacks would take over their community if not put down, violently if necessary. Connors' fear of blacks taking over Birmingham was the same kind of fear Bashinsky has of "big Hispanic men" taking over the Keys.

If Sloan is not himself anti-Hispanic, then he pandered to the fear of anti-Hispanics to help defeat Coll, a fine American of Cuban heritage.

George Neugent encouraged Bashinsky to enter the race knowing that would close the primary. Bashinsky admitted he entered the race specifically to close the primary, fearing the result if Democrats and independents could vote for Coll -- as no doubt Neugent also did. Thus, only 6,508 of the 13,623 voters who participated in the primary were allowed to select a county commissioner for the next four years. Had the Neugent/Bashinsky alliance not disenfranchised Democrats and independents, Coll would have decisively defeated Neugent.

Tim Gratz

Key West

Those fearing coconuts can steer clear of trees

Key West is all about coconut palms. To replace them with the nutless (no cojones) variety is to drive another nail in the coffin that Key West, my hometown, will become. There are enough nails as it is, with the overdevelopment, the Key West history revisionists and the "outsiders" who would make my hometown into their towns.

I say keep the coconut palms and find the ways and means to maintain them (Tourist Development Council funds?) so they won't be a hazard. They mean so much to us natives and tourists. And if you're afraid of a coconut falling on your head, do not walk under them! Duh!

Ernest Salazar

Key West