Now hear this now hear this! I was a cop for 18 years and never once did I ever take anyone’s car keys. Matter of fact according to Florida Statute 812.014 it is illegal to take any item and to deprive any person from that item (Theft). As a cop if I would have taken a person’s car keys I would have been stealing an item from them and boy would I have been in trouble. Hypothetically speaking, I am going to Siesta Key Beach this weekend and I am going to drink it up. Then I am going to walk around the parking lot with my car keys,swinging them in my hand. I bet if the COPS took my car keys I could file theft charges against them and claim that they violated my civil rights cha ching $$$$. The only time that the cops can take my keys is if they arrest me for a crime, and then place my keys, that were on my person at the time of arrest, into property. Let’s face it, the police can’t go around taking things from citizen’s hands or pockets, drunk or not. I heard one old cop say that he would have taken the keys…seriously? You are an idiot (my opinion)! Maybe back in 1975 that shit would fly, but not now (try reading your Statute Book). I feel bad for all involved in this situation and as a vet cop I know that eventually the Deputies will be transferred to some other place because that is just how shiZ works at the old H.Q. (hear is the conversation that will take place from some minion who wants to climb the company latter) (minion)”um Deputies come in and sit down, you and so and so are being transferred to the Court Services Bureau because we think that it is best”. (Deputies) “Sir I thought you said we did nothing wrong”. “Well this is best for now”. “Go drop off your car and take your punishment it’s an election year”. Please folks don’t loose sight of the real criminal here. The man who made the decision to drive while drunk is the real criminal in my opinion (free speech). Making Siesta Key alcohol free is not going to happen, WHATEVER O.K.! Maybe when hell freezes over or pigs fly, but let’s be real. That beach is our number one source of revenue in this County. Take away booze and that means money is gone. You want a fight on your hands? Then try tussling with the Siesta Key business owners. That is a fight I would not want to see. The above is my opinion and not that of any other person associated with Flatspirate.com. Please people before you go making laws and rules up Read a Florida State Statute Book and research some case law. Drinking on Siesta Key beach is legal and thousands of people do it every year. Most of those people have car keys on their person and they walk around the parking lot. Hmmmm maybe we should outlaw car keys.

Why don’t most politicians get it? Man up dude and dudets! There are few politicians/public officials that actually have the balls to do the right thing. Most others hide behind and use press release, spin doctors, to speak for them. Hilliary Clinton is outraged that United States Marines urinated on a group of Taliban,dirt bag,terrorist after they killed them. Well boo hoo! I am sooo sorry for your luck. The message that the Marines sent was don’t mess with us. I am soo tired of politicians being appalled. Last time I checked elected officials serve at the mercy of the people and in this case most of the people think that urinating on a dead Taliban terrorist is fine. I guess it is o.k. for the Taliban to kill our soldiers and drag their bodies through the streets and then light them on fire (not). My grandfather would tell me stories about how this use to be a kick ass country, plain and simple, you just did not mess with us! Now terrorist complain to the white house (probably with a complaint card) and get a full blown investigation in to the matter. Triple chin,overpaid,fat politicians shake their fingers and say “we will look into this Mr terrorist sir right away” this makes troops scared that they will get in trouble if they do anything wrong. Why can’t most politicians just be real men and handle things the old fashioned way? If a bad guy wants to complain tell him to F-off! Why be so dam scared? I wonder how Sheriff Grady Judd would handle this? I love my country and I support the Marine Corp. Please remember 911

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The Economic Truth

This is pretty good article that can help you understand what your boat is made from. Sure some companies will tell you that they use all these special vacuum injecting systems and that is great, but what kind of resin are they using and why not use the best resin for your boat? When you read this article pay close attention to the “one special note section” where the writer tells you that airplane companies do not use Vinylesters for the wings of aircraft, or the important parts, they only use Epoxy. Just Saying……http://www.redrockstore.com/resin.htm

In my opinion there is nothing worse than working for poor managers. I was fortunate in that most of my line level supervisors were hard workers and had common sense, but in most government jobs there is usually a gross abundance of micromanaging and promotions made to people who were able to simply pass a written test. In one of my past careers (in government) we had a large staff of line level supervisors and most were capable of doing the job of managing the troops without help from above to cause more confusion). However the senior managers always had to nose in to just about everything and screw things up. I often wondered, if they just did not have anything to do (like a real task). I once watched a senior staff member tried to write a document and he did not know how to complete it. I felt bad for him as I stared on in pure amazement while he scratched his head and struggled with the mentally crippling one pager. Government agencies are always mismanaged, we all know that. You know the stereotype, one guy digs while six guys stand around and watch. This type of leadership always leads to a breakdown in communication and a mixed message to the troops. Leaders should lead in the field and their motto should be “follow me”. You can’t lead from your office. I was working on the waterways once when I was approached by the head man himself. We engaged in small talk and he asked me what I was doing, I told him that I was looking for violations and was going to write some tickets (because that is how our performance was measured, by tickets). He told me directly that I should not worry about that and waved his hand as to downplay writing tickets. I was instantly confused (WTF!) because I was always told that I should be writing tickets by, guess who? Mid level and senior level managers. Well having been told this directly by the man himself I returned to my mid level manager and informed him of this. He told me that I need to disregard what the main man said and get back to writing tickets. I was even more confused now (WTF!). I felt as though I was going against my top level boss’s wishes. I later wondered if the main man was really in control of the agency or not. He was either blind or confused like me ; ). Messages must be clear and the mission must be clear or men get confused and morale drops. For instance if you tell a man/worker that he needs to complete and assigned task by a certain date and he completes the task on the last day, but within the time limits, then should you discipline him? The answer is certainly no. If you wanted them to finish it prior to the date assigned then why assign a date? (WTF!) Now… that is micro managing at its finest and a classic case of a mixed message by a bored senior level manager. LEAVE THOSE BOYS ALONE!

I was once told, “never piss off a man with lots of ink and and audience to read his writings”. I love my Country and have proudly served in the Armed Forces. I love my community too and have proudly given to it for most of my adult life as others have too. I feel that we as citizens have the right to speak our minds against the practices of elected officials, and the way that they conduct business with our tax dollars. Spending is on all of our minds in today’s day and age with the down-turned economy. A recent article in a local newspaper has left me to question the ethics of some governmental officials when it comes to spending our tax dollars. I was asked recently “Steve why do you care”? I say because… it is every citizens responsibility and duty to care about their community. This year you will be called upon to vote and I would like you to follow me here on this site so that you can stay up to date on local politics. For now my stats are climbing everyday and more and more people are signing on. I receive notes daily from readers thanking me for what I do. I just want to thank you the reader for hanging in there with us. I tell it like it is. If you don’t like that then don’t come on here and read the blog. I have no corporate entity to answer to and never will put myself in that position. I am not some washed up old columnist who is running out of cool things to write about either. I am only warming up on this topic. As the year heats up so will the local politics and I will be right there typing away about the little things that you might not know about. Once again you want to know why I write? The statement that “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” is often attributed to Edmund Burke. Burke never said this but, in 1770, he wrote in Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents that “when bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. So associate with me and let’s make sure that all is right in our community. Thanks for reading and there are more surprises on the way. LOL!

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Looking for a great place to get away? I was too and then I found the Safety Harbor Spa and Resort. My wife and I decided to get out of town for a few days over the new years eve weekend and party a little so we headed up to Safety Harbor where we stayed at the famed Safety Harbor Spa and Resort. I grabbed the Nikon D3000 (the littlest in my arsenal), a few clothes, and we were off. Once there we got a room in the Tower Section on the fifth floor overlooking the bay and man was it beautiful and affordable. We took in some of the night life just outside the Resort along Safety Harbor’s Main Street. The city is a fun area where walking or riding a bike is the best way to get around. Shops, restaurants, and bars line the small town main street providing a really cool atmosphere. For a day trip we decided on Tarpon Springs (near the Sponge Docks). It was easy to find and once there we found a load of things to do, from wine tasting, boat tours, fishing, and of course shopping. There are also so many places to try out some authentic Greek food it can make choosing a chore. After a game of rock paper scissors we decided on a cool sidewalk cafe. I had the Gyro and my wife had the Greek Burger in a pita. Both were to die for. Then to top it off we had the Cannoli and took a few Chocolate Cheesecake slices with us for later along with a bottle of Riesling. The Sponge Docks area is about a two mile long street with shops, restaurants, and bars all suited for pedestrian traffic (similar to Key West’s Duval Street). Our room was situated overlooking the bay and as a result we were treated to a view of all the fireworks we could handle from our balcony at Midnight. The Safety Harbor Spa is really cool place for you and your spouse to get away. They have a great restaurant and a complete spa, fitness area, and an assortment of pools/hot tubs both indoor and outdoor. You never really have to leave.

all images shot with Nikon D3000

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