Disney, Red Lobster and Olive Garden

Mickey Mouse now has a side gig as a corporate lobbyist?!

Apparently. Because right now in Florida, in the final days of the state legislative session, Disney is working to make it impossible for local cities and counties to pass earned sick time laws. In fact, as reported in the Orlando Sentinel, Disney helped write the bill! “Walt Disney World and Darden Restaurants, owner of the Red Lobster and Olive Garden chains, helped draft the legislation,
Take Action
Nothing like having your food cooked or served by someone who is sick.
Eat Local

Terry Kemple: A Crime Against Sanity

As a Hillsborough County taxpayer the thought of someone who is anti-Muslin, antigay, antiknowledge and even antimatter sitting on a government body charged with educating our community's children would be a crime against sanity. Terry Kemple on the School Board would visit a plague of demagoguery on the body politic. His term would be a fractious, disruptive, moveable feast of Bible-thumping, self-righteous hectoring and faux Puritanical preening. This will be Kemple's third bid to get on the School Board. Now you would think if you had run twice before and the voters had previously suggested they would rather shove shards of broken glass up their eyes than allow you to serve in public office.

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Bill Maher on Cuba

Help, end the war on the Cuban people, they are being held hostage by a small minority in South Florida.

Tampa, Hillsborough County To Sue BP

Days before the third anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, attorneys for Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa are moving to sue oil giant BP over tens of millions of dollars in lost tax revenues. Hillsborough County commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to file suit over the county's claim that it suffered nearly $43 million in losses — from hotel, gas, sales and other tax and fee receipts — as a result of the spill.

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Alan Grayson Petition For No Cuts to Entitlements

Sign Petition here

Tampa Bay Homeless

Homeless Living In Tampa

Stogie Recommends

Another Earth
Is a 2011 American science fiction/drama film directed by Mike Cahill in his feature film debut. The film stars William Mapother and Brit Marling. It premiered at the 27th Sundance Film Festival in January 2011 and is being distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

here

Remove DEP Secretary Herschel Vinyard Jr.

Regulators who break the rules cannot be trusted with enforcing them. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection broke the rules protecting the state's wetlands to benefit a well-connected landowner, then punished the one employee who challenged her bosses on it and tried to do her job. Gov. Rick Scott should remove DEP Secretary Herschel Vinyard Jr. and at least one of his deputy secretaries, because Floridians can no longer trust the agency to protect the environment and fairly enforce the rules.

here

Celebrate this Earth Day - Picnic For Earth

Obama: The Audacity Of Betrayal

You have to hand it to Barack Obama when it comes to having it both ways: He never stops serving the ruling class, yet the mainstream media, from right to left, continues to pretend that he’s some sort of reincarnation of Franklin D. Roosevelt, fully committed to the downtrodden and deeply hostile to the privileged and the rich.
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The New American Confederacy
The Betrayal of Generation Hope
Ralph Nader pans Obama call for higher minimum wage.
Howard Dean Threatens To Leave Democratic Party.
I listen to his campaign speeches now and the one he gave at his second inauguration and all i hear is noise.
I feel like i have been violated. Republicans hate him and now he has lost his base. Nust be lonely at the top.

St. Pete Activists Blast Corporations For Exploiting Tax Loopholes

Germany Knows What To Do
German authorities launched dawn raids on the homes of over 200 suspected tax cheats Tuesday, acting on information gleaned from a CD containing the confidential account details of thousands of Swiss bank clients. The top tax officials in the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate said he expected to net some 500 million euros ($654 million) from the data, which German investigators bought for 4 million euros ($5.2 million) after deeming it 'authentic and of excellent quality.' 'This amount is testament to the high criminal energy used to hide capital gains,' Carsten Kuehl, the state's finance minister, said in a statement.
here

2013 Earth Day Tampa Bay

info

Howard Dean Threatens To Leave Democratic Party

If Obama Doesn’t Cut Pentagon Budget

here

I stand with Howard Dean in his disgust of the Democratic Party. I would join him but i have been independant (NPA) since i started voting back in 1976.

La Casa Sierra

What Stogie Had For Lunch
Picadillo
With Black Beans and Rice, Platanos and a drink.
$6.35 at La Casa Sierra, corner of Main St. and Howard Ave in Tampa

The World Isn't As Bad As You Think It Is

After hearing about the tragedy in Boston yesterday and the things that happen to innocent people  everyday all over the world (Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Nort Korea) to name a few it is heartwarming to read something like this in my morning paper.

"The support from the community is beyond anything I could have imagined, When they told me people were interested in our story and what was happening, I was like, 'Why? We're nobody. We're not famous, we're just people.' I guess people just really care about other people. It kind of shows the world really isn't as bad as you think it is.

Mrs. Nugent on the support from the community for her daughter Ireland.

here
To help them click here

Tampa – Domestic Partner Registry Vigil

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Joe Chillura Courthouse Square
701 E. Kennedy Blvd.
info

Free HARTLine Rides For Friends On Earth Day

Go HART

Tampa Bay Homeless

Meet Charlie B
He is from Nashville. He is a vet and was shot while in Kuwait.

The Stogie Rates HART Drivers

A - Exceptional     B - Good     C - Average     D - Poor    F - Find another job

#2290 - A
#1965 - C
# 2119 - A
# 1967 - B
# 3128 - B
# 3692 - A
#32388 - A

It's Miller Time

Hillsborough Commissioner Les Miller’s Redistricting Plan 
could result in the county’s first Latino representative. The plan will call for substituting one at-large commission seat, which is voted on by everyone in the county, with a new single-member district, which would be chosen only by residents of a specific area. That new district would be designed so that a Hispanic could run in it and win.

more
“The key to provide for equitable representation is to move away from county-wide districts and have seven single-member districts, where each neighborhood is represented by a commissioner, rather than these million-dollar races that put in so much special interest money that it really becomes prohibitive for someone from a socio-economic area to be able to win countywide,” says Chris Cano, vice chair for the Hillsborough County Democratic Hispanic Caucus and treasurer for the Hillsborough Hispanic Coalition.
Great Job Mr. Miller

Marco Rubio In New Ad

Gwen Graham Running For Congress In Florida

The daughter of Florida treasure Bob Graham
Bob Graham was a wildly popular Florida governor from 1979- 1987 when he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served until 2005. Previously he had been a state rep and a state senator-- and he never lost an election in his life. He was an environmental champion in a state where real estate developers had ruled the roost. In his last Senate campaign he kicked Republican Charlie Crist's ass 63-37%. Socially liberal and one of the few Senate Democrats to oppose Bush's war against Iraq.
more, Visit her website here

Stacy White: A Self-Described Conservative Christian

Currently A Hillsborough County School Board member  with plans to run for the Hillsborough County Commission.  He is a strong supporter of local bigots Terry Kemple, David Caton  and former Republican state Sen. Ronda Storms. He spoke at the 9/11 anniversary protest in downtown Tampa which also included Terry Kemple, He has also said he would have voted against a domestic partner registry to give unmarried couples, gay or straight, certain rights when it comes to their partners. Sue Carlton of the Tampa Bay Times has called him "A dimpled David Caton, he of the extreme causes, a less stormy Ronda Storms." One other Republican "Rick Cochran, a senior detective for the Tampa Police Department" is also running for this District 4 seat. He is also a self-described conservative Christian who was part of a Sept. 11 protest against allowing Council on American-Islamic Relations speakers in schools, headed up by activist Terry Kemple. Have Democrats ceded this eastern Hillsborough district?

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JAY Z "Open Letter

St. Petersburg Free Clinic's Family Residence

You are invited to

St. Petersburg Free Clinic's Family Residence HOUSE WARMING
Sunday, April 14, 2013
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
431 11th Avenue South
here, Via Bartlett Park

How to Help Ireland Nugent

Trinity Presbyterian Church "Ireland Nugent Fund
•Anyone can make an online donate using Paypal on the church's website. Donations will go toward the long term treatment and recovery of Ireland and her family. If you prefer to mail a check- Make it out to:
Trinity Presbyterian Foundation (with Ireland Nugent in the memo field)
Mail it to: Trinity Presbyterian Church, 2001 Rainbow Drive, Clearwater, FL, 33765
More ways to help here

The Citrus Taliban: Christian Coalition 2.0

Plan to Register Evangelical Christian And faithful Catholic Voters
Yesterday morning, Historic City News was notified that the Florida Faith and Freedom Coalition hosted a Legislative Prayer Breakfast in Tallahassee; Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam, and Coalition Chairman Ralph Reed were in attendance.
here

Stogie Recommends

Habana Eva
Is a 2010 Venezuelan romantic comedy film directed by Fina Torres, starring Prakriti Maduro and Juan Carlos García and filmed in La Habana, Cuba. The film won the Best Picture award at the New York International Latino Film Festival on 2 August 2010. A rare look at  modern day Havana.
here

Darryl Rouson's Bong Bill

Efforts to legalize medical marijuana have gotten a lot of attention in Tallahassee this year. But that hasn’t slowed down a bill to ban bongs and other devices used to consume pot and other mind-bending substances. That bill is garnering overwhelming approval in the Florida Senate. Democratic Representative Darryl Rouson of St. Petersburg is the sponsor of the bill. 

here
What a waste of time, i make bongs out of empty beer cans, and this coming from a Democrat.

Who Will Run Against Ken Hagan

Ken Hagan hasn't attracted any opposition yet as he seeks a final term on the board in 2014 before having to leave due to term limits. But he's raising money like he expects not to walk through unopposed. Hagan, a Republican, has brought in $49,175 from 150 donors in his first quarter of campaigning. That's not quite don't-bother-getting-in-this-race money, but it's a decent showing for just more than a month of raising money.

Not surprising for an unabashed pro-development commissioner, much of the money comes from people in the construction or real estate business.

here

We Need To Thank Those Who Listened

We need to thank those who listened. Can you call Representative Kathy Castor and thank her for signing the Grayson-Takano letter vowing to vote against any cuts to Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits?
here

Darden Rice for St. Pete City Council

Walk to get petitions for Darden Rice!
She is holding a petition drive on April 13. She needs 500 signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Saturday, April 13, 2013 9:00 AM
Pinera Bread
1908 4th Street North, Saint Petersburg
info
Via Pushing Rope

Florida: Teachers From Hell

Florida has the scariest schoolteachers in the United States

Stories about teachers who allegedly do terrible things to students seem to be entirely too common across the country these days. In some ways, it’s not fair to pick on Florida. In other ways, it’s totally fair because tales of teachers behaving badly seem to come from the state continuously.
more
Pic thanks to Sun Sentinel

Stogie Recommends

The Descendants
The Descendants is a 2011 American drama film directed by Alexander Payne. The screenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash is based on the novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film stars George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard and Robert Forster, and was released by Fox Searchlight Pictures in the United States on November 18, 2011
more

Republicans Call for Tougher Sanctions on Beyoncé

Arguing that their recent trip to Cuba had made them “America’s No. 1 national-security threat,” a group of Republican lawmakers today called for tougher sanctions on the entertainers Beyoncé and Jay-Z. “We must send a strong message to Beyoncé and Jay-Z that the United States of America will not tolerate this kind of provocation,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Florida), who blamed President Obama for “permitting the crisis to escalate dangerously.” “While the President has allowed himself to be distracted by North Korea, Beyoncé and Jay-Z were engaged in threatening activities right in our own hemisphere,” he said, charging the President with being “soft on Beyoncé.” Echoing his sentiments, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen called for the “toughest economic sanctions possible to isolate the growing threat posed by Beyoncé and Jay-Z.”
here
White House spokesman Jay Carney cautioned that they would probably have little to no effect: “Right now, Jay-Z and Beyoncé have more money than the U.S. government does.”

Condolence To The Castors

RIP
Donald F. Castor, a former Hillsborough County judge
and father of U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, died Tuesday at age 81.
here

Deborah's Kiss-Off, Chick-fil-A Strawberry Milkshake

Take that homobigoted CEO, Dan Cathy ye mean-spirited, hate-group-supporting, Old-Testament-misquoting promotors of obesity and diabetes.

here

WMNF Tropical Heatwave Beer Launch Party

What a fun night to get you ready for WMNF's 32nd Annual Tropical Heatwave! The Independent Bar and Cafe' in Tampa will have live music by Alexander and the Grapes, Tropical Heatwave Beer Specials, prizes and more! And, there's no cover charge! Come meet other WMNF fans and raise a toast to Tropical Heatwave!

info

Che Must Be Rolling In His Grave

Cuba Turning Over Florida Couple and Children
here
Remember The Hakkens!

.Trinity Cafe of Tampa Feeding the Hungry and Homeless

Kevin Beckner Wants To Hear from Residents

Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner, District 6, Countywide, is hosting office hours in the community one Wednesday every month in locations around the county. These events provide residents the opportunity to meet with the commissioner, one-on-one, to share ideas and voice concerns without having to travel to County Center in downtown Tampa. No appointment is necessary, and residents are seen on a first-come, first-served basis.

info

A New Bill In Florida Would Make ‘Revenge Porn’ A Felony

A new bill in Florida would make it a felony to publish online nude photos or videos of a person without his or her permission and with his or her identifying information. That's a step in the right direction towards slowing the proliferation of the exceedingly icky "revenge porn" Internet sewage spill.
more
Pic thanks to local porn star Brandon Areana.

Strip Club King: The Story of Joe Redner .

He dropped out of school in the 10th grade. He has been arrested 150 times. He earned his GED in jail at the age of 40. And he has run for local public office 8 times. Take a journey into the life and career of the man who came from poverty, got into the strip club business, ended up owning the most notorious strip club in the world, the Mons Venus, and then continued to build a real estate empire, became a multi-millionaire and a 1st Amendment freedom fighter. Described as the Larry Flynt of the South, Joe Redner is the classic American- Dream story come true. He has been called a pimp, patriot, intellectual, self- promoter, humanitarian, hypocrite, publicity hound, pig, exploiter, criminal, narcissist, hero and genius.

Happy Wedding Anniversary

Beyonce and Jay-Z tour Old Havana to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.
The Miami Cuban Mafia was enraged over the trip and sent a letter to the Treasury Department official responsible for policing the embargo to demand to be told who approved the travel and for what purpose.
more

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (La Señora) raised the issue of the Carters' visit with the Obama administration, denouncing it as having provided sustenance to the "murderous" Castro regime.

They Say Tomato, I Say Morons

In case you aren't up to speed, the state House passed a bill on Thursday that allows parents to petition for a variety of overhauls if a local school is struggling. Yes, your state lawmakers are at it again. What's so bad about that, you ask? In theory, not a thing. Except every major parent group hates it. In California it has turned into an educational war zone. So if we can skip all of the minor details and skirmishes, the real issue is this legislation potentially allows public schools to be handed over to for-profit charter companies.
"I've never heard of making a profit being a bad thing, this is the United States of America.'' 
 Rep. George Moraitis R-Fort Lauderdale.
He's nailed his geography, but Moraitis might have an economics issue. Those profits he is so gleefully pushing toward out-of-state charter companies are supplied by your tax dollars. Tax dollars originally earmarked for your child's education, books, lunches and so on.
more

I Adore Anne Hathaway

Don't you just hate her? Hell hath no fury like a Hathahater
Is Anne Hathaway really deserving of all this venom? So why does the perky and supremely talented actress inspire such froth? Hathaway could simply be a victim of what the British call 'tall poppy syndrome' - the bloom that pokes above the others is the first to get cut.
here

Four People Dead On I95 Over A Traffic Infraction

The Miami Herald reports that an Opa-locka police officer initially attempted to pull over the SUV for a traffic infraction. The SUV's driver suffered two broken legs in the crash. He faces four counts of vehicular homicide. Opa-locka City Manager David Chiverton told the newspaper that the officer, Cpl. Sergio Perez, "cut off the pursuit and did not follow northbound the wrong way" when the SUV's driver drove into southbound traffic.

The Opa-locka Police Department prohibits officers from continuing a chase that goes against the flow of traffic. The department also only allows pursuits in the case of serious felonies such as murder, rape and robberies.

In a recording of a radio dispatch, Perez tells dispatchers that the SUV had driven into opposing traffic.
This guy is all over the road," Perez says in the recording. "Now he's going against traffic on I-95.
 We're going northbound in the southbound lanes."
more
Pic thanks to New Times
Why isn't Mr. Perez being charged with vehicular homicide?

My Name Is Joe Redner, And I Am Not For Sale

Good news on the local election front (unless you happen to be a candidate):

Joe Redner is seriously considering another run for office. So bring it on. We can only hope the city's best-known rabble-rouser, nose-thumber and kicker of shins will revive that campaign ad of him wrapped in the American flag with the slogan: My Name Is JOE REDNER, and I am NOT for sale.

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Robert Reich on Chained CPI

Happy Brithday Annette Taddeo-Goldstein

here

Contribute

We Will Fight You Every Step Of The Way

"President Obama, when it comes to cutting Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare benefits... we are prepared to fight you every step of the way"

Democracy for America

"You can't call yourself a Democrat and support Social Security benefit cuts. The President is proposing to steal thousands of dollars from grandparents and veterans by cutting cost of living adjustments, and any congressional Democrat who votes for such a plan
should be ready for a primary challenge. " 

Progressive Change Campaign Committee

"Just as we fought and defeated President Bush's plan to privatize Social Security, we will mobilize and stop this attempt to diminish the vital guarantee of Social Security. MoveOn's 8 million members will not stand by and watch a Democratic President chip away at one of the most successful government programs of all time. Every member of Congress -- Democrat or Republican -- who votes for this proposal should expect to be held accountable."

MoveOn

Sign Petition

The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association

I just heard of this association from a story in the Tampa Bay Times. I checked out their website.

It states The FRLA Political Action Committee (PAC) fights to ensure that business-friendly politicians are elected to office. After all, good policy begins with good policy makers.

Yet they are giving huge donations to the Rick Scott re-election campaign. I don't get it. Why would you give money to someone who is trying to hurt your product? After all when people loose their jobs or money gets tight the first thing families cut back on is what FRLA and it's members are selling.
Here is a list of members in Hillsborough and Pinellas.

There Are Principled Conservatives In Tallahassee

 Sen. Jeff Brandes:  bill, SB 864
When a Florida sheriff sternly accuses state legislators of protecting drug dealers and child pornographers, it has a way of getting people's attention. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri made that assertion in fighting a bill filed by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, dealing with police access to information stored on citizens' portable electronic devices such as cellphones and iPads. Brandes, citing the importance of a constitutional right to privacy, wants to change state law to require police to obtain a warrant from a judge before searching cell phone contents.
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"Why in the world would a police officer need to search your cellphone if you're driving on a suspended license?"....Jeff Brandes
 "Thank God there are principled conservatives in Tallahassee."....ACLU's Howard Simon
"We think it's another check on the power of the police, and it simply means that they first have to persuade a judge that there's a basis for a search.. Without this rule, it leaves the privacy of people in the hands of a patrolman."....Tim Lynch, Cato's criminal justice unit
Opponents include liberal Democrat Rep. Irv Slosberg of Boca Raton
Great job Mr. Brandes

Al Higginbotham: Have Recent Votes Hurt His Chances?

The County Commissioner from East Hillsborough is running for a countywide seat in 2014, but some are saying his stand on two recent controversial issues will hurt him in the long run.
here
Three strikes and you are out. Higginbotham voted agains registry. His religion made him do it. Higginbotham voted for Bass Pro and against small business owners. The next big issue is whether Race Tack gasoline station should build a gas station on wetlands at Kings and Providence. Do you really think it is a good idea to put a gas station on wetlands?..Elizabeth Belcher
____________
Can anyone list for me the good things that Al Higginbotham has done for his district. I am having a hard time remembering when he has stood up for the citizens in District 4. I'd like to hear from the people in the district, not from the developers and the builders,and land use lawyers that have benefited.. Are there any small business people or citizens that he has supported with his votes.?..Grace McComas
_____________
Higginbotham has a number of things that will hurt his chances for a countywide seat. He's had issues with telling the truth and/or supporting his constituency. Shall I name a few?
1) He lied when he said he was undecided about Bass Pro until the actual vote took place. Al campaigned hard for the Bass Pro deal. He openly lobbied with people in his district, and then had the gall to say he was undecided.
2) He lied about the fact that he was a partner in his wife's land development company and (which you can't do when you're a commissioner) then when he got caught he said he didn't know he was listed as a VP in her firm. Are you kidding?
3) He said he was never on the board of the Regent (high end catering hall that got built with taxpayer money and still is not a community center) and public records showed he was on that board.
4) He lied when he asked Vin Marchetti (land developer attorney) to select a Planning Commission appointee for him and then when he got caught he said he didn't have the time to do the research.
5) He recently sent gift baskets of strawberries to constituents but the interesting thing was that the strawberries were obtained from a grower in south Florida, not from his constituents in east Hillsborough.
6) He still thinks we should pay for the roads, schools, safety and water instead of developers, as they build new subdivisions. Most taxpayers believe that developers should pay for the impacts of what they build, but Al lets the land developers off the hook because he received over 60% of his contirbutions from those with a financial stake in land development in the 2012 election.
7) He once told a group of community leaders that average citizens were a special interest group, inferring that they were no better than any other special interest group.
Hopefully voters will learn more about the "real" Al when he runs for a countywide seat next year....George

Best Little Whorehouse in Tallahassee

Daniel Ruth: Sugar daddy kisses for Scott

Rick Scott has been a busy politician on the make, collecting an average of $50,000 a day, or $4.6 million in re-election campaign donations from deep-pocketed Republican sugar daddies.
more

Doing The Right Thing

Thank You
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson reversed his opposition to gay marriage.
more
 The Florida House approved the controversial parent trigger proposal.
Local Republicans Reps. Mike Fasano of New Port Richey and Ed Hooper of Clearwater
and all 44 House Democrats voted against the bill.
more

I Should Have Voted For Roseanne

Social Security, Medicare Are Facing Cuts In Obama Budget
President Barack Obama next week will take the political risk of formally proposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare in his annual budget in an effort to demonstrate his willingness to compromise with Republicans and revive prospects for a long-term deficit-reduction deal, administration officials say.

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Ed Schultz was right.

What Do Four Rich White Guys

Have in  common? They all donated big money to Rick Scott's re-election campaign.
Wayne Huizenga is in for  $250,000
Mr. Huizenga already screwed South Florida now he is working on the rest.
 Bill Edwards for $500,000
Sheldon Adelson for $250,000
 Mr. Adelson should keep his money, Democrats like casinos too.
and the Don chipped in $50,000
here
I think they should all keep their money, no amount is going to save Mr. Scott.
Just ask Carl Rove.