Political Crazies

Joni Ernst -  Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Iowa loves guns and the NRA.  In 2012, at an NRA event, she said she would use her gun to defend herself against the U.S Government, if necessary.  You just never know when the big, bad, ol' guv'mint might go after little Joni.

“I have a beautiful little Smith & Wesson, 9 millimeter, and it goes with me virtually everywhere.”

Gun nut, you bet.  As 2014 began she put out an ad in which she points a gun at the camera and “vows to ‘unload’ on Obamacare.”

Ernst is not merely a gun nut, she’s also a teapot crackpot who thinks that states can “nullify” federal laws they consider unconstitutional; and that state lawmen can lock up the feds for trying to enforce federal laws.

Ernst wants Obamacare repealed claiming it’s unconstitutional.  And therefore, Iowa can "nullify" Obamacare in the state.   Local cops should arrest any government persons who try to implement it in Iowa.  

She favors doing away with the federal minimum wage, the EPA, the Department of Education and the IRS.

When it comes to abortion, she’s against it.  She favors the notion that “personhood” begins with conception and thus is anti-birth control.

She does not believe in climate change and if there was such a thing she's certain that human beings have nothing to do with it. 

Oh, best of all, she wants to impeach the president because he has become a “dictator."


Jason Chaffetz, a Republican in the U.S. Congress. doesn’t know that we do not have a surgeon general because the NRA warned the Congress not to vote on Obama’s nominee, Dr. Vivek Murthy. Chaffetz couldn’t understand why the surgeon general isn’t heading up the fight against Ebola.  Later, when corrected, he tried to cover himself by saying of course he knew we don’t have a surgeon general but he was aware we have an acting surgeon general and he was talking about the Office of the Surgeon General anyway.  Hint:  No, he wasn’t.  He’s a dumbass!

Marilinda Garcia, candidate for the U.S. House from New Hampshire, gave a speech against same-sex marriage in 2012.  That's OK.  She has a right to express her beliefs.  Problem is she plagiarized parts of the speech from a 2010 editorial in the National Review.  Hey, anything goes when you're working for Jebus.


Scott Brown again, now running for U.S. Senator from New Hampshire, listed himself as a state senator in Mass on a $244 donation he gave himself on Sept. 9.  Well, New Hampshire and Massachusetts are close, right?  Poor fellow needs someplace to call home. 


Elizabeth Hasselbeck thinks there’s a link between the NFL and Benghazi.  (From the Huffington Post).  No one would ever think there was a link between Hasselbeck and an IQ.  Well, maybe a rock.


Nick Muzin is the Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Adviser for Ted Cruz.  One of the nicest things we could say about Mr. Cruz is that he's a boil on the butt of the U.S. Senate.  The other day Muzin tweeted that before Obamacare came on the scene, “there had never been a confirmed case of Ebola in the U.S."  In other words, Ebola is Obama’s fault.  Later, when confronted with this nonsense, Muzin said he was just joking.  Sure he was.  Not.  (From Daily Kos)  Muzin's working for the right guy, though.  Two crazies!


How about we split the U.S. into two countries:  The U.S. and Reagan?  Well, a moron who at one time was an aide in the Reagan administration, Douglas MacKinnon, has proposed just that in his book, “The Secessionist States of America: The Blueprint for Creating a Traditional Values Country…Now”.

MacKinnon wants to start with South Carolina, Georgia and Florida and form a new nation called “Reagan.”  But why did he not include the rest of the deep South?  Why not Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia?  And where the hell is Texas, the biggest of the whole cotton-pickin’ mess?

Reagan can’t include Texas, says MacKinnon because “there have been a number of incursions into Texas and other places from some of the folks in Mexico.”  Heh, heh.  Has he ever been to South Florida?  What a moron!

This also came from Daily Kos.


Thom Tillis, the ethically-challenged Speaker of the North Carolina House, we’ve dealt with before but here are some of his "family values."

He supports a personhood amendment and would ban abortion in all instances.  He’s led attempts to ban contraceptives, defund Planned Parenthood and to regulate abortion providers in such a way they’d be forced out of business.

He’s a racist and has worked to stifle the black vote with restrictive voting laws.

Tillis opposes same-sex marriage and denies climate change.  Like Ernst, he wants to get rid of the federal minimum wage.  He has been involved in cutting millions of dollars from education and blocking the expansion of Medicaid.

His latest foray into nuttiness involves his fear that Ebola-infected folks will swim across the Rio Grande from Mexico and spread the virus all over God's country.


Michael Savage.  A true nogoodnik radio talk show host.  He’s pissed off because veterans come home with PTSD and says they’re making the nation weaker.

Veterans with PTSD are a “bunch of losers" and they should emulate Savage.

“You need men like me to save the country,” he said.  “You need men to stand up and stop crying like a baby over everything […] men are so weak and so narcissistic […] no wonder ISIS can defeat our military.”


Larry Klayman.  A nasty man.  A lawyer.  A year or two ago he led a revolution to rid the White House of Obama but nobody showed up.  Now he has “filed a lawsuit against President Obama for ‘providing material support and aid to international terrorism and facilitating terrorism’ by not implementing a travel ban on people from countries facing an Ebola outbreak.”

Obama, says Klayman, is partial to “his African brothers” and has put “whites and others who are not black or Muslim to the back of the bus…"

Layman doesn’t want any violence, but what he does want is for "Obama to be taken alive and deported and pay for his inadequacies under the rule of law.”


Down in Texas, where politicians still get elected even though most everything they say is indecipherable from a cowpie, there's a GOP representative named Steve Stockman who thinks that Obama is sitting on his hands regarding the Ebola crisis because he wants the virus to spread over the country so he can declare emergency powers and take over as dictator. 


And for a final bit of crazy, we’ll head back to Texas to Dallas, to the First Baptist Church, to the pastor, Robert Jeffress.  Jeffress has already been certified crazy by most of the sane people on earth, partly because in a sermon back in 2012 he said that while President Obama was not the anti-Christ, he is  “paving the way for the future reign of the Antichrist.”

Okay, first of all, the Jesus of the gospels is an imaginary figure.  The Christ that Paul preached was a mythical heavenly person who had no substantial connection to the imaginary Jesus of the gospels.

But Southern Baptist preachers like Jeffers are basically ignorant of the Bible and how it came to be and what it all means.  The Christianity of the Southern Baptist tradition is a pagan blend of mythical and legendary stupidity and 19th century religious fundamentalism. 

None of that withstanding, on October 24, Bill O’Reilly of FAUX News, had Mr. Jeffress as a guest on his TV show during which Jeffress spoke of Islam as a “false religion” and ol’ Bill remained silent.  That's no doubt because O'Reilly, of the fictional books filled with fibs about Lincoln and Jesus and the Crucifixion, agreed with Jeffress. 

Now, in the first place, anybody who believes in a mythical figure called the anti-Christ should not be taken seriously about anything!  Nothing!  And anybody who would claim that our president is so evil as to pave the way for this non-existent anti-Christ should be run out of town on a rail, not be kowtowed to on a television program.

I have nothing good to say about Islam.  But it still gets my shorts in a knot when a creep like Jeffress, who represents another historically reprehensible religion, can claim another religion is “false,” implying therefore that his is the Truth and do so while smearing the president of the United States, the shoes of which Mr. Jeffress, in his wildest dreams, could never fill! 

What a screwy world we live in.  It often seems much more like the 16th century than the 21st. 

Republican Fraudsters

The FAUX News people make no bones about their allegiances or their preferences when it come to political parties and politicians.  High on their list are Republicans.  Most Democrats don't even make the list!

MainStream Media types, most of whom work for companies owned by huge corporations (which, naturally, are driven not so much by the quest for truth (in advertising or anything else), but by the profit motive), would like us to believe they are less biased or even unbiased in their presentation of the political facts of life in this country.

To do this, they tend to use words like "equivalent," or "equivalency."  So when one of their Republican pals gets caught with his or her hand in the proverbial cookie jar, or makes some outlandish statement which could only come from a brain the size of a pea, the MSM folks search for a Democrat with a similar failing and then talk about how "both sides do it."


There is no question that some bad apples are floating in the Democratic barrel.  But equivalency doesn't work because the ratio of bad guys to good guys is off the charts when comparing Republicans and Democrats!

My good friend, Tommy Korioth, who blogs at Basket of Puppies, has a site called Republican Offenders, where you can find the goods on all sorts of Republican miscreants.

What makes going after Republican nogoodniks so much fun is that not only are there so many of them but their hypocrisy is monumental.  Republican politicos love to talk about their religious faith, their love for country, their undying devotion to their state, county, city, neighborhood, and their love for their families.  "Family values" is a phrase that trips from their lips like a cartoon bunny.

The nice thing for them is that "family values" can mean many things and if the politico doesn't define it his listeners can absorb the words into their own particular meaning and nod their heads in agreement.  That's why you can get Kentucky moonshiners loving up their Republican reps 'cause their Republican reps have the same "family values" they do!  "Pass the jug, will ya?"

If a Republican politician does talk about family values or values in general you can be pretty sure these "values" include opposing equal rights for our gay friends, especially the right of marriage.  Marriage is between a man and woman don't ya know, even if, as in the case of Newt Gingrich, it may may one man and several women (at different times, of course, unless you're a Mormon).  You can also be sure Republicans are opposed to birth control, to evolution, to abortion for most any reason, and that they believe this whole business of global warming is just a lib'rul plot to give our commie prezident an excuse to establish martial law and take over the country.

Now, if you can get a Republican in a public venue and ask him what he believes, he'll talk a lot about honesty and integrity and ethics and how folks need to look to the Republican Party to ensure that those values remain core to the country.  Oh, yes, Repubs are also big on bizness.  It's small bizness and big bizness that made this country what it is.  (They might be right about that when you consider the shape the country is in!)

But if you can corner a Republican in a dark corner of the cloakroom you may be able to work all kinds of deals that will not only betray his "family values" but serve to keep him in office.  In other words, money is power and politicians need money - lots of it.  And being a politician opens a bunch of doors as to how to get money and thus power and ride that horse for years!


We've got some fun examples to show you today, starting with the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives in the state of Alabama!  Mike Hubbard is the name and con artist is his game.  He's been around a long time so he knows how to game the system.  In fact, from 2007 to 2011, he was the chair of Alabama's Republican Party.

But Mr. Hubbard was arrested just the other day and charged with 23 felony ethics counts.  23!  Mr. Hubbard is one of those guys very worried about "voter fraud" (which doesn't exist) which means he's worried that if you allow all the Democrats to actually vote they'll run him out of office and out of town!

Evidently, Mr. Hubbard used his office for financial gain.  It's all a misunderstanding, you understand. No real problem, here.


Then there's Bobby Harrell, Speaker of the House of Representatives in South Carolina since 2005.  Last September 11, he suspended "his position" because of a cluster of indictments dealing with ethics violations - or as someone else put it, "misconduct and using campaign donations for personal use."

He did nothing wrong either.  Well, he might have written the wrong dates on "a handful of items," but hey, we can sit down and talk this through.  Right?


What is really exciting is to find some ultra Christian rightist who claims to love Jesus and to know what Jesus wants people to do and not do blow it big time.  I'm speaking of the former governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell.

Bob really does love Jesus and that may have been one of the reasons he was being considered as Mitt Romney's running mate during the last presidential election cycle.  He wouldn't have been much worse than Paul Ryan, but still.

Bob, who believes in marriage between a man and a woman and is against everything else, is in process of divorcing his wife; or vice-versa.  Whatever, they're not one big happy family anymore.  Their family values finally caught up with them and Bob and Maureen may go to jail for a while.

On September 4 of this year, a jury of their peers found them guilty of 11 counts of corruption.  Mostly this involved the taking of money for personal things like their daughter's wedding.  It was a good deal for Bob.  He'd get money and then work hard to see what he could do for his financial benefactors.  I guess Jesus forgot to tell him that wasn't very nice.  And illegal!


Scott Walker, a real nogoodnik governor up in Wisconsin, is having some ethical problems of his own, but he may be able to beat them; he's got the backing of Karl Rove, the Koch Brothers and other nasty diseases.


Down in Texas, the Jesus-lover Rick Perry, has been indicted for "coercing a public official."  He says it's all political, and it certainly is that, but he did what he was indicted for.  He'll probably beat the rap, too, though.  I've heard tell that some powers-that-be don't think his dirty deed was important; everybody does it, they said.  So he's a hypocrite, they said.  No big deal.


Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, joins the club of nogoodniks.  He should be run out of town for scamming the people for too many years; for screwing the public servants including teachers by turning over their pensions to his buddies on Wall Street; but more immediately, his fudging the truth about "Bridgegate" could take away whatever wind is left in his sails.


Rick Scott in Florida, has been a known criminal for several years, his biggest crime pulling off the largest Medicare fraud in history and slithering away from prosecution with some $300 million in his pocket, a bunch of which went to buy the governor's office in the Sunshine State.  And what he's done to the state since becoming governor would, in a just world, put him in jail for years and years.  One example.  On October 14, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled his administration broke federal law when it purged non-citizens from voter rolls during the 2012 presidential election.  Etc., etc., etc.


One of my favorite politicos, though, hails from Connecticut.  John Rowland used to be the guv of Connecticut.  Back in September, 2004, he was tried for violating campaign laws.  He resigned and pled guilty to "depriving the public of honest service" for which he spent 10 months in prison and 4 months under house arrest.

But some of these Repubs just can't help themselves.  He's back.  Again.  Same problem.  In September of this year, former governor Rowland was found guilty on 7 counts of "engaging in corrupt political acts."


You'll notice that I haven't mentioned Sarah Palin, erstwhile former governor of Alaska, who served out only half her term before getting cold feet and running for warmer climes; who before elected to that office she was mayor of the town of Wasilla which she nearly bankrupted and set neighbor against neighbor through her mayoral activities.  Her history is too mixed and sordid to deal with in a short blog post, but her most recent shenanigans, which involved a bar fight in an Alaska saloon - punches were thrown, lots of cursing all around, and ol' Sarah right in the middle of it - is a rather apt illustration of the vacuity inherent in the Republican's claim to "family values."

Does anyone see a pattern here?


As I said at the outset, Democrats have their own problems, but compared to the Republicans they look like all the saints in glory (which were a mixed bag in their own right!).

And here's why:  Rep. Steve King, one of the Republican Party's far right kooks, in a recent interview, opened his mouth and merde fell out.  King, a Roman Catholic, from the good ol' State of Iowa, said he doesn't expect to meet any gays in heaven; or divorced people; or people who've been screwing around sans benefit of clergy.  Well, he didn't use those words.  He used these words when asked if he thought whether or not divorce or living together without being married were sins:

"I think that I'll not comment on that part," saith the King.  Then he commented on it.  "I'll just say that what was a sin 2,000 years ago is a sin today, and people that were condemned to hell 2,000 years ago, I don't expect to meet them in heaven.  So let's stick to that principle."

Isn't that interesting?  Mr. King the Stupid, is so damn dumb he doesn't even know how dumb he is.  It was a sin not to keep the Sabbath 3,000 years ago.  It was not a sin to own slaves, however.  But, if you didn't keep the Sabbath, the Lord said you should die!  King doesn't keep the Sabbath, he has been giving God the finger by worshiping on the first day of the week - Sunday - rather than the seventh!  And there has been no further word from God about slaves, but the government won't let you keep them.  Maybe that's why King hates the feds so much!

I'd guess heaven is going to be beyond his piteous, pious, precarious post-death plans and he ought to be looking into some specially-made Hazmat suits!

The little-known tool Republicans will use if they take the Senate

Bachmann and Palin, a Sad Little Boy and The Unscientific Wingnut Lamar Smith

Bachmann gets "Security Detail"

We haven't heard much from Michelle Bachmann in recent months.  That's a good thing.  Except for the fact that when she keeps her mouth shut, we have to go elsewhere for our comedy fix.

But now, wow!  Michelle believes she is a threat to the Islamic State (ISIS) because her blurred image and her clear voice is reported to have been used in a video produced by ISIS.  In the video she mentions the rise of radical Islam.

That's not surprising, though, as Bachmann has long been outspoken in her criticism of radical Muslims even to the point of urging the US to take military action against them.  In a speech at the "Value Voters" gathering earlier this fall, she said the Islam State was evil and that we must take it seriously. "You declare war on it, you don't dance around it.  Just like the Islamic State has declared war on the United States of America."

Both Bachmann and her male alter ego in the Senate, Teddy Cruz, have introduced legislation which would strip American citizenship from anyone who joins ISIS.

Evidently, this anti-Islamic State action has led her to believe that she is in danger from ISIS although it is hard to comprehend why any group, even ISIS, would spend two seconds fussing about this Republican nutcase.  Nevertheless she will get getting a security detail - police persons - who will follow her 24/7 either in Washington, D.C. or in her home state of Minnesota.

This security detail (and the waste of money) will end when Bachmann "retires" from Congress in January.  But what a great gig for the cops;  so long as they're allowed to wear ear plugs when she gives a speech.

h/t to Mock, Paper, Scissors








Palin's SuperPac

Sarah Palin, who was governor of Alaska for about half a term and now is reported to live in Arizona, set up a SuperPac awhile back ostensibly to raise money for GOP candidates.

If you recall, though, Sarah went through money like a sieve when she was McCain's VP candidate.  (I get chills just mentioning the fact that Sarah could have been one little heart attack away from the Oval Office!)

Nothing much has changed since 2008, it seems, as to how Sarah appropriates money for herself.  At one point her SuperPac gave a mere 5% to those GOP wannabes she thought should be elected to one office or another.  Lately, though, her stinginess has grown.  Now, it appears she's giving only 3% of what she takes in for her SuperPac to GOP candidates.

So, what happens to the other 97%?  Hmmmm?  Clothes, shoes, travel, wine, food, helicopters to shoot wolves?

But it gets worse.  If you were a Republican running for office, you might be on the receiving end of Palin's "generosity" if you were also batshit crazy.  And that could be embarrassing.  Consider this:  She "endorsed" John Raese for U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania.  Oops.  Mr. Raese is from West Virginia.

A Sad Little Boy

He doesn't look sad when you see him kneeling next to his kill - a rare white albino, 12-point buck!

In fact, he looks happy.  The buck looks sad.  And very dead.

The boy from Michigan shot the deer with a bow and arrow.  Why would he do this?  He wanted to be a big hunter like his dad?  Did killing a basically defenseless rare animal just for the hell of it make him feel like a man?

Don't tell me he wanted the meat!  That's what we have grocery stores for!

So why?

What a crazy race we humans are!  What a sad little boy.

Lamar Smith (R-TX) - U.S. House Science Committee Science Hater

You wouldn't think that being a Republican science hater from Texas is a big deal.  Most every Republican from Texas hates science because science proves him or her wrong on almost every issue.  So the way you deal with that if you are a member of the U.S. Congress is to go after people in the scientific community whose work shows you to be a numbskull.

Smith has a lot of power to exert when attacking the scientists and their work.  This kind of thing must happen in other countries, also, but it's quite incredible that this know-nothing from Texas has been a member of the House science committee for 26 years and now serves as its chairman.

You wouldn't think we'd want an anti-science dimwit to chair the science committee, but there it is

Daily Kos describes him this way:

"His votes reflect a pattern of opposition to climate change and alternative energy efforts, sympathy to large industry in matters of copyright and patent law, deference to law enforcement on privacy issues, and moral policing of the Internet."

Smith, a member of the Tea Party Caucus, and an anti-abortionist, has "voted to bar the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases, voted no several times on tax credits for renewable energy and incentives for energy production and conservation, voted against raising fuel efficiency standards, and rejected implementation of the Kyoto Protocol."

But, hey, the NRA gives him an A+.

Why, he's just a good ol' boy from Texas, don't ya know.  Y'all take care now, hear?"

Greed and the Bottom Line

[Note:  Photo is from Working Life.]

The holiday season is rapidly approaching which means that all of us will be inundated with pleas for money by a variety of "charitable" organizations.

It's all very confusing.  Which ones are worthy of our hard-earned money? 

Unfortunately, some charities tend to be less than charitable in the dispensation of their largesse.  Some charities, including many churches, use the funds they receive in ways which contradict the claims they make about their work.

What follows comes from a friend of mine.  It appears to replicate quite closely the facts as turned up by my own research.

Please note, however, this is an imcomplete list of both the bad guys and the good guys.  But some of the largest and most persistent charities are given the once-over.

So, as you consider what to give to whom, think about the following:

First the "not-so-good" guys:

1.  The American Red Cross:  Marsha J. Evans, President and CEO, had an annual salary of $651,957.00, plus expenses.  That seems a little excessive.

2.  The March of Dimes:  It is called the March of Dimes because for every dollar they receive, they give merely one dime to the needy!

3.  The United Way:  President Brian Gallagher is gifted a $375,000 base salary as well as numerous expense benefits.

4.  UNICEF:  Caryl M. Stern, CEO, received $1,200,000 per year ($100,000/month) plus all expenses, including a Rolls Royce.  Less than 5 cents of every dollar donated goes to the cause.

5.  Goodwill:  Mark Curran is the owner and the CEO of this well-known organization.  He currently enjoys an annual profit of $2.3 million.  Goodwill is a very catchy name for his business.  You donate stuff to Goodwill, which he then sells for proit.  He pays nothing for his products and pays his workers minimum wage.  In reality, not one cent goes to help anybody.

The "good" guys:

1.  The Salvation Army:  Commissioner Todd Basset receives an annual salary of $13,000 for managing this $2 billion organization.  Ninety-six percent of donated dollars go to help people.

2.  The American Legion National Commander gets no annual salary.  Your donations go to help veterans and their families and youth.

3.  The Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander gets no annual salary.  Your donations go to help veterans and their families and youth.

4.  The Disabled American Veterans National Commander gets no annual salary.  Your donations go  to help veterans and their families and youth

5.  The Military Order of Purple Hearts National Commander gets no annual salary.  In this case, also, what you donate goes to help veterans and their families and youth.

6.  The Vietnam Veterans Association National Commander get no annual salary and your monies go directly to veterans and their families and youth.

7.  Make A Wish Foundation:  100% of donated dollars goes toward funding trips or special wishes for a dying child.

8.  St. Jude Research Hospital:  100% of donated dollars goes toward helping children with cancer who have no insurance and cannot afford to pay for treatment.

9.  Ronald McDonald Houses:  All donated money goes toward providing housing and food for parents who have critically ill children in the hospital.

10.  Lions Club International:  Again 100% of donations is used to help the blind, for hearing aids for the deaf, and to support medical missions around the world.  Their latest endeavor is to provide measles vaccinations for $1.00 a shot.

Meet the U.S. Gun Industry

Florida needs Charlie Crist

This post is primarily for Floridians.  It is to urge residents of the Sunshine State to vote for Charlie Crist for governor.


But this first.  Senate Republicans, following the lead of the teapot crackpot, Ted Cruz, have blocked President Obama's nomination of Dr. Vivek Murthy as the country's Surgeon General.

Why would they do that?  The reasoning is so specious it boggles the mind and it also clarifies how much power the NRA has in this country.

Cruz, believing that his interpretation of the 2nd Amendment trumps all other concerns we might have as a nation, including the Ebola crisis, said he and other Republicans in the Senate could not support Dr. Murthy because the doctor at one time backed a ban on military-stye assault weapons.

So, our Republican senators, who take an oath to serve the entire country and all the people, have abrogated their responsibility to protect the health of our citizens because they are afraid of the National Rifle Association.

Now these same Republicans are blaming President Obama for the fact we don't have a Surgeon General!

I don't believe in hell, but that is where these clowns belong!


The governor's race in Florida is relatively close, although the latest polls show Crist leading by several points.  We've talked about the criminal that is Rick Scott many times and we've dealt in detail with his scumbag ways.

To be fair I should mention that, in the past, I've gone after Charlie Crist because of his support for school vouchers (which by any measure is blatantly unconstitutional!) and his ties to the religious right.  But in his first go around as Florida's chief executive, he did quite well and over the years his position on many issues has become more progressive.  The difference between Charlie and Rick is the different between night and day, to use an old cliche.

From the beginning, Scott has turned away from the people of the state to feather his own nest.  He proposed a draconian drug-testing law for civil servants which would, initially at least, have been a financial boon for a company run by his wife and in which he had an interest.

Scott has yet to disclose his 2013 tax returns and has neglected to fully disclose all of his financial interests basically telling the people of Florida it's none of their business.

He famously turned down Obamacare Medicaid, which would have helped millions of Florida's elderly and would have cost the state nothing for the first three years and not much more than nothing in the years following.

Scott has enacted 12 pro-gun laws.  Is it any wonder that folks who walk around packing heat in Florida suddenly shoot someone and then claim that was their "right" under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law because they felt threatened as the other person had big, fearsome ears?

Scott has cut funding for public schools and pushed private and charter schools.  He has cut taxes for the rich which means that those with less financial resources are impacted more by various fees and taxes.

But when it comes to the environment - protecting the land and the sea that gives us life - Scott has been an unmitigated disaster.  He'll talk about his multi-billion dollar environment initiative but it's all smoke and mirrors - there's no money appropriated or in place to carry out these plans.

He's done nothing to counter the effects of global warming which will soon become Florida's greatest nemesis!  The seas are rising and as they rise, Florida's beaches are going to be washed away.  The highest point in southeast Florida is Pine Island Ridge at 12 feet above sea level.  Areas of downtown Miami are underwater every day now at high tide.

The Florida chapter of the Sierra Club has done an excellent job profiling Scott's utter failure in dealing with environmental issues.  The Florida Sierra Club's newsletter, "The Pelican," points out a few of these failures:

1)  Scott eliminated the Department of Community Affairs which means that developers can pretty much do whatever they want with no government oversight.

2)  When the EPA proposed rules to stop pollution of Florida's waters, Scott fought the agency all the way!

3)  Scott cut funding for Florida's water management districts which led to reducing environmental staff and programs.  These districts are absolutely critical to the ongoing environmental health of the state!

4) "Crippled enforcement of environmental rules and appointed industry officials in top regulatory positions."

5)  Scott is pushing to build "several new transportation corridors that would create new cities with millions of people and would eliminate much of Florida's rural farmland," destroying many wildlife habitats and threatening the state's water supply in the process.

And there's much more.  We haven't even touched on his criminal actions in masterminding the most massive Medicare fraud in history!


Crist, on the other hand, has a good environmental record.

When governor, Crist's advice to reject new coal plants in Florida was followed and six massive plants were never built.  He recognized the challenge of climate change and got the state going on ways to develop renewable energy (this was reversed by Republicans in the state legislature).

As governor, Crist will work to protect our beaches, the Everglades, wildlife habitats, and reduce algae pollution.  Charlie is opposed to fracking for natural gas and off-shore oil drilling.  He is a strong proponent of solar energy.  Crist believes we must build more mass transit and supports electric vehicles.


It couldn't be any clearer.  Florida's future is at stake.  And that's why Charlie Crist has been endorsed by many, if not most, of the state's major newspapers, including the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Tampa Bay/St. Pete Times, the Miami Herald, and the Orlando Sentinel.