Opinion
By Dave Scott, 5-30-25
Articles I recently read report that doctors at the Mayo Clinic and elsewhere claim laughter is medically beneficial dialing up levels of constructive chemicals and dialing down detrimental ones.
Pratfalls, puzzled looks, outrageously silly comments, and humiliating blunders that have produced laughter on stage, in movies, and on TV for generations, are now the trademark of politicians, particularly those on the left. The laughter they generate may be healthy for chuckling onlookers say doctors.
If true, one of the healthiest places in town might be Fernandina Beach’s City Commission Chambers. Tuesday evenings at Commission sessions at City Hall features improvisation at its best, funnier than any nearby comedy club. The only things missing are animal acts, opera singers, acrobats, and jugglers, similar to the old Ed Sullivan TV show.
The comedic aspects of the Fernandina Beach City Commission’s buffoonery are destined to become part of medical lore despite losing one of its legendary foils, Chip Ross, to term limits.
Medical professionals didn’t specifically mention this commission’s comedic group, but after attending just one session it’s evident their performance is worth the visit. Not because they have anything serious to say, just the opposite. The elected screwballs are so outlandish that no reasonable person could take them seriously. Stay long enough for a few knee-slapping belly laughs, wipe away the tears, and leave feeling better.
Mayor James Antun’s sidesplitting impersonation of a potted plant alone is worth the visit. The nonsensical mumbo jumbo of the whacky woke duo of LGBTQA etc. activist Genece Minshew and environmental extremist Joyce Tuten and her pet tree generates show-stopping stunned looks on the faces of their foils Darron Ayscue and Tim Poynter producing aisle-rolling gales of laughter.
There’s no cover and no minimum, unless you’re a resident and count your tax assessment, then laughter turns to tears.
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Thinking Inside The Box: The fortunes of Fernandina Beach’s Smurfit-WestRock facility may be a harbinger of the direction of the overall U.S. economy.
The firm’s Fernandina facility manufactures and distributes containerboard and paperboard products such as folding cartons, bleached paperboard, coated recycled paperboard, retail displays, and pulp products, mostly materials used to package and ship stuff. The parent company generates more than $21 billion annually in revenue.
According to the Wall Street Journal, cardboard containers have become a reliable economic indicator. The better the economy, the more corrugated packaging is consumed to move everything from factory parts, books, pizza, appliances, fruits, vegetables, and more around the country.
For example most folks buy stuff from Walmart or Amazon, the world’s largest retailers. The products they sell are sent to the retailers in boxes and in many cases customers receive them in boxes. When the demand for boxes diminishes that means folks aren’t buying as much stuff. People stop buying stuff when they can’t spare the cash. When that happens companies don’t need as many boxes. Fewer boxes means an economic downturn. It’s simple.
Layoffs, employment surges and production increases or cutbacks at the local WestRock mill might foretell the temperature of the overall U.S. economy, not just a local spurt or a downtown downturn.
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Wait! What, When, Where Who? I’m not sure what’s going on with the brouhaha at the Saturday Fernandina Beach downtown Arts Market.
I’m more than reluctant to believe anything written by the online Observer’s pretend journalist and Black Lives Matter activist Mike Lednovich. But Georgia-based Pineland Bank isn’t doing itself any favors either by not explaining what’s going on with their Fernandina property.
Lednovich, wrote: “The Fernandina Beach Arts Market, a vibrant open-air marketplace held in historic downtown has been kicked out of its 12-year location by Pineland Bank.” Lednovich added that Market owners Elizabeth and Joe Lee, along with market manager Judie Mackie made the announcement on Facebook. He says Pineland didn’t respond to him. They didn’t respond to me either after I called. They said they’d have their marketing people call me. I’m still waiting.
The Observer article is typical of the one-sided outrageous reporting by the lefty Lednovich who’s never discovered a “capitalist screws the poor artist” cause he doesn’t adore. However, Pineland needs to tell its side of the story.
Does the art market have a contract with the bank? Or are the artists squatters, who over the years infringed onto the bank’s property that sits adjacent to the 7th Street market? Who knows? I’ve left messages for both and nobody’s talking. And I’m sure as heck not believing anything the biased goofball Lednovich reports.
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Subtle Settling Suggestion: The Fernandina Beach News Leader’s “Look at me! Look at me!” weekly “Curious Columnist,” Jennifer Silverman, penned another in her continuing series of narcissistic word jumbles (If you see supposed settling, observe, but say nothing) Wednesday, May 21.
From what I could decipher out of her latest self-serving editorial muddle, is that she’s warning readers about accepting or “settling” for things or situations that may not be their first choice. At least that’s all I could manage to salvage out of her latest opinion page word wreckage.
This is the same transplanted New Yorker who admitted in a column last year that she sold her unopened wedding gifts online, implying that the groom didn’t hang around long enough to “settle’ in with her, but hit the bricks soon after the wedding reception’s open bar closed. This lucky guy dodged a bullet and should be ecstatic he didn’t “settle” into what would have been a nuptial nightmare.
I wonder if the paper’s new publisher, Todd Frantz, read this gal’s blather before he arrived and will eventually “settle” with her. Like most of its columnists, the paper probably doesn’t pay her. Even then she’s vastly over compensated.
However, there are a couple of bright spots on the bi-weekly paper’s staff.
The editorial page’s Caleb Bryan produces exceptionally readable history pieces crammed with fascinating facts unknown to most, the mark of a good writer. His May 21 “Litte Drummer Boy’s View of Civil War” was an excellent read. Bryan’s West Nassau High School students are fortunate to have him as a history teacher.
Meanwhile, Howard Pines’ May 21 piece on DOGE (The importance of DOGE for our future America) could open the eyes of many including the local loopy liberal fist-shaking anti-DOGE grannies who mindlessly follow local unemployed gadfly Sheila Cocchi up and down Centre Street. They just need to find someone to read it to them.
Gone are the paper’s duo of wild-eyed, spittle-spewing, left-wing screamers, Chuck Oliva, and Mark Tomes, who polluted the editorial pages prior to Frantz’s appointment. Why is Brenda Starr wannabe, Tracy Dishman, still “settled” in the editor’s cubicle? Is the paper hoping she’ll see the handwriting on the wall and leave on her own so it won’t have to “settle” with her?
I assume the paper will eventually tire of running front page corrections and apologies.
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80 Years Overdue: One of the provisions agreed to by the U.S. in the 1947 GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) agreement following World War II was differential tariffs.
The U.S. lowered its tariffs more than its trading partners did to speed the economic rebuilding of allies and former enemies who had suffered devastation during the war.
World War II has been over for 80 years. The economic recovery of Europe and the Far East has long been accomplished. Yet the differential tariffs are still in place. President Trump is correctly asking why?
I lived and worked in Europe for almost eight years and don’t recall ever seeing a Ford or Chevy there. However hundreds of thousands of Mercedes, Toyotas, BMWs, Volkswagens, Volvos, Fiats, etc. prowl U.S. roadways. In China and Japan it’s even worse. It makes one think who won that war.
The Democrats are calling Trump’s moves a “trade war.” It’s not. He’s finally making it reciprocal after eight decades Again the Democrat’s thinking is in the 20% of an 80-20 percent polling statistic. I hope they continue on this path until they become as obsolete as the Whigs.
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Chew On This: The father of the terrorist charged with shooting and killing two Israeli embassy staffers on Wednesday, May 21, was invited to attend President Donald Trump’s March 4 joint address in Congress at the behest of a far-Left Democrat member of Congress.
Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL), who called for a ceasefire on October 7, 2023, as Hamas terrorists were still raping and slaughtering Israeli civilians, hosted Eric Rodriguez—the father of suspected D.C. murderer Elias Rodriguez— at Trump’s March 4, 2024, speech.
García has been a critic of Israel since it launched its defensive war against Hamas including opposing military aid to Israel. Garcia’s guest was Rodriguez, whose son, Elias, is the alleged D.C. murderer, who was last seen screaming “Free Palestine” after shooting to death two young Israeli embassy staffers.
The Daily Wire reported that the charged killer’s father, Eric Rodriguez, was once affiliated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a leftist group linked to Chinese Communist Party funding networks that have been repeatedly contacted by sanctioned Iranian state media. How much lower can Democrats sink? How does Garcia sleep at night? What a vile disgusting person.
Republished with the author’s permission. Read The Dave Scott Blog– subscribe Free
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
