Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Samm Simpson's Encounter With Senator Bill Nelson
Last Saturday I happened to see Senator Bill Nelson in the hallway at the Democratic convention in Orlando. The Saturday night dinner - which I didn't atttend - had been in progress for fifteen minutes and Senator Nelson was in a side hallway, looking for an open door. Here's the exchange - to the best of my memory......here
"We are not on the same side, you signed the Military Commisions Act last October, you took away the writ of habeas corpus!
"We are not on the same side, you signed the Military Commisions Act last October, you took away the writ of habeas corpus!
Screw The Florida Democratic Party
This has been a terrible time in our state to see the way the state Democrats broke the rules deliberately, worked with the GOP to do so. And then accused Dean of stealing our votes. Amazing how many fell for it all........here
With Bill Nelson Leading The Way.
In Burma, Child Soldiers Bought And Sold
The former Burma is so desperate to replenish its army after desertions and attrition that children are bought and sold by military recruiters. They are beaten and held as virtual prisoners while the government denies it is happening........here
Why Doesn't China Do Something. Am I Suppose To Watch And Enjoy The Upcoming Olympic Games?
Why Doesn't China Do Something. Am I Suppose To Watch And Enjoy The Upcoming Olympic Games?
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Tampa Bay's Dropout Factories
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
East Bay, Hillsborough, King, Leto, Plant City, Robinson, Jefferson, Tampa Bay Tech, Bloomingdale, Wharton
East Bay, Hillsborough, King, Leto, Plant City, Robinson, Jefferson, Tampa Bay Tech, Bloomingdale, Wharton
PINELLAS COUNTY
Boca Ciega, Clearwater, Dixie Hollins, Dunedin, Gibbs, Lakewood, Pinellas Park, St. Petersburg,
Seminole, Osceola
Boca Ciega, Clearwater, Dixie Hollins, Dunedin, Gibbs, Lakewood, Pinellas Park, St. Petersburg,
Seminole, Osceola
Monday, October 29, 2007
Weekend Protests Target War Funding
Tens of thousands of people across the United States staged demonstrations over the weekend to protest the continued U.S. occupation of Iraq and the White House's reported plans to attack Iran. Organised by a diverse array of anti-war groups, the nationwide protests were held in more than 10 major cities, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle......here In Orlando....here
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Let's Bomb The Persians 2
Neo-Con Guru Norman Podhoretz
A senior foreign policy adviser to the Republican frontrunner Rudy Giuliani has urged that Iran be bombed using cruise missiles and "bunker busters" to set back Teheran’s nuclear programme by at least five years. The tough message at a time of crisis between the United States and Iraq was delivered by Norman Podhoretz, one of the founders of neoconservatism, who has also imparted his stark advice personally to a receptive President George W. Bush......more
Dean Lashes Out At GOP
Chairman Howard Dean on Saturday criticized Republicans in Congress for not supporting legislation to expand a popular children's health care program........here
"The Republican leaders have made their choice. They want to stay in Iraq and deny our kids health care, America cannot afford four more years of a president who borrows for the war and denies health insurance for our kids"
Bush vetoes 3.5 billion for SCHIP wants $46 billion more for wars.......here
How Do You Spin Something Like This?
"The Republican leaders have made their choice. They want to stay in Iraq and deny our kids health care, America cannot afford four more years of a president who borrows for the war and denies health insurance for our kids"
Bush vetoes 3.5 billion for SCHIP wants $46 billion more for wars.......here
How Do You Spin Something Like This?
Friday, October 26, 2007
Speeders Beware
Your Neighbors Might Have You On Their Radar
That's the message police departments across the country are trying to send by loaning residents radar guns and turning them into neighborhood speed watchers.......here
That's the message police departments across the country are trying to send by loaning residents radar guns and turning them into neighborhood speed watchers.......here
Harry Potter Is A Lefty
Harry Potter is a left-winger and the seven books by JK Rowling are a diatribe against Thatcherite Britain, a French philosopher said on the day of the last novel's publication in French.......here
Lets Move To New Hampshire
Free State Project
The Free State Project is an effort to recruit 20,000 liberty-loving people to move to New Hampshire. We are looking for neighborly, productive, tolerant folks from all walks of life, of all ages, creeds, and colors who agree to the political philosophy expressed in our Statement of Intent
70 Years Later, Florida College Fountain Finally Works
Frank Lloyd Wright
Was an architectural genius, but a giant fountain he designed for a Florida college was a dud. Engineers could never make it work right. Now, nearly 70 years after Wright first planned it, the fountain finally gushed into the three-story high dome of water he envisioned. More than 1,000 people cheered its opening Thursday at Florida Southern College, but behind the so-called "Water Dome" were modern engineers, technology and computer control........here
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Florida Prison Guards Disciplined For Allowing
Gay Wedding
One prison guard was fired, another resigned and six others were handed suspensions for allowing what the Florida Department of Corrections calls a gay wedding between two female inmates at the Lowell Correctional Institution.......here
Members of Democracy for America Prefer Gore
Members of Democracy for America (DFA), prefer Al Gore as the Democrats’ 2008 presidential nominee. According to an ongoing poll, the former vice president and recent winner of the Nobel Peace Prize attracts nearly 30 percent of the vote as a write-in candidate. Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) is second with 22 percent, followed by former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), both of whom have garnered about 17 percent of the vote.....here
Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton lags far behind the quartet with 5 percent.
Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton lags far behind the quartet with 5 percent.
Taser Gator
University of Florida police were justified when they used a Taser against a student who refused to stop questioning Sen. John Kerry at a campus event, according to a state investigation released Wednesday.......here
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Vote For Our Hometown Favorites
Best Writer: Litbrit
Best National Blog: Pushing Rope, Best Media Blog: The Buzz, Best Professional Blog: Samm Simpson, Best Candidate Website: Lee Nelson, Best Local Party Website: East Hillsborough Democratic Club, Netroots Candidate of the Year: Mary Mulhern, Netroots Activist of the Year: Susan Smith, Netroots Organization of the Year: DFA, And Best Local Blog: Tampa Bay Blue
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Florida's Butterfly Population Struggles
The Queen Butterfly at Buttonwood Canal in the Everglades
"These represent the first butterflies lost from Florida that we know about," Marc Minno, an entomologist who conducted monthly surveys for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told the Herald. "There are things down there that are just hanging on by a thread.""Clearly, the diversity of the butterfly population has been compromised," said Dennis Olle, president of the Miami blue chapter of the North American Butterfly Association.......here
Scientists said the destruction of the butterflies' habitat the strongest factor in their disappearance.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
John McCombs Shows His Ass
Why Should Venezuela Keep Their Oil, We All Know Exxon/Mobil Needs It.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Why I'm A Liberal
"Today, Republicans in Congress chose to side with President Bush and leave millions of children behind. Bush Republicans will spend billions of dollars on their failed strategy in Iraq, but have no problem denying millions of children the health care they need and deserve. This is shameful" .....Dr. Howard Dean
Prehistoric Florida Swamp
Shiny amber jewelry and a mucky Florida swamp have given scientists a window into an ancient ecosystem that could be anywhere from 15 million to 130 million years old......here
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Florida NAACP Plan For March In Tallahassee
Justice For Martin Lee Anderson
Members of the NAACP from around Florida will march from the Capitol to the U.S. Attorney's office Tuesday, in an attempt to bring pressure for federal charges against those cleared in the boot-camp trial in Panama City last week......here
The Foul Stench Of The GOP
Florida Stinkers
Gus Bilirakis, Ginny Brown-Waite, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart, Adam Putnam, Tom Feeney, Ander Crenshaw, Ric Keller, Jeff Miller, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Cliff Stearns, Dave Weldon
SCRIP........here
Yuck, Who Votes For These People?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
8 More Guard Units Headed for Duty
The Pentagon is preparing to alert eight National Guard units that they should be ready to go to Iraq or Afghanistan beginning late next summer, The Associated Press learned Wednesday. The U.S. military is reaching out to more Guard units in an effort to maintain needed troop levels, ease some of the strain on the active duty Army and provide security for ports, convoys and other installations......more
Dean: Bush Republicans Have the Wrong Priorities
When the Republican Congress didn't do their job, President Bush turned a blind eye and signed bill after bill, passing $3 trillion in new spending. Yet he's now hiding behind an insincere claim of fiscal discipline to defend his immoral decision to deny millions of low income children health care here at home while spending billions of dollars on his failed war in Iraq......here
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The Chevy Volt In Miami
Imagine A 40 Mile Daily Commute Without A Drop Of Gas
The Chevy Volt was first shown in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Volt is powered by a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery to power the vehicle for 40 miles of all-electric range. An on-board “range-extender” engine and generator set, powered by gasoline or E85, is used to extend the vehicles range to more than 640 miles......here
The Chevy Volt was first shown in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Volt is powered by a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery to power the vehicle for 40 miles of all-electric range. An on-board “range-extender” engine and generator set, powered by gasoline or E85, is used to extend the vehicles range to more than 640 miles......here
Florida Subpoenas Allstate
Allstate Corp
The largest publicly traded U.S. insurer, was subpoenaed on Tuesday by Florida regulators in an ongoing probe into possible industry collusion to thwart state efforts to slash homeowner insurance rates. Calling the industry "tenacious" and "greedy," Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican, said the investigation would shed light on the failure of Allstate and others to provide meaningful rate relief to Florida customers despite legislation earlier this year to lower rates.......here
The largest publicly traded U.S. insurer, was subpoenaed on Tuesday by Florida regulators in an ongoing probe into possible industry collusion to thwart state efforts to slash homeowner insurance rates. Calling the industry "tenacious" and "greedy," Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican, said the investigation would shed light on the failure of Allstate and others to provide meaningful rate relief to Florida customers despite legislation earlier this year to lower rates.......here
Angola, Florida
Story Of Early Florida Black Settlement Emerging
For 10 years, they fought, hid and prayed for freedom here by the river, those 750 fugitive slaves, free blacks and black Seminoles who drifted west from the middle of Florida to form the largest community of its kind in the early 19th century South. Then, in 1821, their settlement, which they had named Angola after its kindred region in West Africa, was burned and looted and destroyed, probably by order of Gen. Andrew Jackson.......more
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Racist Explains Hip Hop Culture
"There are many humorous things in the world; among them the white man's notion that he is less savage than other savages."
- Mark Twain
King George Collects $1M From Pinellas County Republicans
We only had less than 48 hours to get this together, but still between 75 and 100 folks cooked in the sun from 9am-11:30am to let King George know we're going to keep working to stop the war and save our constitution. We were moved twice, and prevented from getting within 100 yards of the president, but that's fine. ABC, NBC, the Trib, The Times, WMNF, and a couple of indies all stopped by.........here
Mike Fox 727-320-4502
Vaxjo, Sweden
Cities Take the Lead on Climate Change
When this quiet city in southern Sweden decided in 1996 to wean itself off fossil fuels, most people doubted the ambitious goal would have any impact beyond the town limits. A few melting glaciers later, Vaxjo is attracting a green pilgrimage of politicians, scientists and business leaders from as far afield as the United States and North Korea seeking inspiration from a city program that has allowed it to cut CO2 emissions 30 percent since 1993.......here
A Travesty Of Justice In Bay County, Florida
No Justice For Martin Lee Anderson
At 6:30 in the morning on June 5, 2006, Martin Lee Anderson is admitted to boot camp. At 9:06 am the use of force begins. At 9:45 am the paramedics take Martin Lee Anderson At 1:00 pm he was transported by air to Pensacola to the hospital where he died the next day......here
Watch The Murder.......here
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Venezuela's Oil Revenues Staying In South America
Police cars, helicopters, radio stations, health clinics and fertilizer -- the deep pockets of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez benefit leftist allies and the poor from Bolivia to Nicaragua, but rankle opposition leaders. Chavez is using Venezuela's soaring oil revenues to spread aid to Nicaragua, Ecuador, Argentina and especially to Bolivia, where
He has helped President Evo Morales meet social spending promises to the indigenous majority that elected him in 2005.......more
He has helped President Evo Morales meet social spending promises to the indigenous majority that elected him in 2005.......more
Friday, October 12, 2007
Howard Dean On The Nobel Peace Prize
I want to congratulate our former Vice President Al Gore
For winning the Nobel Peace Prize today. No other person has worked harder or done more to draw much needed attention to the crisis of global climate change, one of the most critical issues facing our planet. Future generations will thank him for his work to save our way of life. But the fight is far from over.
His example should motivate each one of us to commit ourselves to doing everything we can in our own lives to save our precious planet."
http://www.draftgore.com/
For winning the Nobel Peace Prize today. No other person has worked harder or done more to draw much needed attention to the crisis of global climate change, one of the most critical issues facing our planet. Future generations will thank him for his work to save our way of life. But the fight is far from over.
His example should motivate each one of us to commit ourselves to doing everything we can in our own lives to save our precious planet."
http://www.draftgore.com/
Centrist Democrats And The Tactics Of Ridicule
The tactic of ridicule is being used quite widely in Florida now. It is working. Florida worked with the GOP here to get the vote through for the early primary. Then they immediately started the ridicule of Howard Dean and the DNC. It was well orchestrated indeed. They covered up their own dirty deeds by shifting blame and filing lawsuits........here
Thursday, October 11, 2007
DiCaprio, Clooney And Howard Dean
Farragut North
Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney are to star in a film loosely based on the rise and fall of presidential hopeful Howard Dean. The Warner Bros production will be based on a stage-play written by Beau Willimon.........more
King George Is Coming To St. Pete
Roosevelt Blvd Bush Rally
Friday, Oct 12, 9:30am to 10:30am
Bush will be using the phenomenally-expensive-to-operate Air Force One for -- among other things -- a whistle stop to speak with deep pocketed Republicans in Pinellas County. We'll be in the street at St. Pete/Clearwater Airport -- where he'll be flying in and addressing the press -- to let him know we think he has a few more important concerns right now. At the airport, across the street on the west side of Roosevelt or down 140th and 144th Aves, or 46th St. N.
For More Info....Mike Fox 727-320-4502 Or tampabaydemocracy@yahoo.com
Friday, Oct 12, 9:30am to 10:30am
Bush will be using the phenomenally-expensive-to-operate Air Force One for -- among other things -- a whistle stop to speak with deep pocketed Republicans in Pinellas County. We'll be in the street at St. Pete/Clearwater Airport -- where he'll be flying in and addressing the press -- to let him know we think he has a few more important concerns right now. At the airport, across the street on the west side of Roosevelt or down 140th and 144th Aves, or 46th St. N.
For More Info....Mike Fox 727-320-4502 Or tampabaydemocracy@yahoo.com
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Friendly Protesters Greet Dean in Tallahassee
"In the big picture of what really matters to the country, this is a very small blip. This is a fight among politicians. When politicians fight, people get annoyed and get all bent out of shape. At the end of the day... once we get passed all this — which will be relatively soon — we've got some serious months of campaigning ahead of us.......here
Fulfilling His Priestly Duties
Argentine Court Convicts Priest
A panel of three federal judges sentenced Christian von Wernich , 69, to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of direct participation in seven murders and direct or indirect involvement in 42 cases of kidnapping and torture........here
"False testimony is the devil. It is filled with malice," he told the court. Von Wernich has long claimed that he was simply fulfilling his priestly duties.
Che Guevara: Forty Years After His Murder
The 40th anniversary of the death of one of the most influential figures of the last century -- Latin American revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara. On October 8, 1967, Che was captured by Bolivian troops working with the CIA. He was executed one day later.......here
The bestiality of imperialism, a bestiality that knows no limits, that has no national frontiers.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
John Lennon Monument In Iceland
Happy Birthday
A pace monument that commemorates the life of the late John Lennon has been unveiled in Iceland by his widow Yoko Ono. The so-called 'light tower' will be lit annually on Oct 9 until Dec 8, the day on which Lennon was murdered in 1980. "I hope that the light from the tower will shine, not just physically on those present at the unveiling, but will be beamed across the world so that the message of peace will be delivered to all people," Ono said. Peace messages from around the world will be placed within capsules surrounding the tower.....here
Imagine all the people living life in peace.......John Lennon
A pace monument that commemorates the life of the late John Lennon has been unveiled in Iceland by his widow Yoko Ono. The so-called 'light tower' will be lit annually on Oct 9 until Dec 8, the day on which Lennon was murdered in 1980. "I hope that the light from the tower will shine, not just physically on those present at the unveiling, but will be beamed across the world so that the message of peace will be delivered to all people," Ono said. Peace messages from around the world will be placed within capsules surrounding the tower.....here
Imagine all the people living life in peace.......John Lennon
Breakfast With Howard Dean $100
Okaloosa County Democrats will be on their best behavior Wednesday when Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean visits. Toni Craig, who chairs the Okaloosa County Democratic Executive Committee, said the ongoing tiff between Florida’s Democrats and the national committee will be set aside when Dean arrives for an 8 a.m. breakfast at Harbor Docks restaurant in Destin......here
Monday, October 8, 2007
A Nobel Candidate
Al Gore is not running for president. But might the publicity and sheen of a Nobel Peace Prize change his mind? Some Democratic activists sure hope so. Grass-roots Gore loyalists have been buzzing for weeks about the Nobel Prize announcement scheduled for Oct. 12 in Oslo, Norway. Gore was nominated for his work on global warming, and several longtime Nobel observers believe this could be the year that a champion of climate change gets the prize. “We feel that if [Gore] wins the Nobel Prize … then he can’t not run for president,” says Roy Gayhart, a San Diego-based organizer of a California draft Gore group.........here
Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg Headed For Key West
When workers at Colonna’s Shipyard in Norfolk finish scrubbing the Vandenberg clean of asbestos, petroleum and toxic PCBs, the ship will be towed down the Atlantic coast and sunk about six miles southeast of Key West – the largest artificial reef in Florida.......here
They Are Destroying The Female Species In Congo
The Democratic Republic Of Congo
In Congo, since ten years ago, the war started in ’96. After the genocide in Rwanda in ’94, all the one who made the genocide arrived in Congo and stayed there in camps. And in ’96, when the war started, they went out from the camps and went inside the forest, and then they started killing and raping the Congolese population. Three years ago, we had the report from International Rescue Committee that already four million people died in Congo.....here
In Congo, since ten years ago, the war started in ’96. After the genocide in Rwanda in ’94, all the one who made the genocide arrived in Congo and stayed there in camps. And in ’96, when the war started, they went out from the camps and went inside the forest, and then they started killing and raping the Congolese population. Three years ago, we had the report from International Rescue Committee that already four million people died in Congo.....here
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Clinton-Obama 2008
Giuliani Predicts
Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, frontrunner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, is predicting that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will team up to form the Democrats' White House ticket. "That's the candidacy we are going to be facing, and that is a very formidable candidacy," he said in an interview conducted late last week......here
Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, frontrunner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, is predicting that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will team up to form the Democrats' White House ticket. "That's the candidacy we are going to be facing, and that is a very formidable candidacy," he said in an interview conducted late last week......here
Sunshine State Losing The Snowbirds
For almost a century, Florida has been a magnet for mobile Americans. The state's plentiful sunshine and open space have attracted "snowbirds" fleeing winter, retirees living out the last chapter of their lives. Florida's pull has been weakened mostly by rising costs. Though real-estate prices are now falling, the median price for an existing single-family home, at $231,900 remains 64 percent more than five years ago. That kind of price appreciation has increased property taxes, especially for newcomers and for snowbirds, whose primary residence is out of state........more
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Colorado State University Gets It Right
After a four-hour debate about the fate of Rocky Mountain Collegian editor in chief J. David McSwane, the Colorado State University Board of Student Communications announced late Thursday that they would admonish McSwane for violating two sections of the code of ethics regarding lack of ethics and professionalism, for printing the "Taser This. F*** Bush" editorial on Sept. 21......here
Fanatic Joe Kaufman Family Day At Six Flags
A Florida-based group called Americans Against Hate plans to protest a Muslim Family Day at Six Flags Over Texas later this month because it says the Islamic organization sponsoring the event supports terrorism. Local Muslims called the accusation a lie........here
Muslim Family Day will go on and that the park will also be open to the public that day. "We don't discriminate based on race, religion, sexual orientation, political persuasion or any other factor, Our ultimate goal is to provide a day of fun for all of our guests."
Sharon Parker, Public Relations Manager For Six Flags
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