Jailed In New Orleans Without Charge

Roderick Dean, a former corrections officer, recounts his harrowing ordeal two years ago when he was arrested and jailed without charge on August 11, 2005 - two weeks before Hurricane Katrina. When the storm hit, Dean was in New Orleans Parish Prison where he narrowly escaped drowning after the jail flooded. He was never charged and released four months later......more

Hands Across the Border

Georgia, Florida, and Alabama

It's the 16th year of the Hands Across the Border highway safety awareness campaign. State troopers, police officers, and sheriff's deputies from Georgia, Florida, and Alabama work together to set up road checks.......here

Officers, deputies and troopers already conducted a sobriety checkpoint at the Georgia-Florida line on U.S. 319 Tuesday night, issuing around a hundred citations and even making some DUI arrests.

In The Name Of His Father

Wellstone Democrat

The Wellstone legacy has become so intertwined with progressive politics, its origin is all but forgotten. The "Democratic wing of the Democratic party" has been kicked around by Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, small-town Iowa state Rep. Ed Fallon and other Democrats nationwide. Paul Wellstone's name and some actions are being used to channel the inner liberal of the country's most prominent Democrats.......more

Portable Surveillance

In Brandon

Photographing 'Nowhere People'

Florida

Nationwide Is Not On Your Side

Nationwide Insurance said Tuesday it will reduce its catastrophe exposure in Florida by dropping more than 40,000 homeowner and commercial property policies.......more

Bush Photo Opp

At Dooky Chase's

Bush said Tuesday he wanted to celebrate the spirit of New Orleans. He chose to do so with Leah Chase, considered this proud, still-struggling city's Queen of Creole, known as much for her famous cooking as her warm personality........more

Dooky Chase's

Katrina's anniversary must be approaching.

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

Strippers In Drew Park

GOP's Plan to Siphon Off California Electoral Votes

Florida Beaches

Sun, Sea, And Some Crushed Glass

Officials in Florida have come up with the sharp idea of using recycled glass to replenish denuded beaches. The glass grains would be mixed with sand and sprinkled on the shore. But you won’t get splinters in your flip-flops: sand and glass are both made from silica.....more

Howard Dean

"It's about time that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned, From illegally firing US Attorneys to limiting voting rights to warrantless wiretapping, Alberto Gonzales' Justice Department has promoted a culture of lawlessness designed to serve the Bush White House's narrow political agenda, not the American people. Gonzales now joins a long list of Republican officials resigning under a cloud of scandal, but these resignations cannot purge the Bush Administration of its problems. The true problem rests with the Bush White House itself, which continues to put what's best for the Republican Party ahead of what's best for America."

Kennedy Blvd. Over I275

Another Tampa Bay Structurally Deficient Bridge

What Stogie Had For Lunch

Beef Stew

Red Beans And Rice And Plantains

$5.99 At.......Rosa's Market 4209 W. Martin Luther King Blvd Tampa

FEMA Leaving Florida For... Alaska?

Right in the middle of hurricane season, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is shutting its doors and moving out of Florida - the state ranked third nationally for the number of natural disasters. Where are they headed? Alaska. Yes, you read that correctly, Alaska - which ranks 28th on the natural disaster list........here

Howard Dean

Draws Battle Line

Howard Dean set out to draw clear distinctions between his party and Republicans at the 2008 Democratic National Convention year-out kick-off party Wednesday in Denver, heaping criticism on the GOP ethics scandals of 2006 and President Bush's handling of the Iraq war.....here

"(Democrats) are out of touch with voters in the West and they are out of touch with voters in the rest of the country," Lindsay said, adding that voters supported Bush's tax cuts and his efforts to "secure the homeland."....... Republican National Committee spokesman Paul Lindsay

Under Surveillance

At The Hard Rock

The St. Joe Co.

Targets Florida's Panhandle

Florida's panhandle is sometimes called "the Forgotten Coast." It's an area of sandy beaches, pine forests, wetlands and meandering rivers. It's one of the most diverse ecosystems in North America and Florida's last untapped region. But that's beginning to change.......here

Local Bumpers 8

Liberals Read

Conservatives Want Slogans

Liberals read more books than conservatives. The head of the book publishing industry's trade group says she knows why - and there's little flattering about conservative readers in her explanation. "The Karl Roves of the world have built a generation that just wants a couple slogans: 'No, don't raise my taxes, no new taxes,'" Pat Schroeder, president of the American Association of Publishers, said in a recent interview. "It's pretty hard to write a book saying, 'No new taxes, no new taxes, no new taxes' on every page.".......here

Porn And Pancakes

In Ft. Myers

An ad for a Florida church's outreach program is raising some eyebrows. In Fort Myers, the billboard is advertising porn and pancakes. A local church says it's an ad for a men's breakfast aimed at reaching out to those who are addicted to porn.....here

Welcome to North Korea

Obama Calls For Easing Cuba Embargo

Obama's campaign said Monday that, if elected, the Illinois senator would lift restrictions imposed by the Bush administration and allow Cuban-Americans to visit their relatives more frequently, as well as ease limits on the amount of money they can send to their families......here

Brian Blair And Ken Hagan

Facing Re-Election In 2008

With three commissioners up for re-election next year, activists and some political watchers say the wetlands issue - and the hundreds of people who turned out in protest - could influence those races.......here

www.jadellkerr.com

Drug Addicts Flocking To Florida

While more than 30 other states have taken steps to monitor the legal sale of heavy-duty painkillers such as Oxycontin and Vicodin, Florida has stalled -- and that has black market dealers and addicts flocking to the state.......here

Florida's Representative Allen

Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot

Florida state representative Bob Allen, stripped of his committee assignments this week by a house speaker seeking his resignation over a gay sex scandal, made more enemies with an apparent slur against Florida's Latino leadership........here

"The fact that he's comparing the consequences of the allegations of his sexual misconduct to the plight of dissidents trapped in Castro's gulag is at best absurd and at worst insulting. He needs to go," Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera

Presidential Advance Manual

How to Stop Dissent

The first step to keeping demonstrators out of events, the manual tells the president's event staff, is to encourage the Secret Service to "ask the local police department to designate a protest area...preferably not in view of the event site or the motorcade route." As a last resort, security should remove the demonstrators from the event, the manual instructs.......here

Howard Dean's

Educated Elite

For too long that "educated elite" theme has been allowed to go on. They must find it easy to dumb down education systems when all the while calling educated people elite. We must not allow them to use the two words together in a negative way against any candidates.......more

Protesters At Cheney’s Place In Wyoming

Demonstrators gathered Saturday afternoon at the rustic crossroads of U.S. Highway 22 and the Village Road to protest the war in Iraq and local resident Vice President Dick Cheney. Following anti-war speeches and folksy, 60s-style sing-a-longs, the crowd of about 250—ranging in age from toddlers in strollers to a 92-year-old woman—marched peacefully along the mile-plus county bike path before assembling outside the gates of the tony Teton Pines Country Club where the vice president owns a home........more

Florida To Cash In On Caviar

It's not likely to replace the orange as the Sunshine State icon, but caviar could be the state's next cash crop as University of Florida experts look for this fall's harvest to prove there's a fortune to be made with farm-raised fish roe. Caspian Sea sturgeon, prized over their American cousins for their distinctly flavored eggs, were first brought to Florida fish farms about six years ago.........more

Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota also has gotten into the sturgeon business with a 20-acre farm and 53 tons of fish.

Mack's Apples

Londonderry, New Hampshire

A Londonderry apple farmer has posted his political opinions along Route 28, but not everyone likes what he has to say, and some have taken action in the form of vandalism. Mack's Apples owner Andy Mack is not afraid to share his opinions about President George W. Bush. "He's an absolute total disaster for this country, for the world and for the planet," Mack said......here

"I don't agree with Andy Mack's politics, but as far as the veterans at this post, we'd all grab a rifle to defend his right to say what he wants," said Jack Courtney, senior vice commander of American Legion Post 27

Clergy Used In US Martial Law

3,706 And The Killing Continues

Moscow And Beijing

Strategic Partnership

We have decided to restore flights by Russian strategic aviation on a permanent basis, the president told reporters at joint military exercises with China and four central Asian states in the Russian Ural mountains. Around 6,000 troops and hundred of armoured vehicles and fighter jets took part in military manoeuvres in the Urals, watched by Mr Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao.......more

China Cracks Down

On AIDS Groups And Orphans

In one case, an activist in Henan province, where the nation's AIDS crisis hit early, said police ordered him out of his office on Thursday and suggested that he flee the area for his own safety. Six other volunteers in the group were detained.......here

How Does A Place Like This Get To Host The Olympic Games?

Countdown: Worst Person August 14, 2007

Let's Attack The Persians

An Attempt To Deceive Americans Into Yet Another War

Such is the case with Kucinich's appropriate answer to the latest move by the Bush-Cheney administration to ramp up hostilities with Iran. That move -- the unprecedented attempt to label Iran's 125,000-strong Republican Guard as a "specially designated global terrorist" group.....here

In an era of mass delusion and denial on the party of leaders in both major political parties, stating the obvious can be a radical act.

Recall The C's

Vox Shows Us How......here

Army Suicide Rate Highest In 26 Years
A Quarter While Serving In Iraq And Afghanistan

The 99 suicides included 28 soldiers deployed to the two wars and 71 who weren't. About twice as many women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan committed suicide as did women not sent to war, the report said........here

Cypress Creek Town Center Runoff To Cypress Creek

Another Round With

The Gang Of Four

Thursday, August 16, 2007, 9am

601 E. Kennedy Blvd. In Beautiful Downtown Tampa

Iraq Has Been Ethnically Cleansed

Athens, Alabama

Pray And Fast In Support

A measure to end the sale of alcohol in Athens is up for a citywide vote, a rare instance where voters could overturn a previous vote to allow sales. Business interests are against repeal, but church leaders who helped organize the petition drive that got the measure on the ballot are asking members to pray and fast in support of a ban........more

Janet's Roadside Memorial

I4 And Charlie Taylor Road

Starving To Death In Argentina

The View From France

Bush And Sarkozy Have A Picnic

Hamburgers and hot-dogs … In his fish shop, Steve Kingston is appalled. It is Mr. Kingston of Kennebunkport, who provides the Bush family with lobsters and swordfish. But this time there was no such request. "I hope that in France, that this won't be misinterpreted." After all, the menu for this Saturday midday picnic at the summer residence of the American president's parents was part of an effort to play down the importance of the meeting between Nicolas Sarkozy and George W. Bush............here

Harold Ford vs. Kos

Democrats Say Leaving Iraq May Take Years

Even as they call for an end to the war and pledge to bring the troops home, the Democratic presidential candidates are setting out positions that could leave the United States engaged in Iraq for years......here

Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico stands apart, having suggested that he would even leave some military equipment behind to expedite the troop withdrawal. In a forum at a gathering of bloggers last week, he declared: “I have a one-point plan to get out of Iraq: Get out! Get out!”

Dick Cheney '94: Invading Baghdad Would Create Quagmire

Five Cars Hit Man On I4

Only One Stops To Report Accident

Investigators said Roig was in dark clothing as he crossed I-4's westbound lanes from the south and was hit by a car in the center lane. The impact sent him into a 2004 Ford Taurus in the left lane, Coggins said. That collision pushed him back into the center lane, where he was hit by a third car and landed on the roadway. He was hit by two more cars. The Taurus' driver, Alexander Rascionato, 33, of Tampa, stopped to report the accident. The third car likely has damage to its front. The fourth and fifth likely have damage to the undercarriage........here

Take Action Against Hate Crimes

Has Bush Abandoned the Everglades?

So it turned more than a few heads in June when the United Nations' World Heritage Committee, which monitors the globe's important natural and cultural sites, removed the Everglades from its endangered list at the behest of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The circumstances behind the action have infuriated Florida Democrats and environmentalists — and cast more suspicions on the Bush Administration's penchant for bending science to suit its politics........more

Florida's Pave and Slay
Rare Tortoises' Entombment To End

Under Florida's pave-and-pay program, developers obtained "take" permits from the state to build on top of tortoise burrows—essentially entombing them alive. About 94,000 tortoises may have been buried since pave-and-pay began in 1991. Some suffered slow deaths due to dehydration or starvation, while others were crushed by heavy machinery........more

The First GOP Debate

Howard Parties

With Pittsburgh Democrats

Dean, tieless in a blue button-down shirt and Patrick Dowd sticker, electrified a capacity crowd at Lawrenceville's Church Brew Works on a sweltering Aug. 8 evening. The former Vermont governor, who made a name for himself as an outsider energizing young voters through the Internet in a 2004 presidential bid, praised local Democrats' efforts like the 12,000 doors Dowd knocked on while campaigning. Dowd was part of a wave of officials who bucked Pittsburgh's famously hidebound Democratic Party endorsement system in recent primaries......more

The Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway Over 22nd Street
Another Tampa Bay Structurally Deficient Bridge

Bushflash - Dump Dick

Florida Groups Push For End To War
Florida For Peace pushed for a meeting with Sen. Bill Nelson at the Kissimmee library on Tuesday. Members said they want Nelson to stand against President George W. Bush and end the war in Iraq. Many groups congregated at the library to meet with Nelson, including Code Pink: Women For Peace.....here

Rudy Loses The Stoner Vote

Florida's Dirty Beaches
Dixie, Taylor, Escambia Counties
Swimmers were advised to avoid the water near Cedar Island in Taylor County and Shired Island in Dixie County for almost all of 2006. Water quality in those areas exceeded acceptable bacteria levels in 89 percent and 85 percent of tests, respectively. In South Florida, Crandon Park's water had high bacteria levels in 18 percent of its tests......more

Joe Biden Wants John Edwards
To Stop Acting Like Howard Dean
Before the last presidential election, John Edwards voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq, then spent most of the actual campaign parrying attacks from antiwar outsider Howard Dean. This time around, Mr. Edwards has slipped into the role of perpetually incensed antiwar crusader, questioning the commitment of his competitors to the liberal ideals he has so unapologetically embraced......here

"For 15 years, I've stood up against the right-wing machine, If you want a winner who knows how to take them on, I'm your girl.".................... Hillary Rodham Clinton

Bill Nelson
Our Very Own Lieberman
Unfortunately I’m not surprised to find that Florida Senator Bill Nelson has voted in favor of the amendment. The Senator has consistently cast votes hostile to the Constitution and with the Bush Administration. I can only guess he’s been promised a bed in the bunker during the coming coup.......more

John Pilger on Propaganda

The Press, Censorship And Resisting The American Empire

"Liberal Democracy is moving toward a form of corporate dictatorship. This is an historic shift, and the media must not be allowed to be its façade, but itself made into a popular, burning issue, and subjected to direct action," ..........John Pilger