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. Pensito Review – Why America Can’t Get Beyond Race: “No, we haven’t come to terms with it. Like Obama said in his speech, white people today, who never personally owned another person, can’t understand why they should be held responsible for what was done in the past. And black people can’t understand why we don’t get their anger.”
2. Grassroots Brevard – Why I Fight For Democracy: “Last night I received some disheartening news, three friends of mine, with whom I served in the Army, were severely injured in Iraq earlier today. Luckily all will live however; one will be irreparably disabled as a triple amputee. I really can not put into words the rage and sorrow I feel at this point but I can tell you this I will stay my course. I will stay my course to have everyone who plotted this war put behind bars. I will stay my course, to remove those from power who have little regard for those who struggle day in and day out to preserve freedom. I will stay my course, to make a difference so young men and women do not have to be maimed or die for those who seek economic plunder.”
3. Florida Netroots – Bring Verified Elections to Florida: “We need your help today to ensure verified elections in Florida. Common Cause Florida is working with the Florida Voters Coalition in support of legislation to verify the vote by requiring hand counted audits of enough ballots to be confident that computer vote tallies determined the correct winner.”
4. Legislative Watch: Pushing Rope – Fight the Sag, Pushing Rope – Rubio Pushes Again For Sales Tax Increase, and Ybor City Stogie – Florida Lawmaker Hopes to End Ban on Gay Adoption.
5. Congressional Races: Blast Off! – My date with Debbie, Ray Seaman – Joe Garcia Has Momentum, Discourse.net – Wasserman Schultz Deserves Her Bad Publicity, Blast Off! – A sucky blog makes a big noise, Progressive Florida – Blue Majority: The Right Decision to Support Joe, Samm Simpson – It’s an Occupation, Not a War, Miami-Dade Dems – Joe Garcia endorsed by Kos/Blue Majority, Flablog – Unilateral disarmament, Miami-Dade Dems – The word from Joe Trippi: 250 new donors needed, Daily Kos – DCCC Says Uproar Over DWS Recusal “Much Ado About Nothing’” Daily Kos – FL-25: Support Joe Garcia, our newest Blue Majority candidate, Daily Kos – Why we fight, or, why Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a problem, and MyDD – Joe Garcia.
6. The Creationism Bill: Incertus (Brian) – Academic Freedom and the Religious Right, Florida Citizens for Science – House Bill gets another co-sponsor, and Florida Citizens for Science – Senate Bill moving along.
7. Marion County Democratic Party – Wilma Stewart Has Passed Away: “Wilma Stewart was the Club Coordinator for the Marion County Democratic Party for nearly a decade. Wilma started many of our clubs that continue to exist and operate today throughout our county. In addition, Wilma’s energetic personality was contagious, inspiring many Democrats not only to start clubs and groups, but to lead them, grow them, and make them successful. Today, I received an email from Rev. Dale Stewart, Wilma’s husband, who is also a great human being and a true light for our community: ‘Our dear Wilma passed peacefully to her heavenly home this morning at 7:45. I thank you all for your encouragement and support through her time of travail.’”
8. Blast Off! – Wingnut welfare, Sunshine State style: “In all the hubbub yesterday, I unfortunately managed to miss this lovely bit of tid, courtesy of FLA Politics: two weeks ago, Gov. Charlie Crist appointed a physician’s assistant and wife of the governor’s general counsel as chairman of Florida’s Public Employees Relations Commission, and the fecal matter is beginning to strike the ventilation unit…”
9. Pam’s House Blend – Florida gov Charlie Crist: leave ban on adoption rights for gays on the books: “Well this takes some cojones, doesn’t it? Florida’s governor and media-touted possible VP pick for John McCain, the popular and dapper Charlie Crist, believes that children in need of loving homes should not be adopted by gay and lesbian couples. He is opposed to a new bill introduced into Sunshine State’s legislature that would overturn the ban.”
10. Ybor City Stogie – Book Banning In Hillsborough County, Florida: “‘There needs to be an examination of these words that elementary school kids are reading,’ said Darryl Brown, who lives in Live Oak in northeast Hillsborough. ‘I want them pulled.’”
11. Ybor City Stogie – Florida Has America’s Cleanest Cities: “Led by Miami, the Sunshine State dominates our 2008 list of America’s Cleanest Cities with four metro areas in the top 10–Jacksonville (No. 3), Orlando (No. 4) and Tampa-St. Petersburg (No. 
all make appearances. Clearly, a state that relies so heavily on tourism and part-time snow-bird residents knows the value of keeping itself spruced up for company.”
12. Blue Dot Musings in a Red Sea – My Recent Break-Up with the Fla Dem Party: “Recently, my level of perseverance topped out and I quit. Now, understand, I am no quitter– so doing it was one of my most grueling decisions ever. I quit a position that had me completely entrenched in politics, voters, and the locals who believe in the Democratic Party. Okaloosa County is 23% Democratic, and 70% Republican. Being the DEC Chair was not a simple task. But because I too believe in the Democratic Party, I had thrown heart and soul into the mix. I, could not however continue to support the leadership of the Florida Democratic Party after two specific events culminated.”
13. Here are the sites in our Candidate Watch Network that have been updated: Say No to Mario.
14. Also check out CG Radio and Situation Awareness.
15. For more, as always, go to the FLA Politics daily round-up and Political Newsclippings from The Spencerian.
