IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
US: Florida (News/Activism)
-
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Former First Baptist Church deacon Stephen Edmonds was back in court on Thursday asking a judge to change his sentence. In 2003, Edmonds pleaded guilty to molesting three boys. In return for his guilty plea to three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child, 10 other charges were dropped and Edmonds was sentenced to one year in jail and five years probation. He also must register as a sexual offender. The plea deal did not sit well with families of the victims, which wanted the judge to sentence Edmonds to the maximum of six years...
-
ST. PETERSBURG - Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is engaged to a woman he met last September during a trip to New York, according to a published report Thursday evening. Crist asked Carole Rome, his girlfriend of nine months, to marry him on Thursday at his St. Petersburg apartment, the St. Petersburg Times reported on its Web site. Crist says she said yes without hesitation.
-
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida Gov. Charlie Crist won't be sleeping alone in the governor's mansion much longer -- he is engaged (video: MyFoxOrlando) to a woman he met in New York City last September who quickly captured his heart. Crist, 51, asked Carole Rome to marry him Thursday morning at his St. Petersburg apartment, giving her a blue sapphire ring surrounded by diamonds. She immediately said yes. "I'm very happy and couldn't be more pleased. What a great way to celebrate America's birthday," said Crist, who has been mentioned as a potential running mate for Republican presidential candidate John McCain....
-
Florida Supreme Court Overturns Indian Gaming Deal The Tribe Has Already Given The State $50-Million As Part Of The Negotiations TALLAHASSEE (CBS4); The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday has overturned an agreement Gov. Charlie Crist signed with the Seminole Tribe to expand gambling at its casinos. The court ruled that the governor doesn't have the constitutional authority to enter into the agreement that allows Las Vegas-style slot machines, black jack and other card games at facilities like the Hard Rock Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood. Attorney's for the Florida House of Representatives made their case before the Supreme Court earlier...
-
<p>BOGOTA (Reuters) - French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, three Americans and 11 other hostages were rescued from leftist guerrillas by Colombian troops on Wednesday after years in captivity, the government said.</p>
-
For the next hour I sat behind the glass panel of the control booth and watched Limbaugh at work in front of the “golden E.I.B. microphone.” Unlike Howard Stern or Don Imus, he has no sidekicks with him in the room. He does, however, keep up a running conversation with an unheard voice. I always assumed that this was just imaginary radio shtick. Now I saw that the voice was attached to a human interlocutor, Snerdly, who banters with and occasionally badgers Limbaugh via an internal talk-back circuit. After the broadcast, Limbaugh waved me into the studio and offered me...
-
FORT PIERCE — A 41-year-old man who told police he was just “relaxing” with his pants undone at the Fort Pierce Community Center was arrested and charged Saturday with lewd or lascivious exhibition/masturbation. Fort Pierce Police officers saw Nicodeme Petion sitting in the driver’s seat with his pants open, belt unbuckled with a sock over his genital area, according to a police report. Before police contact with Petion, a family with young children walked past his 1994 green Chevy Caprice and the mother looked inside the car and quickly ran over and picked up her child to escort them pass...
-
Family Of Subway Robbery Suspect Says Customer Shouldn't Have Pulled Trigger POSTED: 10:30 am EDT June 29, 2007 PLANTATION, Fla. -- The family of one of the men who was shot by a retired United States Marine while they attempted to rob a Subway sandwich shop said the customer shouldn't have pulled the trigger. According to Plantation police, two armed men barged into the Subway at 1949 Pine Island Road shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday, demanding money...
-
The Sunshine State has about 3.8 million people without insurance, or about 21% of the population, the fourth-highest rate in the country. The "Cover Florida" plan hopes to improve those numbers by offering access to more affordable policies. As even Barack Obama says, the main reason people are uninsured isn't because they don't want to be; it's because coverage is too expensive. But the Florida reform, which both houses of the legislature approved unanimously, renounces Mr. Obama's favored remedy: It nudges the government out of the health-care marketplace. Insurance companies will be permitted to sell stripped-down, no-frills policies exempted from...
-
As pointed out by this representative of the Florida Attorney General's office, it is impossible to separate national security issues from illegal immigration, and one of the most important illegal immigration issues in Florida is the issue of human trafficking. And as Jake at Freedom Folks notes (thanks for the tip), this story doesn't appear to have been covered by the news wires. Here, a horrifying story is described of a little girl who, after being taken to the Florida panhandle from Mexico, resisted while being raped, and was subsequently made an example of by being beheaded in front of...
-
Mark Schwab was executed Tuesday evening by lethal injection at the Florida State Prison. Schwab was convicted of raping and killing 11-year-old Junny Rios Martinez of Brevard County in 1991.Tuesday morning, Schwab visited with his mother and aunt and ate his final meal of fried eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, buttered toast and chocolate milk. A representative of the prison said Schwab was polite and followed directions and visited with his religious adviser until 30 minutes before his 6 p.m. execution.The Supreme Court denied Schwab's last appeal early Tuesday evening.This was the first execution since the case of Angel Diaz...
-
Lt. Col. Allen West and Michelle Obama By James Lewis I just sent my first political contribution to the Congressional campaign of former Army Lt. Colonel Allan West, who is running on the "R" ticket in Florida House District 22 --- that's in Broward County. Colonel West is a man who has proved himself, not just in the rigors of combat, not just in leadership, not just in the technical craft of military tactics and strategy, but in the most difficult life-and-death dilemma a human being can face. He made an agonizing moral decision to save his men from a...
-
Homeowners: 'Someone Is Going To Get Hurt'SANFORD, Fla. -- Families in a crime-ridden Central Florida neighborhood are arming themselves with shotguns and talking about adding electric barbed wire to stop thieves targeting their homes. "Somebody is going to end up getting hurt," resident Andrea Fine said. "The homeowners are tense. We are all on edge. For the first time in my life I'm really scared to live in my home."
-
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Florida shows John McCain leading Barack Obama by seven percentage points, 48% to 41%. One week earlier, it was McCain by eight. A month ago, the Republican had a ten-point lead. This is the sixth straight Rasmussen Reports telephone survey to show McCain leading Obama in the Sunshine State. McCain is now viewed favorably by 57% of Florida voters, a figure that has not changed since the previous survey. Obama is viewed favorably by 44%, reflecting a seven point decline in eight days. Even more dramatic is the fact that 40% of Florida...
-
Honoring the Red Army of Josef Stalin Posted at 3:12pm on Jun. 30, 2008 Democrat Congressman Tim Mahoney (FL-16): Honoring Those Who Defended the Soviet Union By Jeff Emanuel Tim Mahoney, freshman Democrat Congressman from Florida, really, really loves the troops. Remember last March, when he responded to questions about whether or not the 'surge' in Iraq would work by famously saying "So what"? Well, forget it -- Tim Mahoney loves the troops, and don't you dare think otherwise.He loves them so much that he wants every person in his district to know how much he loves, and honors, the...
-
Allen West for Congress Blog In Response to Porter County Politics Blog Jun 30, 08:16 AM by Allen West In response to the question of how the Republican party can reach out to black Americans, here is my response: The Republican party first must define itself and get back to its fundamental values and principles rooted in conservatism. That message appeals to people of all groups. It must restore itself as “America’s Party”. Right now everyone else is defining the Republican party and the message is confused. A prime example of the success of that message comes from Utah’s 3d...
-
This speech will give you the opportunity to learn more about Allen and his vision for the future of America and the G.O.P. Please take a moment to learn more about Allen West and then take action to help Allen's campaign! GO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNcQD_vA-X8
-
TALLAHASSEE — The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles wants to remind future motorcyclists of a change in Florida law effective July 1, 2008. Beginning July 1, new motorcyclists must successfully complete the Basic Rider Course through the Florida Rider Trainer Program before they can have the motorcycle endorsement added to their driver license, per section 322.12(5)(a), Florida Statutes.
-
The woman, identified by police as Loraine May, was found by her son Thursday evening inside her home on Elliot Avenue (see map). He called 911 and officers responded around 5:00pm. The two dogs suspected by police in the attack, a golden lab mix and an Australian Shepherd mix, were taken into custody by Brevard County Animal Control. Police said they don't believe her third dog, a cocker spaniel, was involved. Read entire post at link.
-
Jerry Lee Williams Jr. was, authorities say, the most sinister kind of rapist: He would rape and choke, rape and choke, and sometimes he would rape and kill. All told, there were six victims... Two are dead. And the state couldn't stop him, even after the Florida Department of Corrections forced him to wear an ankle monitor so it could keep tabs on him by satellite, the agency says. While wearing the ankle band after his release from prison, Williams attacked two women -- killing one... Both times, the satellite worked. It tracked his every move. But there was no...
-
PENSACOLA BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - For decades opposition to oil drilling off Florida's coast was one of the few issues uniting the state's Democrats and Republicans, who agreed that shielding the environment and the huge tourism industry came first. Not now, as oil prices rise and U.S. motorists are paying serious prices at gasoline pumps. Last week Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican who often sounds like a Democrat, shattered the consensus by calling for an end to a federal moratorium on oil and gas drilling along the country's outer continental shelf. His decision follows the stance of Republican presidential...
-
Allen West for Congress Newsletter Newsletter Alert!June 2008 Greetings! Hello! Please join us tomorrow--Saturday, June 28--at 10 am for our grassroots organizational meeting. It will be a great chance for our Broward and Palm Beach County teams to get acquainted and draw battle plans. Embassy Suites 661 NW 53 Street Boca Raton (just west of I-95 on the north side of Yamato Road) We'll be out by noon. If you haven't had a chance to meet Allen, this is a great time to do it! Please join us. See you Saturday! Allen Answers Obama ...
-
Honk if you love Hispanics. A license plate that touts "Hispanics Discovered Florida" may soon join the 109 specialty tags drivers can choose from. The idea to celebrate the contributions of Hispanics came from National Hispanic Corporate Achievers, a Longwood group that sponsors minority job fairs. The plate would become a fundraising tool to support job and mentorship programs. Danny Ramos, the group's president, said the tag's message is about cultural pride for Florida's 3.6 million Hispanics -- even if not all of Latin American or Spanish descent identify with the term.
-
My friends, I have just read the most disturbing words from someone purporting to be an American Congressman, Alcee Hastings, an impeached Federal judge. His words, regarding the soaring price of gasoline, "There ain't no answer, OK? ... All the talk is feel good talk.", is the most pathetic and abyssmal response I have heard, recently. Perhaps I can offer Congressman Hastings, and his cohorts, a lesson from American history. On the second day at Gettysburg, a young Professor of Rhetoric from Bowdoin College in Maine, LTC Joshua Chamberlain, was told he was the end of the Union line along...
-
Palm Beach Newspapers Inc. said today it will cut 300 workers from its payroll of 1,350. "A prolonged slump in our advertising revenues, increased competition from the Internet and an overall difficult economic environment have combined to make this type of cost reduction necessary," Palm Beach Post Publisher Doug Franklin said. Palm Beach Newspapers Inc., which owns The Palm Beach Post, the Palm Beach Daily News, the Florida Pennysaver and La Palma, hopes to make the cuts through voluntary buyouts offered to all employees who have worked for the company for more than five years, Franklin said. PBNI is just...
-
<p>Plans for foreign oil companies, some from India and China, to drill off the cost of Cuba are prompting calls from lawmakers to ease environmental restrictions that prohibit coastal drilling in most of the U.S., according to a report Tuesday.</p>
-
The GMA (Florida Growth Management Act, Fla. Stat. ch. 163.3161) establishes procedures for any changes that affect land uses in our State. These procedures establish proper-noticed public hearings whether it’s for a Comprehensive Plan amendment or a change in the Land Development Regulations (LDR’s) such as zoning. During these hearings, affected parties present their arguments in favor or opposition to a given project in front of the public officials presiding over the hearing (County Council, City Commission, etc.) who then decide whether to approve or deny the requested amendment. Abuses occur when decisions are made on the basis of political...
-
Last summer, after writing a fantasy-column about what "President" Dick Cheney might have done during those few hours of presidential powers he held while George W. Bush was hospitalized for minor surgery, I received an email from Lt. Col. Allen West (USA ret.) (pictured above). He thanked me for including him the following "presidential" reverie: Mr. Cheney checked his watch. It was already 35 minutes into his "presidential" term, but he had plenty of time left to issue presidential pardons for border agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean (now serving excessively harsh terms for wounding a fleeing drug...
-
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. -- Neighbors Jo Ellen Sharp and Kristin Jenkins stood beside each other after a day on the beach of this barrier island, divided by the thought that Florida's corner of the Gulf of Mexico could some day be dotted by gigantic oil rigs. This is such a big part of our economy and our lifestyle; nobody is going to come here if there is drilling," said Ms. Sharp, 39 years old, who runs a marketing firm with her husband. Ms. Jenkins quickly cut in. "Do what you've got to do," the 35-year-old schoolteacher said. "If it's...
-
LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — In a deal that environmental groups said would be the largest ecological restoration in the country’s history, a plan for the state to buy the nation’s largest producer of cane sugar was announced Tuesday by the governor and officials of U.S. Sugar Corporation. The intention is to restore the Everglades by restoring the water flow from Lake Okeechobee, in the heart of the state, south to Florida Bay. That flow had been interrupted by commercial farming and the Everglades have suffered as a result. Under term of the tentative deal, U.S. Sugar would continue farming and processing...
-
[snip] Florida will buy every bit of land now owned by the nation's largest sugar company and use it to restore the River of Grass. Although many details of the $1.75-billion deal still must be worked out before it closes in November, the bottom line is this: U.S. Sugar will continue farming its land — 187,000 acres, three times the size of Orlando — for six more years, then shut everything down and hand it over to the state. [snip] Company executives called the decision to sell bittersweet, since it will end more than 70 years of farming there. U.S....
-
In the hallowed halls of Florida’s government institutions, the untouchable relic of the Federal ban on offshore drilling has had homage paid to it by legislator after legislator. But Governor Charlie Crist is leading a rebellion, refusing to bow the knee to the envirolobby any longer. It used to be that any public servant in Florida who spoke on offshore drilling spoke against it. Governor Charlie Crist, an outspoken advocate of environmental conservation, has suddenly shifted the tables in the drilling debate, by advocating offshore drilling. Democrats and Republicans who still stand beholden to the envirolobby are opposing the measure,...
-
In a sign that Democrat Barack Obama will be competitive in the nation's largest swing state, he is beating Republican John McCain comfortably in South Florida and has a slight edge among Hispanics, according to a new Miami Herald poll....
-
(While she knows she is lucky to be alive, Cheryl Risse says nothing in her life is the same since losing her legs in the train accident.) Cheryl Risse has to crawl to the bathroom, but she often wakes up in a dead sprint. Her recurring nightmares have become expected, but no less terrifying. One day, Risse, 33, hopes to walk down the aisle. But for now, she'd like merely to escape the haunting sound of trains rumbling past her Pompano Beach home six times a day. It's been nearly a year since both Risse's legs were severed by a...
-
PANAMA CITY -- A local gun storeowner believes the "guns at work" law will offer needed protection for people who might encounter threatening situations while traveling for their job. The Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Retail Federation opposes the legislation, which allows Floridians to keep a gun in their locked cars on work premises if they have a concealed weapons permit. The groups filed suit in federal court in Tallahassee, seeking to block the legislation from taking effect July 1. A hearing for an injunction is scheduled today. The Florida chamber's stance is "a business owner should be...
-
The Orlando Sentinel, in line with the directive of its cost-cutting owner, Sam Zell, has had major cosmetic changes starting with the Sunday edition. Here is how it was described in the Wall Street Journal: The Orlando Sentinel landed on newsstands Sunday with a new layout featuring more graphics, quick-read digests of top news, blog summaries and other changes aimed at making the newspaper more appealing to harried readers.Orlando is a proving ground for Sam Zell's effort to reinvent floundering Tribune Co., owner of a string of television stations and newspapers, including the Sentinel, the Chicago Tribune and the Los...
-
Date/Time: 6/23/2008 1:28:20 PM Title: Daytona Beach News-Journal prepares to be sold Posted By: Jim Romenesko Statement to Daytona Beach News-Journal employees from Georgia M. Kaney As you know, the company is being prepared for sale. These preparations are occurring during a major downturn for the US newspaper business, a downturn we are feeling in our market. As part of the sales process, Cox Enterprises and News-Journal Corporation hired a sales broker and a consultant to help us prepare the company for sale. It is their recommendation that some major changes need to be made now to make the company...
-
YEKATERINBURG — Urals fertilizer billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev is the new owner of Florida's most expensive house after paying U.S. property tycoon Donald Trump $100 million for the waterfront property. Rybolovlev, whose fortune has soared by $10 billion in the last year on an unprecedented boom in demand for fertilizers, said through a spokesman that the purchase was an investment and that he had no plans to swap Moscow life for the Florida coast. Trump more than doubled his money on the sale of Maison de l'Amitie, a 3,000-square-meter mansion on Palm Beach bought for $41.4 million at a bankruptcy auction...
-
The Orlando Sentinel landed on newsstands Sunday with a new layout featuring more graphics, quick-read digests of top news, blog summaries and other changes aimed at making the newspaper more appealing to harried readers. Orlando is a proving ground for Sam Zell's effort to reinvent floundering Tribune Co., owner of a string of television stations and newspapers, including the Sentinel, the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. Between now and the end of September, Tribune plans to roll out redesigns at its papers. Accompanying the makeovers will be scaled-back page counts and further paring of employees. snip It remains...
-
MIAMI, FL -- Elian Gonzalez's relatives will protest two Obama campaign advisers who helped send Elián back to Cuba, El Nuevo Herald reports. Greg Craig, now a foreign policy advisor for Obama, represented Elián's father in the custody battle with his Miami relatives. Eric Holder, on Obama's vice-president search committee, was deputy attorney general when Elián González was returned to Cuba. In 2000, when the conflict broke, Obama was a senator in Illinois was uninvolved. The protest will occur at Miami Town Hall just before the Democratic presidential candidate attends a conference. "The connection between Barack Obama and a Castro...
-
ST. PETERSBURG - Michael Agosta joined the Army on May 30 and was ordered to ship out for basic training in 19 days. So he gave his apartment complex copies of his orders and notice that he was terminating his rental agreement. But the complex, Camden Lakes at 11150 Fourth St. N., won't let him out of his lease, saying what he provided were not official orders, according to Agosta and a lawsuit filed Tuesday on his behalf. "I never thought I'd be in a situation like this," Agosta, 30, said Friday. "It's like dumbfounding how insulting it was." Agosta...
-
Israel justified over military exercise - Obama Agencies Published: June 21, 2008, 10:35 Florida: US presidential candidate Barack Obama said that Israel is justified in providing for its security amid the "extraordinary threat" posed to it by Iran. He spoke after The New York Times quoted unnamed US officials as saying that Israel had carried out a large military exercise this month that appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. Democrat Obama, who is running against Republican John McCain in the November election, was asked at a news conference in Jacksonville, Florida whether...
-
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg Friday condemned false rumors that Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is a Muslim. Speaking to Jewish voters in Boca Raton, Fla., Bloomberg said people should reject the whisper campaign against the Illinois senator, the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post reported. He called Obama's Republican opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain, a stand-up guy for denouncing the rumors. Obama has said he is a Christian. Bloomberg, a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent, told those gathered at the Jewish Federation of South Florida that Jewish voters have been the targets of demagogues attempting to exploit political differences between Jews and Muslims. We cannot...
-
Michael Bloomberg defended Barack Obama in a speech to Jewish voters in Florida this morning. According to the Palm Beach Post, Bloomberg told an audience at an event organized by the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County not to believe the "online whisper campaign" against Obama. Bloomberg's day in Florida -- he will be making three separate appearances -- has all the markings of a Kevin Sheekey project. It's two days after a poll indicated Barack Obama is doing better than expected in that all-important battleground state, and, not insignificantly, as Bloomberg has been mentioned (for what that's worth)...
-
Hey, swing state Florida, I will not offshore drill The Sen. Barack Obama press machine issued this statement that Obama will deliver at his media avail this afternoon, in which he pledges (where have we heard that word before?) to keep the federal moratorium against offshore drilling in place: "When I am president, I will keep the moratorium in place and prevent oil companies from drilling off Florida's coasts," the statement reads. "That's how we can protect our coasts and still make the investments that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and bring down gas prices for good."
-
Some columnist from the Sun Sentinel in South Florida …. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/sfl-flbmayocol0619sbjun19,0,830449.column … thought it would be really clever to exploit this oil situation in Florida. Yeah. He says, "If we control access to something the rest of the country wants, we should be darn sure we get something good in return." So his idea? Make the nation agree to national hurricane insurance. In other words, in order for Florida to become a part of the solution, we must agree to fork over some taxpayer dollars to people who have knowingly chosen to live in a hurricane area (like me, for...
-
H.R.6257 Title: To reinstate the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act. Sponsor: Rep Kirk, Mark Steven [IL-10] (introduced 6/12/2008) Cosponsors (4) Rep Castle, Michael N. [DE] - 6/12/2008 Rep Ferguson, Mike [NJ-7] - 6/12/2008 Rep Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [FL-18] - 6/18/2008 Rep Shays, Christopher [CT-4] - 6/12/2008 Latest Major Action: 6/12/2008 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. TITLE(S): * SHORT TITLE(S) AS INTRODUCED: Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2008 * OFFICIAL TITLE AS INTRODUCED: To reinstate the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act.
-
Summoning a time of political upheaval in Miami, a great-uncle of Elián González plans Friday to publicly denounce two Barack Obama campaign advisors who helped send the boy back to his father in Cuba eight years ago. One day before the expected Democratic nominee addresses a conference of mayors in Miami, Delfín González will hold a 1 p.m. news conference outside the Little Havana home where Elián lived with relatives for several months in 2000. Earlier this week, CNN reported that Elián, now 14 years old, has joined Cuba's Young Communist Union. Obama was an Illinois lawmaker during the 2000...
-
This is a part of a huge and expensive problem we never hear but are paying for. I was hearing these kind of stories when I was in Congress over twelve years ago. No one would listen then and no one is listening now. We just keep paying and paying.
-
Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns regarding our country's rising fuel costs. I appreciate your taking the time to convey your thoughts, and wanted to respond. Since the energy crisis of the late 1970's, our nation has failed to adopt a sound and comprehensive energy policy. That lack of action has forced our country to become more reliant on foreign oil to maintain our energy demands. Gasoline prices under the current 110th Congress have hit record levels with the average cost of gasoline reaching $3.98 nationally. During my service in the Florida State Legislature and Congress, I...
|
|
|