Crush Liberalism

Liberalism: Why think when you can “feel”?

Crist announcing today that he plans on leaving GOP to run as…Independent or Democrat?

Most speculation is that Governor Oompa Loompa will run as an independent, bolting from the party to which he’s belonged his whole life on account of getting his clock cleaned by upstart Tea Party fave Marco Rubio.  But maybe Crist is thinking about running as a Democrat?  Details:

Marc Ambinder reports:

Charlie Crist, soon to be independent Senate candidate from Florida, tried to reach White House chief of staff Emanuel through intermediates. WH refuses to take the call. Dems plan big talent/money blitz for Kendrick Meek.

What’s Crist up to? Might he be interested in cutting a deal to caucus with the Democrats if they chase Meek from the field?

Who knows? But the most plausible path to victory for Crist is if Meek backs him. That’s a real possibility, I think, later in the game if Rubio and Crist are each getting about 40% in the polls and Meek is getting about 20%. But, as voters get to know the lesser-known Rubio and Meek, it’s probably more likely they emerge as the frontrunners and Crist fades as election day approaches.

And then does Crist throw his support to Meek in hopes of getting a nice ambassadorship? Again, who knows? In a three-way race things could get a little crazy (maybe starting with the speculation about how crazy things could get).

Crist is dripping with desperation.  He is going all out and for broke.  If he doesn’t win this Senate race, his once-promising career is deader than Ted Kennedy. (Sidebar: Mary Jo Kopechne was unavailable for comment.)

April 29, 2010 Posted by | Charlie Crist, Florida, Marco Rubio | 1 Comment

It begins: Violence Bill Clinton warned us about has occurred

Folks, as much as it pains me to say this, I have to be honest: Bubba was right.

Yes, indeed.  Recall last week that Bubba took a break from poking portly interns to tell us that Tea Partiers are all potential Tim McVeighs.  He warned us that the angst against elected government officials could translate into actual threats of violence.  He was right, as was seen here in FL.  From the Orlando Slant-inel:

FBI agents and representatives with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said they arrested a Spring Hill man on a charge of threatening harm against U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite.

The Brooksville Republican’s office received a “telephonic threat” on March 25 from an unidentified male, authorities said.

Late Sunday, FBI agents and Hernando deputies arrested Erik Lawrence Pidrman, 66, in connection with the threat. The charge involves “threatening to assault or murder” a U.S. official, according to FBI Special Agent Dave Couvertier.

Pidrman’s bail was set at $20,000 on Monday, and he was ordered to wear an electronic monitoring and home-detention device.

Hernando deputies and the FBI started a joint investigation after Brown-Waite’s Brooksville office received the threat.

Brown-Waite’s district includes parts of Lake, Polk and Marion counties, as well as all of Citrus, Hernando, and Sumter counties and portions of Levy and Pasco counties.

Her office released a text of the voicemail soon after it was received March 25.

The caller stated: “Just wanna let you know I have 27 people that are going to make sure that this [expletive deleted] does not live to see her next term. Goodbye.”

Wait, what?  A threat against a Republican legislator?  Is this what BJ Clinton was talking about?

It gets better: the nutbar who threated Congresswoman Brown-Waite is a Democrat, having donated to BJ’s wife’s failed 2008 presidential bid.  Luckily, the Slant-inel pointed out the Hillary connection for us.

Of course I’m kidding!  There’s no way the Slant-inel would point that out.  That kind of deep digging and investigative journalism would have required a lot of resources…such as a Google search.  Hell, a nanocalorie might have been burned if the Slant-inel‘s reporters would have done that!  But nope, no liberal media bias!

The left’s narrative just took a big hit with this story.

April 20, 2010 Posted by | Bill Clinton, Florida, Hillary, moonbats, Tea Party | 3 Comments

Crist vetoes education bill he helped shape, thus setting stage for Independent run

For those of you outside of FL, let me set the stage here for you:

Yesterday, Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed Senate Bill 6, which was a bill aimed at merit pay for teachers.  The bill was massively popular among Republicans, massively unpopular among Democrats, and I am led to believe most teachers, regardless of their political affiliations, were vehemently opposed to the language of the bill.  (Sidebar: I know teachers who are conservative, and many of them had grave reservations about the bill’s text, not the intent.)  Anywho, this isn’t a post about the merits of SB6, so allow me to continue…

Crist has been getting pummeled by Marco Rubio in the FL GOP Senate primary polls.  Crist went from being +30% last year to -30% now.  He has said repeatedly that he wasn’t going to become an independent, preferring to tough it out in the Republican primary.  But there are indications that he may pull a Joe Lieberman and switch anyway.

First, it was speculated that by vetoing a bill that he himself had great input in crafting, Crist would essentially be ending his career in the GOP.  He did indeed veto the bill.  After all, if you are desperately craving Independent street cred, how better to get some of it than to screw one of your party’s top pet projects?

Secondly, a Quinnipiac poll (not exactly the most reliable polling history in the world) yesterday showed Crist with a statistically insignificant lead over Rubio and Meek in a three-way race in November.  Granted, it is a single poll and taken as a snapshot in time, but given Crist’s implosion and no relief in sight, any glimmer of hope will be embraced by him.

Finally, and possibly most significant, the massively popular former governor Jeb Bush has piled on Crist for his veto…

I am disappointed by the veto of Senate Bill 6. By taking this action, Governor Crist has jeopardized the ability of Florida to build on the progress of the last decade, which includes raising student achievement across the board, narrowing the achievement gap for poor and minority students, and improving graduation rates. Florida’s sustained improvement is the result of bold reforms that were challenging, controversial and sometimes even unpopular. Reform is hard work but without a commitment to change, Florida would not be 8th in the nation today.

…and former Senator Connie Mack, who had been chairing Crist’s Senate campaign, resigned after the veto:

Gov. Charlie Crist’s political mentor, former U.S. Sen. Connie Mack, resigned Thursday as Crist’s campaign chairman in his race for the U.S. Senate.

Mack wrote a terse, two-paragraph letter to his one-time protege that said Crist was wrong to veto a bill (SB 6) that would have made it easier to fire teachers and tie their pay to student test scores.

“As you know, I strongly disagree with your veto,” Mack wrote his fellow Republican. “Your veto I believe undermines our education system in Florida and the principles for which I have always stood.”

Mack went on to say that Crist’s decision to veto the bill was “unsupportable and wrong.”

“As you can understand, I can no longer serve as chairman for your campaign for the United States Senate,” Mack wrote.

A source for an Orlando Fox affiliate says that Crist will announce his party abandonment today:

Thursday, Governor Crist vetoed the controversial teacher merit pay bill, breaking with conservative ranks. Then the head of the Republican U.S. Senate Re-election Committee issued a warning to Crist telling him his career is over if he tries to run outside the GOP.

Dr. Foglesong said, “A person I know in the Charlie Crist campaign has told me Charlie Crist would veto the merit pay bill, and he did. Further, he said he would announce tomorrow, that’s Friday, that he would run as an independent.”

Fox 35′s Tracy Jacim asked, “Where is this supposed to happen?” Dr. Foglesong said, “South Florida.” Jacim asks, “Miami?” Foglesong said, “Yes.” Jacim asks, “How reliable is this source?” Foglesong replied, “I trust the source.”

Fox 35 contacted the Crist campaign staff by e-mail, and they would neither confirm nor deny this claim, and expressed surprise we were asking.

Florida law puts a deadline on when a candidate can announce for a Senate bid, and my understanding is that the deadline was in about two weeks.  Ergo, it was “now or never” for Gov. Oompa Loompa to jump ship.  But if Crist thinks the teachers union who is trumpeting his praises today will rally behind him as an independent instead of backing Democrat Kendrick Meek, then the tanning bed has fried his gourd more than I thought.

In my view (and only time will tell if this holds true), Crist is basically another Arlen Specter: a RINO who thought it would be good for his own ambitions and career to jump ship, only to find out that the ship he jumped onto…was the Titanic.

April 16, 2010 Posted by | Charlie Crist, Florida, Marco Rubio, public education | 5 Comments

Crist down by 32 to Rubio in today’s poll

Charlie Crist is going down faster than Ted Kennedy’s car at Chappaquiddick.  Details:

Rubio now leads Crist 60-28, including a staggering 71-17 lead with conservatives. Crist has a 49-36 advantage with party moderates, but they account for just 31% of likely primary voters compared to 65% who describe themselves as conservative.

Rubio is benefiting from a widely held sentiment among Florida GOP voters that Congressional Republicans are too liberal and that Crist would add to the problem. 41% of them think that the party leadership in Washington is too liberal, and with those folks Rubio holds an 83-10 lead. 50% think that Crist himself is too liberal and with those voters Rubio’s advantage expands even wider to 90-5.

It also looks like it’s too late for Crist to audible and make another run for Governor. GOP voters say they’d prefer likely nominee Bill McCollum over Crist by a 49-35 margin. In fact Republicans generally just want Crist to go away- 56% say they’d like him out of office a year from now to 19% who’d like to see him continue as Governor and only 14% who want him in the Senate.

Hard to believe that a guy with such big national aspirations is now a massive failure at the state level within his own party.  It wouldn’t surprise me if he were to pull a Specter and switch to the Dem side, or pull a Jeffords and switch to the Dem…er, “independent” side.  Not that it will make a difference one way or the other.

March 9, 2010 Posted by | Charlie Crist, Florida, Marco Rubio, polls | 2 Comments

Reports say Crist will abandon GOP, run as independent

A couple of events have occurred over the last several days which have not portended well for our artificially tanned governor: (1) polls showing him trailing Marco Rubio by 18% in the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate; and (2) Crist staffers jumping off of his campaign bandwagon.

As a result, stories like this come as no surprise:

Two highly placed and independent sources, speaking strictly on background, tell me that Gov. Charlie Crist is preparing to leave the Republican Party and run as an independent in the race for the U.S. Senate.

With Crist trailing Marco Rubio by 18 points in the latest polls, the Crist campaign has been in panic mode, launching attack after attack on the conservative Rubio. 

It’s not official, but as the blog author says, ask yourself this: “do you believe it is possible that Crist will leave the Republican Party to run as an independent? You do, don’t you?”

Crist has always been a squishy Republican.  From his endorsement of John McCain in 2008 (which angered conservative Floridians when it had its intended consequences, i.e. handing McCain a FL primary win), to his ill-advised property tax reform, to his embrace of Obama and the Porkulus bill (a position he still defends unabashedly today), Crist was not well-suited to the true base of the Florida Republican Party.  Sure, had he won the primary, we would have voted for him over Obamaton Kendrick Meek.  Fortunately, now we don’t have to.

Is this bad news for us, i.e. is this a Joe Libermann 2006 situation?  Don’t know.  After all, CT Republicans voted for Joe in 2006, knowing that their guy was going to get rolled anyway, so they voted for Joe as a way to stick it to the liberal whackadoodles in their state.  Different dynamics at work here.

Is it possible that Crist could split the vote for the good guys this November? Sure.   Crist could siphon some votes that otherwise would have gone to Rubio.  On the other hand, polls show that Rubio is crushing Meek by over 20% anyway, and I don’t know if an independent Crist could attract 20% of Florida voters, especially 20% of the FL GOP base.  Besides, many thought that disgruntled Hillary voters might deprive B.O. from the presidency in 2008, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be.  I think it’s possible some folks may read too much into this.

Anywho, as of now, this is a rumor.  But admit it: it’s one you can see being true, isn’t it?

February 25, 2010 Posted by | Charlie Crist, Florida, Marco Rubio | 1 Comment

Rubio goes RINO hunting, has CPAC momentum behind him

Latest poll in the FL Senate Republican primary: Marco Rubio 54%, Charlie Crist 36%.

It seems that hugging Obama, embracing the stimulus, and Hispandering to illegal immigrants hasn’t endeared Crist to the GOP base.  Who knew?

By the way, Marco Rubio brought the house down at the CPAC shindig last week.  The base loves him.  I would caution anyone to get too enamoured with a politician, lest they wind up like the Obamatons where they toss sense out the window.

Be that as it may, Rubio looks like a wonderful alternative to Crist thus far, and polls show that either one of them would handily defeat Obama handmaiden Rep. Kendrick Meek in the general election.

February 22, 2010 Posted by | Charlie Crist, Florida, Marco Rubio, polls | 4 Comments

Charlie Crist supports counting criminal immigrants in census

Friggin’ brilliant, Charlie.  You’re tanking now in a poll that you led by 30+% a couple of months ago, so you figured the best way to regain the lead in a conservative primary is…to shill for illegal immigrants?  Really?

I’m going to love casting my vote for Marco Rubio this summer.

February 3, 2010 Posted by | Charlie Crist, Florida, illegal immigration | 1 Comment

Crist flaming out in Florida Republican Senate primary

The primary is still about seven months from now, but it looks like Gov. Charlie Crist was a bit premature in his decision not to run for re-election as Florida’s governor.

He instead wanted to take his brand nationally, to the U.S. Senate.  Trouble is, though, that despite being well-funded and having a well-recognized name, his bromance with President Training Wheels has been his undoing.  As of today, Crist trails primary opponent Marco Rubio by 12%.

Obviously, a lot can change between now and then.  Crist is loaded with cash and notoriety.  However, Rubio has decided that RINO-hunting can pay off big time for him.  Regardless of who wins between Crist and Rubio, though, the seat looks to stay red, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

February 1, 2010 Posted by | Charlie Crist, Florida, Marco Rubio | 3 Comments

Obama bows to another head of state

And by “another head of state”, I obviously mean…the mayor of Tampa.

Seriously, B.O.?  Seriously???

January 31, 2010 Posted by | Florida, Obama, shameful | 2 Comments

Corrine Brown: “Go Gayta!”

UF grad and current embarrassment in the House (and possibly a candidate for U.S. Senate), Corrine Brown, on da pride dat she haz fo’ da Gayta winnin’ dey second B.S. title in football in three years:

“Go Gayta!” 

UF, you must be proud!  :lol:

August 8, 2009 Posted by | Florida, humor | 6 Comments

Mel Martinez to resign at the end of the month

Good riddance, Señor Amnesty.  Leave the pesos on the dresser on your way out for the screwjob you did to the party and the state.  Story here.

Looks like Gov. Crist will appoint a replacement (probably another RINO) to hold the spot until Crist wins it next year.  And make no mistake, Crist WILL win the seat next year.  Whether I like it or not, he’ll win the primary, if for no other reason than name recognition and funding.  Then he’ll beat either of the two black militants (be it embarrassments Corrine Brown or Kendrick Meek) considered Dem frontrunners in the general election.  Considering he’s a liberal Republican who loves himself some B.O., it won’t alter the makeup of the Senate in that regard.

August 7, 2009 Posted by | Charlie Crist, Florida, Mel Martinez | 4 Comments

Mel Martinez won’t run again in 2010

Hallelujah!  From The Hill:

Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in 2010, passing on what looked to be one of the most difficult reelection battles in the country.

Martinez, 62, has been saying for weeks that he intended to run again but would wait until January to make an announcement. Instead, he announced less than a month after the 2008 elections that he is passing on another term.
…
Democrats are searching for a candidate in the race. Among those being mentioned at this early stage are Reps. Allen Boyd, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Ron Klein, Robert Wexler and Kathy Castor, as well as state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink.

Bob Wexler?  Dude’s crazier than an Islamofascist at an S.I. Swimsuit Edition photoshoot!

I was dreading Senor Mel’s re-election, since I knew I wasn’t going to be voting for him.  His unwavering position on amnesty for criminal aliens was enough to turn me away from him.  This ought to give the GOP time to find a suitable candidate (though never underestimate the ability of the GOP to screw something up).  Maybe Gov. Crist, who I’d rather have out of our state and in D.C., would be an option.

Adios, Senor Mel Amnesty!  Don’t let la puerta hit you on the way out!

December 2, 2008 Posted by | Florida, illegal immigration, Mel Martinez | 5 Comments

Space shuttle launch

I guess I need to pay attention to the news more often.  Then again, considering the usual crap they pass off as news these days, mever mind.

Anywho, Space Shuttle Endeavour launched this evening.  I wasn’t aware of it until I was pulling into my neighborhood this evening and saw a huge bright orange flash light up the southeastern night sky.  Even living about three hours from Cape Canaveral, I was able to see the shuttle clearly.  That…was…cool!

November 14, 2008 Posted by | Florida, non-political | 4 Comments

Foley’s replacement facing his own sex scandal

From ABC News:

West Palm Beach Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-FL), whose predecessor resigned in the wake of a sex scandal, agreed to a $121,000 payment to a former mistress who worked on his staff and was threatening to sue him, according to current and former members of his staff who have been briefed on the settlement, which involved Mahoney and his campaign committee.

Mahoney, who is married, also promised the woman, Patricia Allen, a $50,000 a year job for two years at the agency that handles his campaign advertising, the staffers said.
…
The affair between Mahoney and Allen began, according to the current and former staffers, in 2006 when Mahoney was campaigning for Congress against Foley, promising “a world that is safer, more moral.”

The outrage at Mahoney from the left is about as loud as a gathering of Air America listeners (both of them).

From Matthew 5:7: “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”  May God be with Mahoney’s family through this personally tough time.

October 13, 2008 Posted by | Florida, hypocrisy, shameful | 4 Comments

Economics 101 for blue states

Two of the bluest states in the union, CA nd NY, have huge budget deficits and plan on addressing them by raising taxes.  Not the best approach, to say the least.  From WSJ:

Anyone who thinks the path to “fiscal discipline” is through higher taxes ought to look at the current budget spectacles in New York and California. The two liberal states have among the highest tax burdens in the country, yet both now find themselves with huge budget deficits and are debating still higher taxes to close the gap.

California has the highest state income tax rate in the country (10.3%), while New York State also has a high income tax rate (6.85%), with the combined state and city rate rising to 10.5% in New York City. Their overall government spending totals also happen to top the national charts. And, what do you know, California is $15 billion in the red this year while New York is trying to close a $6.4 billion 2009 budget hole, which budget expert E.J. McMahon of the Manhattan Institute expects to grow to $26 billion over three years.

California hasn’t even passed a budget yet, many weeks into the fiscal year. The Democrats in Sacramento have proposed a series of new taxes on businesses and individuals with incomes above $1 million. Their plan would raise the top income tax rate to 12%, which would be the highest in the nation. They would also repeal a tax law allowing businesses to carry forward losses against future profits.

…

A similar mess is playing out in Albany, where Assembly Democrats and Republicans have passed a budget with two added tax rates. Millionaires would face a one-percentage-point rate income tax hike (to 11.5% in New York City), while anyone making more than $5 million would get hit with another 0.85-point hike (to 12.35% in NYC). A new business tax of 4% would also apply to hedge fund managers.

And what happens to those vile, evil rich when you jack their taxes up even higher to fund the nanny state?  Well, they don’t like it very much…go figure!

The “progressives” who dominate politics in these states target the rich on grounds that they have the ability to pay. They also have the ability to leave. From 1997-2006, New York State lost 409,000 people (not counting foreign immigrants). For every two people who move into the state, three flee. Maybe the problem for New York is merely bad weather, not high taxes.

Except that sunny California is experiencing a similar exodus. Over the past decade 1.32 million more native-born Americans left the Golden State than moved in — despite beaches, mountains and 70-degree weather. Mostly the people who have fled are the successful, the talented and the rich.

I’m sure those numbers are simply inflated due to their large populations, right?  Nope.

If taxes don’t matter, then maybe someone can explain the divergent economic paths of California and New York and America’s two other most populous states, Florida and Texas. The latter two states have no personal income tax. Personal income has been growing about 50% faster in Florida and Texas than in California and New York. (See chart.) This year Texas became the No. 1 state for Fortune 500 corporate headquarters. About a dozen of those 58 corporations once called New York or California home, and taxes are one reason they departed.

Atlas is shrugging in CA and NY, and as long as the economically illiterate rubes continue running those states in the same way, the results will be the same.

Attention, liberals: The numbers don’t lie.

September 15, 2008 Posted by | big government, California, economic ignorance, Florida, New York, taxes, Texas | 4 Comments

Jax area church rejects $600k lottery tithe

I don’t get this.  From my own back yard:

After Robert Powell hit the Florida Lottery jackpot last month and took home more than $6 million, he thought of his church.

And he offered to drop his tithe, around $600,000, in the collection plate of First Baptist Orange Park.

But the church and Pastor David Tarkington politely declined and told Powell they will not accept the lottery winnings.

Many churches do not approve of the lottery and gambling but on the other hand Pastor Dr. Lorenzo Hall of the El-Beth-El Divine Holiness Church says $600,000 can do a lot of good.

“I’m against the lottery, but if one of my members won the lottery, I wish and I hope he would give 10% to the church, we could do a lot of things with that money,” says Hall.
…
First Baptist Orange Park Pastor David Tarkington would not say exactly why the church refused the money, saying only he didn’t want to talk about members’ gifts.

First of all, I am not familiar with any Biblical passage that makes a reference to “gambling”, so if any of you are aware of such a passage, please feel free to enlighten me.  I’m not an expert on all things related to Scripture, so I would not object to being more informed on the matter.

But gambling aside, we’re not exactly talking about ill-gotten gains here.  We are talking about a state-sponsored program that, in part, funds education.  We are also talking about a man who seems to have had his heart in the right place by parting with 10% of his $6 million prize (which God expects us to do).  I mean, $600k to a church is NOT small potatoes!  A lot of great work can be accomplished to glorify the Kingdom with that kind of jack.

If the church is rejecting the man’s tithe due to a hangu-up on gambling, then I think the church is overreacting.  What do you think?

August 15, 2008 Posted by | Florida, non-political | 11 Comments

Night and Day

Obama on August 1, 2008, in FL:

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said today he would be willing to open Florida’s coast for more oil drilling if it meant winning approval for broad energy changes.

“My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices,” Obama said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post.

Obama on July 30, 2008, in MO:

Now the latest scheme is well, we’re going to drill offshore. Now, I want to be absolutely clear to everybody about this. If I thought that I could provide you some immediate relief on gas prices by drilling off the shores of California and New Jersey, I – I … I understand how desperate folks are. I met a guy who couldn’t go on a job search that lost his job, couldn’t go on a job search because of the high price of gas. Just couldn’t fill up his tank. I met a teacher in South Dakota who loved her job as a teacher on an Indian reservation, she had to quit because the drive was too far, it was taking up too much of her paycheck. I know how bad people are hurting. So If I thought that by drilling offshore, we could solve our problem, I’d do it.

Checking the polls causes a “change in mind we can believe in”, doesn’t it?  That whole “judgment” thingy, I guess, drastically changes in a whopping two day window!.

August 2, 2008 Posted by | Florida, hypocrisy, Night and Day, Obama, oil | 1 Comment

Dems to get out the vote…among drunkards

When they aren’t earning the coveted endorsements from Death Row murderers, Democrats like to spend their time courting the Animal House Blutos of the world.  From Miami:

The Hollywood nightclub is dark and the music so loud that conversation means leaning into an ear and shouting. But the drinks are free until midnight, and anyway most in the upstairs room of Passion nightclub are dancing, not talking.

Still, Chris Chiari, a Democratic candidate for the Florida House of Representatives, mingles in the crowd, drink in hand, campaigning.

He shouts, by way of conversation: “This is real political action.”

This, to be exact, is Party Politics Inc. — the latest, but not the first or only effort to engage 20-somethings in politics by appealing to their inner party animal. …

Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life.  Unless you’re Ted Kennedy, in which case those traits serve you quite well.

July 28, 2008 Posted by | Florida, shameful | 2 Comments

Dem Congressman confuses American soldiers with Soviet soldiers

Freshman Dem Tim Mahoney, the guy who won pervert Mark Foley’s seat in ’06 and is in danger of losing the seat himself this November, isn’t helping his re-election cause too much, is he?  But a faux pas like this is certain to endear him to the nutroots.  From Red State:

Tim Mahoney, freshman Democrat Congressman from Florida, really, really loves the troops. Remember last March, when he responded to questions about whether or not the ‘surge’ in Iraq would work by famously saying “So what“? Well, forget it — Tim Mahoney loves the troops, and don’t you dare think otherwise.
…
Take a quick look at that mailpiece. Ignore, for a moment, the possibility that picture of the troops shown in uniform was taken in Iraq — something that would be quite the faux pas on a Democrat’s mailer “Honoring Those Who Defend Our Freedom,” since we’ve all been told for quite some time now that Iraq is the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and that it has nothing to do with “defending our freedom,” or anything else besides getting cheap-as-free oil and acting on Israel’s subliminal directives.
…
Look closely at his medals. As any American veteran can tell you, it’s as easy to spot the fact that those aren’t American medals as it is to tell the difference between, say, an M4 and an AK-47.

In particular, take a look at the top right medal in the gentleman’s array. Then, take a look at the image below at left. See a resemblance?

The medal is the “Order of the Patriotic War” — “an Order (decoration) of the Soviet Union,” which “was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the Great Patriotic War” [Auth. -- the Soviet designation for WWII].

The rest of the medals being worn by the gentleman on the mailer are identifiable as Soviet awards, as well.

The takeaway from this? Freshman “Blue Dog” Democrat Congressman Tim Mahoney, FL-16, loves the troops so much that neither he nor his staff could tell the difference between an American veteran and a former soldier in Iron Joe Stalin’s Red Army.

But hey, they “support the troops”, right?

July 1, 2008 Posted by | Florida, moonbats, shameful | 2 Comments

Liberal FL rag biting the dust

True, it’s not a total death, since the Palm Beach Post will still exist.  But one of only about four liberal fishwraps in Florida to endorse Tampa ambulance chaser Bill McBride in his massive loss to Jeb Bush in 2002 is having the axe drop on its newsroom.  Details:

It’s been a long time coming, but Palm Beach Post publisher Doug Franklin handed down the bad news today (thanks to Pulp readers for posting it). Bottom line:

– 300 jobs will be cut company-wide.
– 130 newsroom jobs will be cut.
– Buyouts are being offered to employees with at least five years vested in the pension plan.

This is worse than expected (100 newsroom jobs had been floated here a couple of times). It’s gut-wrenching. …

Couldn’t happen to a nicer birdcage liner!

June 26, 2008 Posted by | Florida, media bias | 2 Comments

Obama’s “judgment” alienates Cubans in FL

Hope and change and whatnot, right?  From Ed Morrissey:

Eric Holder continues to cast a long shadow over the Barack Obama campaign. The former deputy AG for the Clinton administration played a key role in perhaps the most scandalous presidential pardon ever, which Clinton issued to fugitive Marc Rich in the last hours of his presidency. His role in another pardon and in an international custody case has brought the Obama campaign under fire in Florida, where Elian Gonzalez is still seen as a victim of Janet Reno:

Eight years after the furor over the repatriation of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba possibly cost Al Gore the state of Florida in his 537-vote loss to George W. Bush, the international custody saga has returned to haunt another Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama.

With two top advisers who played key roles in the episode— Greg Craig, who represented Elian’s father in Cuba, and Eric Holder, then a Clinton administration deputy attorney general when federal agents stormed the Miami home of Gonzalez’ relatives to remove the then-six-year-old and return him to his father in Cuba—Obama now finds himself on the wrong side of an emotional issue in a battleground state.

The wound reopened again last week after Gonzalez returned to the headlines in South Florida following a report in a Cuban communist youth newspaper that he has joined Cuba’s Young Communist Union.

The Obama campaign had hoped to make inroads into the Cuban-American community in south Florida this year with a mix of new initiatives and tough talk on Cuba, but the presence of Craig and Holder has provoked anger instead, and not just among Republicans. Danny Diaz, the Democratic mayor of Miami but also the attorney for the Gonzalez family in the US, has so far refused to endorse Obama for the general election. Obama’s normally-adoring crowds get joined by dozens of protestors in Florida, angry at Obama’s inclusion of two men they see as tainted by the Gonzalez affair.
…
However, why Obama wants to associate himself twice over with one of the authors of that case seems beyond understanding. Holder has all sorts of baggage clinging to him like a Midwesterner and his Bible. Now that baggage has transferred to Obama, for no apparent good purpose. If this is the kind of decision-making we’ll continue to see with Obama, voters should wonder what “change” means.

Lemme guess: this isn’t the Eric Holder he knew, right?  Little wonder McCain has an 8% lead here.

June 24, 2008 Posted by | corruption, Florida, Obama, shameful | 4 Comments

Miami targeting good samaritans

I could have just as easily labeled this post “No good deed goes unpunished”, but the impact isn’t quite the same.  From South Flori-duh!:

A man who said he thought he was just helping a woman in need is accused of running an illegal taxi service.

Miami-Dade County’s Consumer Services Department has slapped Rosco O’Neil with $2,000 worth of fines, but O’Neil claims he is falsely accused.

“I ain’t running nothing illegal,” O’Neil said.

The 78-year-old said he was walking into a Winn-Dixie to get some groceries when he was approached by a woman who said she needed a ride.

“She asked me, ‘Do I do a service?’” O’Neil said. “I told her no. She said, ‘I need help getting home.’”

O’Neil told the woman if she was still there when he finished his shopping, he would give her a ride. She was, so he did.

As it turned out, the woman was an undercover employee with the consumer services department targeting people providing illegal taxi services.

“She said the reason she targeted him (is because) she saw him sitting in his car for a few minutes,” said Ellen Novodeletsky, O’Neil’s attorney. …

Moral of the story?  Don’t give elderly women on their feet a ride.  It’s not worth the hassle.

Look at the bright side: Miami must have finally solved its well-publicized drug, rape, murder, gang, and robbery problems and is looking for more stuff to safe its citizens from…right?

May 13, 2008 Posted by | big government, Florida | 2 Comments

Government school kudos

You all know how I hammer the government school system bureacracy and its unholy alliance with the teachers union (among its other flaws).  Well, never let it be said that I don’t salute them when they (or any of their board members) deserve it.  From Osceola County, FL:

Osceola county school board member Jay Wheeler isn’t making any apology for his email.

“I told the truth!” Wheeler said. We asked, “Did you at all think that might be insulting to some?”  Wheeler replied, “I thought it might be a wake up call and I think it’s something people want to say but were afraid too.’

A little more than a week ago, the Osceola County School District decided to implement school uniforms. Since then, he says parents have complained saying they can’t afford the new clothing.  He disagreed with parents and fired off an email to them saying:

“Everyone can afford Wal-Mart and if they cant they need to think about turning of their cable TV or stop buying alcohol or cigarettes and spend their money on their children.”

Oh my god! That was the response of Maria Quintana we she saw this letter. She was speechless. At first and then she finally found the words, “it is insulting. I have to go to school, I have a job and sometimes it’s really hard you have to struggle and to have them say something like that is really degrading.”

But Wheeler doesn’t care; he says its time for parents to focus on their kids. Saying it’s time to stop being politically correct and start being serious about education.

Finally adding, “I just told the truth and parents need to take responsibility and put their children first!” …

Amen, sir!  Way to go, Wheeler!

Here’s something else that needs to be said but rarely is: if you can’t afford children, don’t have children!  There…free advice, from CLOWNS (Crush Liberalism Objective World News Service)!

April 29, 2008 Posted by | Florida, public education | 2 Comments

Flori-duh! to ban bull’s nad replicas

Just when I thought we had already solved all problems in Florida, I see I was mistaken.

When we’re not busy humiliating ourselves with hanging chads and electile dysfunction, Florida decides to be a trendsetter in the solving the premier problems of the day.  From MSNBC:

They’re proudly displayed by any self-respecting bull, but dangling big metal ones on the back end of a truck could be banned in Florida.

Metal replicas of bull testicles have become trendy bumper ornaments in some parts of the Sunshine State, but state Sen. Carey Baker is campaigning to ban the orbs.

Baker acknowledged that Florida lawmakers have more pressing issues, including huge revenue shortfalls, but said the state needs to draw a line on what’s obscene before more objectionable adornments appear.

State Sen. Steve Geller argued against Baker’s bill.

“I find it shocking that we should be telling people that have the metallic bull testicles … you’re now going to have points on your license for this,” said Geller. …

Maybe the lawmakers are jealous because they lack ‘nads themselves.  Morons.

April 27, 2008 Posted by | bizarre, Florida | 9 Comments

Assaulting cops with beer bottles = “jobs Americans won’t do”

Criminal aliens at it again!  But hey, they’re just otherwise law-abiding criminals workers looking for a better life!  From central FL:

A Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy is recovering after being ambushed while making an arrest.

Investigators say Lake County Deputy Cliff McMikeenamy responded to a noise complaint near Long Acres Road in Sorento Sunday evening.  While on scene, the deputy said an unknown suspect threw a beer bottle at his patrol car.  McMikeenamy chased the suspect down and attempted to subdue him with a taser gun but before the deputy could secure the man, about a dozen other men attacked the deputy. “As he was securing the subject with his handcuffs, several other people here at the residence began attacking him.  They struck him repeatedly, began kicking him, and his injuries lead us to believe that one subject even struck him over the head with a beer bottle,” said Sergeant John Herrell from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputy McMikeenamy was transported to a Florida Hospital Waterman in Eustis and treated for cuts and bruises.

At least two men were taken into custody.  Authorities say the two who were apprehended have been identified as illegal immigrants.
They saved the best for last, didn’t they?

Hey, I’ve got an idea!  Maybe Juan McLame could pay them $50/hr to pick lettuce in AZ, so they’ll get the hell out of my state!

March 25, 2008 Posted by | Florida, illegal immigration | 3 Comments

FL government school teacher forces student to pee in a lunchbox

A double dose of “Flori-duh!” and “fun with government schools” this morning, my friends.  From Orange County, FL:

The teacher will not be coming to school. She will be relieved of her duty with pay as the school district investigates, officials said.

“If you gotta go, you gotta go,” student Quonterious Thomas told Eyewitness News in an interview Monday.

Thomas, 13, says his language arts teacher, Jameeka Chambers, gave him two options when he had to go to the bathroom at Meadowbrook Middle School in Orange County. She said he could wait until the end of class or use her lunchbox in the back of the classroom.

The sixth grader said he used her lunchbox.

“If I had waited any longer, I would have peed on myself and that would have been even more embarrassing,” Thomas said, adding that his entire class of 19 students and his teacher watched.

When Thomas told his mom, she said she didn’t believe it at first and later realized how traumatized he was.

“I have never, in all the days been living, ever heard about anything happening in all my life. This is a really big shocker for me,” said Shameka Bryant, Thomas’ mom.

Orange County Public Schools told Eyewitness News the claims are under investigation. The district has taken statements from students in the class, but has not spoken to the teacher.

Chambers has been out of town at an education conference in New Orleans. This is her first year on the job and her record is clean. (Not any more, it’s not! – Ed.)

“I’m seeking counseling for him, asking questions. What was the purpose? I want to know,” Bryant said.

Orange County Public Schools wouldn’t specifically comment about what happened. The district says teachers have to allow students to use the restroom. 

“Suspended with pay” = “vacation”, in my view.  This looks pretty open-and-shut to me.  If I’m the kid’s parent, I’m suing the everloving hell out of the school and I am demanding the teacher be fired.

Exit question #1: IF you’re going to make a kid use the bathroom in class, why use your own lunch box like the teacher did?

Exit question #2: What would she have done if the kid had to “drop the kids in the pool” instead of just “tapping a kidney”?

March 18, 2008 Posted by | Florida, public education | 10 Comments

FL has a fee-vah, and the only prescription is more TP

It’s official: my state has finally run out of problems to solve.  Once again, we’re putting the “duh!” in Floriduh.  Observe:

A proposed law currently making its way through the Florida legislature might help you with what can be an embarrassing problem. Here’s the bottom line, the bill would be a mandate that all eating establishment must have enough toilet paper when you go into the restroom.

The only problem is the bill doesn’t dictate how much toilet paper is “enough.”  (Awesome foresight, you idiot! – Ed.)

State Senator Victor Crist, a Republican from Tampa (no relation to the governor – Ed.), felt the problem was so important, a law must be passed to protect the backsides of anyone in Florida. The measure will also try to regulate the cleanliness of restrooms in eating establishments.

Crist, says in the bill, restaurant inspectors, “should also check the restrooms along with the kitchens to make sure that basic cleanliness necessities are in place.”

The Senate Regulated Industries Committee approved the bill, SB 836, on Monday. It has two more stops to go and as long as it’s not wiped out before then, it could then go to the Senate floor. A similar measure is currently awaiting passage by the House. 

Yes, my friends, this is at the state level.  Some state legislator had a bad experience when a restaurant didn’t have TP for his bungh0le, so he decides to use his position of power to address the problem.  Cornh0le.

Look, I detest gross public bathrooms as much as anyone does, but it seems that the proper remedy is to let the market work this out.  If enough people think an establishment’s lavatory is barely fit for rats, either the owner will correct the problem or watch business walk out the door and possibly go belly up.  Eventually, the problem gets solved.

Besides, if the government is going to get involved, why stop at restaurants?  Who among us hasn’t been to a gas station with horrendous bathrooms?  Gas stations, truck stops, rest stops, etc., all tend to have filthier conditions in their restrooms than do restaurants.  I guess had ol’ Vic got stuck on a bad bowl at the Quik Stop in Wildwood, his efforts would be directed towards that “end” (yes, pun intended).

March 13, 2008 Posted by | big government, Florida | 9 Comments

Putting the “duh” in “Floriduh”

From my state:

Millions of Americans in 24 states are turning out vote to in Super Tuesday presidential primaries from Georgia to Alaska today. Meanwhile, some dedicated if confused Florida voters are trying to, as well.

Elections offices across the state are reporting hundreds of calls from voters wanting to know where they can vote today. The answer is that Florida already had its presidential primary — last week.

“We’ve had over 100 calls at least over the last two days,” said Kathy Adams, a spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Election Supervisor.
…
One University of Central Florida political science professor speculates today’s confusion may reflect greater voter interest in this year’s presidential race. 

I’d say the voter interest couldn’t be that great if they didn’t know we voted last week!  Heck, you couldn’t turn on any local channel around here after 7:00 p.m. last week without being bombarded with election return data.  These are probably the same kinds of idiots who were confused by the butterfly ballot 8 years ago!

February 6, 2008 Posted by | Florida | 3 Comments

NH fishwrap: Hillary’s a liar

In other news, ice is cold.  From NH:

COURTING VOTERS in Iowa and New Hampshire, last August Sen. Hillary Clinton signed a pledge not to “campaign or participate” in the Michigan or Florida Democratic primaries. She participated in both primaries and is campaigning in Florida. Which proves, again, that Hillary Clinton is a liar…

Clinton coldly and knowingly lied to New Hampshire and Iowa. Her promise was not a vague statement. It was a signed pledge with a clear and unequivocal meaning.

She signed it thinking that keeping the other candidates out of Michigan and Florida was to her advantage, but knowing she would break it if that proved beneficial later on. It did, and she did.

New Hampshire voters, you were played for suckers. 

If anyone didn’t think that Shrillary was a filthy liar, then I’ve got some swampland to sell them.

It matters not that Her Highness is as morally bankrupt as her hubby.  She’ll get votes simply because she (presumably) has a vagina, as Ugly Betty has shown us.  If there’s any comedy gold to be had here, it’s Jean-Francois Heinz-Kerry (who is rumored to have served in Vietnam) rapping the Hildebeast for…I couldn’t make this up if I tried…flip-flopping on her Florida pledge!

you-decide-2008_fnc_hrcfl-_1__0001.jpg
It depends on the meaning of the word “Florida”!

January 30, 2008 Posted by | Florida, Hillary, shameful | 6 Comments

FL had a “closed” primary?

In my state, you are only allowed to vote in party primaries if you are a registered voter of that party.  I used to be registered as an independent and then a Libertarian, until the election of 1996.  I wanted to vote for Steve Forbes in the primary, but Bob Dole was selected.  It was at that time I registered as a Republican, just so I could vote in primaries.

Yesterday, Juan McAmnesty won in FL’s primary, which is supposed to be a closed primary.  I have to wonder just how “closed” it really is, after seeing this…

In northern Coral Springs, near the Sawgrass Expressway and Coral Ridge Drive, David Nirenberg arrived to vote as an independent. Nevertheless, he said poll workers insisted he choose a party ballot.

“He said to me, ‘Are you Democrat or Republican?’ I said, ‘Neither, I am independent.’ He said, ‘Well, you have to pick one,”’ Nirenberg said.

In Florida, only those who declare a party are allowed to cast a vote in that party’s presidential primary.

Nirenberg said he tried to explain to the poll worker that he should not vote on a party ballot because of his “no party affiliation” status.

Nirenberg said a second poll worker was called over who agreed that independents should not use party ballots, but said they had received instructions to the contrary.

“He said, ‘Ya know, that is kind of funny, but it was what we were told.’ … I was shocked when they told me that.” Nirenberg said he went ahead and voted for John McCain. 

…and this:

One breakout that puzzles me though is the vote share by party identification.  Romney and McCain were tied among Republicans at 33-33, while McCain won independents 44-23.  (See page 4 of the exit poll.)

FlexitpollIf I’m reading the poll correctly, it suggests 17% of Republican primary voters identified themselves as having no major party affiliation, while 3% identified themselves as registered Democrats. 

I’m not much on conspiracy theories, so I won’t dwell on this.  I do wonder, though, that if all the polls that show how the base is p#ssed at McLame are true, how did he win in a “closed” primary?  I mean, NH and SC are both open primaries, meaning that “indepedents” can vote in them (and indies love themselves some Johnny Mac).  But FL?  I’m still trying to figure that one out.

Anywho, pardon my pessimism, but I think Juan’s got the nomination wrapped up.  Schmuckabee’s done, but he probably won’t throw in the towel like Rudy did this morning.  Rudy seems to be backing McAmnesty.  Super Tuesday will feature a lot of Southern states, and the South by and large doesn’t seem too keen on Romney (from MA).  Delegate-heavy California also votes next Tuesday, and Juan’s doing quite well out there, too.  Ugh…I need a drink.

January 30, 2008 Posted by | Florida, Huckabee, McCain, Romney, Rudy | 9 Comments

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