1/31/2003
is it real or is it Photoshop?
When the St. Pete Times ran a photo in which a Tampa Tribune logo seemed blurred on the sign of a Bucs fan, some cynics smelled Photoshopping.
Not so, say Times editors. It's a mere trompe l'oeil. (I've been waiting for ages to use that phrase in a sentence.) via Romenesko Media News.
Not so, say Times editors. It's a mere trompe l'oeil. (I've been waiting for ages to use that phrase in a sentence.) via Romenesko Media News.
thanks, but no thanks
FSU decided that getting 10 miles of library materials without money to store or care for it (or hire more staff) didn't sound like such a good idea and turned down a state plan to close the state library and ship it FSU.
FSU president TK Wetherell, who knows a little about budget negotiations, says, "We're not playing a game. We're out of it."
+BONUS FLA. LIBRARY FACTOID -- Florida matches 8.2 cents for every local dollar spent on libraries, down from 10.5 cents in 2001, according to the Florida Library Association.
Meanwhile, Doug Marlette runs a cartoon on the library closure.
And the Orlando Sentinel runs an op-ed piece by Jerrell Shofner, a history prof at UCF.
FSU president TK Wetherell, who knows a little about budget negotiations, says, "We're not playing a game. We're out of it."
+BONUS FLA. LIBRARY FACTOID -- Florida matches 8.2 cents for every local dollar spent on libraries, down from 10.5 cents in 2001, according to the Florida Library Association.
Meanwhile, Doug Marlette runs a cartoon on the library closure.
And the Orlando Sentinel runs an op-ed piece by Jerrell Shofner, a history prof at UCF.
fair use
Because we live in a world full of scolds, litigators and people who feel the whole Free Exchange of Ideas thing sounds just a little too subversive, people are actually having to declare what you can use on even a small, noncommercial site. The nice folks at Creative Commons give you a way to say, "Hey, use anything you like here, just say where you got it and don't rip it off for blatantly commercial products."
You'll see this off to the left shortly, next to the rss link that only works sometimes because Blogger is still getting its act together in that department.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Use what you like, I'll make more.
1/29/2003
Tallahassee calling!
I know what you're thinking: why won't the Florida Legislature call me up at dinnertime with a prerecorded message from Speaker Johnnie Byrd telling me what a great job he's doing? Why should I only enjoy calls for water softener companies and mortgage brokers? Well, you're in luck, Byrd is listening to you. Byrd's office is soliciting proposals from phone bank operators capable of placing "50,000 thirty-second messages in one hour and 120 different messages simultaneously" to "better inform constituents about the important work being done in Tallahassee by the Florida House of Representatives," according to documents obtained by The Palm Beach Post.
Hi, I'm Johnnie Byrd, candidate for U.S. Senate and also speaker of the Florida House. We're making great strides in the Legislature, ending drug treatment programs, shutting down teen runaway homes and closing down the state library. We're also spending $1.5 million to make sure your legislators have the spiffiest offices in all of Tallahassee and $500,000 for a PR staff to get the word out about me, Johnnie Byrd, candidate for U.S. Senate and also speaker of the Florida House. Pound 1 to hear more. Pound 2 to pray with me. Pound 3 for an autographed, color glossy photograph (suitable for framing) of me, Johnnie Byrd, candidate for U.S. Senate and also speaker of the Florida House! God bless you, the state of Florida and Jeb Bush! This is a message from Johnnie Byrd, candidate for U.S. Senate and also speaker of the Florida House.
Hi, I'm Johnnie Byrd, candidate for U.S. Senate and also speaker of the Florida House. We're making great strides in the Legislature, ending drug treatment programs, shutting down teen runaway homes and closing down the state library. We're also spending $1.5 million to make sure your legislators have the spiffiest offices in all of Tallahassee and $500,000 for a PR staff to get the word out about me, Johnnie Byrd, candidate for U.S. Senate and also speaker of the Florida House. Pound 1 to hear more. Pound 2 to pray with me. Pound 3 for an autographed, color glossy photograph (suitable for framing) of me, Johnnie Byrd, candidate for U.S. Senate and also speaker of the Florida House! God bless you, the state of Florida and Jeb Bush! This is a message from Johnnie Byrd, candidate for U.S. Senate and also speaker of the Florida House.
killing the library (iv)
The Gainesville Sun comes out against the state library closing. To save a few bucks, Gov. Bush wants to dismantle the state library. Why should he care? His Florida roots don't run deep.
My column on the library ran today.
My column on the library ran today.
1/28/2003
killing the library III
The Tallahassee Dem calls plans to close the Florida State Library "brazenly bad."
Gov. Jeb Bush must be rescued from this latest in his series of audacious ideas -to wipe out the state's award-winning library in the R.A. Gray Building and turn some 55 library employees out on their ears and into a very poor job market for their profession in order to save $5.4 million in his crimped budget. Refers to the governor as "Neutron Jeb."
The Pensacola News Journal uses an image from Raiders of the Lost Arc to make its point:
In the movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark," the powerful Ark is effectively disarmed through the ultimate bureaucratic solution: it is crated up and stuck on an anonymous shelf deep in the bowels of a humongus government warehouse, presumably never to be seen again. Gov. Jeb Bush seems to have something of the same in mind for the State Library and the archives it contains. It's the wrong approach.
Gov. Jeb Bush must be rescued from this latest in his series of audacious ideas -to wipe out the state's award-winning library in the R.A. Gray Building and turn some 55 library employees out on their ears and into a very poor job market for their profession in order to save $5.4 million in his crimped budget. Refers to the governor as "Neutron Jeb."
The Pensacola News Journal uses an image from Raiders of the Lost Arc to make its point:
In the movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark," the powerful Ark is effectively disarmed through the ultimate bureaucratic solution: it is crated up and stuck on an anonymous shelf deep in the bowels of a humongus government warehouse, presumably never to be seen again. Gov. Jeb Bush seems to have something of the same in mind for the State Library and the archives it contains. It's the wrong approach.
1/27/2003
Killing the library (cont.)
More on the the plan to close the Florida State Library.
Palm Beach Post -- Shutting state library labeled risk to archives. Librarians and historians are alarmed by Gov. Jeb Bush's proposal to dismantle the Florida State Library, an institutionthat began in 1845 and serves as the glue that binds together public libraries throughout the state.
News-Journal editorial -- State Library deserves protection from budget ax. It is a systematic dismantling of one of the most efficient arms of state government, eliminating along the way a state treasure--the 158-year-old State Library, whose 1 million items are the richest repository of Florida's collective memory.
Even Solonor's ire is raised.
Palm Beach Post -- Shutting state library labeled risk to archives. Librarians and historians are alarmed by Gov. Jeb Bush's proposal to dismantle the Florida State Library, an institutionthat began in 1845 and serves as the glue that binds together public libraries throughout the state.
News-Journal editorial -- State Library deserves protection from budget ax. It is a systematic dismantling of one of the most efficient arms of state government, eliminating along the way a state treasure--the 158-year-old State Library, whose 1 million items are the richest repository of Florida's collective memory.
Even Solonor's ire is raised.
Jeb Budget roundup, part III
This is the last installment. Promise.
The first editorials praising Bush's budget appeared this weekend. Predictably, the Republican Party talking-points sheet known as the Times-Union editorial page likes the budget. What's odd is how faint the praise is. Only seven paragraphs and the admission that the Legislature might be able to improve it.
They could learn from the Naples Daily News which cheers the governor and warns the Legislature to refrain from adding pork. OK, it's delusional, especially in regards to health care and child welfare, but at least they tried to put the best face on things.
The only major paper that hasn't commented on the budget is the reliably conservative Tampa Trib.
The Gainesville Sun, by contrast can't stop. It runs its third budget editorial.
+SARASOTA HERALD-TRIB -- Putting Florida's needs last. It's bad enough that balancing Florida's next budget will require painful choices because of increased mandates and the economy's restraints on revenue growth.
What's worse is Gov. Jeb Bush's refusal to balance his narrow-minded commitment to political dogma with the pressing needs of Florida and its residents. . . .
We encourage Southwest Florida's legislative delegation to vigorously challenge Bush's budget.
+FLA. TIMES-UNION -- STATE GOVERNMENT: A good start. Bush manages to balance the various interests by judiciously trimming back lesser priorities and, in some cases, turning functions over to the private sector or local governments. . . . .
The Legislature may be able to improve upon the final product, but Bush has given lawmakers the outlines of a prudent budget.
+GAINESVILLE SUN -- Next year? Despite a revenue shortage and his proposed Draconian budget cuts, Gov. Jeb Bush remains steadfast against any new or expanded state taxes (although he seems willing to see local taxes raised) and wants to continue phasing out the state intangibles tax.
+NAPLES DAILY NEWS -- Governor's budget plan makes most of an uncertain situation. Gov. Jeb Bush has delivered a budget that not only meets fiscal realities but seems to allocate limited resources where the needs are greatest � education, health care and child welfare.
+BONUS COLUMN, ST. PETE TIMES. -- Martin Dykeman: To combine Florida's state and local taxes and break down the impact by income groups is to discover that only the rich have gotten a tax break during the (Jeb) Bush years.
The first editorials praising Bush's budget appeared this weekend. Predictably, the Republican Party talking-points sheet known as the Times-Union editorial page likes the budget. What's odd is how faint the praise is. Only seven paragraphs and the admission that the Legislature might be able to improve it.
They could learn from the Naples Daily News which cheers the governor and warns the Legislature to refrain from adding pork. OK, it's delusional, especially in regards to health care and child welfare, but at least they tried to put the best face on things.
The only major paper that hasn't commented on the budget is the reliably conservative Tampa Trib.
The Gainesville Sun, by contrast can't stop. It runs its third budget editorial.
+SARASOTA HERALD-TRIB -- Putting Florida's needs last. It's bad enough that balancing Florida's next budget will require painful choices because of increased mandates and the economy's restraints on revenue growth.
What's worse is Gov. Jeb Bush's refusal to balance his narrow-minded commitment to political dogma with the pressing needs of Florida and its residents. . . .
We encourage Southwest Florida's legislative delegation to vigorously challenge Bush's budget.
+FLA. TIMES-UNION -- STATE GOVERNMENT: A good start. Bush manages to balance the various interests by judiciously trimming back lesser priorities and, in some cases, turning functions over to the private sector or local governments. . . . .
The Legislature may be able to improve upon the final product, but Bush has given lawmakers the outlines of a prudent budget.
+GAINESVILLE SUN -- Next year? Despite a revenue shortage and his proposed Draconian budget cuts, Gov. Jeb Bush remains steadfast against any new or expanded state taxes (although he seems willing to see local taxes raised) and wants to continue phasing out the state intangibles tax.
+NAPLES DAILY NEWS -- Governor's budget plan makes most of an uncertain situation. Gov. Jeb Bush has delivered a budget that not only meets fiscal realities but seems to allocate limited resources where the needs are greatest � education, health care and child welfare.
+BONUS COLUMN, ST. PETE TIMES. -- Martin Dykeman: To combine Florida's state and local taxes and break down the impact by income groups is to discover that only the rich have gotten a tax break during the (Jeb) Bush years.
1/25/2003
Save the Loop
Lookit here: SavetheLoop.org is up and running! What's more, they're having a parade and picnic on Feb. 8, when it's bound to be a lot warmer.
The Loop (photo M.Lane)
The Loop (photo M.Lane)
Who needs all those dusty, old books?
Jeb Bush proposes doing away with Florida State Library, firing all the librarians by July, and dumping the materials on FSU with no money for taking care of them. Oh, heck why not just sell the collection on e-Bay?
New FSU Prez T.K. Wetherell says, wait a minute, "It looks is that someone wants us to assume a responsibility but with no money." Yup, it sure does, but hey, you endorsed him.
Steve Bousquet asks, Have you ever tried to use FSU library? Good luck if you're not a student. (Bottom of column.) Oh, try parking near it, too.
Bush's goofy inaugural speech told of his vision of his utopian of a future in which the state had withered away (to use Marx's phrase), leaving government buildings empty of workers. He didn't mention empty of books, too. Jeb said the speech was "too deep for some people." Too deep for me, Jeb. How do we become "a state of readers" and also close down libraries and fire librarians?
Glenda Hood defends the closure with the airiest of happy talk -- "It's actually a transfer of all the books -- not a closing," Hood said. (Scroll to middle.) OK: No books, no librarians, dumping the books in a place with no room for them, no money to care for them and no public access, and it's not a closing. R-i-i-i--i-ght.
What's unclear to me in the early reports, is how the new budget priorities will affect the state archives (which will move to another agency) and the state's amazing and wonderful on-line photo archive. (See it while you can!)
The Shifted Librarian sez -- If you live in Florida, you need to contact your legislators and Governor Bush and tell them that Florida can't afford to be without a state library.
New FSU Prez T.K. Wetherell says, wait a minute, "It looks is that someone wants us to assume a responsibility but with no money." Yup, it sure does, but hey, you endorsed him.
Steve Bousquet asks, Have you ever tried to use FSU library? Good luck if you're not a student. (Bottom of column.) Oh, try parking near it, too.
Bush's goofy inaugural speech told of his vision of his utopian of a future in which the state had withered away (to use Marx's phrase), leaving government buildings empty of workers. He didn't mention empty of books, too. Jeb said the speech was "too deep for some people." Too deep for me, Jeb. How do we become "a state of readers" and also close down libraries and fire librarians?
Glenda Hood defends the closure with the airiest of happy talk -- "It's actually a transfer of all the books -- not a closing," Hood said. (Scroll to middle.) OK: No books, no librarians, dumping the books in a place with no room for them, no money to care for them and no public access, and it's not a closing. R-i-i-i--i-ght.
What's unclear to me in the early reports, is how the new budget priorities will affect the state archives (which will move to another agency) and the state's amazing and wonderful on-line photo archive. (See it while you can!)
The Shifted Librarian sez -- If you live in Florida, you need to contact your legislators and Governor Bush and tell them that Florida can't afford to be without a state library.
1/24/2003
Astroturf update
When it comes to writing about the Republican letter-sending engine, Slate is demonstrating gunuine leadership. And PC World has found it, too. The count is up to 51 68 77 newspapers and more letters are coming. This seems to be another story making the jump from blog-talk to the mainstream media.
Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier opinion page editor Stephen Phelps wasn't fooled.
Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier opinion page editor Stephen Phelps wasn't fooled.
Jeb Budget roundup, part II
A few stragglers check in on the Bush budget. The Lakeland Ledger writes a long piece with some choice pieces of Legislative lore. (I love a good Claude Kirk story.) The Herald almost apologizes for disagreeing with Jeb. The Gainesville Sun writes a second budget editorial with more detail. Nothing yet from the Times-Union or Tampa Trib.
+LAKELAND LEDGER -- The Governor and The Budget Crunch. It's best not to get too overwrought about the unrealistic 2003-2004 state budget that Gov. Jeb Bush proposed this week. The final product will look much different. That's because it's the Legislature, not the governor, that primarily decides how the state's money will be spent.
+MIAMI HERALD -- Tough budget choices. The governor spoke truly in saying that his hand was forced by circumstances, namely the recession and voter-approved amendments to reduce class size, teach 4-year-olds and build a bullet train. But it hardly could go unnoticed that the pain in the governor's budget seems targeted at vulnerable groups and programs and those that the governor doesn't favor. Is this revenge? Is it the right approach?
+GAINESVILLE SUN -- A second budget editorial, Jeb's slush funds. In an attempt to keep from raising taxes, Gov. Bush plans to use the state's trust fund as he robs Peter to pay Paul.
+LAKELAND LEDGER -- The Governor and The Budget Crunch. It's best not to get too overwrought about the unrealistic 2003-2004 state budget that Gov. Jeb Bush proposed this week. The final product will look much different. That's because it's the Legislature, not the governor, that primarily decides how the state's money will be spent.
+MIAMI HERALD -- Tough budget choices. The governor spoke truly in saying that his hand was forced by circumstances, namely the recession and voter-approved amendments to reduce class size, teach 4-year-olds and build a bullet train. But it hardly could go unnoticed that the pain in the governor's budget seems targeted at vulnerable groups and programs and those that the governor doesn't favor. Is this revenge? Is it the right approach?
+GAINESVILLE SUN -- A second budget editorial, Jeb's slush funds. In an attempt to keep from raising taxes, Gov. Bush plans to use the state's trust fund as he robs Peter to pay Paul.
1/23/2003
Jeb budget editorial roundup
Jeb's budget is out and the reviews aren't good. Editorials running in the state's larger dailies all say pretty much the same thing: take back the tax cuts, reform the sales tax and don't blame everything on the class-size amendment. A surprising number of papers pass on the subject.
+DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL -- Budget shuffle: Bush asks Florida to give ('til it hurts) . Put the whole picture together, and it isn't pretty. This budget leverages Florida's future and short-changes the vast majority of its residents, for the benefit of a selected few. In the months to come, lawmakers must set the priorities straight.
+GAINESVILLE SUN -- Gov. Bush's alibi. To justify budget proposals that victimize the poor, the sick, troubled teenagers and local taxpayers, among others, Gov. Jeb Bush parrots in rote fashion: Amendment 9 made me do it. +FLORIDA TODAY -- Governor's budget falls short of what's needed. During the campaign, Bush was caught talking about "devious plans" he had to undermine the class-size mandate. The budget is not devious, but it falls very far short of what's needed to seriously address the long-terms needs of Florida.
+ORLANDO SENTINEL -- State of denial. Mr. Bush and his fellow Republicans, who control both chambers of the Legislature, have retrenched far enough. Now is not the time for additional tax breaks for the wealthy or for feel-good sales-tax holidays on clothes, as the governor has proposed. Given the uncertain future, now is the time for the governor and lawmakers to talk seriously about the inevitable -- protecting the state's frayed safety net with a broader, stronger tax structure. (See also usually Jeb-friendly columnist Mike Thomas, Quit whining, Jeb, use cash to limit class sizes)
+PALM BEACH POST -- Bush dodges the check for what public ordered. Here's how Gov. Bush's budget works: Taxpayers will pay for his priorities. Counties, state employees, college students and sick people will pay for the taxpayers' priorities.
+ST. PETE TIMES -- Bush's shaky budget. It sells the people of Florida short to propose on their behalf a budget that imposes so many hardships at the same time it grants tax relief to investors. The Senate, to its credit, intends to hold extensive public hearings on the budget and is willing to entertain tax reforms that could make a more decent thing of it. Unfortunately, neither the governor nor the House seems disposed at this point to listen to reason. But so long as there is life, there is hope.
+S. FLA. SUN-SENTINEL -- Look To Boost Revenue. The governor's budget proposal is the starting point for a critical debate in the upcoming legislative session. While austerity is a given, lawmakers need also to look for ways to increase revenue. Eliminating a few antiquated tax exemptions would be a start.
+TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT -- State budget is sounder in Senate hands
. Unveiling his state budget proposal Tuesday, Gov. Jeb Bush made Florida's new class-size amendment the bogeyman. He pits the funding of Amendment 9 against critical needs and programs that have proven themselves socially and financially sound over time.
+DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL -- Budget shuffle: Bush asks Florida to give ('til it hurts) . Put the whole picture together, and it isn't pretty. This budget leverages Florida's future and short-changes the vast majority of its residents, for the benefit of a selected few. In the months to come, lawmakers must set the priorities straight.
+GAINESVILLE SUN -- Gov. Bush's alibi. To justify budget proposals that victimize the poor, the sick, troubled teenagers and local taxpayers, among others, Gov. Jeb Bush parrots in rote fashion: Amendment 9 made me do it. +FLORIDA TODAY -- Governor's budget falls short of what's needed. During the campaign, Bush was caught talking about "devious plans" he had to undermine the class-size mandate. The budget is not devious, but it falls very far short of what's needed to seriously address the long-terms needs of Florida.
+ORLANDO SENTINEL -- State of denial. Mr. Bush and his fellow Republicans, who control both chambers of the Legislature, have retrenched far enough. Now is not the time for additional tax breaks for the wealthy or for feel-good sales-tax holidays on clothes, as the governor has proposed. Given the uncertain future, now is the time for the governor and lawmakers to talk seriously about the inevitable -- protecting the state's frayed safety net with a broader, stronger tax structure. (See also usually Jeb-friendly columnist Mike Thomas, Quit whining, Jeb, use cash to limit class sizes)
+PALM BEACH POST -- Bush dodges the check for what public ordered. Here's how Gov. Bush's budget works: Taxpayers will pay for his priorities. Counties, state employees, college students and sick people will pay for the taxpayers' priorities.
+ST. PETE TIMES -- Bush's shaky budget. It sells the people of Florida short to propose on their behalf a budget that imposes so many hardships at the same time it grants tax relief to investors. The Senate, to its credit, intends to hold extensive public hearings on the budget and is willing to entertain tax reforms that could make a more decent thing of it. Unfortunately, neither the governor nor the House seems disposed at this point to listen to reason. But so long as there is life, there is hope.
+S. FLA. SUN-SENTINEL -- Look To Boost Revenue. The governor's budget proposal is the starting point for a critical debate in the upcoming legislative session. While austerity is a given, lawmakers need also to look for ways to increase revenue. Eliminating a few antiquated tax exemptions would be a start.
+TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT -- State budget is sounder in Senate hands
. Unveiling his state budget proposal Tuesday, Gov. Jeb Bush made Florida's new class-size amendment the bogeyman. He pits the funding of Amendment 9 against critical needs and programs that have proven themselves socially and financially sound over time.
Venezuelan Blog Day
Today is blog day for Venezuela. The date is chosen for the anniversary of the day the country chased out its last military dictator, Perez Jimenez (El Gordito), in 1958.
In a nation on the verge of revolution, we are seeing blogs being used for the first time to tell the rest of the world what is happening in the streets. See The Devil's Excrement for an opposition-eye view. (Or the Caracas Chronicles.) By contrast, American newspaper coverage has been curiously bland and focused narrowly on oil and geopolitics.
I don't remotely pretend to be an expert on Venezuela. I've been there. I used to be married to a Venezuelana. I've talked politics with in-laws. That's it. But the situation is dire. Most outside commentators want to see this though weirdly out-dated Cold War lenses. The left wants to paint thuggish military authoritarian Hugo Chavez as some kind of Voice of the Downtrodden. (Local labor and socialists don't seem to think so.) The right wants to paint an incoherent ultra-nationalist strongman as some kind of old-time Marxist, which is pretty strange, too. The Venezuelan people are suffering and instead of listening to them, the English-speaking press responds by playing the most threadbare of 20th century boogie men against each other. Slogan: Read the blogs, not the ideologues!
What can't be argued away is that Chavez is undermining every democratic and independent institution in the country. (OK, a lot of them were pretty weak before.) He has taken power away from elected assemblies, he created a designer constitution which could allow him to be president for life, he has intimidated and harassed the press, he has undermined the independence of the judiciary, he is turning the state oil company over to his cronies.
The national strike is more like the people-power revolution that toppled Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada in the Philippines than it is like any kind of replay of the dead ideological wars of the past century.
1/22/2003
More astroturf
When it comes to the economy, President Bush is demonstrating genuine leadership Steven M. Schwartz, tells the Stuart News. Join the club. (See below.)
Orange tree huggers funnies
1/21/2003
Who's being compulsive here?
Graham has said some thoughtful things about affirmative action. Prudently warned about rushing off to war instead of focusing on terrorism. But all the pundits want to write about is his damn little notebooks.
1/20/2003
Land-Rape University
Carl Hiaasen complains of Fla. Gulf Coast University's sell-out to development interests. Cool detail -- part of the deal is a new residence for the university prez. A choice between a water-recharge area and golf, is easy; you can always get water someplace else. (Naples Daily News picks this as 8th in its top stories of the year.)
1/19/2003
Astroturf on the Letters page
Haw Haw. The Naples Daily News fell for a phony letter to the editor in praise of the Bush tax plan. Again. (Scroll down.)
"When it comes to the economy, President Bush is demonstrating genuine leadership. The economic growth package he recently proposed takes us in the right direction . . ." writes Del Parrish of Naples.
The identical words occured to more than 20 other letter-writers according to a popular Google search. Eschaton lists some of the offenders. (Later on, he ran an updated list.)
The Daily News also was one of 34 papers running identical letters crowing about Republican victories in November. And the Wyeth Wire finds a similar New Year's-themed spam. (One the Naples News ran, too.)
There is, of course, no way to spot these. Letters to the editor editors mostly have to rely on their own personal bullshit detectors (Nobody really talks like that. This reads like a press release. Hey-y-y.)
But it's right after the holidays. There aren't many letters coming in that aren't libelous or illiterate or written in longhand and filled with tiny Bible citations up and down the margins. Do you really want ask too many questions about a letter that is short and has been run through a spell check? No you don't.
"When it comes to the economy, President Bush is demonstrating genuine leadership. The economic growth package he recently proposed takes us in the right direction . . ." writes Del Parrish of Naples.
The identical words occured to more than 20 other letter-writers according to a popular Google search. Eschaton lists some of the offenders. (Later on, he ran an updated list.)
The Daily News also was one of 34 papers running identical letters crowing about Republican victories in November. And the Wyeth Wire finds a similar New Year's-themed spam. (One the Naples News ran, too.)
There is, of course, no way to spot these. Letters to the editor editors mostly have to rely on their own personal bullshit detectors (Nobody really talks like that. This reads like a press release. Hey-y-y.)
But it's right after the holidays. There aren't many letters coming in that aren't libelous or illiterate or written in longhand and filled with tiny Bible citations up and down the margins. Do you really want ask too many questions about a letter that is short and has been run through a spell check? No you don't.
1/17/2003
Florida Weirdness Factor set to rise . . again
Why is Michael Jackson looking at houses in the Sunshine State? BECAUSE IT JUST ISN'T WEIRD ENOUGH AROUND HERE YET, THANK YOU!
(Thanks, Dragonleg!)
(Thanks, Dragonleg!)
None for us, thanks!
The Legislature won't meet, thankfully, until March 11, but already it's clear what kind of session it's going to be. It will be a fight between biz-oriented conservatives in the Senate and right-wing ideological warriors in the House. First round of sparring comes over a pre-session committee vote to turn down federal grants for women's health and other programs. That's right. A vote to tell the feds "send your dirty money to some other state, buster, we don't want it here." Likely federal response -- "Well, alrighty then."
The St. Pete Times editorial page can't believe this kind of shit is happening. (Nor can the Tallahassee Democrat.)
Senate President Jim King, who helped get the grant money in the first place, can't believe this kind of shit is happening and feels personally dissed. Jeb is reduced to stating the obvious. (Scroll down) "Federal money that doesn't have strings attached to it is a good thing, by and large." True words, by and large.
Byrd says not to worry, he's just making a point about the need for the House to control everything that happens in the state and the money probably will be restored. A lot of people in his own party don't buy that.
The St. Pete Times editorial page can't believe this kind of shit is happening. (Nor can the Tallahassee Democrat.)
Senate President Jim King, who helped get the grant money in the first place, can't believe this kind of shit is happening and feels personally dissed. Jeb is reduced to stating the obvious. (Scroll down) "Federal money that doesn't have strings attached to it is a good thing, by and large." True words, by and large.
Byrd says not to worry, he's just making a point about the need for the House to control everything that happens in the state and the money probably will be restored. A lot of people in his own party don't buy that.
1/15/2003
Another phony Graham controversy -- no notebook mentioned, though
The Wyeth Wire, a nifty blog devoted to Southern politics, sorts out a phony controversy over Bob Graham that began with that dreadful Andrew Sullivan person (scroll down a bit) and debunked by SullyWatch (scroll down a bit there, too.)
A bit of background about the 1986 Hawkins/Graham debate: Hawkins gave a miserable performance, so miserable that some attributed it to medication she was taking for a neck injury. The neck injury was received in a freak accident four years earlier in a television studio when a backdrop fell on her. (Weird Sunshine State Political Trivia -- Hawkins' voice was sampled in the Frank Zappa song "Porn Wars" ( Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention, 1985) repeating the phrase "fire and chains and other objectionable tools of gratification in some twisted minds.")
A bit of background about the 1986 Hawkins/Graham debate: Hawkins gave a miserable performance, so miserable that some attributed it to medication she was taking for a neck injury. The neck injury was received in a freak accident four years earlier in a television studio when a backdrop fell on her. (Weird Sunshine State Political Trivia -- Hawkins' voice was sampled in the Frank Zappa song "Porn Wars" ( Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention, 1985) repeating the phrase "fire and chains and other objectionable tools of gratification in some twisted minds.")
Back at the desk
Oh, and I am back to work today after more than a week of lazing around after having my gallbladder removed. Never much liked it anyway.
Mail campaign against the Tally Democrat goes on and on and on
Mary Ann Lindley is weary after the Tallahassee Democrat is deluged by 15,000 think-alike, boilerplate e-mail complaints about a cartoon that never saw print, an e-mail that was forwarded and posted without the author's permission and a column that came from another newspaper. At some point you'd think CAIR would realize this tactic confirms rather than refutes the stereotypes their organization is fighting. And given the current quasi-wartime crackdown on civil liberties, maybe this group has bigger fish to fry.
(See the Mary Jo Malone column in the St. Pete Times and the Kathleen Parker column in The Sentinel. And the blog entry about the cartoon that started all this.)
(See the Mary Jo Malone column in the St. Pete Times and the Kathleen Parker column in The Sentinel. And the blog entry about the cartoon that started all this.)
New candidate site registered
1/12/2003
Oversensitive
That nice Mary Jo Malone speaks up for her profession and defends Bill Cotterell (The Tallahassee Dem columnist recently suspended. See below.) Says papers are wimping out and harming free speech. She's right.
1/11/2003
Not as easy to replace a lieutenant governor as you'd think
Whoa! This never occurred to me until Brian Crowley pointed it out in the The Palm Beach Post! (And thank you Fla. Politics for pointing me to the column.)
Everybody knows that shortly after the elections, Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan became the top candidate to head Fla. Atlantic University, even if nobody seems to know quite how it happened. In setting this up, though, it appears nobody looked at the rule book.
Follow me here, there will be quiz afterwards:
Under the Florida Constitution, Fla. Con. Art. IV Sec. 1(f) ) (as it was cleaned up in 1998), the Gov. appoints a replacement when there's a vacancy in a state or county office. But (and it's a significant "but") if it's an elective office being filled, the appointment can only be for the rest of a term of office "if less than twenty-eight months." If the term to be filled is more than 28 months, then you have elect someone in the next general election. In this case, 2004. (This prevents a political party from running somebody as a put-up guy, somebody who would run for an elected post with the understanding that he'll step down and give the governor a chance to appoint somebody without consulting the electorate. A basic check on executive power.)
Ooops. What's more, it looks like Bush must appoint a successor when Brogan steps down. Can't just leave the job open. "There shall be a lieutenant governor," the state constitution says, rather unambiguously.
But here's where it gets sticky: another part of the state's constitution Fla. Con. Art. IV sec 5 (a) ) says the governor and lieutenant governor must run as a team. "so that each voter shall cast a single vote for a candidate for governor and a candidate for lieutenant governor running together." There's no provision for electing just a lieutenant governor.
Now that's a stumper.
Quiz questions: Why did nobody notice this before Mr. Crowley? Why didn't anybody say, "but we can't do that Mr. Governor"? What does this say about the Bush administration's attitude toward the law and the voters? Discuss.
(The Herald runs a catch-up piece Sunday.)
Everybody knows that shortly after the elections, Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan became the top candidate to head Fla. Atlantic University, even if nobody seems to know quite how it happened. In setting this up, though, it appears nobody looked at the rule book.
Follow me here, there will be quiz afterwards:
Under the Florida Constitution, Fla. Con. Art. IV Sec. 1(f) ) (as it was cleaned up in 1998), the Gov. appoints a replacement when there's a vacancy in a state or county office. But (and it's a significant "but") if it's an elective office being filled, the appointment can only be for the rest of a term of office "if less than twenty-eight months." If the term to be filled is more than 28 months, then you have elect someone in the next general election. In this case, 2004. (This prevents a political party from running somebody as a put-up guy, somebody who would run for an elected post with the understanding that he'll step down and give the governor a chance to appoint somebody without consulting the electorate. A basic check on executive power.)
Ooops. What's more, it looks like Bush must appoint a successor when Brogan steps down. Can't just leave the job open. "There shall be a lieutenant governor," the state constitution says, rather unambiguously.
But here's where it gets sticky: another part of the state's constitution Fla. Con. Art. IV sec 5 (a) ) says the governor and lieutenant governor must run as a team. "so that each voter shall cast a single vote for a candidate for governor and a candidate for lieutenant governor running together." There's no provision for electing just a lieutenant governor.
Now that's a stumper.
Quiz questions: Why did nobody notice this before Mr. Crowley? Why didn't anybody say, "but we can't do that Mr. Governor"? What does this say about the Bush administration's attitude toward the law and the voters? Discuss.
(The Herald runs a catch-up piece Sunday.)
1/10/2003
Compassionate/noncompassionate conservatism
Here is a good example of the difference between compassionate conservatives and the old-fashioned kind.
An old-fashioned conservative won't fund programs to protect abused and endangered kids because it's not government's job and damn it, this isn't some kind of nanny state that takes care of every crack baby and hard-luck case that comes down the pike. Survival of the fittest; no handouts; roll with the punches, kid.
A compassionate conservative says we won't give money to programs to protect abused and endangered kids because it's time to think outside the box. Find a new paradigm. Be more effective. This isn't about kids; it's about bureaucracy. Then he'll schedule a photo-op with a private program that helps a handful of kids while refusing to adequately fund the state system.
Much more caring. Nicer press. Same results.
Compassionate conservative Jeb Bush won't spend money for more case workers at the Div. of Children and Families. Too many damn social workers already. (See here, where he talks about fixing a dysfunctional system by pushing the problem to local sheriff' offices (and local taxpayers, heh-heh) and private agencies that are no doubt just waiting in the wings to take over this thankless job.)
Hesiod isn't buying the buying the bullshit and works up a good rant.
An old-fashioned conservative won't fund programs to protect abused and endangered kids because it's not government's job and damn it, this isn't some kind of nanny state that takes care of every crack baby and hard-luck case that comes down the pike. Survival of the fittest; no handouts; roll with the punches, kid.
A compassionate conservative says we won't give money to programs to protect abused and endangered kids because it's time to think outside the box. Find a new paradigm. Be more effective. This isn't about kids; it's about bureaucracy. Then he'll schedule a photo-op with a private program that helps a handful of kids while refusing to adequately fund the state system.
Much more caring. Nicer press. Same results.
Compassionate conservative Jeb Bush won't spend money for more case workers at the Div. of Children and Families. Too many damn social workers already. (See here, where he talks about fixing a dysfunctional system by pushing the problem to local sheriff' offices (and local taxpayers, heh-heh) and private agencies that are no doubt just waiting in the wings to take over this thankless job.)
Hesiod isn't buying the buying the bullshit and works up a good rant.
1/09/2003
More Inaugural reaction -- Troxler sings Hallelujah!
Troxler weeps at the transcendent beauty of Jeb's radiant spirituality and then commences to testify! (Amen, Brother!) Of course in pursuing "true, communitarian conservatism," Jeb would never, never stoop to violating the separation of church and state (No!) won't use the name of the Lord almighty to demonize political opponents (No!) and won't use state programs to fill the coffers of churches that support him. Less a column than a mash note.
1/08/2003
Inaugural reaction
Tuesday was the Jeb's second inaugeral. I listened to it on NPR and it felt like being in church. The kind of church your relatives haul you to when your a kid thinking it would do you some good.
The next-day reviews from the newspapers:
The DAB News-Journal -- The governor's inaugural speech leaves listeners sure about his personal philosophy but unsure about Bush's goals for the next four years. And what's all this about dismantling the DCA?
Gainesville Sun -- So far, the goals Bush has articulated for his second term have been decidedly modest, especially in contrast to his first-term accomplishments. He has spoken about emphasizing economic development, improving reading skills in the schools and strengthening the family by rewriting marriage laws. . . . Worthy goals, to be sure, but hardly the stuff that great political legacies are built upon. . . . if Bush truly intends to be a "great" governor, he must place an item that he flatly refused to consider in his first term at the top of his "to-do" list for term two. That agenda item is tax reform - not tax increases, not new taxes, but fundamental tax reform.
Miami Herald -- Gov. Bush delivered an inaugural speech yesterday that was broad of vision and sparse in specifics. Hard choices ahead blah-blah-bah.
St. Pete Times -- On a chill but gloriously sunny day in Tallahassee, Gov. Jeb Bush enunciated once again his vision of a minimalist government that looks to the "kindness and caring" of the people -- but not to their taxes -- to confront and conquer poverty and other problems. Giving flight to that fancy, Bush remarked that a truly mature society would eventually "make these buildings around us empty of workers; silent monuments to the time when government played a larger role than it deserved or could adequately fill." (No comparison intended, governor, but Karl Marx too envisioned a stateless society, albeit at the end of a very different road.) . . . Now, Leroy Collins, there was a
real governor. He was willing to pay for schools and roads. What's Jeb going to do?
Tallahassee Democrat -- His brief midday remarks Tuesday sounded more like a sermon, with themes of faith, family and friends and the inarguable message that these are the priorities that count above all.
But Mr. Bush is our governor not our preacher and, given executive branch reorganization he urged, the most powerful governor in state history. His vision of how he'll solve myriad problems in Florida - what voters hired him to do - was ominous and a little bit off the wall. (Why is the Democrat the only paper to pick up on this?)
Government needs to be efficient, streamlined and purposeful, of course. But it doesn't need to be deemed the enemy by the most powerful governor ever to run it.
The next-day reviews from the newspapers:
The DAB News-Journal -- The governor's inaugural speech leaves listeners sure about his personal philosophy but unsure about Bush's goals for the next four years. And what's all this about dismantling the DCA?
Gainesville Sun -- So far, the goals Bush has articulated for his second term have been decidedly modest, especially in contrast to his first-term accomplishments. He has spoken about emphasizing economic development, improving reading skills in the schools and strengthening the family by rewriting marriage laws. . . . Worthy goals, to be sure, but hardly the stuff that great political legacies are built upon. . . . if Bush truly intends to be a "great" governor, he must place an item that he flatly refused to consider in his first term at the top of his "to-do" list for term two. That agenda item is tax reform - not tax increases, not new taxes, but fundamental tax reform.
Miami Herald -- Gov. Bush delivered an inaugural speech yesterday that was broad of vision and sparse in specifics. Hard choices ahead blah-blah-bah.
St. Pete Times -- On a chill but gloriously sunny day in Tallahassee, Gov. Jeb Bush enunciated once again his vision of a minimalist government that looks to the "kindness and caring" of the people -- but not to their taxes -- to confront and conquer poverty and other problems. Giving flight to that fancy, Bush remarked that a truly mature society would eventually "make these buildings around us empty of workers; silent monuments to the time when government played a larger role than it deserved or could adequately fill." (No comparison intended, governor, but Karl Marx too envisioned a stateless society, albeit at the end of a very different road.) . . . Now, Leroy Collins, there was a
real governor. He was willing to pay for schools and roads. What's Jeb going to do?
Tallahassee Democrat -- His brief midday remarks Tuesday sounded more like a sermon, with themes of faith, family and friends and the inarguable message that these are the priorities that count above all.
But Mr. Bush is our governor not our preacher and, given executive branch reorganization he urged, the most powerful governor in state history. His vision of how he'll solve myriad problems in Florida - what voters hired him to do - was ominous and a little bit off the wall. (Why is the Democrat the only paper to pick up on this?)
Government needs to be efficient, streamlined and purposeful, of course. But it doesn't need to be deemed the enemy by the most powerful governor ever to run it.
Is this some sort of sick joke?
1/07/2003
Somebody's taking Graham seriously
The New Republic gives Bob Graham his due mostly for asking uncomfortable questions about confronting terrorism. And because the formerly liberal publication can't talk about any Democratic candidate without repeating talk-show put-down lines, it frets about the issue of The Notebooks.
If Graham gets any traction in this race, the line you'll hear from Rush Limbaugh, Michael Kelly, Charles Krauthammer, George Will, Michael Novak and everyone else the right-wing echo chamber is that the senator from Florida is just a little out there because he's a compulsive diarist. (Krauthammer might even do a reprise of flashing his therapist credentials to label yet another Democrat too kooky to be trusted.)
Graham is no Samuel Pepys, but I rather envy the discipline he has recording the minutia of the world around him. I remember a friend of my describing the book Heart of Darkness to him after the senator idly asked him about the book he was carrying. Graham listened, nodded and out came the notebook. "Read Conrad's Heart of Darkness," he wrote. I thought that was kinda cool.
If Graham gets any traction in this race, the line you'll hear from Rush Limbaugh, Michael Kelly, Charles Krauthammer, George Will, Michael Novak and everyone else the right-wing echo chamber is that the senator from Florida is just a little out there because he's a compulsive diarist. (Krauthammer might even do a reprise of flashing his therapist credentials to label yet another Democrat too kooky to be trusted.)
Graham is no Samuel Pepys, but I rather envy the discipline he has recording the minutia of the world around him. I remember a friend of my describing the book Heart of Darkness to him after the senator idly asked him about the book he was carrying. Graham listened, nodded and out came the notebook. "Read Conrad's Heart of Darkness," he wrote. I thought that was kinda cool.
Columnist suspended for flame-mail
More repercussions at the Tallahassee Democrat over that Marlette cartoon I mentioned last week. Political writer Bill Cotterell was suspended for a week for a nasty e-mail he sent to somebody complaining Marlette cartoon. (A cartoon The Democrat never actually printed, mind you.) And the managing editor apologized yet again.
The language was, uh, intemperate to say the least. But I can understand. You just get tired of responding to complaint after complaint after complaint. And I can imagine the kind of e-mail that probably sent him over the edge. Blah-blah-blah Zionist media blah-blah-blah hegemonist Zionist media campaign blah-blah-blah religion of peace blah-blah-blah Zionist hegemonist crusader media conspiracy blah-blah-blah watch your back blah-blah-blah hegemony blah-blah-blah Zionist media blah-blah-blah I bet your Zionist masters won't even print this letter.
Only last summer, in a gross overreaction the Sarasota Herald Trib was forced out over an overly frank but not untrue e-mail response to a complaining reader. (I mentioned it at the time Warning: dead links. )
I don't respond to irrate readers unless they honestly misunderstood something or seem in some small way amenable to reason. The usual complaint letter usually just seizes on one of a half-dozen epithets and won't let go. Dear sir:You are nuthin but a liberal tree-hugger. You make me puke. Go hug some trees, tree-hugger. I bet you tree huggers don't have the guts to print this. Sincerely, A Real American. P.S. You're a tree-hugger.
(Kathleen Parker scolds the Democrat for being itimidated.)
The language was, uh, intemperate to say the least. But I can understand. You just get tired of responding to complaint after complaint after complaint. And I can imagine the kind of e-mail that probably sent him over the edge. Blah-blah-blah Zionist media blah-blah-blah hegemonist Zionist media campaign blah-blah-blah religion of peace blah-blah-blah Zionist hegemonist crusader media conspiracy blah-blah-blah watch your back blah-blah-blah hegemony blah-blah-blah Zionist media blah-blah-blah I bet your Zionist masters won't even print this letter.
Only last summer, in a gross overreaction the Sarasota Herald Trib was forced out over an overly frank but not untrue e-mail response to a complaining reader. (I mentioned it at the time Warning: dead links. )
I don't respond to irrate readers unless they honestly misunderstood something or seem in some small way amenable to reason. The usual complaint letter usually just seizes on one of a half-dozen epithets and won't let go. Dear sir:You are nuthin but a liberal tree-hugger. You make me puke. Go hug some trees, tree-hugger. I bet you tree huggers don't have the guts to print this. Sincerely, A Real American. P.S. You're a tree-hugger.
(Kathleen Parker scolds the Democrat for being itimidated.)
1/05/2003
Back at half-speed
Having state-of-the-art medical devices poking around one's digestive system can sure bring a holiday to a grinding halt. I'm now able to move around enough to walk the dog and hobble around the house.
In our last episode, I told of how an outstanding repast of p�t� and wiener schnitzel washed down with champagne and shiraz led to gastro-intestinal distress far beyond what you'd expect on a New Year's Day morning after. I arrived at the emergency room and croaked out my symptoms much in the manner of a dying minor character in a spy movie whose only role is to groan out the next few clues before expiring. Stomach hurts . . . might ... be ... dying . . . not on drugs . . . have insurance . . . no insurance card.
As one might expect after one of the year's more arduous party nights, the place was busy -- cops, EMTS, bad drug stories, car-accident victims and old people who had fallen and couldn't get up. In such an atmosphere, a tummy ache does not generate a great deal of sympathy. But after blood and urine tests and an ultrasound, the existence of a large and particularly ill-positioned gallstone was ascertained and its removal scheduled forthwith.
The offending organ was taken out Thursday and I was home resting by Friday at noon. I'm catching up on reading, listening to Bach and Mingus, ordering the kids around and generally being a difficult patient.
Bruce Beattie came by and brought me a fine cigar and a copy of Elmore Leonard's Maximum Bob. I am ashamed to say I never read it before and it is wonderful. (And a timely gift, too. Since Circuit Judge Marvin Mounts -- "not the role model for the judge -- just an inspiring presence behind it" -- retired at the end of 2002. The book is dedicated to him.)
More prone time is scheduled next and a pain killer that is something of a magic-carpet ride.
In our last episode, I told of how an outstanding repast of p�t� and wiener schnitzel washed down with champagne and shiraz led to gastro-intestinal distress far beyond what you'd expect on a New Year's Day morning after. I arrived at the emergency room and croaked out my symptoms much in the manner of a dying minor character in a spy movie whose only role is to groan out the next few clues before expiring. Stomach hurts . . . might ... be ... dying . . . not on drugs . . . have insurance . . . no insurance card.
As one might expect after one of the year's more arduous party nights, the place was busy -- cops, EMTS, bad drug stories, car-accident victims and old people who had fallen and couldn't get up. In such an atmosphere, a tummy ache does not generate a great deal of sympathy. But after blood and urine tests and an ultrasound, the existence of a large and particularly ill-positioned gallstone was ascertained and its removal scheduled forthwith.
The offending organ was taken out Thursday and I was home resting by Friday at noon. I'm catching up on reading, listening to Bach and Mingus, ordering the kids around and generally being a difficult patient.
Bruce Beattie came by and brought me a fine cigar and a copy of Elmore Leonard's Maximum Bob. I am ashamed to say I never read it before and it is wonderful. (And a timely gift, too. Since Circuit Judge Marvin Mounts -- "not the role model for the judge -- just an inspiring presence behind it" -- retired at the end of 2002. The book is dedicated to him.)
More prone time is scheduled next and a pain killer that is something of a magic-carpet ride.
1/03/2003
Happy New Year in the ER
No posts for a little bit. New Year's Day found me in a bustling emergency room with a gallbladder attack that had been precipitated by some rather fine p�t� and outstanding wiener schnitzel consumed at a New Year's Eve party. Was in surgery Thursday; out today. Through the wonders of laparoscopic surgery, I have only three incisions the size of loose-leaf paper holes. Sore but glad to be home.
