Florida is dominated by Republicans, but to argue against the election of a Democrat to the Florida House–as the GOP’s Travis Hutson is arguing in his bid against Milissa Holland–is a reflection of the arrogance of a majority party that considers minorities, if not democracy, irrelevant, and that assumes that once a majority, always a majority.
Commentary
Free Morgan: A Killer Whale’s Punishing Captivity Gets Its Day in Court
In June 2010, Morgan, an orca, or killer whale, was captured from the North Atlantic and rehabilitated, but instead of being returned to the wild, was sent to an amusement park. A judge may decide its fate on Nov. 1.
Atack vs Moore-Stens: An Attorney’s Evaluation Of the County Judge Race, and a Response
In the Flagler County Court Judge election, Paul Guntharp, a Palm Coast attorney, evaluates the candidacies of Craig Atack and Melissa Moore-Stens, and Atack replies.
Smart Meters and the Paranoia of Fake Fears
With smart meters as with numerous other issues, some of our most basic scientific or technological advances are being held hostage to perversions of evidence no more legitimate than superstition and sham controversies.
Snap, Crackle and Reef:
Oyster Restoration in Northeast Florida
Oysters play an critical role in filtering pollution and maintaining the coastal marine system, but their disappearance along the barrier island north of St. Augustine has created a kind of domino effect of environmental destruction. One local project involving restaurants seeks to restore oyster reefs.
The Orlando Sentinel Endorses Romney
Right-wingers’ elation at the Romney endorsement aside, to call the Orlando Sentinel liberal of course is to seriously misread the house organ of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, central Florida edition.
A Radio Voice of America from Palm Coast: Mario Jr. Alive and Green, and National
Palm Coast’s 14-year-old Mario Ridgley has been hosting “Mario Jr. Alive and Green,” a radio show on Voice of America Kids, since he was 10. Columnist Frank Gromling was a guest on his show, and relates the tale.
Florida Republicans’ Poll Tax Nostalgia
Hoping to minimize Democrats’ turnout, the GOP-dominated Florida Legislature is going out of its way to make voting more of a privilege than an absolute right. There are a few ways to get around the voter-suppression schemes.
A Teacher Down to Her Last Cells, a Cancer Patient Hands Her Case to UF’s Med Students
Always the teacher, cancer patient Jo Ann Nahirny–now with 26 of her 42 radiation sessions out of the way–takes satisfaction from knowing that even though she’s unable to stand in front of her students at Matanzas High School, she’s still doing my part as in educator as medical students learn from her case at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida.
Romney’s Foreign Policy Vacuums
Today’s foreign policy address by Romney, to the Virginia Military Institute, was better suited for the Hoover Historical Center in Canton, Ohio. He spoke for about half an hour. He said absolutely nothing that might have told us what his foreign policy would be–or what he thinks it is today.
The News-Journal’s Predatory Sensationalism On Sex Offenders Near Local Schools
A News-Journal article on 445 registered sex offenders living near Flagler and Volusia elementary schools was dangerously alarming and misleading, argues George Griffin, and perpetuates numerous myths about sex offenders, encouraging bad laws.
Obama’s Clobbering
Mitt Romney demolished the Obama mystique in Denver while Obama surrendered: This is the Obama flincher we’ve come to know. The man of a thousand retreats. The prevaricator. The terminated.
Mitt Romney’s Dangerous Game: Making Israel a Wedge Issue in Florida
The Florida Jewish community should see through the false premise that Obama is anything less than stellar on Israel, as Mitt Romney, hoping to score partisan points with Florida’s Jewish vote, has attempted to claim, Dan Gelber argues.
Two of My Favorite Jews
Sam and Dave Markowitz celebrate birthdays with Duke Ellington, from behind the paywall of Volusia County’s Evin prison.
The Palm Coast City Council’s Disturbing Synthetic Marijuana High
On synthetic pot, the Palm Coast City Council and other local governments are being had, as governments trample due process to enforce a legal shortcut against a ghost epidemic–the latest hysteria in the derelict war on drugs.
From Tape-Downs to Lockdowns: A Day in the So-Called Life of a Cancer Patient
Three radiation treatments in and with 39 to go, Jo Ann Nahirny describes life at the curfew-happy Hope Lodge for cancer patients, her manhandling on the radiation table, and her husband’s angelic patience.
Where Obama Fear and Loathing Comes From
Charles Kesler’s new book on Barack Obama loathing is a window into the closing of the conservative mind, which Mark Lilla’s review opens a notch to let in a breath of wit–unusual for unusually dour liberals.
Deeper Knowledge from an Ocean of Films
Ocean film festivals are venues for knowledge, understanding, networking and, of course, the viewing of beautiful and important films, and they’re vital for those who want to be involved in ocean conservation, writes Frank Gromling.
Mitt Romney’s , and Republicans’, Goldwater Moment
Blowing an election it should have won, the GOP might finally realize it has strayed far out of the mainstream and become a little too odd for the American public, writes Bill Cotterell.
Editorial Notebook: September
Vagrant scratches and notes from FlaglerLive editor Pierre Tristam on issues of the day, fugitive quotes, hit-and-run readings, insurgent observations and reflections picked up from the cutting room floor.
Those 11 Constitutional Amendments on November’s Ballot: Women League Says Just Vote No
Florida voters will see 11 of the most confusing, complex and sometimes misleading state ballot amendments ever proposed, and voters will need to decide: Do I want this in our state constitution? Deirdre Macnab, state president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, says No.
Matanzas Pirates’ Mission: A Senior Rallies Students and Faculty For a Teacher’s Survival
Juan Pablo Torres, a senior at Matanzas High School, decided to repay his English teacher, now undergoing cancer treatment in Gainesville, by showing her how students and teachers at Matanzas take care of their own.
Partisanship Works. One-Party States Don’t.
They are two of the most repeated claims you’ll hear every four years: That this is the most important election in our lifetime. And that partisanship is demolishing the country. Rubbish on both counts.
Shark Finning, Carnage of Luxury
Shark fin soup is considered an aphrodisiac and sign of wealth. Asia’s exploding middle class is resulting in a carnage of some 70 million sharks a year, killed just for their fins.
Florida’s Gang of 10: How You Got Robbed of Representation by Lawmakers’ Rubber Stamp
Just 10 of Florida’s 160 legislators voted recently on a $58-million budget amendment that carries large policy implications for citizens across the state. Few citizens were representedby this or any other decisions passed by the Legislative Budget Commission.
Ocean Publishing’s Gromling Speaking at BLUE Ocean Film Festival
Frank Gromling, owner and publisher of Ocean Publishing in Flagler Beach, will present a talk at the BLUE Ocean Film Festival and Conservation Summit in Monterrey, Calif., on Sep. 25, entitled “Films to Books, How to Do It Without the Pain.”
Emory Will Close Its Journalism School. Good Riddance.
Journalism education is nice, but beyond the basics, not necessary, argues Bill Cotterell. Anyone who’s smart, cares about news and works hard can learn the five Ws — who what, when, where and why — in a couple weeks. Then, if they learn from their mistakes, they can get good at telling you what’s really going on.
At Matanzas High School, an Irrepressible Teacher’s Untimely Farewell, For Now
Jo Ann Nahirny, an English teacher at Matanzas, put in her last day of the year today before a three-month leave filled with radiation treatments and surgery as she battles a cancer’s recurrence. This is the story of her last day in class.
Mitt Romney’s 47 Percent Problem
In 2008 John McCain’s big challenge was to control Sarah Palin’s mouth. In 2012, Mitt Romney’s biggest challenge is to control Mitt Romney’s mouth. His characterization of 47 percent of Americans as victims and dependents, besides being demonstrably false, unravels the cynicism at the core of Romney’s campaign.
Memo to Lance Armstrong: Enough is Enough, So Please Shut Up
The gig is up now, Tom O’Hara, a testicular cancer survivor, tells Lance Armstrong, referring to his doping issues. If you want to continue to raise money to fight cancer, I applaud you. But, please, try being a quiet and humble philanthropist from now on.
Ripped from Her Trenches, a Teacher Mobilizes for Months of Cancer Combat, and Anguish
From feeling like a human easel to a convicted felon, Matanzas teacher Jo Ann Nahirny takes us step by step through the anguish of preparing for cancer treatment and its implications–physical, financial, emotional and spiritual.
Russian Roulette With MSG
In today’s American restaurants, MSG has become so prevalent that it is in practically every kind of food. It’s no longer isolated to Chinese cuisine. And it can be very dangerous to eat, making eating out a gamble.
When Riots In Defense of Islam Are More Vile Than Any Parody of the Prophet
“Innocence of Muslims” is a vile movie about Islam, but its movie maker had every right to make it, and it is far less vile than the murderous riots Muslim fundamentalists have launched as a result–or Mitt Romney’s political opportunism over the crisis.
From Beirut to 9/11:
When Barbarism Follows Barbarism
Revulsion over the losses in New York and Washington aside, the attack triggered a succession of fears: That the barbarism I so gladly left behind 23 years ago is here.
Follow the Lead of Flagler Beach’s Restaurants: Trash the Styrofoam
Restaurants in Flagler Beach, among them the Turtle Shack and the Flagler Fish Company, decided to drop the use of Styrofoam and adopt all-recyclable containers, taking a lead other local businesses should follow, Frank Gromling writes, given Styrofoam’s polluting and carcinogenic properties.
We’re All Vikings Fans Today: Chris Kluwe Kicks Emmett Burns’s Gay Marriage Bigotries
Maryland lawmaker Emmett Burns wrote a bullying letter to the Baltimore Ravens owner asking him to silence Brendon Ayanbadejo’s support for gay marriage. Chris Kluwe kicked back the most winning answer of the year.
Raped, Pregnant and 11 Years Old: The Problem with the “Right-to-Life” Movement
In Pinellas County, an 11-year-old girl, pregnant after her rape by her mother’s 42-year-old boyfriend, is a stark rebuke to the right-to-like and personhood movement, argues Mary Jo Melone.
When Lies Are Elevated to a Campaign Strategy
The lies of presidents could re-carve Rushmore by audacity alone, yet the lies of the Romney-Ryan campaign have taken the art of lying to new lows, but not without the complicity of voters, who, in the golden age of fact-checking, have no excuse to be misinformed.
Prodigal Turtle: Kemp’s Ridley, Smallest of the Seas, Digs First-Ever Nest in Flagler Sands
Once endangered, Kemp’s ridley turtles, usually nesting in the Gulf of Mexico, have flourished, and one made a landing in Flagler Beach, digging only the sixth documented nest in Florida, and the very first in Flagler County.
What Makes Us Exceptional
It is not that American Exceptionalism is being lost, it’s that those who want to “tabe back America” have lost sight of what has made America exceptional, argues Dan Gelber after watching the Republican National Convention.
Editorial Notebook: August 2012
Vagrant scratches and notes from FlaglerLive editor Pierre Tristam on issues of the day, fugitive quotes, hit-and-run readings, insurgent observations and reflections picked up from the cutting room floor.
The Tea Party, Missing from the Republican National Convention’s Big Tent
Despite cluelessness by liberals and Democrats, those outside the tea party movement still don’t grasp that “people like me are the absolute last folks who would be invited to the RNC,” argues tea party leader Henry Kelley.
A Few Florida Facts for Republican National Convention Delegates
Florida under the leadership of Republican icons like Bush, Scott and Rubio, and supported by proud and unthinking GOP legislatures for the last 15 years, has happily served as the grow house for Republican policies. The results are stunning, writes former lawmaker Dan Gelber.
Lessons from a Storm: How to Prepare for Hurricanes
From living through Hurricane Andrew at Ground Zero 20 years ago to rebuilding a home and a business in its wake, Frank Gromling shares lessons learned and advice for Flagler County and Florida residents, applicable in any hurricane emergency.
An 11-Year-Old Girl Begins Middle School on the Wings of Her Grandmother’s Legacy
Andrew Skerritt’s grandmother never went further than the third grade before she dropped out to help raise her younger siblings, yet the educational values she gave him will be passed down for generations, he writes.
At the University of Florida, a War Over the Alligator’s Newspaper Racks
The University of Florida wants the independent Florida Alligator newspaper—which it does not own–to remove its orange racks from campus, and replace them with non-descript plastic bins. Bill Cotterell argues it’s not a First Amendment issue.
You’ll Shop for 43 Minutes a Day, But You Won’t Take 15 Minutes to Vote Every Two Years
Less than 16 percent of Florida’s eligible voters, and 20 percent of Flagler’s, cast a ballot in last Tuesday’s primary, once again reminding the world that Americans’s interest in community and citizenship is among the lowest of any democracies. Perhaps it’s time to make voting mandatory.
Disaster Recovery Days:
Rebuilding a Business After Hurricane Andrew
When Hurricane Andrews ravaged the physical location of the main offices of his electronic protection firm in Miami 20 years ago, Frank Gromling discovered new sources of ingenuity and rewards, despite, and at times because of, the struggles to rebuild.
Pit Bull Ban and Common Sense Prevail in South Florida Referendum
In overwhelming fashion, Miami-Dade voters decided Tuesday to continue to ban pit bulls from the county. The results show common sense still rules strong, argues Steven Kurlander.
Hurricane Andrew 20 Years Later: Memories of Resilience in a Storm’s Wake
Frank Gromling, who lived and worked in the path of Hurricane Andrew 20 years ago, remembers the days of the storm and its aftermath in a South Florida ravished beyond recognition. A spirit for rebirth was left intact, however.