Opinion
By Dave Scott
Following next week’s commentary I’ll be taking time off to concentrate on producing the Amelia Island News Wrecker, an annual parody of local, regional, and national events.
The annual Wrecker has traditionally been published during the Amelia Island Shrimp Festival, but I thought it would be more fun to do it following the national, regional, and local elections this year.
However, after reviewing the latest issue of the Fernandina News Leader it appears that the local print weekly had the same idea. Its editorial pages are crammed full of some of the silliest, side-splitting, inane nonsense I’ve ever read.
On the news side recently the paper’s front page story (Wednesday, October 30, “Rosses honored” ) was about a local conservation group that planted a tree in Central Park to honor outgoing City Commissioner Chip Ross, the term-limited grump whose last day as a sitting commissioner will be November 6. The News Leader devoted a quarter of a page to the quarrelsome curmudgeon and his tree. I overheard a few locals flipping through the paper chuckle about the story, calling the tree the “Chip Ross Dog Relief Station.”
Ross was pictured with his wife, Faith, in a front-quarter-page piece. The paper’s coverage of Ross was in stark contrast to the scathing news coverage he garnered in his former residence in Solomon’s Island, MD, when Washington, D.C, area news outlets including the Washington Post celebrated his departure from that area following his harassment of a local business organization and its patrons.
The News Leader has never mentioned the negative news coverage Ross generated in his former residence of Solomon’s Island, Maryland, much less the chaos he created there. You can read it at https://www.davescottblog.com/first-do-no-harm-do-not-vote-for-chip-ross-heres-why/ The News Leader editorial crowd here can’t be bothered. It is too busy cranking out propaganda for local extremist candidates (Genece Minshew, Joyce Tuten, James Antun), and bashing conservatives (Bradley Bean, Darron Ayscue, David Sturges), and concentrating on far-left ideological crusades, much to the chagrin of its advertising and circulation departments.
The departure of conservative and balanced 34-year journalism veteran and syndicated conservative business columnist Steve Nicklas to the Yulee News and Citizens Journal Florida left this sad paper’s editorial cupboard as bare as Old Mother Hubbard’s. All that remains is a bizarre columnist named Jennifer Silverman, a New Yorker, whose only topic is Jennifer Silverman, who has used up her quota of personal pronouns, with “I” being her favorite. If she isn’t annoying enough then you can turn to the another New Yorker, screeching liberal extremist Chuck Olivia. This week’s editorial page junkpile included the third in a three-part series about Tupperware. Yes! Tupperware. I’m not making that up. This is a must read if you suffer from insomnia. Author Howard Pines is a friend and a nice guy, but come on Howard: TUPPERWARE? Three consecutive columns on Tupperware?
One of the most egregious items was the Wednesday, Oct. 30 letter from Robert M. Weintraub, aka, “Bullet Bob”, my former next door neighbor, who eight years ago twice threatened on Facebook to kill me and my wife, because we put a small congratulatory Trump sign in our yard after the 2016 election. Weintraub’s Facebook postings generated a visit to his house by two police officers. I have a copy of the police report.
This unhinged fruitcake’s first threat appeared publicly on Facebook shortly after the Trump sign went up on Veterans Day, November 11. It was surrounded by small American flags, which we put out every Veterans Day. Weintraub posted :“To my Trumpic bigoted and anti-Semitic neighbors, there is a Jewish motto — ‘NEVER AGAIN’ — so don’t think you can intimidate me with your signs. My rifle and shotgun are loaded, and I will be getting a handgun at tomorrow’s sales. I’ll be waiting for you and your ‘brown shirts.’”
I responded to this threatening Facebook message online saying his comments were “frightening and made us very nervous” telling him there was no justification for his violent reaction. This prompted the following and even more irrational and vehement outburst by this loon:
“Dave Scott you voted for a man who supports the American Nazi Party and the KKK. Trump supporters have been openly anti-Semitic. What else am I to think? You are the frightening one, Dave Scott, and I am ready for you and your friends.” You can read the details here https://www.davescottblog.com/mr-rogers-never-met-my-neighbor/
That was chilling for a variety of reasons. First, we realized that we lived next door to an irrational, dangerous and unhinged person who claims he is armed to the teeth and says he intends to use his guns against us. Also the local newspaper, the News-Leader, gives this lunatic a forum. What the hell are they thinking down there?
I was also told by the authorities that based on his public Facebook threats we could easily obtain a restraining order against him. We – mostly Linda — decided not to pursue it as we felt sorry for his wife, a very nice lady. A renter, Weintraub packed up and moved shortly thereafter to terrorize another unsuspecting neighborhood. I’ve been relieved ever since because I no longer have to put on a helmet and Kevlar vest and tell Linda: “I’m going to get the mail….cover me.”
News Leader editor Tracy Dishman and Publisher Foy Maloy are well aware of the deranged Weintraub’s public threats but don’t care. Maybe they agree with him, as they give him space whenever his decides to fire off one of his inane screeds. Perhaps the paper will start running opinion pieces from convicted felons as a regular feature on its opinion page. “Advice From The Big House” would be appropriate and make a catchy title.
Under left-wing extremist Editor Dishman, a graduate of the “Close Cover Before Striking School of Screen Door Repair and Journalism” and flummoxed Publisher Maloy, the News Leader has no direction at all except toward the print newspaper graveyard, a sad ending for a once-proud outlet.
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Who NOT To Vote For: In a nutshell if you want males in girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms, on girls’ sports teams, abortion at any time, enslaving future generations with massive debt, and allowing unvetted illegal aliens, drugs, sex traffickers, rapists, killers, etc. to wander our streets then Kamala Harris, is the candidate for you.
Harris has advocated for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), keeping the border wide open, providing illegal alien taxpayer-funded housing, cell phones, plane tickets, and food stamps, defunding the police, releasing violent offenders, eliminating middle-class tax cuts, banning fracking and ending fossil fuel usage, mandating electric vehicles, confiscating guns from legal gun owners, promoting taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries for illegal aliens and prisoners, among other such programs. If this is your vision for America then she’s your candidate.
Fernandina Commission candidates former Pride President Genece Minshew and extreme environmentalist Joyce Tuten do not distance themselves from this garbage. Far from it. They flat out lie. Just before registering to run for office in our 75 percent Republican Nassau County these two frauds dropped their Democrat party affiliation, with Minshew registering Republican and Tuten No Party Affiliation. Why?
These two phonies campaign together and have never disavowed the nonsense the Democrat party advocates. Poynter’s association with Minshew is troubling and as far as I can tell he has no platform of substance. This trio voting together on the Fernandina City Commission along with brain-dead puppet James Antun would be Fernandina’s worst nightmare.
For the sake of a safe, sane, wholesome and prosperous Fernandina Beach cast your vote for Bradley Bean, David Sturges, Christy Kelly, and Darron Ayscue.
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Local Book Signing With NY Times Best-Selling Author: Area resident Kenneth R. Timmerman will present his latest book of non-fiction, “The Iran House: Tales of Revolution, Persecution, War, and Intrigue”, at a book signing hosted by PJD’s Beer & Wine Garden (12 South 2nd Street) from 5-6:20PM Friday, November 8. Books can be purchased on site. “The Iran House” is Timmerman’s 14th work of non-fiction. Earlier books, “Shakedown: Exposing the Real Jesse Jackson”, and “The French Betrayal” of America, were NY Times best-sellers. He has also published four novels. You can learn more about Ken at his website, kentimmerman.c
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Speaking Of Ken Timmerman: “The October Surprise is Kamala herself” concludes Timmerman in a recent editorial piece.
Ken wrote his commentary prior to Joe Biden providing another “October surprise” — his “Trump’s supporters are garbage” statement.
Following Kamala Harris’s recent CNN town hall Timmerman wrote: “Her abysmal performance in interview after interview with friendly networks has left her partisans openly skeptical of her qualifications to hold the highest office in the land.”
He quoted former Obama advisor David Axelrod after the town hall that “Kamala had a tendency to head to ‘word salad city’ whenever she was challenged.”
“You could almost the little gremlins in her brain opening and closing file drawers, searching for the answer,” he added. “For example when she was asked what her greatest fault was she came up with this: ‘I really do value having a team around me of really smart people who bring to my decision-making process different perspectives.’”
When asked her what she felt was her biggest mistake as Vice President, she replied saying, “I probably worked very hard at making sure that I am well versed on issues.”
What will Harris do following a loss? One of the most interesting suggestions I’ve heard was that she will have a permanent seat on “The View.” It’ll be be a tight squeeze with that quartet of heavyweights, but once seated she’ll fit right in babbling incomprehensible nonsense.
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Porn Industry Endorses Harris: Is that a surprise? It’s obvious that Democrats who promote political censorship, do not want ID verification for porn or for voting and want abortion up to the time of birth, are in bed with these folks? Think their pals Jeffrey Epstein and P. Diddy.
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Dastardly Democrats Doing Desperate Deeds: Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters who voiced his support for former President Trump was recently targeted by someone flying a plane with a racist banner trailing in its wake. The banner stated, “REPUGNANT-CON COWARD TK WATERS TURNED WHITE.” The black sheriff didn’t miss a beat and shrugged it off as the person’s First Amendment right to voice their opinion.
“Today’s banner is a clear reminder that ignorance and hate will always breed more ignorance and hate. Jacksonville is a great city full of good people who care about one another. Let’s focus on putting that on the world’s stage,” said Waters, Jacksonville’s second black sheriff. I like this guy!
The banner was flown just one day after Waters voiced his support for Trump while excoriating Democratic Mayor Donna Deegan for calling the former president’s immigration policy akin to “concentration camps.” She made the abhorrent comments while traveling on a trade mission in London during an interview with London Times Radio, according to Florida’s Voice. I don’t like this gal.
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Betting On Trump: As an observer, fan and a former sports writer, I’ve always been intrigued with the bookmakers in Las Vegas.
When calculating the odds, they analyze the statistics, injuries, past performances, locations, the venues, talent, fan turnout and enthusiasm, weather, everything. Nothing passes their scrutiny. In most cases they are rarely ever wrong. The house always wins. Otherwise there would be no casinos, online betting sites, etc.
Based on what I’ve read up to now, these oddsmakers have Trump winning and judging by their past record I’m betting they’re right.
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.
