Today at the Editor’s glance: On Free For All Fridays on WNZF, hoist David Ayres welcomes Michael Waltz, the GOP congressman whose district includes Flagler, with an update on Covid and Omicron from the Florida Health Department’s Bob Snyder, Dr. Stephen Bickel and Gretchen Smith, starting a little after 9 a.m. with my commentary. The Choral Arts Society provides a wonderful concert of music from The Sound of Christmas with many of your favorites. Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church (5400 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast, FL 32137). There is no admission charge, but tax-free donations are accepted to assist in providing scholarships to local college-bound students. Please go to www.casfl.org for more information, or send an email to info@casfl.org. “All Things Christmas” Sale at Santa Maria Del Mar Catholic Church, 915 N Central Ave, Flagler Beach, continues. All proceeds will support the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, Santa Maria del Mar Conference, with charitable activities helping support the needy in Flagler County. This event will feature a huge selection of Christmas items including wreaths, trees, lights, nativity scenes, stockings, Christmas cards, candles, ornaments, jewelry, linens, clothing and those unique Christmas T-shirts and sweaters that we all enjoy. All Things Christmas will include hundreds of items at thrift store prices. New merchandise will be added daily with many one-of-a-kind items selling quickly so plan to stop by more than once.
The Live Calendar is a compendium of local and regional political, civic and cultural events. You can input your own calendar events directly onto the site as you wish them to appear (pending approval of course). To include your event in the Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
May 2025
Hang 8 Dog Surfing Competition in Flagler Beach
Flagler Beach Farmers Market
Coffee With Flagler Beach Commission Chair Scott Spradley
Democratic Women’s Club
Flagler County Public Library Book and Bake Sale
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Palm Coast Spring Arts Festival
Swing Through the Years Dinner Dance Benefit for St. Thomas Episcopal Church
Random Acts of Insanity’s Roundup of Standups from Around Central Florida
ESL Bible Studies for Intermediate and Advanced Students
Troop 472 Summer Camp Car Show and Fundraiser
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village
Al-Anon Family Groups
For the full calendar, go here.
“The nature of our democracy has always presumed an educated citizenry, willing to join in the political process and able to judge issues and candidates. A failure in education is contributing to an erosion of strength in our political democracy, embodied in the disillusion and apathy that will keep half the voters away from the polls this election. And the failure is having a crucial effect on our technocracy, on our ability to flourish in a world of complex and dynamic economies. We are now, as the National Commission on Excellence in Education described it, A Nation at Risk. In the last century, when the British were the world’s leading economic power, they were stunned by American progress toward a system of mass production. Upon investigation, they found that the key ingredient in America’s industrial success was the degree of universal literacy. Japan and Korea have recognized a new kind of literacy: The ability to interpret advanced mathematics, read complex engineering blueprints and perform sophisticated tasks on the factory floor. Their workers can do this far better than ours.”
–Mortimer Zuckerman, in a column in US News & World Report, October 1988.
charley says
and biden is a nightmare destroying america you fools of hate
you have nothing better to do than to destroy a former president
this demented man is a living nightmare and is a laughing stock
to the world.
Bailey’s Mom says
Well I listen to free-for-all Fridays for the first time this morning it was a bit disappointed in Michael Waltz… Again a time to bring the nation together and he chooses to share all the facts and gives a shaded view.
On Afghanistan he failed to mention the 2020 agreement that tRUMP made With the Taliban to withdraw troops by Mail 2021.
On our Supply Chain struggle, it’s tied to Covid, demand, and transportation of imports. On this we need to go back even further and tie in when most major companies left the US & moved manufacturing overseas. That’s the same time CEO & Top Mgt pay increases while the everyday worker wage remained stagnant. The 2020 pandemic created the demand for goods and need for front line workers. His attempt to blame Biden & the government falls flat.
Then he thanks the Governor on his handling of Covid, WHAt…he needs to thank the Biden Administration, the local Cities & Counties for implementing CDC guidelines, Our County Heath Dept, local businesses and the Citizens who got vaccinated & wore masks to prevent & stop the spread of Covid.
Then he tried to down play the passing of the Huge Infrastructure Bill vs what FL gets without commenting on how our Current Governor has been making his own policies & turning away Federal funds.
I could go on but think I made my point, We The People need to expect more from our elected officials and at a minimum hold them to their Oath and to speak the truth!
Bailey’s Mom says
It’s a cartoon! A satire of the ratings for both at 45 weeks into their term. Showing Biden’s higher rating and the irony of tRump calling him a loser.
Biden has done so much for all Americans in the last 45 weeks so give credit where due.
LetsBeReal says
I’d rather wake up to cheaper gas, secure borders, a booming economy, mean tweets and a president that knows what day of the week it is.
Frank Wierenga says
I’m surprised he is polling as high as he is.
Jp says
While I commend your dedication to the thrice married, twice impeached former president you must have seen world leaders publicly mocking and laughing at him more than once. I can’t recall world leaders laughing at Biden.
Pogo says
@Bailey’s Mom
Agree completely.
Here’s the skinny on waltz:
Congressman Seeking to Relaunch Afghan War Made Millions in Defense Contracting
Florida Republican Michael Waltz made up to $25 million from the sale of Metis Solutions, a defense contractor with a spotty record training Afghan security forces.
https://theintercept.com/2021/08/20/mike-waltz-afghanistan/
Michael Waltz
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/182261/michael-waltz
waltz, desantis, scott; these characters are like all the other elected floriduh Republicans that have been picking our pockets and screwing the world without blushing.
And so it goes.
https://www.google.com/search?q=price+of+global+war+on+terror
Makeitso1701 says
I rather wake knowing that our president, Joe Biden, is not a con man, racist, twice impeached, accused of sexual abuse, draft dodger coward, cult leader, sore loser like the former idiot trump.
And by the way, the booming economy you’re talking about, that’s mostly thanks to President Obama. Also, if I’m not mistaken, there’s not much a president can do to lower the cost of gas, and as far as the borders, that was a scare tactic that the orange buffoon made up.
I wake up every day thanking God that Joe Biden is our President.
LetsBeReal says
Makeitso1701 – Joe Biden was a draft dodger, lies, was accused of sexual abuse, the family is corrupt, has a son that did drugs and prostitutes, Hillary Clinton still is a sore loser to Trump, the reality is that the economy did equally well in the last three years of President Obama’s second term as in Trump’s first three years. Joe Biden left Americans and allies in Afghanistan and some are still there! Borders made up? I guess you enjoy high inflation rate, higher gas prices, higher grocery prices, on and on. Bottom line Joe Bide is destroying this country.
Makeitso1701 says
The only president in American history to try a coup and is still trying to destroy Democracy is trump.
And I suppose trump won the 2020 election? The trump followers should really find another source of news other than fake fox news, NPR is a good start.
Sherry says
@letsbereal and other cult members. . . while I know you could care less about actual “FACTS”. . . here are just a couple comparing trump to President Biden. It’s all relative, and trump is FAR, FAR WORSE. . . read it all carefully and “learn” something:
1. Former President Donald Trump made over seven times as many “false and misleading” claims in his first 100 days in the White House than President Joe Biden, according to the Washington Post’s fact-checker.
An analysis of every speech, statement, tweet and interview made by the two presidents found that Trump made 511 false or misleading claims in his first 100 days, while Biden has made 67 as of Monday, or Day 96.
2. “ONE” woman, Tara Reade, accused Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her in a Senate building in 1993, when she was an aide in his office. As Reade becomes a household name, however, it’s troubling that very few Americans could name even one of the dozens of women who have accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault and misconduct, aside from his already famous ex-wife Ivana.
Some may remember E. Jean Carroll, who was a prominent writer before she accused Trump last summer of having raped her in a fitting room of Bergdorf Goodman. But even her accusation was buried in the “Books” section of the New York Times. We’ve become so used to having an alleged prolific rapist in the White House that a new rape accusation against the sitting president, who has literally bragged about sexually assaulting women, wasn’t even considered front-page news. Trump responded that Carroll is “not my type,” and the story faded away, despite her claim that she still has his DNA on the dress she was wearing that day as proof of the assault. Trump never had to sit on live TV for 18 minutes and answer questions about Carroll or explain why he isn’t presenting his DNA for a forensic examination of her dress. He just called her ugly, like he has with several other of his accusers, and said he’s never met her—despite photos existing of them together—and the nation moved on.
Does anyone remember Kristin Anderson, who said Trump reached under her skirt and touched her vagina out of nowhere at a Manhattan club in the early 1990s? Does the name Jill Harth ring a bell? She accused Trump of attempting to rape her in 1993, the same year Biden allegedly assaulted Reade. What about Jessica Leeds, who said Trump groped her on a plane? The full list of public accusers of Trump is lengthy but worth reading: Kristin Anderson, Lisa Boyne, Cathy Heller, Temple McDowell, Karena Virginia, Bridget Sullivan, Tasha Dixon, Mindy McGillivray, Rachel Crooks, Natasha Stoynoff, Jennifer Murphy, Jessica Drake, Ninni Laaksonen, Summer Zervos, Samantha Holvey, Mariah Billado, Victoria Hughes, Juliet Huddy, Alva Johnson, Karen Johnson, Cassandra Searles, Jill Harth, E. Jean Carroll, Jessica Leeds, and Ivana Trump.
3. OK. . . let’s compare corruption:
Yahoo Finance
The Trump-Biden corruption chasm
Rick Newman
Rick Newman·Senior Columnist
October 16, 2020·7 min read
If you care about clean government and honest candidates, Hunter Biden probably bothers you. Joe Biden’s son obviously is or was a troubled person who cashed in on the family name to rake in millions of dollars from Ukrainian, Chinese and other interests. Nobody would have paid Hunter Biden that money if his father wasn’t vice president at the time.
By the same standard, you should be outraged beyond words at the rampant corruption in Donald Trump’s orbit. The House of Representatives impeached Trump for abusing his power for political gain. The Mueller investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaigns activities highlighted two likely campaign-finance felonies and numerous instances of Trump trying to obstruct justice as president. Watchdog groups have identified 3,400 conflicts of interest in which Trump, family members, and cronies may be profiting from Trump’s role as president.
LetsBeReal says
Actually I wasn’t making any comparison. I was stating facts about Joe Biden. Got to love it when people still make excuses for Joe Biden. Must be part of the CNN and MSNBC cult.
Sherry says
Sure. . . go ahead and label me as part of the “Believe in Facts” cult. . . or, the “Believe in Science, Ethics, Love, Peace, Kindness, Equality, Truth, Trust, Peace, Honesty, Doing the Right Thing” CULT. I’m good with it ALL!
Come Into The Light!
May your holidays be filled with joy, peace and love!
Sherry says
Ahhhh.. . . and, why is it that although the “FACTS” show that trump is much more corrupt and dishonest than President Biden, trump’s supporters refuse to acknowledge just how terrible trump is? All they can do is mindlessly parrot the BS they hear/read on FOX and Facebook. . . and, continue to bash President Biden at every turn. Where has our collective intellect gone? Where has our moral compass gone?
Fear and hate is driving the division in our country and making our nation weak. . . it is as simple as that. Come into the light!
Sherry says
For the Cult members who are still in denial about the Jan. 6th Insurrection and Riot:
https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1470554095723466754
A Reading of emails to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on that day. . . something you may never see on FOX.
Makeitso1701 says
Sherry, I agree with you, not only did fake fox news channel did not cover the Jan. 6th hearing, but now the fake fox news clowns are whining about the fact that the Jan. 6th committee made those text messages public.
I bet the trump cult followers are scratching their ass and saying to themselves, ” What in tarnation is Hannaty talking about”?
The fox viewers will never accept the truth, that’s the bottom line. Very sad.
Bailey’s Mom says
So glad this day has finally come…and they thought Hillary’s email was bad thes Insurrection Texts are going to blow the roof off the corrupt members of the GOP, The Orange Man, Fake Fox News!
I am ready for The People so so No More and get back to doing what’s Right for our Neighbors, our Community, City, State and our Country!
Today is a new day in America for All Humankind!
Sherry says
Thanks so much makeitso1701 . . . unfortunately for us all, and for future generations, I fear you are quite correct. Those who have been brain washed by FOX for 20+ years and radicalized by the algorithms on Social Media (especially Facebook) seem so entrenched in the lies and conspiracy theories that they may never come to see the light of actual FACTS, Truth, Ethics and Integrity. They truly are suffering a “cult” mentality of complete deception. . . akin to a terrible addiction where their reasoning abilities and critical thinking seem lost. In my compassion I would love to find a way to get through to their better angels. . . if they still exist.
Happiest of Holidays ALL!
LetsBeReal says
Why did the FBI confirm there was no insurrection on Jan.6? Why did the FBI find no evidence that Trump and his allies were directly involved with organizing the violence of the Capitol riot? Show me where Trump said riot the Capitol?
Capitol Police rejected offers of federal help to quell mob https://apnews.com/article/capitol-police-reject-federal-help-9c39a4ddef0ab60a48828a07e4d03380
Where is the committee for the riots, looting, fires etc. during the summer of 2020?
Trump’s accomplishments out number any of Biden’s accomplishments. Does Biden have any accomplishments? So far all his policies are failures. For somebody like Joe Biden who has been in Government many years this is pretty SAD.
Sherry says
OK letsbereal. . .
1. You most certainly didn’t cash that Covid stimulus check from the Biden administration, right? Otherwise, you’d be a complete hypocrite. Just like the GOP congressional members who voted against the bill and then took credit for getting that $$ out to those who really needed it.
2. The same with the infrastructure bill. . . you won’t be driving over any of those new bridges/roads right? Remember, the package that trump promised but never made happen. Again, the hypocritical GOP members that voted against that bill are now taking credit for bringing those projects to their constituents.
3. Please cite that long list credible evidence for all of trump’s positive accomplishments for the American people. . . not just the “billionaires”.
4. Semantics. . . If there was nothing criminal that happened on Jan. 6th. . . why are people in jail? Why is trump and the GOP doing absolutely everything in their power to STOP the bipartisan Jan. 6 Commission from finding out exactly what happened, and why trump did nothing to STOP the riots for hours and hours? If they (the GOP and trump/supporters) are so innocent why obstruct?
5. The “Big Lie” Over 60 court cases, some even with Republican judges, have found that there is “NO EVIDENCE” that the election was fraught with fraud. Yet, trump and his sycophants continue to claim he is still president. There are lawsuits against trumps cohorts for such defamation. Where is the “Credible Legal Evidence”? All, lies, lies, lies!
You want to debate this. . . brings FACTS, not just BS FOX/Facebook conjecture !
LetsBeReal says
WOW! Covid stimulus check made me rich. LOL. Now if they gave me $450,000 like they plan to give to illegal immigrants then we would be talking.
More people have died from COVID-19 under President Joe Biden than under former President Donald Trump. Trump lacked the benefit of vaccinations until the last month of his presidency, whereas Biden had them from day one. It is amusing how, in year one of the pandemic, every story about the virus was a “blame Trump” story. Absolutely nothing Biden has done is working, yet Biden really never gets blamed for anything.
Infrastructure bill one thing Joe Biden did, Pfffff. Hypocritical GOP members? It took 19 Republican senators and 13 GOP House members to pass. Joe Biden failures outnumber his accomplishments and everybody knows it. Any Democrat would have been better then Joe Biden.
Trump Administration Accomplishments https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/trump-administration-accomplishments/
I’ll wait to see Joe Biden’s list of accomplishments. It should be at least 10 times longer then Donald Trump’s since he has been in politics over 40 years,
I didn’t say nothing was criminal. I’m asking the why? Remember I want to know why the FBI confirmed there was no insurrection on Jan. 6. and no evidence that Trump and his allies were directly involved with organizing the violence of the Capitol riot. You are answering a why with a why. One theory is it is a witch hunt to go after Donald Trump because they know if he runs in 2024 he will win. And where is the committee for all the riots, looting, burning buildings in the summer of 2020. They are not even investigating it. I bet you don’t have an answer for that?
I didn’t state anything about the election. But, every election the other party complains. Doesn’t matter Democrat or Republican. Hillary Clinton still whining about losing to Trump.
I don’t know about Fox News but you seem to know a lot about them because you mention them in almost all your comments. I do know FOX News is the number one watch network. Which means more people watch FOX News then any other network. As far as Facebook I never had a reason to use or have it.
Can you honestly say you are better off today then you were a year ago with the higher inflation, higher gas prices, higher grocery prices, higher products, etc.
Pogo says
@Sherry
As usual, well reasoned, and well stated.
And as usual, you’re trolled by the usual suspects, i.e., malicious and obnoxious examples of Palm Coast in particular, and floriduh Republicans in general: insular senility, reactionaries stuck in the 1950s, amoral white collar criminals and other money grubbers, and fugitives from mental health.
Finally, CNN is owned by AT&T/Warner Media. MSNBC is owned by Comcast, General Electric. These enormous publicly traded corporations are cults?!
Fox, on the other hand, is an enormous privately held corporation, that ultimately is the voice of one ridiculous old man — with more money than God.
And so it goes.
Bailey’s Mom says
The stimulus checks were to help people pay their bills & survive during Covid, not make you rich! As for the $450k, wow you really need to change the channel and learn the facts.
tRUMP lied from start to finish about Covid and so much more. The Insurrection will be the final nail!
As for the current inflation and rising costs, it’s all tied to Covid and Supply vs Demand. Oh, just a note Biden has only been in office for 11 months!
Sherry says
Thanks Pogo! Really excellent point about the ownership of FOX verses other major media outlets. I’ve done some research on Rupert Murdoch. . . what a horrific, extreme right winged corrupt billionaire power broker. . . who actually cares nothing for the truth, and is laughing at FOX devotees all the way to the bank.
I always enjoy your fine commentary. Unfortunately, you are right when it comes to many in Palm Coast= subjugated intellect= zombie cult members.
Happy Holidays, Pogo! Joy! Peace! Love!
LetsBeReal says
Always making excuses for Joe Biden. Didn’t have high inflation and rising costs a year ago and Covid was here then. In office 11 months and it didn’t take long for him to destroy America! Biden has cognitive issues; barely strings a sentence, goes off tangent and an embarrassment worldwide. The $450,000 and make you rich comments were sarcasm. Duh. Chinese health care workers admitted in secret tapes that they knew how dangerous COVID-19 was when it first emerged in Wuhan — but were pressured into lying about it, a new documentary claims. By the way the FBI said there was no insurrection. I got news for you, all politicians lie including your hero Joe Biden. How about the facts of Trump’s accomplishments!
LetsBeReal says
There seems to be a lack of comprehension. Not the companies but the people watching CNN and MSNBC are a cult. Duh. Got to be a Democrat because they are the ones always changing, editing, construing words and sentences. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Bailey’s Mom says
Oh ye of little to zero knowledge of the facts. Please turn your channel and get some correct information, your ignorance is showing.
LetsBeReal says
My facts are right on and didn’t come from TV or Fox News . You didn’t even prove me wrong. You are all talk. Nice try though. You just have to learn how to use Google and do a search. You, Pogo, and Sherry come back with some lame comments for sure. Looks like a red wave is coming. I ruffled some feathers proving Joe Biden is terrible! Do nothing Kamala Harris is even worst.