For the past few years AdventHealth has made free ECGs a voluntary part of student athletes’ physical. Tuesday evening the Flagler County School Board is voting on whether to make ECGs mandatory. Three board members–Will Furry, Sally Hunt, Christy Chong–are opposed. They say an ECG should be a parent’s choice. They’ve wrapped the issue under the banner of “parental rights,” as if ECGs were the same as masking during Covid, or whether to teach kids sex-ed. Their reasoning is flawed, and may cost lives.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, September 16, 2024
The East Flagler Mosquito Control District Board and the County Commission meet (separately), the empty space of the Flagler Playhouse, the uncertainty principle explained by Stephen Hawking.
Conservative Opponents of DEI May Not Be as Colorblind as They Claim
Critics of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, commonly referred to by the acronym DEI, are increasingly using boycotts and bans to fight against their use. People often argue that this anti-DEI backlash is motivated by race-neutral concerns – for example, that DEI practices are irrelevant to work performance or are too political. But research suggests that conservative critiques of DEI often boil down to one thing: anti-Black racism.
Donald Trump’s ‘Weaves’ of Incoherence
We are truly blessed in the oratory department this political season with Donald J. Trump; we are perched on the Parnassus of campaign discourse. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it. If Samuel Beckett were alive (which he isn’t) he would be in awe of some of Trump’s monologues with their startling juxtapositions and its Dadaist energy.
WTF Presents: Inside Project 2025: A Blueprint for America’s Future?
Work Together Flagler, an emerging grass-roots organization by women formed to discuss the issues confronting voters in 2024–also known by its acronym, WTF–is sponsoring “Inside Project 2025: A blueprint for America’s future?” a free presentation by Dr. Michael Butler, Kenan Distinguished Professor of History at Flagler College, at 6 p.m. Oct. 2 at the VFW Post 8696 at 47 Old Kings Road in Palm Coast.
Florida’s Write-In ‘Loophole’ Disenfranchised 2 Million Voters in August. Why Aren’t Lawmakers Fixing It?
Florida has just had party primaries in which an estimated 2 million eligible residents were barred from voting in some state and local races by an indefensible little gimmick commonly known as the “write-in loophole.” It’s a legal fiction both parties refuse to fix because, every now and then, it comes in handy for them.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, September 15, 2024
ESL Bible Studies for Intermediate and Advanced Students, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, the DEA’s drug museum and the futility of the war on drugs, with a few words from “The New Jim Crow”‘s Alexander.
Could Taylor Swift’s Endorsement Make a Difference?
Research shows that celebrity political endorsements don’t matter enough to determine an election’s results. Political campaigns seek them out because they still do matter and for many different reasons. Celebrities can easily get media attention, act as campaign surrogates, expand the voter base and make campaign contributions. All these things can help a candidate win.
Democrats Want More Transparency as Vouchers Subsidizing Private Schools Hit State Budget
Florida House Democrats are calling for the state to make public school choice scholarship data and budget plans–the private school vouchers paid with public tax dollars–as the programs grow. A similar issue arose in Flagler County, where School Board member Colleen Conklin complained about the district’s finance administration not disclosing the local number of taxpayer vouchers diverting tax dollars from the district budget, which this year exceed $10 million.
Opponents of Abortion Rights Are Using Suppression Tricks and Disinformation to Derail Ballot Initiatives
In Florida, the state health agency launched a “Florida is Protecting Life” website earlier this month that says Florida’s abortion amendment “threatens women’s safety” and warns voters, “Don’t let the fearmongers lie to you.” The site makes several other unsubstantiated claims, including that the amendment would lead to unregulated and unsafe abortions.