6/30/2003
King of the uke
I've linked to this site before. It's put up by John King who teaches music at Eckerd College. Now it has an amazing mp3 of King playing the Washington Post March on the ukulele. It must be heard to be believed!
Bad ol' days
OK, skip the first five 'graphs -- sometimes even the best columnists get a little overelaborate in the windup -- and read a chilling tale from the bad ol' days in Florida politics.
State library update
The Palm Beach Post does a now-that-the-dust-has-settled piece on the Florida state library. Glenda Hood repeats the widely disbelieved party line that the archives was never part of the deal. Still unclear: what about the abrupt firing of veteran librarian Debra Sears?
(Via the Republicans at Safie)
(Via the Republicans at Safie)
6/28/2003
Lunching with the newsies
Drove over to the FSNE luncheon yesterday, which was very cool.
Heard Carl Hiaasen speak, and ran into Barbara Petersen of the Florida First Amendment Foundation who told me the bills I was wondering about all died quiet, ignominious deaths in the special session. Also ran into Joe Adams the congenial answer-guy on Florida public records law. (He's the author of The Florida Public Records Handbook.) He said nice things about Flablog even though I regularly heap good-natured ridicule on his paper's editorial page. (Oh my Gawd they even ran Ann Coulter's Joe-McCarthy-Was-A-Misunderstood-Patriot column!) And I told him I saw his Web page via Liz Donovan's very cool Infomaniac site and never got around to linking to it. So now I have, dammit.
Got a 2nd place award for the column. (Deep, deep, deep in the story.) It's an honor just to be mentioned by the academy.
Heard Carl Hiaasen speak, and ran into Barbara Petersen of the Florida First Amendment Foundation who told me the bills I was wondering about all died quiet, ignominious deaths in the special session. Also ran into Joe Adams the congenial answer-guy on Florida public records law. (He's the author of The Florida Public Records Handbook.) He said nice things about Flablog even though I regularly heap good-natured ridicule on his paper's editorial page. (Oh my Gawd they even ran Ann Coulter's Joe-McCarthy-Was-A-Misunderstood-Patriot column!) And I told him I saw his Web page via Liz Donovan's very cool Infomaniac site and never got around to linking to it. So now I have, dammit.
Got a 2nd place award for the column. (Deep, deep, deep in the story.) It's an honor just to be mentioned by the academy.
What won / what lost
Sometimes a newspaper does it job best when it does no more than fulfill what I call its " almanac function." List tide times, who got arrested, tell you the time of sunset, list property transactions. They are first things that go when space is tight, but they're there because people find them useful. The Legislative equivalent is the win/loss list. Every year the St. Pete Times runs one of the better what passed/what didn't lists.
This has been a weird year, so they only got around to running it today. Most papers run something similar but in such a shortened form, it's not helpful. Because the budget overshadows everything else in the last days of the regular session, you often can't find out how things turned until this appears.
If you want to see how bad this Legislature could have been just look at the "what failed" list. Euewww!
This has been a weird year, so they only got around to running it today. Most papers run something similar but in such a shortened form, it's not helpful. Because the budget overshadows everything else in the last days of the regular session, you often can't find out how things turned until this appears.
If you want to see how bad this Legislature could have been just look at the "what failed" list. Euewww!
6/27/2003
Your green governor at work
Dump paper mill waste in the St. Johns? It sounds OK to us. You are a contributor, aren't you?
(via Fla. Politics which is back after a week off.)
(via Fla. Politics which is back after a week off.)
6/26/2003
Does ruling effect Florida?
The US Supreme Court has reversed itself and ruled states cannot criminalize gay sex. (And can you believe Justice Scalia's absurd remark that court majority "has taken sides in the culture war"? Wouldn't sanctioning a state's outlawing of homosexual activity represent an even more forceful "taking of sides"? )
Most reports say that Florida's laws are invalidated along with Texas'. Well, yes, sorta. Except that Florida's sodomy laws have been in legal limbo for awhile. (See sodomylaws.org's Florida page for the details and legal cites.) Florida's Constitution, you see, has its own privacy amendment. Privacy, under state law, is not an implied right; it's an explicit right.
Bottom line: The ruling doesn't have much practical effect here, unless it provokes the Legislature into passing something outrageously unconstitutional. But then I'm no lawyer.
(See, too, the Herald story.)
Most reports say that Florida's laws are invalidated along with Texas'. Well, yes, sorta. Except that Florida's sodomy laws have been in legal limbo for awhile. (See sodomylaws.org's Florida page for the details and legal cites.) Florida's Constitution, you see, has its own privacy amendment. Privacy, under state law, is not an implied right; it's an explicit right.
Bottom line: The ruling doesn't have much practical effect here, unless it provokes the Legislature into passing something outrageously unconstitutional. But then I'm no lawyer.
(See, too, the Herald story.)
I want Grapefruit with that!
Hey, what happened to The Grapefruit? You may recall it was up and dishing even though its anonymous author got called up for reserve duty. Then, it stopped updating for weeks, and now, a MS error message appears.
(Blogger seems to be stabilizing. The spellcheck is still buggy, but it is letting me post.)
(Blogger seems to be stabilizing. The spellcheck is still buggy, but it is letting me post.)
6/25/2003
Selectively upholding the constitution
Troxler on the bullet-train funds veto: Voters have their say; governor just ignores them.
What we have now is a tacit pact between the governor and Legislature to disobey the parts of the Constitution they don't care for.
The Sentinel makes a similar point more diplomatically. (And Hasterok objects, too.)
What we have now is a tacit pact between the governor and Legislature to disobey the parts of the Constitution they don't care for.
The Sentinel makes a similar point more diplomatically. (And Hasterok objects, too.)
Vital issues of our times
Mark Folely continues his campaign against the dark forces of organized nudism. Is this a bad joke or what? He has a Web site up and he's hitting the right-wing talk show circuit. And he writes a letter urging Jeb Bush to shut down these shocking nudist camps that allow kids. (Which the Rightwing Cybercast News is happy to cybercast.) The Washington Times records this shocking story, too.
This is almost a parody of a consultant-created junk-issue.
This is almost a parody of a consultant-created junk-issue.
Hoops 'n' blogs
All these kids in the bloggersphere are making me feel like a geezer. Basketball Notes by Alex is by a 10-year-old from St. Petersburg. Yes, it is. That's what his e-mail said.
(Blogger working intermittently.)
(Blogger working intermittently.)
6/24/2003
Same as it ever was
Palm Beach Post column -- The Legislature has used the Class Size Amendment the same way it used the lottery -- as a scam for moving money around rather than enhancing education.
(Blogger still acting funny.)
(Blogger still acting funny.)
Behind the rumors
When US Rep. Mark Foley said Democratic Party operatives spread stories that he was gay to destroy his US Senate bid, I didn't buy it. One: Foley is not a contender the Dems particularly fear. He's not much known outside of South Florida; the Republican base won't turn out for him; and there's this issue of sexuality which just won't go away. Two: the first stories that appeared about this tended to quote conservative activists. Well now a Republican aide concedes she had helped circulate the rumors.
6/23/2003
The primary problem
Tom Blackburn of the Palm Beach Post makes some of the points I made but is much on-point writing about the problems with the primary system.
(Blogger is acting funny again.)
(Blogger is acting funny again.)
How to get these guys to behave
Troxler -- who once said voters should elect more public spirited legislators instead of passing constitutional amendments -- now realizes legislators are bulletproof and are behaving badly because they can. He presents a surefire formula for more honest Legislature. Well, not quite surefire, but more honest redistricting would sure help.
(Blogger seems to be working again.)
(Blogger seems to be working again.)
Getting out of PE
Computer geeks and high school slackers use computers to get out of dressing out for PE. My daughter did this. It's wonderful, and smaller kids don't get locked inside their lockers by bullies.
(Via the Republicans at Sayfie)
(Via the Republicans at Sayfie)
6/21/2003
Put down the pitcher! You're coming with us!
Naples basks in the attention of a pissed-off nation after police, responding to a cranky neighbor's complaint, bust a 6-year-old girl for selling lemonade without a permit.
(Thanks to Dragonleg for this and for keeping up with uke news. )
(Thanks to Dragonleg for this and for keeping up with uke news. )
Low blogging levels
Blogger Pro is upgrading so it's still acting funny and it's slowing me down. Very cool new look on the Edit Your Blog page. Maybe the RSS will work now. Naw-w-w.
A Legislature with its hand out
Lucy Morgan reminds Speaker Byrd and others with only short-term political memory why laws restricting fund-raising is restricted during the session. (Hint: It makes legislature look like a vending machine for lobbyists. Put in your money , they dispense the legislation.)
As the Ft. Pierce Tribune said: The bottom line here is that we have lawmakers who, instead of staying within a vital debate on medical malpractice, are dashing off to campaign fund-raisers. Worse, they are accepting money from doctors and lawyers, the very parties who see themselves as chief stakeholders in the debate of the day. It smacks of inviting bribes.
And,of course, the St. Pete Times.
Morgan also notes that in one of his weird moments of Nixonian self-pity, Byrd says he'll quit fundraising when the St. Petersburg Times gives him free space next to my column.
As the Ft. Pierce Tribune said: The bottom line here is that we have lawmakers who, instead of staying within a vital debate on medical malpractice, are dashing off to campaign fund-raisers. Worse, they are accepting money from doctors and lawyers, the very parties who see themselves as chief stakeholders in the debate of the day. It smacks of inviting bribes.
And,of course, the St. Pete Times.
Morgan also notes that in one of his weird moments of Nixonian self-pity, Byrd says he'll quit fundraising when the St. Petersburg Times gives him free space next to my column.
6/19/2003
Not afraid to confront the power of oranized nudism
Forget Medicare and national security. US Rep. Mark Foley has found a real issue -- Nudist camps for youths.
Foley, a fifth term congressman, denies that he's raising the nude camping issue to bolster his chances for the Republican nomination for Senate. Heavens, no.
Foley, a fifth term congressman, denies that he's raising the nude camping issue to bolster his chances for the Republican nomination for Senate. Heavens, no.
T-U makes Spinsanity
Spinsanity cites the Republican talking-points sheet known as the Jax Times-Union's editorial page as one of many on the right that misrepresented U.S. Sen. Byrd's criticism of the president's photo op featuring the USS Abraham Lincoln.
This episode is a sad testament to the uncritical way the media repeats spin points that conform with conventional wisdom without questioning whether they are accurate. The victim, once again, is the truth.
This episode is a sad testament to the uncritical way the media repeats spin points that conform with conventional wisdom without questioning whether they are accurate. The victim, once again, is the truth.
6/18/2003
Keeping secrets
Legislative thinking: Gosh we're town for a couple of days why don't we seal off some more public records from public view?
FCAT purists
The state Board of Education is so ideologically fixated on the FCAT that its latest vote finds it at odds with the very conservative state House.
Meanwhile, the Palm Beach Post notes: The legislature's willingness to help seniors who didn't pass the FCAT is a clear sign that Florida politicians no longer consider the governor's pet project sacred.
Meanwhile, the Palm Beach Post notes: The legislature's willingness to help seniors who didn't pass the FCAT is a clear sign that Florida politicians no longer consider the governor's pet project sacred.
6/17/2003
Special Session a fund-raising machine
What? Stop legislative campaign fundraising during a special session in which doctors and lawyers are fighting? NO way! This week is a gold mine and elections are only 17 months away.
Bonus: Delusional Speaker Byrd Quote of the Day
"It's basically a freedom-of-speech issue," Byrd told reporters. "To suggest campaign contributions influence the depth or breadth of decisions being made up here is not true."
Bonus: Delusional Speaker Byrd Quote of the Day
"It's basically a freedom-of-speech issue," Byrd told reporters. "To suggest campaign contributions influence the depth or breadth of decisions being made up here is not true."
6/13/2003
Your Legislature at work
Daniel Ruth of the Trib finds a big, fat easy target: a Legislature that raises its salary and gets free healthcare after a spectacularly unproductive session characterized by cutting budget cuts and rhetoric about "living within our means."
... isn't it a bit odd to be giving raises to a legislature with less of a work ethic than Baby Doc Duvalier and providing free health insurance to government paper pushers who can most afford to pay for it?
... isn't it a bit odd to be giving raises to a legislature with less of a work ethic than Baby Doc Duvalier and providing free health insurance to government paper pushers who can most afford to pay for it?
6/12/2003
Antiabortion zealot charged
You might remember John Burt back when he was encouraging abortion clinic bombings. Now he faces five counts of sexual misconduct involving one 15-year-old at a home for troubled girls he ran. See Mary Jo Malone's column, Preaching life while preying on their fears. (Burt was also among those interviewed in Religious Violence and Abortion: The Gideon Project by Dallas A. Blanchard, Terry J. Prewitt.)
Bond set at $250,000.
Bond set at $250,000.
6/11/2003
Bob Graham sings, too
This is not a joke. It's in The Herald so it must be true.
Bob Graham's presidential tour now comes with a CD.
The Bob Graham Charisma Tour 2004, dedicated to promoting the upstart White House bid of Florida's senior U.S. senator and occasional amateur a cappella performer, is due out within days
Multimedia link!
(Fla. Politics wades through miami.com so you don't have to have.)
Bob Graham's presidential tour now comes with a CD.
The Bob Graham Charisma Tour 2004, dedicated to promoting the upstart White House bid of Florida's senior U.S. senator and occasional amateur a cappella performer, is due out within days
Multimedia link!
(Fla. Politics wades through miami.com so you don't have to have.)
More amazing tales of the FCAT
The FCAT is a high-stakes test with no alternative graduation path if you go to a public high school. But for private high schools? Pay yer $70 get a high school diploma today!
And for $70 more, become an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church.
Something tells me I'll start getting spam from based-in-garage private schools starting tomorrow.
And for $70 more, become an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church.
Something tells me I'll start getting spam from based-in-garage private schools starting tomorrow.
Jebbites still after the state library
Glenda Hood fires veteran librarian at the state library.
"It just shows the fight to maintain a viable institution is not over," (former library head Barratt) Wilkins said. "It leaves me with a great deal of concern that the administration is not through with what they attempted to do this spring."
"It just shows the fight to maintain a viable institution is not over," (former library head Barratt) Wilkins said. "It leaves me with a great deal of concern that the administration is not through with what they attempted to do this spring."
6/10/2003
What's it supposed to do?
Does House Bill 79 ban TiVo or cable piracy? Does it apply to cable or every copyrighted creation in the universe? The Palm Beach Post isn't sure, either.
"Reorganization" or new push to shut down library?
Fallout from failed attempt to close the state library? An 18 year veteran librarian is chief of the Bureau of Library and Network Services, was removed from her position because of a reorganization in the Division of Library and Information Services.
Some have suggested Sears' dismissal may send a message that the Bush administration might have lost the recent battle over moving the library's circulating collection, but there's still a conflict over the future of the library.
Some have suggested Sears' dismissal may send a message that the Bush administration might have lost the recent battle over moving the library's circulating collection, but there's still a conflict over the future of the library.
6/09/2003
But these guys are worth it
One elite group of state workers fares better than its peers by receiving raises earlier and getting free health insurance.
The group: 160 Florida legislators.
The group: 160 Florida legislators.
Dept. of Unsurprising Results
Tampa students find that BMW drivers are more likely to park illegally. No word on SUVs, but I have my theories.
(Thanks to Dragonleg.)
(And Jaguar owners do also.)
(Thanks to Dragonleg.)
(And Jaguar owners do also.)
Don't ask / Don't tell politics
The Mark Foley is/isn't gay issue continues to hang around, making everyone real uncomfortable. Foley didn't exactly deny he was gay, he just expressed outrage that the was raised. He blamed Democrats talking about hie sexuality, but much of the concern seemed to be coming from the right wing of his own party. Many aren't buying his arguments. Gay people felt insulted and anti-gay folks weren't assuaged.
The author of the article that started it all, Bob Norman, wonders at the fuss and isn't taking anything back. (Via Romenesko.)
The author of the article that started it all, Bob Norman, wonders at the fuss and isn't taking anything back. (Via Romenesko.)
Zinging without tellling
The Tallahassee Democrat's Zing! is one of the cooler features of the paper. It consists of one-liners submitted anonymously. Some are juvenile, some mere party talking points that sound gleaned from talk radio, some really are funny. All thrown together 3-dot style.
Apparently some purists are complaining and the editorial page editor Mary Ann Lindley responds. I think she's right. As the blogging world has shows every day, there's a definite place for anonymous opinion if you want lively range of opinion.
Apparently some purists are complaining and the editorial page editor Mary Ann Lindley responds. I think she's right. As the blogging world has shows every day, there's a definite place for anonymous opinion if you want lively range of opinion.
Sugar vs the judge
The editorial pages are outraged at Big Sugar's tactic of kicking a respected federal judge off the Everglades settlement case.
+ Palm Beach Post -- Sugar growers -- who showed their power by ramming through a law that delays Everglades cleanup for 10 years -- already own Florida's Legislature and Gov. Bush. Now, the industry wants to "get" the judge who has protected the fragile ecosystem for more than a decade.
+ Orlando Sentinel -- Sugar interests are stooping lower in going after a respected federal judge.
+ St. Pete Times -- The sugar lobby has long had a lock on Congress and on the Florida Capitol, as evidenced most recently when the Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush agreed, indefensibly, to prolong the Everglades cleanup by a decade.
Now this arrogant industry wants to dispose of the federal judge who insists on holding its Tallahassee subsidiary to the state's original agreement. It's too much.
+ Tampa Tribune -- The sugar industry's effort to remove the federal judge who has overseen the Everglades restoration effort for 15 years is a clear attempt to stall progress.
+ Stuart News -- Unable to flood the federal court of Senior U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler with paid lobbyists, as it did the Florida Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush's office, Big Sugar now wants to remove the judge from continuing to supervise the cleanup of the Florida Everglades.
+ Palm Beach Post -- Sugar growers -- who showed their power by ramming through a law that delays Everglades cleanup for 10 years -- already own Florida's Legislature and Gov. Bush. Now, the industry wants to "get" the judge who has protected the fragile ecosystem for more than a decade.
+ Orlando Sentinel -- Sugar interests are stooping lower in going after a respected federal judge.
+ St. Pete Times -- The sugar lobby has long had a lock on Congress and on the Florida Capitol, as evidenced most recently when the Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush agreed, indefensibly, to prolong the Everglades cleanup by a decade.
Now this arrogant industry wants to dispose of the federal judge who insists on holding its Tallahassee subsidiary to the state's original agreement. It's too much.
+ Tampa Tribune -- The sugar industry's effort to remove the federal judge who has overseen the Everglades restoration effort for 15 years is a clear attempt to stall progress.
+ Stuart News -- Unable to flood the federal court of Senior U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler with paid lobbyists, as it did the Florida Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush's office, Big Sugar now wants to remove the judge from continuing to supervise the cleanup of the Florida Everglades.
6/07/2003
More fallout from Everglades sellouot
Yet another member of Congress asks why are we sending all this Everglades cleanup money to Florida if they aren't serious about cleaning it up?
Anti-piracy or anti-TiVo?
It's no news that bills often pass the state Legislature virtually unread by those who vote on them. But the anti-cable piracy bill that passed during the regular session is something of a milestone. Nobody seems to know what's in it. Meanwhile makers of TiVo-type devices urge veto because they say it could criminalize TiVo recording.
A quick glance at the language does suggest it is rather broad. And this worries many. (See FlaBlog archives for the unconvincing denial of the day.)
A quick glance at the language does suggest it is rather broad. And this worries many. (See FlaBlog archives for the unconvincing denial of the day.)
He's outta here!
Outgoing higher ed leader Richard Briggs is getting out of town and is saying what he really thinks about Florida's university system.
The political environment is so pervasive it corrupts the system," Briggs said from his cramped UF office this week. "It shocks me to look at the attitude of the people controlling education in Florida. They've perverted and subverted the whole system.
The political environment is so pervasive it corrupts the system," Briggs said from his cramped UF office this week. "It shocks me to look at the attitude of the people controlling education in Florida. They've perverted and subverted the whole system.
6/06/2003
Deviationism in Florida Senate
State Sen. Tom Lee, the Brandon Republican in line to be Senate president, made some sensible comments before reluctantly voting for the state budget a couple weeks back. Today, the Tallahassee Democrat gets back to him on the subject of fiscal reality
He says: It's not about optimism or pessimism; it's about realism," he said. "You don't filter your facts through your political ideology. You can't walk into any boardroom anywhere in this country and pull that kind of rhetorical crap - 'It's another great day in Florida' - and get away with it. But you can do it in Tallahassee.
He says: It's not about optimism or pessimism; it's about realism," he said. "You don't filter your facts through your political ideology. You can't walk into any boardroom anywhere in this country and pull that kind of rhetorical crap - 'It's another great day in Florida' - and get away with it. But you can do it in Tallahassee.
6/04/2003
Ukulele fever!
Been hearing from uke players the past couple of days after Sunday's column . The column even ended up on the Flea Market Music discussion board. And it was posted on the Atlanta Constitution's site. And Dragonleg, too, gave it a mention.
JimTranquada directed me to the uke site of John King a classically trained uke player who teaches at Eckert College and has recorded an astonishing CD of Bach played on the ukulele. A very cool site.
Tiki King alerted me to his site. (and answers the questions: what's this with ukulele? and what's this with the fez?)
Others pointed out the Ukulele Hall of Fame and the Boing-Boing-related Ukulelia.
And there's a whole lot more out there.
JimTranquada directed me to the uke site of John King a classically trained uke player who teaches at Eckert College and has recorded an astonishing CD of Bach played on the ukulele. A very cool site.
Tiki King alerted me to his site. (and answers the questions: what's this with ukulele? and what's this with the fez?)
Others pointed out the Ukulele Hall of Fame and the Boing-Boing-related Ukulelia.
And there's a whole lot more out there.
Big Sugar says thank you
Big sugar campaigns early for its benefactors in the Legislature.
Particularly galling to environmentalists is a group that calls itself the Everglades Forever Partnership is sending out a flier filled with pictures of alligators, wading birds and cypress swamps. A long list of groups had fought bitterly against a bill backed by the sugar industry that they say will delay stricter pollution standards for the Everglades by at least a decade.
A spokesman for the Elections Division at the Florida Department of State said the mailings do not have to be reported as campaign contributions because they don't ask recipients to vote for a candidate.
Particularly galling to environmentalists is a group that calls itself the Everglades Forever Partnership is sending out a flier filled with pictures of alligators, wading birds and cypress swamps. A long list of groups had fought bitterly against a bill backed by the sugar industry that they say will delay stricter pollution standards for the Everglades by at least a decade.
A spokesman for the Elections Division at the Florida Department of State said the mailings do not have to be reported as campaign contributions because they don't ask recipients to vote for a candidate.
6/03/2003
Moving stuff around
The N-J site has been redesigned. The new design is in some ways cooler, but also much busier. I rather liked the old pull-down menus. And I remember a simpler time not that long ago. In the process, my page has been re-done as well and has a new address. Gotta get a new picture.
Bad budget and next year's will be worse
An unusually good editorial from The Business Journal of Jacksonville
It begins: This year's Legislature did everything but shake pennies out of children's piggy banks to balance a $52 billion budget.
It begins: This year's Legislature did everything but shake pennies out of children's piggy banks to balance a $52 billion budget.
6/02/2003
Arts cut 78 percent
Andante is a very cool site devoted to classical music. It has a concise rundown of the damage the Florida Legislature has done to the arts this year.
6/01/2003
Mystery bill
The Palm Beach Post tries to find the the author of the "Everglades Whenever" Act but that Hero of Sugar Industry remains anonymous.
(From Fla. Politics)
(From Fla. Politics)
