Interstate4Jamming

2007-10-13T10:25:00.000-04:00

HERE IS WHERE I STAND NOW

First, let me once again thank everyone who visits this spot for dropping by, and let you know that I sincerely appreciate your patience with my recent absecnces from this space.

Apparantly, the hard drive on my computer went south a couple of months ago, and is no longer functional. As I have a severely tight budget (you think local governments are having it rough...), it may be some time before I have another computer in my apartment. Until then, the only online access I will have will be a weekly visit to the Lakeland Public Library where I will have one hour to post and take care of other online business.

Most weeks my posts here will be on Saturday, but that may change occasionally due to work and other obligations. I will not be posting the weekend of October 26-27 as I will be at the Florida Democratic Party Convention at Lake Buena Vista. Again, my budget will keep me out of the ticketed dinners and such, but I'll at least get to party to the music of the 70's era band Orleans.

Thanks again for coming by, and please keep checking he each weekend.

2007-10-13T10:09:00.000-04:00

WILL HE, OR WON'T HE? THE ANSWER IS...

Congratulations to former Vice President Al Gore on being a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with the United Nations Intergovernmential Panel on Climate Change for their work over at least the past two decades to educate America and the world on the issues of global warming and related climate change.

This being a presidential campaign season, there are those who would like to see Gore to use the opportunity that the related press coverage brings from winning one of the world's most prestegious awards to announce his entry into the Democratic race for the White House.

Friends, trust me...it ain't gonna happen.

First, I honestly do not believe that at this point in time Gore has the heart to dive back into the cesspool of presidential politics. He seems to have found his true calling as the public voice warning about our planet's future unless we do something now.

Secondly, I believe that Gore realizes that it is too late now to put together a top tier team (most have already committed to one of the other candidates) and raise the amount of money required to make a serious run at the nomination.

Finally, as a true believer in the global warming/climate change issue, Gore likely realizes that his entry into the presidential campaign would 1) make the issue a polarizing point and 2) make people question Gore's sincerity and motives, thus likely damaging the work he has done.

2012, perhaps?

2007-10-03T13:31:00.000-04:00

MY FRIEND "SMITTY"

Last month, Winter Haven and Polk County lost a truly remarkable human being in former postmaster, city commissioner, and mayor Robert "Smitty" Smith when he passed away. Closer to home, I lost a good friend.

"Smitty" gave his all for family, especially his wife of 50-plus years Nancy, and was active in organizations and activities too many to mention here. Regardless of whatever burdens he happened to be saddled with, he always had a smile and a kind word for anyone who came across his path.

When I came to this area in the autumn of 1990, it took a few months before I became ready to start attending meetings and get active. At the Winter Haven City Commission meetings, "Smitty" was the first person who introduced himself and made me feel welcome. A loyal Democrat, we crossed paths at local party meetings and events.

It was very touching to hear relatives and friends talk about Robert during his funeral service, but the words were simply confirmation of the type of man he was. Someone like "Smitty" doesn't come very often, and our friend will be --- already is --- truly missed.

RIP, my friend.

2007-09-27T10:24:00.000-04:00

I'LL BE BACK SOON, OR, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO DONATE A COMPUTER?

Apoligies to everyone again for my absence. I've been working six day weeks for the past month-plus, restricting my access to the Lakeland Public Library's computer centre while my own computer's hard drive has apparantly gone south for good. I'm back, at least on a once-a-week basis for now until I have a new computer to use.

2007-09-24T18:03:00.000-04:00

ADVICE FOR JANUARY 29: LEAVE THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PART OF THE BALLOT BLANK!!!

So, the train wreck has taken it's next step. The battle between the Florida Democratic Party and National Democratic Committee has gone forward like a virtual game of chicken following last weekend's expected announcement that the FDP would not change plans to hold it's presidential preference primary vote from the January 29 date approved earlier this year by the overwhelmingly Republican legislature.

What's done is done, so we have to be prepared for whatever consequences regarding the seating of our state's delegation to the national party convention next summer.

My anger now is directed toward the Democratic candidates for president. With the lone exception of Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), they have surrendered to pressure from the four early primary/caucus states (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada) by signing a pledge saying they would not campaign in Florida (or any other state which leapfrogs the accepted calendar - Michigan has recently done so). However, in a move that I can only consider highly hypocritical, they and their surrogates continue to trek to the Sunshine State to raise money. In effect, the candidates are figuratively giving Florida's four million-plus Democrats the finger...thus sending the message that they don't give a rat's ass about our state and it's people, unless, of course, you have a fat checkbook.

Florida is an important state for our candidates, regardless of wheather our delegates are seated at the national convention next summer. Whoever wins in the January 29 voting will have huge bragging rights heading into the following week's "Sunumai Tuesday", where 15 states will hold primaries or caucuses. Florida will be vital to any candidate who truly wants to win next November. So it is important that our candidates know that their attitude toward our state through their agreement to sign the pledge is totally unacceptable.

So, what do we do? Simply take it up the backside and say all is forgiven? Certainly, we are loyal Democrats, and we will fully support our nominee in the general election. However, IMHO a bit more than talk needs to take place to let the candidates know they screwed up big time by giving Florida short shrift.

Therefore, I am strongly urging my fellow Florida Democrats to do two things:

First, it is important for all of us to participate in the January 29 election...show up and vote! There are simply two many local and statewide issues to be decided that day to use the current controversy as an excuse not to cast your ballot. However, I encourage you to leave the presidential preference portion of the ballot blank. Do not vote for ANY of the presidential candidates. If the DNC has it's way, which I fully believe that it will to escape looking weak and unable to maintain discipline withing the ranks, the vote will not count, anyway. But mainly, if enough Florida Democrats withhold their votes from the presidential preference primary, it will send a profound message to all the campaigns that our state should be respected and simply not taken for granted.

Secondly, all Florida Democrats should withhold all donations to any of the presidential candidates during the primary season. This would show the campaigns that our state will not serve as a virtual ATM while they refuse to come and state their cases to Floridians face-to-face as they are doing everywhere else. Instead, I would encourage my fellow Democrats to give that money to their local Democratic Party organization. We need to rebuild our party from the grass roots up, not from the top down. That means finding candidates for local offices and getting them elected, eventually building the base to where we can take back the state legislature. So instead of giving money to the presidential campaigns which will simply be used elsewhere, let's put it to better use here at home!

It's time to act, friends!

2007-08-23T20:08:00.000-04:00

FLORIDA DEMOCRATS READY TO FIGHT FOR IT'S CONVENTION DELEGATION

As everyone knows by now, the decision by Florida's legislature to change the date of our presidential preference primary to January 29 is in violation of rules agreed upon by both major political parties to protect the status of Iowa as the nation's first caucus state, New Hampshire's first primary, and South Carolina as the first primary in the South. Both parties have threatened to cut the size of our state's delegation in half, and the Democrats have additionally promised that any candidate who campaigns or raises money in Florida will not be entitled to any of it's delegates, regardless of how he/she fares in the January vote.

On the Democratic side, there are two items related to this of note:

Lesley Clark reported in the Miami Herald Wednesday that Florida Democratic Party chairwoman Karen Thurman is prepared to argue before the Democratic National Committee's rules committee when it meets in Washington on Saturday that it is sticking with the January 29 date for a variety of factors; among them, a number of municipalities have decided to move their elections to that date as well...''So when we go up to Washington to fight for all our delegates, it will be the Democratic National Committee who chooses to penalize us.'' Thurman is encouraging all Florida Democrats to send a message to the DNC opposing any possible cut in the delegate strength, and has a page set up on the state party's Web site to do so.

Also, the Florida Democratic congressional delegation has sent a message to DNC Chairman Dr. Howard Dean, threatening that if the state's delegation to the national convention is cut, it would call for a voting rights investigation. The St. Petersburg Times political blog The Buzz printed the letter's content this afternoon. Click here to check it out.

2007-08-23T18:52:00.000-04:00

THIS SUNDAY ON THE CHAT SHOWS

ABC / This Week with George Stephanopoulos: U.S. Senators Jim Webb (D - VA) and John Cornyn (R - TX) will appear to discuss Iraq, President Bush's troop surge, and his strategy in the Middle Eastern nation. The "Voices" segment will feature Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts talking about her battle with breast cancer. And the roundtable will have ABC News' Cokie Roberts, Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria, and conservative syndicated columnist George Will talking about the week's top political news. Nightline co-anchor Terry Moran fills in for George Stephanopoulos this weekend.

CBS / Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer: The guests and topics have not been announced as of Thursday evening. Please check back for further updates.

CNN / Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: The guests and topics have not been announced as of Thursday evening. Please check back for further updates.

FOX / Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: The guests and topics have not been announced as of Thursday evening. Please check back for further updates.

NBC / Meet the Press with Tim Russert: U.S. Senator John Warner (R - VA), President Bush's previous close ally on Iraq who recently returned from there and Thursday s , will be on to talk about his visit and break with Bush on the way. Also, former pro bicyclist and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will appear to discuss his battle with cancer and his Livestrong Presidential Forums. The roundtable will feature NBC News Middle Eastern correspondent Richard Engel, Washington Post Pentagon reporter Thomas E. Ricks, and New York Times Chief Military Correspondent and author Michael Gordon.

Syndicated / The Chris Matthews Show: The questions for the week: Just how religious do we want our president to be? And, will 2008 be the year that a sitting senator win the presidency, the first time since JFK that would happen? Pondering those issues will be NPR's All Things Considered co-host Michelle Norris, Michael Duffy of Time magazine, columnist Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post Writers Group, and David Brooks of the New York Times.

Bay News 9 / Political Connections: The guests and topics have not been announced as of Thursday evening. Please check back for further updates.

WFTS-TV 28 / Flashpoint with Brendan McLaughlin: The guest and topic has not been announced as of Thursday evening. Please check back for further updates.

2007-08-23T18:44:00.000-04:00

WANNA KNOW WHERE (OR IF) YOUR FAVOURITE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WILL BE IN FLORIDA???

Click here to access the newly updated Florida Presidential Candidate Appearance Calender!

2007-08-23T16:40:00.000-04:00

A SAD DAY FOR AREA TRADITIONAL JAZZ FANS

A touch of the cultural panorama of Lakeland and Polk County has apparantly been lost...for now, at least.

The Child of the Sun Jazz Festival is the victim of cost cutting measures being taken by it's host and primary financial donor for nearly two decades, Florida Southern College. The festival, which kept it's focus on traditional jazz sounds while similar events began mixing in more pop and so-called "smooth jazz" influences, was the brainchild of FSC music instructor Larry Burke with a lot of help from the late cornetist and longtime Lakeland resident Nat Adderley.

Adderley's global fame as one of the premier musicians of the genre helped to attract other well known players to Lakeland each spring for what has grown into a weekend long event.

It's always disappointing for a community to lose a piece of it's cultural life, and I would certainly think that there are enough businesses throughout Lakeland and Polk County that would be willing to be associated with an event such as Child of the Sun. Hopefully, it won't take long for a local company or group of companies who want to keep events such as this part of the area variety to step up and provide the necessary funding to keep this event going.

2007-08-23T06:04:00.000-04:00

WHO DID THIS??? CAN YOU HELP ME FIND OUT?

Last night after 9:00 I was lying in bed, halfway paying attention to the TV still on, when an advertisment came on. It ended before I could get my reading glasses on to clearly identify the sponsor.

The ad asked viewers to contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives in support of our involvement in Iraq, and used the terms "surrender" and "defeat" in reference to any withdrawal. It also ended with the phrase (not exact, but similar) "Victory is the only option". I can say it was not on one of the religious channels, but one of the independent stations in Tampa (33/38/44).

It was the first time I had seen this ad, and am simply curious as to who sponsored it.

Kinda reminds me of growing up in south Mississippi. My grandmother was loyal to one of the local country music stations in Hattiesburg during the mid and late 1960s, and listened to a preacher every morning who came on that station. He was the New Jersey-based Dr. Carl McIntyre, and this was during the Vietnam conflict. McIntyre spent probably 22-23 minutes of his daily half-hour programme ranting about the growing protests over our involvement there, and was a cheerleader for victory there.

So much for "Thou Shall Not Kill"...

2007-08-22T18:58:00.000-04:00

A SONG FOR THE BUSH/CHENEY/ROVE ERA

I usually have my CD player with me to hear the latest news from NPR and some favourite music heading to and from work...a nice way to relax before and after the pressure of working in a call center answering strange questions and taking orders from customers. This morning I had Chicago's Overtime --- a greatest hits compliation released mainly in Canada --- as they are one of my all-time favourite groups, and I came across their political anthem Harry Truman. I tend to pay more attention to the lyrics, and while it was written in the latter days of the Vietnam War it comes across perfect for today's political enviroment.

America needs you, Harry Truman
Harry could you please come home
Things are looking bad, I know you would be mad
To see your favorite men prevail upon the land you love

America's wondering how we got here
Harry, all we get is lies
We're gettin' safer cars, and rocket ships to Mars
From men who'd sell us out to get themselves a piece of power

We'd love to hear you speak your mind in plain and simple ways
Call a spade a spade like you did back in the days
You would play piano, each morning walk a mile
Speak of what was going down with honesty and style

America's calling Harry Truman
Harry you know what to do
The world is turnin' round and losin' lots of ground
Oh, Harry is there something we can do to save the land we love...

America needs another Harry Truman...too bad there doesn't seem to be one on the horizon.

2007-08-22T17:47:00.000-04:00

OH, HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE...FALLEN??? IN SOME MINDS, A LEAST

As the new school year begins across Polk County, prep football fans are wondering just how good the Dreadnaughts of Lakeland High School will be. When last season ended, the LHS crew had achieved it's second straight national championship and third straight state championship (of seven overall, currently in class 5A), not to mention a running win streak of 45 games. What a way for a high school to begin it's 100th year of football tradition, so you would expect the team at the top of last year's heap with the record it has to begin the new season having to defend it's top ranking.

Think again.

One of the most read high school football polls, the USA Today Super 25, appeared in today's edition, and the Dreadnaughts not only are out of the number one spot...they don't appear at all in the national Top 25 rankings. Afficinados will not only notice that, but that the 'Naughts aren't even in the top ten among teams in the South! There is a Florida team at the top of the USA Today elite, 6A champion Miami Northwestern at number two (the will play top ranked Southlake (TX) Carroll September 15), with Pahokee of Palm Beach County at number 14 (seventh in the regional rankings). Also noted among top teams in the South is another Miami school, Booker T. Washington at ninth.

With the loss of several key players to graduation, Head Coach Bill Castle will have a challenge on his hands, but still with considerable talent. One can presume Castle won't need to use today's news to get his players ready for the opening game, an unofficial "kickoff classic" this Friday.

2007-08-22T05:43:00.000-04:00

SOME FOLKS WILL SAY "AMEN!" TO THIS NEWS

The new school year began Monday in Polk County --- a number of parents probably said "Amen!" to that --- with a new enrollment record being set. The Lakeland Ledger reported that 89,215 students reported for the first day of classes, an increase of 2.2 percent from last year's numbers.

At least one administrator at Polk County School District headquarters in Bartow suggested that the enrollment numbers could reach as high of 93,000 within two months. The first day figures, however, will have at least some people thinking that it marks the beginning of a slowdown in overall countywide growth.

The 2.2 percent first day hike compares with 3.5 percent from last year, 3.3 percent in 2005, and 4.0 percent in 2004.

So, what's happening? More homeschooled kids? More students being enrolled in private or parochial schools? Or are we seeing more folks leaving the area, joining the reported parade of people leaving Florida in the face of higher property taxes?

Hmmmmmmm...has some of you scratching your heads.

2007-08-21T17:26:00.000-04:00

WINTER HAVEN LOSES A LEADER

One of Winter Haven's best known and respected citizens, former mayor/commissioner Richard "Dick" Dantzler, passed away over the weekend after a long battle with the condition known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was 76.

Dantzler, born and raised in Winter Haven, was a longtime businessman who led or otherwise involved in a number of civic organizations over the years. In addition to heading two area banks, his accomplishments included being active --- and for a time chairing --- the trustee board of Winter Haven Hospital, as well as heading the Winter Haven Area Chamber of Commerce. His business interests included real estate, and he was named chairman of the Florida Real Estate Commission in 1984.

He was elected to the City Commission in 1961-67, serving as mayor from 1962-64. During his tenure, Dantzler was credited with helping make Winter Haven the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox, as well as helping guide the city through the difficult periods of racial intergration.

Dantzler's sons have all followed in their dad's footsteps well. All have become active in a variety of civic organizations, and one, Rick, is a former Florida State Senator who resigned in 1998 to run for governor. Rick told the Lakeland Ledger that their father stressed the importance of community service and that should be a guiding principle for any responsible citizen.

Dick Dantzler was a man who obviously loved his home area, and worked hard to make it a better place for all. He set an example that all of us should strive for. Mr. Dantzler will be missed, but he can rest in peace now with the knowledge that he has the thanks and respect of many throughout Winter Haven and beyond.

2007-08-19T07:59:00.000-04:00

THREAT TO U.S. COAST GREATLY DIMINISHED, BUT NO CHANCES BEING TAKEN

As you can see from the forecast track bubble above, the threat from Hurricane Dean to the U.S. coast is reduced greatly. It seems as though the combination of a mid-to-upper level system shifting ahead west of Dean and a deep level high pressure system taking hold over the Southeastern U.S. will keep the powerful Catagory 4 storm (still predicted to reach Catagory 5 before reaching the Yucatan) well south.

The forecast track and bubble, which takes into consideration the National Hurricane Centre's margin of error, only shows a small possibility of the centre of Dean making landfall on the coast near Brownsville, Texas. The higher likelihood is that after clipping the Yucatan Penisula, the hurricane will make final landfall over the northeast Mexican coast.

That's not stopping the folks at NASA's Mission Control from bringing Space Shuttle Endeavor home a day early, on Tuesday instead of the original return date Wednesday. Mission Control, located at the Johnson Space Centre in southeast Houston near Galveston Bay, made the decision so that should Dean change course and become a threat, it would allow personnel --- many of whom live in the neighbouring suburban communities such as Clear Lake City and Webster --- time to shut down and possibly evacuate. Having lived in the area some time ago, I know that one reality of the area is that drainage is not the best. Even a decent afternoon thundershower during summer can cause water to reach bumpers in many areas, and with all the flooding they have had in much of south Texas they certainly don't need a Catagory 4 or 5 hurricane dropping a whole bunch of additional water.

2007-08-19T07:47:00.000-04:00

WELCOME HOME, SOLDIERS, WELCOME HOME

One of my favourite blogs across Florida is the Miami-based Bark Bark Woof Woof, created by "Mustang Bobby", who works for the Miami-Dade School District. He usually has something interesting to say or just pass along, and one of his posts Saturday afternoon will get many choked up. It did that to me.

Mustang Bobby passes along an experience from a flight from Chicago to Toledo while enroute to a theatre festival that also included several USAF soldiers on their last leg home from Iraq. Click here to check it out.

2007-08-17T20:57:00.000-04:00

CHECK OUT THE UPDATED POSTS!

The list of upcoming visits by the presidential candidates, both Republican and Democratic, has been updated with a few new events having been announced or confirmed. Click here to view.

And the Sunday chat shows have announced their guests and topics. Karl Rove will be featured on three different programmes following the announcement of his upcoming resignation, and one show will be an extended version featuring the Democratic candidates for president in a 90 minute debate from Des Moines, Iowa. And I've added another local Sunday programme to the list. Click here to check it out.

BTW: Just scroll the the post below this to view the latest Florida poll results regarding the candidates for president and a couple of more interesting results.

Thanks for visiting, and in the words of the late Houston comsumer reporter and personality Marvin Zindler...

"Have a GREAT weekend...Great golf, great tennis, or WHATEVER makes you happy!"

2007-08-17T09:23:00.000-04:00

THE LATEST FLORIDA POLL NUMBERS...NO GREAT SURPRISES

Strategic Vision has released the results of it's most recent poll of 1,200 likely Florida voters conducted August 10-12. The margin of error is plus/minus 3%. The numbers in parentheses next to their current percentages is the comparison upward or downward to the last poll taken in mid-June

Democrats only: Who is your first choice for the Democratic nomination in 2008?
Hillary Rodham Clinton 40% (+3)
Barack Obama 20% (-1)
John Edwards 16% (-4)
Bill Richardson 9% (+5)
Joseph Biden 3% (0)
Christopher Dodd 1% (-1)
Dennis Kucinich 1% (0)
Undecided 10% (-2)

Senator Clinton continues to increase her lead, and my impression is that many Floridia Democrats, as seems to be the case across the country, are ready to give her the nomination.

Republicans only: Who is your first choice for the Republcan nomination in 2008?
Rudolph Giuliani 34% (+4)
Fred Thompson 18% (-6) (Not yet officially announced candidate)
Mitt Romney 10% (+2)
John McCain 8% (-3)
Newt Gingrich 3% (-1)
Tom Tancredo 3% (+1)
Mike Huckabee 3% (+1)
Ron Paul 2% (0)
Sam Brownback 1% (-1)
Tommy Thompson 1% (0) (Has withdrawn from the race)
Duncan Hunter 1% (0)
Undecided 16% (+5)

It seems to me here that the swooning over a possible Fred Thompson candidacy has cooled somewhat. This was, of course, before this week's announcement that Republican Party of Florida communications director Jeff Sadosky was stepping down to join Thompson's team in a similar role. McCain is out of double digits as his campaign continues to freefall. And there are more GOP undecideds this time, so people are either having second thoughts or are just still shopping.

Governor Charlie Crist's job performance still enjoys an exceptionally high approval rating, 71% among those interviewed. As for the state's two U.S. Senators, Bill Nelson (D) has a 53% approval rating compared to Mel Martinez's (R) 43%. As for their opinion of President Bush's job performance, the approval numbers are slightly higher here than the national ratings, with 37%.

And one other interesting question asked of the 1,200 likely voters across the Sunshine State:
Do you favour an immediate withdrawl of the United States military forces from Iraq within the next six months?

Yes 51%
No 38%
Undecided 11%

2007-08-16T21:18:00.000-04:00

THIS SUNDAY ON THE CHAT SHOWS

This week I am pleased to add another programme to the list, Flashpoint from Tampa Bay ABC affiliate WFTS. It is hosted by Brendan McLaughlin, who is one of the best television anchors in the market. It has been on for awhile, but the guest(s) and issue(s) had not been previously announced on it's Web site. The link to the programme is actually to it's newly established blog, which McLaughlin posts regularly. It's a good programme, and much of the time is an interesting view.

ABC / This Week with George Stephanopoulos: From Des Moines, Iowa the Democratic candidates for president will debate the issues in this special 90 minute edition, with host George Stephanopoulos serving as moderator.

CBS / Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer: Karl Rove, White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President Bush,will appear to talk about his decision to resign effective at the end of this month as well as the 2008 presidential election, and politics in general.

CNN / Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: Following the deadliest attack of the war in Iraq this week, two U.S. Senators will debate the next step for America, Robert P. "Bob" Casey (D - PA) and Christopher S. "Kit" Bond (R - MO). A member of the Iraqi Parliment, Mahmoud Othman, will also appear to discuss the crisis in his country...and maybe justify why his legislative body is taking the entire month of August off while the fighting continues?

FOX / Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: Karl Rove, White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President Bush, will be the lone guest to speak about his resignation, the 2008 presidential race, and his involvement in the various Bush Administration scandals.

NBC / Meet the Press with Tim Russert: Karl Rove, White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President Bush, will discuss his years in Washington, his decision to leave the Bush Administration at the end of this month, and the future of the Republcan Party. Also, a political roundtable featuring Los Angeles Times columnist Ron Brownstein, Conde Nast Portfolio Washington Editor Matt Cooper, John Harwood of CNBC and the Wall Street Journal, and National Review Washington Editor Kate O'Berine.

Syndicated / The Chris Matthews Show: Where did Karl Rove's plan for a permanant Republican majority in Congress go wrong? And with Hillary Rodham Clinton's strong lead in the polls, can Democratic opponent Barack Obama still be the agent of change? Pondering these questions will be co-anchor Michelle Norris of National Public Radio's All Things Considered, Dan Rather of HDNet, Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post Writers Group, and Washington Correspondent Ryan Lizza of The New Yorker.

Bay News 9 / Political Connections: The guests and topics have not been announced as of Friday evening. Please check back for updates as they become available.

WFTS-TV 28 / Flashpoint with Brendan McLaughlin: Matt Woolsey of Forbes magazine will be the guest to discuss his listing of best cities for young professionals, on which Tampa is at the bottom among 40 cities for keeping and attracting highly education, single professionals from the best universities.

2007-08-16T19:49:00.000-04:00

SHOULD DON IMUS GO BACK ON THE AIR? LET THE LISTENERS DECIDE!

Just over four months ago, national broadcast personality Don Imus was fired from his simulcast radio/cable morning show after he made, to say the least, insensitive remarks regarding the Rutgers University women's basketball team following their appearance in the NCAA Division I national championship game. Imus' unscripted comments were stupid and bordered on racist, and his employers at CBS Radio and MSNBC were correct in sacking him.

Now there are reports that Imus has been in negotiations with New York talk station WABC-AM and other broadcast organizations to revive his Imus In the Morning show. Needless to say, the possibility has stirred up controveresy over wheather he should ever return to the business which has been his trade for nearly four decades.

Personally, I am not a fan of Don Imus. I believe that he is an old, bitter man whose on-air persona is the way he is off the air, and that he should retire to his New Mexico ranch. That said, I also believe in giving a person the opportunity to redeem themselves and allow the people a chance to accept or reject him.

It's always possible to turn oneself around. The best example of that we've seen recently is Greg Mathis. A serious drug user/dealer and gangbanger in Detroit during his youth, Mathis had numerous run-ins with the law. Thanks to the support of his mother and several key mentors, Greg not only earned his GED, but his college and law degrees. However, after graduating from law school the State Bar of Michigan refused to issue him a license to practice law for several years due to his juvenile background. Mathis finally received his license, and as many people now know became the youngest person in Michigan history to be elected as a Superior Court judge and is now the host of one of America's most popular "judge" shows.

While I probably would not listen to Imus, I would not deny the people a chance to accept or reject his return to the airwaves on their own. The station's management would certainly be aware that signing the "I-Man" would be a risk.

That said, let me add here that I generally don't like the idea of nationally syndicated radio programmes in morning or afternoon prime time anyway. Radio stations should concentrate on serving and supporting the communities and areas that they are licensed to serve. Sadly, since deregulation of radio in the 1980s under Ronald Reagan, a lot of good, talanted air personalities are out of the business, and a lot of communities are without local news and entertainment.

2007-08-16T06:08:00.000-04:00

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT A COUPLE OF UPDATES

Just a little FYI: There are a couple of posts from earlier that have been updated.

If you want to know where your favourite presidential candidate will be appearing in Florida, click here. Some changed information, as well as a new date or two, is noted.

And if you care about the future of mass transit in Polk County, and all local residents should care about and support it, click here to learn about how you can tell those who directly deal with the issue what you think and learn about what is being considered. I attended the meeting Tuesday in Lakeland, and it was really interesting to hear what's on the table...if the funding is there.

2007-08-16T05:27:00.000-04:00

PINELLAS AREA GOP RISING STAR BUSTED

He was a rising star on the Pinellas County Republican political scene, a Yale graduate, and an Eagle Scout. He narrowly lost a race for State House 52 last year, counting among his contributors the city's fire chief, and even then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays owner Vince Namoli. Some were even saying that he could become the next mayor of St. Petersburg.

Today, Angelo Cappelli faces serious jail time.

Cappelli, a wealth and investment advisor for SunTrust bank, was arrested Wednesday at his attorney's office and charged with grand theft and perjury for allegedly stealing more than $100,000 from the trust of a deceased client. Authorities say he returned the funds, and a police spokesman reported that Cappelli was "emotional" and that he made a "complete confession" to the crimes.

The late client, Mario Granata, passed away in February and had no spouse or children. His assets at the time of death were allocated to be left to the Pinellas County Community Foundation. So not only did Cappelli allegedly steal from a dead person, he stole from a charity.

Yesterday's Lakeland Ledger had an editorial entitled Tallahassee As a Holding Cell, noting the two state legislators who are or have experienced legal trouble, State Representative Bob Allen (R - Merritt Island) for offering to perform oral sex on who turned out to be an undercover police officer in a park restroom, and State Senator Gary Siplin (D - Orlando), who was convicted last year for grand theft. On a side note, what I want to know is...Why the hell is a convicted felow still allow to serve in the Florida Legislature???

It's getting to where, in the words of former Arkansas governor and GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, "the five most feared words for a...politician were 'Will the defendant please rise?'".

2007-08-15T19:48:00.000-04:00

LOCAL LEGISLATOR RETURNS TO POSITION OF INFLUENCE...SORT OF

Earlier this year, Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio (R - Coral Gables) punished Lakeland Republican Representative Dennis Ross by stripping him of his influential chairmanship of the Safety and Security Council after he bucked the majority GOP leadership on a vote dealing with property insurance reform. Ross was demoted to vice-chairmanship of the panel.

Today, he regains at least a small bit of his former influence.

Rubio today names the Lakeland attorney as chairman of the Courts Committee as one of a number of council and committee assignments made for the 2007-08 year. He replaces Representative Mark Mahon (R - Jacksonville), who was recently appointed by Governor Charlie Crist to become a Circuit Judge effective September 1. Ross retains the vice-chairmanship of the Safety and Security Council, under whose jurisdiction the Courts Committee falls.

The moves were due to the fact that under House rules, all such appointments made by the Speaker expired August 1.

Small steps toward redemption, I guess. Probably had to promiss to tow the line from now on...

2007-08-15T17:42:00.000-04:00

PLENTY OF PRESIDENTIAL WANNABEE NEWS ACROSS FLORIDA TODAY

Sorry we missed out on a couple of events that occured today which apparantly we didn't find out about until it was too late.

In Winter Park, the presidential campaign of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani opened it's Florida headquarters today. Leading the celebration was the candidate's national campaign manager, Mike DuHaime, who touted the importance of Florida to the St. Petersburg Times political blog The Buzz:

"Clearly it is among the first four states, it's where we're the strongest and it's the closest to Feb. 5 where you could have potentially 20 states (voting).'

Buzz writer and Times political editor Adam C. Smith also reports that only a few miles away from the Giuliani HQ opening, Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney was holding one of his occasional "Ask Mitt Anything" events. He also has a privite fundraising event planned this evening in Orlando.

And on top of that, Republican Party of Florida communications director Jeff Sadosky is stepping aside to fill a similar post for the Sunshine State team of actor and former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson's exploratory committee.

2007-08-14T19:38:00.000-04:00

IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T HEARD...OR CARED...THERE'S ONE LESS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

Former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson officially ended his Republican presidential campaign Sunday after finishing a distant sixth in the Ames, Iowa straw poll. He had said that it would take a first or second place finish in the event Saturday for him to remain as a candidate.

He was generally an unknown entity to most people, focusing his campaign on improving health care and welfare in America. Thompson said he would return to the private sector and do some non-profit work.

One thing Thompson can say about his finish in the Ames straw poll: He still came out ahead of John McCain.

2007-08-14T05:23:00.000-04:00

KEEP AN EYE OUT...THE TROPICS ARE BECOMING ACTIVE

To this point, the first half of the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season has been rather quiet. Only three named tropical storms, all of which meandered out to sea and were of no threat to the North American coast.

But things are changing quickly.

As we begin this Tuesday morning there are two systems of which forecasters are concerned. What is now known as Tropical Depression Four could likely become Tropical Storm Dean sometime today as it continues on a westward track, and the prediction is for it to become the season's first hurricane by week's end. The forecast track calls for this system to continue heading west, with a light west-northwesterdly curve as it approaches Puerto Rico by Sunday. This is a storm that we in Florida will have to keep a close watch on over the weekend.

The second system is currently an area of low pressure with showers and thunderstorms just off Mexico's Yucatan Penisula. However, it is also in an area that is favourable for development, and could become Tropical Depression Five later today after the "Hurricane Hunter" recon plane from Keesler AFB, Mississippi investigates. If it does reach tropical storm status, it would be named Erin. Forecast tracks suggest that within a few days it could become a threat to the coast of Texas or northern Mexico.

It's never too late...or too early...to get those storm plans ready.

2007-08-13T19:07:00.000-04:00

IF YOU RECIEVE THIS E-MAIL, IT'S ONLY AN URBAN MYTH

Dara Kam writes in today's Palm Beach Post that a number of Floridians have been receiving an e-mail warning them of sharply higher fines for such traffic violations as illegally driving in a car pool lane and improperly using a cellular phone. As a result, a number of reciepints have phone into the state motor vehicles office concerned about the potential huge hit on their bank accounts.

The truth is...the information distributed in the e-mail is false.

The message advises reciepints that they could be fined up to $1,068.50 for illegally driving in a car pool lane. In reality, the fine is just over one-tenth of that amount...$125.

And there was a proposed law this spring requiring the use of a headset hands-free device while using a cell phone, with the caveat that one could only be ticketed if pulled over for another offense. However, it didn't make it through the Legislature, so there is actually no such law, and therefore no $285 fine that can be issued.

So if you see such a message in your in box, disregard it. Just another urban myth at work.

2007-08-13T05:56:00.000-04:00

BACK RUNNING ON ALL CYLINDERS...FOR NOW

First, let me take a moment to thank all of you who have visited, supported, and linked to I4J for the past three-plus years (it's been that long already?), and hope that you will continue to do so as this blog continues to provide another voice from Imperial Polk County.

As many of you who have visited are aware, for some time now my home computer has been experiencing fits from a few days to a few weeks during which it has refused to work, forcing me to do weekly posts from the Lakeland Public Library. During these times when I attempt to switch on my PC, an IBM, it would start normally by showing the IBM logo on screen as it prepares to switch into Windows mode. However, Windows would not come on, and all I would see is the IBM logo.

This past Friday, I switched on the 'puter and, Glory to God, she operated normally, and has been since. How long will I be so blessed, I don't know. But while it's working OK I'll be posting on a regular basis...and have been throughout the weekend.

I encourage you to check out the posts from the weekend, and thanks again for stopping by.

Sincerely,
Robert C.

2007-08-13T04:46:00.000-04:00

WHITE HOUSE S-O-B ROVE IS RESIGNING!!!

The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove is resigning effective August 31. Rove told WSJ editorial page editor Paul Gigot that he will be returning to his home in the Texas Hill Country, and that he had actually considered leaving a year ago but stayed after the Democrats took over control of Congress and for the debate over immigration. His decision was set after presidential Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten advised senior aides that if they remained past Labor Day that they would be obliged to remain until President Bush's term ended January 20, 2009.

The WSJ editorial this morning, entitled "The Mark of Rove", shows an upbeat Rove, who actually believes that the president's approval rating will actually head back up and surpass that of the legislative branch. There's even a question about Rove returning to work with a possible Jeb Bush presidency in 2012.

In the theatre of professional wrestling, Ric Flair refers to himself as "The Dirtiest Player In the Game" because he'll do anything, break any rule to win. Karl Rove could be considered the political equivilent of Flair. But presidential politics is not theatre, and we have laws to govern how our leaders conduct themselves on behalf of the American people. There is no doubt that Rove and others in the Bush Administration have trounced over the rule of law. It's too bad that when Karl Rove returns to the Lone Star State, it's won't be to a federal prison.

2007-08-12T08:24:00.000-04:00

NATIONAL GOP UNDERDOGS WIN AMES, IOWA STRAW POLL

Saturday marked another sign of tradition at the Iowa State Fair in Ames, the Republican straw poll. With six months before the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses, candidates who have done well at this event have used it for bragging rights and as a show of their support, with the hope that the national attention focused on the straw poll helps them elsewhere.

Yesterday, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney came away the winner, and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee surprised pundits with a second place showing. However, many pundits should look at the results as a shallow victory for a couple of reasons.

First, the turnout was significantly lower than in years past...just over 14,300 votes were cast. Also, several of the top-tier GOP wannabees such as John McCain and Rudy Giuliani didn't bother participating on an active basis. Usually, a candidate's organization will bus in supporters from throughout the state to vote, with food and other goodies to keep 'em happy. That cost a lot of money, and apparantly McClain and Giuliani felt their resources were better spent elsewhere...especially McCain, whose campaign coffers are seriously lacking right now. BTW: Giuliani came in eighth, while McCain was tenth...next to last.

And we're already hearing of another candidate dropping out. Former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson, who was sixth in Saturday's poll, had previously said he may quit if he didn't come in first or second in Ames. His organization has announced he would make an announcement within the next 48 hours.

2007-08-12T07:59:00.000-04:00

IF YOU THINK IT'S HOT HERE...

We're only catching the edge of a truly scorching heat wave that is smothering much of the southeastern US. The high temperatures registered during the past two days at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport --- the city's official weather reporting station --- were 97 degrees on Saturday and 95 Friday. In comparision, at Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport in my birthplace of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the highs were 103 Saturday and 97 on Friday. Remember, that's the actual air temperature, not the heat index which is the temperature that it "feels like" when the humidity is factored in. And, they're expecting the mercury to hit or surpass the 100 degree mark for the next four days.

It became so serious that in Grenada County, Mississippi a chancery judge signed an order prohibiting all outdoor activities such as football and band practices, as well as recess for elementary schoolchildren. That decision, which affected seven north Mississippi counties in the judge's district, was overturned Friday by the state Supreme Court.

Regardless of where you are across the southeast, including here in "cool" Central Florida, be sure you take care of yourself and keep a check on the elderly and ill during this time. Be sure to put on plenty of sun screen, and keep yourself hydrated (we're talking water here; adult libations has the opposite effect, so if you do get into the alcoholic drinks, be sure you get plenty of water as well).

2007-08-11T18:52:00.000-04:00

BOB GRAHAM AGREES WITH ME!

Back in mid-January, I wrote a posting for this blog championing the idea of five regional presidential preference primaries (or caucuses, should individual states favour that idea), to eliminate the childish "frontloading" that we are seeing states do to make their event first in the nation, or close to it. There are other key advantages to such an idea, and I would suggest reading the post.

It was therefore good to read that Wednesday, former governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham came out in a New York Times op-ed piece in favour of the idea.

Some have wryly suggested a political version of “American Idol,” with voters sizing up candidates from living rooms across the nation and eliminating one candidate per week until the party nominee is chosen. I think the better analogy is college football’s Bowl Championship Series, which rotates the title game from year to year among the traditional bowl games.

A series of five regional primaries, spaced three weeks apart and rotated every four years, would give voters from Miami to Maui to Manchester opportunities to be first in the nation. Candidates could spend more time with citizens of neighboring states and less time on coast-to-coast flights. Because the primaries would be stretched out over three months rather than three weeks, reporters and other political scorekeepers could not rush to declare a national winner.

Regional primaries are not as intimate as living rooms in Cedar Rapids and Portsmouth. But they might accomplish what the 2008 primary season probably will not: a comprehensive and meticulous screening of the men and women who would be president.

Senator Graham is one of the most intellegent individuals that has graced the Florida or national political scene. If he sees the obvious advantages in a rotating regional primary/caucus system, it can't be bad.

2007-08-11T18:13:00.000-04:00

A WORD IN SUPPORT OF POLK COUNTY'S MASS TRANSIT (UPDATED 08/13)

A few weeks ago, during one of my absences, there was a letter to the editor in the Lakeland Ledger questioning the need for a local bus system. The writer claims that when he drove down Florida Avenue he would often see near-empty buses and crowed that most people favour being able to get behind the wheel of their vehicle and go where they wanted, whenever they wanted to.

Uninformed people such as this literally scare me. The simple truth is that, while many people prefer to be able to go where and when they want, there are a number of Polk Countians that cannot. Among these are men and women unable to drive for medical or other reasons, but are still able to work and be a full member of the community. There are also a growing number of people who simply find it more economical to use the local bus systems due to the high cost of fuel, some slight inconvenience aside.

The writer apparantly does not notice many of the buses during the early morning and afternoon drive times. I happen to be one of those people who depend on the Citrus Connection to get around town, as my epiltetic condition prevents me from driving (I couldn't afford the car payments and insurance, much less fuel). When I head to and from work during the week, often the bus is more than half full. And there are usually a good sized queue of people at the downtown Lakeland terminal much of the day making their way to doctors' appointments, grocery shopping, work, and other activities.

Is the Citrus Connection/Winter Haven Area Transit a perfect system? By no means. There are some areas in which the system can be improved, especially in the area of customer service by some drivers and supervisors. They could also work on better on-time performance, a challenge which will be increased once the new CSX rail centre is built near Winter Haven. Once these issues are resolved, the soon-to-be countywide mass transit leadership body should look at working with Hillsborough Area Rapid Transit on setting up an agreement where riders from each system can transfer to the other's buses.

While there are many who have asked about later operation hours, I can't presently see that as a realistic move. Even after a countywide mass transit system is in place, the fact is that Polk County simply does not have the population base --- and therefore the tax base --- to support expanded operation into the night. Maybe a Saturday schedule to match weekdays would work first (Currently Saturday operation begins one hour later, and ends one hour earlier, than weekdays).

The bottom line is that thousands of Polk Countians depend on the Citrus Connection, Winter Haven Area Transit, and Polk County Transportation Services. It is a generally inexpensive way to get across town or across the county (much of it, anyway). Mass transit deserves everyone's support.

UPDATE: You can show your support and present your ideas for the future of mass transit in Polk County during one of two meetings organized by the Polk County Transportation Planning Organization. The first will be held Tuesday, 14 August in the City Commission conference room of Lakeland City Hall, 228 South Massachusetts Avenue. The second will be Monday, 20 August in the meeting room of the Winter Haven Public Library, 325 Avenue A, Northwest.

2007-08-11T06:12:00.000-04:00

LOCAL LEADERSHIP POSITIONS FILLED FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

At least in a couple of cases, the presidential campaigns are beginning to announce individuals to head up their grass roots efforts in counties across the Sunshine State.

Here in Polk County, the Rudy Giuliani campaign has named former local GOP Chairman and county commissioner Jerry Carter of Winter Haven to lead his local effort. Back in July, fellow Republican candidate Mitt Romney named Lake Wales health care business owner Linda Pilkington to his "Women for Mitt Steering Committee" and Amy Speer, who works with Lifetimewater Solutions, to his "Young Professionals for Mitt Steering Committee". His co-chairs in Polk County are local Republican Executive Committee chairman Eric Allen of Lakeland and senior PR professional Fernando Valverde of Solvita.

One thing you will notice when looking at the list of Romney's support groups in Florida: Obviously, his visits to Central Florida have paid off, as they are loaded with people from the Tampa Bay area.

2007-08-10T20:33:00.000-04:00

THIS SUNDAY ON THE CHAT SHOWS

ABC / This Week with George Stephanopoulos: Two presidential candidates, U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R - KS) and Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D - OH), will appear on the day before the Ames, Iowa straw poll, considered an important sign of one's level of support. Also, actor Leonardo DiCaprio will discuss his new enviromential documentary The 11th Hour. And the roundtable will feature Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria, Torie Clarke of ABC News, former Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, and conservative columnist George Will in a discussion of the week's political news.

CBS / Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer: Former Arkansas Governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will be the primary guest. Also, a roundtable featuring Des Moines Register Chief Political Correspondent David Yepsen, Time magazine's National Political Correspondent Karen Tumulty, and Jim VandeHei of Politico.com

CNN / Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: Iraq, Iran, and the war on terror; what's next for the US? A discussion with Congressmen Duncan Hunter (R - CA / GOP Presidential Candidate) and Joe Sestak (D - PA). Transportation Secretary Mary Peters will also appear, as will Pakastani Ambassador Mahmud Ali Durrani, CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider, and CNN Political Contributor Amy Walter of The Hotline. And a look at the 2008 presidential race from inside the campaigns with Congressman David Dreier (R - CA / Giuliani campaign), Former U.S. Senator Jim Talent (R - MO / Romney campaign), and Former Governor Buddy Roemer (R - LA / McCain campaign).

FOX / Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: Host Chris Wallace is in Iowa for this week's programme, and will interview GOP presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann.

NBC / Meet the Press with Tim Russert: A debate between Democratic Leadership Council Chairman and former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. and DailyKos.com creator/editor Markos Moulitsas regarding the 2008 campaign and the direction of the Democratic Party. Also, a political roundtable to discuss the Ames Straw Poll and the race for the White House featuring Time magazine columnist Margaret Carlson, Time Washington Bureau Chief Michael Duffy, NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd, and Byron York of The National Review.

Syndicated / The Chris Matthews Show: Do the Iowa caucuses still matter? And the fact that three Republican presidential candidates are cancer survivors - will voters care? Those questions will be pondered by Time magazine Managing Editor Rick Stengel, New York Times Correspondent Elisabeth Bumiller, Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post Writers Group, and Washington Post Columnist David Ignatius.

Bay News 9 / Political Connections: The guests and issues for this week's programme were not posted.

2007-08-10T18:16:00.000-04:00

FLORIDA PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN CALENDAR (UPDATED 08/23)

Please keep in mind that often, a candidate will make a quick in-and-out visit to a city for a private fundraising event or meeting with a group which would receive little or no advance warning. The events shown here are confirmed by the candidate's Web site or Florida media sources.

FRIDAY, 24 AUGUST
Mitt Romney - Florida Medical Association Annual Meeting & Florida Medical Expo
12:00 N - 02:00 PM
Westin Diplomat & Spa - Atlantic Ballroom
3555 South Ocean Drive
Hollywood
Private Event

Barack Obama - Fundraising Event
12:30 - 02:30 PM
Gaither Gymnasium - Florida A&M University
1835 Wahnish Way
Tallahassee
Tickets: $20 General Admission, $10 Students

SATURDAY, 25 AUGUST
Barack Obama - Fundraising Event
09:30 - 11:00 AM
Cafe Bella Sera
7351 North State Road 7
Parkland

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28
08:00 - 11:00 PM
Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Duncan Hunter, Dennis Kucinich - International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers / National Staff Conference
Conversation with the Candidates
Disney's Yacht Club Resort
1700 Epcot Resorts Road
Lake Buena Vista
Private Event

08:00 - 09:30 PM
John Edwards - "Small Change for Big Change" Fundraising Event
Friday's Front Row Grill
8126 International Drive
Orlando
Tickets: $15

FRIDAY, 07 SEPTEMBER
Rudy Giuliani - Pinellas County Republican Party Reagan Day Fundraising Dinner
07:00 - 09:00 PM
Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club
501 Fifth Avenue, Northeast
St. Petersburg
Tickets:

SATURDAY, 08 SEPTEMBER
02:00 - 03:30 PM
Dennis Kucinich - Peace Walk & Rally
Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts / Cohen Pavilion
701 Okeechobee Boulevard
West Palm Beach
Free Event
Sponsored by the Palm Beach County Democratic Party and Palm Beach County Coalition for Peace and Justice.

SUNDAY, 09 SEPTEMBER
07:00 - 09:30 PM
Democratic Presidential Debate
BankUnited Center
1245 Dauer Drive
Coral Gables
NOTE: This event will be the first of it's kind to be conducted entirely in Spanish, with simultaneous translation to be made available for candidates who do not speak the language and the audience. This will be the first of two such debates, this one sponsored by Univision Communications and the University of Miami.

SUNDAY. 30 SEPTEMBER
Barack Obama - Fundraisers
Tampa, St. Petersburg
NOTE: The exact times and locations are not being announced, but the events will be hosted in Tampa by Tom and Linda Scarritt, and in St. Petersburg by Tim and Donna Main. Mr. Scarritt is an attorney and member of the Florida Commission on Ethics. Mr. Main is President/CEO of Jabil Circuit, Inc. and a past contributor to President Bush and the Republican Party of Florida.

SUNDAY, 21 OCTOBER
Republican Presidential Debate
Shingle Creek Resort
9939 Universal Boulevard
Orlando
NOTE: This is not a public event, as it will be held during the Republican Party of Florida annual gathering. The debate will be cablecast, however, on Fox News Channel.

FRIDAY, 26 OCTOBER - SUNDAY, 28 OCTOBER
Florida Democratic Party State Convention
Disney's Yacht Club Resort
1700 Epcot Resorts Road
Lake Buena Vista
NOTE: At this point the exact schedule has not been announced, but at least several of the Democratic presidential candidates are expected to address the delegates. So far, those candidates who have announced that they would attend are Dennis Kucinich

WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER
Republican Presidential Debate
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts
400 First Street, South
St. Petersburg
NOTE: This event will be sponsored by the Republican Party of Florida in partnership with CNN and YouTube, and will feature questions submitted by viewers via YouTube. The debate, which will be moderated by Anderson Cooper, will be aired live on CNN and CNN En Espanol.

2007-08-10T09:08:00.000-04:00

RANDOM NOTES FOR THIS WEEK

Unfortunately, since my personal computer has basically seen it's final days, I am relegated to one hour a week on a computer at the local library. As a result, I will combine several subjects into one post to save time and effort.

--- This week is seeing yet another round of states attempting to do one better in moving their presidential preference primaries or caucuses ahead of everyone else. Now, in order to maintain it's first-in-the-nation status, Iowa is seriously considering moving it's caucuses to December. I heard on a radio programme yesterday afternoon a great comparision to a bunch of second grade schoolchildren crowding near the front of the lunch line so as not to lose their place.

I still believe fully that a set of rotating regional primaries and caucuses would be the best direction to go. There would be no whining or crying on who would be first, as every region would go first at some point as the schedule would be rotated each election cycle. It would allow candidates to concentrate on specific areas of the country, and therefore specific issues important to those areas in addition to issues of an overall national importance.

--- Congratulations to Barry Bonds on his becoming Major League Baseball's home run king this week. Because of questions regarding wheather he used steriods or other performance enhancing drugs, his record will be debated for years to come. While I have my own ideas on the subject, I believe the record should be accepted as Bonds has never had a test come back positive for 'roids or other drugs, and there is no other clear evidence showing such usage. Almost as much of a reason people do not want Bonds to have the record is that he is not a press or fan-friendly type of player...simply put, he doesn't have the class of the man whose record he broke, "Hammerin" Hank Aaron. And if you think breaking the HR record is enough, think again. You'll hear more about Bonds next season, as he is scheduled to join the 3,000-plus hit club then.

All this said, it is up to MLB and the other major sports organization to come down hard on players who use steriods and other performance enhancing drugs. Such usage not only cheats the games and fans, it also cheats the player as well. We should expect players to use their natrual, God-given talent...nothing more, nothing less.

Until next time...

2007-08-03T09:04:00.000-04:00

A CONSUMER AFFAIRS REPORTING PIONEER IS GONE

It was very sad to hear earlier this week of the passing of one of America's earliest local television consumer affairs reporters/advocates. While you may not know his name, you may be familiar in a way of one of his earliest endeavors.

Marvin Zindler was hired by Houston ABC affiliate KTRK in 1971 after a career with the Harris County Sheriff's Department to head up it's newly formed Action 13 consumer affairs segment. While with the HCSO Zindler had helped form it's consumer fraud division, so it was a perfect fit. Zindler, who had previously worked briefly during the 1950s with another Houston TV station but was fired after being told he was too ugly for the medium, took to his new duties much like a duck to water. He was a true pioneer in the field.

Marvin was best known for exposing the Chicken Ranch brothel and the on-camera beat-down he received at the hands of Fayette County Sheriff T.J. Flournoy (two broken ribs and his toupee being pulled off). The episode was later made famous in a Playboy article, which later became the basis for the Broadway musical and later motion picture The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Dom DeLuise played the character based on Zindler), as well as ZZ Top's hit song La Grange.

He was, to say the least, flamboyant. White suits in a world of dark coloured coats on-camera, blue-tinted glasses, a full-throated closing "MAAAAAARVIN ZINDLER, EYYYYYYYYYYEWITNESS NEWS!", and so much more. He helped thousands of people over his 30-plus years. After Sadaam Hussen's fall, Zindler helped seven Iraqi citizens who had their hands cut off receive prostethic devices, which President Bush mentioned this week in noting the passing of a fellow Houstonion.

"Marvin was a Texas legend with a bigger than life personality who dominated Houston TV for decades," Bush said in a statement. "He was also a kind and compassionate man who made it his life's work to help others in need."

Marvin Zinder died Sunday evening at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston following complications from pancreatic cancer. He kept to his lifetime contract by filing reports from his hospital bed, most recently helping a man who had been trying to get a Social Security card to be eligible for work. His funeral was Wednesday at his temple with a ecumenical service led by five ministers, including Houston-based televangalist Joel Osteen.

Here is the Houston Chronicle report of his passing, and the report of his funeral service.

It is only appropriate that as we head toward the weekend, I leave you with another one of Marvin's well known wishes: "Good golf, good tennis, or whatever makes you happy!"

2007-07-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

I'VE NOT FORGOTTEN...MY APOLIGIES

Once again, my computer has gone on the fritz, and I have no idea when it will come around again...if it ever does. This post comes through the courtesy of the Lakeland Public Library, and hopefully very soon I will return to post here. Thanks for your patience, and please check back regularly.

2007-06-25T06:15:00.000-04:00

A TALE OF TWO FLORIDA SENATORS, OR, IF YOU THINK THE LBJ - RFK SCHISM WAS NASTY...

Lakeland Ledger political writer Bill Rufty has an interesting piece this morning on the apparantly widening gulf between two Polk County state senators, Paula Dockery (R - Lakeland) and J.D. Alexander (R - Lake Wales). Two senators who are supposed to work together for their area in a take of changing supports, backstabbing...you get the idea.

2007-06-24T18:59:00.000-04:00

THE WORD GETS AROUND...

It's always nice to get a mention here and there for an idea or other piece I've written here, and it's always appreciated.

A while back, I was moved to write about an idea which would hopefully resolve the madness currently surrounding scheduling the nation's presidential preference primaries and caucuses after watching a discussion on WEDU-TV's programme Florida This Week. I also made sure to send the idea to the moderator and participants on the show, which included St. Petersburg Times columnist Ernest Hooper. He was kind enough to respond to my e-mail, and stated he would possibly mention it in a future column. That piece ran June 15. I still believe it's a great idea.

And earlier today, Tampa Tribune writer Laura Fiorilli made mention of I4J's occasional listing of upcoming visits to Florida by the various presidential candidates. With the current controversy regarding our primary's move to January 29, and the major national party's threats of consequences toward the size of state's national convention delegation (and in the Democrat's case, the threat of no delegate votes for any candidate who campaigns or raises money here), it's an interesting resource to see 1) who is seriously campaigning in Florida, and who is just using the Sunshine State as a big ATM machine, and 2) seeing who is including Florida in their campaign strategy compared to only keeping a New Hampshire/Iowa/Nevada/South Carolina strategy. As the nation's fourth largest state, with a population much more reflective of the nation as a whole than the states holding their caucuses and primaries earlier, those candidates wanting to win had better get on the bandwagon here earlier....simple as that.

2007-06-24T11:14:00.001-04:00

HERE'S AN IDEA IF I WON THE LOTTERY...

When I was a kid growing up in rural South Mississippi during the 1960s, we didn't have many choices for entertainment besides the radio, the movie theatre or maybe a rare family outing to the beach at Gulfport or Biloxi (we lived nearly 100 miles away from the coast, so it wasn't often we got that lucky). Therefore, one of the area's primary attractions was a place called Pep's Point, located just north of Hattiesburg.

Located on a lake, Pep's Point is 28 acres of fun, a waterpark which included a beach, waterslide, a miniature golf coure, and a campground for families so inclined could enjoy the weekend. It was a great place to get away from the boredom so prevelant living out in the country, as almost anyone who lived in the Pine Belt would tell you. I enjoyed many a great Saturday or Sunday at the waterside or trying my luck at the putt-putt course.

For the past three decades, Pep's Point has been owned by Frank and Angie Myers, and a spokesperson for the couple told Laurel/Hattiesburg television station WDAM-TV that they are retiring, and therefore are selling the waterpark...on eBay. All you need is $1.3 million. A great opportunity while holding on to a slight bit of nostalgia. It would be a wonderful investment for someone willing to make the time and commitment in a growing area of the Magnolia State.

2007-06-24T07:27:00.000-04:00

ANOTHER NEW VOICE IN THE LOCAL BLOGOSPHERE

More and more people, from working Joes to presidential candidates, have realized that blogging is a way of having your voice and opinions communicated unedited. There are a growing number of elected officials that are coming aboard, and we can now count Polk County School Board member Tim Harris among their ranks.

Mr. Harris is serving his first four year term representing District 7, which covers the Lake Gibson/Polk City/Auburndale area of northern Polk County. His blog, known as Tim for Schools, noted it's first post Saturday on the issue of school concurrency which will be required of developers and government beginning next July. At that time, the number of children who will occupy a planned residential development and their impact on schools will have to be considered during the review of such a development.

Welcome aboard to Mr. Harris, and we look forward to reading more.

2007-06-23T19:27:00.000-04:00

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FLORIDA APPEARANCE CALENDAR

This is as complete a list as I could put together using information from the various candidate's Web sites (at least, those that actually list upcoming events) and media sources. Of course, please remember that in some cases a campaign may not publicaly announce an event, relying on the host to rely on word of mouth to invite like-minded supporters.

MONDAY, JUNE 25:
5:00 - 7:00 PM
Mitt Romney - Fundraising Reception
The Sembler Center
5858 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg
Tickets: $1,000 / person or $2,300 for a photo opportunity with the candidate

TUESDAY, JUNE 26:
12:00 - 1:30 PM
Mitt Romney - Fundraising Luncheon
Location not announced
Bradenton

FRIDAY, JUNE 29:
7:00 - 9:00 PM
John Edwards - "Small Change for Big Change" Fundraising Event
Lowry Park Zoo, Saunders Pavillion
1101 West Sligh Avenue
Tampa
Admission: $15/person
NOTE: This event is being hosted by trial attorneys C. Steven Yerrid and James L. Wilkes, II.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30:
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Hillary Rodham Clinton - "Women's Breakfast" Fundraising Event
Parrot Jungle
1111 Parrot Jungle Trail
Miami
Tickets: $100

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Dennis Kucinich - St. Pete Pride (GBLT) Promenade Parade
Central Avenue between 21st and 31th Streets
St. Petersburg
Free Event

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Joe Biden, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Christopher Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson - National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials 24th Annual Conference / Presidential Candidates Forum
Disney's Contemporary Resort
4600 North World Drive
Lake Buena Vista
Private Event

MONDAY, JULY 16:
TBA
Dennis Kucinich - International Longshoreman's Association - AFL-CIO / 33rd Quadrennial Convention
Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa
3555 South Ocean Drive
Hollywood
Private Event

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28:
7:30 - 9:00 PM
Dennis Kucinich - International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers / National Staff Conference
Conversation with the Candidates
Disney's Yacht Club Resort
1700 Epcot Resorts Road
Lake Buena Vista
Private Event

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 09:
Joe Biden, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Christopher Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson - The University of Miami and Univision Communications / Democratic Presidential Debate
BankUnited Center
1245 Dauer Drive
Coral Gables
NOTE: This debate will be the first event of it's kind to be conducted entirely in Spanish, with simultaneous translation to be made available for candidates who do not speak the language and to the audience. The event is the first of two such planned debates.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21:
Republican Party of Florida - Presidential Debate
Shingle Creek Resort
9939 Universal Boulevard
Orlando
NOTE: This is not a public event, but the debate will be cablecast live on Fox News Channel.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26 - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28:
Florida Democratic Party - State Convention
Disney's Yacht Club Resort
1700 Epcot Resorts Road
Lake Buena Vista
NOTE: While none of the party's presidential candidates have yet to confirm that they would attend, one would have to assume that many, if not all, would make an appearance. However, any such visits would be based on if state and national party officials can comprimise on a possible alternative to the Legislature's decision to move our primary into January in violation of the rules of both major political parties. If no middle ground can be reached, any candidate attending this event would be at risk of losing any national convention delegates he/she earns from Florida.

2007-06-22T20:26:00.001-04:00

THIS WEEK ON THE SUNDAY CHAT SHOWS

ABC / This Week with George Stephanopoulos: U.S. Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy (D - MA) will be the featured guest to discuss the controversial immigration reform comprimise, followed by the response by collegue Jeff Sessions (R - AL). Former Frasier star and Tony Award winner David Hyde Pierce will begin ABC News and USA Today's Role Reversal Series: Your Aging Parents and You, talking about the effects of Alzheimer's Disease, from which both his father and grandfather succumbed. Then the roundtable will feature ABC News' Senior Political Correspondent Jake Tapper, ABC News consultant and former Pentagon spokesperson Torie Clarke, Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria, and conservative columnist George Will to look at the political week left behind.

CBS / Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer: The guests and issues were not announced as of late Friday evening.

CNN / Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: Now that the troop surge is complete in Iraq, is it providing any positive results? U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R - TX) and Ron Wyden (D - OR) will debate the question. Then former U.S. Special Envoy and author Dennis Ross and two ambassadors to the U.S. --- Nabil Fahmy of Egypt and Sallai Meridor from Israel --- will talk about the Middle Eastern situation, especially the Palestenian crisis in the Gaza Strip. And host Wolf Blitzer will feature an exclusive interview with Vietnemese President Nguyen Minh Triet. Also appearing, consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader.

FOX / Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: Two prominent U.S. Senators, Trent Lott (R - MS) and Dianne Feinstein (D - CA), will appear to debate a variety of issues from Iraq to immigration. Then the weekly roundtable to discuss the news of the week past featuring Fox News Washington Managing Editor Brit Hume, Bill Kristol of The Weekly Standard, and Juan Williams and Mara Liasson of National Public Radio.

NBC / Meet the Press with Tim Russert: This week's show should be interesting to watch, with what should be a lively debate on the immigration reform comprimise between conservative pundit and author Patrick Buchanan and Congressman Luis V. Guiterrez (D - IL), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' Immigration Task Force. And a discussion of the week's news with Washington Post columnist David S. Broder, CNBC Chief Washington Correspondent John Harwood, and Gwen Ifill, Moderator/Managing Editor of PBS' Washington Week.

Syndicated / The Chris Matthews Show: Can billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg win the White House as an independent candidate? And can Hillary Rodham Clinton continue to oppose the military operation in Iraq and be tough on terror in her campaign for the presidency? Those questions will provide insight and analysis from Time magazine Managing Editor Rick Stengel, writer Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post Writers Group, Washington Post writer David Ignatius, and Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times.

Bay News 9 / Political Connections: This week's guests will be Hillsborough County Property Appraiser Rob Turner and former state legislator Carlos A. Lacasa (R - Miami) of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission

2007-06-20T06:20:00.000-04:00

IT'S NOT TOO EARLY FOR THE LOCAL CANDIDATES, EITHER!

While much of the attention is being focused on the presidential candidates, we're seeing that a year-plus ahead is not too early for local politicos to begin qualifying for the ballot. Of course, most of those who have opened campaign accounts are incumbants hoping to raise enough coin to scare away potential opponents, but we're seeing some new faces anyway.

Here's the list we're seeing from the office of Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards:

POLK COUNTY COMMISSION - DISTRICT 1
Don Gifford (R) - Lakeland - The former commissioner for this district has not officially opened a campaign account yet, but told Lakeland Ledger political writer Bill Rufty that he plans to challenge current incumbant and fellow Republican Bob English, saying he feels that English is vunerable for supporting a tax increase for infrastructure.

POLK COUNTY COMMISSION - DISTRICT 3
Edwin V. Smith (R) - Lake Alfred City Commissioner. Retired U.S. Navy officer and former Dean of Students at Auburndale High School.

POLK COUNTY COMMISSION - DISTRICT 5
Jim Brown (Reform)

STATE ATTORNEY - TENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
Jerry Hill (R) - Incumbant seeking his sixth term in the post. Former Public Defender.

FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - DISTRICT 63
Seth McKeel, III. (R) - Incumbant - Lakeland Real Estate Agent. He is a fifth generation Floridian whose grandfather served on the Polk County School Board and actually has two schools named after him (Thanks for the reader who provided the correction!)

FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - DISTRICT 64
Philip Walker (R) - Lakeland Insurance Agent. This seat will be vacated by Incumbant Republican Dennis A. Ross of Lakeland, who is term limited. Walker is seeking to become the first Black to be elected to the Legislature from Polk County.

FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - DISTRICT 65
John Wood (R) - He is seeking the seat currently filled by Incumbant Republican and Speaker Pro Tempore Marsha L. "Marty" Bowen of Haines City, who is term-limited.

FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - DISTRICT 66
Baxter G. Troutman (R) - Incumbant - Winter Haven Citrus Grower and Employment Agency Business Owner.

FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - DISTRICT 79
Mike Horner (R)

FLORIDA STATE SENATE - DISTRICT 15
Paula Dockery (R) - Incumbant - Lakeland Insurance Agent, Citrus and cattle grower. Spouse is multi-millionaire businessman C.C. "Doc" Dockery.

FLORIDA STATE SENATE - DISTRICT 17
J.D. Alexander (R) - Incumbant - Lake Wales Citrus Grower. Grandson of the late citrus/cattle mogul and former legislator Ben Hill Griffin, Jr.

UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - DISTRICT 5
Ginny Brown-Waite (R) - Incumbant - Brooksville

UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - DISTRICT 12
Adam H. Putnam (R) - Incumbant - Bartow Citrus/cattle businessman. Currently Chairman of the House Republican Conference

UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - DISTRICT 15
Paul Rancatore (D)

2007-06-19T19:46:00.000-04:00

OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH THE PEOPLE OF CHARLESTON TONIGHT

It is always sad to hear of any first responder who gives his or her life in the line of duty, but the people of Charleston, South Carolina's grief is especially great following the death of nine firefighters while battling a blaze at a furniture store/warehouse Monday night. Their loss represents more than a century of service to their community, and is the greatest one-time loss of life among first responders since the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Many people throughout the nation share the sense of shock, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends, and collegues of those who died, as well as the entire Charleston community. We never know when our own area could be struck by disaster, and I'm certain there are those who wish to show their concern during this time.

The City of Charleston has announced establishment of a fund to aid the families of those firefighters who perished last evening. Anyone wishing to contribute can send a check to:

City of Charleston Firefighters' Fund
c/o Bank of America
Post Office Box 304
Charleston, South Carolina 29402

To find out more, click here for the press release.

May Almighty God bring his peace to the people of Charleston, and bless all our first responders.

2007-06-19T19:28:00.000-04:00

2008'S VERSION OF WALLACE/PEROT/ANDERSON???

He was first a Democrat, then switched to the GOP when he felt it would be an easier primary to win. Now, New York City Mayor and billionaire Michael P. Bloomberg has left the Republican Party to register as an Independent, further increasing the speculation that he may be preparing for a run for the White House.

Bloomberg, who has led America's largest city for 5 1/2 years, has recently complained about the widening partisan gap. Pundits have guessed that the former CEO would run as a centrist as the Republican candidates court the far right and Democrats seek the leftist activist support. Although a Republican, Bloomberg has been at odds with President Bush and the national GOP leadership. He is pro-choice on the issue of abortion, pro-gay marriage, gun control, and stem cell research.

The word is that should Bloomberg decide to give it a try, he would be willing to spend up to $500 million of his own fortune.

2007-06-16T16:38:00.000-04:00

THE CALENDAR HAS BEEN UPDATED

Click here to check out the updated calendar of visits to Florida by the major party candidates for president.

One thing I should mention here: There are several events which have been added, but the location was not announced, only noted as TBD (To Be Determined). These events were noted on the candidate's Web site, but unfortunately the local media did not have any further information. Some candidates will not include the location as they are often private events and only made privy to supporters and others who contact the campaign office.

2007-06-15T19:17:00.000-04:00

THIS WEEK ON THE SUNDAY CHAT SHOWS

ABC / This Week with George Stephanopoulos: U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D - DE) will appear to discuss Iraq, immigration, and his run for the White House. Afterward, Senator Lindsey Graham (R - SC) will offer his party's response. Actor Martin Sheen, best known as President Josiah Bartlett on The West Wing, will sit down to talk about his fight to restore funding for America's drug courts. Then the roundtable will feature ABC News' Chief White House Correspondent Martha Raddatz, David Cord of The Nation, and conservative columnist George Will will look at the political week left behind.

CBS / Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer: The Iraq War, the Middle East situation, and immigration will be the topics tgo be discussed with U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R - KY) and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D - MI), along with Lee Hamilton, Co-Chairman of the Iraq Study Group.

CNN / Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: Is civil war inevitable as the Palestinian Authority government collapses? U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee members Jack Reed (D-RI) and John Cornyn (R - TX) will provide their opinions, as well as Congressman and Republican presidential candidate Duncan Hunter (R - CA). Also appearing will be Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and author Seymour Hersh of The New Yorker magazine.

FOX / Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: In his first Sunday chat since taking over the multinational forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus will talk about the "surge strategy" and wheather the Iraqi security forces are doing their part. Then the weekly roundtable to discuss the news of the week past featuring Fox News Washington Managing Editor Brit Hume, syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, and Juan Williams and Mara Liasson of National Public Radio.

NBC / Meet the Press with Tim Russert: The increasing sectarian violence in Iraq will be discussed with the U.S. Ambassador to that nation, Ryan Crocker. And the latest news and insights on the 2008 presidential election and other political news with E.J.Dionne, Jr. and Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post, along with Kate O'Beirne and Byron York of the National Review.

Syndicated / The Chris Matthews Show: With the military action in Iraq and immigration stalled, what can President Bush get done before the end of his tenure in office? And what is America looking for in their next First Lady (or First Man?)? Those questions will provide insight and analysis from British Broadcasting Corporation Chief Washington Correspondent Katty Kay, Tucker Carlson of MSNBC, co-anchor Michele Norris of National Public Radio's All Things Considered, and Newsweek Chief Political Correspondent Howard Fineman.

Bay News 9 / Political Connections: This week's guest will be Congressman Adam Putnam (R - Bartow), Chairman of the House Republican Conference.

2007-06-15T06:57:00.000-04:00

STATE LEGISLATORS HOPPING ONTO FRED THOMPSON BANDWAGON

Two State House members from Polk County are among a group of 15 Republican legislators who announced their support and encouragement for a possible presidential run by character actor and former U.S. Senator Fred Dalton Thompson of Tennessee.

Representative Seth McKeel (R - Lakeland) had previously announced his commitment to the Thompson camp last week after Congressman Adam Putnam (R - Bartow) signed on. Also among the group of legislators offering their support was Representative Dennis Ross (R - Lakeland).

Many among the group had signed a letter encouraging Thompson to run for the White House, noting that "You are a leader who can unite our party and our nation." While Thompson has not officially announced his candidacy yet, he is expected to do so very soon.

2007-06-14T06:35:00.000-04:00

ROMNEY CAMPAIGN CONTINUES TO MAKE INROADS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA

Former Massachusetts governor and current Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney named two Floridians to his campaign's National Faith and Values Steering Committee, a group which will advise him on issues of faith and values.

Named as Vice Chairs to the group were Dr. Jay Dennis, Senior Pastor of Lakeland's First Baptist Church at the Mall, and State Representative Dennis Baxley (R - Ocala), who resigned as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House to run for the State Senate, losing a close race.

2007-06-14T06:27:00.000-04:00

I DIDN'T KNOW DOORS AND WINDOWS HAD SO MANY PARTS

I guess I simply have taken those basic ingrediants of a building's protection for granted all these years. Yesterday I took my final at the job in the classroom training to transfer to another of our call centre's clients, one of the top upscale door and window companies in America. Today I begin actually answering customer service calls from folks whose doors or windows have issues, or are seeking new doors and/or windows for their home. Here's hoping I give everyone the correct information...

2007-06-14T06:01:00.000-04:00

THESE FOLKS HAVE TO LEARN TO DO MICROWAVE POPCORN RIGHT!

Many of you have put a bag of microwave popcorn into the oven and walked away expecting to enjoy some delicious snacking, only to return to find the rank smell of burnt popcorn because you simply left it in too long. It seems to be a regular case in Seattle, where city employees are being warned to stay by the microwave and "listen to the pop, to know when to stop" or face a ban on microwave popcorn in government buildings.

It seem as though in less than three years, the city's Justice Center (read: courthouse) has been evacuated eight times because burnt microwave popcorn has triggered the smoke detectors. That is in addition to multiple evacuations of City Hall and the Seattle Municipal Tower. According to the memo sent to all City employees Saturday:

"This is a serious issue which requires Fire Department emergency response, building evacuation, and resetting of building systems. Each evacuation causes disruption to City services for at least 30-40 minutes and has considerable actual costs to the City. It also poses safety and security issues, especially at the Justice Center which includes jail facilities and active courtrooms."

So everyone just remember, wheather it be in Seattle, Lakeland, or Miami..."Stay by the microwave and listen to the pop, to know when to stop." Noone likes smelling rank, burnt popcorn.

2007-06-13T19:59:00.000-04:00

HERE'S A WAY TO CHECK CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM YOUR LOCAL AREA

The Federal Election Committion has made it much easier to research campaign contributions to the various presidential candidates, not to mention much less troublesome than reading through pages of .pdf files. The software used for the interactive maps were used by the New York Times for it's first quarter research package, and it cost the taxpayers much less as the FEC decided to forgo the bells and whistles which made the Times package so fluid.

The software allows you to check the amount of money raised by individual candidates by the ZIP Code area. According to information from the candidates' last quarterly filing, here's how they did in the 338 area, which includes Polk, DeSota, and Highlands counties:

DEMOCRATS: $19,930
Hillary Rodham Clinton: $9,050
John Edwards: $6,600
Barack Obama: $3,280
Bill Richardson: $1,000

REPUBLICANS: $4,550
John McCain: $3,200
Sam Brownback: $600
Mitt Romney: $500
Ron Paul: $250

Now, compare that to what the candidates have collected statewide:

DEMOCRATS: $3,895,359
Hillary Rodham Clinton: $1,887,826
Barack Obama: $1,019,042
John Edwards: $503,120
Bill Richardson: $194,850
Joseph Biden, Jr.: $147,200
Christopher Dodd: $139,196
Dennis Kucinich: $3,250
Ron Gravel: $875

REPUBLICANS: $2,969,550
Mitt Romney: $996,080
John McCain: $993,026
Rudolph Giuliani: $877,700
Ron Paul: $39,915
Sam Brownback: $34,394
Tommy Tancredo: $8,965
Tommy Thompson: $7,600
Duncan Hunter: $6,350
Mike Huckabee: $5,400
John Cox: $120

2007-06-13T06:10:00.000-04:00

RESPONSE TO FLORIDA DEMOCRATS' DECISION TO GO WITH JANUARY 29 PRIMARY

"The DNC will enforce the rules as passed by its 447 members in August 2006. Until the Florida State Democratic Party formally submits its plan and we've had the opportunity to review that submission, we will not speculate further."
--- Official Democratic National Committee statement Monday

"Their primary essentially won't count...Florida has essentially converted their primary to a straw poll...Anybody who campaigns in Florida is ineligible for Florida delegates"
--- Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, speaking after a meeting of "Primary Defenders" in New Hampshire

"This could be a total mess unless we find a way out of this, a compromise."
--- U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D - FL)

"I'm going to compete everywhere in America"

--- Former U.S. Senator and current Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards leaving a fundraising event Monday night in Miami, implying that the possibility of sanctions by the DNC would not prevent him from campaigning in Florida

"Q wonders if the same rule will apply to the DNC raising money in Florida."
--- Palm Beach Post political writer Brian E. Crowley, writing in the newspaper's political blog Q this morning

"I still like my plan a lot better"--- Interstate4Jamming blog author Robert C.

2007-06-12T18:17:00.000-04:00

THE UPDATED CANDIDATE APPEARANCE CALENDAR

Please keep in mind that this is not intended to be a complete listing of visits. Often, a candidate will drop in for a day or two of fundraising events, which are often not mentioned in the media or on the candidate's public schedule. The events listed here are verified either/or from the candidate's Web side (at least, those who maintain a current list --- if any at all --- of their schedules) or from newspaper sites throughout Florida.

SATURDAY, JUNE 16:
7:00 PM
Dennis Kucinich - Palm Beach County Democratic Party
Jefferson - Jackson Fundraising Dinner
Palm Beach County Convention Center
650 Okeechobee Boulevard
West Palm Beach
Tickets: $150 / person

SUNDAY, JUNE 17
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Dennis Kucinich - Address on Universal Health Care
First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palm Beaches; Ministers' Hall
635 Prosperity Farms Road
North Palm Beach
Free Event

MONDAY, JUNE 18:
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM (CDT)
Mitt Romney - Fundraising Reception
Location TBD
Panama City
Host: David Browning

TUESDAY, JUNE 19
John McCain - Fundraising Luncheon
Location TBD
Pensacola
Tickets: $1,000 / person

5:30 PM
John McCain - Fundraising Reception
Location TBD
Miami
Tickets: $1,000 / person

7:30 PM
John McCain - Fundraising Dinner
Location TBD
Miami
Tickets: $2,300 / person
Host: Scott Rothstein

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20:
8:45 AM
John McCain - Fundraising Breakfast
Location TBD
Jacksonville
Tickets: $1,000 / person

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
John McCain - Fundraising Luncheon
The Tampa Club
101 East Kennedy Boulevard, 41st Floor
Tampa
Tickets: $1,000 / person
Hosts: Craig Berkman and Commissioner Mark Sharp

7:00 PM
John McCain - Orange County Republican Party / Lincoln Day Dinner
Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Studios
5601 Universal Boulevard
Orlando
Tickets: $150 / person

THURSDAY, JUNE 21:
Rudolph Giuliani - Reception
La Carreta Restaurant
5350 West 16th Avenue
Hialeah

Rudolph Giuliani - Fundraising Event
Home of Diego R. Suarez, a director of the Cuban Liberty Council
Miami
Private Event

MONDAY, JUNE 25:
Mitt Romney - Fundraising Event
The Sembler Company
5858 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg

FRIDAY, JUNE 29:
John Edwards - Fundraising Event
Tampa
NOTE: Details regarding this event were not available. This event is being hosted by trial attorneys C. Steven Yerrid and James L. Wilkes, II.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30:
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Hillary Rodham Clinton - "Women's Breakfast" Fundraising Event
Parrot Jungle
1111 Parrot Jungle Trail
Miami
Tickets: $100

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Dennis Kucinich - St. Pete Pride (GBLT) Promenade Parade
Central Avenue between 21st and 28th Streets
St. Petersburg
Free Event

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Joe Biden, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Christopher Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson - National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials 24th Annual Conference / Presidential Candidates Forum
Disney's Contemporary Resort
4600 North World Drive
Lake Buena Vista
Private Event

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28:
7:30 - 9:00 PM
Dennis Kucinich - International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers / National Staff Conference
Conversation with the Candidates
Disney's Yacht Club Resort
1700 Epcot Resorts Road
Lake Buena Vista
Private Event

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 09:
Joe Biden, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Christopher Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson - The University of Miami and Univision Communications / Democratic Presidential Debate
BankUnited Center
1245 Dauer Drive
Coral Gables
NOTE: This debate will be the first event of it's kind to be conducted entirely in Spanish, with simultaneous translation to be made available for candidates who do not speak the language and to the audience. The event is the first of two such planned debates.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21:
Republican Party of Florida - Presidential Debate
Shingle Creek Resort
9939 Universal Boulevard
Orlando
NOTE: This is not a public event, but the debate will be cablecast live on Fox News Channel.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26 - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28:
Florida Democratic Party - State Convention
Disney's Yacht Club Resort
1700 Epcot Resorts Road
Lake Buena Vista
NOTE: While none of the party's presidential candidates have yet to confirm that they would attend, one would have to assume that many, if not all, would make an appearance. However, any such visits would be based on if state and national party officials can comprimise on a possible alternative to the Legislature's decision to move our primary into January in violation of the rules of both major political parties. If no middle ground can be reached, any candidate attending this event would be at risk of losing any national convention delegates he/she earns from Florida.

2007-06-12T06:05:00.000-04:00

STATE HOUSE LEADERSHIP CHANGES ANNOUNCED

In a rather quiet move Monday, Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio (R - Coral Gables) made a couple of promotions among the body's leadership following the defeat of Rep. Dennis K. Baxley (R - Ocala) in a close race for a State Senate seat.

Current House Majority Leader Marsha L. "Marty" Bowen (R - Haines City) will become Speaker Pro Tempore, the position Baxley vacates, while Rep. Adam Hasner (R - Delray Beach) moves up to fill Bowen's former position.

2007-06-11T21:34:00.001-04:00

LOCAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY WEB SITE IS UP AND RUNNING

The Polk County Democratic Party's brand new Web site is now up. It's a work in progress, but it's a new means of making local political activists aware of what the organization is up to. Check it out, look around often, and let 'em know you learned about it from I4J.

2007-06-11T06:17:00.000-04:00

FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP SUPPORTS JANUARY 29 PRIMARY; WHAT HAPPENS NOW

During it's Jefferson - Jackson Weekend festivities held in South Florida, state Democratic activists embraced the idea of it's presidential preference primary being held in January 29 as approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature. However, negotiations will continue to prevent the Florida Democratic Party from losing half it's delegate seats from next summer's national convention, as well as it's "super delegate" seats which are reserved for state party leaders and Democratic elected officials.

Florida Republicans have figuratively "flipped the bird" to the national GOP over the issue, making it clear they are unconcerned about the possibility of losing seats when compared to having a larger say in who their nominee for the White House will be. However, Democrats are more in crisis mode, as the Democratic National Committee has also threatened to take away the delegate votes of any candidate who actively campaigns or raises money here once the state party leadership decides to make the primary binding.

The other option is for the FDP to declare the January 29 primary a nonbinding vote, basically making it worthless in terms of delegate selection and only worthwhile for candidates who do well to crow about how successful their campaign was in the Sunshine State. Instead, the FDP would have to pay --- the general idea is around $5 million --- for caucuses statewide which would actually be the means of selecting delegates. The state party's Central Committee agreed unanimously over the weekend that the primary would be the way to go, fully aware of the possible penalties.

Probable turnout was the key reason for the decision.

In addition to the presidential preference primary, there will very likely be a question regarding property tax reform for voters to decide, as well as municipal elections in a number of communities. The FDP guesses that at best, ten percent of the registered Democrats who would vote in a primary would show up to participate in a caucus.

UPDATE: The Democratic National Committee responded:

"The DNC will enforce the rules as passed by its 447 members in August 2006. Until the Florida State Democratic Party formally submits its plan and we've had the opportunity to review that submission, we will not speculate further."

The procedure now is that the state party must submit their delegate selection plan to the DNC late this week, followed by a 30 day period for public comment. The DNC Rules Committee will take up the issue at it's meeting on August 25, at which time it will almost certainly find the Florida organization in violation and rule that any candidate campaigning or raising funds here will forfeit any delegates.

When it comes to primaries and caucuses, I still like my plan a lot better.

2007-06-10T21:12:00.000-04:00

TAMPA BAY TELEVANGALIST MAY BE IN DEEP CACA

One of the primary duties of a religious leader is to educate his/her followers in the area of moral issues, based on the religion's basic beliefs and teachings. And that, on occasion, will include issues being debated in the public forum such as marriage/fidelity and a woman's right to choose to terminate her pregnancy. I don't have a problem with that.

But the rules clearly state that a church or it's leader cannot use it's not-for-profit tax status to support or oppose any candidate for public office.

Here in the Tampa Bay area, televangelist Bill Keller hosts a live call-in programme called "Live Prayer" at 1:00 AM five nights a week on the market's CW network affiliate. During one of his programmes recently, Keller referred to former Pennsylvania governor and current Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney as "part of a satanic Mormon cult", and warned his followers on his Web site that "If you vote for Mitt Romney, you are voting for Satan!"

Romney, who has been one of the most active of the ten current GOP candidates when it comes to campaigning in Florida, is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

The political remarks have drawn criticism, not to mention a complaint to the Internal Revenue Service by the group Americans United for Seperation of Church and State. Keller defends his remarks, saying he has the right to keep preaching, regardless of the subject, and expects to be cleared of any violation of his ministrial organization's tax exempt status.

I would not be so sure of that. The rules are pretty clear when it comes to mixing politics and religion when you have a tax exempt status.

2007-06-10T09:47:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Thankfully, Almighty God has allowed me to make it through another year. Today makes my 49th birthday, one step closer from the big FIVE-OH! No great plans on this end, just a day at home while my son promises a fine-tasting birthday cake to celebrate.

2007-06-10T09:31:00.000-04:00

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FLORIDA EVENT CALENDAR IS NOW UPDATED

For anyone keeping up with which presidential candidates will be visiting the Sunshine State and where, the calendar is now updated. Congressman and peace activist Dennis Kucinich (D - OH) has added two or three more events here to promote his Democratic candidacy for the White House, his first real active campaigning in Florida. The only events he had previously scheduled to come here for were a couple of "Meet the Candidate" forums with a national labour union and Latino elected officials organization.

As I always make note, the list is not intended to be a complete schedule of candidate events across the state. Often candidates will drop in and drop out unannounced for a day or so of private fundraising events which are not brought to the attention of the public or media. What is listed is verified either via media outlets or the candidate's Web site.

Check the calander often. As Florida promises to be a major state for those seeking the White House due to the earlier primary, the number of events promises to only increase.

2007-06-09T14:32:00.001-04:00

NO PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, ONLY A BUNCH OF PAID STAFFERS AT J-J WEEKEND

The Florida Democratic Party is in the midst of it's Jefferson-Jackson Weekend in Hallandale Beach, a major fundraising event. Unfortunately, yours truly was unable to attend as the event is a bit rich for my 'po boy bank account. I guess I'll have to wait until the state party convention which will be held on the Disney property this fall.

Getting back on track, Adam C. Smith writes today in the St. Petersburg Times political blog The Buzz that while no presidential candidates are appearing to court the activists in attendance, four of the seven major Democratic campaigns have representation from top level paid staffers:

Joseph Biden: Campaign Manager Luis Navarro; Sister Valerie Biden Owens
John Edwards: Political Director David Medina; Senior Campaign Adviser Peter Hatch
Barack Obama: Political Director Matt Nugen; Deputy Political Director Eureka Gilkey; Southern Regional Political Director Erica Brooks
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Sean Johnson, Deputy Political Director

Christopher Dodd, Dennis Kucinich, and Bill Richardson either did not send anyone from their campaign team, or they have yet to be noted.

The headliner for the weekend's activities at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa is U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D - CA).

2007-06-08T06:39:00.000-04:00

THIS WEEK ON THE SUNDAY CHAT SHOWS

ABC / This Week with George Stephanopoulos: U.S. Senator John McCain (R - AZ) was interviewed along the campaign trail this week, and he will discuss his presidential campaign along with a variety of other issues. And the roundtable will feature ABC News consultant and former Pentagon spokesperson Torie Clarke, Jay Carney of Time magazine, ABC News' Claire Shipman, and conservative columnist George Will in a discussion of the week's political news.

CBS / Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer: The issues and guests had not been announced as of Saturday.

CNN / Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: This week's programme will feature conversations with two presidential candidates, Democrat Bill Richardson and Republican Mike Huckabee. But the main issue will be immigration, discussed with Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and U.S. Senators Evan Bayh (D - IN) and Jon Kyl (R - AZ).

FOX / Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: White House Press Secretary Tony Snow and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Richard J. "Dick" Durbin (D -IL) will appear to discuss immigration.

NBC / Meet the Press with Tim Russert: Former Secretary of State Colin Powell will be the featured guest this week, which will be seen earlier than usual in many markets due to NBC Sports' coverage of the French Open tennis tournament. Also, authors Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta, Jr. will appear to discuss their new book, Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Syndicated / The Chris Matthews Show: Can Democrats win votes in next year's election by emphasizing faith? And will the battle over immigration hurt the GOP next year? Those questions will be discussed by BBC News Chief Washington Correspondent Katty Kay, John Heileman of New York magazine, Michelle Norris of Natonal Public Radio's All Things Considered, and Newsweek Chief Political Correspondent Howard Fineman.

Bay News 9 / Political Connections: This weekend's guest is State Senator Mike Bennett (R - Bradenton).

2007-06-07T19:52:00.000-04:00

DOUBLELY GOOD NEWS FOR THE LEADERS

The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute survey of Floridians was released Wednesday, with no great surprises, including the fact that actor and former Tennessee senator Fred Dalton Thompson's support has surged among Republicans across the Sunshine State

The poll, taken May 24 - June 4, included 1,174 Floridians --- 467 Republicans and 472 Democrats. The overall margin of error is +/- 2.9 percent among Democratic and Republican respondents each, with the overall margin of error of +/- 2.9 percent

On the Republican side, former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani leads the pack with 31 percent, a fall of six percentage points. Although Thompson has not officially entered the race, he scored second place in the survey with 14 percent. U.S. Senator John McCain is third with ten percent, a drop of five points, followed by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney with eight percent and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich with seven percent.

Former First Lady and current U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton maintains her sizable lead among Floridians on the Democratic side, followed by Senate collegue Barack Obama by a margin of 34 percent to 16. In third is former Vice President Al Gore with 13 percent, with former U.S. Senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards with 11 percent. New Mexico governor Bill Richardson is back with but five percent.

Thompson is already gaining endorsements, led by Congressman Adam Putnam (R - Bartow) earlier in the week and . Also this week Mitt Romney's campaign announced that Polk County GOP Chairman and Lakeland attorney Eric Allen will co-chair his local efforts along with retired consultant Fernando Valverde of Solvita. In addition, the Romney camp announced his "National Hispanic Steering Committee", which includes a number of Floridians.

Obama could be hurt in Florida by the apparant decision of the state's top black elected officials, Congressman Kendrick Meek (D - Miami) to endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton. Two other Members of Congress from South Florida, Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D - Weston) and Alcee Hastings (D - Fort Lauderdale), announced their endorsements for Ms. Clinton earlier today.

And so it goes...

2007-06-07T06:48:00.000-04:00

IT WAS NO REAL SURPRISE

I see where Congressman and Republican Policy Council chairman Adam Putnam (R - Bartow) finally came out and officially endorsed former Tennessee senator and soon-to-be candidate Fred Dalton Thompson for the GOP presidential nomination. Also approving of the actor's candidacy is George P. Bush, son of former Florida governor Jeb Bush.

Putnam's announcement was not unexpected, as he had made a couple of positive comments regarding a possible Thompson candidacy a week or two before. In his announcement this week, the Polk County congressman noted that Thompson was a "consistent conservative who has a clear vision for the future of America. He has the ability to unite Republicans and attract the Reagan Democrats."

2007-06-07T06:17:00.000-04:00

THE VERY LATEST ON WHEN AND WHERE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES (AND A COUPLE OF OTHER NOTABLES)WILL BE IN FLORIDA:

Please keep in mind that this is not intended to be a complete listing of visits. Often, a candidate will drop in for a day or two of fundraising events, which are often not mentioned in the media or on the candidate's public schedule. The events listed here are verified either/or from the candidate's Web side (at least, those who maintain a current list --- if any at all --- of their schedules) or from newspaper sites throughout Florida.

MONDAY, JUNE 11 :
8:00 PM
John Edwards - "Small Change for Big Change" Fundraiser
The Rusty Pelican
3201 Rickenbacker Causeway
Key Biscayne
Tickets: $15 / Cash Bar

SATURDAY, JUNE 16:
7:00 PM
Dennis Kucinich - Palm Beach County Democratic Party
Jefferson - Jackson Fundraising Dinner
Palm Beach County Convention Center
650 Okeechobee Boulevard
West Palm Beach
Tickets: $150 / person

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20:
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
John McCain - Fundraising Luncheon
The Tampa Club
101 East Kennedy Boulevard, 41st Floor
Tampa
$1,000 / person

7:00 PM
John McCain - Orange County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner
Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Studios
5601 Universal Boulevard
Orlando
Tickets: $150 / person

MONDAY, JUNE 25:
Mitt Romney - Fundraising Event
The Sembler Company
5858 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg

SATURDAY, JUNE 30:
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Dennis Kucinich - St. Pete Pride (GBLT) Promenade Parade
Central Avenue between 21st and 28th Streets
St. Petersburg
Free Event

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Joe Biden, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Christopher Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson - National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials 24th Annual Conference / Presidential Candidates Forum
Disney's Contemporary Resort
4600 North World Drive
Lake Buena Vista
Private Event

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28:
7:30 - 9:00 PM
Dennis Kucinich - International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers / National Staff Conference
Conversation with the Candidates
Disney's Yacht Club Resort
1700 Epcot Resorts Road
Lake Buena Vista
Private Event

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 09
Democratic Presidential Debate
BankUnited Center
1245 Dauer Drive
Coral Gables
NOTE: This debate will be the first event of it's kind to be conducted entirely in Spanish, with simultaneous translation to be made available for candidates who do not speak the language and to the audience. The event is the first of two such planned debates; this one is sponsored by Univision Communications and the University of Miami.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21:
Republican Party of Florida - Presidential Debate
Shingle Creek Resort
9939 Universal Boulevard
Orlando
NOTE: This is not a public event, but the debate will be cablecast live on Fox News Channel.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26 - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28::
Florida Democratic Party State Convention
Disney's Yacht Club Resort
1700 Epcot Resorts Road
Lake Buena Vista
NOTE: While none of the party's presidential candidates have yet to confirm that they would attend, one would have to assume that many, if not all, would make an appearance. However, any such visits would be based on if state and national party officials can comprimise on a possible alternative to the Legislature's decision to move our primary into January in violation of the rules of both major political parties. If no middle ground can be reached, such as a caucus held later which would make the January primary a nonbinding "beauty contest", any candidate would be risking the loss of any national convention delegates he/she earns from Florida.

2007-06-07T05:33:00.000-04:00

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN WONDERING

I do apologize for the absence of entries recently. That is the result of issues I have had with this old IBM computer off and on during the past couple of months. I do appreciate everyone who visits and checks out what the latest personal and political news from this neck of the woods provides, and hope you will continue to do so.

2007-05-25T19:24:00.000-04:00

THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE CALENDAR HAS BEEN UPDATED

Click here to check it out.

2007-05-25T06:09:00.000-04:00

THIS WEEK ON THE SUNDAY CHAT SHOWS (UPDATED 05/25 @ 7:23 PM ET)

ABC / This Week with George Stephanopoulos: A debate on immigration reform featuring Commerce Secretary Carlos Guiterrez and U.S. Senator Robert "Bob" Menendez (D - NJ) will highlight this week's programme. Also, former Virginia governor James Gilmore will discuss his longshot Republican campaign for the presidency. And the roundtable will feature political writer Jack Tapper, ABC News consultant and former Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, Los Angeles Times National Political Correspondent Ron Brownstein, and conservative columnist George Will in a discussion of the week's political news.

CBS / Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer: The controversies regarding the U.S. involvement in Iraq and the proposed immigration law will be discussed with U.S. Senators Carl Levin (D - MI) and Jeff Sessions (R - AL), along with CBS News Correspondent Kimberly Dozier.

CNN / Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: Do U.S. troops have everything they need to win the fight in Iraq? That question will be posed to Congressmen Charlie Rangel (D - NY) and Duncan Hunter (R - CA / Presidential Candidate). Also appearing: U.S. Senator Joseph Biden (D - DE) to discuss his campaign for the White House, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

FOX / Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: This week the immigration debate will be the topic as U.S. Senators Arlen Specter (R - PA) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R - TX) will be the guests. Also, the programme's "Choosing the President" series continues with former Arkansas governor and GOP candidate Mike Huckabee.

NBC / Meet the Press with Tim Russert: The programme's "Meet the Candidates" series continues with Governor Bill Richardson (D - NM) for the full hour.

Syndicated / The Chris Matthews Show: Has U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton become the inevitable Democratic presidential nominee? And as the debate over the assassination of President John F. Kennedy heats up once again, was there a conspiracy beyond Lee Harvey Oswald? Appearing to discuss the issues are the British Broadcasting Corporation's Chief Washington Correspondent Katty Kay, NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell, Bob Woodward of the Washington Post, and David Brooks of the New York Times. Not often we see the same panel two weeks in a row (and Ms. Kay's third straight week on the show), but that is who the show's Web site is announcing.

Bay News 9 / Political Connections: This week's guest: Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer will discuss the Legislature's decision to move the state's presidential preference primary up to January 29 and the possible consequences by the national party, as well as the upcoming campaign.

2007-05-24T20:36:00.000-04:00

ROMNEY MEANS "AMNESTY" BUT DOESN'T MENTION THE WORD (UPDATED 05/25 @ 7:03 AM)

Republican presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney spoke to a group of 305 at the Polk County GOP's annual fundraising dinner this evening at The Lakeland Center. In his remarks Romney said the immigration bill about to be debated before Congress should be rewritten to avoid what he called "rewarding" the 12 million illegals currently in the US.

Romney did receive a local endorsement during the event, from State Senator J.D. Alexander (R - Lake Wales), who said that he is working to bring collegues within the GOP leadership to join the Romney campaign.

Click here to read the first story on Romney's visit and comments from the Lakeland Ledger.

UPDATE: Click here to read the expanded story that appeared in Friday's Ledger.

2007-05-24T19:19:00.000-04:00

HIGH SCHOOLS ALONG THE I-4 CORRIDOR CITED FOR EXCELLENCE

Newsweek magazine has released it's ranking of the top 1,200 public high schools nationwide when it comes to preparing students for college, and quite a number along the I-4 corridor were included in the prestigious list, including several ranked very high.

While we all can agree that there is still much to do when it comes to improving our public educational system, it's nice to know that a good many in Florida were cited for their excellence.

The number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2006 divided by the number of graduating seniors. All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000; they are in the top 5 percent of public schools measured this way.

Here is a list along the I-4 Corridor:

RANK ----- SCHOOL ----------------------------- CITY
022 ----- Center for Advanced Technologies ------ St. Petersburg
026 ----- Hillsborough High -----------------------Tampa
039 ----- C. Leon King Magnet --------------------Tampa
054 ----- Spruce Creek ----------------------------Port Orange
064 ----- H.B. Plant -------------------------------Tampa
065 ----- Cocoa Beach -----------------------------Cocoa Beach
066 ----- St. Petersburg ---------------------------St. Petersburg
086 ----- Cypress Creek ---------------------------Orlando
142 ----- Seminole ---------------------------------Sanford
160 ----- University -------------------------------Orlando
167 ----- Bartow -----------------------------------Bartow
191 ----- Lake Brantley ----------------------------Altamonte Springs
229 ----- Winter Park ------------------------------Winter Park
236 ----- Lake Mary -------------------------------Lake Mary
264 ----- Olympia ----------------------------------Orlando
307 ----- Melbourne --------------------------------Melbourne
340 ----- Oak Ridge --------------------------------Orlando
341 ----- Deland ------------------------------------Deland
352 ----- Bloomingdale -----------------------------Valrico
359 ----- Winter Springs ---------------------------Winter Springs
376 ----- Chamberlain ------------------------------Tampa
417 ----- Lyman ------------------------------------Longwood
440 ----- Timber Creek ----------------------------Orlando
441 ----- Palm Harbor University ------------------Palm Harbor
458 ----- Lake Howell ------------------------------Winter Park
470 ----- Seabreeze --------------------------------Daytona Beach
473 ----- Oviedo -----------------------------------Oviedo
476 ----- Land O'Lakes ----------------------------Land O'Lakes
484 ----- Southeast --------------------------------Bradenton
506 ----- Eastlake ---------------------------------Tarpon Springs
525 ----- Ridgeview -------------------------------Orange Park
536 ----- Freedom --------------------------------Tampa
615 ----- Braulio Alonso ---------------------------Tampa
641 ----- Plant City --------------------------------Plant City
712 ----- Gateway ---------------------------------Kissimmee
722 ----- Gaither ----------------------------------Tampa
787 ----- Satellite ----------------------------------Satellite Beach
823 ----- Dr. Phillips -------------------------------Orlando
846 ----- Merritt Island ----------------------------Merritt Island
859 ----- Tampa Bay Tech -------------------------Tampa
956 ----- Sickles -----------------------------------Tampa
992 ----- Boone ------------------------------------Orlando
1038 ---- Celebration ------------------------------Celebration
1057 ---- Wharton ---------------------------------Tampa
1084 ---- Robinson ---------------------------------Tampa
1117 ---- Freedom ---------------------------------Orlando
1164 ---- Pembroke Pines Charter -----------------Pembroke Pines

2007-05-23T06:33:00.000-04:00

TONIGHT, WE DISCOVER THE NEW AMERICAN IDOL (UPDATED 05/24 @ 06:21 AM)

Last evening was the final performances for Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis, the two finalists for this season's singing competition. Personally, Miss Sparks is my winner by a landslide. She simply has an incredible voice that is well beyond her 17 years.

That's not to say that Mr. Lewis doesn't have any talent. While he is a fine entertainer, it is unfortunate that his singing talent --- which is supposed to be what AI is all about --- is weak. Blake has taken several chances during the season; some have worked quite well, and others crashed and burned. His beat-box style is what brought him to this point, but if it isn't used appropriately during a some (timing) or if it is used too much, it can be annoying rather quickly.

If I had the choice to purchase a CD between the two finalists, I'd buy Jordin's release in a heartbeat. I could certainly see her doing musical theatre in addition to what should be a fine pop music career.

UPDATE: Well, it's over, and Jordin won, as she clearly should have. She should do quite well, with the proper guidance.

2007-05-22T06:45:00.000-04:00

SHE'S JUST SO EASY TO SLAM...AND SHE DESERVES IT!

Lakeland Ledger political writer Bill Rufty certainly doesn't mind slamming a politician or organization when he believes the individual or group has screwed up or is ignoring his/her constituents. He does it again in this week's column, which appeared Monday.

The target of Rufty's ire is State Senator Ronda Storms (R - Brandon), who is by no means a stranger to controveresy dating back to her tenure on the Hillsborough County Commission. But the columnist's issue is not anything Ms. Storms has said or done; it's more about what she hasn't done.

Ms. Storms' district includes the eastern half of Hillsborough County, much of southeast Pasco County, and portions of western and northern Lakeland in Polk County (Full Disclosure: I happen to live in her senatorial district...poor, poor, pitiful me). The Polk area has the fewest number of constituents (13,608 registered voters) in the district, compared with 223,112 in Hillsborough and 36,183 in Pasco. Rufty duly notes that in her effort to win the seat last year, Ms. Storms did not bother to campaign in the Polk County area of the district, even declining to meet with the Ledger editorial board. It was only in the closing weeks of the campaign, with Democratic opponent Stephen Gorham gaining in the polls, that Storms' staff offered an interview after ignoring several requests.

So, why does Mr. Rufty mention this now? Because Senator Storms seems to be continuing her ignorance of the eastern portion of her district. As the Ledger columnist notes:

Her predecessor in that seat, Tom Lee...showed up for county delegation meetings even after he became president of the Senate. He visited with constituents and you'd have thought it was the key to the elections.

But a Storms aide recently gave the senator's cold shoulder to Mike Stedem, president of the Polk County Tiger Bay Club who has offered to arrange a meeting any time she wants if she'll just come speak to the club.

Sandra Barkey, the senator's chief legislative aide, responded in an e-mail: "Thank you for the invitation, however the Senator's schedule prohibits her participation."

Ever? Hey if he is giving you a blank check to set your own date, how can you forever be too busy?

Rufty ends his writing with the summary that ...no voter wants to be told either directly or through a politician's actions that their vote is unimportant, and yet that seems to be what Storms' attitude toward Polk meetings implies.

2007-05-22T06:34:00.000-04:00

THE CALENDAR HAS BEEN UPDATED

The calendar of upcoming visits by presidential candidates has been updated. Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D - OH) will be making his first visits of the campaign to the Sunshine State to keynote a pair of Latino organizations' events and to participate in the South Florida AFL-CIO candidate forum series.

Click here to check out the full calendar.

2007-05-21T17:51:00.000-04:00

QUOTES OF THE DAY

"I will campaign in Florida. I will make it a large part of my campaign. I've already done that. I will treat every primary with the seriousness it deserves. ... I am going to be there a lot. In fact, I'm going there next week."

Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico, during his official announcement today in Los Angeles that he is a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"Rudy Giuliani is the candidate who will win in Florida...We have a strong and growing team on the ground, and the Mayor’s optimistic vision for the country is resonating across the state."

Republican presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's Campaign Manager Mike DuHaime, responding to a question about Governor Charlie Crist's signing an election reform bill this morning in West Palm Beach which included moving Florida's presidential preference primary to January 29.

2007-05-19T06:18:00.000-04:00

FLORIDA SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER CALLS FOR DNC CHAIR TO RECONSIDER STATEMENTS

State Senate Minority Leader Steven A. Geller (D - Hallandale Beach) this past week sent a letter to Democratic National Committee Chairman Dr. Howard Dean to address the issue of comments the former Vermont governor and 2004 presidential candidate made recently threatening to punish Florida Democrats after the Republican-controlled Legislature voted to move the state's presidential preference primary to January 29 as part of an overall election reform package. The text of the letter, reprinted here, was originally published on the Palm Beach Post political blog Q Thursday.

Dear Chairman Dean:

This letter is in response to comments you’ve made regarding legislation which passed during the Florida 2007 Regular Session. The legislation included a provision which changed the upcoming presidential preference primary date to January 29, 2008. Reportedly, as a result of this provision, you have threatened to impose stiff penalties on the state of Florida for being noncompliant with certain rules of the Democratic National Committee.

Governor, before you attempt to enforce any draconian measures penalizing Florida or Democrats in this state, I would urge that you carefully reconsider your decision.

The Democratic Leadership in the Florida Senate and House of Representatives attempted to adhere to the rules of the DNC by offering amendments to keep the presidential preference primary on February 5, 2008.

A copy of the amendment offered by myself and the Senate Democratic Leader Pro Tempore is included with this letter. An identical amendment was filed by the House Democratic Leader and the House Democratic Leader Pro Tempore.

But as we are still the minority party in a Republican controlled Legislature, our amendments were overwhelmingly defeated. Simply put, we were outvoted, a scenario which - I’d like to caution - will be difficult to change should you move forward with any sanctions because of the primary date change.

In addition, while our amendments failed, we as Democrats voted for the final product. The legislation we supported finally moved our state from the punch lines into the headlines with regard to election reform, including the creation of a verifiable paper trail, a change long overdue. A verifiable paper trail was one of our Caucus priorities and important to many members of Congress as well.

While you may not like the outcome, as a former governor surely you must respect the system. By threatening to punish Florida Democrats because of actions taken by Florida Republicans, it is the party as a whole which will bear the brunt of your retaliation.

Barring candidates from campaigning in Florida as a punishment not only damages Democrats nationally, it wounds a process essential to our democracy. Every Floridian no matter their party affiliation should have the right to hear first hand Democrats’ plans to change our country and its direction.

Denying that right, Governor, or punishing Florida Democrats could easily cost Democrats this needed swing state. I am enclosing an article from The Florida Times-Union illustrating this point.

As the leader of the Florida Senate Democratic Caucus and a fellow Democrat, I urge you to reconsider your position and let the Florida primary proceed as planned without retaliation.

Sincerely,
Senator Steven A. Geller
Senate Democratic Leader

2007-05-18T06:01:00.000-04:00

THIS WEEK ON THE SUNDAY CHAT SHOWS

ABC / This Week with George Stephanopoulos: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D - CA) and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R - KY) will appear seperately to discuss a variety of issues, including Iraq and efforts to continue funding the military operation there along with bringing our personnel home. The roundtable will feature Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria, Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation magazine, and conservative columnist George Will in a discussion of the week's political news. And television personality and chef Rachael Ray will talk about her efforts to support Share Our Strength, a nonprofit organization working to end childhood hunger.

CBS / Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer: The guests and topics for this week's show were not noted on the programme's Web page.

CNN / Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: Something we don't see very much nowadays on Capitol Hill...comprimise, at least on a proposed immigration bill. Two members of the president's Cabinet will appear to talk about why they are supporting the measure, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. Also, U.S. Senators Mel Martinez (R - FL) and Carl Levin (D - MI) will discuss the bill along with Iraq and the controveresy surrounding Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. In addition, Congressman Brian Bilbray (D - CA / Chairman, Immigration Reform Caucus) and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (D) will add their voices to the immigration issue. Two authors, Dr. Shibley Telhami (The Stakes) of the Brookings Institution and Vali R. Nasr (The Shia Revival) of the Council of Foreign Relations will discuss Iraq, and Republican presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul (R - TX) will appear to talk about his longshot campaign. John King will be subbing for Wolf Blitzer this week.

FOX / Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: Two senators who were directly involved in the comprimise immigration bill will be the main guests this week, Charles Schumer (D - NY) and Lindsey Graham (R - SC). And an interview with former U.S. Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

NBC / Meet the Press with Tim Russert: A debate about our military operations in Iraq with U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Christopher Dodd (D - CT) and former Speaker of the House (and possible presidential candidate) Newt Gingrich (R - GA). Also, a discussion of The Reagan Diaries with Tulane University History Professor Douglas Brinkley, who edited the book, former Reagan Chief of Staff (1981-85) Michael Deaver, and former Attorney General and counselor to the late president Edwin A. (Ed) Meese, III.

Syndicated / The Chris Matthews Show: Could New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg help decide the 2008 presidential election should he decide to run? And what are the real consequences should the United States withdraw our troops from Iraq? Discussing these possibilities will be the British Broadcasting Corporation's Chief Washington Correspondent Katty Kay, NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell, Bob Woodward of the Washington Post, and David Brooks of the New York Times.

Bay News 9 / Political Connections: This week's guests: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson and State Representative Bill Galvano (R - Bradenton)

2007-05-17T10:52:00.000-04:00

CAN SOMEONE...ANYONE...TELL ME WHAT THE **** IS GOING ON WITH AMERICAN IDOL???

In what has to be the most idiotic result in the six seasons of Fox Television's song competition, Melinda Doolittle was eliminated in this week's semifinal. That should mean that 17-year-old Jordin Sparks will easily win in next week's grand finale.

Ms. Doolittle, who has worked as a background singer, was far and away the best and most consistant of the finalists. She was even chosen by judge Simon Cowell as his favourite to make it into the last week of competition. Wheather you love or hate Cowell, you've got to give the man credit; he's been working in the industry as an Artist & Repertoire executive for Sony BMG. Apparantly the teenyboppers flooded the line in favour of Blake Lewis, the beatboxer with only limited true singing talent.

Melinda was certainly my favourite to win it all, although Ms. Sparks has greatly improved her performance over the past several weeks and was beginning to post a real threat. Regardless of what happens now, neither young woman should have much to worry about. Both should enjoy a decent measure of success in the recording studio.

If Blake wins next week...

2007-05-17T09:13:00.000-04:00

HERE'S A MEETING WORTH NOTING

The non-partisan Tiger Bay Club of Polk County will meet at 11:30 AM Monday (21 May) at the Peace River Country Club in Bartow. Reservations are required, and the cost is $15 per person regardless of wheather an attendee chooses to eat or not (Lunch is extra, of course).

Featured speaker for the monthly event is former State Senator Richard E. "Rick" Dantzler of Winter Haven. Known to many as a moderate, Dantzler served a total of 15 years in the Legislature before resigning from the Senate in 1998 to run for governor. After his gubernatorial campaign ended, the attorney was picked by eventual Democratic nominee and then-lieutenant governor Buddy MacKay as his running mate.

Dantzler will be addressing the Heartland Parkway, a proposed 152-mile toll road which would stretch from the eastern Fort Myers area through mostly rural, agricultrual and enviromentally sensitive lands north into Polk County. He has been the voice of the Heartland Economic, Agricultrual, and Rural Task Force (HEART), a group formed in late 2005 by some of Florida's elite landowners. The group also has ties to State Senator J.D. Alexander (R - Lake Wales), grandson of the late citrus and agricultrual baron Ben Hill Griffin, Jr.

2007-05-17T06:36:00.000-04:00

THE VERY LATEST ON WHEN AND WHERE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES (AND A COUPLE OF OTHER NOTABLES)WILL BE IN FLORIDA (UPDATED 05/25 @ 7:24 PM ET)

Please keep in mind that this is not intended to be a complete listing of visits. Often, a candidate will drop in for a day or two of fundraising events, which are often not mentioned in the media or on the candidate's public schedule.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9:
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D - CA): Florida Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson Dinner
Weston Diplomat Resort & Spa
3555 South Ocean Drive
Hollywood
Tickets: $150

MONDAY, JUNE 11 / 8:00 PM
John Edwards - "Small Change for Big Change" Fundraiser
The Rusty Pelican
3201 Rickenbacker Causeway
Key Biscayne
Tickets: $15 / Cash Bar

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20:
John McCain - Orange County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner
Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Studios
5601 Universal Boulevard
Orlando

SATURDAY, JUNE 30:
Dennis Kucinich - National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials 24th Annual Conference / Presidential Candidates Forum
Disney's Contemporary Resort
4600 North World Drive
Lake Buena Vista

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26 - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28:
Florida Democratic Party State Convention
Disney's Yacht Club Resort
1700 Epcot Resorts Road
Lake Buena Vista
NOTE: While none of the party's presidential candidates have yet to confirm that they would attend, one would have to assume that many, if not all, would make an appearance. However, any such visits would be based on if state and national party officials can comprimise on a possible alternative to the Legislature's decision to move our primary into January in violation of the rules of both major political parties. If no middle ground can be reached, such as a caucus held later which would make the January primary a nonbinding "beauty contest", any candidate would be risking the loss of any national convention delegates he/she earns from Florida.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 09
Democratic Presidential Debate
Location TBA
Miami
NOTE: This debate will be the first event of it's kind to be conducted entirely in Spanish, with instant translation to be made available to candidates who do not speak the language and to the audience. The event is the first of two such planned debates; this one is sponsored by Univision Communications and the University of Miami.

2007-05-16T08:14:00.000-04:00

RETURNING TO REALITY AND PUTTING DOWN THE KOOL-AID

Republicans in recent years have touted their alleged increasing diversity due to their ability to con some within the African-American community to join their ranks. While the GOP can call itself the party of Abraham Lincoln, that was then...this is now.

We could very well be noting the start of some facing reality. Janet Zink in the St. Petersburg Times political blog The Buzz wrote Tuesday that Curtis Stokes, First Vice President of the Hillsborough County NAACP, is considering a change of his political affiliation from the GOP to the Democratic Party following two recent decisions on the local and national level.

Stokes' disappointment comes from three Republican Hillsborough County Commissioners supporting a proclamation honouring Confederate Memorial Day and marking April as Southern Heritage Month. The proposal died after four commissioners refused to sign the proclamation. He also noted Republican representatives' vote against a measure supported by the national NAACP which would have add a voting representative from the District of Columbia (Washington, DC). Currently the District, which has a 57-percent African-American population, has a delegate with no voting privileges.

Stokes has already thrown his support to the presidential candidacy of U.S. Senator Barack Obama, a Democrat, and contributed $2,300 to the campaign during a stop last month in Ybor City.

2007-05-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

YOU'VE ACTUALLY GOT TO VOTE TO MAKE CHANGE

Lakeland Ledger political writer Bill Rufty makes an excellent point in his column this morning. It's no secret that municipal elections draw far fewer voters when they're not scheduled with a major state or national election. But above and beyond the usual argument that it's everyone's right and responsibility to help choose their governmental leaders, sometimes there are certain issues that should cause people to turn out and cast their ballots.

Here in Lakeland, the city-owned electric utility has entered into a couple of bad deals, most notably with the Florida Municipal Power Agency on which it will have lost an estimated $90 million between 2001 and the time the deal expires at the end of this year.

Rufty reminds us that while the LE losses were a major issue in the 2005 election where four seats were being decided --- all but one being sought by incumbants, including the mayor...and all won reelection --- one would have thought that it would result in a higher turnout, especially among the precients that have a higher percentage of low income residents.

That was not to be. Rufty notes that among two precients with a higher concentration of working poor, the turnout was five and seven percent, while the highest turnout was in one of the most affluent areas of Lakeland, with 25 percent.

Just another reminder, friends, that it is one thing to complain about the way things are. But if we truly want change in the way things are done, two things have to happen:

1) We have to have candidates who are truly concerned and willing to work to make changes happen. I don't mean idelogues such as Jeb Bush, who often took a "my way or no way" approach in dealing with people while governor. At the same time, everyone needs to be aware that change doesn't usually come in one huge sweep. Issues are often complex, and comprimises usually have to be made in order to take small steps toward the eventual goal.

2) Take advantage of your responsibility as a citizen and vote, wheather it be a presidential or municipal election. Learn about the issues, find a candidate who is willing to work toward making changes, and support him/her! Yeah, many of us have lives with jobs and families, and supposedly don't have time for other endeavors. However, if you don't take advantage of the opportunity to make changes, it simply won't happen.

Thanks to Mr. Rufty for the reminder.

2007-05-14T05:49:00.000-04:00

FINALLY, A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN...OR, WATCH WHAT YOU ASK FOR...

Yesterday, we finally got a decent dose of rain in Lakeland and Polk County! As everyone knows, much of the state has been in the midst of a drought, and at this point we need all the rain we can get to replenish the water supply as well as help toward controlling the wildfires that have sprouted up and caused periods of thick smoke to reduce visibility in the area.

But while the rains are certainly welcomed, some of the thunderstorms this weekend had become severe, with up to an inch thick hail coming down in several areas as well as damaging winds. Thankfully, no serious damage was reported, but it's that time of year when things can get nasty real fast.

The forecast this week for Polk County calls for a 60% chance of thunderstorms today and tonight, with between a 40 and 50 percent probability for the rest of the work week. Keep the umbrellas at the ready.

2007-05-13T07:03:00.000-04:00

IMMIGRATION ISSUE CONTINUES TO DIVIDE TOWNS

The battle over how to deal with illegal/undocumented immigrants, mostly from Mexico and Central America, continues to be fought city by city as the federal government and Congress are not showing leadership one way or the other.

You may remember last July when the Avon Park City Council voted down a proposed ordinance championed by then-mayor Tom Macklin which would have 1) made English the town's official language and the only language in which city business would be conducted, 2) fined landlords $1,000 for knowingly renting to illegal or undocumented immigrants, and 3) revoking the city licenses of any business knowingly hiring illegal/undocumented immigrants. Macklin went on to become the lieutenant governor running mate of St. Petersburg Certified Financial Planner Max Linn last fall on the Reform Party ticket, and following the election co-founded the American Party of Florida.

Over the past few weeks the battleground has switched from Florida to the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch, Texas. As in Avon Park, this city of 30,000 was bitterly divided when the City Council approved an ordinance in November which would prohibit landlords from renting to illegal/undocumented aliens. The council revised the law in January to include exceptions for minors, senior citizens, and families with a mix of legal and illegal residents, but opponents were able to gain enough signatures to have the measure placed on the municipal election ballot for Saturday.

Information from the Dallas County Elections Office show that the ordinance passed with a 67.6 percent majority, with more votes cast through early voting than at the precients Saturday.

The city had previously passed an ordinance making English it's official language.

2007-05-13T05:56:00.000-04:00

SOME NEW NUMBERS TO PONDER OVER

The latest St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 poll doesn't show any real surprises as to who Florida residents are favouring in the race for the White House.

Among Democrats, U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has a comfortable lead over her rivals with 42 percent. Fellow Senator Barak Obama is second with only 19 percent, followed by former Senator and 2006 vice presidential nominee John Edwards with only 12 percent. Seventeen percent of the Democrats responding say they were still undecided. Pollster Tom Eldon said that Clinton even had a comfortable lead over Obama among African-Americans.

The GOP race is a bit more in the air. Former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani was shown to be leading among area Republicans with 29 percent. U.S. Senator John McCain was favoured by 15 percent with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney on his tail at 14 percent. Undecided responses made up 17 percent of those asked.

When you look at some of the Republican numbers in the Tampa Bay area, there is some sharp divisions. In Pinellas County, known to favour more moderate Republicans, McCain leads Giuliani 25-19 percent. Meanwhile in Hillsborough County, the numbers are reversed with the former New York mayor leading McCain 31-14 percent. One interesting note: In Hillsborough County, one in four registered Republicans participating in the survey noted they would favour former Tennessee senator and actor Fred Dalton Thompson if he chose to enter the race. Statewide, Thompson earned only nine percent, about the same as another potential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

The survey of 901 Florida voters was conducted May 6-9 by Schroth, Eldon, and Associates, a company who primarily works with Democrats, and the Polling Company, whose clientele is mostly Republican. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.5 percent overall, five percent for the Democratic primary and 5.4 percent for the Republican primary.

2007-05-13T05:50:00.000-04:00

A LITTLE HUMOUR TO BEGIN YOUR SUNDAY

I got a chuckle out of reading this bit after receiving it yesterday evening from a political activist with whom I serve on the Polk County Democratic Executive Committee. Hope you enjoy it.

President Bush and Vice President Cheney were flying on Air Force One. Cheney looked at Bush and said, "You know, I could throw a $1,000 bill out of the window right now and make somebody very happy."

Bush shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I could throw ten $100 bills out the window and make ten people very happy."

Not to be outdone, Cheney said, "That being the case, I could throw 100 ten dollar bills out of the window and make a hundred people very happy."

Hearing this exchange, the pilot rolled his eyes and said to his co-pilot,

"Such big shots back there. Hell, I could throw them both out the window and make 56 million people very happy!"

2007-05-11T17:35:00.000-04:00

THIS WEEK ON THE SUNDAY CHAT SHOWS

ABC / This Week with George Stephanopoulos: U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will sit down for his first Sunday morning chat touching on why he feels that he has what it takes to lead America, as well as a variety of issues. And the roundtable participants were not identified this week, but you can bet it will feature conservative columnist George Will in a discussion of the week's political news.

CBS / Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer: War and Politics will be discussed this week with U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R - NE), along with Jeanne Cummings of The Politico, and Michel McQueen Martin of ABC News and National Public Radio.

CNN / Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: With benchmarks now on the table, will the Iraqi government be able to meet them? Discussing the possibilities will be U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell (R - KY), Barbara Boxer (D - CA), and Lindsey Graham (R - SC), along with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, and former U.S. Senator Max Cleland (D - GA). Also, actress and newly appointed United Nations Ambassador Against Hunger Drew Barrymore will appear to talk about her new responsibilities.

FOX / Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: The programme's "Choosing the President" series continues with former New York City Mayor and Republican presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani.

NBC / Meet the Press with Tim Russert: It's "Meet the Candidate" series continues this week with U.S. Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain for the full hour.

Syndicated / The Chris Matthews Show: This week's questions: Will the top GOP candidates back President Bush on Iraq, or abandon ship? And, can Rudolph Giuliani win the Republican nomination running as a pro-choice candidate on abortion rights? Those issues will be bantered by British Broadcasting Corporation Washington Correspondent Katty Kay, NBC News Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory, Atlanta Journal Constitution Editorial Page Editor Cynthia Tucker, and Time Managing Editor Rick Stengel.

Bay News 9 / Political Connections: This week, a general discussion of Florida politics with BN9 political analysts, former Florida Governor and Tampa Mayor Bob Martinez (R) and former Tampa Mayor and Hillsborough County Commissioner Bob Buckhorn (D).

2007-05-11T17:31:00.000-04:00

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FLORIDA CAMPAIGN CALENDAR UPDATED

A couple of new events have been added to the list. Click here to view.

2007-05-10T18:54:00.000-04:00

AMERICAN IDOL NOTES FOR THE WEEK

The teenyboppers must have hit the phones hard Tuesday night, as beat-box boy Blake Lewis survived the nationwide vote and made the top three for next week. Sad, as he has limited talent and has relied too much on his beat-box style. It's really not bad, if it's done in moderation, but too much is simply annoying.

Lakisha Jones is a very good singer, but with little stage presence. However, she did not deserve to be voted off this week.

The contestant I still predict to win it all, Melinda Doolittle, had a rough night Tuesday. A generally good performance, but not enough to meet expectations this late in the competition. There are two weeks left before the new American Idol is selected, so she had better bring her very best.

If there is any real challenge to Melinda now, it has to be Jordin Sparks. The Arizona teenager has really improved the past couple of weeks, and this week was her best of the season. If the next couple of weeks are like we heard Tuesday, she could very well pull it off. She would almost certainly be the most marketable of the remaining quartet, as she is very photogenic. Even if she doesn't win, Jordin will be successful in music, television/video, or both.

2007-05-10T18:37:00.000-04:00

ANOTHER LAZY, HAZY, SMOKY DAY OF SPRING COMING

Thankfully, a change in wind direction caused the smoke and ash from wildfires burning primarilly in North Florida and South Georgia to blow away from us, but meterologists are saying that with a north wind expected for tomorrow, we can expect another round of smoky conditions. Schools are already planning on limiting outdoor activities, and anyone with breathing issues such as hay fever are being advised to stay indoors.

A chance of rain is expected for the weekend and early part of next week, which hopefully will allow firefighters to make gains on controlling the blazes that have popped up throughout much of the state. And while it's unusual, many are praying for Subtropical Storm Andrea to come close by and dump some more rain.

2007-05-10T18:27:00.000-04:00

TROUBLE ON THE HORIZON?

My posts on this blog may be limited for awhile, as I have experienced some problems on my computer over the past couple of days.

Normally I write my posts during the early morning before I head out the door to work, but the past two days when I turn on the 'puter I simply get the screen with the IBM logo and Windows does not come up at all. I have installed the latest anti-virus programme, which seems to be working fine, but I may have to take the computer in for repair...if I can afford it.

Please continue to visit, but be aware if you don't see anything for a time you'll know the likely cause.

Thank you for visiting and making I4J a part of your day...and be sure to tell a friend.

Sincerely,
Robert

2007-05-10T18:08:00.000-04:00

EXTREME MAKEOVER, DEATH CHAMBER EDITION

The State of Florida is apparantly now ready to resume executions following a nearly five month moratorium on the practice, and the death chamber at Florida State Prison in Raiford has been renovated in preperation.

Nothing as fancy as the folks on that ABC television programme do, but the St. Petersburg Times reports:

"...the death chamber at Florida State Prison is being doubled in size to give execution teams more space, [Team Leader...uh...Corrections Secretary Jim] McDonough said.

"A team of nearly 20 has also gone through extensive training in Terre Haute, Ind., where federal executions are held. A clock in the execution chamber has been positioned to be visible to all officials and witnesses.

"Also, videocameras have been installed. The bed an inmate is put on will be locked in place to minimize movement while the injection is taking place."

No executions have been done at Starke since December 13, when the lethal injection for Angel Diaz was botched, taking double the normal amount of time for death to be official.

2007-05-09T19:10:00.000-04:00

THE 2007 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON HAS BEGUN EARLY

Almost three weeks before it's official beginning, at that. The season's first named storm, Subtropical Storm Andrea, has formed off the coast near the Georgia/Florida line. A tropical storm watch has been issued from Altamaha Sound, Georgia to Flagler Beach, Florida. The watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within the next 36 hours.

The forecast calls for little change in strength, and the models are predicting very slow movement for the next four to five days, eventually approaching the coast near Daytona Beach by 2PM Saturday as a depression. Andrea is expected to increase our chance of rain over the weekend, although only slightly. Any help we can get to reduce the fire danger would be welcome.

2007-05-08T18:55:00.000-04:00

THE CALANDER OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE VISITS TO FLORIDA HAS BEEN UPDATED

Click here to view.

2007-05-08T06:25:00.000-04:00

ONLY A COUPLE OF FLORIDIANS (THAT I RECOGNIZE) AND SEVERAL SPORTS STARS

The Chicago Tribune political blog The Swamp printed the list of 134 guests who received invitations to last evening's five course white tie state dinner in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh hosted by President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the White House.

Looking over the list the only Floridians I could recognize were, no surprise, the chief executive's brother and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and wife Columba.

While there were a variety of well-to-dos from business and politics on the invite list, I noticed that it was rather heavy with stars from the area of sports. On the list:

Mr. Calvin Borel, Jockey, 133rd Kentucky Derby Winner (That's what you earn when you ride your horse from 19th to win the first leg of the Triple Crown).

Mr. Timothy Hasselbeck, Professional Football Player (Got his invite as the hubby of Elisabeth Hasselbeck of "The View")

Mr. Peyton Manning, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts

Mr. James W. Nantz, III, Sportscaster, CBS

Mr. Arnold D. Palmer, Professional Golfer

Mr. Gene A. Washington, Director of Football Operations, National Football League (Nice when you get your invite as the guest of Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice...but the Commish wasn't on the list?)

Ms. Robin Roberts, ABC (Yeah, I know she now hosts "Good Morning America", but she used to work for co-owned ESPN doing sports)

One reader who replied had this humourous comment: "W did his gaffe. Laura talked him out of serving BBQ."

2007-05-08T06:08:00.000-04:00

WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS...

Everyone seemed to get so excited late last week about the prospect of Paris Hilton actually being sentenced to 45 days in jail for violating probation after a series of auto and alcohol related run-ins with law enforcement.

The reality show star and party girl certainly deserves every day of the judge's sentence, especially as it's clear that she shows such disregard for the law. Now only was she over ten minutes late for her hearing Friday (something anyone who has been involved in the legal system should know you don't do), but she was filmed the day before driving her Bentley around Los Angeles in further violation of her probation as her drivers license has been suspended. Even after the judge issued his ruling, Miss Hilton shows no remorse, reportedly being heard making disparaging remarks toward the jurist and over the weekend calling her sentence "cruel"

But...you can make book on the fact that Miss Hilton will spend no more than ten days in the pokey, if even that. Why? Because California jails are so overcrowded, they often kick out criminals with minor offenses who have behaved themselves.

Too bad.

People in the public eye should not be held to a different standard. There's nothing wrong with enjoying life and having a good time, but when one violates the rule of law and society, he or she --- regardless of their standing in life --- should be prepared to recieve and accept the consequences of their error. Do you hear that, Paul Wolfowitz?

2007-05-07T06:53:00.000-04:00

ARE YOU CRAZY, ARE YOU HIGH, OR JUST AN ORDINARY GUY?

Sometimes a story comes along you just have to look at again.

The Tampa Tribune reports that a 70-year old minister was arrested Sunday in the parking lot of his church in Tampa after an officer found a baggie with 16 rocks of crack cocaine in his shirt pocket along with a pipe to smoke the stuff.

And they thought he was filled with the Holy Ghost...

2007-05-07T06:06:00.000-04:00

STRONG COMMENTARY REGARDING FLORIDA'S PRIMARY CHANGE

Lakeland Ledger political columnist Bill Rufty has some strong words about threats by the national leadership of both major political parties to punish Florida after the Legislature voted last week to move our presidential preference primary to January 29.

He had interviewed former Polk County Commissioner Paul Senft, the state GOP's national committeeman, who noted the advantages of moving the primary by focusing on Florida's diversity and the fact that candidates and the media would have a better idea of how a broader spectrum of voters feel.

Rufty wrote:

"...both parties are very much tied to the old ways and traditions of doing party politics and vowed to punish any state that moved its primary to a date before Feb. 5.

"Both parties want to protect the importance of the teeny little caucus in Iowa and the equally teeny, tiny and homogenous vote in the New Hampshire primaries, traditionally the first states to select convention delegates for both parties. As such, they receive lots of attention from candidates who will forget them during the fall campaigns because they are so small in the number of voters.

"Old ways die hard.

"Still, Florida's position as one of the most populous states and a swing state will make its Jan. 29 primary one of the most pivotal in the nation. Who cares that the presidential candidates will have to change strategy?"

And at the end of the piece, Rufty noted:

"So what if Florida and South Carolina and maybe another state or two get penalized in 2008 for dragging the antiquated primary system into the open for all to view? Just remember, if the Republican and Democratic nominees win because of the head start they got from Florida, well, they get to choose their parties' new national chairmen.

"And the clowns of the national parties trying to hold on to the 19th century ways just might find themselves looking for a new position in the Flat Earth Society."