Dealing with a certain sort of people

I got this in my email today from a friend over on Vieques. I don't normally do things this blatantly, but because of the source and the message, I'm going to do it today. I have a few local people who ask me to turn them on to Americans looking for a place to rent for just the reasons mentioned here, so I'm leaving that line in as well. Certainly I can't reach everyone, but you as a reader can pass along the message. Please.

"I wanted to warn you and anyone you know about a sleaze bag , Charly Cherrier and his wife/girl friend Kara Miller. They finally moved out of a house I had for sale where they had moved in and NEVER paid rent, finally after a court battle they have gone to Culebra. They trashed this nice little house and stole all the appliances and furniture.They even had a bonfire in the drive way, what a mess. This is the second or third house here he has done this too. He set up a hamburger stand called Charly burgers, ripped people off, never paid debts and finally somebody burned him out. He and the wife can be very charming (cutting nasty bit here, just assume charming doesn't go home with them). ...he is crack head, and they are both thieves. I just don't want anyone else burned. Puerto Ricans tend to think American are all good [renters] and will rent to them."

On to the Terruno meeting, what turns out to be the last meeting on this project. We had a fair turnout and some great speakers and law types on *our* side, making hash of a number of assertions from *their* side. There is still time to send a letter with comments. I didn't get all of the info - addresses, dates etc. - but will add it sooner than later.

Crowd of the day

The home team

There were a few interesting moments. One for me was passing through the doors to the room during the lunch break, practically getting belly bumped by one of the Dubon brothers. That close, ok, I had to say something! And what I said was, "I can't believe you can say what you said up there with a straight face." I repeated that in my little bit of time to talk at the end of the meeting.

What I did NOT include was his response to me, which was "We are VERY serious people and I don't need to take this bullshit!" I was, needless to say, ready for a lot of responses, but that wasn't one of them. So I smilingly and gently replied, "But you can dish the bullshit out there, it appears."

A very serious person (dresses better).
I didn't take this photo, but thanks to the person who used my camera!

My Dad warned me what would happen if I kept this look on my face...

Another moment was when a woman with a few zillion credentials from the Planning Board (I'm not sure what it's called in Spanish, sorry) was grilled by the TP lawyer like a chicken. Except, oops, she was Queen of the Roost and had an answer for every single question he bullet shot to her. I have to say, I felt very strongly at that moment that I wished he were on our side. I've been told he was once more of an environmental sort, a kick butt lawyer who has made his bones doing some good things on the big island. Maybe he's just a great lawyer who follows the money, but he is good and I'll give him that.

Sorry I don't know her name, but this woman was very cool under fire...
and I like and respect that

Kick butt lawyer serving his master's pointer bidding

We watched and listened like we were following a tennis match, while a couple of people either side of me (me being pathetically Spanish deficient) kindly summed up the gist of the moments in English. Thanks, y'all!

One of the hardest lines I listened to was from the same Dubon whom I met more than I wanted to in the doorway. He said, and this must be given as a paraphrase, but this was basically it, 'Culebra is an area of tourists and second home owners.' Well, a ground swell of chatter grew off of that one, which then subsided. It's a sad thing when the man claiming to do so much for Culebra doesn't give any more of a damn than the Navy about those who call this home. But then, that's what he's about...getting the bucks out of tourists and second home owners. I made it quite clear that NONE of either the former or latter expresses an interest in such a place as they envision.

Would you buy a used car from this man? How about an abused island?

But of course, this is the same brother who came back to where I was sitting with a journalist friend and blantantly tried to buy him off, right there!, his belly a few inches from my face...this is, rather than a serious person, an arrogant, nasty person, who needs to have himself on a leash next to his lawyer. I don't know anything about his brother, but he did at least seem to behave more civilly than his sibling.

Even a big player on the wrong team seems to be able to tell (listening to his brother)
something smells seriously wrong here - hey, I just take the pictures

Facts schmacts! Hey, is my lawyer ignoring me?

Ok, I'm not sure I understand this...but if what I gathered is true,
F&W should be sued...but what do I know?

Did you know Culebra needed a saviour? And hey! here's one now! Jobs! Education! And of course, suffer the littel children to come unto Terruno...

Huh...a couple of months ago, the photo didn't have that road in it...

Now the only thing marring this is a road built without permits dumping mud into the bay

If Terruno is built, that second bay will be the beach of the people staying in units
covering the entire hillside, front and back, to Fulladoza -
Say good bye to Culebra being Culebra if this fight is not won

Just a final note here. I do not believe there is anything good about what this would do to Culebra. In my mind there is no FOR Culebra in the equation. Please realize I say that as a person with a business that relies on tourism. Im not anti-tourist. I'm anti tourism that is not acclimated to Culebra. To what we have to offer on about every level there is, from street space to refuse space to gasoline, to beach space to restaurant space (ok, they'd have their own but they have to come out SOMETIME and watch out then).

A very knowledgeable man made a point about the sewer system. One problem with that and I meant to mention it to him, is what Rocky and Carlos told me months ago. The sewer system is designed on a small scale, as a domestic system. It is not meant to serve a Costa Bonita, Bahia Marina, Terruno, or Coranal mega bathroom. To hook up to it, the existing pipes could NOT be used, which means they would have to put in their own pipes at their own expense and just so you know, this system is very, VERY expensive. Which is why the Feds paid for it...

And on and on. Point being...write your letters and sign them. I'll get the address from the powers that know and post it. Or, don't whine about Culebra changing...maybe we won't prevail, but at least we'll have given the devil's tail a damn good tweaking! Join in - and if we do win, you can say, "And ah halped!"

Just another happy day in Paradox!