Letter from the Chair - May 2, 2022
Here is the good news! Macron won! Despite a rise in inflation and nationalism (same as us), France decided to go with Democracy and the EU. That bodes well for us. Biden knows he is not responsible for the inflation or the price of gas, but he is sincerely trying to do something about it. Sincerity does not get much press, but folks are paying attention. Do not always believe the polls!
Meanwhile, DeSantis has been off campaigning for president this week, hoping that folks will forget the mess he made in attacking Disney. Apparently, his attempt to punish the mouse has come up and bit him in the butt! The original deal has a clause that says the deal cannot be undone if there is debt. Unless the state wants to pay the debt. HA! I do not think that is happening. I see this going away very quietly, maybe.
Last week our Democratic Ag. Commissioner, Nikki Fried, has revoked the concealed carry permits for six men arrested in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Bravo Nikki!
Not to be messed with, the Guv announced he wanted to make Floriduh an open carry state with no restrictions, meaning no permit, no background checks, all wild, wild west! Undertakers & law enforcement, stock up on body bags!
Wake up Florida!
Here is our Hero of the week – Michigan State Senator, Mallory McMorrow. See her speech this week in the Michigan Senate as she fired back at GOP Lies! Watch it on YouTube here.
I ask you to consider attending local government meetings and letting your elected officials know you are watching and paying attention. Call them on their BS! Praise them when they do their jobs! Use your VOTE to get the government you deserve.
Government Meetings this Week
Tuesday, May 3 – The Key West City Commission will meet at 5pm in City Hall, 1300 White St., Key West. I did not see anything too offensive but make your own decision. Details and Agenda are here.
I have a wish list. Can you help? Here it is.
I would love to have a volunteer for each government meeting held in Monroe County. Watch via ZOOM or attend in person. (I think in-person is better for monitoring the crazy in the room). That person would then email me what is happening that we need to track. Our job could be to build community activism and increase citizen involvement/attendance.
Coming Events
Thursday, May 5 – Drinking Liberally will be meeting at 5:30pm in the back room of Sally O’Brien’s (the former Shanna Key). It is also Cinco de Mayo, so, Irish/Mexican food?
Friday, May 6 – Join the Black Lives Matter protest from 4-5pm in front of the Murray Nelson Govt. Ctr on US#1 in Key Largo!
Petition Drives
Currently the Keys Dems are working on the Single Member District issue, which would change the way the voters in Monroe County elect their County Commissioners from at-large voting to SMD. This means you will only vote for Your Commissioner, who must also live in your district. Check out this op-ed from Linda Grist Cunningham, the publisher/editor of Key West Island News. Read the article here for a great explanation. You can print a copy of the Single Member District petition at www.keysrep.com.
We are considering another statewide petition to protect our water with a Constitutional amendment, since the state really does not care about how Big Development impacts water quality throughout the state. More on that one soon.
Ballot initiatives are a true symptom of an out of touch government. Vote them out if they only respond to their donors. Again, Tallahassee is the best legislature money can buy!
Remember – DEMOCRACY IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT!
Democrats have delivered many good things for the American People over the years. However, for us to continue to guide our country to a future of equal opportunity and equal justice, we need to elect enough Democrats up and down the ballot to break the GOP hold on our state. They (the GOP) have shown us who they really are, and it is not a pretty picture. I, for one, do not want to go back to 1960 in terms of women’s rights and civil rights! We are experiencing the emergence of a tyrant! He talks more like a Russian dictator than the governor of a state in the USA!
WAKE UP AMERICA!
More good news! Brandon Jones, one of our newest volunteers, has taken on a few more chores. He has been running our Facebook page for a few months now and doing a fantastic job. Now, he has also agreed to help with the website and will be editing the BLOG! So, if you have an article you would like to share or comments in “letter to the editor” style, please email them to blog@keysdems.com
Special thanks to Helen Dodderidge, the designer/creator of our website who will be working with Brandon to get the site up to date and ready for the 2022 election cycle.
If you are having trouble getting my newsletter on a regular basis, please add Bert Sise chair@keysdems.com as a contact in your email.
Stay safe and well friends!
See you soon!
Bert Sise/Chair
KeysDems
"In a time of destruction, create something.” - Maxine Hong Kingston
(I think we can create the new and Improved Democratic Party!)