This is our regular feature where every day I do a quick post with the top posts/stories that I think people should read from the previous day.
1. The Hate Amendment: Flablog – Ballot bait, Bloggy Bayou – Marriage Amendment, Blast Off! – Gay marriage: good news and bad news, Pam’s House Blend – Florida: anti-gay marriage amendment will be on the Nov. ballot, and Pam’s House Blend – Florida: Fairness For All Families educates voters about marriage amendment effort.
2. Incertus (Emily) – The Public’s Relationship with Public Schools: “The recent discussions of what’s going to happen with the passage of the tax amendment in Florida — in combination with the already sinking state revenues — have got me thinking. And got me pretty down. Actually, what has me down (aside from the possibilities that this all holds for me personally) is reading commentary about the grade schools in the local papers and the comments section on any of the stories, particularly on the stories about what’s going to happen to higher education. I know that many of those people posting comments are not in the majority. But the absolute hatred for the schools — at all levels from kindergarten to graduate school — astounds me.”
3. thefos – Maria made me cry today: “As bobnbob will gladly tell you, I don’t cry often; at least not in public. But, Maria Shriver made me cry today. She made me proud to be an American, proud to be a woman, a mother, a daughter, a grassroots organizer, and an Obama supporter. Maria made me cry with joy and hope for my daughters, for California; for America and even Florida. Yesterday, my youngest daughter was racially profiled…”
4. Adam4Pd – Pulling Diplomas off the Wall: “I started at the Sarasota Public Defender’s Office on December 28, 1984. I had just turned 23 on December 7, than graduated from F.SU. Law on December 18. Due to my previous experience as a certified legal intern, there was already a crowd of clients waiting for me when I walked in the door, I walked over to Court with them trailing behind me, and found Judge Becky Titus on the bench. ‘Go easy on me Judge,’ I said, ‘it’s my first day.’ ‘Well it’s my first day too,’ she replied, ‘let’s get to work.’â€
5. Ray Seaman – Charlie Crist and The Florida Problem: “What I do have a problem with is that this persona doesn’t really match what’s been going on since he was inaugurated. Crist undoubtedly deserves credit, particularly from our side of things, for taking the heroic stand that he did in pardoning felons who had paid their debt to society. This was clearly the right thing to do, and he did it despite being politically damaging for his own party. That’s a leader. He also deserves credit for finally giving Florida a voting system with a paper trail. He also acknowledges the existence of global warming, which is always a big step for elected Republicans. However, everything else should give Democrats and progressives serious pause. Most notably, Crist’s property insurance reform package. This was Crist’s first big legislative initiative, and almost all executive public figures seem to be judged by their first forays into legislative politics (the “100 days†etc…) The measure passed after much difficulty, with Democrats reluctantly supporting Crist, and the very thing the law set out to do (reduce insurance rates) simply never happened…”
6. Incertus (Bradley) – Hey, It Turns Out Florida Universities Are Having Money Problems!: “Well, the cat’s out of the bag– Florida Universities are in a pretty dire financial situation. Some would argue that ‘crisis’ is too strong a word. So let’s just call it a situation. A horrible, terrifying, potentially catastrophic situation.”
7. Ybor City Stogie – Florida And Iowa Join California’s Challenge Of EPA Ruling: “Iowa and Florida have joined the legal battle over whether states should have the right to set tougher vehicle emission standards than those set by the federal government.”
8. Eye On Miami (Genius of Despair) – The killing fields of Florida real estate: “Count on Florida for every excess of the real estate meltdown. Miami New Times picks up a story out of the Florida Keys: someone is slaughtering the diminutive key deer on Big Pine Key. Like the spotted owl and the snail darter, federal protections for the key deer in the Florida Keys have long been the target of a pro-business, anti-environmental bias undergirding Chamber of Commerce enthusiasm for paving over the state.”
9. Progressive Florida – State House Races to Watch in 2008: “With 4th quarter financial reports just being posted, now is a perfect opportunity to take a look at how some of our best challenges in 2008 for the state house are shaping up.”
10. Progressive Florida – Any State Sen Candidates out There, on the Dem Ticket?: “Ten Republican-held Senate seats, including two open seats, will be up for grabs in November, but at the moment there are few Democratic candidates running in them. In fact, only three of the seats are being targeted by a Democrat at this time.”
11. Joe Garcia vs. Mario Diaz-Balart: Miami-Dade Dems – Joe Garcia vs Mario Diaz-Balart, coming soon, Draft Joe Garcia – Joe Garcia to give a Major Speech on Thursday, and Draft Joe Garcia – Joe In?, Draft Joe Garcia – From the Comments.
12. Progressive Florida – Let’s Help Democrat Tony Sasso get to Tallahassee, and Grassroots Brevard – Tony Sasso for State House!
13. Incertus (Amy) – Things That Make You Go HMMM…: “Conservatives tend to think in terms of (protecting) gun rights, and liberals tend to think in terms of (preventing) gun violence — like Howard Dean famously did as a 2004 presidential candidate, I tend to think of this as a geographic issue: places with few deer and lots of humans should strictly limit guns, while places with an overabundance of deer (and boar and bear, oh my!) probably have good social and ecological reasons to abet hunters in their quest for game.”
14. Situation Awareness – The Over-ripe Drama Queen: “In a previous post I talked about pants-pissers, especially how they tend to over-inflate some real (or even imaginary) threat. Today I’ll be discussing an off-shoot of John Gabriel’s Greater Internet Dickwad Theory, the Over-ripe Drama Queen. And as in the case of defining pants-pissers my comments will be based, in part, on an actual set of exchanges on a blog in order to illustrate this person. No doubt that when I am finished most everyone will recognize many such persons who fit the definition of the Over-ripe Drama Queen, on the Internet and in real life.”
15. the 13th juror – Palm Beach shelter’s days are numbered: “Faced with mounting debt and an ongoing battle with Palm Beach County, Westgate Tabernacle Church, the shelter of last resort for the homeless, is for sale. The 80-year-old church functions as one of the county’s largest homeless shelters, with at times more than 100 people sleeping in bunk beds and between church pews. But the church is broke, with about $11,000 in outstanding bills and just $5,000 in the bank, said pastor Avis Hill.”
16. Florida Science Standards: Florida Citizens for Science – Another lawmaker, the same old lawyer, and a theory, Florida Citizens for Science – Call to Action! Homework Assignment: Evolution Education, Florida Citizens for Science – Highlands County considering their anti-evolution resolution, Florida Citizens for Science – What’s happening in the classroom? No one really knows., Florida Citizens for Science – Article on Nassau County, Florida Citizens for Science – Minority Report, Florida Citizens for Science – Expelled, Florida Citizens for Science – Loose lips and all that, and Florida Citizens for Science – Final public meeting & final draft of standards.
17. Blast Off! – Are Republicans losing their grip on The Wangâ„¢?: “Well, according to that bastion of journamalism, the Wall Street Journal (whose relatively lame headline I took the liberty of improving), we may have the bastards on the run here in Florida. Now, I don’t necessarily buy that myself, but let’s see what the article has to say.”
18. OpenLeft – There Will Not Be New Elections In Florida and Michigan: “Here is a quick heads up to people who think holding new elections in Florida and Michigan is the best solution to the delegate problem: it ain’t gonna happen.”
19. Ybor City Stogie – A Friend Of Stogie Is Running For Mayor: “Meet William Hymes…’I believe that the City of Natchitoches is ready for change. I graduated from Natchitoches Central High School in 1983 and attended Northwestern State University on a band scholarship. I graduated from Northwestern State University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts – Instrumental Music Education degree. I have taught instrumental music for 15 years in the Natchitoches Parish Public School System and in 2007 earned a Masters Degree in, Education Leadership-School Administration from Northwestern State University.’”
20. Ron Levitt – Presidential Hopefuls Squeeze Floridians For Cash: “The Sunshine State continues to be a cash cow both for Democrats and Republicans who are still milking Floridians for bucks to pay for their continuing presidential campaigns.”
21. Marion County Democratic Party – A Woman In Charge: “No…I’m not talking about Hillary Clinton…I’m talking about Democratic County Commissioner Barbara Fitos. Barbara has been flying under the radar a bit this year, but that’s just because she’s working incredibly hard. She’s also dealing with 4 white male Republicans who often don’t see things her way.”
22. Marion County Democratic Party – Chairman Seaman Blogging At Ocala.com: “The Star Banner has a new feature on its Marion Politics blog. Every week, the Banner poses a question to leaders of both parties. The first question posed, which happened this week was ‘Why should voters elect a Republican/Democrat to the White House in November?’”
23. Pensito Review – Is three years old.
24. Here are the sites in our Candidate Watch Network that have been updated: Focus on Feeney, Say No to mMrio, MicaNotes, The Buchanan Record, and Florida Senate Watch.
25. Also check out CG Radio.
26. For more, as always, go to the FLA Politics daily round-up and Political Newsclippings from The Spencerian.
