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Diane Roberts

DeSantis Rewards Friends With Appointments. Experience Must Wait.

January 28, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

He is rewarding friends. (Ron DeSantis/Flickr)

Gov. Ron DeSantis’s appointments are a pile of mismatches in critical state agencies so far, reflecting a normal if immoral right of passage in Tallahassee, writes Nancy Smith.

Transgender Ban in Military Is About Bigotry and Distraction, Not Readiness or Cost

January 24, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 17 Comments

Trump is using the ban purely to provoke the left, throw red meat to his base, and distract us all from the real issues in our nation, like the government shutdown.

The Cruelty of the GOP’s Kavanaugh Charade

September 27, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 61 Comments

A few of us posted about sexual assault in general or about our own past assaults on our Facebook pages. Then the private messages began. The details are painful to talk about.

Why Women Don’t Report Sexual Assault

September 23, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 40 Comments

That urge to discredit accusers of sexual assault like Christine Blasey Ford is exactly why it takes so long for some to come forward in the first place.

Party Split or Not, Republicans Using George Soros to Smear Other Republicans Is Offensive

August 22, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Roped-in again: George Soros. (Central European University)

The GOP primary that has degraded into absurd name-calling pits tea-party-backed Scott Sturgill against conservative Mike Miller in the Edgewood, Orlando, and Winter Park area.

Behind Scott’s Executive Order Protecting Public Beach Access: New Law’s Confusing Signals

July 15, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

beach prohibitions

A new law that could potentially restrict public access to beaches prompted an executive order from Gov. Scott that echoes an ordinance Flagler passed last month.

Beyond Donation of 25 FHP Used Cars to Puerto Rico, an Island’s Policing in Crisis

June 13, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Puerto Rico-bound. (Governor's Office)

Puerto Rico right now is all about a cattle pen of system failures — but one of the most important is its broken and bleeding law enforcement structure.

White Supremacist Teacher Dayanna Volitich Mustn’t Be Returned to the Classroom

March 14, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 29 Comments

Dayanna Volitich

Try to imagine you’re a non-white student in Volitich’s social studies class. What do you do with this new information about your teacher’s “white superiority”?

Democrats, ‘Party of Intellectuals,’ Have a Second-Amendment Blind Spot

February 28, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 19 Comments

muskets of capt. john parker second amendment

Americans possesses an unalienable and inherent right of self-defense, a lawfully armed citizenry is a free citizenry, and no government has merited the total trust of its people.

Campus ‘Free Speech’ Bill Is A Litigation Nightmare in the Making

February 8, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

What would Louis Brandeis say? (Brandeis University)

The inappropriately named “Campus Free Expression Act,” approved Tuesday by a 7-4 vote of the Florida Senate Education Committee, would offer students about as much freedom as a prison yard.

Address Florida’s Deadly Rail Crossings Now, During 2018 Session

January 23, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

There were 105 deaths in six years on more than 350 miles of Florida East Coast Railway tracks, which run through Bunnell, above. (© FlaglerLive)

Between 2011 and 2017, there were a total of 105 deaths on more than 350 miles of Florida East Coast Railway tracks, which also run through Bunnell. A rail safety bill needs legislative support.

Florida’s Cold Shoulder to Trump

November 26, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 15 Comments

trump maralago

The first holiday weekend Donald Trump brought his presidency home to Mar-A-Lago was a true come-to-Jesus lesson in business loss and lifestyle chaos for locals.

Stop Playing The National Anthem At Sports Events

October 11, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 40 Comments

There's a place and time. This isn;t it. (© FlaglerLive)

The anthem is being used to make statements that reflect anger and divisiveness instead of pride, but primarily so because it’s being performed where it shouldn’t be, argues Nancy Smith.

Making Democrats Great Again: It’s Going To Take A While

June 27, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

She's not the Democrats' only frequent flier toward sunset. (Hillary for America)

No wonder Republican leaders think they can get away with almost anything. They do because they can, argues Nancy Smith, and because Democrats’ absent strategy lets them.

The Coming Assault on America’s National Monuments

May 25, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Yellowstone's Old Faithful keeps its promises. The federal government, spurred by Donald Trump, may not.

President Trump is on track to throw away part of our national heritage, remove some national monument protections to make way for mining corporations and other extractive industries to operate there.

Go Ahead, Gov. Scott, Veto This Bad Education Bill in Good Conscience

May 23, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

florida legislature education

Gov. Scott has said he wants to sign only bills that are good for Florida families. This one is not. Its process was particularly dishonest — something even committed conservatives should disown when they look at it up close.

Senate President Joe Negron’s Shabby Response to Repeat Offender Frank Artiles

April 25, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

joe negron frank artiles

Even now Artiles doesn’t get it, and seemingly neither does Negron–they don’t understand how ugly racially charged language is to all people of good will, but especially when it comes from a state senator.

No, Attorney General Sessions, Pot Is Not “Only Slightly Less Awful” Than Heroin

March 22, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

jeff sessions pot myths

Pot is a relatively mild and harmless drug compared to deadly, addictive heroin. Treating users like criminals is a threat to their safety — and so is perpetuating the lie that some drugs are no less harmful than others, writes Jill Richardson.

On the Sad Prospect of CFO Jeff Atwater, Rare Government Royalty, Leaving Tallahassee

February 21, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Jeff Atwater, left, and his representative in the Flagler region, Patrick Juliano. (Patrick Juliano)

It’s going to feel strange without Jeff Atwater’s steady hand and keen mind in the Florida Capitol, writes Nancy Smith of a the state’s Chief Financial Officer, who is resigning to take a post at Florida Atlantic University.

Beyond Tweet Storms: What Trump Could Learn from Alexander Hamilton

December 5, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

hamilton donald trump

Hamilton wanted a strong central government. He advocated taxation. He took these positions for practical reasons, not because he was a flaming liberal, argues Jill Richardson.

Sorry, I Can’t Give Trump a Chance

November 29, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 27 Comments

Donald Trump at nightfall. (Tony Webster)

Our democracy is too important to play nice with a man who campaigned on undermining it, argues Jill Richardson: “We already have evidence that Trump does absolutely everything he can get away with.”

Bias Backlash: How The Media Propelled Donald Trump to the White House

November 17, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 30 Comments

trump media nancy smith

Over the last full year of nothing else on news channels but round-the-clock Trumpbusters, the true independents viewing at home were quietly making up their minds, working up from annoyance to a slow seethe, writes Nancy Smith.

Donald Trump Through the Eyes of a Survivor of Emotional Abuse

October 26, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 31 Comments

donald trump emotional abuse

Emotional abuse can be hard to pinpoint when you’re the one being abused. So Donald Trump has just provided us all with a valuable service by demonstrating before a live TV audience what emotional abuse looks like in action, writes Jill Richardson.

Early Voting: A Dissent

October 15, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

early voting dissent nancy smith

Early voting gives political parties and special interests a chance to manipulate, to lock up blocs of votes in advance of Election Day and to keep opposition parties and candidates from offering another viewpoint, argues Nancy Smith.

If Trump Ever Had My Vote, He Just Lost It

October 2, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 36 Comments

donald trump cuba embargp

If Trump secretly conducted business in communist Cuba while Fidel Castro was its president, the Republican presidential nominee should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, not elected to the highest office in the land.

Trump-Bashing’s Indictment as Americans’ Trust in Mainstream Media Sinks to a New Low

September 19, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

Covering Trump’s contradictory and rash statements is one thing. That’s the media’s job. But there isn’t a commentator or an anchor on CNN who doesn’t wear a Clinton heart on his or her sleeve. With 53 days to go before the election, they’ve even stopped trying to hide it.

Who’s Afraid of Gary Johnson? Let Him Join the Debates

September 8, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

gary johnson debates nancy smith

The Libertarian Party is on the ballot in all 50 states. For that reason, Gary Johnson should be on that debate stage because he is an alternative available to the entire nation, argues Nancy Smith.

Obama Should Tell the Truth About the American Economy

September 4, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 23 Comments

obama economy nancy smith

The president and everybody in his administration really must stop talking about how much better off we are today than we were eight years ago. Here is the disastrous truth.

‘Iransom’: Sorry, Mr. President, It’s a Hard Story to Let Go

August 9, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

iransom cash ransom nancy smith

Nancy Smith says she’s thought about what she calls “the ransom scandal” every day since a report on how President Obama secured the release of four Americans held hostage by the Iranians by flying in $400 million in cash “to buy them back.”

For LGBT, Always That Target on Their Backs

June 14, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

lgbt orlando massacre

It turns out shooter Omar Marteen may have been motivated by both homophobia and Islamic radicalism. That should not come as a surprise, writes Nancy Smith.

When Bernie Sanders Mirrors Donald Trump

May 23, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

bernie sanders

The same Democratic candidate who decried Donald Trump for condoning violence in North Carolina in March turned right around and did the same thing in Nevada when his rally devolved into chaos. He condoned it.

Homeschooling: Not So Eccentric Anymore

April 26, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

homeschooling florida

The number of American K–12 children educated at home increased from 1.09 million in 2003 to 1.77 million in 2012. That means they make up 3.4 percent of the nation’s school population.

How the Florida Legislature Turned Police Radios Into $7 Million in Rotten Sausages

March 14, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

police radios legislature

In a case with echoes in Flagler, experience pokes a hole in the Florida House speaker’s argument that first responders on the state system “need” radios, even though they didn’t ask for them.

Legislature Tells Florida’s Horse Farmers to Find a New Business

February 10, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

horse farms florida legislature

Florida horsemen are screwed, argues Nancy Smith: Only a miracle can save the $1.2 billion Florida horse racing industry they represent. Their bane: the Florida Legislature.  

A Problem for Enterprise Florida and Gov. Rick Scott: Bill Johnson

December 16, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

enterprise florida

Just what the governor doesn’t need: a reason for lawmakers to blow raspberries at his budget request for Enterprise Florida Inc. (EFI). As it happens, they might have their reason. His name is Bill Johnson.

Florida Gibberish: Subbing Computer Coding For Foreign Languages Is Idea of a Yahoo

December 8, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

computer coding languages florida l;egislature

The bill in the Florida Legislature by an ex-Yahoo executive wanting to push computer science at the expense of foreign languages would worsen education, not improve it.

Should Government Censor Offensive Speech? 40% of Millennials Say Yes. That’s a Problem.

November 29, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 33 Comments

george carlin free speech

Surprisingly, the Pew survey finds nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans saying government should be able to stop speech against minorities. Independents are in the middle.

Conservatives Should Be Leading the Charge to Accept Syrian Refugees. We Have No Choice.

November 21, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 42 Comments

syrian refugees gop demonization republicans conservatives nancy smith

Doesn’t American exceptionalism demand that we lead where others have neither the will nor the courage? We have no choice. America gives sanctuary to those fleeing persecution, argues Nancy Smith. This is what we do and who we are. We’re the good guys.

Charlie Crist and His Convertible Wedding Dress: Perfect Fits for Washington

October 24, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

charlie crist at stetson

Based on all he’s done in the past, having gone from Chain Gang Charlie to Populist Charlie the freshman congressman is going to be a go-to guy for all the blues on the Hill, writes Nancy Smith.

Florida’s Clergy Did Not Need More Protection from Gays. They Don’t Bite.

October 11, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 25 Comments

gay marriage and clergy in Florida law

Florida lawmakers in each chamber are plowing ahead with bills to protect the religious freedoms of lawsuit-fearing clergy in case the U.S. Constitution doesn’t. It’s entirely unnecessary, argues Nancy Smith.

How Does Lawbreaking Kim Davis Get to Keep Her Job?

September 22, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 29 Comments

kim davis lawbreaker

The law of the land isn’t an item on an a la carte menu from which elected officials can pick and choose, argues Nancy Smith, who says Kim Davis should have been removed from office by the governor.

Federal Bureaucracy Is the Monster Killing the Florida Everglades

September 15, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

everglades bureaucracy nancy smith

Federal regulations keep water from flowing south into Everglades National Park, where it could save a freshwater-dependent ecosystem dying of thirst, argues Nancy Smith.

Florida’s New Drone Law, Restricting “Surveillance,” Is a Gift to Personal Injury Lawyers

September 1, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

drones lawsuits florida surveillance law

Like medical marijuana, there’s an entrepreneurial rush to get in on the drone business, but states like Florida have been stumbling their way to legislation., argues Nancy Smith.

In Defense of Megyn Kelly

August 10, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

megyn kelly donald trump tweets

Megyn Kelly deserves conservatives’ admiration, not their disdain, for leveling the sort of tough questions at Donald Trump and other candidates that should be asked of any presidential hopefuls, argues Nancy Smith.

Reporter Kicked Out: When Public Officials Abuse Florida’s Sunshine Law, With Lawmakers’ Blessing

July 22, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

lakeside medical center nancy smith

A “health district” run by public officials closes a public meeting under a bogus exemption to the Sunshine law, and gets a blank check to secretly talk about whatever it wishes, though it affects public policy.

Memo to GOP Candidates: Why Conservatives Should Embrace Gay Marriage Decision

July 10, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

same sex gay marriage conservatives presidents

As a conservative who has always supported gay marriage, it’s difficult for Nancy Smith to understand why so many people of her generation — the ones who grew up witnessing some of the worst discrimination of the 20th century — could consistently rage against it.

In Donald Trump, Democrats Have a “Very Useful Idiot”

July 7, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 49 Comments

donald trump gop nancy smith

Republicans have an image problem. And it gets worse when somebody like Trump exacerbates the problem when he called Mexicans rapists.

Florida’s Nature Conservancy Gets It:
It’s About Land Management

June 18, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

the nature conservancy florida

Most Florida environmental groups this special session made a lot of noise and spent a lot of money, but came away empty-handed and unhappy. Not The Nature Conservancy.

The War on Women, Cont’d: Enough with Mandatory Vaginal Exams, Florida

June 10, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

antiquity speculum war on women reproductive rights vaginal exams

It’s not enough that in 2011 our Legislature passed a draconian law forcing women to schedule, pay for, and look at an ultrasound of their fetus if they choose to exercise their right to an abortion.

Lawmakers Preparing A Disastrous Overhaul of Florida High School Athletics Ahead

May 18, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

florida high school athletics bill

Not a high school in the state of Florida sees anything but disaster in proposed legislation that would overhaul the Florida High School Athletic Association, for good reason, argues Nancy Smith.

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