Letter From the Chair - April 17, 2023

Good morning Keys Democrats & all Activists!
Kudos to Trish McGrath and Lisa Kaelin for spending the last week in Tallahassee observing and protesting the Tallahassee Taliban! At one point, they were thrown out of the gallery because they were too "disruptive." Brava Ladies!!!

Back in 2017, when Trump was elected, recruiting folks to work for the DEMS was so easy. We were all freaked out! Then came Covid, and we all stayed away from each other. We managed to defeat Trump in 2020, But I fear that he (and his wannabe clone/replacement) is more dangerous than ever!

Cloaked in fake Christianity and BS culture wars, they continue to divide us. They continue to Lie with impunity. How can it be that Faux Nooze continues to broadcast BS? I hope this lawsuit hurts them so badly they must shut down.

The Florida Legislature continues to make a fool of our state. WAKE UP PEOPLE! Equality Florida is telling folks to stay away as we are no longer a safe or FREE state. We are an experiment in how far the citizens of this state will allow this fascist movement to continue. Guns and hate, drag queens, and Trans folk are the message of the Tallahassee Taliban as they point the finger at others in order to screw us while we are distracted.

Some folks in Tennessee are telling people not to come there as well. There were more shootings in Kentucky on Saturday. What is it going to take?

We will not stop sending out emails regarding legislation in motion by the Tallahassee Taliban, even though we know the odds are against us. DeSantis knows his agenda is not popular. He signs bills in the middle of the night, no press. We must protest continually, call our elected officials even though we know it will not change their vote. By the way, Mooney was AWOL on the abortion vote.

However, they all know we are paying attention, watching their farce of a legislative session. We are the sword of Damocles.

Look what happened in Tennessee. This gives me hope! Three people stood up to the KLAN, oops, the Legislature, and showed them to the world for what they truly are.

Our job is to do the same in Florida, Monroe County, and our various municipalities.
Our local activists are causing “good trouble” and helping to protect the citizens of Monroe County from Local Govt. over-reach, corruption and poor decision making.
You can do this. These local agencies have more impact on your daily life than Joe Biden.

Local Govt. Mtgs. this week

Monday April 17

• The Planning Commission for the City of Marathon will meet at 5:30pm in the City Council Chambers, 9805 Overseas Hwy. No Details available. Here is the link: https://www.ci.marathon.fl.us/meetings

Tuesday April 18

• The Key West City Commission will meet at 5pm in the Commission Chambers, 1300 White St, Key West. For meeting details and agenda: http://keywest.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

Wednesday April 19

• The Monroe County Board of Commissioners will meet from 9am – 5pm at the Marathon Govt. Ctr., 2798 Overseas Hwy, second floor. There is a lot to look at here, but the interesting stuff is at the end of the meeting. http://monroecountyfl.iqm2.com/citizens/default.aspx

 
Thursday April 20

• The Planning Board for City of Key West will meet at 5pm at City Hall, 1300 White St. Key West. Check it out to see if these request for variances are in your area: http://keywest.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
• There will be a Marathon Code Compliance Hearing at 2pm in the Marathon City Council Chambers, 9805 Overseas Hwy, Marathon. Seems folks are illegally renting properties without proper permits! For details: https://www.ci.marathon.fl.us/meetings
• The Key Colony Beach City Commission will meet for a public hearing at 9:30am in the banquet room of the Key Colony Inn, 700 W. Ocean Dr., KCB. For Agenda: https://keycolonybeach.net/citydocs-1/

Activist Group Meetings this week

Wednesday April 19

• The Lower Keys League of Women Voters will meet at 6:30pm in the back room of the VFW POST 3911, 2200 N Roosevelt Blvd. Topic for the night – Gun Safety! For details, check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LowerKeysLWV

Keys Dems Meeting this week

Wednesday April 19

• The Upper Keys Dems will meet at 5:30pm in the sidebar of Denny’s at MM 97.6 in the median. Our Guest Speaker will be Sue Woltanski – Monroe County School Board Member. Join us and bring a friend!

Become more involved with the party and help us to maintain one of the most highly functioning county Democratic Parties in the state. It ain’t bragging when it’s true.

If you have time to spare and skills to share – email me. We need you now!

If all you can spare is $$$ - we need that, too! Try this: https://keysdems.com/donate-to-the-keys-democrats/
Or https://keysdems.com/join/

One last request. Regardless of what our cowardly, ignorant bully of a governor says, make sure your Covid shots are up to date. It is still out there! Stay well!

OK – I have another request – we need volunteers for our Pride Fest Voter Registration booth on June 10. Sign up for a 2-hour shift by emailing me. I will be out of town and need to get this organized, so Dakin and Stuart have the help they need to get the job done!

Thanks for all the calls and emails to those weasels in Tallahassee!

Don’t forget to renew your Vote-by-mail request. Thanks to Meatball Ron, they were all purged after the election. You can do it online: https://www.keyselections.org/Voters/Request-an-Absentee

See you in Key Largo on Weds!

Bert Sise/Chair
KeysDems