White supremacy can also wear a business suit on Wall Street. Of the top five Wall Street firms, the highest level decision makers are 86 percent white. That’s no coincidence.
Guest Columns
The Brutality Behind Trump’s Arpaio Pardon
The president called Joe Arpaio, a man who chronically violated people’s constitutional rights, a “patriot.” What does that make his victims?
Mitt Romney: “There May Commence An Unraveling of Our National Fabric”
In forceful terms, the former GOP p[residential nominee calls on Donald Trump to apologize and denounce white supremacists and other racists without equivocation or equivalencies.
Patriotic Millionaire: There’s No ‘Free Market’ Solution to Health Care
Republican leaders claim they want affordable access to quality health care for all. It can’t be done by lowering taxes on businesses and the rich and letting the market run it all.
There’s No Good Reason for Your Boss to Make 347 Times What You Do
It’s business executives through outsized CEO pay — not movie stars, professional athletes, or heiresses — who grabbed the dollars that once flowed to the American worker.
Elections Supervisor’s Plea to Flagler Voters: Stay Registered Despite Commission’s Data Grab
In an open letter to Flagler County’s registered voters, Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart says the federal commission’s data grab through the state should not diminish their trust in the system.
America First and Trump’s Word Wars
While other countries try to work together to solve problems and continue to lead on global progress, we’ll get left behind chanting “America First,” argues Olivia Alperstein.
The Problem with Dividing
‘Good Muslims’ from ‘Bad Muslims’
The “good Muslims” support those “war on terror” policies that result in the expansion of violence against mostly innocent people. The “bad ones” don’t — and are called terrorists.
50 Years Later, Israel’s Attack on the USS Liberty Still Provokes Unsettling Conclusions
On June 8, 1967, during the Arab-Israeli war, Israeli jets and gunships attacked the USS Liberty in the Mediterranean, killing 34 Americans. Israel called it an accident. Survivors doubt it to this day.
The Coming Assault on America’s National Monuments
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.
School Board Veto Call to Scott: “Legislators Didn’t Follow Basic Tenets We Teach Students in 7th Grade Civics”
The Flagler County School Board complete letter to Gov. Rick Scott asking him to veto an education bill that would “shortchange” Flagler County students. The bill was passed at the last minute with little discussion.
House Bill 7069 Will Change Education in Flagler For Generations, Not For the Better
Flagler County School Board Chairman Trevor Tucker explains his opposition to a massive education bill, focusing on the bill’s preferential treatment of charter schools at the expense of traditional public schools.
Trump, You Bombed Syria Because You Care. Now Get Rid of the Muslim Ban in Any Form.
Both versions of that order, now held up in the courts, would have indefinitely banned all migration from Syria — and suspended refugee resettlement from everywhere.
Trump Steps Up Bombing in Iraq, Civilians Die
More U.S. coalition strikes are now causing civilian casualties than strikes by Russia, which was loudly and appropriately accused of war crimes for its bombing of Aleppo, Syria last year.
No, Attorney General Sessions, Pot Is Not “Only Slightly Less Awful” Than Heroin
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.
A Country Unbecoming In the Age of Trump
Immigrants targeted for prosecution or removal could be the people who built your house, picked the fruit for your breakfast, and tidied up the hotel room where you last stayed.
Ron DeSantis’s First Principle: Do Harm
Obamacare repealer Rep. Ron DeSantis, whose congressional district includes Flagler, has a solution for cancer patients without insurance: the emergency room. A few corrections are in order.
Remembering John Hankinson Jr., Towering Force in Environmental Protection in Flagler and Elsewhere
John Hankinson Jr., a long-time resident of Summer Haven just north of Marineland, had been an EPA Regional administrator and had headed a post-Deepwater Horizon spill task force. He was a frequent performer in the local musical scene as Johnny Matanzas.
Don’t Fall For False Tone of Moderation in Trump’s Fact-Challenged Speech to Congress
Some pundits and lawmakers applauded Trump for this “presidential” moment. Tone aside, however, the substance of the speech doesn’t diverge from Trump’s radical nationalist extremism, argues Peter Certo.
Legislating Free Speech on Florida’s College Campuses? Not So Fast.
A Legislative committee pondered on proposed legislation called the Campus Free Speech Act. Stanley Kurtz, a conservative academic, told lawmakers the measure would defend the right for people to speak their minds at the state’s universities.
Travel Ban Sham By The Numbers: Trump Is Inventing Refugees’ Threat to National Security
Contrary to President Trump’s factually misleading claims, a rational evaluation of his travel ban indicates its measures would have virtually no effect on improving U.S. national security.
Three Ways Forward on Enacting Florida Voters’ Medical Marijuana Mandate
Former Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre, just back from a state conference on medical marijuana, argues how and why to move ahead with consumer- and patient-centered regulation.
Don’t Play Into Trump’s Hands on the Muslim Ban
Dina El-Rifai, a Muslim woman, writes of being terrified, heartbroken, and outraged by Donald Trump’s “Muslim ban.” But, she notes, The Obama administration’s wars were often justified through the demonization and dehumanization of Muslims.
Trump On Your Side? Repealing Obamacare Is a Tax Break For Rich at Poors’ Expense
If Obama’s health law is reversed, taxes will go down for the rich and up for the poor, while millions lose coverage. It is redistribution for the wealthy.
Palm Coast’s New Founders:
Steven Nobile’s Multi-Generational Vision
Inspired by the muti-generational households he knew in Brooklyn, N.Y., Councilman Steven Nobile sees a Palm Coast where young families raise children, have plenty of work opportunities, and retire all in place.
Palm Coast’s New Founders:
Nick Klufas Trains Vigilant Eyes on the City
In his picture of Palm Coast for the next four years, City Councilman Nick Klufas lays out his goals for a city with better cell coverage and emergency communications, among other needs.
Palm Coast’s New Founders:
Heidi Shipley On Safety, Seniors and Youths
From the eyes and ears of neighborhood watch groups to programs for youths and the elderly, Palm Coast City Council member Heidi Shipley envisions the best the city has to offer in the third of five articles on the future by council members.
Palm Coast’s New Founders:
Milissa Holland On the Continuity of Change
In the first of five articles by each member of the Palm Coast City Council, Mayor Milissa Holland imagines the city four years from now, seeing a more developed and vibrant but equally serene city to live in.
Pier Repairs, 52 Dune Walkovers, A1A: Flagler Beach Manager Newsom’s Post-Hurricane Status Report
Among other plans, Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom wants the city to have the longest pier in Florida, but getting there will take a while yet as he updates all repair plans.
Why a Seawall in Flagler Beach Could Harm Sea Turtles and Violate the Law
Flagler Beach’s situation on the ground has changed enough between Hurricane Matthew and recent findings about sea turtles that state transportation department construction plans should be rethought in light of those developments, argues Chad Boda.
Florida Ethics Commission Chairman Decries Vote to Eliminate Office of Congressional Ethics
If the Florida Commission on Ethics did not exist, its chairman argues, thousands of ethical violations and trespasses of good government would occur, continuing to diminish what little trust the people have left in government.
Eroding Florida’s Checks and Balances, One Bill at a Time
A Florida Republican lawmaker’s proposal to give the Legislature the power to invalidate any court’s decision would upend centuries of precedent and make a mockery of a balance of powers, argues Ben Hogarth.
Knowing When To Shut Up: What Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins Could Teach Politicians
Had LeRoy Collins spoken of some things in public as he did privately, he’d be remembered not as Florida’s greatest governor but as a failure who was voted out after serving only the last two years of a deceased predecessor’s term.
Where Flagler’s Democrats Go From Here: A Roadmap to Reclaiming Relevance
It’s time now to turn anger and disappointment into resolve, into commitment, into action, argues Mike Cocchiola, whose five-point plan proposes a way forward for Flagler County Democrats.
Sheriff Manfre: Against Tribalism
In a call against the fracturing of society into self-interested groups, Sheriff Jim Manfre argues for the importance of resisting the worst of the tribal instincts roused by the last election.
Seizing on Orlando Murder Case, Justice Breyer Asks Court to “Reconsider Constitutionality of Death Penalty”
Justice Stephen Breyer characterized the death penalty as cruel and unusual in light of the case of Henry Sireci, 68, who’s been on Florida’s Death Row for 40 years and has yet again been cleared for execution.
Beyond Tweet Storms: What Trump Could Learn from Alexander Hamilton
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.
In Saint Augustine, A Dead Priest Pleads for the Life of His Killer
Father Rene Robert, who was murdered, signed the Declaration of Life in 1995: it is wrong for the state to take the life of a convicted criminal, no matter how vile the crime, and no matter how innocent the victim.
Sorry, I Can’t Give Trump a Chance
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.”
How The Electoral College Mistrusts Voters
That flaw is the Electoral College. For the fourth time in our history, and the second in 16 years, it has given the presidency to the candidate who polled fewer votes — 2 million fewer in this case — than his principal rival.
School Board Chairman Colleen Conklin On the Trump Election: “Words Matter”
In light of the swastika incident at Palm Coast’s Imagine School and many other hurtful or vile statements during the election campaign, the school board chairman calls on local leaders to denounce messages that erode trust and respect.
The Future of Civil Rights is Up To the Supreme Court
Based on the list of judges Donald Trump has said he would consider for nomination, our civil rights could be in real jeopardy with a Trump presidency, argues Mary Frances Berry.
Amendment 2: Medical Marijuana Through the Eyes and Suffering of Those Who Need It Most
For two years Palm Coast’s Jennifer Kaczmarek, the artist-photographer, has followed 10 families struggling with debilitating illnesses that only marijuana alleviate. They plead for Amendment 2, the proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize medicinal marijuana.
Those Double-Digit Health Insurance Rate Hikes in Florida? Blame State GOP.
Sen. Bill Nelson, once Florida’s insurance commissioner, reminds residents that it was the Republican state Legislature that stripped the office of insurance regulation of the authority to approve, modify or reject rate hikes by health insurance companies, thus leading to current, unacceptable rate hikes.
Donald Trump Through the Eyes of a Survivor of 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.
Your Election Will Not Be “Rigged”
Flagler Elections Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart Explains
Flagler County Elections Supervisor puts to rest any fear or claim that the Nov. 8 election may be rigged, that fraudulent votes may be cast, or that dead people will be voting locally.
The Best and Worst Presidents on Taxes
Ronald Reagan was among the worst–and the best–when it came to tax fairness, Teddy Roosevelt isn’t given enough credit, but a majority of American presidents did little by way of making the tax code fairer. It’s often been the opposite, argues Sarah Anderson.
Looking past the Obvious in Trump-Clinton I: Voters May Decide a Different Outcome
We have to reconsider what we thought we saw Monday night and discover how it played where it mattered, in counties such as those in western Pennsylvania, and those clustered along Interstate 4 in Florida. These, more than elite opinion-spinners clustered along our deep-blue coasts, will decide the Nov. 8 outcome, argues Tom Jackson.
The Climate Change Debate is Over: Seas and Temperatures Are Rising Dangerously
Increasing major storms and rising sea levels have long been predicted by climate models, and now they’re coming true. Time for deniers to concede defeat and become part of the solution, argues Todd Larsen.
Gov. Scott’s Office of Open Government Barricades Itself
Florida once had one of the toughest sunshine laws in the country, and people were proud of that. But it’s no longer the case. Transparency has given way to talk–and barricades.