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. Quick Note: I’ll be doing a roundup of presidential election posts at Florida Speaks and those posts will no longer appear in this roundup.
1. DFA Miami (Richard Allbrittion) – Republicans must earn the privilege of governing: “Lately among Republicans there is much talk about burnishing their Brand. These men and women just don’t get it. They try to think of ways they can stay in office or get elected by resorting to tricks: let’s cut taxes (from what, no matter what the taxes are or expenditures are); let’s put an amendment to the State constitution to ban gay marriage; let’s smear Democrats; etc. It doesn’t seem to occur to them that what they really need to do is to take the business of governing seriously.”
2. FLA Politics (mentelibre) – The FCAT and the Damage Done…: “I borrowed the words above from Neil Young’s tortured, goose-bump-inducing lament for friends lost to heroin, the 1972 classic ‘The Needle and the Damage Done.’ Where are the powerful voices decrying the damage and loss brought about by the FCAT? Unfortunately, they are too few and far between. Fortunately, we have Paul A. Moore, Miami teacher, activist, and wordsmith, the author of the piece below. Read and weep for the damage done.”
3. Florida Progressive Coalition – Florida Progressive Radio Welcomes Progress Florida: “Remember all that talk we’ve been having about what Florida’s progressive movement really needs is some funding to go toward progressive infrastructure in the state? It’s here. Say hello to Progress Florida. Based on Progress Now and other successful state efforts, this organization is based on a proven model and is likely to have a significant impact on politics here in the Sunshine State. Conservatives and Republicans should be scared. The organization’s mission…”
4. The Hate Amendment: The Hate Amendment – Gay Marriage and The Florida Constitution, The Hate Amendment – Hate Amendment Supporters, and The Hate Amendment – More Amendment Opponents.
5. Progressive Homeschoolers of Florida – Educate Yourself Now for Elections in November: “There’s going to be a lot on our ballots come November, and now is the time to start educating yourself about everything. At stake…”
6. Progress Florida (Jon Bleyer) – Voter deception by the TBRC?: “Most disturbing however is the deceptive language the TBRC devised to accompany their proposed amendments. Though clearly engineered to revive Bush’s voucher plan, nowhere on the ballot does it mention vouchers or taxapayer support for private schools. ”
7. Flablog – What voucher amendments?: “Although the majority of Florida voters oppose vouchers, this might pass due to pure voter confusion — not an unknown thing in Florida.”
8. Our Congressional Delegation: Samm Simpson – Some Tidbits, FLA Politics – Five Florida Republicans Targeted on Iraq, GI Bill in DCCC Ad Campaign, Ybor City Stogie – JOE GARCIA RESPONSE TO BUSH SPEECH ON CUBA, – , Miami-Dade Dems – Debate? Republicans run and hide, – , Incertus (Brian) – Some Florida Politics, Eye on Miami (Genius of Despair) – Hardball’s Chris Matthews vs. Radio Host Kevin James and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Ybor City Stogie – The South Florida Trifecta, Ybor City Stogie – Joe Garcia: Welcome To S. Florida, Sen. McCain, FLA Politics (Kimw) – Faye Armitage- Thoughts on Memorial Day, and Joe Garcia – DIAZ-BALART VOTES AGAINST FUNERALS FOR SOLDIERS.
9. Florida Progressive Coalition (Sheree Shatsky) – The fire, the brimstone: Preachers, faith and blowhards in the pulpit: “At six weeks of age, I was in church seated front and center, cradled in my mother’s arms. Raising up kids in the church was the Southern way. Safe to say, I’ve heard my fair share of fire and brimstone sermons. Safe to say, I’ve heard my fair share of discussion over Sunday dinner regarding those very same sermons, my family often questioning the message of the day. Yet, they kept attending Sunday services. The closest public disagreement with the church I ever witnessed was when my grandfather would walk out of church if the preacher’s sermon ran long. Fast forward 17 years of Sundays.”
10. Change in Tallahassee – Broward Democrats vote to ask Crist to block proposed floating gas plant and pipeline: “The Broward Democratic Party wants Gov. Charlie Crist to use his authority to veto a proposal for a floating gasworks off northern Fort Lauderdale. A resolution opposing the terminal and pipeline passed unanimously Tuesday night at the monthly meeting of a couple of hundred Democrats who govern the local party.”
11. Incertus (Brian) – It still happens here: “Slavery, that is. And sometimes it even gets prosecuted.”
12. Adam4PD – Half My Life: “Twenty-three years, and sixty pounds ago, I joined the Public Defender’s Office of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. I went to law school because I wanted to make sure that poor people received quality legal representation. The reason that America is the greatest country on earth is because our Constitution strikes the delicate and necessary balance between the government and the individual citizen. In our country, it is not enough simply to make an accusation. The government has the responsibility of proving a person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt before taking a person’s life or liberty. Attorneys make sure that the government abides by the rule of law, and that clients have the opportunity to present a defense. When I was sworn into the Florida Bar on May 22, 1985, I took an oath to ‘never reject, from any consideration personal to myself, the cause of the defenseless or oppressed.’ Each day that I have practiced law I have attempted to uphold this duty.”
13. St. Petersblog – St. Pete: we fucking hate history: “Alex brings up an excellent point which has always had me scratching my head about our fearless leader Rickroll Baker: how does a dude that wrote a book on St. Pete’s history stand by and let developers demolish most of what’s remaining?”
14. Our Legislature: Talk to Me – Political Squawk, Progress Florida (Jon Bleyer) – Crist considering veto of bad sea grass bill, Change in Tallahassee – VICTORY FUND ENDORSES MARK LAFONTAINE, and Truman’s Conscience – The Florida GOP “brand” in full flower.
15. Pensacola Beach Blog – Preemptive War Against Consumers: “Bush Republicans and conservatives, generally, are opposed to a larger, more intrusive federal authority — right? They prefer ‘deferring’ decision-making power wherever possible to the fifty states — right? Don’t kid yourself. Not when it comes to shielding corporations from being held accountable for the injuries they cause to ordinary consumers.”
16. Interstate4Jamming2 – Marlene Duffy-Young (1950 – 2008): “Polk County has lost a true friend, advocate, and public servant. Marlene Duffy-Young, who served as a member of the Winter Haven City Commission and Polk County Commission during the 1980s and 90s, died early this morning as the result of injuries received Wednesday evening in a traffic accident on Lake Howard Drive. She loved the city and county, a tireless fighter for issues which she believed would help improve the quality of our lives.”
17. DemCon08: Florida Progressive Coalition – DemCon08 — More on the State Blogger Selection Controversy, Florida Progressive Coalition – Respect, Rocky Mountain News – DNC bloggers wondering if they smell rat, and Daily Kos – State parties DID influence blogger selection.
18. Eye on Miami (gimleteye) – For Everglades turtles, nowhere to hide and Eye on Miami (gimleteye) – Scorched hope for the East Everglades.
19. Bloggy Bayou – Allergies: “So… I don’t talk about the family too much here, but did want to update a few of you who know what is going on with my granddaughter. She’s 17. She’s been having allergy issues, life-threatening ones, since December of 2007. The initial diagnosis was allergy to latex. Since then she’s been rushed to the ER countless times, going into anaphylactic shock. Often she goes straight to shock, completely skipping the whole rash, and even swelling of her throat. So she’s been to a slew of doctors, and no one has been able to get a handle on things. But now, FINALLY, she’s seeing a specialist, one beyond the normal allergy specialist. He wants to send her to a university hospital for advanced testing. The problem is, apparently, that every single test they run, comes back negative for allergies. ALL allergies.”
20. Morning Martini – SUVs bite the dust: “Yesterday I heard a report on TV that said a lot of Americans who have purchased the big gas guzzling SUVs are in the same boat with many home owners. With gas prices rising daily, these SUV owners are trying to dump their gasoline addicted giants as quickly as possible. There is a glut of used and new SUVs on the market now and no one wants them. The prices are dropping rapidly and one dealership has stated he will no longer take an SUV as a trade in. The once status oriented wheels are now automotive albatrosses around their owners neck.”
21. Bloggy Bayou – Politics: “Living in the Florida Panhandle can be all too interesting come election time. I just watched a thoroughly obnoxious commercial for a Jay Love who is running as ‘A Christian Conservative’.”
22. Daily Kos (Impact Politics) – Support New FL Spot Making Fun of Touch-Screen Voting.
23. Florida Progressive Coalition – Where to Go to Find Work: “A recent discussion on one of the many e-mail lists I was on was where can you go to find work that is related to progressive politics. These were the things that we came up with…”
24. Check out Sinfonian’s Obamarama liveblogging.
25. Florida Progressive Coalition (CalderinforStateRep119) – Liveblogging Clinton in Miami (Almost).
26. Abstract Appeal is coming back!
27. Here are the sites in our Candidate Watch Network that have been updated: The Case Against Cliff, GusWatch, Florida Cabinet Watch, Florida Senate Watch, Watching Weldon and Florida House Watch.
28. Also check out CG Radio and the Free World Radio Network.
29. For more, as always, go to the FLA Politics daily round-up, Political Newsclippings from The Spencerian, The Sift from South Florida Daily Blog, News & Notes from the Souther District of Florida Blog, and Weekly Update from the PEACEblog!
30. Finally, check out our national coverage at our new blog, Florida Speaks.
