Category Archives: Current Events

Update

Hi Gang.

It has been quite a while since I have posted anything on the blog, actually it has been over two months. And I do apologize, but Nancy and I have been a somewhat busy here in SWFL. I want to thank everyone who sent letters, emails, and texts supporting us  is so many, many ways. This was not something two people in the early 80’s needed, but it is what it is . We are still attempting to tackle the myriad of things we are having to do one day at a time.

The house is slowly beginning to look like a home, but still have a long way to go. We lost both of our cars and then learned that the RV was to be totaled as well. The insurance company has been gracious enough to allow us to live in it until we can move into the house, which I suspect will be sometime  in early spring.

I can’t believe how great FEMA has been. They came in for phase one and cleaned up all the curbside “stuff” from everyone’s home as well as all the trees that were cut down and stacked curbside. The photo at the top was the initial stuff that went to the curb; twice as much followed as the reclamation crew made their way through the entire house. The only furniture saved was some made from solid wood, all else went to the curb. Of course, there was much more added to the curbs after that phase as they were so quick to get in here and start the cleanup. They returned this week for phase two of the cleanup. For a govt agency, let me say I was impressed! Kudos to the guys working for that agency; they are very thorough!

Drywall is up and painted, some plumbing has been done as well as some electrical work. Once cabinets and counter tops are installed they will return to make all the necessary connections.  We purchased one mattress and are sleeping in the house, but all else is still taking place in the RV and will be for quite some time as the kitchen will take the longest to complete. The reason things are going slow is you can only imagine how contractors/vendors are in such high demand. For example, kitchen cabinets can take as long as fourteen weeks for delivery.

So, rest assured Nancy and I are well physically; can’t say the same emotionally as I’m sure you can imagine – LOL. Again, thank you so very much for the support everyone has provided

Semper Fi, Jim

Originally posted 2022-12-18 11:04:37.

Humbled and Humiliated

Marines, family, and friends, I am both humiliated and totally embarrassed to do this. So many of you have reached out saying you truly want to do something to help as we recover from the destruction of  hurricane Ina (both cars flooded and totaled, house inside under 2-1/2 feet of water). At the height of the storm, Nancy and I were siting on folding chairs on top of the LR coffee table and the water was almost to our knees. Watching 155 MPH wind gusts turn 50-60 year old oak trees in to something akin to a cactus is something we will never forget. It was absolutely unbelievable how fast the water rose. Once the storm drain in our front yard could no longer handle the water it literally took over and our house became an island in a sea of water. And understand, we are many miles inland.

Many have offered to come to Florida but we have no place to put you up plus we have passed the point where we need physical help to remove everything from the house and not to the point where we can put things back together. The house is structurally sound but the contents were destroyed. The house has been gutted and we are  scrambling along with thousands of others trying to find a reputable contractor to put it all back together. The scammers are plentiful and from all over the country. We are living on the property in our RV at the present time but will probably have to move to a campground as it will, take many months to recover. Of course, in FL affordable homeowner’s insurance does not cover any personal items which includes furniture, not even a washer and dryer.  And no one offers flood insurance except FEMA. We have saved some items to see if they can be disinfected and reused, but I estimate about 3/4 of our contents are sitting on the curb waiting for the county to pick up.
We just found out our oldest granddaughter, Lindsay, set up a go fund me account to help us. PLEASE, PLEASE do not feel obligated to donate. Because you asked how you can help, other than keeping us in your prayers, this is the best way at the present time. With all the things I have experienced in my lifetime, this has to be the hardest to get my arms around. I never thought at my age I’d have to rebuild and furnish the entire inside of a home from scratch.

Please know that there are so many more in our area worse off than us. Many have no place to even live. If you would like to help them, the best way is through the SWFL Emergency Relief Fund where 100% of all donations goes to help those in need https://swfla.iphiview.com/…/contribution…/Default.aspxs

Please know that we are both okay physically, and emotionally we are taking it one day at a time and with the help of the Lord we will get thought this in time. Your continued prayers are so very  much appreciated.
Hit by the hurricane: My grandparent's fundraiser, organized by Lindsay Hunt

GOFUNDME.COM Hit by the hurricane: My grandparent’s fundraiser, organized by Lindsay Hunt

God Bless everyone and please keep us in your prayers as we work through this tragedy.
Semper Fi

Nancy and Jim

Originally posted 2022-10-14 17:08:09.

Hurricane IAN

Good morning Folks, it’s the Lord’s day and I am going to take a break for I am beat to my knees. As I am sure many of you know where I live – SWFL, North Fort Myers to be exact. I’m sure you’ve been watching the TV and heard about us down here. It is, in every word, a War Zone. Mind you, there are a lots of folks worse off than Nancy and I, and they need our prayers, but we were hit hard, very hard.

We just got electricity back late yesterday afternoon, but no internet yet and that will probably take quite some time. We have water, but must still boil to drink. With power now I am able to use my laptop, which happened to be high on a shelf thus saved, and the hot spot on my cell phone, albeit cellphone coverage is limited at best as we lost many towers.

At the height of the storm, we have 2 1/2 ‘  of water in the house. Nancy and I were sitting on kitchen chairs on top of the LR coffee table and the water was still up to our ankles. This was not my first rodeo having grown up on the Chesapeake Bay, but I have ever seen 155 MPH winds.  Trust me, if you haven’t you do not want to! I understand Ian was 2 MPG short of being classified as a Cat 5. Our community is (was) completely shaded by beautiful live oaks, which now look like cactuses.

About three quarters of our “stuff” is sitting out by the street with all my neighbors things waiting for the eventual pickup whenever that will be. Both our cars were toasted and have already been hauled away by USAA. Since they were a 2012 and a 2013, we won’t get squat for them as they are not treated as being in an accident – strange.

At our age, the last thing we would have wanted to do was start all over again creating a live-able home, but that’s life. Like I said earlier, there are lots of people who don’t even have a roof over their head. We at least have a solid structure to begin creating that home. Just wanted to give an update to let you know Nancy and I are alive!! And that’s what is important.

Jim & Nancy

PS, please keep emails to a bare minimum as that’s all I have to communicate with Insurance companies, etc. Thank you

Originally posted 2022-10-09 10:30:52.

American Citizenship

Listen to this naturalized American citizens’ message to the President.  Sadly, Joe, nor his “Border Czar” Harris,  will never hear this, and even if they were tied to a chair and had this played to them, they would not be able to process it.  But it’s a message that a lot of people should hear and think about. Please listen to him, and be sure to pick up on how long it took him to become a naturalized citizen by doing it legally.  What a tragedy. I personally know one Canadian who came to America with a green card, married a local gal, had children, started his own landscaping business, donated tons to local charity groups, but it still took him eight years to become an American citizen. Yet these bastards streaming across the Border Czar’s border get all the benefits of a naturalized citizen at taxpayers expense and some even want to allow them to vote. And someone commented on one of my recent  posts refuting my belief that we are a third world shithole. I stand by my claim. We are a lawless, segregated, open border, immoral society who cannot conduct a legal election. We have laws, but they are applied discriminately. Excuse me while I go throw up.

Originally posted 2022-09-21 10:51:07.

Northerners Feel the Pain.

FL, TX and AZ have had enough of sloppy Joe’s and Harris’ BS about the border being secure This issue is, in my mind, the biggest problem facing this country today, and it’s about time those liberal northern states who have been immune to the realities of the open border feel the pain. Suck it libitards.

There is a lot to read here folks if you click on the links, LOL. Several states having to call out their National Guard to help. Don’t you just love it? Help by donating to FL and TX to send these illegals north!

Read more at Fox

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis followed through on his promise to drop off illegal immigrants in progressive states, sending two planes full of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday.

A video provided to Fox News Digital shows the migrants deboarding the planes at Martha’s Vineyard Airport in Massachusetts.

“Yes, Florida can confirm the two planes with illegal immigrants that arrived in Martha’s Vineyard today were part of the state’s relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations,” the governor’s communications director, Taryn Fenske, told Fox News Digital.

 

“States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as ‘sanctuary states’ and support for the Biden administration’s open border policies,” she said.

“As you may know, in this past legislative session the Florida legislature appropriated $12 million to implement a program to facilitate the transport of illegal immigrants from this state consistent with federal law,” she said, later adding that the state’s “immigration relocation program targets both human smugglers found in the state, but also preempts others from coming to Florida.”

The office of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker responded to an after-hours email from Fox News Digital, saying it was aware of the situation and that the arrivals were provided short-term shelter.

“The Baker-Polito Administration is in touch with local officials regarding the arrival of migrants in Martha’s Vineyard,” Terry MacCormack, Baker’s press secretary, wrote. “At this time, short-term shelter services are being provided by local officials, and the Administration will continue to support those efforts.”

 

Fox News Digital reported in April that Florida’s budget since approved by the state legislature included $12 million for the Florida Department of Transportation to remove illegal immigrants from the state and relocate them.

Martha’s Vineyard is famously known as a playground of rich progressives, including former President Barack Obama, who bought a multimillion-dollar house there in 2019.

DeSantis, a Republican, proposed Delaware or Martha’s Vineyard as a destination for such migrants, but his office explained at the time that they could also be sent “to other ‘progressive’ states whose governors endorse blatant violations of federal immigration law.”

“It is not the responsibility of Floridians to subsidize aliens to reside in our state unlawfully; we did not consent to Biden’s open-borders agenda,” the governor’s office said at the time.

In November, DeSantis said dozens of migrant flights landed in Florida at the behest of the Biden administration, and he threatened at that time to send them to Delaware on buses.

Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, began sending thousands of illegal immigrants to Washington, D.C., in April as the migrant crisis overwhelmed border states. In August, buses from Texas started heading to New York City and Chicago. Arizona has also sent buses to Washington.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who was put in charge of tackling the border crisis by President Biden shortly after they assumed office in 2021, sparked a firestorm this week after she twice declared the U.S. southern border is “secure” while administration officials estimate an average of 55,000 so-called “gotaways” each month — illegal immigrants who successfully make it into the country without being detained.

TEXAS GOV. GREG ABBOTT DIRECTS USE OF BUSES TO DROP OFF MIGRANTS AT STEPS OF CAPITOL IN DC

God bless Governors Abbott and Desantis!

Originally posted 2022-09-15 11:29:35.