Tonight, starting at 5 p.m. at Pierhouse on Front Street, Art Behind Bars hosts its annual showing, get-together, with food and drink. Lynne Vantriglia heads up this very worthwhile project, which is having success bringing inmates into artistic expression, which, in turn, is leading them toward living in harmony with people and life and away from what put them behind bars in the first place. I have several beautiful pieces of inmate art that I purchased from earlier Art Behind Bars events for a very reasonable price. All proceeds from inmate art go to the program, the inmates’ way of paying for the help they are getting. Sometimes private artists also are featured.
Tonight’s showing is called, “When Pigs Fly,” which seems appropriate given this Tuesday is election day in Key West. My and other pork-lovers’ mug shots are on the front page and page 3-A of this morning’s Key West Citizen, along with a brief sketch of our campaign priorities furnished to Hometown PAC. To what I was quoted, I add that the waste water reclamation I suggested would be used not only for drinking water but also for irrigation.
I told someone yesterday, who lives in Truman Annex, that Truman Annex sort of reminds me of Pandora’s Box. Once opened, everything comes out. A political race is sort of a pig in a poke, too, don’t you think? For example, just below, is what this fellow wrote back to me yesterday about Pandora‘s Box, and just below that is something I received yesterday by email from someone else about yesterdays cock-a-doodle-doo, “Economics 101.”
“Truman Annex is also filled with lots of ‘Karma.’
“The older snowbirds, 4 month winter visitors, that live below my condo in Shipyard supported the transient renters. Now they’re complaining about my renters getting home at 2AM and walking around over their heads waking them up. Sometimes you do get what you wish for, and then learn maybe you wished wrong. J ”
“Dear Mr. Bashinsky:
“Sooner or later it had to happen. You and I agree on something. Even worse, we agree on two things. You may well shudder.
“But I wish to focus in this response to Good Morning Key West, Sept. 29, on your observation about the editorial in the Sept. 28-Oct. 4 edition of Conch Color. It seems to me that the view expressed in that editorial goes to the heart of what this election is— or should be— all about. The thought that the “only logical way to inject a constant cash flow into the city’s coffers…. depends largely on new development….” is indicative of a line of thought that is seldom made so clear. But that’s why it needs to be discussed. It seems to underlie a number of the decisions of the Commission and the appointed Boards and Commissions under its control. Even more, it seems to often guide decision-making at a seemingly unconscious, all but hidden level.
Without knowing the figures for tax revenue from Sunset Key or Truman Annex, I am willing to grant that those developments are important to Key West. Even very important. But that’s a long way from substantiating a claim that new development provides the only way we can keep thriving as a city. Lets hope not, for if we assume that there are physical limits to our growth, with Mr. Oosterhoudt’s thinking, we are sooner or later doomed to poverty. More to the immediate point, however, we suffer a poverty of a different kind if we cannot think of other ways to keep our economy healthy— and in balance with what citizens see as a healthy community. Long-term realistic thinking about our collective future is way beyond where I want to go for now, which is just to say thanks for pointing to the editorial about the assisted living at Truman Waterfront referrendum ] and for maybe stirring citizens’ minds as to what it really means.
“Sincerely,
“Perry
“PS Since this is Key West you may be trying to place who I am. In truth, we don’t know one another— just a few polite handshakes here and there. But that seems unimportant for a thank-you note.”
Just as I was finishing this flying pig today, a fellow whose been egging me on somewhat asked if he could have a job in my administration if I’m elected Mayor? Sure, I said. He could be in charge of the City Spreadsheet Department. I added that I have a friend I play bridge with at the Conch Duplicate Bridge Club, who is a Wharton School of Finance graduate and once managed the credit card end of a very large finance company. When he told me a while back that he was going to vote for me, I said maybe he could help the city straighten out its economics. One with a blue plate education, the other who got his degree in Economics it in the school of hard knocks, I figure they could do this city of flying pigs some serious good.
Meanwhile, I suppose you are waiting for me to make this week’s pigskin predictions, yes? Well, here is what I predict. There will be a higher than usual voter turn out, because it’s rumored that Captain Tony wants there to be a higher than usual voter turn out. And, if what I’m hearing through the coconut telegraph is reliable, the flying pig pundits notwithstanding, Captain Outrageous will win a stunning write-in upset. If you think that is a bit far-fetched, check in this morning with the hangover of one of your Florida Gator friends. I suppose the only person in Key West who woke up happy about that pig-skinning was Assistant City Manager John Jones, who had the distinct disadvantage to attend and graduate from what lots of folks in Alabama call Cow U (Auburn). Is it possible, do you think, that there might be some connection between that and the last bridge into Key West being over Cow Key Channel? Sooooeeeee pig, right?
Sloan Bashinsky
Mayor candidate
paid pork-roast advertisement
posted to today’s cock-a-doodle-doo at goodmorningkeywest.com