Donald Trump is rewriting the rules of politics, of time and of the English language, but the resulting explosions are as false a dawn as those of nuclear blasts.
Commentary
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.
Not My President
Renouncing Donald Trump is the conservative thing to do if one’s allegiance is to the rule of law, to American democratic institutions, to unobstructed law enforcement and to transparency and accountability.
La Différence
France’s Answer To Trumpism: Non, Merci
Emmanuel Macron’s election as President of France Sunday repudiates angry, anti-democratic tribalism represented by Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump. But it’s only a qualified win.
Senate President Joe Negron’s Shabby Response to Repeat Offender 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.
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.
Goons With Guns, Sheriff Edition
A Florida sheriff’s ISIS-like video warning to drug dealers and the brutalizing of Dr. David Dao on a United flight in the same week are no coincidence, but symptoms of a re-emerging authoritarianism.
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.
Fatal Irresponsibility:
How Palm Coast Willfully Ignored Street Lights And Sidewalks For 10 Years
Palm Coast’s government’s claim that it didn’t have the money to build sidewalks and street lights is a cynical lie: as people died, the city put luxury ahead of necessity, from city hall to expensive beautification and plenty more.
The Legislature’s Mullahs Threaten
Religious Freedom in Florida Schools
The Florida Legislature is about to approve a bill that would give religion preferential treatment in public schools, destroying a balance between secular rights and already inviolate personal expression.
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.
Flagler Tourism “Promotions” Slush Fund Jumps 76% in 3 Years, And We’re Counting Pennies For Beach Repairs?
Paying for critical repairs to Flagler County’s beaches is hostages to a tourism budget’s scandalous and unaccountable promotions spending, which the county administration wants to increase despite the emergency.
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.
Jim Landon’s Fake News
Palm Coast Manager Jim Landon’s plans for a “scripted” weekly radio infomercial hosted by Mayor Milissa Holland demeans the mayor, the council and her listeners. If Holland is to do a show, it should be on her unscripted terms.
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.
I Am An Enemy Combatant
The media has been the enemy since the earliest days of the Republic. But to be an enemy in America is what all of us at one point or another have been or will be. It is an American responsibility. It’s proof of our beloved American citizenship.
On the Sad Prospect of CFO Jeff Atwater, Rare Government Royalty, Leaving Tallahassee
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.
Protesters, True Patriots
Freedom for the thought we agree with is as cheap as a Facebook click on the like button. Freedom for the thought that we hate is what separate Americans from thuggery.
Renner Is Right: Kill Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida, Twin Kleptos of Public Troth
Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida are two tax-supported state agencies that act more like slush funds, wasting money behind secretive veils and returns on investment that have never lived up to the promise.
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.
President Fake
We’ve been worried about fake news from all the wrong places. The most promiscuous peddler of fake news is the president himself, Donald J. Trump. That’s dangerous for media, for America and for democracy.
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.
You’ll Miss Him
At noon today the world ended as the sound of seven trumpets was replaced by the words “I, Donald John Trump…” Until then it was a fairly good run. An excellent run, in retrospect, considering what we’re losing.
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.
Israel’s Suicide Mission
Israel’s right-wing government never seriously considered the two-state solution, which it has now abandoned as it imposes a de-facto annexation of the Palestinian West Bank, enshrining apartheid.
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.
Cops Aren’t Under Siege.
Civilians and Liberties Are.
It’s a widely accepted but dangerous myth: that cops are under siege, handcuffed by “new restrictions.” The reality is the opposite, with more unbridled and brutal policing than we care to admit.
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.
It’ll Be Alt-Right
Donald Trump’s appointments and short-lists are pointing the way to an administration not much different than his campaign, suggesting there’s more wishful thinking than reality behind the hope that he’d surround himself with people saner than he is.
Bias Backlash: How The Media Propelled Donald Trump to the White House
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.