As surely as their chosen symbols profess a sentimental attachment to an era of racist brutality, Confederate nostalgists insist that what they really pine for is the Old South of country roads, shady front porches and long, lazy afternoons at the fishing hole. Steve Robinson doesn’t buy it.
Florida History
Should Jacksonville’s Nathan Bedford Forrest High Be Named for KKK’s Grand Wizard?
Never apologize for what? Secession? Slavery? How about white supremacy and the KKK? The fight to rename Jacksonville’s Nathan Bedford Forrest High School raises the question, argues Julie Delegal.
Jesse Jackson Calls Capitol Sit-In “The Selma of Our Time.” Scott Calls It an “Insult” to Floridians.
Calling Florida “an apartheid state,” Jackson spoke ahead of an overnight visit with the Dream Defenders that has staged a sit-in at Scott’s office to demand a special legislative session to consider changes to the state’s self-defense laws, initiatives to end racial profiling and an end to zero-tolerance discipline policies in schools.
Downton Abbey Makes Room for Bunnell as City Celebrates Centennial in Lavish Style
Bunnell city commissioners dressed in period costumes, the commission reenacted the very first meeting of the Bunnell Town Council in 2013, and a time capsule was buried, not to be opened until 2063, as Bunnell marked its one hundredth anniversary under a sun borrowed from the days of Genesis.
Florida’s Political Scientist:
Five Questions for Susan McManus
Susan MacManus is probably Florida’s most-quoted political scientist. A distinguished professor at the University of South Florida’s Department of Government and International Affairs, she’s also a featured columnist on the Sayfie Review website and a political analyst for Tampa’s WFLA Channel 8.
Bill McBride, Centrist Democrat Who Challenged Jeb Bush in 2002, Is Dead at 67
Bill McBride, a powerful lawyer who unsuccessfully tried to unseat then-Gov. Jeb Bush in 2002 and later watched his wife, Alex Sink, also run for governor, has died. He was 67.
Back to Blood: Cuban Support for Democratic Ticket in Florida Was at a Historic High
Cuban-Americans voted for the Democratic candidate in historically high numbers in last week’s presidential election, a continuation of a years-long trend that could be eroding the GOP’s standing among a core portion of the party’s base in Florida.
Charlie Crist Bear-Hugs Obama Closer As He Excoriates GOP’s Rightward Slouch
Ex-Florida Gov. Charlie Crist on Sunday urged voters to support President Barack Obama in the crucial swing state where the Democratic incumbent and Republican candidate Mitt Romney remain in a razor thin race.
Alzheimer’s Disease Research:
Florida’s Inexcusable Indifference to Funding
Florida, the state with the largest per-capita population over age 65, invests zero dollars in Alzheimer’s research, though one in 40 Floridian has the disease–and half do over age 85. Nancy Smith argues the indifference is short-sighted on many levels.
Expedia v. Florida: Claims of Harassment And Privilege in Online Booking Tax Brawl
Rep. Rick Kriseman, the St. Petersburg Republican, distributed Expedia documents that showed the company knew as early as 2003 that it should pay Florida’s bed taxes. The company wants him to explain his role in court. The Legislature is claiming that lawmakers cannot be forced to testify about issues in the legislative process.
Claude Kirk, Florida’s First 20th Century Republican Governor, Is Dead at 85
Gov. Claude Kirk–flamboyant, outspoken, quirky–gave rise to Florida’s Republican ascendance and ushered in an era of environmental stewardship and conservation as governor between 1966 and 1970.
Stetson Kennedy, Nemesis of KKK And Jim Crow, Is Dead at 94
Stetson Kennedy, the civil rights activist, journalist, folklorist, author and lecturer, died in St. Augustine Saturday, Aug. 27, with his wife Sandra Parks at his side. He was lucid to the end.