Monday, May 27, 2013

Memorial Day 2013

American Involvement in Wars
1675 - 1676 King Philip's War New England Colonies vs. Wampanoag, Narragansett, and Nipmuck Indians.
1689-1697 King William's War The English Colonies vs. France
1702-1713 Queen Anne's War The English Colonies vs. France.
1744-1748 King George's War The French Colonies vs. Great Britain.
1756-1763 French and Indian War  The French Colonies vs. Great Britain.
1759-1761 Cherokee War English Colonists vs. Cherokee Indians
1775-1783 American Revolution English Colonists vs. Great Britain
1798-1800 Franco-American Naval War United States vs. France
1801-1805;1815 Barbary Wars United States vs. Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli.
1812-1815 War of 1812 United States vs. Great Britain.
1813-1814 Creek War United States vs. Creek Indians.
1836 War of Texas Independence Texas vs. Mexico.
1846-1848 Mexican-American War United States vs. Mexico.
1861-1865 U.S. Civil War Union vs. Confederacy.
1898 Spanish-American War.
1914-1918 World War I Triple Alliance: Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary vs. Triple Entente: Britain, France, and Russia. The United States joined on the side of the Triple Entente in 1917.
1939-1945 World War II Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan vs. Major Allied Powers: United States, Great Britain, France, and Russia.
1950-1953 Korean War United States (as part of the United Nations) and South Korea vs. North Korea and Communist China.
1960-1975 Vietnam War United States and South Vietnam vs. North Vietnam.
1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion United States vs. Cuba.
1983 Grenada United States Intervention.
1989 US Invasion of Panama, United States vs. Panama.
1990-1991 Persian Gulf War, United States and Coalition Forces vs. Iraq.
1995-1996 Intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina United States as part of NATO acted peacekeepers in former Yugoslavia.
2001 Invasion of Afghanistan, United States and Coalition Forces vs. the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to fight terrorism.
2003 Invasion of Iraq, United States and Coalition Forces vs. Iraq.
Pic: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Stogie's Iraq Wall here

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Florida GOP Endorse Nan Rich For Governor

 From GOP press release
Rich presumably would love to forward to every Democratic primary voter:
Former State Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich Says Democrats Should Have Liberal South Floridian Like Her As Gubernatorial Nominee. "For 10 years, political pros have taken it almost as gospel that the strongest statewide Democratic candidates are centrists from Florida's top battleground region of Tampa Bay. But 2014 gubernatorial hopeful Nan Rich says that's bunk. 'We tried that three times, and we had three good candidates - we had Jim Davis, Alex Sink and Bill McBride,' Rich said Monday, referring to the last three Democratic nominees for governor. 'And you know what? We didn't win. So let's try something new.
Rich Receives Endorsement From Florida NOW, "Has A Long History As A Liberal." "The political arm of the National Organization for Women has issued an early endorsement for Nan Rich, dark horse Democratic contender for governor.
RICH'S EXTREME LIBERAL POSITIONS ON ABORTION EARNED HER THAT ENDORSEMENT

.The Humane Society Of Tampa Bay Sterilizes 100 Cats Per Week

Tampa Dream Defenders

Tampa Dream Defenders hopes you've seen all of the facebook invites to our NEXT WEEK'S entire week of events to demand Legalization for all 11 million undocumented immigrants! Each day has it's own event! Wednesday's is a revival of our campaign to demand LICENSES FOR ALL 1.5 MILLION undocumented immigrants in Florida.
Join them here

Coalition of Immokalee Workers Rally & March on Wendy's


Silent street theater explaining the CIW Fair Food Program, followed by a march on Wendy's who has not yet signed on to support fairer wages and working conditions for tomato workers.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Havana Crumbling

Tampa Museum of Art exhibit
 "Faded Elegance: Photographs of Havana by Michael Eastman" 
Review by Lennie Bennett, Times Art Critic
here, For some i took myself Feb. of 2007, here

Tampa Bay Homeless

Judy Prine of New Port Richey
Letter to the Tampa Bay Times
I am deeply saddened by Gov. Rick Scott's decision to veto $1.3 million in funding for a Metropolitan Ministries transitional housing facility. I believe the general public has an overall negative and tainted view regarding the homeless. Most of them are just looking for someone to talk to and for someone who would recognize that they are real people just like the rest of us, but who were unfortunate enough to have been dealt various life challenges.

WMNF Benefits from the Sunset Tiki Party

Free the Cuban Five!

Since the Revolution in 1959, Cuba has been the target of more terrorist attacks than any other country in the world. 3,478 Cuban citizens have been killed in these attacks and 2,099 have been injured. The overwhelming majority of the attacks originated in southern Florida. Gerardo Hernandez, Ramón Labañino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and René Gonzalez, now collectively known as the Cuban Five, were working to monitor the groups who have led and threatened these terrorist attacks. Their work to prevent further acts of terror from being unleashed on the Cuban people led to their arrest by FBI agents in Miami in September 1998.
Join the week of action for the Cuban 5 in Washington D.C. from May 30 - June 5, 2013.
info, Visit their website here

Friday, May 24, 2013

Free Bradley Manning: Demonstration

Saturday, June 1, 2013.10:00am in EDT.
MacDill AFB 6801 S Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa
info
watch film
WikiLeaks and the Forgotten Man
Tuesday, May 28, 8:00pm
Bula Kafe
2500 5th Avenue N, St. Petersburg
In the outdoor, covered patio!
info

Beckner Strikes Back

A diversity council is no place for bigotry
There is much discussion in the community regarding the Diversity Advisory Council and my objections to the appointment of Terry Kemple to that council. Some find it hypocritical that I would purposefully exclude a prospective member from a council designed to promote diversity and inclusiveness.  My strong objections to Kemple's appointment are not ideological or philosophical. I question his motivation and intention to serve on this committee, as well as the gross misrepresentations he made in the application and essay he submitted to the county.
__________
On Sept. 13, Kemple distributed an email attacking my sexual orientation, warning readers of the homosexual agenda of the council and my attempts to create county law with special rights that exclude heterosexuals. Kemple applied for an appointment to the Diversity Advisory Council on the same date he circulated his hate-filled email. He has opposed the rights of students to form Gay/Straight Alliances, recognition of Gay Pride events, and equal protection under the law for members of the GLBT community. He has fought to keep representatives of the Council on American-Islamic Relations from speaking in public schools, and he has fear-mongered about those who
are Muslim or practice the Islamic faith.
more
Kevin Beckner is a Hillsborough County commissioner elected countywide. He wrote this exclusively for the Tampa Bay Times.

Hands Across the Sand 2013 - Treasure Island


Tampa Bay residents protest against oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Amnesty International Report 2013: Cuba

Repression of independent journalists, opposition leaders and human rights activists increased. There were reports of an average of 400 short-term arrests each month and activists travelling from the provinces to Havana were frequently detained. Prisoners of conscience continued to be sentenced on trumped-up charges or held in pre-trial detention.
here
I hear this from the anti Castro folks down in South Florida all the time but when it comes from an organisation i trust it is disheartening. I am sure this isn't what
Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Camilo Cienfuegos and all the others who fought and died to free Cuba from Batista wanted.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Say No to Bloomingdale Big Box

Residents opposed to big-box retail and apartment construction have been meeting under the auspices of the Coordinated Active Neighborhoods Development Organization (CAN-DO), also known as, "Say No to Bloomingdale Big Box.
Visit them on Facebook and Sign Petition.
Hillsborough County government has an online page on the Proposed Development on Bloomingdale Avenue Near Lithia Pinecrest Road.
here
Hillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham said he plans to meet with — "and listen to" Bloomingdale residents on June 10 from 6-8 p.m, at the Brandon Recreation Center, at 502 East Sadie Street.
For more info. More on the May 7 protest here.

Tampa Bay Homeless

Meet Thomas
He is from  Indiana and has been homeless 3 years.

Pam Bond Thinks Banksters Get A bad Rap

Imagine that. Republican Attorney General of Florida, Pam Bondi, is somewhat bored with mortgage fraud, advocates say. When they attend meetings with her staff they get the distinct impression that Bondi feels the banks are the victims, not the borrowers, so why should she investigate them? What does bother Bondi is Urban Outfitters selling funny shot glasses.
According to Miami New Times, Bondi has joined a group of 22 other state attorney general in writing to Urban Outfitters to urge them to stop poisoning America’s children.

West Tampa Art

Main Street

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

GaYBOR Proclamation

In the recent past, it would seem almost unthinkable that the Hillsborough County Commission would salute a group promoting the region to gay business owners and tourists. But something stirred at Hillsborough County Center this week, when the commission's gay board member circulated an annual proclamation heralding GaYBOR Days in the Ybor City historic district. For the first time in the event's six years, a majority of the seven-member board has signed it.  Ken Hagan signed it, a Republican who in the past has declined to sign the proclamation. So did Republican Mark Sharpe. Republicans Sandra Murman Al Higginbotham and Victor Crist did not. Mr. Crist said he first wanted to review marketing brochures for the event that he said in the past have not been "family friendly."
more
Is it just me or does Crist remind you of Gene Hackman's character Monroe 'Eagle' Cole in the film
Welcome to Mooseport?