Des Moines Crazy
for Divorces; 52
Split in 2 Days
Des Moines, July 4.—(UP)—A divorce craze apparently has hit Des Moines.
In the past two days 53 divorces have been granted here, during which time no suits have been refused.
Tuesday was the banner day, when 28 couples severed their marital ties, and yesterday 24 more couples called it "quits."
In yesterday's actions, one woman was granted a divorce because her "husband insisted on dolling up every night and leaving home," while a man was declared victor when he testified that his wife "pulled my hair and scratched me."
A policeman won his suit for separation when he said that his wife was too hardbodied.

(...)

Yes, it’s true. Governor Sarah Palin, at a hastily called press conference this morning, has announced that she will be stepping down from office on July 25, and turning the reins over to Lt. Governor Sean Parnell “for the good of Alaska.”

(...)

Of course, those who have been follwing the Alaska blogosphere closely are aware of the rumors bubbling up that there’s something big…something really big that’s headed her way; the iceberg that’s headed for the S.S. Palin. We’ll see."

(...)
Okay, I’ve now been able to get independent information from multiple sources that all of this precedes what are said to be possible federal indictments against Palin, concerning an embezzlement scandal related to the building of Palin’s house and the Wasilla Sports Complex built during her tenure. Both structures, it is said, feature the “same windows, same wood, same products.” Federal investigators have been looking into this for some time, and indictments could be imminent, according to the Alaska sources.

Anonymous said...

Obviously you didnt attend the task force meetings. I doubt "thoughtful examination" would be the words to express this debachle. Dr. Levenson was surely outgunned on this issue along with her cohort, Bill Schoolman Browards infamous ACLU attorney who's only contribution was his threat of litigation used as every punch-line when members questioned and or disagreed with him.. In as much as Dr. Levenson would like to add this Task force to her resume' she should probably forego that detail in her overall accomplishments. She behaved dismally when her "studies" were brought into question and responded with all the decorum of a spoiled child who had her candy taken away.

I have followed Dr. Levenson's studies, quotes and opinions on sex offender issues for many many years. These so-called studies consist of the same very tired arguments with a new date. Dr. Levenson's title as the go-to person on this issue for the State of Florida has worn itself thin and her contributions at this point are as half-empty as her contribution to this task force. The fact every sex offender in the country considers her the "Golden Guru" on the trials and tribulations of their "tales of woe", should be a red flag that Jill Levenson just might not be the person to look at this issue with fresh eyes. From what I observed, Dr. Levenson is way past her prime on this problem. Her only solutions seem to be on the verge of "Invite an offender to Dinner" campaign, rather than look at this States failure to predict and prepare for events that are taking place as I write this. Times have changed and for Dr. Levenson its easier to try and push the ever increasing amount of offenders right back on the very people they prey off of. She consistantly ignores the fact that the Department of Corrections, our Judicial Powers lack of will and budgetary ills will always be factors in the discussions and ultimate legislation effecting all the Parties involved. Dr. Levenson's career has been woefully disappointing in this arena. For her to be obtaining one dollar of the states resources for her "scientific opinions" at this juncture is pure theft. Her past performance is proof positive that her time has come and gone. The State of Florida has never been more critical or in as much crisis than it is now. Obviously we havent gotten our monies worth from Dr. Levenson and her abundant "studies".

9:13 PM

Sunny said...

Thanks for the update, although such a response likely indicates Dr. Levenson did very much make an impact.

Levenson does not stand alone with her research, which causes me to believe you didn't bother to click open the links on this blog's sidebar. I extend the invitation, with No Easy Answers and Enhancing Child Safety & Online Technologies to be my first recommendation to you.

This has already proved to be an issue in Mr. McCollum's campaign for governor, per the use as his "cybersafety" PSA as a "veiled" campaign commercial, paid for with tax payer dollars.

And it will likely come up in the FL AG race as 80 citizens remain living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway with no place to live due to residency restrictions in Miami.

Froggers, it's 90 degrees outside at 10:00 AM this July 4th.

Imagine living under a bridge, day after day, under those conditions because the City of Miami has segregated persons from their community.

It's about time the ACLU got busy in Florida....

Soon to be gone...but for how long?

RunnersWorld

I have no more idea than anyone else, but hey: what's the point of blogging if not to amass a record of your unfounded speculations so that you can go back and see how wrong you were? My unfounded speculation: I do not believe for a moment that this is about taking time off to prepare for 2012. Nothing I know about Sarah Palin leads me to believe that she would give up power voluntarily, let alone for something that is such a long shot, and in such a transparently self-destructive way.

I think that there's something we don't know about: either a serious health problem or a serious scandal. In either case, it would, I think, have to be a really big deal to make her react in this way. She has shown herself to be more than capable of brushing off smaller scandals, national embarrassment, and a whole host of other things. She did not step down from the governorship when she gave birth to a child with special needs, or when she was asked to be McCain's running-mate. She did not decline McCain's offer because of the potential embarrassment, either to her or her family, of her daughter being unmarried and pregnant. She is no shrinking violet.

[...]

I await further news with fascination. I'm also taking bets on who the next imploding Republican Presidential hopeful will be.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

Greetings good citizen,

Sometimes it’s just too funny! Didn’t I go off the rails in the day before yesterday’s post on the issue of ‘access’ and today we have this story which I assume I’m not alone in being totally ignorant of until it was scrubbed…

So, once again, I fall victim to ‘foot in mouth disease’…you CAN get ‘access’, all you need is a quarter of a million bucks and a politically ‘neutral’ issue.

Or have I been ‘spared’ the humiliation of being ‘wrong’ because the Washington Post has withdrawn its ‘pay to play’ offer (which, PS, by the way, wasn't extended to you, the 'average' individual?)

The political pundits who are saying she couldn’t take the heat, so she got out of the kitchen, may have found a winning cliche to apply, but then no one has faced the heat Sarah Palin has been subjected to, largely at the hands of the political pundits now dragging out that cliche.

WINNIPEG EXPLOSION
A MYSTERY OF NIGHT
(By The Associated Prigss)
WINNIPEG, Man., July 3 - A violent explosion, which, shook nearby buildings, caused injury to two persons and damage to the basement of the Jewish orphanage on Matheson Avenue, North Winnipeg last night.Children at the orphanage escaped injury.

Family of Six Wiped Out In An Ax Murder

Two Found Dead On a Kentucky Highway Today

Two Plunge Off Mountain Ledge To Their Death

Houston Youth Slain; Companion Seriously Hurt

Firemen Killed in Crash With Train

Engineer Falls To Death From His Locomotive

CITY MANAGER URGES CO-OPERATION OF CLUBS

[h/t; The Daily Dish] From ABC News' Lara Setrakian, comes this tweet:

Tehrani source close to those detained says some have been beaten heavily and waterboarded with hot water #iranelection

In my younger years, I would simply expect this news to be greeted with universal outrage, knowing that the techniques being described had long been deemed to be well across the Bridge Too Far. Now that I've lived through the Bush administration, however, I am forced to contemplate the possibility that Iran is merely taking legitimate steps to obtain critical information in their nations' vital national security interests. One mustn't preclude the possibility that many of those being waterboarded are privy to information about "time bombs" that may, at this moment, be "ticking." ...

Thanks, Dick.

Meanwhile, Andrew Sullivan tries for balance (I'll leave it to you to decide if he succeeds.)

More on Ayatollah Khameini's application of The Cheney Method here.

Crist administration handles stimulus "dismally"

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: Smart Growth America "released a report on how states spent the first portion of the $787 billion stimulus package Congress approved in February."

Forty of the 50 states and the District of Columbia spent wisely -- devoting 60 percent or more of the money on repairing existing roads and bridges, which puts more people to work quickly and addresses a serious need. Some states did poorly, devoting about 40 to 50 percent of the stimulus money on new road construction. And some states, Florida among them, did dismally.

The Florida Department of Transportation says it didn't spend more money on repairing infrastructure because it's done a good job of keeping up the state's roads and bridges. True, just 24 percent of state roads are in poor condition, but adding capacity to existing roads is less of a priority than improving mass transit systems that reduce capacity overall in Florida. Stimulus money was also eligible for mass-transit spending. But Florida devoted just 4.4 percent to that category.

Another fine Jebacy

"Demand is soaring at Miami-Dade and Broward community colleges, but the cash-strapped schools can't add enough classes." "Demand soars at S. Florida community colleges, but not enough classes".

Kosmas gets another lightweight RPOFer challenger

"State Rep. Sandy Adams, R-Orlando, said today that "there's a high probability that there's truth to" the rumor she plans to run against freshman Democratic Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas."

Adams could face a primary fight against Winter Park Commissioner Karen Diebel and Kenneth John Miller, who have already filed paperwork to run. Diebel has already taken some hits from Democrats, who've cited her "erratic behavior" at a council meeting and during a 911 call from her home. Still, national Republican campaign groups have spoken favorably about her candidacy.

According to the most recent reports posted on-line, Kosmas, of New Smyrna Beach, had about $230,587 in cash on hand at the end of March.

Sansom watch

The recent Republican Party of Florida's Speaker of the House had been dubbed the "'kingpin' in airport deal".

Just doing business in Tally

"A federal corruption unit is trying to find out if top Florida officials were solicited to tank a state probe into a fraudulent Fort Lauderdale life-insurance company."

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating corruption allegations made by an indicted Fort Lauderdale insurance executive who, in a bid for a favorable plea deal, has named lawyers, lobbyists and fundraisers he claims plotted with him to thwart a state crackdown on him and his industry.

Justice officials have convened a federal grand jury to pursue the claims of former Mutual Benefits Corp. chief Joel Steinger. The wealthy businessman contends that he orchestrated a campaign to stifle a 1999-2000 statewide grand jury probe by attempting to improperly influence public officials, three knowledgeable sources have told The Miami Herald.

Will a Florida "journalist" ask Greer ...

... whether the RPOF agrees with "The top Republican on the Senate committee that will consider Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination", who says "Sotomayor had ties to extreme group"

Florida's hispanics may be interested in the answer.

"Crist got a crack-back block"

Paul Flemming: "Crist got a crack-back block from The Wall Street Journal for his veto of what's not to be called The State Farm bill."

The dead proposal would have allowed big insurance companies to sell homeowners' policies regulated in every way save one: Eligible companies, State Farm among them, could have charged whatever rates they wanted.

Proponents said it would attract private insurers, State Farm among them, back into Florida and reduce the number of policies covered by government-run Citizens Property Insurance.

It's not the first time the Journal's editorial pages, reliably to the right of Vlad the Impaler, have chastised the moderate Crist.

The best they can do?

"Radio Iowa reports there have been robocalls in the state asking which Republican candidate do they prefer for the 2012 presidential race. The candidates were [get this] Michael Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Newt Gingrich and Jeb Bush." "Jeb Bush Robocalls".

"Something appears fishy" with Vern

The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board:

When a Democrat who is broke and has never made a campaign contribution gives the maximum to the re-election campaign of Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, something appears fishy. The two-term congressman from Sarasota disavows any breach of campaign finance laws. But there is a swirl of allegations that contributions made to Buchanan's campaign have been illegally reimbursed. A federal investigation should be launched if one is not already under way.

"'A handful of gimme and a mouthful of much obliged'"

"Florida residents and business leaders told federal lawmakers that the rising cost of property insurance is hitting state residents and the economy hard, and called on Congress to pass legislation for a "catastrophe fund" to help local homeowners." "Floridians ask Congress to pass 'catastrophe fund' legislation".

Whenever fiscally irresponsible, low tax states like Florida beg for federal handouts, it reminds us of RJ Eskow point that Southerners "love to preach about fiscal responsibility and lower taxes, but they keep dipping their beak into the Federal trough. I believe the applicable Southern phrase is 'a handful of gimme and a mouthful of much obliged.'"

"Circular firing squad"

More from Flemming:

Leon County Democrats this week formed anew its circular firing squad and commenced squeezing the trigger. Leon Democratic Executive Committee Chairman Rick Minor quit his party post and filed to run against the incumbent for House District 9.

Minor said he didn't think state Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda represented the core values of Democrats in the district, mentioning, with a straight face, her failure to support the Equal Rights Amendment.

Minor's stunt makes it more likely Republicans will be able to steal an otherwise safe Democratic district. In 2008, Rehwinkel Vasilinda took 48.6 percent of the vote, winning by 430 votes out of more than 42,000 cast in a race against a well-funded, high-profile Republican opponent. No doubt the GOP will gun for this seat again in 2010.

Speaking of "circular firing squads"

"The race for Florida attorney general may be one of the state's hottest contests in 2010, but the presumed Republican frontrunner has yet to step in the ring."

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, a former legislator from North Fort Myers, promised an announcement at the end of June. Kottkamp was in his Fort Myers office on Thursday and could not be reached for comment.

As his supporters wait, and the Ethics Commission weighs a complaint about his use of state airplanes, the name of a potential primary opponent has surfaced: Holly Benson, secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration and a former lawmaker from Pensacola.

Pension checks for Florida's Confederate "losers"

Mark Lane:

I was stuck in traffic recently behind a six-wheeled pickup with a Confederate flag sticker that said "heritage not hate." As if "heritage" and "hate" were two utterly separate things. Sadly, like "tastes great" and "less filling," these qualities are not mutually exclusive.

But we as a people don't dwell on that kind of thing.

Only 20 years after the Civil War, the state of Florida started paying pensions to Confederate soldiers. In how many countries do the losers in insurrection movements get government checks? But within two decades of the nation's bloodiest war, we were so far along in moving to other things that people on both sides of the conflict could unite in the common goal of getting retirement money from the government.

We're that kind of country.

And that's why when we hear explosions in the distance, Americans look up in the sky rather than drop and roll.

Happy Fourth of July.

Gambling

"Crist and the Seminole Tribe of Florida began negotiating a new gambling compact Wednesday that would bring revenue to the state in exchange for the tribe's right to a monopoly on some of its casino games." "Gov. Charlie Crist resumes gambling talks with Seminoles".

Sounds like a plan

Jac Versteeg:

So, what did Mr. Hernandez do? Basically, Mr. Dow says, he reclassified hundreds of "teachers" as "coaches." Not athletic coaches but academic coaches in areas such as math, science, reading and language arts. The coaches, most of whom will focus on struggling schools, will spend part of the time teaching teachers and part of their time working directly with students. The federal stimulus program, which supposedly focuses on innovation, will pay for those coaches but not for ordinary teachers.

Is it really better for students to have those teachers working as "coaches" than it would be to have them still in the classroom full-time? I don't know. I think it's definitely better to have them with the district in some capacity than to lay off hundreds of teachers.

Judicial appointments

The Florida Supreme Court "ruled Thursday that Crist must make a judicial selection from the all-white list of six names for the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach."

''While we applaud the governor's interest in achieving diversity in the judiciary -- an interest we believe to be genuine and well-intentioned -- the Constitution does not grant the governor the discretion to refuse or postpone making an appointment to fill the vacancy on the Fifth District Court of Appeal,'' Justice Jorge Labarga, a Crist appointee, wrote on behalf of the court.

last year, after a Supreme Court nominating commission forwarded Labarga's name to Crist, the Republican selected him to sit on an appeals court, instead. Crist then asked the commission to send him more diverse candidates for the Supreme Court seat. After a contentious late-night phone conference, the commission nominated Frank Jimenez, another Cuban American and a U.S. Navy attorney who had worked for both Jeb and George Bush.

A group of high-powered lawyers protested the process. Some critics said it had become too political. Crist, now a U.S. Senate candidate for the 2010 election, denied the charge. He then elevated Labarga to the Supreme Court seat vacated by [the grandson of Cuban military dictator Fulgencio Batista] Raoul Cantero, the state's first Hispanic justice.

"Florida Supreme Court rejects Gov. Charlie Crist's judge-picking plans". See also "Pick a name from the list, Crist told", "Court: Crist must choose from current judicial nominations" and "Florida Supreme Court rules against Crist in judicial spat".

Kos: "Not very Republican-y of you, Charlie".

Try taxing sky boxes next time

"Smokers fuming over cigarette tax hike".

RPOFer family values

When his son "returned to the kitchen to get something to drink, witnesses said [former professional wrestler, Hillsborough County Commissioner, and all purpose wingnut Brian] Blair continued to yell at him, pushed him, punched him once in the face and then put him in an arm lock. Bradley jumped on his dad and began hitting him before being pulled off by his mother and the two friends. Witnesses said Blair hit Bradley with a closed fist on his head for punching him." "Blair will be allowed to reunite with family".

"A conservative Republican who stressed family values, Blair was elected to the county commission in 2004 but lost a heated election last year to Kevin Beckner." "Blair released from jail on child abuse charges".

Too much water?

"Another wet month has erased water supply concerns across South Florida, but all the rain will raise flooding concerns if a tropical storm hits." "South Florida water shortage ended".

Drew's story is, by now, familiar: Concerned that her daughter Sara was being badmouthed by a former friend, 13-year-old Megan Meier, Drew took protective parenting way too far. Together with Sara and an employee, Drew created a MySpace account for a fictional teen boy, "Josh Evans," who would extract evidence of Megan's trash talk. But after luring the girl in with flirtatious banter, the prank took a crueler turn, and "Josh" unleashed a barrage of vicious insults—publishing a number of Megan's intimate messages to salt the wound. The sudden betrayal proved too much for Megan, who had a history of depression: The girl hanged herself in her closet on an October afternoon in 2006.

(...)

O'Brien had a legal theory as unorthodox as his assertion of authority. MySpace may be full of bogus or pseudonymous profiles, but the site's terms of service technically require all users to provide "truthful and accurate" registration information. Since use of the site is conditional on acceptance of those terms, prosecutors argued, use in violation of those terms constituted "unauthorized access" to MySpace's computers. And "unauthorized access" violated a provision of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act intended to apply to computer hackers.

"Unauthorized access" is a mere misdemeanor—and that's all the jury was willing to find Drew guilty of. But the charge can be elevated to a felony if that access is "in furtherance" of some other illicit act, whether a crime or a civil tort. So, for instance, upload a few minutes of copyrighted video to YouTube, and you've violated the site's terms of service while simultaneously committing copyright infringement.

Congratulations, you're a felon!

The prosecution's theory brought together some strange bedfellows in opposition to the criminalization of ToS violations.

--The Electronic Frontier Foundation filed an amicus brief calling the case a threat to online free speech.

--And the conservative Heritage Foundation called the prosecution an affront to the rule of law, warning, "If Lori Drew is convicted, we all, as Americans, will have to suffer the greater consequences."

--ANew York Times analysis in the wake of the verdict opened with the rhetorical question: "Is lying about one’s identity on the Internet now a crime?"

(Any other Froggers feeling the irony here? Continue.....)

(...)

Lori drew and her cohorts testified that they hadn't read MySpace's terms of service before embarking on their harassment campaign. Most people probably don't—and there's some reason to think that's a good thing. A study published in October 2008 estimated that if everybody read the privacy policies on websites they frequented, the aggregate time lost would impose costs of up to $365 billion in lost productivity.

Judge George Wu has now concluded that Drew's behavior was not in fact a violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act; his written opinion explaining that conclusion will appear next week. He appears to have concurred with the EFF, however, that "by its plain terms, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act prohibits trespass and theft, not more contractual violations of terms of use."

Because no facts are in dispute—only matters of legal interpretation—Wu has the power to override the jury's verdict in the case.

And with that, let freedom ring.

(Whatever your interpretation of said freedom might be....)

Happy 4th of July.

Credit: RunnersWorld

This White House has carried pre-packaged, organized, controlled, scripted events to a new height, and they're getting away with things that in any previous White House, the media would have eviscerated the press secretary and the White House for it.

Jennings is set to begin his new job on Monday, as Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education for the Department's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, after his appointment was announced about a month ago. And this week, FRC launched a last-minute Web petition to oppose him. It asks a pointed question: Would you choose this teacher to guide your children?

[...]

Many of the quotes [in the petition], regarding youthful drug use and other misadventures, are from Jennings' autobiography, Mama's Boy, Preacher's Son, about his coming of age in the South.

They also have a comprehensive, point-by-point essay on why Jennings shouldn't be responsible for kids in school. Headings include, "Jennings' and GLSEN's concept of 'safe schools' means special protections for privileged groups (especially homosexuals), rather than safety for all," and "Jennings' own youthful drug use calls into question his suitability for promoting 'drug-free schools.'"

Then there's a section with this heading, to which very close attention should be paid: "Jennings favors indoctrinating even elementary-age children in pro-homosexual ideology."

The Family Research Council has been completely quiet on the South Carolina governor's affair. So has Concerned Women for America. Ditto for Focus on the Family.

The wall of silence is all the more striking given that 10 Palmetto State senators in Sanford's own party have called for him to step down. Does the pro-family movement burn up credibility if it looks the other way when Republican allies own up to extramarital affairs?

- A Blog Around The Clock - from the archives ... clock evolution.
- All Facts and Opinions - Oh, Sarah...
- archy has a great post on the state of God in America.
- Bark Bark Woof Woof - nice talk from the president about gay rights.
- Bloggg - healthy questions.
- Dohiyi Mir - July 2 is really the Fourth of July.
- Echidne Of The Snakes - women, the press, and gauziness.
- Florida Progressive Coalition Blog - the latest news on Florida politics and politicians.
- ...I Am A Tree checks in.
- Left Is Right - California Dems get cranky.
- Left Turn Only checks in, too.
- Musing's musings hits the vacation trail.
- Pen-Elayne on the Web hits the roof.
- Rook's Rant deals with the Franken/Coleman decision deftly.
- rubber hose - inexpensive health insurance? the horror!
- Scrutiny Hooligans says we must take action.
- Speedkill - overkill
- Steve Bates gets the boot.
- Stupid Enough Unexplanation - poor people.
- The Invisible Library preps his next best-seller.
- WTF Is It Now?? on the latest hypocrite.

Greetings good citizen,

I was of the impression that the unemployment numbers wouldn’t be released until Friday…but apparently even BLS employees wanted their long weekend.

We all remember last month’s amazing report of 345,000 (which was after the ‘birth/death’ model added in 230,000 ‘imaginary’ jobs.) Apparently all of the bean counters (that have been consistently wrong so far) ‘projected’ that this months figures would be even lower.

Surprise, surprise…they were wrong again.

Worse, the equally as ‘imaginatively’ price stock markets dropped 200 plus points.

Is anyone else getting tired of this ‘Kabuki Dance’ yet? Perhaps more importantly, we still don’t have an answer to the BLS’s ‘math problem’ of how weekly job losses come in at over 600,000 and yet the monthly total is magically in the 400,000 range? read more »

""I was just the vessel. It wasn't Michael's sperm. Just like I stick the sperm up my horse, this is what they did to me. I was his thoroughbred."....

"I know I will never see them again. I was never cut out to be a mother - I was no good. I don't want these children in my life. My children are my animals now."

"I was never a good mother, I never felt any attachment to them. It was a better feeling giving them to him than it was keeping them as my own.

We've learned who's getting what in Michael Jackson's trust. Here's how it breaks down.

Katherine Jackson will get 40% of the assets.
Michael's 3 kids will get another 40%.
And the remaining 20% goes to several children's charities. We're told the charities have not been designated yet and are not specified in the trust.

(...)

Rival factions close to the McCain campaign have been feuding since last fall over Palin, usually waging the battle in the shadows with anonymous quotes. Now, however, some of the most well-known names in Republican politics are going on-the-record with personal attacks and blame-casting.

 

William Kristol, the editor of The Weekly Standard and at times an informal adviser to Sen. John McCain, touched off the latest back-and-forth Tuesday morning with a post on his magazine’s blog criticizing the Todd Purdum-authored Palin story and pointing a finger at Steve Schmidt, McCain’s campaign manager.

Kristol cited a passage in Purdum’s piece in which “some top aides” were said to worry about the Alaska governor’s “mental state” and the prospect that the Alaska governor may be suffering from post-partum depression following the birth of her son Trig. “In fact, one aide who raised this possibility in the course of trashing Palin’s mental state to others in the McCain-Palin campaign was Steve Schmidt,” Kristol wrote.

 

Asked about the accusation, Schmidt fired back in an e-mail: “I'm sure John McCain would be president today if only Bill Kristol had been in charge of the campaign.”

 

“After all, his management of [former Vice President] Dan Quayle’s public image as his chief of staff is still something that takes your breath away,” Schmidt continued. “His attack on me is categorically false.”

Asked directly in a telephone interview if he brought up the prospect of Palin suffering from post-partum depression, Schmidt said: “His allegation that I was defaming Palin by alleging post-partum depression at the campaign headquarters is categorically untrue. In fact, I think it rises to the level of a slander because it’s about the worst thing you can say about somebody who does what I do for a living.”

 

But Kristol’s charge was seconded by Randy Scheunemann, a longtime foreign policy adviser to McCain who is also close to the Standard editor and was thought to be a Palin ally within the campaign.

 

“Steve Schmidt has a congenital aversion to the truth,” Scheunemann said. “On two separate and distinct occasions, he speculated about about Governor Palin having post-partum depression, and on the second he threatened that if more negative publicity about the handling of Governor Palin emerged that he would leak his speculation [about post-partum depression] to the press. It was like meeting Tony Soprano.”

Banker Kidnapped
But Makes Escape
NUTLEY N.J. July 2—Reappearing as mysteriously as he disappeared last Wednesday, Willard H. Elliott Passaic banker walked into the Nutley police station early this morning and told of his having been kidnapped and held captive by three men. Except tor a several days growth of beard, the missing banker appearred none the worse for his experience. He said no threats had been made by his captors nor any ransom demanded, and could assign no reason for his abduction.
After telling his story to tho police and telephoning Joan J. Roegner president cf the Hobart Trust Company where he was vice-president and treasurer, he left for his home in East Orange. He later declined to talk to newspapermen who telephoned there. He said last night he started drinking with his captors, and when they became drunk, managed to get away.

Next, the survey asked a question about Obama. She described it this way:"That particular question was (somewhat) as follows, 'Which one of the following phrases best describes President Obama? For good leader, press 1; for good President, press 2; for too party-centric, press 3; for too liberal, press 4; for Socialist, press 5; for bad President, press 6; for undecided, press 7'"

We’re getting through to him, at least in the sense that he has heard the phones ringing off the hook. Sen. Bill Nelson, whose former job as state insurance commissioner makes us suspect him of being too close to the insurance business (definitely not a problem in his earlier career as astronaut), is listed as “unknown” on this chart at Open Left. Dear me, unknown is further from the goal than the maybes.

Here’s what’s up on his Twitter page, dated June 18.

Lotta folks asking me about health-care reform. We really need it. I'm working on it. But we need a viable plan for how to pay for it.4:43 PM Jun 18th from web